Think of them as master couture tailors
Bespoke trip designers are a special breed. Part guru, part collaborator, part mind-reader, they have the full breadth of B&R resources at their fingertips, including a crack team of researchers scattered across the globe. Also extraordinarily well-travelled themselves, they’ve been there, lived there, done it, planned it, and eaten it, too. With a combined geographic knowledge that’s nothing short of staggering, plus myriad languages, cultures and locations under their belt, they can save you literally years of research. Above all, they’re incredibly good at what they do.
Architects of the unconventional
Want to know a bit more about the interesting and well-travelled folks who design our custom trips? Scroll down to meet the team.
Peggy Couper
Tuscany Bespoke Homebase 2010
“It was as though we were IN the painting of the Tuscan landscape. Magical! Brilliant and intense colours of the surroundings were breathtaking. All memorable!”
Chris & Cathy Hildenbrand
Loire Valley Bespoke With the Kids 2010
“Everything on our trip was so perfect, I cannot imagine how you would improve it. From the guides to the bike routes to the incredible chateaux we stayed in to the wonderful places we visited, ate in and rode through it truly was a memorable journey. Thank you so much for all you do to make these trips so special.”
 Jeneen Sutherland
Took a break from her designing job to come guide for B&R and never looked back! In the 10 years since, she has travelled all over the world as a Regional Director, Trip Manager and now Director of Bespoke. Jeneen lives in Vancouver with her husband (a B&R boy himself) and their two active children. Her favourite thing to do when not planning trips? Playing with her kids by the ocean, or riding in the mountains by her home.
 Lindsay Owen
Lindsay was born and raised in North Vancouver and had not really considered the great big world out there until after completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree in Small Business and Entrepreneurship. A five month jaunt around Europe propelled her into a career in aviation where she spent the next eight years working, living and exploring all seven continents as a commercial pilot, flying light propeller-driven aircraft. More than 30 countries later, and two full passports, Lindsay is thrilled to be living back in her hometown and designing trips to some of the many amazing places in our great big world!
 Anne Zakula
An escapee from the world of finance, Anne has parlayed her extensive travel experience and innate wanderlust into a far more relevant (and, dare we say, rewarding) career as a Bespoke Trip Designer. An avid biker and ardent student of art history, she’s traversed three continents—Asia, South America and Europe, including time living in Paris and the Provençal town of Apt—and is a whiz at sourcing out great cultural experiences and amazing rides on seldom-visited trails. Recently returned from stints in Andalucia and Puglia, she’s eager to find a use for her latest additions to her extensive and ever-expanding trip-planning arsenal.
 Georgia Yuill
Georgia joined B&R for a one-time summer getaway 13 years ago and found too many good reasons to stay; namely, being a guide, Regional Director, researcher, European Hotel Director and Program Director for Italy. She now busies herself designing highly customized trips for B&R’s Bespoke team. Her greatest thrill lies in matching each group with the right lodgings, be it a grand Tuscan villa, a deluxe five-star hotel or an undiscovered palazzo tucked within the walls of a medieval town. And when it comes to detail, Georgia spares attention to none. If you’ve got a question about where to go and what to do in Italy, she has the answer.
 Tom Abraham
A natural-born outdoorsman with a scholarly streak, Tom holds several diplomas and certifications in a variety of fields and spent 15 years as a ski, kayak and rafting guide before applying his skills and passion for foreign cultures to B&R. Born and raised in British Columbia, he has explored virtually all of the world’s wide-open spaces, from Belize to Baja to Bhutan and beyond. He has a special interest in designing trips to environmentally and culturally threatened regions. His most recent research expedition was to Rwanda where he trekked into the hills to get face-to-face with the mountain gorillas.
 Dina Lanzi
With an Italian father, Dina's love of travel started early, with summers being spent travelling between her homeland England and Italy, along with everywhere in between. After studying for her BSc in Hotel Management, Dina felt it was time to open her eyes to new challenges and adventures. Over the last 10 years she has travelled and lived in many parts of the world, including the US, Italy, the French Alps and most recently the Middle East, before settling in beautiful Vancouver with her husband (and two Pugs!). As the newest member of the Bespoke team, Dina hopes to use her experiences to provide the most exciting and rewarding trips possible.
 Rossella Dinello
After joining B&R in 2005, Rossella took a two year break to see and explore more of the world. Her travels led her all over western Canada and to Italy where she worked at a private resort, but she couldn’t stay away from B&R for long and was soon back using her new experience to design customized private trips. Rossella’s strong love for Europe has taken her all over, from Italy to France, Croatia to Spain, and just about everywhere in between! Number one on her travel wish list? The beautiful coastlines and rolling hills of New Zealand.
 Michelle Alley
Following an early start as a travel agent, Michelle parked her wanderlust temporarily to run a family business in Marketing and Advertising. 20+ years later the world called, and she found her way to B&R where her project management skills translated nicely into piecing together custom private trips. Recent travels include Peru, Hawaii, England and Wales, and swimming with wild dolphins in the Bahamas. Michelle lives in Toronto with her two freedom seeking, travel loving kids, and their Golden Retriever.
 Orsolya Kako
After teaching English in both Korea and Japan, and backpacking off the beaten path through Asia, Orsolya pursued her love of travel to work for a small travel agency and the Korean Tourism Organization. Soon after, she was introduced to B&R where she found her passion in designing unique private trips and making travellers’ dreams come true. When not busy planning trips, Orsolya can be found biking and hiking with her two fun-loving kids, and exploring as much of the world as possible (she’s making plans for Japan and Thailand in the spring!).
The Bespoke Administrative Team:
 Lindsay Lucas was first introduced to B&R in 2005 as a student intern—her love of travel and her attention to detail soon made her indispensable to our Bespoke team. She has since found a permanent spot with us as a Bespoke Administrative Manager. Along with her studies in Anthropology and Tourism, Lindsay spent time studying French in Nice, & has travelled to 15 countries (Norway, Spain, Austria & the Czech republic to name a few).
 Megan Oates
Megan's love of travel led her to B&R as a student intern earlier this year, after she completed both her History degree and her Cultural and Heritage Tourism Management post-graduate certificate. Having visited many different regions of the world (such as Thailand, Hong Kong, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Kenya), she is eager to apply both her education and her travel experience to the position of Bespoke Administration Coordinator. Next on her list of places to travel: Eastern Europe or back to Africa!
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