The thought of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South America has left you with a severe bout of itchy feet.
You’re raring to go, scouring the internet for route maps, Trip Advisor recommendations, hints and tips for planning an unforgettable South America vacation.
And them boom: planning overwhelm hits hard.
You wish you could talk to the guidebook author herself.
Well, you can.
- What if you had an expert on hand to answer every single question you ever had about your trip? Worried that the information you’ve found online isn’t correct and wishing you had an expert who could help solve all those nagging queries and niggling worries that are keeping you from fully looking forward to your vacation?
- Wouldn’t you love to have personal recommendations from an expert, whose opinion you trust? How about a complete range of suggestions covering everything from luxury hotels to charming, locally-owned guesthouses, fine-dining restaurants to oh-so-local market stalls and the safest and most reputable tour operators?
- What if you knew you didn’t have to spend hours planning your vacation? What if you could instead be given a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary that is unique to you, your travel style and your dream vacation?
My custom-designed travel itinerary planning service is for you
The magic of my South America trip planner service is that it’s a fully bespoke service, where I put together a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary, custom-designed for you and your vacation or extended trip.
- No more scouring the internet and playing truth or fiction about bus timetables.
- No more negotiating fees in the thousands of dollars with travel agents who you know are charging you more than it would cost to do it yourself.
- No more wasting hours of your valuable time trying to figure out a logical, time-efficient and financially-sensible route or worrying about whether what you’ve decided makes logistical sense.
Instead, you can get an itinerary for your trip to South America, carefully designed for you.
It’ll be packed with expert recommendations for every step of the trip: activities and tours that I know you’ll love, restaurants that’ll introduce you into the tastiest eats in a new country and unique hotels and comfortable guesthouses that’ll make you feel truly on vacation.
I also throw in all that nitty-gritty logistical information that you’ve scoured the web for – and spent hours of wasted time trying to work out exactly what is up-to-date and if it’ll change by the time you get there.
I’ve helped 100+ travellers move from feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and bogged down in travel details to having a clear, concise and expert-designed travel itinerary.
However far along you currently are with your planning a trip to South America, my services will save you time, effort and stress.
I do all the research, so that all you’ve got left to do is make the bookings. It’s simple, really!
Is this you?
Struggling to narrow down destinations to fit your trip? I’ve travelled practically the entirety of Peru, Chile and Patagonia and I will help you pinpoint exactly where you want to go – throwing in both regional highlights and beyond-the-beaten-trail gems.
Battling to place your chosen destinations into an order that makes sense? I will show you the perfect route for your South America trip, planning a logical itinerary that maximises your time in destinations and can help save you money on transportation.
Getting a headache from trying to book some of the more complicated logistical parts of your trip? I will make the process crystal clear, giving you lucid instructions and guidance to find available dates and the best accommodations for your needs and budget.
Fed up of trawling through TripAdvisor reviews for hotel, restaurant and tour operator recommendations? Having experienced hundreds of each during my time writing guidebooks about Chile, Peru and Patagonia, I really do know each destination like the back of my hand. I will identify the best – and most memorable – options for you, your budget and your style of travel.
Worried about the unknowns of travelling in an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language? As a fluent Spanish speaker who has experienced all of the issues you could potentially face, I will prepare you in advance for every eventuality in South America. Whether it’s renting a vehicle, crossing borders or how to withdraw money, I’ll ensure that the information you get is up-to-date and tailored to your circumstances.
What previous trip planning customers have said
Find out why 40+ readers have used my itinerary planning service
How does the South America travel itinerary service work?*
Since 2018, I’ve helped over 100 travellers and their families plan and book extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime vacations to Patagonia, Chile and Peru.
I understand how frustrating and stressful the process of planning an overseas trip to South America can be. This is why I’ve streamlined my process to ensure that you get a bespoke, perfectly-suited itinerary for your trip without any further hassle on your part.
This process breaks down into three parts:
First, we need to find out what’s important to you, so that I know how to create a once-in-a-lifetime trip that ticks all the boxes. Once I’ve received payment, I’ll send you a pre-itinerary survey to complete. This identifies your budget, timeframes and destinations plans.
