Questions, answered.

Four steps. One: you tell us where you've always meant to go and roughly when. Two: we have a short call (15–20 minutes) to understand the kind of trip you want and confirm fit. Three: we match you with a planner who lives where you're going, and within a few days you receive a draft itinerary. Four: we refine it together until it's right, you pay the deposit, and we book everything.

From the first conversation to a confirmed itinerary usually takes about two weeks for straightforward trips, three to four for more complex ones.

Three to nine months ahead is the comfortable range. The most coveted lodgings — small ryokans, owner-run riads, conservancy camps — book up six to nine months in advance for peak season. Last-minute trips are possible but you'll have fewer choices on stays.

If you're flexible on dates, our planners can usually find something interesting within four weeks.

Tell us "Spring 2026" or "ten days in summer, flexible" and that's enough to start. Our planners will design around the season and recommend the best two-week window for your destination. Dates only need to be locked once you confirm the deposit.

Two parts: a flat design fee (paid to Journey Junction) plus the actual cost of your trip (paid to suppliers via us, or directly).

The design fee is quoted in writing once we understand your brief, and varies by trip complexity. Trip costs depend entirely on what you're after — our travelers typically spend between £4,000 and £12,000 per person for ten to fourteen-day itineraries.

The first conversation and a rough outline are free. You only commit once you've seen a draft itinerary.

Only after you've seen and approved your draft itinerary, and only after you've agreed to the trip-specific booking terms. The deposit secures your stays and any time-sensitive components (private guides, flights, bush-pilot transfers).

Final balance is typically due 60 days before departure. Exact terms are set per trip and disclosed in writing.

Our cancellation schedule is generous wherever we can be — we believe people should be able to change their minds. The catch is that small lodges and owner-operated suppliers often impose stricter cancellation windows that we have to pass on. Comprehensive travel insurance, which we make mandatory for every traveler, covers most cancellation scenarios.

The exact schedule is part of your booking terms.

Yes, where useful. International flights you can usually book yourself for less, so we'll advise but leave you to it. Internal flights (the Reykjavík–Ísafjörður propeller, the bush flight from the Mara to Zanzibar) we book on your behalf and integrate into the itinerary.

Stays, ground transport, private guides where used, key meals and reservations, internal transfers, and any private experiences (a tea ceremony, a winery visit, a desert camp) the trip is built around. Plus 24/7 concierge support while you're on the ground.

What's not included: international flights (unless requested), incidental meals, gratuities, and travel insurance — which is mandatory and you arrange yourself.

Our concierge team is on call 24/7 while you're traveling. A flight cancellation, a weather change, a sudden illness, a restaurant that disappoints — we re-route in real time. You travel with a single phone number that reaches a real human in your time zone.

No. Every trip we design is private and bespoke to you. There are no group departures, no shared coaches, no scheduled tours. The only other people on your itinerary are the local guides, hosts, and chefs your planner has chosen for you.

Personally, by us. Every planner has been interviewed in person, has lived in the country they design for (most of them all their lives), and has been on the ground with at least one of our team members. We don't crowdsource and we don't list "verified" partners we haven't met.

The list is small on purpose — there's a planner for each of the seven destinations we currently cover, and we'd rather grow slowly than add countries we can't vouch for.

Currently: Japan, Italy, Vietnam, Morocco, Patagonia, Iceland, and Kenya & Tanzania. New destinations are added once we've found a planner who genuinely lives there and meets our bar — usually one or two new countries per year.

If your dream destination isn't on the list, write to us anyway. We may know someone we trust there, even if it's not formally on our roster yet.