The reasons people choose to travel are diverse, from deepening connections with family and friends to seeking inspiration, learning a new skill, or simply achieving genuine rest.

We know the feeling: the excitement of a new destination quickly fades when faced with the overwhelming logistics. Travelers constantly tell us that they don't know the first step to take, that they are drowning in options, planning is simply too time-consuming, and that they lack the connections to find truly unique experiences or secure dependable, local support.

Furthermore, when things inevitably go wrong, from a delayed flight to a last-minute disruption, you need more than a website's help menu. Having a personal advisor who knows travel and has the expertise to fix problems on the fly is crucial. That's why partnering with us can solve this.

We turn the entire planning process from a taxing chore into a smooth, customized, and enjoyable phase of your overall travel experience. Ultimately, knowing you have a dedicated partner in your corner before, during, and after your adventure is the best way to eliminate today's travel anxiety.

Our clients see us as their personal travel curators. They share a vision of an escape, and they trust us to bring it to life in ways they couldn't have imagined. Many of them are busy professionals, overworked and overwhelmed, who are simply happy to outsource the time-consuming planning to experts they enjoy working with.

Having personally explored over 60 countries and sailed on 30+ cruises, we bring this deep, first-hand knowledge to every itinerary we craft, ensuring we truly know what we’re talking about.

We believe the best travel experiences are built on trust and understanding. Our priority is cultivating long-term relationships with our clients. Rather than focusing on high-volume bookings, we dedicate our energy to a core group of passionate travelers. We strive to know your travel style, your annual goals, your design preferences, and where you've been before. This comprehensive knowledge allows us to design escapes that are focused on your needs, escapes that are truly personal.

Given the deeply custom nature of our itineraries, we begin with a complimentary consultation call to fully grasp your unique requests and preferences.

We offer complimentary booking for all cruises as well as complimentary booking for any hotels. Since cruise lines and hotels pay us a commission, it costs you nothing extra. Our rates match those you find by booking direct, but for 4* and 5* properties, your reservation is upgraded with exclusive perks and VIP treatment you wouldn't receive otherwise.

For all custom itineraries, we apply a planning fee of $500 per week per couple/family. This fee provides you with a comprehensive level of service, which includes: researching, securing, confirming, and managing bookings for hotels, tours, and transfers; flight recommendations and bookings; in-destination travel support, when needed; and a custom travel itinerary via our dedicated app. Upon your decision to use our services, the planning fee must be paid prior to the start of any planning or booking.

The rate for your hotel room is identical whether you book through us, direct, or via an online agency. The hotel commission is already built into the price, so your room rate does not change.

We are the hotel’s preferred booking channel because they know we send them informed clients who are the right fit for their property. Critically, 4 or 5-star hotels are focused on cultivating long-term customers, and they understand the clients we send are valuable. This is why they go out of their way to offer our clients special amenities, upgrades, and superior attention, rather than focusing on guests who booked randomly or through a high-volume Online Travel Agency (OTA).

This partnership means our hotel booking service is complimentary to you.

The price you pay is always a priority. In almost all cases, the rates we access through our system are identical to (or even lower than) the rates on the hotel’s own website. In the unusual instance that our rate is slightly higher, the significant value of the perks and elevated service you receive, like complimentary breakfast or room upgrades, far outweighs the minimal difference in cost.

If you’ve already secured a booking at a 4 or 5-star hotel, it’s always worth a quick check to see if we can enhance it!

Provided you didn't use any loyalty points or credit card redemption for the original booking, simply forward your hotel confirmation email to judy@tudortravels with a simple note like, "Hi, can you take this over?" We will handle the rest, reaching out to the hotel to become the official agent on the reservation. The payoff is immediate: zero added cost to you, and we apply our exclusive, complimentary amenities to your existing stay.

The ideal time to begin designing your escape depends entirely on your destination and its complexity.

• For those truly specialized bucket-list expeditions to places like Antarctica, the Galapagos, or an African safari, we need a full 12 to 18 months lead time.

• For most international trips, we prefer a window of 6 to 12 months.

• For domestic travel, we typically recommend starting 3 to 6 months in advance.

When it comes to cruising, the window depends heavily on the style:

• Expedition Cruises (Antarctica, Arctic) book out furthest: 12 to 24 months in advance due to extremely limited capacity.

• Luxury and River Cruises (Viking, Regent) require 9 to 12 months (or more for popular suites and European rivers) to secure the best routes and cabins.

• Mainstream Cruises (Carnival, Royal Caribbean) are best booked 6 to 9 months out for the prime cabin selection and pricing.

Why is this early start so beneficial for you?

Planning this far ahead allows us to capture maximum opportunity. We secure better flight prices for you (hitting the optimal booking sweet spot of 2–8 months for domestic and 3–10 months for international airfare). This lead time is also crucial for locking in the best cabin selection, location, and configuration on any cruise, securing better accommodation options on land, and ensuring we can reserve high-demand experiences, specialty dining, and shore excursions before they sell out. You also benefit from early booking discounts, lower deposits, and time to navigate complex logistics like visa processing. Ultimately, booking early provides better rates and gives us the space to research and make informed decisions, leading to a far less stressful and more customized final itinerary.

And, if your journey involves integrating Universal Travel principles for accessibility or other complex needs, starting as early as possible is always the key to success.

Beyond the standard pillars of budget, dates, and destination, our custom itinerary planning is defined by curiosity. We treat your trip as a deeply personal project, asking the questions that lead to genuine well-being while traveling.

Beyond the destination, we want to understand the entire context of your trip: What wellness or comfort practices are non-negotiable for you while away from home? What inspirational travel moment seen online sparked this dream? And what is the one element of travel that you wish someone would just handle so you don't have to worry about it? Often, travelers forget to detail the flow of their trip, including how they prefer to move. The transfers, local transport, and preferred method of getting from one site to the next, we ensure those mobility details are meticulously planned.

