Client Spotlight - Oston Travel

Meet Shane, past client and founder of Oston, a bespoke travel agent creating thoughtfully curated journeys designed around the way each client wants to experience the world.

Tell us about the inspiration behind your company.

Oston didn't start with a business plan; it started with a passport and a habit I couldn't shake! For years, I was the friend who planned everyone's trips, disappearing into the details: the restaurant with the right terrace, the hotel that quietly upgrades you, the detour that becomes the thing you remember most... People kept asking me to do it again. Eventually, I stopped treating it as a hobby.

Who is your target client and what services do you provide?

Our target clients are people whose time is too finite, and trip is too important, to hand to a search engine. They don't all want the same thing (a suite and a private car for one, an unhurried week in France with friends for another, a tent in the Serengeti for the next). I design completely bespoke journeys around each of them, including honeymoons, family or group trips, safaris, expeditions, cruises, and LGBTQ+ travel. I personally vet that you'll be welcomed, and then I handle all the design, booking, and real support while you're on the road.

What's your favorite part about running the business?

The research and design is my favorite part. I disappear into the work to build something around one specific person. And then there's the payoff when the clients send photos from the road! There are very few things better than watching someone fall in love with a place for the first time.

What does your initial consultation include?

A conversation is genuinely it. No form, no commitment. You tell me where you want to go, or just how you want the trip to feel, and we talk about how you travel. I try to understand your version of the perfect trip before I plan a single thing. From there, I go design it, and we refine it together until it's right.

What's one thing people may not know about the travel industry, or are surprised by?

One thing people may not know is that working with an advisor usually doesn't cost more than booking it yourself, and it often gets you more. That may be upgrades, perks, or access you can't see from the consumer side. People assume "bespoke" means "markup." It doesn't. The booking is the easy part; everything around it is the actual work.

What is the best way to get in touch with you?

The easiest way is through my website at oston.travel . There's a "Begin Your Journey" form on every page. You can also reach me directly by email at [email protected] 720-836-9797. No commitment, just the start of a conversation.

Outside of booking travel with you, how can someone continue to support your business?

Referrals are everything! If you know someone planning a honeymoon, a big family trip, or a trip they want done right, send them my way. Following along and sharing the work goes a long way too.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

When you work with Oston, you're working with me. There's no handoff to a junior planner and no templated itinerary. Every client gets the same thing my closest friends get: my full attention, and a trip I'd be proud to take myself.