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We're a UK-based tour operator specialising in tailor-made holidays. We design, for you to discover.

10/10/2026

📸 Taken on Kirsty’s iPhone, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

These lovely photographs were taken during Kirsty's latest visit to Zimbabwe, where she spent time with Hwange's elephants.
Every visit (even after 33 years!) adds another layer to the firsthand knowledge our specialists draw on when designing your tailor-made itinerary. Read more about Kirsty’s visits to Zimbabwe in her latest blog: https://holidayarchitects.co.uk/blog/first-time-in-zimbabwe

Chat with HA's Zimbabwe expert Kirsty today to spend time with Zimbabwe's gentle giants yourself.

08/10/2026

You could spend a lifetime getting to know Sri Lanka. Dawn’s well on her way. 🇱🇰

Our Sri Lanka specialist, Dawn, has travelled extensively across the island and has all kinds of weird and wonderful ways to make an itinerary uniquely yours. After just one conversation, she’ll draw on her knowledge of the places, hotels, and experiences and build something perfectly suited to you and how you like to travel.

That depth of knowledge matters. When you’re planning a big trip, you want to be talking to someone who can tell you why they love a place, what’s actually worth your time, and the little details that don’t make it onto a website.

That’s the difference a real destination specialist makes.
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If you’re not sure where to begin, Dawn has put together a two-week itinerary that she often suggests as a starting point. Have a look, and if it sparks some ideas, give Dawn a call. She’ll chat through what you’re after and help shape the trip to suit you.

Read her recommended two-weeks in Sri Lanka here ☺️: https://holidayarchitects.co.uk/blog/real-two-week-sri-lanka-holiday

07/10/2026

"My favourite memories from Vietnam always start and end with the locals. How lucky am I to make connections and forever learn something new."

It’s something we talk about a lot at HA: the right people can completely change the way you experience a place.

In Hoi An, Mr Run took Lisa to the Herb Village, showing her a side of the city she might never have found on her own. She also met An from Eat Hoi An, who runs the local market and Banh Mi cooking class. Lisa said, “The food was out of this world! But it was the interaction and meeting An that I really loved.”

And in Saigon, Viet brought her into the streets for a food walking tour, introducing her to the city through its food, stories and neighbourhoods.

Lisa has written about her favourite discoveries and experiences from her latest trip in her new blog on the website 🇻🇳🗺️.
(P.S. She's even included some tips and tricks 🤫)

06/10/2026

Why Wanderlust matters to us.

This year, we’ve been shortlisted for not one, but four Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. And honestly, that already feels like a result!

These awards are entered by some of the biggest names in travel, with marketing budgets we couldn’t dream of. So, seeing our little team of travel experts sitting alongside them is something we’re incredibly proud of.

But what makes these awards particularly special to us is who decides. There’s no judging panel in a room somewhere. The winners are chosen by people who have actually travelled with us, people who have trusted our experts to get the big stuff, and the little stuff, right.

So, if one of our experts has helped you plan a trip you still talk about, we’d absolutely love your vote. Every single one really does count.

And, as a rather lovely bonus, you’ll also be entered into the draw to win one of 11 incredible trips worth a combined £80,000 (wowza)!

If you’ve got a spare minute, we’d be so grateful. 🥰..

Wanderlust Travel Magazine
Vote here: https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/about-us/our-awards/2026-wanderlust-travel-awards/

03/10/2026

We are so glad that your trip to Vietnam with our expert Lisa went so incredibly well! There is nothing better than a good bit of organisation! It sounds like she built the perfect itinerary around how you like to travel; that's our Lisa!

We can’t wait to see where you travel to next! ✈️
From all of us at HA.

02/10/2026

Lots of us have our hearts set on Machu Picchu. But how do you actually plan the visit? 🇵🇪

There are different circuits, routes, entrance times, and limited permits to navigate, and if you’re walking the Inca Trail, there’s a whole other permit system to understand too; it can be a tad confusing to choose what fits best.

