Press Archive - Gray & Co.

Biking, Hiking And More: Plan Your Best Active Travel Vacation In 2026

Cari Gray is the owner of Gray & Co. the most luxurious active travel specialist on the planet, and probably the smallest specialty company ever to win Travel + Leisure Magazine’s World’s Best Tour Operator...A few years ago, I asked her to name up and coming destinations, and everyplace she mentioned, from Texas Hill Country to Mallorca to Bhutan became a major active travel hotspot just as she predicted.

AFAR

Acts of Service? Words of Affirmation? Here’s Where to Travel Based on Your Love Language

“Caring about—and showing your interest—in your partner’s hobbies and curiosities is always flattering and conducive to good dialogue,” says Cari Gray, CEO and founder of Gray & Co. and a member of the Afar Travel Advisory Council.

Forbes

Biking, Hiking And More: Plan Your Best Active Travel Vacation In 2026

Robb Report

Room for Surprise

Prefer to be on—or in—the water? Adventure specialist Cari Gray of Gray & Co. is keen to send clients to the new Nihi Rote on Indonesia's West Timor. This sister to the Sumba-based retreat will have 25 thatched-roof villas superb for surfers, given the swells nearby. It will replicate the original's business model, operating a hospitality academy to create a talent pipeline. "They're so integrated into the island, and they had to train all the staff-there's only a small handful of foreigners," Gray says. "The effect is tangible, and obvious."

The Globe And Mail

Where to travel in 2026: 10 standout destinations

Carolyn Werry, director of travel at Canadian-owned luxury tour company Gray & Co., says today’s travellers are increasingly “purpose-driven,” meaning they will design a trip around one irresistible hook – a concert, new hotel, museum opening or challenging hiking trail.

Robb Report

How Luxury Travel in Egypt Is Being Totally Redefined

Egypt has long been a permanent fixture of the tourism circuit, its pyramids and mummies conferring an indelible allure. “It’s so banal to say Egypt is a bucket-list destination—it’s a journey, it’s a calling, it’s about the creation of mankind,” says Cari Gray of adventure specialist Gray & Co., a Robb Report Travel Master.

New York Post

Sorry, not sorry! Canada goes luxury with new lodges and artful adventures

Then again, you could head in the opposite direction to BC’s coast, especially the southern reaches around Tofino — often the warmest spot in Canada (yes, it’s still relative). Canadian travel specialist Cari Gray recommends year-round surfing there; try one of the schools on Cox Bay, or Mackenzie Beach when the weather’s more brutal.

The New York Times

How to Plan an Active Vacation

Reliable outfitters for walking, hiking and biking trips include Gray & Co. Most [outfitters] offer private and group trips, and all have specialists who can help you choose a trip based on your interests, budget and fitness level.

New York Post

Mountain GOATs: The best new ski resorts from New York to New Mexico

Christian Chumbley, of adventure specialist Gray & Co, called Mt. Rose in Tahoe “an under-appreciated gem, with a big-mountain feel — quiet backside runs, easy front side slopes for kids, and wide, sweeping terrain throughout.”

AFAR

These Hotels Around the Globe Were Just Given Michelin’s Elite Three-Keys Distinction

AFAR Travel Advisory Council member Cari Gray, CEO and founder of active luxury travel company Gray & Co., agrees that the reputation Michelin has established in the culinary world with its star-rated system could “quickly” translate to the hotel sector as the keys become more well known.

Robb Report

The 50 Greatest Luxury Hotels on Earth

Cari Gray puts it more succinctly, warning that “it’s impossible to keep your mouth closed” while moseying around the extraordinary gardens of [Son Net].

Bal Harbour Magazine

Let it Snow

Whether you’re a snow bunny or black diamond veteran, everybody knows that a ski vacation isn’t only about the sport. Good slopes do count, but so does the ambience. Isn’t après-ski half the reason to book a trip (or maybe even more)? And, of course, don’t forget climate change. “In a world where snow at Christmas isn’t a guarantee anymore, you’re looking for as high an elevation as you can go,” says Cari Gray, the Malibu-based founder of Gray & Co. who’s known for her expertise in high-end sports trips. Here, she offers some itineraries for the best skiing worldwide.

CNN

High-end hikes offer great food, comfy bed at end of the day

Think of Gray & Co as a full-time concierge of sorts – one that would coordinate the private copter pick-up at the end of a hike so seamlessly as to deliver the adventurer back to their lodge right in time to catch the sunset.