I’ll follow this up with further questions via email to drill down into exactly the type of trip to South America that you want to have. This will clear up any queries you have about where really is unmissable to visit, and which destinations are good during the during the season you plan to travel.
I’ll then produce a barebones overview of the route I recommend that you take and the destinations and activities I suggest in each. I’ll send this to you for your approval or any changes that you want to make – this is the last stage you can make alterations to the travel route itself.
Second, I put together your tailored, day-by-day travel itinerary. Here’s where the magic happens: I go away and add the flesh to the overview to turn it into a complete and comprehensive itinerary, adding extensive details to every destination that you’ll visit.
Each day of the itinerary is broken into the following:
- Destination – where you’ll be travelling that day
- Transportation – the logistics of how you’ll get there, whether by plane, public bus or rental car
- Activities – a full array of activity recommendations (both free and with recommended local tour operators) tailored to the types of activities you enjoy doing while on vacation
- Recommended Restaurants – up to five suggestions for restaurants, focusing on everything from regional delicacies, fine-dining, to market eateries and locals’ favourites
- Recommended Accommodations – detailed information about up to five of my favourite accommodations in the area, drawing on your budget, style of travel and with unique, once-in-a-lifetime options thrown in for good measure
- Further Notes – additional information such as navigating toll booths, gas station and ATM availability, taking the metro: basically, anything logistical that you need to know on the ground during your South America vacation
- Alternatives – occasionally, I’ll throw in an alternative route or alteration that you could make to your itinerary, to give you more options for adapting your vacation
Third, once you’ve received your personalised itinerary, my inbox is open for a further two email queries from you. These will help to resolve any queries that you may have about your itinerary.
These emails can be used pre- or during your vacation, covering everything from how to book accommodation, to providing in-country assistance if you run into an issue.
WHICH OPTION WORKS BEST FOR YOU?
A personalized travel itinerary, custom-designed for your next South America vacation
You want an expert to design your once-in-a-lifetime trip, perfected matched to how you like to travel.
Includes:
- A pre-itinerary survey to drill down into what matters to you and how you want your South America vacation to look
- A comprehensive, expert-crafted itinerary featuring day-by-day recommendations for destinations, activities, hotels, restaurants and transportation
- Two follow-up emails covering any query that you have remaining about your trip to South America, which can be used to navigate any additional issues that arise while you’re on vacation
Up to and including seven days
$400 USD
Up to and including 14 days
$500 USD
Up to and including 21 days
$600 USD
Itineraries of 22 days and over
On request
*If the button doesn’t work, please drop an email to [email protected] stating your trip duration, trip dates and a brief outline of your current travel plans.
Note: You pay nothing now. This is just the easiest way to make initial contact.
30-minute or 15-minute Zoom or Whatsapp call to discuss your plans for South America
You’re at the very beginning stages of planning and need some direction
Includes:
- You send me your queries prior to our call for me to prepare information and answers
- A 15-minute or 30-minute call where you can ask me anything that you want, including route and destination guidance, logistical queries and anything else that you need to start your planning
- A follow-up email where I send you pertinent information from our call, including places and websites that we discussed
- Roll investment from your call into itinerary planning if you choose to go ahead with my services
15-minute call to discuss your plans
$75 USD
30-minute call to discuss your plans
$125 USD
*If the button doesn’t work, please drop an email to [email protected] stating your trip duration, trip dates and a brief outline of your current travel plans.
Note: You pay nothing now. This is just the easiest way to make initial contact.
*Note that this South America trip planning service is only offered at the moment for Chile, Patagonia and Peru vacations as these are the countries I have explored in enough depth to be able to guarantee you a top-quality planning service. If you’re seeking advice for Bolivia or Paraguay, contact me and we can discuss a special service.
Meet Steph Dyson, your itinerary planner and authority on planning a trip to South America
Hi, I’m Steph, a British-born South America-phile, journalist and guidebook author.
I’ve made it into my mission to help travellers explore South America without fuss, frustration or fear.
I’ve helped over 40 travellers and their families experience a life-changing vacation in Patagonia, Chile or Peru, plotting out bespoke travel itineraries that would have taken each of them days – maybe even weeks – to prepare.
