When Time Away Matters: How choosing the right holiday is more than just choosing the right destination.
There’s a moment that will come up at the start of our conversations. You know when you’d like to go. You know what sort of trip you’d like. You’ve thought about the budget, too. And yet, there’s a pause. Not quite knowing where to begin - or more accurately, you’re not quite sure how much to share about how you will actually want to feel once you get there. It’s very easy to start with where. A place you’ve seen. A recommendation. A beautiful hotel. But in my experience, the destination is rarely the starting point. It’s everything around it that matters more.
Over the years, I’ve seen that the most memorable trips aren’t always the most elaborate or the most impressive on paper. They’re the ones that feel considered. Calm. Well-paced. Right for the people taking them.
A recent ski trip I designed comes to mind.
A multi-generational family travelling together — grandparents, children, and grandchildren. A special trip, with a real desire for everyone to be together. There was also a layer beneath it. One of the grandparents was unwell, and another was living with dementia. Naturally, there was some anxiety around how the week would unfold; how to make it work for everyone, without it feeling stressful or overwhelming.
Initially, we explored some of the more expansive chalets. Beautiful spaces, large, impressive, with every feature you might expect. But although stunning, they weren’t quite ticking the boxes. It didn’t feel quite right. Whilst refining what was working and not working, we were able to really prioritise what mattered most. So instead, we chose a smaller, more contained chalet. Excellent service. In a resort they knew well. A layout that felt easy, familiar, and intimate rather than vast.
It wasn’t about scale. It was about being able to decompress without worry. The younger generation skied freely. The older generation could fully relax. And everyone could come together without it ever feeling complicated. What could have felt daunting beforehand became something else entirely — calm, enjoyable, and deeply memorable for all of them.
And sometimes, the thinking moves in a completely different direction.
I was working with a family office arranging a villa stay for high-profile clients, where privacy and discretion were absolutely key. Rather than choosing the most obvious destination, we focused on a lesser-known satellite village; close enough to access everything, but far enough to feel entirely separate. The result was exactly what they were looking for. They had complete privacy, a sense of space, and the ability to truly switch off, without compromise.
And then there are moments where it comes down to something very specific. A client recovering from knee surgery, travelling to Spain with their family and looking at some of the most exceptional villas available. On paper, many of them were perfect. But what mattered most wasn’t the scale or the design, it was the flow of the design. We focused on finding a property that was entirely on one level. Seamless wheelchair access throughout. From the interiors straight out into the garden and pool area, without interruption. That detail changed everything. It allowed them to move freely, relax fully, and enjoy the time away without limitation.
That’s often how it works. It’s not about finding the “best” place. It’s about understanding what you need from your time away — and shaping everything around that. The experience. The setting. The feeling of a space once you’re in it. The details you may not think to ask about, but that make all the difference.
When time away really matters, it’s worth getting that part right. If you’d value a clear, considered approach, I’m always happy to talk it through.