The Globe And Mail

Where to travel in 2024, according to the experts (spoiler: it’s time to rethink your bucket list)

“Just be open to destinations that aren’t being thrown at you,” says Winnipeg-born Cari Gray, chief executive officer of Gray & Co., a luxury travel company. “Look at Sicily, which got hammered this year because of The White Lotus. Sicily’s a massive island. You don’t have to just go to Taormina or Noto. There’s lots of other parts. … And if you like Sicily, you’ll probably like Puglia. Or go a little bit farther afield and try places like Sardinia or Corsica.”

Luxury Magazine

Prone to Wander

Suppose you have done a lot of hiking and want something different? Or have a group with radically different interests for non-hiking hours? Or you simply have a passion for the finer things, dislike compromise, and can accept nothing less than the very best in travel. Gray & Co. (grayandco.ca) is the only outfitter to ever win Travel + Leisure’s Best Tour Operator in the World without offering any preset tours. Cari Gray founded the company to do nothing but bespoke curated trips for highnet-worth clients, and her staff-to-guest ratios are the highest in active travel. The group’s interests take center stage, arranging meetings with artists, historians, or chefs, so everyone can pursue their individual passions. Because her clientele is extremely well-traveled, she is always exploring the next big thing—or the old thing in a better way. One of Europe’s most popular hikes in is the Camino de Santiago in Spain, France, and Portugal, but miles are spent getting in and out of cities, with little great lodging, so most operators compromise, making it a hard trip to do in style. “We can pick the best stages focused on your ideal mileage, leapfrogging you out of the Porto suburbs, for example, with a vehicle to pick you up along the trail if anyone is tired, and transport you to the best nearby hotel, since not many are actually right on the Camino.” She also recommends a circumnavigation of the island of Menorca in the footsteps of the Knights; Austria’s Salzalpensteig Trail; New Zealand and Australia; and Bhutan, a hot emerging destination in the world’s highest mountain range that is very difficult to do well on your own. In many spots, there are no luxury tour operators offering the routes Gray prefers.

Conde Nast Traveler

What Summer Travel to Europe Will Look Like This Year

For travel specialist Cari Gray of Gray & Co. late requests and a lack of flexibility could mean getting turned away because of a lack of availability.

Forbes

Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Biking Trips In The World

The choice of the private jet crowd, Gray & Co. is amazing, detail-oriented, extremely hands-on, and does extras like sending a team to run through the entire itinerary as an advance test to make sure there are no surprises like road construction.

Robb Report

Meet the Robb Report Travel Masters: 26 Luxury Specialists Who Can Make Your Dream Vacation a Reality

If you’re outdoorsy, ready for anything and prepared to sweat, call Cari Gray. Few manage to design and book high-end active trips with more finesse than the Canadian, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif. Gray combines thrilling, adrenaline-powered programming with much-needed indulgence, whether that’s organizing biking in the mountains of Mallorca or chartering a fishing expedition in the waters off Chile.

AFAR

AFAR Advisor – June 5 2025

When I heard that adventure travel specialist Cari Gray recently returned from a stay there, I wanted to find out more about the guest experience and how it caters to her clients’ needs. Gray, who designs bespoke luxury trips for active travelers through her company, Gray & Co., sees Sheldon Chalet as part of a larger trend: buyout-only retreats in off-the-map destinations that offer comfort alongside unforgettable adventures. - Jennifer Flowers

Forbes

8 Experts On Where To Travel And Avoid The Crowds In 2024

AFAR

How to Plan Family Trips That Both Kids and Parents Love

The founder and CEO of Gray & Co. not only designs customized active trips, but is also a parent of a 12-year-old who‘s been to 31 countries. When planning family trips for her clients, she prioritizes multiple-night stays in locations instead of single-night stops, a strategy that allows kids to settle in and have a good sleep. “If you can see one part of the world more deeply, we strongly recommend that,” says Gray, who‘s also a member of Afar‘s Travel Advisory Council. “Nothing spoils a vacation day more than a kid who hasn‘t slept or had time to deal with jet lag.“

AFAR

The Uncrowded Destinations Where Travel Advisors Are Quietly Sending Their Clients

[AFAR] tapped top travel advisors (including some, like Gray, who are on the AFAR Travel Advisory Council) and other in-the-know experts to share their favorite less-discovered places where they’re sending clients these days. From Japan’s most unspoiled main island to a still-secret Italian region that’s full of French flavor, here are their recommendations for your next trip.

