Condé Nast Traveller UK has expanded its list of top travel specialists, adding nine new names to a roster the magazine argues matters more, not less, in the age of AI trip planning. The thinking: chatbots can summarise a destination, but they can't get you into an after-hours museum with the artist, or talk you out of the Instagram reel that doesn't match reality.
James Jayasundera, who has run tailor-made firm Ampersand Travel for over 20 years, puts it plainly. People increasingly travel based on what they've seen online, he says, and a good specialist manages expectations while steering you somewhere better. His own portfolio includes deeply human briefs — a 75-year-old learning to swim with her granddaughter, and a terminally ill traveller whose final trip to southern Sri Lanka with her husband ended peacefully on the flight home from Colombo.
So who made the cut? The all-rounders are the heavyweight names. Crossing Travel, founded in London in 2013 by Sangeeta Sadarangani, lives on word of mouth — 95% of new clients come by referral — and runs everything from ryokan-and-temples Japan trips to destination weddings for 15 or 150 guests. Carrier, now nearly 90 people strong and covering 75+ countries, grew out of Africa expertise and trades on logistical wizardry: think a Peloton sourced for a superyacht, or a private dinner with Nelson Mandela's former prison guard. Scott Dunn, born in 1986 as a luxury ski operator, now spans Okavango safaris, Antarctica cruises and kids' clubs that take children from four months old. ITC, dating to 1974, is the grand old group behind Rainbow Tours and, notably, Regent Holidays — itself founded in 1970 and the first UK operator to run tours to Albania, now the go-to for the Nordics, Balkans, Caucasus and beyond.
The newer and more niche additions are arguably the more interesting. ALS Private, started by ex-professional skier Bella Syme, arranges Michelin-starred dinners on a glacier above Verbier and full private-island takeovers. Selective Asia comes from founder Nick Pulley's years living in Thailand; Mahlatini Luxury Travel covers Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. Powder Byrne handles ski, Kirker Holidays does European cultural city breaks, The Slow Cyclist grew out of Oli Broom's round-the-world bike ride, and Byway specialises in flight-free journeys. Perhaps boldest is Inclusive Morocco, designing trips around the specific challenges facing LGBTQ+ travellers.
The common thread is what the magazine calls the unGoogleable: the local fixer, the secret dive spot, the exact villa for your exact needs. For anyone planning a honeymoon, a milestone celebration, a complicated multi-country itinerary or a trip with unusual requirements, this list is essentially a shortcut to the right human for the job — worth bookmarking before you let an algorithm plan your next holiday.