The needs of any travel companions must also be central to designing the trip. We structure days around the realities of group travel, whether that means coordinating the itinerary to honor required downtime for any member or selecting experiences that are intellectually or physically engaging for everyone. We ensure all dietary preferences and health-related requirements are globally noted.

For any client with specific requirements, Universal Travel principles are immediately incorporated into our design. We meticulously work to ensure every part of your journey is seamless and comfortable. This includes confirming truly accessible rooms and public areas at all accommodations, arranging safe and comfortable transportation solutions, and verifying that all tour operators and partners are prepared to provide necessary personal assistance. Our goal is simple: to ensure every single person in your group experiences the beautiful, effortless vacation you anticipate.

Accessible travel, or Universal Travel, means designing a trip that ensures comfort, ease, and dignity for every single person in your travel party, regardless of their specific needs. This goes far beyond checking a box for a basic accessible room.

We understand that accessibility covers a wide spectrum of requirements, from travelers who are simply slow walkers or prefer a gentler pace to those who use wheelchairs, scooters, or other mobility aids, as well as any other specific health or sensory needs. Our planning philosophy recognizes that the comfort of one traveler dictates the enjoyment of the whole group. By proactively meeting those specific needs, we eliminate worry, guaranteeing a joyful and stress-free trip for everyone involved.

When you work with us, we ensure Universal Travel principles are applied to all aspects of your journey. This comprehensive planning includes vetting accommodations for true accessibility, not just compliance, coordinating appropriate ground transportation and transfers, and selecting excursions and tours that can accommodate everyone in your group.

Crucially, we approach your planning with decades of firsthand experience navigating the world using a wheelchair. This personal expertise means we don't just book accessible travel, we truly understand the intricate logistics, potential pitfalls, and essential details required to design a seamless, successful, and truly relaxing Universal Travel experience.

And while this type of travel requires significantly more planning time and constant, specific communication with travel providers, we do not charge extra for planning and booking accessible travel. We use our standard service fee structure for all Universal Travel itineraries.

We love travel credit cards, we are avid users ourselves! And while they are excellent for earning points and may provide some automated perks, reservations made through them are often treated no differently than a basic online booking, it's just a number in the system.

Our service cuts through the automation. When you book through us, your reservation instantly gains priority. We personally brief the hotel team well ahead of your arrival, sharing your profile and preferences. This direct, pre-arrival communication ensures you are recognized as a valued client, positioning your stay at the top of the list for attention and potential amenities like room upgrades.

This VIP treatment is possible because we have direct relationships with many top travel providers, having met many managers and partners through our own extensive travels and numerous industry conferences and visits. This personal touch makes the crucial difference on things like room location and views, special amenities, and higher levels of service that transform a trip into an extraordinary memory.

Crucially, if an issue arises during your stay, you call us. We are able to resolve issues directly with our contacts, a stark contrast to the joys of calling into a credit card call center.

We’re here to handle all your travel needs, no matter the scope, from a quick weekend getaway to a complex, multi-destination journey. If you’re used to reserving your luxury accommodations (the 4⋆ and 5⋆ properties) on your own, you're missing out on the value, upgrades, and exclusive perks that only come through our professional partnerships.

Our support is designed to flex perfectly with your trip’s ambition and complexity. While we offer consulting and light booking for straightforward needs, for the ultimate in hands-on design, our Itinerary Planning offers the most comprehensive, end-to-end support for your entire adventure. Our white-glove service handles all logistics, guiding your journey from the initial concept through to the final itinerary. When booking a cruise, this specialized support extends to meticulously planning your pre- and post-cruise stays, enhancing your time on land.

Even for shorter trips where things seem simple, it’s always good to have someone in your corner. If the unexpected happens, a delayed flight or a sudden hotel issue, you’ll have us on the line, not a faceless call center, to assist and resolve issues directly.

We specialize exclusively in arranging Domestic First Class and International Premium Economy, Business, or First Class flights. For any other travel class, we are happy to assist you by researching and recommending flight optionsthat you can then book directly yourself. Please note that when we handle the actual booking of premium flights, an additional fee may apply.

While TudorTravels provides you with dedicated, highly personalized service, we are backed by the global industry power of our host agency, Fora. This powerful affiliation immediately elevates your experience by unlocking access to a prestigious network of partnerships and intelligence that goes far beyond standard booking capabilities.

Hotel VIP Status and Perks: Our membership in elite, invitation-only affiliations, such as the Virtuoso hotel consortium and the exclusive Four Seasons Preferred Partner program, ensures you are immediately granted the top tier status at thousands of the world's best hotels. When you book with us, there is no higher status to attain. This coveted access guarantees your 4* and 5* reservation is prioritized for every possible benefit and amenity offered by their programs, ensuring you receive a truly VIP experience throughout your stay.

The Human Network: Crucially, we are connected to an energized, worldwide community of fellow travel experts who are constantly sharing real-time feedback and destination intelligence. This means that our planning is informed not just by brochures, but by the latest, on-the-ground reports from advisors who have recently vetted a property or experienced a new tour.

Cruise and Specialist Access: Our network extends seamlessly to sea. Fora has relationships with the all of the world's best cruise lines, from luxury brands like Crystal and Explora Journeys, to premium lines like Celebrity and Virgin, to river cruise specialists like AmaWaterways and Scenic. This ensures we can match you to the perfect ship and, in many cases, secure additional onboard credits or exclusive amenities that are not available to the public.

You receive the benefit of our personal advocacy, amplified by a world-class network.