Conde Nast Traveler

The Very Best Luggage Brands, According to Seasoned Travelers

“I don’t have just one [kind of bag]. My Patagonia roller duffel is handy. I almost always have my North Face duffel, since you can make it big or small with straps, and reduce it to a carry-on…” —Cari Gray, founder, Gray & Co.

AFAR

What to Do When You Get Hurt or Sick on a Trip

The person helping to plan your travel is another good resource in emergencies. And it should become part of your trip-prep routine to ask those planners how they handle medical issues. “I think it’s going to be an increasing concern moving forward. I don’t think many people are asking about that now, but I think it’s going to become more and more of an issue,” says Cari Gray, who crafts private, active trips as CEO and owner of Gray & Co.

Luxury Magazine

LM Spring/Summer 2024

Gray & Co. is the only company to ever win Travel + Leisure's Best Tour Operator in the World without offering any tours—at least not off-the-rack. They have no scheduled departures and do nothing but bespoke, one-off trips for high-net-worth clients, including frequent, repeat customers with preferences for travel by private jet. As founder Cari Gray puts it simply, "No one else does what we do, period." Staff-to-guest ratios are the highest in the business and every activity, hotel, and meal is highly curated. Group interests are foremost in trip planning-one participant might cycle all day while another rides for half and then meets with an artist, astronomer, historian, chef, or bird-watcher to pursue their individual passion. Gray's clientele have typically done all the standard itineraries and are looking for the best of the road less traveled. She is an expert on hidden-gem cycling hot spots such as Mallorca, Colombia, and Argentina, and very high on riding in South Africa-which can be easily combined with a luxury safari. Other favorites include Scotland, Japan, and New Zealand/Australia, but she has run active travel trips even to places unknown for sweat or exertion. including St. Barth. From $4,000/ person/day; grayandco.ca

Spears

Gray & Co

Gray & Co crafts experiences around the globe for the world’s most discerning travellers. Over the past 15 years, we’ve crafted ultimate journeys both close to home and around the globe.

Robb Report

Japan Is Already Booked Solid for Cherry Blossom Season. Here’s How You Can Still Go.

Local companies are securing the top guides early on, leaving some agencies in a sticky situation come sakura season. “There aren’t enough top guides in Japan now,” says Cari Gray, founder and CEO of Gray & Co. “The history is so rich, complicated and interesting. Plus, the language barrier is real.”\

Everett Potters Travel Report

8 Experts On Where To Travel And Avoid The Crowds In 2024

Cari Gray of Gray & Co. has the last word since she takes some of the world's most well-traveled people to destinations that are genuinely out there, around the next corner, or otherwise untrammeled. She has a short list for her travelers in 2024 that includes the “quiet Priorat vineyards in Spain, which are great for biking and hiking, and staying at the new Mas d'En Bruno.” Gray also singles out mountain villages just a one-hour flight north of Athens with “stone bridges, clear water to raft, truffle dogs, horseback riding in old growth forest.” She likes the new Vestige Son Vell and the Menorca Experimental hotels in Menorca. She also nods at the Southern Hemisphere, especially the “northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, where the new Flockhill Lodge is getting rave reviews.”

Forbes

The Hottest Travel Destinations For 2024, According To Experts

Cari Gray, President of Gray & Co., the award-winning custom travel company offering top-tier private trips for the 1 %, says that her clients want to go “beyond the usual in Europe.” Gray singles out the French island of Corsica and the Italian island of Sardinia as popular choices, as well as the Spanish islands of Mallorca and Menorca. Her clients are also eager to visit Portugal's Alentejo and Algarve regions.

Outside

18 Ideal Destinations for Couples Who Can’t Agree on Whether to Chill or Adventure on Vacation

Cari Gray, founder of the Toronto-based active-travel company Gray and Co., regularly works with clients who have an assortment of interests, a factor that comes into play when planning multigenerational trips with people of mixed ages and fitness levels. She says it’s important to consider seasonality as well. The Mediterranean might sound relaxing in summer, but that’s also the high period, which can mean vying for restaurant reservations and even a spot on the beach. Will you and your partner argue about that, the crowds, or possibly higher prices for visiting at that time? It’s worth discussing.

