How Planning
With Me Works
Every great journey begins long before the plane takes off. It starts with a daydream, a conversation, and a map slowly taking shape on the desk between us. I plan every adventure the way I'd want my own planned: with curiosity, care, and an eye for the details that turn a good trip into the one you'll talk about for years to come. Here is the route we'll travel together, from the first spark of an idea to the moment you're home again, trading stories.
Chart the Course
Grab a coffee (or a glass of wine, I won't judge) and let's talk travel! Over a 30-minute call, I'll ask where you're dreaming of going and, just as importantly, how you want to feel when you get there. The pace you're after, the passions you want to chase, the experiences that would make the trip for you. Every wild idea is welcome, and half-formed daydreams are my favorite place to start. You'll learn how I work, ask me anything, and together we'll see if we're the perfect fit.
Draw the Map
Once we're ready to begin, a $100 planning fee sets the work in motion. This is where I disappear into the details. I call the guides who know the backroads, compare the lodges with the best views at sunrise, and trace every route on the map until the pieces fit together just so. What emerges is your custom proposal, a journey drawn entirely around you.
Choose Your Expedition
Every journey begins with the $100 planning fee, credited toward your design fee. From there, choose the level of planning that fits your trip, and we'll confirm your exact figure together before anything is booked.
| What's included | Basecampstarting at$200One extraordinary stay | Field Journeystarting at$400A custom trip, one or two countries | Grand Expeditionstarting at$700Multi-country, rail, polar & groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| The essentials | |||
| Guidance choosing the right property, ship or cabin | Included | Included | Included |
| Virtuoso perks where available | Included | Included | Included |
| Private transfers | Included | Included | Included |
| Pre-trip guidance and know-before-you-go | Included | Included | Included |
| The full journey | |||
| Day-by-day custom itinerary | Not included | Included | Included |
| Guides, experiences, dining and activity bookings | Not included | Included | Included |
| Private walkthrough of your proposal | Not included | Included | Included |
| 24/7 on-the-ground partner support | Not included | Included | Included |
| The big ones | |||
| Multi-country routing and luxury rail | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Polar and expedition logistics | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Multigenerational and celebration group coordination | Not included | Not included | Included |
Honeymoon planning starts at $600 and includes a personal honeymoon page where your guests can see your plans and contribute to your honeymoon fund. See Honeymoons
Refine the Route
Now the map comes to life! Together we'll walk through your proposal, adjusting every detail until it feels unmistakably yours. The moment you say yes, I'll start locking in the good stuff: Virtuoso partner hotels with their exclusive perks, private guides, seamless transfers, and flights. It's official. You're going!
Pack the Trunk
As departure day draws closer, the details start falling into place like stamps in a passport. The corner table at that little restaurant the locals love, reserved. Tickets to the museum, waiting. A handful of ideas for your free afternoons, tucked away for whenever wanderlust strikes. Then comes your personalized packing list, a know-before-you-go guide, and local emergency contacts, so by the time you step off the plane, you'll feel like you've been there before.
Set Out
This is the moment everything has been leading to. You arrive as a welcomed guest, greeted at the airport, whisked to your hotel, and met by a team already expecting you. Days unfold just as we dreamed them, and should anything shift along the way, trusted local partners are ready with 24/7 on-the-ground support. All that's left is to soak it in.
Return & Record
Welcome home, world traveler! Once you've unpacked (and maybe finally slept), let's sit down and relive it all: your favorite moments, the happy surprises, the meals you're still dreaming about. I want to hear about the hidden café you stumbled into, the guide who made you laugh, the view that stopped you in your tracks, because every discovery goes straight into my field journals for future travelers. Every story helps me design your next adventure even better, and I suspect we'll already be wondering where the map leads next.
The world is wide, wild, and wonderful. With Tern & Meridian, X marks the spot where your next great story begins.