The Artisan Blog

Imagine standing on a frozen lake some 200km north of the Arctic Circle with your closest friends, family or work colleagues as the multi-coloured Northern Lights dance across a pitch black sky.

Picture yourself driving a team of eager dogs through the snowy forests of Lapland. Here at Artisan Travel, we don’t do ‘ordinary’ because our passion is for the ‘extraordinary’.

Our knowledge and love of experience travel has always been at the heart of everything we do and we’ve been doing it for years and years. Along the way, we have created countless unforgettable experiences to share with our guests.

Your group can go in search of the Aurora in the Arctic, snorkel with dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean, whale watching in Iceland or explore some of the most remarkable UNESCO world heritage sites in the Mediterranean.

Looking for something more leisurely? Why not chill out with a drink in an ice bar or sail from island to island on a small ship cruise?

Christmas – far from the madding crowds

Lapland is, of course, synonymous with Christmas but throughout our extensive travels here over the festive period, we know there is so much more to this wonderful region than long queues to see Father Christmas.

We ensure our Lapland holidays are well away from anything commercial so that you can witness the beauty of the wild landscapes and participate in some incredible winter experiences, whilst also enjoying a festive Christmas holiday.

For those who want to steer clear of Lapland altogether, we also offer a Christmas trip to Iceland where whale watching and Aurora hunting is on the agenda.

Take some time out

The modern world is pretty hectic, whether you are working all the hours of the day or running around after the kids or grandkids, it can be hard to switch off and relax.

Modern technology has given us a lot but it also means that it is almost impossible to escape your inbox or phone and basically means that switching off is increasingly hard.

We all need some time out and time to ourselves and here at Artisan we have the perfect way to switch off – however you choose to do it.

New Year – start as you mean to go on

New Year holidays are some of the most popular with our Artisan Travel guests, and with good reason. It can be difficult, and often anticlimactic, planning a New Year’s Eve celebration at home but with one of our bucket list holidays, there is no doubt your New Year will be absolutely unforgettable.

Picture dog sledding across the Arctic wilds, enjoying a glass of fizz in front of the fire in your log cabin or standing on a frozen lake gazing up at the Aurora Borealis - the memories made on a New Year holiday with Artisan Travel will last far longer than 12 months. 

Birthdays – experiences for all ages to mark that special day

Artisan Travel is about exceptional experiences and what better way to mark a special birthday (or any birthday for that matter) than by creating incredible memories? Whether you are travelling on your own, with a loved one or with a whole group of people - we can help you to mark the occasion in the way you see fit.

Age is no restriction as we can work with our local partners to customise the holiday to suit all ages. Over the years, we have had people travel to celebrate their 21st, 30th and 90th birthdays (with most of the ages in between too) and whilst the itineraries may have varied a little, the special memories that were created did not.

That Bucket List Feeling

"A number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime." Source: Oxford English Dictionary

Dream fulfilment is all the rage right now and as our knowledge of this amazing planet grows, the list of “must see” and “must do” experiences seems to lengthen almost daily. Currently, there appears to be a move away from the gathering of material possessions and a burgeoning trend towards the accumulation of a different kind of wealth, a wealth based on experience and memory. From whale watching to swimming with dolphins, dog sledding to the Northern Lights, our precious travel time is increasingly devoted to ticking off bucket list items and, bucket list destinations.

This is exactly what drives us here at Artisan Travel. We are not in the travel industry to become rich in monetary terms because we believe that there are far greater riches to be found during our journeys to remarkable and unforgettable destinations. 

As we travel, we question everything because local knowledge is what we believe leads us to the greatest experiences. All our trips are designed in conjunction with our local partners in the destination to ensure that an Artisan Travel holiday ticks all the important boxes.

There is so much to see and so much to do in this life and not a huge amount of time in which to do it all. Through our extensive and, admittedly, not exactly arduous research, we aim to make it easy for our clients to fulfil their bucket list ambitions.

In essence, we are your shortcut to the best possible holiday. 

Celebrate in style – no excuse needed!

Any reason for a celebration is a good thing in our book! Many of our clients choose one of our holidays to celebrate something that is important to them and the reasons for the celebrations have always been wide ranging. Previous clients have travelled to mark milestones such as a wedding anniversary, a retirement, a graduation, paying off a mortgage, a family reunion, a proposal (more on that below), a divorce, the fact that the kids are old enough to stay with their grandparents and simply being healthy and able to travel!

They're honeymoons but not as you know them

After all of the stress of the wedding planning and the elation of the day has subsided, you need something truly remarkable to look forward to. Our range of experiences has been handcrafted to provide you with an unforgettable start to married life, taking you way beyond the sun, sea and sand and making sure the memories will last you a lifetime.

We have been arranging honeymoons and mini-moons for clients for many years. Our local partners know all of the little secret-escapes and exclusive extras that can be created in their destination for newly-weds and we will work with you to customise our holidays to suit you.