In my friendship circles and beyond I’m known as the go-to for travel advice and personalised experiences — I love travel and discovering beautiful places, and sharing that with others is a huge part of who I am.

In April my friend Zoe messaged me for an in-person version of the LBB for her upcoming visit to the Cotswolds. I sent her an extensive list of places I thought she would like, and was excited to spend time with her as a friend, but because she knows my attention to detail and talent for tailoring experiences, she offered to hire me as her personal tour guide for two days of her trip, allowing her to fully switch off and enjoy taking in the entire experience.

Curating travel days

With a sprawling history of running retreats, workshops, and curating personalised travel days, launching the LBB has given voice to that side of me again, and reopened the doors to offering bespoke 1:1 experiences again.

That feeling of inclusion, inviting people in as part of the process, is a beautifully intimate thing, creating an experience that reflects who they are and what they look for in the world, with complete attention to mood, intuition and curiosity.

The Cotswolds

I’ve always felt such a connection to this part of England and had wanted to move to the Cotswolds by age 30 (which I did, hello manifestation! I wrote it on a piece of paper). Though I don’t currently live there full-time, I am always back and forth. My map of collected places (stays, sights, places to eat, shop, experience) is vast and ever-growing, and being able to share that with others through the LBB and 1:1 experiences is the dream.

The process

From years and years of exploring and nurturing my own curiosities for discovering beautiful places, there were so many places I could have taken Zoe to (just look at the snippet of my crowded Cotswold map!) With only two days together, I tailored the trip fully to Zoe’s desires, listening deeply to make sure I knew exactly the kinds of things she wanted to do, including her in the planning process with plenty of room for happy surprises.

Flexibility and flow are such integral parts of any travel day, allowing space for changing factors within and beyond our control like the weather, last-minute cancellations, listening to your own energy levels, hunger and moods. It’s how I’ve always run retreats, workshops and curated days out; I’ve learnt to intuitively know what to book for and what to leave open for cravings on the day, whilst paying attention to others’ potential needs.

Points of curiosity (the brief):

• landscape

• architecture

• food

• cute shops

• farm life

• countryside style

• local knowledge

• photographer aesthetics

• beautiful villages

The trip

London / Oxfordshire / The Cotswolds

The first day was beautiful, the second was rainy, giving the full scope of British weather! As Zoe was staying in London, I picked her up and we drove from there into the countryside. Knowing our end destination, I began our trip from here, first stopping mid-way in Oxfordshire to visit one of my favourite places for tea and cake, and more favourite shops and eateries. I then dropped her off at her hotel (one of my recommended places) and we went our separate ways to rest, but ended up going for dinner as friends because we were having so much fun!

The next day, we explored more of the Cotswolds, centred around food and beautiful magical, story-book places to see, whilst weaving in photography and a creative perspective on all that we did.

It was such a fun and nourishing couple of days for us both!

Words from Zoe

“I was introduced to the Cotswolds by Chikae with her sensible gifts for discovery. Two days in May with her exploring pretty English villages, local farm shops and eating organic foods marked the highlight of my trip.

I trusted Chikae’s choices guiding my visit; and seeing this magical land through her intimate knowledge and affectionate Aesthetics.

Weaving through the Cotswold’s gorgeous country roads, Chikae showed me many hidden gems only the locals knew. Her way of reading the Cotswold’s incredible beauty furthered my fascination to this region and definitely deepened my desire to return.”

Read the full 2-day Cotswolds guide

You can find all the places we visited in the Travel Edition and The Map of the LBB, individually listed and curated as a full 2-day guide for you to experience yourself. You can find those here, as part of the LBB membership.

If a personal curated travel experience speaks to you, get in touch (bespoke consultations launching soon).