JOURNEY DESIGN
Travel your own way.
Just with a much better plan.
You don't need to join a group to benefit from someone who knows the region.
Tell me how you like to travel, how much time you have and what interests you. I'll help work out where to go, where to spend longer, what to leave out and how to connect the places you want to see.
I can also suggest experiences that are harder to find online: a good local guide, a family guesthouse, an interesting market or a route that gives you a better feel for the country.
I've travelled extensively through Central Asia. I know where a journey that looks straightforward on a map can become complicated, and where taking a little more time makes all the difference.
You'll have a journey designed around you, with the freedom to travel independently or ask me to help with the arrangements.
DESIGNED AROUND YOU
Not an itinerary with your name added to it.
You might want architecture and history. Someone else wants markets, mountains and six hours of walking.
You may be happy on local trains but want a very good hotel at the end of the day. Or you'd rather stay with a family in the mountains and spend the money on a private guide.
Neither approach is better. What matters is putting the pieces together in a way that suits you.
Sometimes that means the fast train between cities. Sometimes it means taking a slower road, meeting people along the way and leaving room for something unexpected.
WHAT CAN YOU ASK ME TO DESIGN
The Route
Countries, cities and regions
How long to spend in each place
Routes and realistic travel times
Where to slow down
What to leave out
The Experience
Places and experiences worth your time
Food and restaurants
Local guides and encounters
Walks and activities
Things you might otherwise miss
The Practicalities
Getting to Central Asia
Trains and domestic flights
Drivers and transfers
Hotels and guesthouses
What to book ahead, and what can wait
Borders, visas and arrival arrangements
You can ask for help with the whole journey, or with the parts you're finding difficult to work out yourself.
HOW IT WORKS
Start with the traveller, not the map.
01. Tell me what you’re planning
Where you're thinking of going, how long you have, how you like to travel, your budget and what you'd rather avoid.
02. We agree on the approach
We'll work out whether you need a review of an existing itinerary, a complete journey designed for you, or help with bookings as well. I'll confirm the scope and fee before work begins.
03. I put your journey together
I'll work through the route, places to stay, transport and experiences. We'll review the plan and make any changes included in the agreed service.
BUILT FROM THE ROAD
I've taken the trains, crossed the borders, stayed in the guesthouses and worked out which journeys are worth making.
But some of the best experiences weren't in the original plan.
In Uzbekistan, a driver invited me to stay with his family rather than continue to a hotel. I spent the evening meeting his relatives, and later sat talking deep into the night with one of the women about our families and hopes for our children, with Google Translate doing most of the work.
You can't arrange an unexpected invitation like that. But you can travel in a way that leaves room for people, conversations and changes of plan.
That's what I try to bring to the journeys I design: a good practical plan, without taking all the discovery out of travelling.
I design from places I've actually travelled.
EXAMPLES
These are starting points, not set itineraries. The route, pace and experiences would be designed around you.
12 days in Uzbekistan
The great Silk Road cities, with time to enjoy them properly. A few days in Khiva and Bukhara, the right rail connections and a night in the Nurota Mountains for a very different side of Uzbekistan.
Two weeks in Kyrgyzstan
Mountains, horses, lakes and village life, with time to enjoy each place rather than moving on every day. We can make it more active, more comfortable or a combination of both.
Three weeks across Central Asia
A journey linking two or three countries without spending half your holiday getting from one place to the next. The trick is knowing which borders and connections make sense, and where to spend the time you save.
PRICING
Choose how much help you'd like.
The fee depends on the length and complexity of your journey and how much you'd like me to organise.
I'll confirm what's included and the price before we begin.
Journey review
From NZ$395
Already have an itinerary? I'll review the route, timing, transport and experiences, and tell you what I'd change.
Includes written recommendations and a follow-up call.
Full journey design
From NZ$1,250
A complete journey designed around you, including a day-by-day itinerary, suggested accommodation, transport, experiences and the practical information you'll need to make your own bookings.
We'll agree on the scope and included revisions before work begins.
Design + Booking Assistance
Priced individually
Everything included in Full Journey Design, plus help arranging the accommodation, transport, guides and experiences you'd like me to handle.
We'll agree exactly what I'll organise, and what support is included, before you commit.
These are planning and assistance fees. Accommodation, transport, guides, activities and other travel costs are additional unless specifically included in your quote.
PRIVATELY HOSTED JOURNEYS
Prefer to have me along?
Perhaps you're travelling with family or friends and would rather have someone experienced looking after the arrangements as you go.
I can design a journey entirely around your group and, subject to availability, come along to host it.
We'll travel together, working with knowledgeable local guides and hosts. You'll have the freedom to enjoy the places we're visiting while I take care of the practicalities.
Privately hosted journeys are individually designed and priced.
READY TO START
Tell me where you're thinking of going.
You might have a route in mind already, or just a few places you'd love to visit.
Tell me what interests you, how much time you have and how you like to travel. We'll work out what sort of help would be useful.