First-hand judgement
The days either side of the ship, planned by someone who has made them.
Extensions look alike on paper. The days on the ground are what separate them. Marc plans the land part of your trip around eight cruise gateways, sea and river, that he knows first-hand: one he was born in, one he lived in, the rest he keeps going back to.
Eight gateways. Sea and river. Every one of them first-hand.
Where the ship drops you, and what to do about it.
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Before or after Barcelona — Catalonia beyond La Rambla
4–6 nights. Marc was born here. The city as he shows it to friends, and the countryside the ship never sees.
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Around your Nile cruise — Egypt beyond the river
6–10 nights. The cruise is booked. Marc lived in Cairo; he plans the days around it — the coast, the desert or Petra.
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After the Rhine, at Basel — Lucerne and the Glacier Express
5–6 nights. The ship ends where the Alps begin: Lucerne and the Rigi, then eight hours by rail across the roof of Switzerland to St. Moritz.
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Either end of the Rhône — Burgundy north, Provence south
3–4 nights. The ship covers the Rhône’s own wine. These go where it doesn’t.
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Either side of Antarctica — Patagonia before the ice
6–8 nights. The end of the continent is at your feet on the way to the ship: the glacier, Fitz Roy, and Ushuaia.
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After the Galápagos — Ecuador and Peru
4 or 9 nights. Two lengths: Ecuador alone, or on to Machu Picchu.
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Before or after Tokyo, Yokohama or Osaka — Japan, three ways
3 or 5 nights. The Art Islands of the Seto Inland Sea — the route most clients ask for — the classic, or the Kyushu road trip Marc drove himself.
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Before or after Athens — Greece, two ways
3–5 nights. The Peloponnese, or Macedonia — where the island calls don’t go.
The index
How it works
Three steps. Marc does the rest.
1A short brief. Ship, dates, pace, who's coming, what you'd rather skip. Thirty minutes by call, or by email.
2A routed itinerary. Day by day, with named hotels, guides and transfers, and the reasoning behind each.
3Booked through Fora. Virtuoso amenities at member hotels, on-the-ground partners Marc has used, and Marc on hand while you travel.
Barcelona
Born here.
Cairo
Lived here. Speaks Arabic.
Kyushu
Drove it himself.
Fees and what's included
One fee. One point of contact.
A complimentary first conversation about your plans, budget and the support you need, before any fee is quoted
A single planning fee, quoted against the agreed scope and payable before research begins. It covers the planning work, is separate from your travel costs, and is not credited against bookings
Hotels four-star and above, booked through Fora with Virtuoso amenities where the hotel is a member
Private guides, drivers, transfers, timed entries and internal flights arranged and confirmed
One point of contact before and during the trip
Somewhere else? These are the routes Marc will vouch for personally. Elsewhere he'll say so, and route you to an on-the-ground partner he trusts.
Still choosing the ship?
Start with CruiseLens.
Compare the lines and ships on what shapes the trip, find your strongest match, and Marc plans the land around it.
Tell Marc where the ship drops you.
He'll take it from there.