We've Been Expecting You

There’s a saying within the hospitality industry that perfectly captures what I do:

One of the many advantages of those relationships is access to valuable privileges through my affiliation with McCabe World Travel, Virtuoso, and many of the world’s leading luxury travel programs.

JD Powers Travel is an independent affiliate of McCabe World Travel, my host agency and a global leader in luxury travel. Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1989, McCabe has been a member of Virtuoso since 1995 and has consistently been recognized as one of the network’s top producing agencies. Its founder, Damian McCabe, has also served as Chairman of Virtuoso’s Member Advisory Board.

Virtuoso is the industry’s leading global luxury travel network, connecting its member agencies and advisors with more than 2,000 of the world’s finest hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, airlines, and destination partners. These relationships provide access to an extraordinary global community of hospitality professionals, along with preferred amenities, recognition, and experiences that aren’t always available when booking independently.

Together, McCabe World Travel and Virtuoso give my independent business the reach, relationships, and influence of a much larger global luxury travel organization, while allowing me to provide the highly personal service and individual attention that define JD Powers Travel.

Depending on the partner and availability, these benefits may include:

Those privileges certainly enhance the overall experience, but I hope you’ll come to see them as the icing on the cake rather than the reason to work with me.

The true value lies in the trusted relationships, personal advocacy, and quiet work that happens behind the scenes, much of which you’ll never see but will certainly experience.

Every client begins in a different place, and I’m happy to meet you wherever you are.

Once your reservation is confirmed, my work doesn’t end with a confirmation number. Well before your arrival, I personally reach out to my partners who will be welcoming you. I tell them about you, share your preferences, communicate any special occasions you’re celebrating, and discuss opportunities for enhancements such as a room upgrade, along with anything else that will help ensure your experience feels personal from the moment you arrive.

Depending upon the property or travel partner, your reservation includes valuable preferred partner benefits such as daily breakfast, room upgrades, hotel or shipboard credits, early check-in, late check-out, complimentary Wi-Fi, welcome amenities, and other exclusive privileges.

Perhaps more importantly, your reservation begins with a personal introduction rather than arriving as another anonymous booking.

For many clients, that’s all they need. They’re perfectly comfortable managing online check-in, restaurant reservations, shore excursions, spa appointments, and other details themselves.

If, however, you’d like me to remain actively involved after the reservation has been made by coordinating airport transfers, private guides, restaurant reservations, pre- and post-stay hotels, monitoring cruise promotions or fare reductions, selecting shore excursions, arranging transportation, or managing the many details that accompany a cruise or more complex itinerary, those services become part of my Custom Journey Design service described in the previous chapter.

Through McCabe World Travel, Virtuoso, and my broader global travel network, I have access to preferred partnerships with many of the world’s finest hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and travel companies. These relationships allow me to secure reservations through the partnership program that provides the greatest overall value, while opening the door to benefits, recognition, and opportunities that may not be available when reserving independently.

Whether you’re reserving a cosmopolitan city hotel, a secluded island resort, a mountain retreat, or an intimate boutique property, I work with many of the world’s most respected hospitality brands and their preferred advisor programs, including:

My preferred partnerships extend across luxury ocean voyages, intimate yachts, river cruises, and expedition travel. Among the exceptional cruise partners I work with are:

The same Reservation Services apply when you’ve already selected a private villa, safari lodge, luxury rail journey, expedition, or guided tour.

I’ll secure every available preferred partner privilege through my agency and travel network.

Regardless of where you’re staying, sailing, or exploring, these relationships allow me to do far more than simply place a reservation. They connect your travels to a distinguished global network of hospitality partners and preferred programs, creating opportunities for additional benefits and ensuring that the people responsible for your experience know you are personally represented by me.

From time to time, a client will find a hotel they love, a cruise they’d like to sail, or a tour or safari they’d like to experience and ask whether I have access to the same rate or fare they’ve seen online. I’m always happy to explore the options available through my agency and preferred partner relationships and determine what I can offer.

