Big Steps Travel is a personal travel advisor and itinerary planner specializing in designing detailed custom-made trips, featuring off the beaten path experiences and fun memorable adventures for solo travelers, couples, and friends who love traveling and exploring the world.
Memory - Making
Every detail is planned specifically around you, for your ultimate travel experience just the way you want it to be.
These are not off the shelf cookie-cutter itineraries. They are developed and curated specifically with your input and wants.
Let us know what you want — history, adventure, indulgence, or whatever you desire — and we will build an itinerary exactly like that.
Hand-picked guides, hosts, and experiences give you the real place, not the hurried tourist façade.
The hidden gems and experiences most travelers walk past or don't know where to look.
Solo travelers, couples, and friends — at any pace, from constantly on the go to leisurely.
Let's Get Started
Make your choices and we'll take it from there — refining every detail with you until it's perfect.
Make your selections above and we'll sketch the beginning of your trip…
Click here to begin building your journey →Signature Trips
Choose one of our proven Signature Trips as they are or add some of your customization... itineraries to places such as Japan, Scandinavia, Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Eastern Europe, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, and beyond.
Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima & Miyajima by rail — culture, markets, unique districts, tea houses and night life
Fjords, deep Viking roots, Hanseatic heritage, cool architecture and sauna culture
Fairbanks to Denali to the Kenai Peninsula and all the way to the northern slope — glaciers, wildlife, and once in a lifetime adventures.
From the Great Barrier Reef to Milford Sound — reefs, rainforests, and the outback with guides who live and breathe it.
Budapest, Vienna and Prague - Castles, palaces, medieval history, museums and cafes
History, culture, vineyard tables, wine cellars, hill-town markets, and long lunches with a view
Vibrant culture, maritime heritage, Douro Valley, Port wine, Sintra Pena castles, tropical landscapes
UNESCO World Heritage Plitvice Lake National Park, Split Riviera, Hvar Island, Blue Cave, Dubrovnik
How we work together
A Signature Journey, lightly tailored and personalized to your dates, travelers, and interests.
7–10 day – US or International - One Country, Single or Multi-city routing
7–16 day – US or International, Multi-country & multi-city routing, coordinated bookings, detailed planning, complex logistics
The Five Steps to an Adventure filled with great memories
A relaxed conversation about what you're dreaming of.
Meticulously crafting an itinerary that creates a narrative of experiences
We polish every detail together until it's exactly the way you want it
Off you go on an adventure you always dreamed of
You come home with stories that last a lifetime.
Your travel advisor
For decades, Steve Fader has been perfecting and designing trips that are full of discovery and fun. What began as meticulously planned journeys for his own family has grown into a calling — creating custom, curated trips for travelers exploring the world.
Vetted guides, hosts, and experience-makers that deliver memory making experiences and hidden gems that off the shelf itineraries just don't offer. And because no two travelers are alike, every itinerary flexes around you — as busy or as restful as you wish, while doing what you want to do.
From Europe to Japan to Scandinavia and all the way to the northern slope of Alaska, Steve has spent a lifetime chasing the next special moment to share. He's not in the business of crowded, commercialized tours. He's in the business of memory-making — and he'd love to make yours.
Plan a Trip with Big Steps TravelIn their words
"Our trip to Lisbon and Porto was more than we could have ever dreamed! The flow of the itinerary was paced exactly at the level we like to travel. Their suggestion to end our trip on the tropical island of Madeira was the perfect way to put an exclamation on our wonderful time in Portugal."
"Big Steps Travel was so great working with us in making our trip so personal and memorable. The activities were so detailed and fun! From the clear guidance on how to visit Plitvice National Park to finding a very unique activity of riding a bicycle on a wire on Mt Srd above Dubrovnik."
"Our trip to Alaska was an experience that created a lifetime of great memories! Big Steps Travel did such an awesome job in understanding what we wanted and putting together an itinerary that included - dog sledding, kayaking among the glaciers, flying over Denali and more. Definitely using them for our next trip."
"Tokyo was overwhelming - size, pace and language - but Big Steps Travel made our experience smooth and seamless. Getting around on the intricate subway system was easy with the guidance they provided. The tours and activities that were selected really gave us a good feel for the Japanese people and culture."
Start the conversation
Tell Big Steps Travel a little about the journey you have in mind. We look forward to creating a memorable adventure.
Prefer to reach out directly?
Email bigstepstravel@gmail.com