Forbes

Best Adventure Travel: Private Biking, Hiking And Safari Trips Can Be An Affordable Luxury

I profiled founder Cari Gray here at Forbes in my series on women-owned travel companies, and they are fabulous, the smallest company ever to be rated the World’s Best Tour Operator (of any kind) by Travel + Leisure magazine, but you will pay for it.

Forbes

5 Hot Travel Destinations For Your Best Vacations Of 2023

Mallorca, Spain: Hardly undiscovered, Mallorca has long been uber-popular with Europeans, and it’s huge international airport is the second busiest in Spain - ahead of much more talked about Barcelona. Yet for some reason, the island paradise in the Mediterranean has stubbornly remained off the radar of Americans until recently, with the exception of avid cyclists (and hikers), as it is known as one of the world’s top bike destinations, and is served by all the top U.S. cycling and hiking tour operators, including Backroads, DuVine, Butterfield & Robinson, and it is especially popular with the discerning clientele of luxury bespoke active travel specialist Gray & Co. It was Gray & Co. owner Cari Gray who finally convinced me I had to visit in 2022, and I am thrilled that I did.

Robb Report

What to See in ’23

Mallorca has Tuscany's rustic charm but fewer people and a newer edge. United Airlines recently introduced a nonstop seasonal flight from Newark to the capital, Palma, unlocking easy access from the US for the first time. Maury's pick is the 31-room Son Net, a 17th-century estate opening in April under the auspices of Spanish hotelier Finca Cortesin, with the GM shuttling between the two properties. "It's going to be a grande dame, the most fabulous country-house hotel," she says. Cari Gray, of private-travel specialist Gray & Co., agrees, noting that the property's location in the foothills of the Tramuntana Mountains makes it ideal for outdoorsy types. "The biking is some of the best in Europe, and it's very raw," she says. "That's what people are after lately." By summer, Virgin Limited Edition will add another property to the island: Son Bunyola. The fusion of an old finca with contemporary additions sits on an 810-acre estate; the best of the 26 rooms will be the Tower Suites, one of which is housed in a 15th-century fortification.

The Wall Street Journal

5 African Safaris That Are Actually Family-Friendly

Jacqui Goodwin, head of travel company Gray & Co.’s Cape Town office, cites a 35% increase in safari bookings compared to 2019, with more than 50% of them by families. Trips for families with young children have tripled.

Conde Nast Traveler

Australia’s Borders Could Open By Christmas—Here’s What That Means for Travelers

There’s new hope for travelers dreaming of visiting Australia, whose borders have been sealed off to both inbound and outbound travel since March 2020.

Bloomberg Businessweek

The Calming, Healthful Joy of Visiting an Old-Growth Forest Near You

Cari Gray, founder of U.S.-based adventure outfitter Gray & Co., says people generally want to spend more time in nature. Despite U.S. national parks experiencing a 28% drop in visitation because of Covid-related closures in 2020, 15 parks still set visitor records. Interest in old-growth forests, Gray says, “will only grow once people become more aware of them and realize how rare they are.”

Robb Report

From Booking Safaris to Planning Global Vacations, Here Are the 10 Best Travel Specialists

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., Canadian expat Gray runs a lean team of about 10 with a particular expertise in active luxury. Take the trip to Argentina and Uruguay which shuttled her guests between cycling spots by private jet. It was due to start just as Argentina shuttered its borders last March, so Gray’s team pivoted, re-booking the group on a similar itinerary in California within 24 hours.

Forbes

The Best Companies For Your Active Outdoor Travel – Now Or After The Pandemic

Gray & Company: No active travel company is better suited for these times than Gray & Co., an elite luxury specialist that has never had any group or scheduled departures at all and does nothing but bespoke single party private trips. I wrote about female founder and owner Cari Gray and how her company does such a great job here before at Forbes. She basically helps you do what you want, where you want, anyplace on earth, and do it very, very well - they won the lofty title of World’s Best Tour Operator - of any size, in any category - from Travel + Leisure magazine.

AFAR

How to Make Flexible Travel Bookings in Uncertain Times

“A few weeks ago, I looked into booking a hotel at a big luxury chain for myself,” said Cari Gray, founder and CEO of custom travel specialist Gray & Co., and also a member of AFAR’s Travel Advisory Council. Gray said she discovered that she would have had to cancel the booking at least 10 days in advance or she would be charged a one-night stay for canceling closer in. “This sounded out to lunch,” said Gray, who ended up not booking

Air Mail

Ask Richard

Gray & Co. is hands down the most experienced adventure authority in my little black book; the company specializes in families and small groups. I would trust founder Cari Gray with the life of my firstborn—and, in fact, I have.

