This story begins in April 2015 when Venetia @vblebus got in touch with me about my trip planning service as she was organizing a family trip to Andalucía. I recognized the surname and saw that I had been following her husband Willie @willielebus for quite some time, as a “person of interest” on the London wine scene. Anyhow, Venetia and I got to work on her trip and, after the first draft was completed, she said her (adult) kids had decided they preferred a beach holiday that year, so we put things on hold because V said that she and Willie would surely be coming to Andalucía on their own. And just over 2.5 years later… they came!

And it really was like meeting up with old friends. I knew they were interested in excellent food and wine – the “real deal” rather than wanky michelin star stuff – and so it was a delight to take them out on a couple of tapeos while they were in Sevilla, as well as recommend other great places for them in Córdoba and Granada. I also worked out itineraries for them and helped them choose their hotels and arrange transporation.

All of which made me realise that I should be pushing the trip planning thing a bit more. This project started taking shape around the same time I came up with We Love Tapas, and so it ended up on the back burner. But now that WLT is up and running I can turn my attention to developing this service, which is a great way to diversify and continue working in my fields of expertise.

Meanwhile, already making plans for Willie’s & Venetia’s return trip, which will definitely include visiting a few sherry bodegas.