Every holiday we plan starts with a blank page and a real conversation. There are no off-the-peg packages here, just your own destination expert: someone who has spent years getting under the skin of their country and goes back regularly to see what’s changed.

And your holiday is fully in their hands to build. Each expert hand-picks everything they offer, from the local teams they work with on the ground to the hotels and lodges they love most and the guides they trust with their travellers.

We’re a small company, and we don’t buy up rooms in bulk from hotels that give us a good rate and then steer everyone towards them. If your expert recommends somewhere, it’s because they believe it’s right for you – no agenda beyond you loving every minute and coming home already thinking about the next trip.

Here’s exactly how it works, from your first call to the moment you’re home again.

Planning a big trip can feel like a lot to take on, so we keep it simple. You’ll have one Destination Manager looking after you from the first conversation to the day you fly home, and you’ll always know what happens next.

Call us on 01242 253 073 or fill in our quote form. You don't need a plan. A rough idea is plenty: a country you've always wanted to see, a milestone you're celebrating, how long you can get away for, or simply "somewhere warm in February with wildlife". We'll match you with a Destination Manager who specialises in exactly what you're after.

Your expert will call or email you, whichever you prefer, for a real chat. They'll ask what you love (and what you don't), how you like to travel, the pace that suits you and roughly what you'd like to spend. There are no sales calls here, just an expert who has been to your destination many times sharing honest advice and a few ideas you might not have thought of.

After around 48 hours (give or take, depending on the day you enquire), your expert will send a day-by-day itinerary with a full price. This is very much a first draft, not a final one. Each quote is valid for 14 days, so there's plenty of time to talk it through with whoever you're travelling with.

Want an extra night somewhere, a different hotel or one less early start? Just say. We'll revise the itinerary as many times as it takes, and every revised quote is valid for another 14 days.

When you're happy, you secure it with a signed booking form and a deposit. The deposit is 25% of the holiday cost plus the full cost of any flights, with a minimum of £300 per person. We then send your confirmation invoice and, if flights are included, your ATOL certificate. From that moment, your money is fully protected (more on that below)

Your balance is due 10 weeks before you travel. Along the way, we'll share visa and health guidance for your destination, and your expert is on hand for any questions, from what to pack for a safari to which side of the train has the best views. Your final travel documents will arrive around three weeks before departure, and you can see your itinerary any time in My Holiday Architects.

Our local teams are there to help on the ground, and will hand over any tickets or vouchers you need when you arrive. Before you leave, you’ll also get our 24/7 emergency number, which puts you straight through to a member of the HA team back in the UK if anything changes or goes wrong. We're with you every step of the way.

Your Destination Manager will be in touch when you're back to hear how everything went. Your feedback is invaluable and helps us fine-tune trips for future travellers. And when you're ready to start dreaming about the next one, you'll know exactly who to call.

We take care of everything that makes your holiday work, taking the stress off you from start to finish.

• International flights, from the UK airport that suits you best. We'll always work to find the most convenient, best priced flights to suit you.

• Internal flights, trains, boats and road transfers

• Hand-picked hotels, lodges and camps, chosen by an expert who has stayed in or visited them

• Private guides, drivers and excursions, matched to how you like to travel

• Local support on the ground and our 24/7 emergency line

• Full financial protection under ATOL or Trust My Travel

• Our Fuel Surcharge Guarantee: if your airline adds a fuel surcharge after you book, we cover it

A note on travel insurance: One thing we don’t arrange for you is travel insurance. We’ll ask you to have it in place when you book, so you’re covered from that moment, including if something unexpected means you can’t travel.

You could plan and book a trip like this yourself. Many of our travellers (and our team!) have done it before. But a tailor-made holiday is a bit like a meal at a favourite restaurant: you could buy the ingredients, but you’re choosing to trust your meal to the chef who knows exactly how to put them together. Here’s what that means in practice.

Every country we offer is looked after by a destination expert who has travelled there many times and is bursting at the seams with passion and love for the country. They’ve stayed in the hotels, met the guides and tried the experiences, and they go back regularly to keep their knowledge current. So when they recommend a lodge or advise skipping a day trip, it’s based on what they’ve seen, not on reviews.

An AI tool can suggest a route, but it hasn’t stayed in the hotels or met the guides. It can’t tell whether a lodge has changed hands or a road has washed out this season, and it won’t notice that the “two-hour” transfer really takes five. It can’t book anything, protect your money or answer the phone when a flight is cancelled. Our destination experts do all of that, and they’re happy to look over any ideas you’ve already gathered, whether they came from a guidebook, a friend or an AI.

Knowing the distances, transfer times and which order to see things in makes a real difference. Your expert will plan a route that keeps time on the road sensible and gets you to the right places at the right time of year.

Instead of comparing dozens of hotels, flights and transfers, you have one conversation with someone who already knows the answers. We also book flights through specialist wholesalers, which gives us access to fares you may not find yourself.

However you pay and whatever you book, your money is fully protected.

• Holidays with flights are protected under the ATOL scheme, run by the Civil Aviation Authority. You'll receive an ATOL certificate when you book.

• Holidays without flights are protected through our membership of Trust My Travel's TMTProtects.me scheme.

If we stopped trading after you'd paid us and your holiday couldn't go ahead, you'd get your money back. To hold an ATOL licence, our accounts are also checked regularly by the CAA. See exactly how you're protected.

Most holidays run exactly to plan. But if a flight is cancelled, the weather turns or something unexpected happens at home, you won’t be left to sort it out alone.

Before you travel, you’ll get our 24/7 emergency number. Whatever the time difference, it puts you straight through to a member of our team, who knows your trip and can start fixing things straight away.

If plans change while you’re away, we can help with:

• rearranging transfers, hotels and activities affected further along your trip

• finding alternative travel if a flight or connection falls through

• information on local medical care, the authorities or the nearest British consulate if you need them

• staying in touch with our local representatives on the ground, who can step in quickly

And if something truly out of anyone’s control, like a natural disaster, stops you getting home on the planned date, we’ll arrange somewhere for you to stay in the meantime.

It’s the difference between a problem you deal with on your own in an unfamiliar place, and one where a familiar voice simply says: “Leave it with us.”