Forbes

Gray & Co. Reveals Where Adventurous Billionaires Will Go In 2020

Where are exceptionally well-heeled adventure travelers headed in 2020? Ask Cari Gray, the president and founder of Gray & Co. That’s what’s billionaires, hedge funders and the merely wealthy do when they want to have an expert plan a private, bespoke adventure trip to the farthest-flung places on the globe for themselves and a few friends.

Bloomberg Businessweek

Keep Calm and Carry On

TSA-approved advice on how to avoid losing your luggage, your belongings, and your mind.

Forbes

Why The Best Vacations Are Active Travel Vacations

You cover more ground and see more daily by bike than on foot, but still get to stop and smell the roses and see the scenery and culture at a leisurely, immersive pace. The luxury 5-Star gold standard for the industry is Canada’s Butterfield & Robinson, the company that pioneered the category since 1966 and has won many industry and consumer awards. Gray & Company is an award-winning ultra-luxury operator that skips the catalogs and does nothing but one of a kind, bespoke private trips for the most demanding clientele (read more about luxury bespoke travel outfitters like Gray & Co. here).

Forbes

5 Dream Vacations For Hiking, Cycling and Adventure Travel

Gray & Co. trips feature support teams unlike those you might expect - not just guides and drivers, but mechanics, trip planners/managers, even nannies. Even though itineraries often visit new destinations, staff preview trips on dry runs to avoid unpleasant surprises. Whether guests like to sleep in, hit the ground running, meet with local artists or linger over coffee at each enticing roadside cafe, she figures out how to make it happen.

Forbes

5 Amazing Bike Vacations For Every Taste And Budget

These kinds of trips can also be among the lowest stress in terms of planning, since the better bike tour companies I’ve travelled with all have excellent guides with strong local knowledge, plan routes that are generally more scenic and less heavily trafficked by cars, and pick the best places to stay along the way. While more hardcore budget travelers can load up the bikes with racks and carry their own bags, these top tour companies all move your baggage to the next hotel for you, provide van support and a cycling guide during the day, give detailed route maps for the daily options (usually a few different length routes to choose from to accommodate all abilities) and increasingly, offer participants pre-loaded GPS bike computers with turn by turn instructions. For those used to traveling in high style, the top tier operators like Gray & Co. or Butterfield & Robinson are true luxury companies whose bike trips rival any other kind of 5-star vacation. I recently wrote about how most of the major players in this industry have greatly upgraded their rental fleets, and in many cases, the bikes they provide are better than those guests own at home (read about these equipment advances here).

Private Clubs

Discovering Cafayate

Paola and bespoke tour operator Gray & Co. are my keys to Cafayate. Putting guest satisfaction first, they’ve talked with me extensively about my likes, dislikes, and desires for this journey, which will encompass four days of cycling. They have arranged everything — hotels, bikes, tastings, meals, and the selection of moderate cycling routes that offer a chance to discover the region and its wines more closely. I’ve hardly raised a finger, but now I do have to pedal.

AFAR

Intimate Inns That Take Guests off the Beaten Path and Onto a Bike

The Trip: A bike tour customized by Gray & Co. in Portugal’s southern Alentejo region offers a glimpse into another era: Medieval castles atop rolling hills, herds of sheep in green pastures, and tiny cobblestoned villages. From $1,800.

Forbes

Cari Gray: Creating Amazing Adventures for Billionaires

Gray cut her teeth with 15 years at Butterfield & Robinson, the gold standard in biking and hiking trips, before taking off on her own. Gray & Co only does small customized private trips, there’s nothing off the shelf. The itineraries are unique and scrupulously researched active trips to the most promising corners of the globe, led by Gray herself and a small team of handpicked guides. Her well-heeled clientele includes a shortlist of hard-charging billionaires who prefer to remain nameless. I caught up with her in Chile to ask about the luxury adventure travel landscape in 2018.

Celebrated Living

High Rollers

The highest of the high-end bike tour outfitters, Gray & Co. lakes a different tact with its operations and philosophy, offering only completely custom bespoke trips, with no catalogs or scheduled departures. Its clientele includes A-list international entertainers, CEOs of Forbes 400 and Fortune 1000 companies, and at least one frequent repeat cycling billionaire.

