Expert Travel Planning by a human
Olá! My name is Candy and I’m an independent travel advisor, itinerary designer and a Portugal – Spain – Italy travel specialist. Based in Portugal since 2016; I’ve spent more than a decade traveling around southern Europe. If you’re planning a trip to Portugal, Spain or Italy and you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’ve landed in the right place. Keep reading to learn more about how I can help you….
Travel by Candy | Planning Services, Tools & Resources
This website is designed to help you plan and execute your dream trip to Portugal, Spain or Italy. I offer a range of services, tools, and resources to help you build the perfect travel itinerary; tailored to any destination, timeframe, or budget. Whether you want to build an expert trip itinerary with me as your local travel advisor, or prefer to plan it yourself, you’ll find everything you need right here.
I can’t thank you enough for the fabulous itinerary and our conversations about traveling in Portugal! My daughter and I had the time of our lives, in large part because of your insight and suggestions. You provided such a lovely variety that matched our desire to not “play tourist” but experience Portugal and its people. This was truly a trip of a lifetime in so many ways. – Laura & Angela, U.S.A
Working with an Independent Travel Planner
Unlike travel agents or broker-platforms, my business is completely independent. Agencies and umbrella platforms have a business model that rely on commission which means recommendations are limited and usually money-driven . Sadly this means the traveler misses out on small, local businesses (which are the backbone of authentic travel) and these same businesses get skipped in favor for a company that pays a higher commission. Everyone loses (except the agency).
This is why I built the independent model you see here. Through my own travels I met wonderful local businesses that offer real experiences but have very little reach. I started sharing these businesses through my travel guide to support them. I’ve been documenting my travels on this website since day one. When I started Travel by Candy (formally Soi 55 Travel) there wasn’t any one else offering this type of independent, on-the-ground service in Portugal. The business is built, brick-by-brick from more than 10 years of lived travel experiences, local connections and a genuine passion for this corner of southern Europe. My travel business has grown organically over the last ten years into what you see here today and I’m very proud of the journey.
My services are 100% personalised for your travel style and preferences, and there is no limit on what I can recommend.
Just returned from an amazing Lisbon and Lagos trip planned by Candy!! Private drivers, tours, wineries, stand up paddle boards and hikes. It was an incredible way to spend a vacation. Candy made it so manageable for us- 3 girls with little time to plan and research. She knew exactly what to recommend and set it all up. She recommended brilliant accommodations too. Thank you Candy! – Aileen (via product reviews)
Candy is totally inspiring and exceptional at what she does. As a seasoned traveler, I actively avoid tourist-driven, generic experiences and always seek out hidden gems, but for Spain I knew I needed expert guidance and I’m so glad I found Candy. Her style, energy and depth of knowledge are outstanding. She introduced me to authentic locations, fabulous accommodation in less-touristy areas and experiences I simply would never have discovered on my own. Every recommendation was thoughtful, well-aligned and completely tailored to the experience I wanted. What truly sets Candy apart is how she works. It feels like talking to a trusted friend who is genuinely 100% invested in helping you create exactly the experience you envisage. – Kirsten (via TrustPilot)
It’s an honour to be chosen and trusted by so many to plan their travel. For me it’s the greatest “job” in the world. Thanks for being here!
Human Travel Planning. No AI here.
What you see & read here is REAL. I don’t use ChatGP or other AI to write my travel guides or design itineraries. Travel is a human experience that requires all of the senses. It is impossible for AI to replicate that. Working with a human travel planner means working with someone who understands that travel is a highly unique and personal experience, not a ‘copy and paste’ job. All travel guides have been written by me from my own personal experiences. All the photos on this website are taken myself during my own travel. Nothing has been created using AI so you can trust what you are seeing actually exists.
1 hour Travel Consultation with Candy
Planning a trip, holiday or vacation to Portugal, Spain or Italy but have no idea how to start? Jump on a 1 hour call with me and we’ll get your travel plan in motion. I’ll erase the overwhelm and by the end of the call you’ll be feeling confident and excited about your upcoming travel. If you already have a plan but need a travel expert to look it over and make relevant edits & suggestions, this is the perfect service for you also.
