Hi, my name is Andriy Sushko. Let me take you back to 2017.
I was living in Kyiv, Ukraine, and just starting my career in IT.

A promising profession, great opportunities, a clear path ahead. But slowly, work began taking over almost every part of my life. Messages in the morning, tasks throughout the day, and work constantly on my mind in the evening. I even took my laptop on vacation. The countries changed, but my routine stayed the same. In the summer of 2017, I traveled alone to the Atacama Desert in Chile.

On my second day, I found myself somewhere with absolutely no mobile signal. I kept taking my phone out of my pocket, checking the screen, and putting it away. Then doing the exact same thing a few minutes later. Around me were endless desert landscapes, mountains, and incredible views.

Yet I was still searching for a signal. I had traveled to the other side of the world, but my mind was still at work. That evening, beneath the stars, I finally sat still without checking anything. And I asked myself: “If I work so hard to build a good life, why do I barely have time to actually live it?”

When I returned to Kyiv, I convinced myself it had just been an emotional reaction to the trip. Why would I leave a promising career? What if things didn't work out? I opened my laptop again and went straight back to my usual routine. Almost six months passed. I was still working in IT, but I couldn't shake the thought that something needed to change.

And I kept remembering a conversation I'd had with a local guide in the Atacama Desert. His words would eventually give me the courage to make a decision I'd been avoiding for months.

While traveling through the Atacama Desert, I met a local guide who had spent years taking visitors through the region.

When I told him what I did for a living, he laughed and asked: “Did you really come all the way to the end of the world just to stare at your phone?” Then he said something that stayed with me:

“People don't come here just for the places. They come for how those places make them feel.”

Back in Kyiv, I found myself thinking about those words again and again. I'd always loved planning my own trips: finding affordable flights, comparing routes, and discovering interesting ways to explore new places.

Gradually, a question started forming in my mind: What if I could turn this passion into my career? In 2018, I left IT to pursue a career in travel. People asked me, “Why? You've only just started building your career.” And I understood their concerns. Behind me was a promising profession. Ahead of me was an unfamiliar industry, with no established client base and no guarantee of success. I left behind a job I knew for a profession I still had so much to learn about. My experience traveling independently became the foundation of my new career.

Budget flights, hostels, overnight buses, and local transport instead of private transfers. But behind the beautiful travel photos, there were plenty of things that went wrong.

Once, I found myself without the accommodation I'd planned because of a booking issue on Booking.com. I thought my accommodation was sorted. Then I discovered that the reservation wasn't there.

Instead of relaxing, I had to urgently find somewhere else to stay. And that wasn't the only time my plans fell apart. Awkward flight connections, exhausting journeys, and poor accommodation choices.

Sometimes, trying to save money ended up costing me even more — both in time and money. Those experiences taught me to double-check the details and look for alternatives when things didn't go according to plan.

My biggest challenges were my own mistakes and the unpredictability of travel. My greatest ally was the experience I gained from dealing with them. But taking responsibility for my own trip was one thing. Taking responsibility for someone else's was something entirely different. And that's when I made a mistake that changed the way I approached travel planning.

It started with one friend joining me on a trip. Then two acquaintances. Eventually, a small group. By then, I knew how to find affordable flights, build itineraries, and deal with unexpected problems on the road.

I thought that was enough to start planning great trips for other people. Once, I organized a trip for some friends that included several cities and an overnight journey. The itinerary looked great on paper: we could see more places in less time while keeping costs down. I'd traveled that way plenty of times myself, so I didn't think much of it. But after the overnight journey, everyone was so exhausted that the next day, we barely had the energy for the activities I'd planned.

We'd come for the experience, but all we got was exhaustion. And the hardest part? It wasn't a delayed flight or bad weather. I'd planned the itinerary that way. We talked about what could have been done differently, and I had to admit something uncomfortable: What felt like a normal part of an adventure to me could easily ruin someone else's holiday. I had a choice to make: Keep planning trips the way I liked to travel, or learn to put other people's comfort and expectations first. I chose the second option. I stopped automatically recommending the cheapest flights and overnight journeys. Instead, I began comparing not just prices, but travel times, connections, hotel locations, and opportunities to actually rest. Most importantly, I stopped deciding for other people which inconveniences were worth the savings.

After that trip, my entire approach to travel planning began to change.

I started by understanding what people wanted from their holiday. Only then would I work out the logistics and itinerary. Year after year, I organized trips that became more exciting, more thoughtful, and better planned. I learned how to combine different destinations, account for seasons, discover unusual routes, and anticipate potential challenges.

Now I could explain not just what made a trip exciting, but also where the risks were and what alternatives were available. I stopped measuring a great trip by the number of places visited or the money saved. And that's how I developed the principle that still guides my work today: People first. Itinerary second.
Only later did I realize just how much my previous career had helped me get there.

When I left IT, I thought I was starting completely from scratch. But over time, I noticed something interesting. I was spending a lot of time in front of my laptop again. Searching for flights, comparing routes, checking accommodation, and calculating costs. In some ways, it looked a lot like my life back in 2017. But this time, the skills I'd developed in IT were helping me build something different.
I started creating spreadsheets to compare expenses, organizing information about destinations, and identifying potential problems with travel logistics before they happened. I'd left IT behind, but I hadn't left my experience behind. It had become one of my biggest strengths in my new career.
I still remember the time I found myself without accommodation because of a Booking.com reservation issue.
Today, when organizing a trip, I don't just choose a hotel. I pay attention to reservation confirmations, check-in conditions, and possible alternatives.
I also remember that overnight trip with my friends, when everyone was too exhausted to enjoy the next day's activities.
Now, I don't judge an itinerary by its price alone. I think about how people will actually feel while traveling.
I never stopped loving adventure. I simply learned the difference between an adventure someone chooses and an inconvenience that could have been avoided.
And that's when I finally understood what the guide in the Atacama Desert had told me:

“People don't come here just for the places. They come for how those places make them feel.”

Back then, I heard those words as a traveler. Today, they've become the foundation of my work. Today, I have eight years of experience in the travel industry. And one thing I know for sure is that even the most carefully planned trip can go wrong. Flights get delayed. Weather changes. Transfers fall through. Accommodation issues happen. That's why I never promise a trip without surprise
My job is to minimize avoidable risks and help find solutions when plans change.

Here's how I help my clients:

🌍 Personalized itineraries — designed around their interests, travel dates, and preferred pace.
✈️ Thoughtful travel logistics — flights, connections, transfers, and transportation.
🏨 Accommodation selection and verification — considering location, conditions, comfort, and budget.
💳 Budget planning — estimated costs, potential extra expenses, and opportunities to save.
🧭 Risk awareness and backup options — checking important details and exploring available alternatives.