CURATED PRIVATE TRAVEL
This is not a package holiday with a fancy name
Curated private travel is a full, start-to-finish collaboration - the kind where I get to know you, your travel style, your non-negotiables, and your budget before a single hotel is touched. Then I design something that actually reflects who you are and how you travel.
​
What that looks like in practice: you get an itinerary built entirely for you, logistics handled so nothing falls through the cracks, accommodation hand-picked (not pulled from a commission list), and access to the kind of experiences that don't show up on the first page of Google, because sometimes they're not even on Google at all.
​
I'm a research historian by training. Finding the obscure, unlocking the inaccessible, and making things happen that most people would be told aren't possible is genuinely my favourite part of this job. If there's something you desperately want to do or see, tell me. I rarely hear a request I can't find a way to make work.
​
You get one point of contact throughout: me. Not a team, not a portal, not a bot. Just someone who knows these countries well enough to have real opinions about them - and who cares, quite a lot, that you come home having had the trip of a lifetime.
How many tabs do you have open right now?
The average person spends 10 hours researching a trip to Europe*. That's before they've second-guessed a single hotel, fallen down a TripAdvisor thread from 2019, or realised the "highly recommended" restaurant they booked closed eight months ago.
​
And that's a straightforward trip. Add multiple countries, a mix of cities and countryside, restaurant reservations in Italian, or a family with conflicting interests - and it compounds fast.
​
Travel advice online is abundant and largely useless. It's written for everyone, which means it's written for no one. The best restaurants aren't on the first page of search results. The best hotels aren't always the ones with the most reviews. And no algorithm knows that you hate being rushed, love a good wine list, and would rather spend three nights in one place than tick off seven cities in ten days.
​
I do. Because you'll tell me - and I'll build the whole thing around it.
​
*You didn't expect an academic to come without citations, did you?
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/holiday-booking-planning-travel-survey-tourist-a8801211.html
How it works
-
We start with a conversation. Book a free 20-minute intro call. You tell me about the trip you're dreaming of - where, when, how long, what matters most. I ask questions. We figure out whether we're a good fit.
-
I get to work. Once you're booked in, I research everything - accommodation, experiences, restaurants, logistics, transfers. I come back to you with options to approve.
-
We refine it together. You're not handed a finished itinerary and told to get on with it. We have follow-up calls to tweak, adjust, and make sure the final version is exactly right.
-
You receive something worth getting excited about. A fully built itinerary delivered via a beautiful digital platform - accessible on your phone, online, and as a PDF. Every day mapped out, every booking confirmed, restaurant reservations made, a custom Google Map included, and a personalised guide to each destination woven throughout. The kind of thing you'll find yourself reading on the sofa weeks before you leave.
-
I'm available while you travel. Unlimited email support before and during your trip. WhatsApp for urgent queries. And a 60-minute pre-departure call so you leave feeling prepared, not panicked.
​
From first call to final itinerary, the full process typically takes 6 to 8 weeks. If you're travelling in peak season or have a complex multi-country itinerary, building in a little extra time is always worthwhile. The earlier we start, the better the options.
What's included
The Deep Dive
We start with a proper conversation - 45 to 60 minutes to get into the details of what you actually want from this trip. Then I disappear and do the research. Accommodation, experiences, restaurants, logistics - all of it, properly.
The Itinerary
A fully customised day-by-day itinerary delivered via a beautiful digital platform - online, on your phone, and as a PDF. Think of it as a very well-researched, extremely opinionated guide to your trip written specifically for you - with a custom Google Map, destination guides, cultural context, and my honest recommendations woven throughout.
The Bookings
I handle everything - hotels, experiences, transfers, tours, and restaurant reservations including the ones with a three-month waiting list. You won't need to chase a single confirmation email, that's my job.
The Support
Unlimited email support before and during your trip, and a 60-minute pre-departure call to walk through every detail so you board that plane feeling like you already know the place.
Two things I don't do: flights or rental cars (but I'm always happy to research them for you and send my recommendations and full booking instructions). Everything else is fair game. Full details in the Booking Terms & Conditions.
What it costs
My curation fee is €125 per day - calculated on the length of your trip. For longer itineraries, the rate reduces from day 10 onwards.
​
To give you a sense of what that looks like in practice:
-
A 7-day trip: €875 in curation fees
-
A 10-day itinerary: €1,250 in curation fees
​
This covers everything listed above - all the research, planning calls, itinerary build, booking management, and support throughout. The cost of the trip itself (your chosen hotels, experiences, restaurants, and transfers) is separate and booked directly on your behalf once agreed. All fees are confirmed in writing before any work begins. No surprises.
​
I am not your grandmother's travel agent. Traditional travel agents earn their money from the hotels and experiences they send you to - which is a polite way of saying their interests and yours aren't always the same thing. I'm not in the business of chasing commissions or routing bookings through third-party companies for a cut. My curation fee is agreed upfront, and my only incentive is that you have the trip of a lifetime and tell absolutely everyone about it.
​
A note on timing: I deliberately limit how many clients I take on each month - because good travel planning can't be rushed - and I won't pretend otherwise. I book up in advance, particularly for summer and autumn travel. If your departure is less than 60 days away, a rush fee applies, starting from €170 depending on trip length and complexity. If you're planning ahead, now is a good time to get in touch.​