I recently had the great pleasure of having a “1 Hour Travel Planing Call” with Candy and I can’t recommend it enough!! I chose the 1 Hour Call option as I already had a general idea of my itinerary but wanted to fine tune it with an expert’s advice, and I found Candy to be just the right expert!! She’s incredibly knowledgable about Portugal and Spain and offered precisely the type of insight and recommendations I was looking for. Further, Candy provided some wonderful “out of the box,” creative suggestions with regard to places to visit (vs. others), hotels, restaurants, tours, etc., ie. there was nothing “cookie cutter” about it…which was exactly what I desired! Finally, in addition to her great, in depth knowledge about Portugal and Spain, Candy was incredibly warm and a pleasure to work with, and equally excited about wanting to make my trip fun, unique and memorable. As you can see, I can’t recommend Candy enough!! – Marc
Request a Bespoke Itinerary for Portugal, Spain or Italy
If you want no stone left unturned in the quest for your perfect trip to Portugal, Spain or Italy – this service is for you. If you don’t have the time or inclination to spend hours curating an itinerary, I can do it for you. At the end of the process you will have a complete, one-of-a-kind itinerary, carefully built with you in mind.
This is an expert, highly tailored service, offering a truly special experience. Due to the detailed work required to provide this service, I have a limited number of bespoke itinerary slots available each month.
I have never used a travel consultant before – I am a massive planner and didn’t think that I could relinquish all of the research and planning to someone else. For this trip, I had just taken on a new position and didn’t have the time to spend that I normally do. Thank goodness – because we never would have had the same experience without Candy! During the trip planning call she listens carefully to your preferences, answers questions, and offered fantastic recommendations. We changed our travel plans after our phone call to include Porto, and so glad that we did. Her personalized itinerary included several options and all were things that were specific to how we wanted to spend our time. She also connected us with fantastic tour guides. We also have food allergies and she was very attentive to this. She emailed and called restaurants in advance to make sure that they could accommodate us. I can’t recommend her highly enough! – Lisa (via product reviews)
Travel Planning Maps
As you can probably imagine, I’ve built up quite the list of recommendations for restaurants, activities, beaches, hikes, vineyards, markets etc to visit in Portugal, Spain and Italy. It got to a point when I had dozens of documents listing them and my personal Google Map became utter chaos. I always have people asking for suggestions so I decided to finally do something about it and organise my recommendations. You can now get all of my personal recommendations in my most visited destinations.
Andalusia Travel Map
₹1,556.00Portugal Trip Planning Map
₹2,223.00Sicily Trip Planning Map
₹1,112.00
Travel Guides
If you love the process of planning a trip but need reliable tips and logistics my free travel guides have everything you need. Since I first started this website I’ve been documenting my travels. I’ve built up a treasure chest of resources including all the inspiration you need to get started on trip planning. All the travel guides below are free to read and updated regularly.
How to Spend 24 hours in Seville + city travel guide
Welcome to the not enough time but that won’t stop me side of this…
May 11, 2026
Best things to do in Cascais : more than a beach town
Planning a trip to Cascais soon? I’m so glad you’re here. I’m an independent…
March 17, 2026
Sicily 10 day Itinerary and logistics by a travel expert
The long-awaited guide for how to plan a 10 day trip to Sicily is…
March 17, 2026SEE FULL TRAVEL GUIDE COLLECTION
TRAVEL PLANNING SERVICES : FAQ
I have several travel planning services available. All of them are designed to remove the overwhelm of trip planning and to help you create a memorable and meaningful trip.
– Travel Consultation
– Bespoke Itinerary
You can purchase direct on the product pages using credit card or Paypal in your currency of choice. Alternatively you can email me hello@soi55lifestyle.com for a USD/EUR/GBP payment link.
I’ve created the ultimate planning tool for Portugal (Portugal Travel Planning Map) Andalusia (Andalusia Travel Planning Map) and Sicily (Sicily Trip Planning Map) I also have 10 years worth of free travel guides for Portugal, Italy & Spain in my Travel Guide Collection. Everything is designed to make your travel planning less stressful and more enjoyable.
