Take an exclusive look inside the extraordinary world of private travel, from must-book villas and island escapes to the savvy fixers who conjure up bespoke experiences. A brilliant fixer is everything With bespoke private travel, the on-the-ground fixer is the keeper of the magic. “The reason we like to book trips 18 months ahead is about finding the right people as much as the right places,” says Jules Maury, head of Scott Dunn Private.
“It’s all about the people you use, and then creating a narrative for the client.” For her, those experts might include font of Dolomites knowledge Giuseppe di Renzo, who knows every rifugio owner and their best dish, but who can also arrange impromptu opera performances or helicopter rides to see the “enrosadira”, the Dolomites sunset; or long-time Venice resident Mimi Todhunter, whose black book is a Venetian Who’s Who, featuring gondoliers, musicians and antiquarians, an eclectic group she loves to gather for dinners in her palazzo. In Egypt , fixer Mohamed has been known to set up pre-opening visits to the Grand Egyptian Museum, and his contacts at the Ministry of Antiquities can organise access to otherwise off-limits archaeological digs.
scottdunn.com Villas are getting bigger and better “The pandemic was a turning point for the villa,” says Rossella Beaugié, cofounder of Mediterranean specialist The Thinking Traveller. “People realised they could get the same service as in the best hotels – but could walk aro.
