Nineteen destinations, opened one at a time
Tell us the trip you want. Meet the people who can make it happen.
Vetted local hosts, independent experts and small agencies reply with a plan and a name. You see who is responsible before you commit to anything.
The difference
Everyone goes to the same places. Not everyone goes at the right hour.
Anything below is written by whoever opened that destination for us. It is the sort of thing you are told at a table, not sold on a page.
Kochi & the Kerala backwaters
Everyone goes toFort Kochi's Chinese fishing nets, worked from shore at the harbour mouth, and an overnight houseboat cruise through the Alleppey backwaters.
A local would addSomeone who lives there goes to the nets at dawn, when fishermen are actually working them for the day's catch rather than posing for sunset photos. The catch is sold at the small stalls right behind the nets within the hour.
Lisbon
Everyone goes toTram 28 winds through Alfama, Graça and Baixa and is the standard way visitors see the old hill neighbourhoods.
A local would addCatch the first tram out of the depot before 8am, then walk up to Miradouro da Graça for the same view without the crowd, and skip the fado house with a menu in six languages for the tasca two streets back with none.
How it works
A request, not a catalogue
Describe the journey
Dates, who is travelling, budget range, the constraints that actually matter. Dietary, accessibility, pace, the things a template never asks.
Receive matched responses
We invite a limited set of trip designers whose destination knowledge fits your request. They cannot see each other’s responses, so you get their own thinking rather than a race to the bottom.
Meet the actual person
Shortlist who interests you and, if you want, meet them live before you commit. The person you meet is the person accountable for your trip.
Choose, and see who is responsible
Every awarded trip names who designed it, who supports you while travelling, who handles the bookings, who you pay, and who to reach in an emergency.
Supply
Who responds to your request
You control who is eligible. Different journeys are best served by different kinds of expertise.
Local host
Someone who lives there and knows the city as a resident rather than as a destination.
Independent expert
A specialist in food, accessibility, family travel, wildlife, music or another particular way of travelling.
Travel agency
An established company with staff, supplier relationships and operational capacity.
Hybrid team
A local designs and hosts; a company handles the bookings and support. Both are named.
Accountability
You see who is responsible before you pay
Travel goes wrong in the specifics. A closed restaurant, a missed connection, an illness on day three. What matters then is whether someone is clearly responsible. Every awarded trip separates the roles rather than blurring them into a brand name.
- Who designed the journey
- Who supports you while you are travelling
- Who is responsible for the bookings
- Who receives your payment
- Who to contact in an emergency, and who covers if they cannot
For providers
For people who know a place well
Turn destination knowledge into work without fronting money for flights or hotels, and without carrying supplier cancellation risk personally.