Guess what: I can help you experience the same!
Putting together a travel itinerary certainly isn’t rocket science – but it’s also a huge time suck.
But why trust me? After five years of living and travelling in South America, I’ve become an authority on the continent.
I’ve worked on over ten guidebook titles, traveling to practically every corner of Patagonia, Chile and Peru.
In Chile, I spent two years researching and writing Moon Chile (released June 2020), a guidebook that covers the entire country. Along the way, I stayed in countless hotel rooms – both luxury lodges and local guesthouses – dined at a stomach-swelling number of restaurants and experienced once-in-a-lifetime tours and trips into the least-known parts of Chile and Patagonia.
For this guide, I also explored the length and breadth of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia. I hiked the O Circuit and W trek on two distinct occasions, drove my way up the Carretera Austral, boarded ferries through the Patagonian fjords and fell in love with South America’s most beautiful and wild region.
What’s more, during my five years in the continent, I traversed the northern and central Sierra regions of Peru for the Rough Guide to Peru and the Rough Guide to South America, explored all of Paraguay (also for the Rough Guide to South America, lived (and volunteered) for a year in Bolivia, and lived (and volunteered) for seven months in Cusco, Peru.
I’ve written about all of these destinations for various different outlets, including and beyond Worldly Adventurer.
But, most importantly, last year, I helped half a million travellers who were planning a trip to or currently travelling in South America, through the detailed articles, ebooks and information found on this site.
FAQs
1. How long does the entire process take?
I am as excited as you to get you the information you seek, so I will try my best to make it fast! From your initial enquiry through to your bespoke itinerary landing in your inbox should take no more than two weeks days. However, this can be delayed at various points along the process.
To keep within these time limits, I request that you complete the initial planning survey promptly and respond to emails as quickly as possible.
I work on itineraries on Mondays and Thursdays; this means that if you send me further queries or information by Sunday or Wednesday night, then you are guaranteed a response the following day. If you email me at other points during the week, responses can take a little longer.
2. How detailed is the itinerary that you design?
As I’ve indicated above, each itinerary is comprehensive and contains day-by-day recommendations for destinations, activities, hotels, restaurants, and transportation.
To put this into perspective, a recent two-week itinerary came in at 19 pages and 8,000 words; a recent five-week itinerary was 40 pages and 18,000 words.
3. Which countries do you cover?
At present, I offer bespoke itineraries for the following South American countries: Chile and Peru. I also provide itineraries for the region of Patagonia (both Chilean and Argentine).
If your itinerary covers destinations outside of these areas, we can negotiate which parts of the itinerary I will plan and I may well be able to offer insights into destinations that I don’t officially cover but have visited.
4. Why do you only cover these countries?
I only offer my South America trip planner service for countries for which I’ve written guidebooks. In this case: Moon Chile (sole author) and the Rough Guide to Peru (contributing author).
This ensures that my knowledge of the destinations is extremely detailed and thorough. It also allows me to provide you with not only up-to-date information but also an objective overview of a destination I’ve visited, thanks to having experienced practically every attraction, hotel, and restaurant located there.
5. Why is there no money-back guarantee?
As the service I offer is fully customized to your vacation, it is impossible for me to re-coup my time, and therefore, by agreeing to work with me, you’re agreeing to this sunk cost where there are absolutely no refunds.
However, the process that I use to plan your itinerary, which includes a pre-itinerary survey and further email communication, is designed to pin down the type of vacation you want and the exact route that you’ll follow – all before I design the completed itinerary.
This ensures that you are 100% satisfied with the service before I go away and work on the finished product.
6. Why should I trust you to plan my vacation?
I get it: I’m just another blogger you found on the internet. But as my 110,000 monthly readers will attest, I really know my stuff.
I’ve made it my goal and my passion for the last three years to convey my extensive knowledge of South America to other travelers across the world.
My South America trip planning service has become the best way for my readers to plan their trips and utilize my knowledge – all at a price that previous clients have almost unanimously described as “extremely good value for money”.
Over 150 readers have thus far trusted me with plotting a once-in-a-lifetime South America trip and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Ready? Get your itinerary planned by an expert
Contact us to start your vacation planning with expert advice and guidance