What It Takes to Plan A Journey of a Lifetime

by Geri Bain

From a reasonably-priced naturalist-guided bushwhacking, wildlife-viewing cruise into Alaska’s back-country to a super-luxurious safari that combines close encounters with gorillas in Rwanda with accommodations in a royal villa, travel advisors often arrange things most people might not even dream possible.

Here are five life-expanding journeys that travel advisors’ clients described as “beyond our wildest dreams” and “filled with experiences I didn’t even know to ask about”. All illustrate the kind of unique arrangements and well-coordinated itineraries that travel advisors are able to arrange and the thinking and expertise behind them.

The True Nature of Alaska

You have to ask the right questions to plan the perfect vacation, said Dave Hershberger, President and CEO, Prestige Travel. Before coming to him, his new clients has asked another advisor to plan their “small-ship” cruise to Alaska. When she tried to sell them on a 2,000-passenger cruise ship, they decided she wasn’t the advisor for them. 

In asking why they wanted a small ship, Hershberger learned that what they wanted was not a traditional cruise, but a way to get into backcountry wilderness. UnCruise Adventures, a company the couple had never heard of, fit their dreams and their budget. “With under 100 passengers, their ships get into wilderness areas where they rarely see other people. Bushwhacking into the wilderness and sea kayaking are not for everybody, but for this couple, it was a dream come true.”

 When they asked about renting a car, he suggested they consider an RV.  “Again, it’s not for everyone,” he stressed, “but RVs are surprisingly easy to drive and you’re not reserving hotels; you’re staying right out in nature. And except in a few high-demand spots, you don’t need to reserve in advance, so they could adjust their schedule as they went. I suggested an itinerary that took in several national parks and other spots they wouldn’t see on their cruise.”

 What started as an Alaska cruise turned out to be two very different Alaska trips, Hershberger noted. “I advised them to do the RV first, since after cooking and navigating for themselves, it would be a treat to kick back on the cruise and be waited on!” Among the most memorable treats would be watching brown bears feeding on salmon along a waterfall, something his clients said they “could never in a million years imagine we’d witness.” Plus, at $20,000 for the two of them, it was far less expensive than they’d expected.

A European Odyssey

Inspired by neighbors who had done a week-long transatlantic crossing on Cunard, a retired couple decided they would do that too, and then thought, why not do a grand tour of Europe? On the recommendation of a friend, they contacted Lynda Phillippi, President, Renaissance Travel.

At first, they had only a vague idea of what they wanted to do. Over the course of many in-person meetings with Phillippi, their trip came into focus: cooking classes, wine tastings, fun tours tailored to their interests, plus a roster of specific sights they did not want to miss. They would visit five countries in 13 weeks.

 Phillippi planned every component of their trip from start to finish and promised to be accessible by cell phone for their entire trip. Once they nailed down the exact itinerary, she worked with her vetted local tour operators in each destination so that the couple would have in-country support everywhere—something especially valuable when a medical emergency/hospital stay required some quick help and itinerary updates.

 With such a long trip, they interspersed days of heavy and light activity. And to keep costs down, she planned a mix of independent days and private and small group tours. Among the highlights were a private Godfather-themed tour in Sicily visiting scenes from the movie. In Switzerland, a four-day private tour with a very special guide let them explore at their own pace and got them to the Matterhorn on a clear day so they could get great photos.

 At press time, they had been traveling for over two months The trip will end with a few days in London where, at Phillippi’s suggestion, they’ll pick up some dressy clothes for the cruise and hit some recommended secondhand stores for keepsakes before boarding the ship to come home. Phillippi said she feels like she’s been right there with them because they send photos and thank you notes every day!

Off-the-Beaten Track in Argentina

Kareem George, CTA, CEO, Culture Traveler always advises travelers to Argentina to stay long enough to get off the beaten path. So when two couples, traveling together, ask him to help plan their first trip to the country, he worked with them to craft a luxurious, in-depth 2.5 week itinerary. 

Among the highlights was their guide for five days in Buenos Aires, a personal friend of George who trains many of city’s best guides. The guide added rich historical information, sociological context, personal flavor and insights to visits to the major attractions and even touristy activities like a tango dinner show were carefully selected for quality; the couples reported back that they had “some of the best steak ever and the food, service and performance far exceeded our expectations.”

 The guide also took them to places beloved by locals but not on the typical tourist circuit, including San Isidro and Tigre. “The couples loved these beautiful towns, and especially raved about their private boat trip around the Paraná River Delta, where they had an intimate view of a lifestyle built around the water, with many homes and shops accessible only by boat,” George said.

Another highlight was the Llao Llao Resort in Bariloche. “I reserved rooms with stunning mountain and lake views and arranged for a hike with a naturalist guide who pointed out unique endangered flora and fauna, which they said was ‘a deeply moving experience.’”

