Practical questions, answered directly

Usually that is where the useful work begins. The place is rarely the hard part; the room, the order of the days, the week that misses the crowds and the person who meets you are.

You can, and for some trips it works well. AI is good at a list of hotels and a sensible order of days.

What it cannot do is ring the people at a property I know, tell you which rooms are worth asking for, or book through the network portal, which is where the breakfast, the property credit and the upgrade request come from. And when a flight is cancelled late at night, it will not be the one on the phone to the airline and the hotel.

One to three weeks from formal brief to first proposal, for most journeys. Complex multi-country trips with peak-season availability constraints can run four to six weeks. The timeline doesn't reduce the work, it concentrates it.

Yes, where useful, particularly long-haul, business class, and complex multi-segment routings. There is no ticketing fee. Some households prefer to book flights independently through corporate travel desks or points programmes. Either route is fine.

For flights, yes. Many households book long-haul flights on points, and that sits comfortably alongside everything else I arrange.

Hotels are different. The benefits that come with booking through the practice apply to rooms booked through the network portal. A points stay, or a room booked through a card's own hotel programme, usually sits outside that. So for each hotel it is one route or the other, not both.

If you hold a card with its own hotel programme, tell me in the first conversation and I will say which route gives you more at each property.

Yes. Yacht charter is handled through a small number of brokers the practice trusts.

Deposit and balance dates are set out in your booking confirmation. They vary by supplier, and any unusual terms are flagged in your proposal before you confirm. Bank transfer or card. International transfers can be handled where useful for non-UK clients.

You have my mobile number, my WhatsApp, and the direct numbers of the people looking after you, at each property and on the ground. Most things that go wrong are resolved by a call from me to the right person. The time difference between London and most destinations is workable, and the relationships are the point. Travel insurance with cancellation cover is required on every trip and arranged separately.

Cancellation terms vary by supplier. Each property and operator has its own structure. The proposal you receive will detail the specific cancellation policy at each component. Travel insurance with cancellation cover is required, in force from the day the first deposit is paid.

Completely. Client information is kept in private business accounts, and nothing is shared with third parties beyond what's necessary to make the bookings. The practice never publishes photographs of clients. A client's words appear here only with their written permission, signed with their first name or initials, the destination and the month.

Highly. I keep WhatsApp on UK hours during business days, and usually answer messages within the hour during most waking hours of yours, including time-shifted destinations. For trip-critical issues, meaning flight cancellations, illness, anything that requires me to act, I'm available at any hour.

Most journeys I design start from around £30,000. If yours is smaller, write anyway; I would rather tell you honestly whether I am the right fit. Trips where the household is set on a destination or property the practice doesn't have the right relationships for, and I'll say so honestly. Trips that require corporate-volume booking, because the practice is small by design.

Most properties and operators include service in the rate or have transparent staff gratuity policies. Where tipping is expected separately, particularly with guides, drivers, and certain hotel staff in specific regions, I provide a guidance note in the pre-departure document, with local currency amounts and customs.

Just send them the website, an email introduction with my contact details, or both. There's no formal referral programme, but introductions are gratefully received and the practice takes care of the people you trust enough to send. If a referral becomes a client, I'll write to thank you personally.

Write anyway. The network extends globally, and most considered destinations are reachable through trusted partners. The first conversation establishes whether the destination is one I can serve well. If not, I'll often be able to introduce you to someone better placed.