MEET SANDRA

SANDRA LAVILLE, FOUNDER OF
ILLUSTRO LUXURY TRAVEL

I founded Illustro Luxury Travel out of a passion for travel and a deep appreciation for the transformative trips that have shaped me, first as a teenager and then as a young adult. I was lucky enough to begin traveling when I was just 16 years old - when I went on an exchange program in France - and I was forever changed by this experience. Followed closely by a trip to Italy at age 18, and then summer travel to Spain for the following three summers, I felt deeply the excitement, inspiration, and cultural enrichment that these experiences brought with them. Whether it was seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time, hearing Shakespeare at the ancient theatre in Epidavrus, or watching the sunrise come over the Alps at dawn - these moments spent witnessing breathtaking beauty or awe-inspiring artistic genius brought something special to my life. I truly believe that travel, when done well, can be profoundly moving, and opens one's horizons in a way that few other experiences do. I've felt the benefits in my own life, and I curate travel experiences so that I can help to create these same experiences for others, too.

I do not create bucketlist holidays or one-size-fits-all travel packages. My aim in curating travel is to create an authentic, deeply personal experience that will fit each group's unique needs, traveling style, and desires intimately. Each group, or family is different, and in just the same way, every trip will be different, designed to fit each member of the group like a glove.

After many years in the industry, I've developed relationships with high quality suppliers and partners in luxury travel. We work together to create your ideal holiday, and make sure that all of the details are orchestrated seemlessly into the overall design of your trip. We take care of the logistics and oversee the entire planning process - so that you don't have to. So that you can sit back and enjoy what really matters most : spending precious time with your loved ones and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

MORE ABOUT SANDRA

My Latest Passion

I love history, especially French history from the 16th and 17th centuries, and the castles of the Loire Valley in France have always been a special place for me. I am currently on a mission to visit all 100 castles in the Loire, and then potentially continuing to see as many in the rest of the country as possible. There are 30,000 in total, so this may take a considerable amount of time!

My Favourite Destination

It's difficult to choose just one - but I definitely have a soft spot for the Greek Islands, especially Paros and Santorini, and Zakynthos for its gorgeous wild landscapes. For culture, it would be Vienna or Paris, and I also really love the mountains and natural surroundings of the Pyrrhenees mountains and the Carpathians, which I've just recently discovered.

My Favourite Travel Memory

My favourite travel memory is entering the Sistine Chapel for the first time when I was 18 years old, and being blown away by the sheer magnitude and power of Michelangelo's frescoes. I became obsessed with Italian painting at that very moment, and it was then that I decided to become an art historian and travel expert - a commitment and a passion that still feels as strong now as the very first day. This is the moment that the travel bug first hit me, and it was a life altering. This for me shows the transformative power of travel - and not just for me, but for everyone. This is precisely why it became my life's mission to share the inspiration with others and enable them to experience the same unbelievably powerful and transformative moments in their lives, too.

My Best Travel Advice

Be open to experiencing the unexpected. Traveling to distant places, even though they may seem familiar, can be surprising at times - but these are often when the most magic happens, in the most unexpected ways.

OUR PREFERRED PARTNERS

Illustro is an affiliate of 360 Private Travel, a global travel agency and member of the prestigious Virtuoso travel network. This means that we have access to the best hotels, cruises, and luxury villas all over the world, all highly vetted to offer you only the highest quality service. Thanks to our preferred partner programs, available only to travel advisors, we can unlock special benefits, VIP services, and added value to each trip and hotel booking, in every corner of the world. Below are just some of the many hotels, resorts, and accommodations we are affiliated with on all five continents.