5 Best Destination Travel Companies
This badge has been awarded to Authentic Luxury Travel’s 5 best destination travel companies in the world.
Authentic Luxury Travel has just named the five best destination travel companies in the world. The selection was based on the companies’ insider knowledge, local connections, and expertise in creating custom itineraries focused on authentic travel experiences.
These travel planners will be awarded Authentic Luxury Travel’s “World’s Best Travel Awards 2014” badges for inclusion on their web sites.
What makes these companies special?
These best destination travel companies were all founded by and are currently under the direction of local travel experts who live in their specific destination. They have years of experience in the travel industry; they have personal relationships with the hotels, restaurants, guides, drivers and others who will interact with their clients; and they stay abreast of conditions in the region that may affect a traveler’s experience.
And what I like best is that I trust these planners to create itineraries that are completely customized, interactive, and focused on connecting with the local culture. That’s what you want, right?
The five best destination travel companies:
- Nina Fogelman, Founder and President of Ancient Summit (Peru) – Nina lived in Peru for 27 years and continues to commute back and forth from her home in the States. She personally plans every guest’s itinerary, making sure that each trip is finely tuned, yet allows for spontaneous diversions and individual interests. She has total confidence in her staff and contacts on the ground in Peru, so there is no guesswork when it comes to putting a trip together. For example, when Ancient Summit guests tour the Sacred Valley, they have lunch at the home of Nina’s friends and enjoy dishes prepared with ingredients from their organic garden. What Ancient Summit provides is authentic travel at its finest. Read more here and here.
Nina Fogelman’s happy clients in Peru.
- Van Nguyen, Founder and President of Vietnam Alive – Van travels constantly in Vietnam to stay in touch with the latest and the best travel experiences for his clients – from home stays in the Mekong Delta to five-star resorts and hotels. He can arrange a family dinner in Ho Chi Minh City or introduce guests to the best restaurants in the country. His travelers can be confident that Van has sampled every option personally and what they experience will be valid, authentic, locally connected, and completely up to date. Read more here and here.
Van Nguyen can arrange for you to stay at this resort in Vietnam.
- Michael Kaye, founder and President of Costa Rica Expeditions – Costa Rica is one place where Americans often mistakenly assume renting a car and going it alone is no big deal but, in truth, it can be a major challenge. Michael’s company takes care of everything with insider knowledge and deep respect for the local culture. Begun in 1978 as a white-water rafting outfitter, Costa Rica Expeditions is now staffed by the eight best travel planners in this beautiful country. Read more here.
Not all Costa Rica zipline operators are created equal.
Ask Costa Rica Expeditions to recommend one they know is safe.
- Patrick Ashworth, Founder and President of Ashworth Africa Luxury Tours & Safaris – There are plenty of tour operators to chose from when considering a trip to southern and East African, but Patrick Ashworth is South African-born, and his bespoke itineraries reflect his insider knowledge and connections based on personal relationships. In addition to intimate safaris, Ashworth Africa plans family vacations, honeymoons, and trips that include Africa’s legendary long-distance trains. Read more here.
Ask Patrick at Ashworth Africa to tell you about lion mating season.
- Jamshyd Sethna and Lucy Davison, Banyan Tours (India) – Jamshyd Sethna, founder/owner of Banyan Tours, and travel planner Lucy Davison, a British ex-pat, combine their love of India with professional insight when designing Banyan’s tailor-made itineraries. The Shakti Village Walks that Jamshyd recently created are just one example. “You haven’t been to India if you haven’t walked through at least a few of her many thousands of rural villages where life goes on pretty much the way it has forever,” he told me. Lucy is equally up to the task of connecting travelers with authentic experiences in this magical, mystical country. When I told her I wanted to stay at a haveli, a historic mansion, in North India, and she found one for me that was a perfect fit. Read more here.
Authentic luxury travelers don’t want to be on someone else’s schedule and they want real experiences not commercial ones. They also aren’t trying to spend the most money. Authentic Luxury Travel is about discovering a new culture by taking the time to touch it and taste it instead of staying apart and above it all.
These five best destination travel companies understand this philosophy, and I trust them to create wonderful experiences for you.
Enjoy!
Category: Authentic Travel, Travel Experts
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Elizabeth,
Authentic experiences are what differentiate and lend cherished memories. Traveling well is an art and excellent resources are
invaluable to the discerning traveler. Thank you for continuing to support Authentic traveling.
Awesome list, i also to recommend Travel2Egypt if you want to visit Egypt. According to my experience they are the best if you want to travel to Egypt.