The person behind the itineraries
I'm Sanaz — physician, mother of three, and the person who refused to let parenthood shrink my world.
I've been traveling since before my kids could walk. Now the five of us explore the world together — luxuriously, adventurously, and nothing like a Disney cruise.
30+
Countries explored
3
Kids traveling since age 2
15+
Years of international travel
5
In our family — all fellow adventurers
How it started
By training I'm a physician, but travel has always been my other calling. Before kids, I explored the world the way passionate travelers do — freely, deeply, and with a serious commitment to doing it well. I knew which hotels had the best terraces, which restaurants were worth the reservation, and how to build an itinerary that felt effortless even when it wasn't. Europe, the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia — I went everywhere, and I kept obsessive notes about all of it.
Then I had three kids. And suddenly everyone around me was booking Disney cruises. I understood the appeal — I really did — but it wasn't for me. I didn't want to trade the world for a theme park at sea. I wanted my children to eat fresh pasta in a cliffside village in Italy, to wander a spice market in Morocco, to swim in the Aegean. I wanted them to grow up knowing that the world is vast and extraordinary and absolutely worth exploring.
So I started taking them with me. My oldest first traveled internationally at two years old. There were trials, there were tribulations — wrong hotels, exhausting layovers, a few spectacular miscalculations — but over the years I built a system. A way of planning that keeps the luxury intact, builds in the right amount of adventure, and genuinely works for children without ever feeling like a compromise. Now all five of us travel together regularly, to some of the most beautiful and remote corners of the world. And I want to help other families do exactly the same.
How I plan
Every itinerary I build starts with the same question: what kind of traveler are you, really?
Slow over rushed
Two nights in one place is almost always better than one night in two. I build in breathing room — time to get lost, to linger over lunch, to discover the thing that wasn't in any guide.
Local over obvious
I'll always tell you about the famous thing. But I'll also tell you about the neighborhood restaurant three streets away that the famous thing's chef eats at on his day off.
Honest over aspirational
I don't recommend places I haven't been. I don't write about hotels I haven't stayed in. If something is overrated, I'll say so — and tell you what to do instead.
Personal over generic
No two itineraries I write are the same. Your trip is built around your pace, your interests, your budget, and the kind of memories you want to come home with.
As seen in
Condé Nast Traveler
Lonely Planet
AFAR Magazine
Nomadic Matt
Bespoke Itinerary Planning
Ready to plan something worth remembering?
Tell me where you want to go — or where you can't decide between — and I'll take it from there.