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.
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’s explored virtually all of the world’s wide-open spaces, from Belize to Baja to Bhutan and beyond (top destination to date: the Himalayas, for their extreme geography and isolated peoples). Tom also was a key contributor to the development of our
Places on the Verge trips. He has a special interest in designing trips to environmentally and culturally threatened regions around the world. His most recent research expedition was to Rwanda where he trekked into the hills to get face-to-face with the mountain gorillas.
Finn, Lauren Elise & Samantha Findley
Tuscany Bespoke With the Kids 2008 “This was our fifth B&R trip. Every time we travel with B&R, we are amazed at their ability to find unique local experiences. This was our first trip with our daughter, who is 11 months old. As anxious parents, B&R did a fantastic job of making arrangements that made it possible for us to have a relaxing trip.”