We Want Your Adventure to be Unforgettable
Lodestar Luxury Travel Is an independent travel consultancy Based In Santa Fe, NM
We love to Help You explore new & Different Cultures & destinations
Lodestar Luxury Travel is an American-based, private luxury travel company with a difference.
We have chosen a small number of uncommon travel destinations and unlike travel agencies, we have limited our selection of those places that we are personally familiar with.
We make every effort to provide you with customizable itineraries as well as one-on-one support and travel planning.
Discover the Lodestar Luxury Travel Difference
Our Unique Approach Set Us Apart
At Lodestar Luxury Travel, we specialize in small, private luxury tours — for very small groups or couples. We also offer travel arrangements just one person.
Of course, other companies can do this as well. However, the difference is that we provide our tours at prices that are generally equal to or even lower than the cost of BIG group tours offered by standard travel agencies.
How is this possible?
The simple fact is that we can do this because we don’t have to make a massive profit.
We enjoy doing what we do and want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to explore the world on their own … without the burden of paying large sums of money … Or being part of a pre-set group of dozens of strangers at a time.
There is no reason for travel to be as expensive as it is. There is no reason for tours to cost $8,000–10,000 per person traveling in a group. This why we offer small group tours, which are even more affordable than our private tours.
At the same time, we do not stint on the details of your tour. You will stay in four and five-star luxury hotels whenever possible.
Even in some of the more out-of-the-way places, such as the high Himalayas or in isolated parts of the Caucasus, where branded hotels are not always available, you will stay in the best places that are available.
A Customized Experience
On our tours you will have your own private guide and vehicle during the entire trip. Your guide as an expert in the local culture, history and geography will do (almost) anything to make your trip a success!
This gives you the flexibility, unlike on a pre-set group tour, to make changes to your itinerary or modify other details as needed during your travels.
We will consult with you before you book a tour with us to learn what your particular interests and preferences are. That way, we can help you tailor-fit any of our tours just for you.
You will get the most personalized service possible for what we hope will be an unforgettable trip of a lifetime.
Contact us today to find your Next Adventure
Meet The Owner
Steve Kutay
Steve Kutay, as the owner of Lodestar Luxury Travel has done a lot of traveling in his lifetime.
He grew up with a fascination for languages and cultures from an early age.
Steve honed his ear for language and his curiosity about the world at an early age. In college, Steve majored in Russian and thought perhaps he might become an academic.
But he was a traveler at heart, and little kept him in one place through various jobs around the world.
He worked primarily as an interpreter and eventually became proficient in seven languages.
Steve says he enjoys investigating native cultures and glimpsing behind the curtains to see how people live.
He has been to some of the most fascinating places in the world …
… He has visited places such as Yemen, Ethiopia and Afghanistan (when they were safe to travel to).
He has also completed some the greatest “road trips” on the planet, going overland from Europe to India, China to Tibet, and from Pakistan to Kyrgyzstan.
After visiting more than 80 countries, Steve believes that what’s important are:
- The adventure of exploring the unknown landscapes and cultures
- The intimate, enduring visits with local people
- The glorious sunrises and sunsets in exotic locales
- The surprising and memorable shared meals
Lodestar Luxury Travel is the result of his lifetime of travel and his deep respect for other cultures around the world.
LLT represents his passionate effort to bring affordable, luxury travel to the discerning public.
Our Tour Destinations
As an independent travel consultancy we are offering a fresh take on small group tours.
As a result we decided to concentrate our tour packages on a few parts of the world that are unknown to most tourists, especially Americans.
Some of regions such as Ladakh and Hunza, are top travel destinations that most people have never heard of.
Ladakh, in the high mountains of northern India, is known as “Little Tibet”.
It may be the closest you get to a place like Shangri-La. Although much smaller than Tibet itself, it is much easier to visit, and the scenery and Buddhist cultural sites are just as interesting.
Hunza, in the mountains of northern Pakistan, has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world, as well as its cultural attractions.
Countries like Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in The Caucasus region are better known to the traveling public, but relatively few North Americans actually visit there.
This region while still part of Europe, on on the eastern edge of the continent, a few hour’s flying time from London or Frankfurt. Each of the Caucasian countries is a fascinating place to visit and all three countries are quite different from one another.
Indonesia has been selected for several reasons. In our opinion, it is the most interesting country by far in Southeast Asia. There is a tremendous amount to see there.
Plus, Indonesia has beautiful luxury hotels and stunning beaches. Although the island of Bali is well known and does get a lot of American visitors, we are also including other parts of Indonesia, such as Sulawesi and Borneo, that are more off the beaten track.
Along with its opulent hotels, Iran is a popular travel destination, but many Americans have misconceptions about it.
It is one of the safest places in the world to visit for tourists, for one thing. It is also a place where individual Americans are exceedingly popular. In fact, in our personal experience, we would say that we have never been in a country where Americans are more welcomed.
Iran is #10 on the list of most UNESCO World Heritage sites, one of them, of course, being ancient Persepolis. Iran is one of the greatest travel bargains in the world.
In the recent past, we used to offer tours to Ethiopia, but, unfortunately due to the political situation now, travel tours there are too difficult to make.
We consider Ethiopia the most interesting country to visit in all of Africa and hope that things will improve there so that we can offer tours to Ethiopia again.
Our General Terms
At Lodestar Luxury Travel, our travel company prioritizes transparency and clarity in all our interactions with valued clients like you.
To ensure a smooth and unforgettable travel experience, we have established these general terms that govern our services.
Double Occupancy
All prices are based on double occupancy. We can arrange any tour for a solo traveler. A deposit of $500 per person is required at the time of booking.
deposit
The one exception regarding the deposit is that, in the highly unlikely event that you are not granted a visa, we will return your deposit.
The methods of payment are described below.
Payment Methods
We accept payment using Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, money order, bank transfer, or by check.
Payment
The balance of payment is due no more than 60 days before the commencement of the tour.
Refunds
We will only charge you for any expenses that we incur and that are non-refundable to us. These generally apply to hotel reservations that we have made in anticipation of your trip.
In other words, if we have made a hotel reservation for you that has a non-refundable deposit or an internal flight reservation that is not refundable, we would only keep that part of your deposit that would cover those expenditures.
Cancellation
We understand that it is sometimes necessary for you to change your plans. In the event of a full cancellation before the start of your tour, we will do our best to make a full refund.
Of course, if there is a cancellation on your part, the earlier the notice of intent to cancel is given, the better.
Special Assistance
Travelers requiring any type of special assistance must notify us of their requirements at the time of booking.
Age
Travelers under 18 years of age at the time of travel must be accompanied by an adult 21 years of age or older.
