OUR STORY
Built on Referrals.
Driven by Relationships.
Est. 2013 · New Orleans, LA · 86% Repeat Clients
In 2013, Lauren Cardinale founded Travel Design Co. from New Orleans with a simple conviction: the people who know a destination best should be the ones designing your journey through it.
More than a decade later, that conviction hasn’t changed. TDC is a boutique agency of specialist advisors — each with first-hand destination knowledge, vetted partner relationships, and a genuine investment in the trips they design.
Nearly all of our clients come through referral. Most come back. We take both of those facts seriously.
WHAT SETS US APART
01
REFERRAL-BASED BY DESIGN
Most of the people we plan for were sent by someone who already trusted us with their own travel. That is a standard we re-earn on every trip. Nothing gets handed off, and nothing goes into your itinerary that we would not book for ourselves.
02
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
Your advisor designs the destinations they have actually been to. So when we tell you which side of the hotel to request, which train to take, or which must-see to skip, it comes from standing there, not from a supplier fact sheet.
03
GLOBALLY CONNECTED
We work directly with destination specialists, DMC partners and preferred properties across more than 60 countries. That is how you get the private guide who is genuinely worth the money, the table that shows as fully booked, and a real person on the ground the moment something goes sideways.
EST. 2013
Founded in
New Orleans
86%
Repeat client
rate
60+
Countries in
our network
5
Consecutive
Condé Nast recognitions
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
“Travel Design Co. was built on a simple belief: the right trip can change you.
We’re not selling packages. We’re designing experiences built around who you are, how you travel, and what you want to feel when you get there.
Every client relationship begins with a conversation — not a quote.”
Lauren Cardinale
Founder, Travel Design Co.
OUR PREFERRED PARTNERS
We work with the very best — so our clients always experience something more than they expected.
Four Seasons Preferred Partner
And many more — our preferred partner network spans 60+ countries and grows every year.
View All Preferred Partners →
BEYOND THE BOOKING
Our clients don’t just get an advisor — they get an entire network of on-the-ground specialists.
African Safari Co. for East and Southern Africa. NAMU Travel for Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. Southern Crossings for New Zealand and Australia. The Colombian Trip for Colombia. VIP Journeys for South America. Emerging Destinations for Guyana.
First-hand expertise. Every destination.
THE TEAM BEHIND THE TRIPS
Eleven specialists. Decades of combined experience. One shared standard.
LAUREN CARDINALE
FOUNDER & LEAD TRAVEL DESIGNER
Europe · Africa · Cruises · Luxury FIT
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