<b>By Connie Frenzel</b>

<i>Bespoke</i>: the word suggests expensive hand-made suits from Saville Row or luxuriously supple hand-made leather shoes that will last a lifetime. The lure of bespoke clothing items is that they are made to your specifications and fit you perfectly. And today, <i>bespoke</i> has become popular in vacationing with the concept of “Bespoke Travel” where your vacation can be made to your individual specifications, personalized to your interests, or tailored to your exact needs.

Making your own bespoke travel plans by shopping online can become overwhelming. Jumping around internet sites can quickly become exhausting.   Separating information from miss-information can be laborious. And even when you do manage to create your “perfect” bespoke trip, a cloud of doubt often moves in, raining down “what ifs”: what if my hotel isn’t in the best location? What if my ship cabin is not what I expected?  What if my guided tour is not the best value? What if ... You get my drift.

When the time comes to plan for your own bespoke vacation, working with a travel advisor will save you time, money, and prevent potential vacation disasters. A good travel advisor will have a contingency plan in place should your trip be disrupted by unexpected events.   Advisors can have experiences, connections, knowledge, and insights that aren’t available to the online travel shopper.

Important things to share when you’re working with a travel advisor:

• Discuss your travel objectives, such as the destinations on your “bucket list”

• Discuss experiences you’ve had in the past, include both your likes and dislikes

• Discuss the level of immersion you want on your vacation: culture, adventure, expeditions, sports or relaxing.

• Discuss your budget. Don’t be shy.   A good advisor will find those amenities you might not find, much less be aware of. These include complimentary transfers, hotel room upgrades, shipboard credits, and lots more.

Travel is a financial investment. So, invest wisely by using a qualified travel agent/advisor.

<i>Connie Frenzel is travel advisor with Island Travel, 12 Fairfield Road, B5, Beaufort. Contact her at connie@islandtvl.com or 843-525-0777.</i>