Hi, my name is Candy and I’m an independent travel planner, itinerary designer and Portugal travel expert. I made Portugal my permanent home in 2016 and I’ve been exploring ever since. I help people build memorable and meaningful trips to Portugal, Spain & Italy.
Candice was amazing!
My husband and I contacted her regarding our upcoming two week trip to Portugal after a friend highly recommended her, and she did not disappoint! She was very friendly and easy to talk to during the one hour appointment. We had LOTS of questions, since we’ve never planned a trip like this before. We had an idea of what we wanted to do – start in Lisbon, then drive down the coast, stopping at towns and beaches along the way, and end up in Algarve – but we really needed some guidance. After the consultation she sent us an incredibly detailed itinerary that included hotel, restaurant and shopping recommendations, where to rent a car, a walking map to show us the main points of interest, where to stop on our way down the coast and more. It’s difficult to explain just how thorough she was! I had been stressing about all of this prior to speaking with Candice, but she really put our minds at ease. She was so helpful in streamlining everything – she really knows Portugal and we highly recommend her services!
– Sheri
Independent Travel Advisor Portugal
Unlike other travel advisors, agents or planners, I don’t work for an agency or as part of another platform. My business is completely independent which allows me to recommend without restrictions. Umbrella platforms have a business model that relies on commission which means the traveller is never getting the full range of recommendations; often missing out on true local businesses and experiences.
When I started my travel planning business there wasn’t any one else offering these independent services. The business is built from 10 years of lived travel experiences and local connections.
Where does the name Soi 55 come from?
As a travel planner for Portugal, Spain and Italy it may be confusing to see the word ‘Soi 55’ in my domain. The name Soi 55 comes from the street name (Sukhumvit Soi 55) in Bangkok, where I was living for a month in 2015. It was on this street my travel brand was born. The Asian name doesn’t make much sense with my European-based travel services, but it played a key part in building the business that exists today. I don’t use the brand name Soi 55 anymore but the domain remains as a token of appreciation for the journey.
My Business Story | Soi 55 & Travel by Candy
From day one my brand and business was built around travel.
In 2015 (with 6 years of adventure travel and surf trips already behind me) I set off on yet another ‘happiness mission’. I spent 10 weeks in Thailand and Indonesia with a goal of coming back with a business I could run from anywhere. I started working remotely in 2016, long before it became the norm.
The beginning of Soi 55 and Travel by Candy…
After 2 months in Thailand and Indonesia I flew back to the UK ready to launch the business – Soi 55 Travel. The original business was a collaboration with artisans around the world. I designed several collections of handmade bags & accessories and became known as a ‘beach and travel’ brand. After a few years of very hard work the Soi 55 brand was selling in 17 stockists across the globe.
That same year, I moved to Portugal, to a small town called Odiáxere close to Lagos. I continued selling product while also documenting my travels around Portugal and Europe. For those first 4 years in Portugal, life was blissfully uneventful. I started to learn the language and find my feet in a foreign country, but it took a few years to get to grips with making this foreign country home. The more I traveled around the Portugal, the more I discovered about the culture, language and my own self.
What came next… pandemic and moving from Algarve to Lisbon
During the pandemic I hit a flat patch financially (and emotionally). Mid-2020 I uprooted myself and my life from Lagos to Cascais and I navigated a huge personal shift. My business had slipped more into the fashion world than the travel world and I gradually became disconnected from it. I started to feel lost; unsure of what I was really achieving. After much debate, I finally decided to stop selling ‘stuff’ and began focusing my time on other interests including travel writing. I began sharing my personal experience of living in and traveling around Portugal by writing travel guides. These quickly became popular because at the time very few people were writing about the country. People began contacting me to help with their travel to Portugal.
I already knew I wanted to be a travel planner and itinerary designer, but at the time independent travel advisors didn’t exist in Portugal. I had no idea how to start.
Ovarian cancer diagnosis at 34
Then my world flipped upside down. In the space of 12 months I was diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer and severe angle-closure glaucoma. I had a total of 6 surgeries and more than 150+ hospital visits over the space of 2.5 years. As my world fell apart, Portugal became more of a home to me than anywhere else I’d ever lived, including my country of birth.
Going through these experiences forced me to focus on the here and now. In the middle of cancer treatment, I decided to take a leap, create my dream job and start travel planning professionally. At the time there was no one offering this service in Portugal but thanks to my website full of my stories and guides of Portugal, I gained interest immediately. 6 days before a major operation I had my first planning call. After that first call I knew immediately that this was the work I was always supposed to be doing and I spent recovery building my business.
Today
I am now 4 years post cancer diagnosis. Thankfully (and gratefully) I am in complete remission. My travel planning business continues to go from strength to strength. I’m excited to say, I have planned more than 150 people’s trips to Portugal, Spain & Italy.
I’m happily settled in Cascais and still travel around Portugal, Spain and Italy most months. When I am not planning trips, you’ll find me swimming in the Atlantic or drinking a glass of Antão Vaz under the iconic Portuguese blue sky. I’m currently training for my first Ironman in 2026.
If you ask my friends? They will tell you I’m always on an adventure somewhere, probably up a mountain in Madeira or cycling around a remote island in southern Italy.
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
It’s an honour to be chosen and trusted by so many people to plan their travel. For me it’s the greatest “job” in the world. Thanks for being here! Ready to plan a trip?
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.
