Trips designed for how you want to feel.
I'm Mairéad (ma-RAYD). Ireland and the UK are home, and I plan trips almost anywhere. We start with the feeling you're after and work back to the places.
Free 20-minute call · No obligation · Full trip planning from $333
Two questions I ask before anything else
- 01
What's the best vacation you've ever had, and what did you love about it?
- 02
How do you want to feel while you're away, and when you come home?
Most trip planning starts with a destination and a list of sights. I start here, because your answers tell me more than a map does. Someone who loved a week in one farmhouse needs a different Ireland than someone who loved a city on foot. Once I know the feeling, the places follow, and they tend to be the right ones.
What that changes
Planning from the feeling backwards changes the trip in practical ways.
- You move less. Fewer hotel changes, so the trip has a rhythm instead of a checklist.
- You travel in the quieter months when you can, and the quieter corners when you can't.
- Your days have room in them. A good plan tells you where to be at nine and where dinner is, and leaves the afternoon alone.
- You stay with people. Family-run guesthouses, country houses, local guides, the restaurant worth the detour. Your money goes to the people who live there, and they'll remember you.
- And you keep your freedom. I find the special things and put them in your hands. What you do with the afternoon is up to you.
Trips I'd love to plan for you
Coming home.
The churchyard where your great-grandparents married, the fields they farmed, and someone who knows the parish to walk you through it.
Slowing all the way down.
A week in one village in Provence or the Tuscan hills, where the biggest decision of the day is lunch.
Marking something.
A 50th in a country house on the Wild Atlantic Way, an anniversary in the Scottish Highlands, or three generations together at a pace that works for all of them.
Being looked after.
A cruise where someone else has the logistics. Glaciers and whales from the deck in Alaska, or Europe's old towns from a slow river.
Being together.
A long weekend with friends, in Savannah or somewhere closer, with a lovely hotel booked and nothing left to sort out but time.
Earning the view.
An early start up a New Zealand trail, and the lake below turning gold.
Hi, I'm Mairéad
I grew up in Nashville, and every other summer I was in Carlow, about an hour south of Dublin, with my big extended family. I'm a citizen of both Ireland and the United States, and I've been planning my family's trips since I was a teenager.
For most of four years I lived in London as a house and pet sitter, moving between other people's homes in other people's neighborhoods: their dog, their street, their favorite walk. That's where I learned the difference between visiting a place and being in it, and it's what I want for your trip. I did the same in Edinburgh and in Glendalough, and before that I studied in France and got to know the Loire Valley.
Along the way I learned that my gift isn't knowing everything. It's knowing how to find the right things: the hotel with character, the story behind the old town, the walk the locals love, the restaurant worth the detour, and the small detail that makes a day easy.
I also spent several years running a household for a couple in Nashville, which taught me to notice what's needed before anyone has to ask.
In 2020 I trained as a facilitator in a practice built around intuition: helping people get quiet enough to hear what they actually want, underneath what they think they should want. It's why I begin a trip with how you want to feel rather than where you want to go.
Today I'm a certified advisor with Fora, which brings partner extras at many hotels, like daily breakfast, and a professional network behind me. I love quiet seasons, local guides and family-run places, so your trip feels personal and your money supports the places you visit.
Ireland and the UK
First trips, heritage trips, slow countryside stays and car-free trips, planned by someone who still goes home often.
Explore Ireland & UK trips
Everywhere else
The same way of planning works anywhere. If you're dreaming of France, Italy, New Zealand or a cruise, we start with the same two questions. Where I haven't been myself, I'll tell you, and I work with trusted local experts so you still get the inside track. And if a trip isn't a good fit for me, I'll say so up front and point you to someone who'd do it well.
Just need a hotel, flights or a cruise booked? I can do those on their own too. See prices
How it works
Planning with me is simple. The first step is free, and you'll know the price before you commit to anything.
- Step 1
Tell me about your trip.
Answer a few quick questions about where, when, who's coming and your rough budget, then pick a time to talk.
- Step 2
Have a free 20-minute call.
We talk about trips you've loved and how you want to feel on this one. If I'm not the right fit, I'll point you to someone who is.
- Step 3
Choose your level of help.
A Trip Review Call if you're planning it yourself, or full trip planning. You sign a simple agreement, pay your fee, and I get started.
- Step 4
Get your plan.
A day-by-day itinerary in 7 business days for trips up to a week, or 10 for longer, multi-country or heritage trips. Where to stay, how to get around and what to do, built around the feeling we talked about, with room to wander. We fine-tune it together.
- Step 5
Book and go.
I make the bookings, send everything to your phone, and answer your questions before and during your trip.
When to start: 6 to 12 months ahead is ideal, especially for summer and heritage trips. Shorter notice? Tell me your dates and I'll let you know what's possible.
While you travel
Everything's on your phone, with my local tips for each day. I reply within 24 hours on weekdays, and your itinerary has the direct numbers for anything urgent. Full details are on my Prices page.