Private Clubs

Puglia: The Italy You Don’t Know (But Should)

I called my friend Cari Gray - a 15-year veteran of the active-travel company Butterfield & Robinson - who in 2008 launched Gray & Co., a top-flight outfit whose custom itineraries combine the pleasures of food and drink with the rigors of daily biking and hiking treks. I knew Cari would be my go-to girl.

Forbes

5 Great Biking Trips For 2018

“The Canary Islands have been a cycling training ground for many years due to the excellent pavement, numerous roads and beautiful volcanic landscapes ranging from black rock “vineyards” to white sand beaches,” says Cari Gray of Gray & Co. “The weather is typically sunny and nice year round - same latitude as the Bahamas. Lanzarote is 38 miles north to south, and 15 miles east to west. Cyclists ride on the secondary roads that are very good. With only 140,000 inhabitants, attractions include the Timanfaya National Park, Haria’s Valley of the 1000 Palm Trees, the city of Arrecife, and artist César Manrique’s works, which are visible around the island. Our hotel of preference is the 17-room Vik hotel. The roads on nearby Tenerife are generally steeper than Lanzarote but we do love the ride around the Teide National Park in the shadow of Mount Teide, the highest mountain in all of Spain.” Gray & Co

The Globe And Mail

When less is more

Cari Gray, of Gray & Co., sees this move in her clients. "All our trips feature the micro. In fact, our tours rarely stay less than three days in one place and savvy clients want experiences that are as unique and in-depth as possible."

The Globe And Mail

Tailor-made trips for top dollar

Planning these trips means using a client's own jet to hopscotch around a continent or having a private helicopter on standby "just in case"; it means hiring Hollywood directors to pilot drones for cinematic vacation videos or finding an overseas out-of-print book to plan someone's family-history tour. Some days it can also mean tossing out a carefully curated, seven-star itinerary because, you know, the client slept in. If it all sounds outlandish, you obviously don't travel in the right circles. Exclusive, hand-crafted trips are growing in popularity whether it's to celebrate a milestone or simply because, as Gray reports, "this is their lifestyle, it's simply what [these travellers] do."

USA Today

Five myths about private adventure trips

[Scheduled trips are] not always cheaper [than a private trip]. But even if it costs more, there are distinct advantages to choosing a private trip, says Cari Gray, founder of Gray & Co, which was just ranked the No. 1 tour company in the world by Travel + Leisure. “Private trips offer maximum choice and flexibility,” says Gray. “You go with your personal agenda, not someone else's fixed itinerary. You get exactly what you want from a destination, as well as hotel rooms, meals and activities.”

Forbes

Luxury Travel’s Hot Trend: Bespoke Biking & Hiking Vacations

Gray & Co. is a high end, 100% custom road and mountain bike (and hike) tour operator out of Canada, created in 2009 by a longtime industry veteran specifically to address the demands of deep-pocketed, experienced travelers who had “been there and done that.” I’ve cycled twice with Gray & Co. while writing about bike tours, and was so blown away I included them here at Forbes.com in my 2013 feature “6 Best Bespoke Tour Operators,” covering cycling, safaris, culinary trips, etc.

Travel + Leisure

Our Readers’ Favorite Tour Operators in 2016

This is the first appearance for cycling company Gray & Co., run by Cari Gray. The company has been around since 2009, creating completely custom biking itineraries around the world, from their home base of Canada to places as far-flung as Australia. No matter where your biking trip takes you, there will be gorgeous landscapes, challenges to match your level of expertise, luxurious accommodations, and fantastic food and wine.

Oh The People You Meet

5 Reasons Cycling is Hot and Not Cooling Down

While you can see the sights from your car window, you’re missing out on so much more. The scent of lavender fields in France and eucalyptus in Northern California just don’t envelop you the same way, even with the windows rolled down. “People want to see culture and people up close. It’s less about museums and gallery visits. They want to interact with the landscapes,” explains Cari Gray, founder of Gray & Co. Travel and OTPYM contributor who has shared her adventures through Uruguay, Quebec and Provence.

AFAR

The Best Way to Discover Puglia, Italy’s Unspoiled Province

Paul Greenberg’s bicycle trip was organized by Gray & Co. “When you bike, the countryside becomes your museum,” says company founder and AFAR Travel Advisory Council member Cari Gray. “On more traditional trips, you don’t meet the farmer, and you don’t hang out with the fisherman. And you can’t smell olive trees from the back of a car.”

