Expertise: For over 20 years we have specialized in crafting unique, immersive travel experiences with an emphasis on memorable, one-of-a-kind adventures.

Personalization: We focus on tailoring trips to your preferences, ensuring your itinerary matches your interests and travel style.

Quality Relationships: We partner with only the best, most-trusted local guides, ensuring high standards and enriching cultural experiences. We also work with a carefully curated portfolio of the world’s finest small hotels, eco-lodges, safari camps, and boutique properties.
Sustainable Travel: We believe in responsible tourism practices, helping to support local communities and preserve the environment. We look for and use industry leaders in sustainability initiatives so that our incredible travel destinations are preserved for generations to come.

Comprehensive Support: Experience 24/7 support throughout your journey, giving you peace of mind to enjoy every moment of your vacation.

We have a knack for finding the properties that combine a real sense of place with outstanding service and which just help you feel at home in the place you are visiting. There is a certain sensibility in Vaya’s choice of hotels which, because there are so many types of great small properties out there, you can’t quite put an exact finger on, but we’ll always choose a beautifully restored colonial mansion converted to a 12 room boutique property over an international chain hotel, and we always look to have our travelers staying in the best parts of town. Whether you are in the city, the mountains, the jungle, on safari in the Serengeti, or cruising the Galapagos Islands, you’ll find that our sensibility in hotels and yachts reflects the best of what the local culture has to offer.

We are experts in creating trips that ensure every member of the family gets the most out of the experience. Vaya has created thousands of trips for families—from multi-generational groups to families with young children or teens. We pick properties with adjoining rooms and manage excursions that appeal to both kids and parents alike.

Most of our itineraries are private tours just for you and the friends and family traveling with you. The exception is small ship cruises, where your daily excursions are sometimes with fellow travelers. Don’t worry: These are not large group tours but very intimate smaller groups – many of our travelers make new friends by the end of their journey!

Prefer to have your cruise in private as well? Ask about chartering a Galapagos or Amazon vessel for you and your companions. Want private excursions at a lodge? At many lodges you can also request private excursions just for you and your family or friends. Ask your Destination Specialist for more information.

Most of the excursions on a Vaya Adventures tour are led by expert private local guides. Local guides bring destinations to life by offering stories, cultural context, and insights beyond what you’d find in a guidebook. Their knowledge comes from deep, long-standing regional relationships. However, the level of activities and freedom/solo exploration on any given itinerary can be adjusted to your personal preference.

Vaya specializes in custom private travel around the world. Our destinations include Africa, Asia, Australia & the Pacific, South & Central America, the Polar regions (Antarctica & the Arctic), and Europe.

Safety is a priority at every stage of the journey. Vaya works with trusted local partners, monitors regional conditions, and provides detailed pre-trip information to help you prepare. Private transportation, vetted accommodations, and experienced guides contribute to a secure and comfortable experience throughout your travels.

Vaya Adventures is a boutique travel company specializing only in private custom travel, not group tours. Our travel style emphasizes connecting with the local culture through working with the highest quality local guides, exceptional boutique properties that reflect the place where they are located, and immersive excursions that get you off the beaten path. The fact that we are smaller allows us to offer a more personalized, intimate experience that is carefully tailored to your interests and travel style.

While companies like National Geographic and A&K also offer luxury and experiential travel, Vaya Adventures focuses exclusively on private, non-group travel to Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Polar regions, offering highly personalized, custom-designed itineraries with deep local knowledge and a strong sustainability focus. Our service is also high-touch and hands-on, from first contact through post-trip feedback

Vaya has deep regional experience and a team of Destination Specialists who have lived and worked in the destinations we offer. We are a boutique style company that prioritizes top quality private guides, exceptional smaller properties in the best locations, and thoughtfully designed excursions that get you off the beaten path. While the trips are high end and often have you staying in the best small properties available, the orientation of the trips is experiential and focuses on the culture and nature of the destination.

Key differentiators include:

– Region-specific expertise
– Handcrafted, private itineraries
– Highly vetted local guides and boutique accommodations
– A strong focus on authentic, immersive experiences
– Responsive and personalized service

Absolutely. Vaya frequently designs journeys that cross borders—pairing Chile and Argentina, for instance, or South Africa with Botswana and Zimbabwe. Each route is planned with efficient logistics and enriching experiences in mind, ensuring a smooth and connected journey across regions. We can combine multiple countries in any of our destinations such as Europe, Asia, Africa or Latin America For over 20 years we have made trip planning easy by handling the difficult cross-border logistics across our destinations.