When I do, I look beyond price alone. A lower rate isn’t necessarily the better value once possible room or suite upgrades, daily breakfast, hotel or resort credits, early check-in and late check-out, welcome amenities, onboard credits, room or cabin considerations, personalized recognition, and my advocacy behind the scenes are taken into account. Occasionally, however, a hotel, cruise line, or tour operator may offer a promotional rate through another channel that I cannot replicate. I’ll always be transparent when that’s the case and help you understand the differences so you can make an informed decision.

My Reservation Services do not carry a planning investment because they’re designed for clients who simply need my assistance selecting and securing a standalone hotel, cruise, tour, safari, or other reservation, without the additional planning and coordination of a Custom Journey Design. Behind even a seemingly simple booking can be time spent researching rates and promotions, comparing options, communicating with my partners, and determining which opportunity provides the greatest overall value. I happily invest that time as part of our client-advisor relationship, with the understanding that we’re working together in good faith toward a reservation that I’ll ultimately secure and manage on your behalf.

If your preference is instead to gather options from several sources before deciding where or how you’d like to book, I’m happy to work that way as well. In those situations, where my role is primarily research and comparison rather than securing the reservation, my time can be engaged at $250 per hour.

This allows me to provide the same thoughtful research and professional guidance while giving you complete freedom to book whichever option you ultimately choose.

The distinction is simply one of how we’re working together. When I’m handling your reservation, my research and advocacy are included as part of our client-advisor relationship, with no additional fee. When you’re seeking my expertise and research while retaining the option to book elsewhere, that work is provided on an hourly basis.

My goal is never simply to find the lowest price. It’s to help you understand the complete picture, identify the best overall value, and make choices that will ultimately lead to a better travel experience.

Whether your travels begin with a single hotel reservation, an ocean voyage, a safari, or a fully customized itinerary, my commitment remains the same: to look after your interests and help make every journey the very best it can be.

To provide the highest level of expertise, I work closely with McCabe World Travel’s Air Department, which specializes exclusively in First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy travel.

Together, we’ll recommend the most efficient routing, evaluate aircraft and cabin configurations, coordinate complex international itineraries, and help maximize the value of your airline loyalty programs.

Whether your itinerary involves a simple nonstop flight or a multi-city international journey, you’ll benefit from specialists whose expertise is focused entirely on premium air travel.

Air travel is designed to complement the journeys I create for my clients.

For that reason, I arrange airfare only when I’m coordinating another significant travel component on your behalf, such as a hotel, cruise, tour, safari, villa, or other principal reservation. This allows me to coordinate your flights with hotel arrivals, cruise embarkations, rail departures, private transfers, guided touring, and every other element of your itinerary so everything works together naturally.

Many of my clients choose to redeem airline miles or points for their flights. Those reservations require access to your personal airline loyalty account, so you’ll make those bookings directly with the airline. I’m always happy to review your itinerary and offer guidance on schedules, connection times, airport choices, and other considerations to help ensure your flights integrate smoothly with the rest of your travels.

My air travel services are reserved for clients whose broader travel arrangements I am also handling, rather than for standalone airline ticketing requests.

Every itinerary is researched and ticketed by McCabe World Travel’s dedicated Air Department, and a professional air service fee of $100 per booking applies.

This fee reflects the expertise involved in evaluating routing options, coordinating schedules, managing ticketing, and providing professional support throughout your travels.

A thoughtfully planned journey doesn’t begin when you arrive at your destination. It begins the moment you leave home.

By coordinating your flights with the rest of your itinerary, I can help minimize unnecessary stress, reduce connection concerns, and create a smoother travel experience from departure through your return home.

Every part of your travels should reflect the same level of care, expertise, and attention to detail. That includes the flights that get you there.

At twenty-four years old, I left Arkansas and moved to Hilton Head, where my career in hospitality began. One year later, three close friends and I embarked on a four-month journey around the world that would forever change the course of my life.

Looking back now, I realize it wasn’t just a trip. It was the beginning of an education that continues to influence the way I see the world and the way I care for every client to this day. The world had begun to open, and I had no idea how much it was about to teach me.

One of the greatest privileges of working in hospitality was access to a reciprocal employee travel program that offered extraordinary rates at affiliated hotels around the world. During our four-month journey, those rates allowed us to stay at many remarkable properties for just twenty five dollars per room, per night. Most evenings, the four of us shared one room with two queen beds, meaning our accommodations often cost little more than six dollars per person.

