“One of my favorite trips I arranged this past year was a once-in-a-lifetime journey covering eight countries in 21 days celebrating a family’s eldest child’s graduation before he set off to college. The family of five (plus a friend) traveled on their private plane throughout Asia beginning with a pit stop in Cairo and ending in Seoul, South Korea.”

Expertise: Villas, Generalist, Destination Celebrations
Specialty: Destination Celebrations
Categories: Adventure, Family Travel, Destination Celebrations, Destination Weddings, Over the Top Trips, Villas

What kind of traveler loves your trips?

The clients who gravitate to me are ‘perennials’; they are not a specific demographic, but individuals varying in ages, backgrounds and interests. They also tend to inspire others with their bold ideas, vision and curiosity. One common denominator is they are successful, well-traveled, well-educated and are always looking for new adventures in unexpected destinations.

What sets your offerings apart from those of other travel specialists?

I never say no, never give up and am relentless in getting my clients what they want, whether it is a tour, experience, hotel or hard-to-get restaurant reservation. My mantra has always been, ‘what’s impossible today is probable tomorrow’. It’s easy to get availability in advance, but my specialty is securing quality space at the last minute.

Since I handle every type of luxury trip imaginable from multi-gen trips, family reunions, culinary experiences with internationally renowned chefs, around the world private jet tours or wellness retreats, I focus on highly customized itineraries with attention to detail.

In my effort to make all celebratory trips as special as possible, I will fly to a particular destination if I am not, personally, familiar with it no matter where in the world it is, just to make sure the destination and the hotel are the right fit. I understand the importance of first- hand knowledge and travelers appreciate that I make every effort to ensure that their trip is magical.

What is one of your all-time favorite experiences you’ve been able to pull off for guests?

One of my favorite trips I arranged this past year was a once-in-a-lifetime journey covering eight countries in 21 days celebrating a family’s eldest child’s graduation before he set off to college. The family of five (plus a friend) traveled on their private plane throughout Asia beginning with a pit stop in Cairo and ending in Seoul, South Korea. Along with coordinating complicated logistics from one country to another, procuring all visas, confirming the top accommodations in the best hotels, arranging for private access tours and experiences with the best guides, I collaborated daily with the family, their pilots and security team as well as the trusted vendors I worked with that made this over-the-top trip possible.

The family began their trip with a stop in Cairo where I arranged for insider access to the Paws of the Sphinx with a private lecture by Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs. This was followed by a private lunch on a felucca and then a visit to the Egyptian Museum with private access to the Mummies Room.

The next stop was four nights in Istanbul which included an exclusive after-hours visit of the Hagia Sophia along with a private Turkish hammam experience at Hurrem Sultan Hammam and a private Whirling Dervishes Show.

The family spent six nights in India and one of the highlights included a private boat ride in Varanasi on The River Ganges to see the evening rituals and back in the morning to see the pilgrims worshipping the rising sun and then start their day with a dip in the Holy River.

The most challenging part of the India arrangements was coordinating their day trip to Agra since the Agra airport is a military field with no FBO and it is only open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Their visit to the Taj Mahal was timed exactly for three hours since they needed to be back at the airport for their departing 3:30 pm flight to the Maldives where I arranged for a private 101-foot luxury yacht.

The next stop was Kathmandu, Nepal and I arranged for a private meeting with an Everest Summiteer who told them stories about his hiking experiences and, afterwards, the family had a private dinner with a former Kumari (Living Goddess).

From Nepal, the family was flying to Bhutan, but because logistics are difficult due to the mountainous terrain, I arranged for a navigator (local pilot/engineer) onboard the family’s private plane to help their pilot navigate the approach. The family stayed at the Six Senses in three different valleys where they had private yoga, meditation and astrology sessions. After their three hour hike to Taktsang Goemba “Tiger’s Nest” in Paro, I arranged for a private picnic and a Butter Lamp blessing ceremony at Samtenling Monastery.

The family wanted to make a stop to see the giant pandas in Chengdu, China. To do so, they needed to obtain a transit visa which I coordinated with their pilots and the local authorities before they landed and arranged for an English speaking handling agent upon arrival to assist the family to the main terminal building to obtain their transit visa and to clear customs. It was all worth it because the family had a private tour at the Panda Research Institute and helped feed the pandas!

The final stop was in Seoul, South Korea where I arranged for a private shopping tour and secured a last minute dinner reservation at Samcheongdong Sujebi, one of the country’s top restaurants.

How do you see your role changing in a post-COVID world?

We do not know when or how long we will co-exist with COVID, so I have to be flexible and creative in the types of trips I recommend depending on the destination. I have been organizing road trips in RV’s and private villa rentals within the U.S. and have been writing about them in my blog as a way to spark interest in the many ways a trip can be exciting and fun without traveling outside of one’s comfort zone. I suspect this social distancing travel trend will continue for some time.

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