It’s best to start planning several months in advance, especially for peak seasons or destinations with limited accommodations, like the Galapagos, Patagonia, or Africa safari destinations. Booking early allows for more choice in lodging and logistics, and ensures ample time to craft a detailed, personalized itinerary.

Yes. Vaya creates personalized honeymoon journeys that reflect each couple’s interests and travel style. From secluded lodges in Patagonia, to an African safari, to private island retreats in Southeast Asia, each trip is designed for romance, adventure, and memorable shared experiences. The team works closely with you to include special touches and thoughtful details along the way.

A tailor-made adventure means that we create a custom tour itinerary specifically for you. Based on your individual interests, travel style, and timing, our expert Destination Specialists work with you to curate your dream trip. There are no set departure dates. You travel where you want, how you want, when you want, and with whom you want. Nearly everything about the trip can be customized to your needs.

The best way to begin the planning process is to speak with one of our Destination Specialists about your interests, timing, travel style, and more. You can request a quote online or call us: Our general phone is 1-800-342-1796 and offices are open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST.

After we learn about your likes, dislikes, and travel preferences, an initial itinerary will be sent to you. From there, we’ll work with you to edit and refine your trip plan until it’s exactly what you want!

With tailor-made adventures there are no set departure dates or times. Almost all our tours worldwide can be shifted to match your personal timing. While our small ship adventure cruises (such as in the Galapagos and the Amazon) and our Polar cruises do have fixed departures, we have a large portfolio of options, so we can generally find a date that will work for you!

Experiential travel is travel that makes the experience of the place the top priority and puts a focus on more in depth interactions with local people, close interaction with nature, wilderness areas and wildlife, and is more immersive into the place you are visiting.

Private guided tours allow you to see a place in a more intimate, personalized manner, and make deeper connections with the people and places you are visiting. Because you’ll have private guides, you can form closer relationships with them and learn a lot more. You’ll also be able to make changes to the itinerary much more easily, even on the fly, so there is more serendipity, spontaneity and magic in the trip while you are traveling. The entire approach to private guided travel that we follow at Vaya prioritizes smaller scale, more intimate interactions with the place you are visiting. Many people who do a private guided tour for the first time kind of can’t believe how much deeper you can get into a place and the types of connections you can make that just otherwise wouldn’t be possible. A lot of it has to do with the private guides, who bring the place to life in authentic ways that you just can’t experience the same way on your own or on a group tour.

We are active in giving back to the destinations where we run trips, and over the years have raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to worthy local causes in our destinations. By using smaller boutique properties and lodges and local well paid guides, we ensure that we add positively to the destinations we serve.

A custom trip or custom tour, also known as a tailor- made tour, private guided tour, bespoke tour, or personalized journey (there are many ways to say it!), is different from a group tour in that you will get a personalized itinerary created just for you based on your interests and dates, you’ll get to stay in smaller, boutique style properties that group tours generally don’t use, and you’ll have your own private guides and transportation for your excursions. Group tours generally have fixed departure dates, stay in larger scale hotels, use tour buses, and have generally fixed programs that are not as flexible as an excursion with a private guide. At Vaya, all we do is custom trips and custom tours, personalizing each itinerary for all of our clients, on whatever dates work for you, so no two trips are exactly the same.

When it makes sense, and you’re in remote locations, or if there is only one great place to eat, your meals will be included. In other areas, we recommend the freedom to explore and try different restaurants, cuisines, and dining experiences. Our Destination Specialists and your private guides will give you local restaurant recommendations. All the hotels we work with provide breakfast.

Many of our clients prefer to book their international airfare themselves, as they often have miles or relationships with certain airlines. That said, we can send you a flight quote for your international and local airfare. Just let your Destination Specialist know that you are interested in a quote for your international flights.

Private, tailor-made tours, also known as custom tours, allow you to get to know a place in more profound ways, and to really connect with the people and places you are visiting in ways that aren’t possible on group tours or when traveling on your own. Private tours allow you to include exactly what interests you most, combining different locations and regions in one personalized journey made just for you. At Vaya we have connections with truly superb private guides who will be like your new best friends in the place you are visiting, helping you get to know it in ways you otherwise couldn’t figure out on your own and which aren’t accessible in group tours. Private tours also allow for more spontaneity and serendipity during your travels, as you can adjust things along the way. For international travel, this type of approach allows you to make the most of your time, connect deeply with the place you are visiting, learn a lot, have a lot of fun, and feel like a traveler as opposed to a tourist.

