The kind of trips clients keep to themselves.

Six shapes of trip the practice works on most often. The categories are loose, and most of what I design sits across more than one of them, but they're useful as a way to begin a conversation. If your trip doesn't sit obviously in any of these, write anyway. The interesting ones rarely do.

Planning around a date? See journeys for an occasion, or where to go, month by month.

The Sabbatical

The long one. Often after something: a sale, a retirement, the kids leaving, a year that asked too much. The shape of the trip is what makes it work or doesn't.

The Milestone

Anniversaries, big birthdays, retirements, post-divorce, post-something. A specific date carries weight. The trip has to be capable of carrying it.

The Generations

Three generations, sometimes four. Children, parents, grandparents, occasionally an in-law or two. Different energies. Different mobility. Different ideas of what a holiday is for.

The Sanctuary

The trip where the point is to not move. One base, one bed, one rhythm. Wellness retreats, private estates, residential spas, the villas you take for a fortnight.

The Expedition

Places that are hard to get to and harder to do badly. Antarctica. Galápagos. Bhutan. Papua New Guinea. The trips you only do once, that have to be right the first time.

The Voyage

Where the journey is the destination. Small-ship cruise, river cruise, yacht charter. Trips where you wake somewhere different and stay in the same bed.