Laura Bassett started Haute Holidays Travel after years of giving traveling advice to curious friends combined with her love for far-away places. With the hectic and overwhelming amount of travel information on the web, Laura has built Haute Holidays around a personally customized and meticulously thought out mantra. She uses her former CPA expertise as well as her affiliation with Brownell Travel to build relationships with the most esteemed hotels and travel suppliers around the world. Haute Holidays Travel helps tourists get exactly what they want out of their trips. The new design was influenced from various vacation destinations where people go to relax, explore and gain new insight about the world around us. The textured style background is set against a beautiful bold purple and teal border inspired by the intricate designs of Moroccan tile. The earthy tones give the brand a fresh new take on travel planning, allowing clients to envision their trip before even getting there. Get inspired to create the adventure you’ve been longing for with Haute Holidays Travel, you will not be disappointed. Here is the “Haute” new look! Get to know more about Laura and Haute Holidays, and how she can help plan your perfect journey below and check out their new website here!   How long been in business: Officially since January 2013, but have actually been a traveler and helping friends with travel for years. What I do: I provide travel consulting and trip planning services to my wonderful clients so that they may realize their travel dreams!  No two travelers are alike, and neither are two trips.  I provide a very personalized service where I build a relationship with my clients, understanding their travel desires so that I can better craft each trip to suit them.  At each step of the way, from planning to post-departure, I am there for my clients when they need me.  You cannot get that from the internet! I am honored to be an independent affiliate of Brownell Travel, a Virtuoso agency, and one of America’s oldest and most well-respected luxury travel firms.  It is through this affiliation that I have access to amazing supplier and hotel relationships across the globe that I utilize to benefit my clients in the form of value-added extras and VIP treatment. Why I started my business: I have long loved to travel and research destinations myself, and found that many friends asked my advice when planning their own trips.  I am a huge believer that travel is essential for so many reasons.. to celebrate, to relax, to explore, to reconnect.. to simply gain a new perspective on this great world we live in.  Honestly, there is no better feeling than being involved in helping people utilize their most precious resource- their leisure time!  And when clients return and tell me how special their trip was.. well, that is just icing on the cake! What is unique/why someone would use my services: The internet is an overwhelming thing.  How do you even begin to sort through all the information or know who to trust?  I believe that all travel is special, no matter how small or large your budget, and that people like to have that personal connection with someone regarding their trips.  Also, I am a CPA (former accountant!) by trade so that attention to detail works very well when I plan travel also. What is the process like to work with me: I begin working with all new clients with a detailed conversation about their travel style- not just about the particular trip they contacted me to help with, but in general what are their dreams, and what is on their bucket list?  Where have they traveled in the past?  All of these details give me a better understanding of their style and purpose and helps me in planning.  Then, should I find information on someplace my client would like to visit in the future, I make a note or send it to them! From there, the trip-planning process is very two-way.  Client feedback is always appreciated in the trip design phase, as I know that many people enjoy being involved in planning!  Once we fine-tune the itinerary, I handle all of the bookings and include extra amenities and VIP treatment where possible.  Upon returning home from their fabulous trip, clients debrief me and then we can begin planning their next adventure! Why did I choose Doodle Dog: I saw some local event planning websites that Nikki had designed and loved how they looked chic without being fussy.  When I met with Nikki she seemed to understand what it was I was looking for, and I loved her youthful, creative vibe!   Also, the questionnaire I completed for her was perfect in that it allowed me to list all the details of my business which I believed helped Nikki understand and design.  Lastly, Nikki works in both Austin (my hometown) and Dallas (my current town), which made me even more comfortable working with her. Favorite part of my new design: I love that my design feels luxurious and chic without being stuffy, because I feel that is me, and also who I am as a travel consultant!  The purple and teal design reminds of me of Portugese or Moroccan tiles, which I find very exotic and inspiring.  I also LOVE the inspiring travel words and world map used in the bottom portion of my site pages. Family: I live in Dallas with my husband Ryan and our two sweet children, Paisley (almost 3) and Hudson (almost 1), and Maltese dog Casper. Where do I like to shop: Nordstrom, Tory Burch, Kendra Scott, Tar-jay, zappos.com for shoes. Describe yourself and your style: I am a wanderer and feel quite content in a foreign land, soaking up the culture and learning about its history.  At the same time, I love the comforts of home and one of my favorite trips is renting a beach house with a group of friends and all of our children.  So, I really love to mix it up.. couples getaways with family trips, splurges with budgetary items. Where do I find inspiration I am inspired by other young travel advisors.  Once thought of as a profession on its way out, travel advisors are now making a big comeback, in part spurred on by a growth in the younger client demographic!  I personally find that many of my friends and clients are younger busy professionals who desire a unique trip, but do not have the time or energy to plan it.  These clients are adept at using the internet, but also seek a personal relationship of a trusted travel advisor to help sort through the choices, take care of the details, and add value to their trips. Day in my life? My day usually starts when my toddler wakes me up before sunrise, or I get to go for a run- whichever comes first.  After getting the kids ready for school, I begin work.. usually the pattern of my day is dictated by my departures.  If clients are departing soon, I double check and re-confirm all the details of their trip, and mail them any relevant information.  Then I answer emails, and planning trips to international locations means I usually receive emails overnight!  I try to answer these are early as possible to try to catch those people before they leave work that day. Then I move on to my current requests.. researching trip possibilities for new requests or working with clients on refining the details of trips further along in the planning stage.  I also am constantly working on marketing ideas, updating social media (Facebook, Twitter, and my blog) and reading publications and articles to keep up to date on all the latest travel trends and news.  BEST part of my day is seeing client pictures or hearing their happy stories from trips I helped them plan.  No two days are really the same, but that is why I love it!!