Dawn Smith is Holiday Architects’ Peru Destination Manager. She has spent years designing holidays across Peru and has walked the four-day Inca Trail herself. Luckily for us, she’s just written a piece on how to make the most of your visit to Machu Picchu.

In the article, Dawn shares what she’d recommend for different types of travellers, how to choose the right Machu Picchu route, and when to plan ahead.

But there’s more: are on our wavelength too. They named Peru their number one destination on their Best in Travel 2026 list. Dawn said, “I can’t say I was too surprised. I do have to admit to a little smile, though. I’ve been sending people to Peru for years, and I’ve travelled all over it myself. I’ve walked the Inca Trail, and I know how it gets under your skin. Now it seems everyone else has worked that out, too.”

📸 Photography by Dawn Smith.
…

Read Dawn’s super handy article explaining how to visit Machu Picchu: https://holidayarchitects.co.uk/blog/machu-picchu-circuits-inca-trail-permits

01/10/2026

Hello, our lovely HA family! It’s already time for the monthly roundup. Here’s what HA has been getting up to this September!

1. Our destination manager, Dawn, took herself to Greece for the week, where she enjoyed amazing sunsets, great food, and made friends with Grecian wildlife, in typical Dawn style.

2. Erin and Radders ran in the Half Marathon, which they aced, of course!

3. Our Asia specialist Lisa returned to Bali this year with her husband to celebrate their 10th anniversary!

4. Our expert Ian (King of Pop Culture) returned to the NTA awards this year, which we believe could have possibly been the highlight of his year! 🤣

5. Our lovely Erin visited Vienna for her birthday, and then went up into the Alps.

6. Cat came FIRST among the women in her category to run the 50km ultramarathon! Just when we think she’s topped herself, another notification pops up in the group chat of another achievement!

7. Cassie spent some time hopping between the Balearic Islands, visiting her friends, partying it up for her birthday.

8. Radders spent some time in France with her friends, enjoying good food and even better company.

9. Our expert Rebecca did another solo trip, this time to the fantastical Warsaw. She filled her days with tours and the discovery of new little corners of the world.

10. Our head of Client Experience, Ronnie, went to the US on his final/official stag do to watch his team. Next up- wedding day!

30/09/2026

How Ian likes to spend his afternoons in Aswan: a quiet little boat ride along the Nile, with plenty of time to take it all in after being all ‘sightseeing-ed’ out.

📍Aswan, Egypt, 2026.
📸 Captured by Egypt specialist, Ian.

29/09/2026

We present to you… Holiday Architects’ Great Destination Bake Off! Blimey, this was a giggle 🤭🤣

We spent this connection day competing in teams, with the theme being HA destinations. By the end, we had icing everywhere; some of us were walking on thin ice after getting a little too competitive… Some of us also concluded that cake decorating may not be our forte, so we should stick to creating lovely holidays instead 🤭.

We then voted and declared HA’s Master Bakers, which deservingly went to the Japanese ramen noodle cake team!

We then carried the fun on even further, auctioning each cake off to the team, and put all of the proceeds towards War Child UK 💙

A day that will go down in HA history indeed. Thank you, Rachel and Andy, for organising such a wonderful day for our team yet again 🥰.
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Are you tuning into The Great British Bake Off ?! It has been the topic of conversation in our group chat! 🤭

26/09/2026

📍 The Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 2026.
📸 Captured by Clare.

Clare has been to India more times than we can count, and on her latest trip back in April this year, she was back at the Taj Mahal in Agra.

We’re usually the ones telling you about the places beyond the obvious, but there’s a reason this one has stayed firmly on the list of India's classics.

Fancy a visit to the classic Taj Mahal? Explore our excursions page to see how Clare likes to sprinkle it into a tailor-made itinerary.

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Cheltenham
GL501TA

Telephone

+441242253073

Website

https://holidayarchitects.co.uk/

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