Yes absolutely. If you want to gauge how much work there is to do or simply see if we’re a good match, start with a call. If you are contemplating adding on an itinerary please let me know during the call so I can make the correct notes.
Not at all. I will make suggestions based on my personal experience and your specific requests but there is no pressure to book anything I suggest. If you already have accommodation reserved or have a specific place you want to stay – you can keep that in place. Similarly, if you’d like to get my opinion on accommodation, a tour guide, activity or restaurant you have already found, I’ll always be happy to offer my perspective.
If you purchase an itinerary I will assist with the booking process but I don’t handle any payments. I take care of all the logistics and communication needed to make a reservation. When the time comes to make payment, I hand it over to you.
A full itinerary typically takes 2-3 weeks depending on the length of trip and number of activities that need to be arranged. I’ll keep you in the loop with the progress. If you are last minute planning it is possible to create one quicker but please contact me if your trip is within 2 weeks.
It’s never too early for an initial call especially if you don’t have any ideas on the route you want to take. The ideal time to start planning & booking a trip to southern Europe is 3-9 months before departure, but I often have people contacting me a year out to start planning and this is absolutely fine too.
Yes, I’ve planned lots of last minute trips for people over the years. If your trip departure is within 2 weeks please email me first before purchasing. If you already have an itinerary and want an expert to go through it and make last minute tweaks book a travel consultation. You can book a slot as soon as 24 hours from now.
If you are planning a trip to somewhere other than Portugal, Spain or Italy I recommend finding a planner who specialises in the country you are visiting who will be better suited to making your trip the best it can be.
Planning a trip to Portugal, Spain & Italy
Southern Europe is a world of vibrant culture, breathtaking natural beauty and yes, hidden gems too. I’m here to help you uncover the best corners or Portugal, Spain and Italy and remove the stress that comes with planning a trip to a country you don’t know.
Portugal Travel Planning & Itinerary Design
It all starts here, in the country I chose to call my forever home – Portugal. Since moving to Portugal in 2016 I’ve made it my personal mission to get to know every inch of this soulful land. Thanks to years of experience living in and traveling around the country I have become known as the Portugal travel expert, dedicated to sharing the real Portugal with you.
Planning a trip to Portugal but not sure where to begin? Let me curate an itinerary that opens your mind to the the ever-changing landscape of Portugal. With small, charismatic cities, 1800 km of coastline, adventure islands born from volcanos and the best wine in Europe (shhh don’t tell France). I’m here to plan the Portugal trip of a lifetime for you.
You’ll likely want to set eyes on Lisbon or Porto, perhaps spend some beach time in Algarve too? Drink wine in the Douro? I urge you to dip your toes into one of Portugal’s lesser-known regions too (Alentejo is a must). I’ve travelled the country from top to bottom, including the islands of Madeira and Azores and I have everything you need to put together an itinerary that unearths Portugal’s very best.
Portugal Travel Guides
Spain Travel Planning & Itinerary Design
Planning a trip to Spain? Let me build you an itinerary simmering with passionate performances, unexplored pueblos blancos and jamon for breakfast (and lunch and dinner if you please). Whether you want to touch down in the some of the Spain’s greatest cities (hello Barcelona & Sevilla), beach hop around the Balearics, hike trails with out-of-this-world views, or road trip through the white villages of Andalucía – I can make it happen.
Spain Travel Guides
Italy Travel Planning & Itinerary Design
Planning a trip to Italy? Let me fill your itinerary with ancient history, cerulean blue water and ricotta filled pastries.
Mi Amore – Italia. Italy captures my soul time and time again which is why I’m never more than a few months away from another trip. I’ve road tripped my way around most of Italy including Sicily, Tuscany, Calabria, Basilicata and Campania. From the southern far-flung islands of Sicily to the snow-capped peaks of Trentino-Alto Adige I’ve revelled in the beauty of Italy from top to toe. Italy calls for a spectacular itinerary plan and I have all the right bits and pieces to fill in your Italian itinerary.
Italy Travel Guides
More Questions?
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