Those savings gave us something far more valuable than discounted hotel rooms: they gave us the freedom to say yes. Yes to extraordinary restaurants and memorable wines. Yes to flights that weren’t included in our around the world ticket. Yes to adventures we never imagined we’d have. In Australia alone, we spent one unforgettable week whitewater rafting, zip lining, snorkeling, scuba diving, and skydiving.

Some nights we checked into magnificent luxury hotels; other nights we found ourselves in modest hostels or family run inns. Looking back, I’m grateful for both. The grand hotels taught me about excellence. The smaller places taught me about humanity. Together, they showed me that memorable hospitality isn’t defined by a room rate. It’s defined by the people who create the experience.

When I returned home from that four-month journey, I wasn’t the same person who had left. The trip had changed me, not because of the places I had seen, but because of the people I had encountered: a maître d’ in Paris, the extraordinary generosity shown to two of my closest friends by a family on a Greek island, flight attendants who made an economy cabin feel first class, and a restaurant manager in Thailand who understood that anticipation is part of the dining experience.

Each had shown me a different expression of hospitality. Together, they taught me that hospitality isn’t a transaction. It’s an art. And I wanted to spend my life practicing it.

I returned to Hilton Head with a renewed appreciation for the hotel business. What had once seemed like a fun career suddenly felt like something much larger. Hotels were no longer places where travelers spent the night. The very best became stages upon which hundreds of talented cast members worked quietly behind the scenes to create unforgettable memories for complete strangers. Every arrival, greeting, recommendation, and thoughtful detail mattered.

As my career continued, I found myself paying closer attention. How did exceptional hoteliers welcome their guests? How did great concierges seem to know what someone needed before they asked? Why did certain restaurants leave guests talking about an evening for years while others were forgotten by the next morning?

I became a student of hospitality, not through textbooks, but through observation. I watched. I listened. I asked questions. Every exceptional experience became another lesson, every memorable hotel another classroom, and every inspiring colleague another teacher.

Long before I ever dreamed of becoming a luxury travel advisor, I was unknowingly preparing for it. Looking back now, I can see how those lessons, conversations, and experiences ultimately influenced the way I would care for my own clients.

Over the years, I would call many places home, including Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, Spain, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, California, Florida, and eventually Maine. Throughout every stage of my life, however, there was one place that remained constant: the shores of Lake Michigan. It has always been the place I return to, where I slow down, reflect, reconnect with family, and appreciate just how fortunate I’ve been.

One place, however, changed my life more than any other: the U.S. Virgin Islands. I arrived because of an opportunity and left with something infinitely more valuable. It was there that I met my wife Catherine.

From that moment on, I knew I would never travel through life alone.

Meeting Catherine remains the greatest gift the Virgin Islands ever gave me. From the beginning, we shared something that can’t be taught: curiosity.

Just as my parents had encouraged me to embrace the world with an open mind, Catherine possessed that same sense of wonder. She has always been eager to explore new places, meet new people, experience different cultures, and wander down a side street just to see what might be waiting around the next corner.

In November 2007, we crossed the Atlantic together for her first trip to Europe. We began in Andalucía, where I had lived in 1998, and this was my first time returning since then. Experiencing it again with Catherine made the return even more meaningful. I watched her discover the whitewashed villages, lively plazas, Moorish architecture, and relaxed rhythm of southern Spain. I also watched her discover that the green olives she had never particularly cared for back home tasted entirely different in Spain. To her surprise, she loved them and proceeded to devour them everywhere we went. Seeing her embrace Andalucía so completely reminded me of everything I had fallen in love with there years before.

From Spain we traveled north to France and into the heart of Champagne. Because of the relationships I had developed while representing Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, and other prestigious wines throughout the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, we were welcomed into experiences that few travelers ever have the opportunity to enjoy.

One afternoon, we arrived at Madame Veuve Clicquot’s twenty-nine-bedroom mansion in Reims. To our amazement, we were the only guests. Walking through rooms that had welcomed royalty, heads of state, and generations of distinguished visitors was extraordinary enough. Having the entire residence to ourselves made the experience almost surreal.