Generally it will be smaller companies that can most effectively deliver trips focused on personalization around personal interests. The most important thing will be the relationship you have with the Destination Specialist or Travel Advisor/Agent that you communicate with. There is a huge range of offerings in the travel industry. The right Destination Specialist or Travel Advisor/Agent will know the destinations you are interested in firsthand, and will know those places in depth, including many different property options, where the best places to stay are based on your interests, and will be very familiarized with the variety of excursion options in those locations so that the trip can be truly personalized. There are excursions for every interest, but only the best companies will know and understand the range of options and have the connections to consistently get you on the right excursions, with the right private guides, at the right time of day.

Start by looking for a company that specializes in the region you want to visit and offers true customization—not just pre-set packages with minor tweaks. Check if their travel planners have on-the-ground experience and if they work with local guides. A strong boutique operator will take the time to understand your interests and provide thoughtful recommendations tailored to your travel style.

Key indicators include in-depth destination knowledge, a consultative planning process, and a commitment to quality. Look for companies that prioritize small, distinctive accommodations, personalized service, and immersive experiences. Testimonials and repeat travelers often reflect whether the company delivers on its promises.

Yes. Vaya arranges private guides who are not only fluent in your preferred language but also knowledgeable about the region’s history, culture, and environment. These guides help create a comfortable and engaging experience, whether you’re exploring city markets or remote national parks.

All Vaya Adventures include accommodations, local private guides, drivers, vehicles, airport transfers, and some meals and internal flights. Your itinerary will clearly highlight all included services.

Vaya Adventures specializes in sustainable tourism that is respectful of local cultures and people, and which prioritizes a thoughtful approach that puts the interests of the destinations first. We work with small properties and avoid the types of large scale mass tourism that often overwhelm local cultures. We work with partners who have won awards and global recognition for their pioneering sustainability efforts, so that you can be assured that all along the supply chain the trip you are taking is one that is prioritizing sustainable practices, fair treatment of staff and guides, and supporting community and conservation efforts in our destinations.

Choose companies that work directly with local guides and independently owned accommodations. Ask about waste reduction practices, carbon offset options, and how they give back to the regions they visit. Supporting businesses that prioritize fair wages, local sourcing, and community engagement helps ensure your travel dollars make a positive impact.

Sustainability is central to Vaya’s philosophy. We approach sustainability on a grassroots level—partnering with local lodges, employing regional guides, and supporting conservation efforts directly. We focus on low-impact, culturally connected travel by seeking out eco-conscious accommodations, encouraging responsible wildlife viewing, and forming long-term partnerships with local operators. It’s deeply integrated into every step of the planning process.

Vaya partners with local guides, drivers, hotel owners, and artisans to ensure tourism benefits communities directly—promoting economic opportunity and cultural preservation while giving travelers authentic insights into local life.

We work with organizations and lodges focused on wildlife conservation and habitat protection. Many of the properties we use contribute directly to conservation, and we prioritize these partnerships when designing itineraries.

Vaya provides 24/7 in-country support during your trip. If any issue arises, you can contact one of our local partners for immediate assistance. They pride themselves on proactive service and quickly resolving unexpected changes or challenges.

Vaya has a network of industry leaders who can assist with obtaining any required visas. If you need assistance with any visas, just ask, and we will connect you!

While not required, Vaya recommends all travelers purchase travel insurance to protect their investment. They offer guidance but do not sell insurance directly. Their travel documents typically include recommended providers. Please visit our Insurance page for more information.

Vaya is not a travel insurer, but we suggest several companies that our travelers have found useful through the years. Please click here for more information.

Travel insurance provides essential protection against unexpected events like trip cancellation, medical emergencies, lost luggage, and travel delays. Knowing you’re covered for unforeseen circumstances that could disrupt your travel plans gives you peace of mind. See our Terms and Conditions here.

Vaya works only with trusted, vetted local partners and guides with long-standing relationships. They continuously monitor feedback and make adjustments to maintain high standards of quality and safety.

Look for companies with high client satisfaction, transparent communication, and detailed pre-trip planning. Vaya Adventures is known for its responsive team and the ongoing support provided before, during, and after travel. Providers with strong reputations tend to have experienced planners, clear documentation, and a well-established local partners in the regions they serve.

Yes. Vaya Adventures provides around-the-clock support while you’re traveling through our local partners. Whether you need to adjust a transfer, have a question about your itinerary, or encounter an unexpected situation, a dedicated team is available to assist at any hour, offering peace of mind wherever you are.