Ever wondered what is behind a bespoke travel agency. Are we dream makers, journey planners or trip designers?

Everyone whose experienced their own private hell on a journey knows bad experiences are to be avoided – and that is where bespoke travel agents come in. It is our job to make sure you avoid any travel downsides.  It’s our job to painstakingly draw up itineraries, test every aspect from the hotels, restaurants on the schedule and make sure the end result is a dream trip rather than an enduring nightmare.

One of my pet hates is to stop only one night in every place giving you no chance to relax and enjoy a destination.   Yes, we can plan a trip of Europe in 15 days but chances are you will be exhausted by the end and it won’t let you get ‘under the skin of the place’. We would therefore sit down with you and work out which places are really on your bucket list to explore, and which ones you can manage with a quick photo opportunity.

Our trips engage all your five senses while you’re on your journey like escaping hotels and long lines of tourist filled jeeps by camping on the riverbank in Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka. How about snorkeling in Iceland? In other words, we link you to under-the-radar authentic things that aren’t super high end or expensive that go beyond the selfie at the Eiffel Tower or Grand Canyon.

How do we do this? By taking time to get to know you, what you like, what you don’t like, your best holiday stories, your holiday nightmares. After all travel should be a very personal thing, and we’ll need to know your quirks and fancies like your preference for small inns over grand hotels (or vice versa) or your sightseeing passion for WW1 battlefields.  You can admit all to your bespoke travel agent!

We give you the options for everything … buses, planes, trains, hotels, special occasion venues – in fact anything you need. Or if you prefer, we simply sketch in the big details like flights and the first night’s accommodation and let you go from there. It’s your holiday, your call what we do.

We are huge travelers ourselves and take pride in taking as much care with your holiday as we do our own. We draw on specialist knowledge that comes with having been there and our local connections. This is rare in the industry but we ensure special touches for you, like the suite with a special view or getting you into the kitchens of local cooks or on an actual truffle hunt in Umbria. We’ll create those moments that make your holiday memorable

Turning dreams into reality can come at an environmental cost. We look to minimise the carbon footprint of our journeys and make sure the money we spend goes into local pockets: locally owned hotels, restaurants and tour guides wherever practical.

We are not the typical 9-5 travel agents, for us it’s all about your convenience – so when suits you to chat – evenings, daytime, weekends. we meet up in the comfort of your own home via phone, skype or if you live in Sydney, in person.

It’s been said ‘luxury is the absence of worry’ and that is what we believe too.  That means we have your back when you’re away, day and night just in case the unexpected happens. And your booking is protected by ATAS, IATA and AFTA accreditation.

That does not mean we are at the pricy end of the market or only work with people who have big buck budgets.  We don’t even charge a planning fee (unless all you want is an itinerary).  We take a cut of hotels, tour payments as well as trip insurance – which are usually no more expensive than if you trolled the internet for hours and purchase it for yourself.

And we don’t just suggest options where we get commission – we’ll book Airbnbs, apartments, converted farmhouses, you name it, whatever suits you and your needs, even linking you to monastery stays in Japan and Korea.

So do you want in?

We’d love to talk with you to see if TYW is exactly the right fit for you. Just shoot us an enquiry at anthea@travelyourway.com.au.