A few days later, on Thanksgiving Day, we were welcomed into Moët & Chandon’s private residence in Épernay for what remains one of the most memorable Thanksgiving dinners of our lives. Our hosts had no idea they were preparing an American Thanksgiving meal. Course after course was paired with exceptional Dom Pérignon vintages before the evening culminated with a bottle of Dom Pérignon Œnothèque, one of the rarest and most extraordinary Champagnes we had ever tasted.

It was a Thanksgiving we will never forget.

As unforgettable as those experiences were, they weren’t memorable because of the famous Champagne houses or extraordinary wines. They were memorable because they were shared.

Over the years, Catherine and I have continued exploring the world together, discovering that the greatest luxury has never been a five-star hotel, an acclaimed restaurant, or a rare bottle of wine. It is sharing those moments with someone you love.

Looking back over my life, I can see that every chapter prepared me for the next. My parents taught me curiosity, confidence, kindness, and to live by the Golden Rule. The world taught me hospitality, my career taught me service, travel taught me perspective, and Catherine has reminded me that the greatest journeys are the ones shared together.

Those lessons continue to influence not only the way I travel, but also the way I care for every client I have the privilege of serving.

Awaken at Auberge Saint-Antoine in Québec City, where mornings begin with delicate, butter-rich croissants, dark maple pastries, and steaming bowls of café au lait. Outside, cobblestone streets, centuries-old stone buildings, intimate bistros, and the sound of French conversations drifting from neighborhood cafés create the feeling that you have crossed the Atlantic rather than simply crossed the Canadian border.

Before long, you’ll wonder whether Europe was ever as far away as you thought.

Experience one of the most storied traditions in sport at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, where immaculate fairways, towering Georgia pines, blooming azaleas, and the world’s finest golfers come together each spring at legendary Augusta National.

Follow the leaders through Amen Corner. Hear the roar ripple through the trees when something extraordinary happens on the back nine. And embrace traditions that are every bit as much a part of the Masters as the golf itself: an iconic pimento cheese sandwich wrapped in its unmistakable green wrapper, perhaps accompanied by a refreshing Azalea cocktail as you take in one of the most beautiful settings in sport.

Enjoy premium Southern hospitality away from the course before returning to witness the drama unfold on golf’s most famous stage.

Coveted tournament access, exceptional accommodations, private transportation, and thoughtful details surrounding the event come together to transform a bucket-list sporting occasion into an unforgettable travel experience.

Because sometimes the destination isn’t a place at all. It’s the competition you’ve always dreamed of experiencing in person.

Spend an unhurried week at Jumby Bay Island, where your days are measured not by a clock but by the rhythm of the Caribbean Sea.

Barefoot walks along powder-white beaches. A gentle breeze rustling through the palms. The soft sound of waves rolling ashore. Not a care in the world.

Fresh Caribbean lobster grilled over an open flame and served with drawn butter and charred citrus. Conch ceviche brightened with lime, cilantro, and ripe mango. A perfectly chilled rum punch beside your private pool.

As the sun melts into the horizon, a glass of Champagne reminds you that sometimes the greatest luxury is having nowhere you need to be.

Begin in Oslo, exploring its striking architecture, fascinating museums, waterfront neighborhoods, and vibrant Nordic cuisine before leaving the city behind for the dramatic Norwegian fjords.

Journey north and west through a landscape of snowcapped mountains, cascading waterfalls, and tiny villages before arriving at Union Øye, a storied 1891 hotel tucked between the fjords and the Sunnmøre Alps, where royalty, writers, composers, and explorers have sought refuge for more than a century.

Spend your days cruising the fjords and hiking beneath towering peaks before returning to smoked Norwegian salmon, artisanal regional cheeses, freshly baked bread, handpicked berries, and dishes prepared with ingredients caught, grown, and raised in the surrounding region.

In Norway, the journey from sophisticated city to breathtaking wilderness is surprisingly short, yet it can feel a world away.

Begin with several unforgettable nights at Hotel de la Ville in Rome, where church bells echo across the rooftops as the city slowly awakens.

Then sail aboard Explora Journeys through the Mediterranean before lingering at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens.