 Despite a much publicized change in government just before their trip, the couples told George that they always felt safe and at ease. “They said they appreciated our proactive communication and responsiveness to their questions and were impressed by the immediate re-arranging to keep their trip on track when an airline strike occurred during their visit,” he said.

 The couples also told George that they appreciated the mix of accommodations, from the small Cavas Wine Lodge to the grand Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. Having gotten a taste of all there is to see and do, they are already discussing a return trip.   

Finding a Home in Portugal

Last spring, when a couple asked Gwen Garrett, Travel Planner, Independent Affiliate of Largay Travel, to plan an extensive trip to Portugal with an eye towards a possible future real estate purchase, she knew just what to do. It’s a country she knows well, but the first step was to get a sense of what interested this couple about Portugal. 

They told her that they were looking at the move to Portugal as a way to enjoy a rich European cultural life, so she arranged guided tours that focused on both history and current culture.

Knowing that they are true foodies—one is a chef—she worked with her in-country partner to craft a food market tour and cooking class in Lisbon, a vineyard tour outside Porto, and food tastings unique to Portugal’s various regions, including Porto and Evora, so they could get a well-rounded feeling for the variety and richness of Portuguese cuisine and wine.

 Garrett also arranged for meetings with some of the best real estate professionals in Lisbon. The realtors spent considerable time explaining what day-to-day life is like in Lisbon and the uniqueness of Portuguese life. The couple were treated to personal tours of different neighborhoods so they could get a sense of the character of each locale.

 When they returned, they told Garrett that “the trip was beyond our wildest dreams… easily the best vacation we have ever experienced.” They gave especially high praise to the realtors, guides and drivers. “We were amazed at how much we got to learn and see in a relatively short time.”

Giant Buddhas and an Imperial City

Although her clients asked for a “Vietnam river cruise”, Diana M Hechler, President, D. Tours Travel, said she immediately saw a potential conflict between what the couple was thinking and what a cruise would provide.

Ascertaining that it was Vietnam that they were drawn to and not the idea of a river cruise, she explained how the cruise would not give the in-depth Vietnam experience they wanted. As she talked about the special places they could visit, they grew increasingly enthusiastic.

 Among the highlights were Hue and the Imperial City, the ancient capital and a center for Vietnamese culture and cuisine, where “delicious food appears like works of art sculpted on your plate” and a luxury overnight cruise around stunning Halong Bay, Hechler said.

 Hechler broke up their trip with some R&R in a small village with a high-end resort, where they played golf, bicycled and shopped for handicrafts. On the way to the village, she arranged for them to stop and climb one of the Marble Mountains—actually not mountains, but five giant hills overlooking Da Nang. “There are numerous Buddhist shrines on the way up and it's not a difficult climb,” she said. It’s one of the many special things she arranged that are “easy and inexpensive to include, but you have to know about them.”

 Her client was thrilled at how much Hechler was able to fit into their 13-day trip and told her that when she’d planned a trip to Australia on her own, she’d spent 8 to 10 hours a day planning and still felt she’d missed a lot. “You just made it happen!” she said.

Gorillas, WIldebeests and a Royal Villa

“While we tried to maintain a distance of 20 feet from the gorillas, playful babies would come by and the silverback goes wherever he wants, sometimes passing just a few feet from us,” said a client of Stacy H. Small, founder, Elite Travel Club, whose recent gorilla-trekking trip checked off a bucket list item for him and his mother. Together with two of their friends, they traveled around Africa for almost three weeks on private and scheduled flights and by helicopter from one game lodge to the next. All told, they visited seven different ecosystems in three countries. 

 “Africa is one of the most expensive places we have ever planned a trip,” her client said. “It was also a destination where I had no idea where to begin. Stacy partnered with an amazing DMC (a local destination management company) who guided us through the planning process and answered every single question.”

 Wildlife-viewing in Africa requires the knowledge and local connections of a skilled travel advisor because there are so many choices of accommodations, so many regions, and so many ways to do it, Small said. “You also have to juggle seasonality and limited ways to get around, so a travel advisor also needs the support of a trusted team on the ground to ensure a seamless experience for their clients. My clients also enjoyed being added to a WhatsApp group with their local guides and support team so they never ever feel alone, no matter the time zone!”

In addition to being able to observe gorillas in their natural habitats, highlights included a stay in the royal villa that had just been used by King Charles and Queen Camila, a private archery outing with a butler served meal, and great white cage diving. They ended their adventure with a few days in Zanzibar, “to chill and enjoy somewhere not frequented by many Americans!” Stacy said.

 No wonder travelers sometimes describe their travel advisors as miracle workers. Most often, the miracle is not a single experience but is the result of a travel advisor’s ability to listen between the lines and intuit what a client wants and then draw on their experience, expertise and contacts to tailor a personalized journey that truly is a trip of a lifetime.