Destination insights, insider access, and inspiration—crafted for discerning travelers.

Autumn’s quiet rhythm and the art of planning

Dear Traveler,

There is a moment on every flight when the engines settle, the view expands, and the anticipation of what lies ahead takes hold. Autumn feels like that moment—calm, clear, and filled with possibility.

Autumn invites that same pause. The air sharpens, the light softens, and suddenly those “maybe later” trips begin to call again. London or Paris under holiday lights. A warm Caribbean shoreline. Japan before the spring crowds return. Even a summer trip to Scotland. October rewards decisiveness. The best flights fill quietly, and the good rooms even faster.

In this issue we look at three distinct planning windows: what is still worth booking for the remainder of the year, what to plan for early 2026, and what deserves a longer horizon.

If something resonates—London’s glow, a Caribbean interlude, Japan’s calm, or the music of Scotland next summer—let's begin shaping it together.

And please forward this to someone who travels the way you do. They will appreciate it.

Travel wisely,

Jamie McCarron
Awen Advisory
jamie@awenadvisory.com

Set up a call to start planning

Near Term: The Sweet Spot Before the Rush

There is a narrow, glittering window before the holidays when travel feels effortless yet deeply rewarding. Cities are dressed for celebration, but the crowds have not quite arrived. It is like slipping behind the curtain before the show begins.

London is already lighting its streets. By mid-November, Bond Street sparkles, Covent Garden smells of roasted chestnuts, and the Christmas markets hum with life. Rosewood 's newest London property, The Chancery Rosewood, brings new energy to Eero Saarinen’s former U.S. Embassy in Mayfair, while the Broadwick Soho channels 1920s glamour through Murano glass, jewel-toned rooms, and rooftop cocktails that capture the neighborhood’s stylish past. Both put you squarely in the heart of London’s holiday season.

Across the Channel, Paris glows in a softer way. The holidays here are more about atmosphere than spectacle—café windows misted from the cold, lights shimmering across the Seine, and the scent of pastry and mulled wine drifting through the Tuileries market. In the 6th, Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain captures that intimacy, and elegance, with galleries and bookshops just beyond the door. In the Marais, b offers its own warmth through whimsical décor and a lively bar, steeped in the city’s oldest rhythms.

If warmth calls instead, Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic offers sun and sea with substance. Mornings can mean tennis, golf, or nothing at all. Cap Juluca on Anguilla moves to a slower rhythm, devoted entirely to rest and serenity.

Closer to home, think Charleston’s candlelit dinners, Santa Fe’s firelight, or Napa’s golden vines—quiet pleasures just before the year turns.

Awen Insight: Book before the rush. The most rewarding winter trips happen when the world still moves at your pace, and there is still time to plan with care.

Mid-Term: Light and Clarity Ahead

By late winter the world feels open again. The rush subsides, the air steadies, and places that felt distant in December begin to beckon.

In Lapland and Iceland, February shines with crisp skies, still nights, and the quiet theater of the Northern Lights. Choose a glass-roofed lodge near Rovaniemi or a coastal inn near Vík, both trading crowds for calm. Add a few nights in Tromsø or Reykjavík for warmth of another kind—conversation, design, and candlelit dining.

By spring, travelers drift south. Marrakech glows in March when the air softens and the markets breathe again. Beyond the city, the Atlas Mountains catch the first warmth of the season, with almond trees in bloom and red stone hills glowing in the late-day light. In Portugal’s Alentejo, vines wake slowly, olive groves shimmer, and country houses open their doors just a short drive from Lisbon’s golden hills.

Further east, Japan enters its quiet season. Plum blossoms appear before the sakura crowds, Kyoto’s gardens linger in soft light, and Kanazawa’s lanes remain serene.

Awen Insight: Plan with foresight. The right trip is not rushed; it takes shape slowly, becoming richer long before it begins.

Long-Term: The Gift of Early Vision

Some trips deserve more than a passing thought, and Scotland is one of them. Summer brings the Edinburgh Fringe and the Royal Military Tattoo, when the city fills with performance, pageantry, and the sound of bagpipes echoing through its closes.

Beyond the city lies the soul of Scotland: Glencoe’s cinematic stillness, the wild grace of the Isle of Skye, and the quiet charm of the East Neuk of Fife where sea paths wind past fishing villages and stone harbors. Begin in Inverness for a few northern nights, then end, as every great Scottish journey should, in Edinburgh with a view and a dram.

Time is already ticking for next August, but the reward is immense—better rooms, better routes, and the calm of knowing it is all arranged before everyone else begins to think about it.

Awen Insight: True luxury is knowing early what others discover late. The journeys that last are the ones refined through conversation and time.

Share, Plan, Go

If something here sparks an idea — London’s lights, Morocco’s spring air, Scotland’s summer, or simply the thought of traveling with less effort and more intention — schedule a call below so we can begin shaping it together.

Or forward this to someone who travels the way you do.