Leisurely seaside lunches of charcoal-grilled octopus, vine-ripened Santorini tomatoes, creamy feta drizzled with peppery Greek olive oil, warm grilled sourdough, and a perfectly chilled glass of Assyrtiko become the perfect finale as fishing boats gently sway in the harbor and glasses clink beneath the afternoon sun.

The finest cruise experiences don’t begin at embarkation or end at disembarkation. They unfold through the places that frame the voyage itself.

Cruise aboard your private traditional wooden gulet along Turkey’s spectacular Turquoise Coast, dropping anchor in secluded coves and swimming in crystalline water.

Linger over whole Mediterranean sea bass grilled over charcoal and finished with fragrant local olive oil, fresh lemon, flaky sea salt, smoky eggplant purée, vine leaves filled with aromatic herbs and rice, and warm pistachio baklava accompanied by rich Turkish coffee before returning to Amanruya overlooking the Aegean.

Here, the best days are measured not by the hour, but by the next secluded cove waiting just beyond the horizon.

Fall asleep beneath canvas at Singita Sabora Tented Camp in Tanzania, where beautifully designed tented suites and uninterrupted views across the Serengeti redefine every expectation of a luxury safari.

Spend your days on safari across the vast plains before evenings beneath a canopy of stars with rosemary-crusted rack of lamb, slow-roasted root vegetables, exceptional South African wines, and the sounds of the African night drifting across the Serengeti.

Long after you’ve returned home, you’ll find yourself listening for Africa once again.

Awaken to the fragrance of cardamom and masala chai before wandering through Jaipur’s colorful bazaars or marveling at the Taj Mahal bathed in the soft light of sunrise.

Then continue to Udaipur, where Taj Lake Palace appears to float like a white-marble mirage on Lake Pichola.

Savor fragrant curries, freshly baked naan, and regional cuisine reflecting centuries of culinary tradition while private guides lead you through palaces, forts, temples, bazaars, and neighborhoods that reveal layer upon layer of Indian history and culture.

India doesn’t simply give you places to see. It surrounds you with stories.

Begin amid the energy, architecture, and extraordinary cuisine of Singapore before stepping aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train for a glamorous journey through Malaysia.

Watch jungle, rice fields, and small villages unfold beyond your window from the Observation Car. Step off to discover the UNESCO-listed streets and food culture of George Town in Penang, then return aboard and retreat to the Dior Spa as Malaysia slips quietly past the windows.

Later, dress for cocktails and dinner featuring Chef André Chiang’s contemporary interpretations of Southeast Asian flavors, perhaps Penang duck curry, Laksa Bouillabaisse, or Jungle Spices Cacao Ganache.

Sometimes how you get there becomes part of the destination itself.

Board PONANT’s Le Soléal in New Zealand for an expedition through the Subantarctic region and onward to Antarctica’s remote Ross Sea.

Towering icebergs, breaching whales, vast penguin colonies, and landscapes almost untouched by humankind become part of your everyday surroundings.

After days spent exploring this remote wilderness, return aboard each evening for French-inspired cuisine, perhaps seared scallops, tender beef with seasonal vegetables and truffled jus, followed by a rich Valrhona dark chocolate dessert and a glass of fine wine, an elegant contrast to the wild landscapes just beyond the ship.

Outside, the profound silence is broken only by the distant calls of penguins and the thunderous crack of ancient glaciers calving into the sea.

Few places leave you feeling so humbled by the beauty and scale of our planet.

These are only examples.

Your journey may take you somewhere entirely different. Perhaps it is a destination you’ve been dreaming about for decades. Perhaps it begins with a hotel, ship, train, or experience that captures your imagination. Or perhaps you don’t know where you want to go at all. You simply know how you want to feel when you get there.

That is where the conversation begins.

No matter where your travels take you, my responsibility is to ensure every recommendation, every introduction, and every experience reflects who you are, what inspires you, and the memories you hope to create.

Luxury, to me, has never been about extravagance alone.

It is about thoughtful details, meaningful experiences, trusted relationships, and feeling genuinely cared for from the moment you begin dreaming until long after you return home.

Every recommendation I make begins with one simple question: