Tailor Made Holidays Travel Guide

A tailor-made adventure is a holiday you design from start to finish. It's one that exactly suits your needs and wants. The essence of a tailor-made adventure itinerary is flexibility - it therefore accommodates all your requirements.

You and the operator work closely, in order to maximise your itinerary. The operator will usually arrange every detail, including the flights, accommodation, meals, transport and activities - you then enjoy the holiday.

Planning

Confirm the duration. The beauty of a tailor-made adventure is that you can choose the departure and return dates of the trip; as opposed to trying to match your dates with the schedule of an ‘off the shelf' trip. The length of time that you want to spend on holiday might influence how far you travel. For instance, if you’ve got ten days to spare, then a trip from the UK to Australia - with an average of 22 hours travel in each direction and the loss of ten hours in time differences - might have to wait.

Consider what sort of budget you want to work to. Another benefit of tailor-made travel is that you can dictate the accommodation, meals and transport preferences, in order to match the budget you’ve got in mind.

Then there is the big decision: Where to go? Adventure holidays are run all over the world and tailor-made adventures are too. You can opt for an itinerary that focuses on one country or visits several. Similarly, you could decide to revolve your trip around one specific adventure sport or pack in multiple activities.

If your tailor-made adventure will visit multiple countries, look into the best times of year to go, and design your schedule around this.

So you’ve chosen the duration and destination, the next step might be to decide the style of your holiday: Single or multiple-activity? Land, air or sea? Adventure and more adventure, or throw in some culture and chill time, too? The choice on offer is vast, exciting, and will cater for your needs wherever you choose to travel.

Why not head to Africa and trek up Kilimanjaro with your mates, or travel to Venezuela and kayak to the foot of the world’s tallest waterfall, Angel Falls. Alternatively, check out the surf in Morocco or explore the tropical rainforests of South America.

Choosing an operator

In such a competitive market there is no shortage of choice when it comes to tailor-made adventure holiday operators. A good reputation, an awareness of your needs, and a respect for the countries, cultures and people that they take clients to, are some of the more important things to consider.

After this, you should then look to the company that can match your expectations, when it comes to cost. Perhaps, first decide how much you are prepared to pay?

If you are planning to do a trip that already has a defined itinerary, it should be possible to fit it into your holiday time. Most operators will accommodate your needs, if there are at least two people booking.

If you are starting from scratch and building your own itinerary of activities, you will usually need to have at least four people if they are to offer such flexibility.

Why choose a tailor-made adventure holiday?

The tailor-made adventure holiday option is good:

If you are planning a school, corporate or charity excursion for a larger group of people.

If you and your group have a particular interest that you wish to involve on your holiday. This could mean you want to concentrate on developing your skills in a sport as a group, or incorporating a specialist hobby.

For people planning their honeymoon. You can completely personalise the holiday in every way to make it the most memorable trip.

If you are travelling as a family group, especially with younger children. By designing the trip yourselves you will be able to cater for the whole family's needs and wants.

When you or your travelling companions have special requirements. This could cover the need for disabled access at the places you plan to visit, or sensitivity to the religious needs of party members. Special dietary requirements such as veganism, allergies or religious dietary needs could also be best catered for this way.

If people who have a busy schedule at home want their holiday dates to align easily with activities.