There's
a
particular
kind of
magic
that
happens
when a
small
group of
strangers
sets off
together
and
comes
home as
friends.
It's
no
accident
that
many
guests
who join
us on
one of
our
trips
come
back
again
and
again to
book
others
with us.
Some
have
even
chosen
to
repeat
the very
same
journey
a second
time!
That
kind of
loyalty
isn't
something
we
expected.
It's
just
something
we
earned.
Whether
it's
tracing
Scotland's
lochs
and
glens,
or
journeying
through
the
layered
history
of the
Balkans,
or
following
an
immersive
loop
through
Vietnam,
Cambodia,
Laos and
Thailand,
or
enjoying
a deep
dive
into Sri
Lanka's
hill
country
and
coastline,
or
unfolding a
season across
Japan -
every
one of
our
trips is
led by
one of
our own
staff. That
matters
more
than
people
expect.
It means
someone
who has
walked
the
route
before
is
handling
the
logistics,
reading
the
weather,
knowing
which
restaurant
table
has the
view and
which
local
guide
will
tell the
best
stories.
It means
that
when a
flight
is
delayed
or a
road
closes
or the
local
police
require
under-the-table
gifts,
you're
not the
one
scrambling
to fix
it. You
get to
stay
grounded,
because
someone
whose
job it
is to
worry
about
the
details
is
already
three
steps
ahead of
you.
Our
group
sizes
are
aimed at
16, and
this is
a
deliberate
decision
on our
part.
The
group is
big
enough
to give
our
guests
social
flexibility
and
small
enough
to allow
everyone
to
overlap
with
everyone
else at
least a
few
times
throughout
the
trip.
But
it's
small
enough
that
you're
never
anonymous.
Everyone
learns
your
name on
day one
and your
favourite
coffee
order by
day
three.
In
over
three
decades
of
leading
our
guests
to
exotic
destinations
around
the
world,
I've
seen the
same
pattern
hold
true
again
and
again:
guests
in
groups
of up to
16
simply
feel
more
comfortable
than in
smaller
or
larger
groups.
There's
room to
find
your
kindred
spirits
and
still
freedom
to
explore
independently
with
enough
togetherness
to share
the
experience
fully.
Each
of our
five
upcoming
private
journeys
is built
around a
place we
genuinely
love,
not just
a list
of
landmarks
to tick
off.
April
2027
-
Scotland
is wild
coastlines,
single-track
roads,
incredible
castles
and
whisky
poured
by the
people
who
distil
it.
October
2027
-
The
Balkans
offers
Ottoman
old
towns
with
mosques
and
bazaars,
turquoise
rivers,
the
Adriatic
coastline
and a
complicated,
fascinating
modern
history
that's
far
richer
told in
person
by
someone
who's
spent
years
there.
Much of
the
region
is still
underexplored
by mass
tourism,
so it
feels
less
"checked
off"
than
Italy or
France.
November
2027
-
Southeast
Asia,
spanning
Vietnam,
Cambodia,
Laos and
Thailand,
is a
journey
of
contrasts
- the
energy
of
Hanoi's
old
quarter,
the hush
of
Angkor
at
sunrise,
the slow
lifestyles
of Laos,
the
warmth
of Thai
hospitality
— all
connected
by at
least
one of
our
staff
who has
been
exploring
there
for
decades.
February
2028
-
Sri
Lanka
packs
diverse
and
astonishing
attractions
into a
small
island -
ancient
cities,
leopard-dotted
national
parks,
terraced
tea
estates
and
beaches
that
offer
sand
between
your
toes
on
a well-earned
day off
— ideal
for a
group
that
wants
variety
with
moves
in
short,
easy
stretches.
April
2028
-
Japan
offers
the
pleasure
of an
unusual
place
that
rewards
insider
knowledge
— the
side-street
ramen
counter,
the
timing
of a
temple
visit
before
the
crowds
arrive,
and the
etiquette
that
turns a
good
trip
into a
genuinely
welcomed
one.
Ultimately,
what our
guests
tell us
after
every
one of
our
trips is
that,
regardless
of the
itinerary
and the
destination,
they
appreciate
being
looked
after
while
still
feeling
like an
adventurer.
Someone
else is
holding
the map,
booking
the
table,
paddling
under
the
surface
and
smoothing
the
rough
edges,
so
guests
are free
to have
an
extended
conversation
with a
stranger
along
the way,
linger
an extra
twenty
minutes
at a
viewpoint,
or say
yes to
the
thing
they
didn't
plan
for.
Travelling
with our
staff
and a
group of
fellow
guests
means
arriving
home not
just
with
photographs,
but with
stories
you tell
for
years,
and
often a
handful
of new
friends
you'll
want to
travel
with
again.
Cheers,
Rick