Conde Nast Traveler

12 Ways to Enjoy an Endless Summer

So you missed your chance for that epic summer road trip, that languid island holiday, that family ranch vacation you’d been dreaming of all winter long. And now, suddenly, summer is over. Or is it?

Outside

Burn and Bike: 7 Epic Cycle and Gourmet Foodie Trips

Gray and Co. prides itself on catering to the world’s most discerning active travelers. The guest-to-guide ratio is two to one, and trips include a full support team and accommodations ranging from villas to chateaus. Over-the-top itineraries span the globe, but food and wine lovers looking for an unexpected experience should consider Australia. Gray and Co. can craft trips for the Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island, Tasmania and Daylesford, or Western Australia. Days include plenty of pedaling, plus stays at luxe foodie hotels like the Louise and Southern Ocean Lodge.

Financial Times

Bespoke cycling trips and new hotel opening in Mallorca

Cari Gray (www.grayandco.ca) is the go-to woman for a truly bespoke cycling trip - the kind that mixes up rough-and-tumble village restaurants with specific rooms in good hotels that Gray, a Canadian, has personally put through the service wringers for her ferociously loyal client base. Already strong from the Dolomites to Tennessee, next month Gray adds Mallorca to her repertoire of expertise.

Oh The People You Meet

Eat, Stay and Bike in Uruguay

Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America. Home to more cows than its 3.5 million inhabitants, its landscapes feature beautiful Atlantic beaches and vast flat, rolling countryside. It also features some of the best biking in South America, based largely out of the laid-back beach town of José Ignacio, a sleepy hamlet that has been attracting savvy foreigners for decades.

Robb Report

Shades of Gray

Gray & Co.'s personalized trips take cyclists on the rides of their lives.

Oh The People You Meet

Provence by Bike: From French Castles to Croissants

Provence France is the land of the Romans, Van Gogh, and Peter Mayle. Its skies are a brilliant shade of blue, medieval hilltop towns glow pink no matter the time of day, and in July, fields of lavender stretch as far as the eye can see. I love the areas around the beautiful foothills and vineyards of the French Alpilles Mountains, as well as the stunning, quintessential villages of Lubéron Valley. In the spring, encounter ripe fruit trees, fields of red poppies, and Van Gogh’s irises. In the fall, stunning vineyards change colors in the sun.

Travel + Leisure

Best Adventure Travel Destinations 2014

Founder of Gray & Co., a custom tour operator with a focus on adventure: On My Radar: Colombia, which has entered an era of political stability—and is full of people who are welcoming to travelers. It has a friendly cycling culture and amazing hikes.

Everett Potters Travel Report

When the Going was Good: Our 30 Favorite Trips in 2013

Return to Brazil – from the toucans flying overhead, monkeys rustling the trees and up-close mists of Iguazu falls from our base at the newish Orient Express Cataratas

Outside

Off-Season Mediterranean – Provence, France

In summer, visitors descend on this picturesque region of southern France, clogging its beaches and lavender-riddled countryside. But in the spring, despite blossoming fruit trees, irises, and wildflowers, the country roads are empty—and perfect for cycling. All you need to do is sign up for a bike trip arranged by Gray and Co., a custom-travel company whose itineraries include guides, shuttle service, hotels, meals, and even a mechanic.

Departures

Resorting to Vietnam

On a remote island off the Vietnam coast, the new Six Senses Con Dao is the perfect marriage of luxury and sustainability. Cari Gray reports.

Departures

Beyond Santa Barbara

Santa Ynez and Los Olivos offer great biking and cuisine. About 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara are Santa Ynez and Los Olivas, low-key but charming towns where the rolling countryside is dotted with horses and endless vineyards. It’s a paradise for cyclists.

AFAR

Book Your Next Getaway: Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara, California: The wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley is northeast of Santa Barbara. The recently renovated Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa is located right on the main street of Los Olivos.

Forbes

6 Bespoke Tour Operators

Ultra-Luxury Cycling and Hiking: Gray & Co. is unique in that it offers only completely bespoke very high end itineraries, and its rates typically start around $1,500 per person per day and go up - way up - from there. Its heavy repeat clientele includes billionaires and internationally known celebrities. Aimed at a customer base who has already done a lot of things, including pedaling through Tuscany and Burgundy, they take a different tact, focusing on the very best places for the activities rather than top tourists destinations.

Archetype

Know Your Fixer: Gray & Co.

Not only is Cari Gray the kind of gal you want to have plan your next holiday, you want her to come along for the ride, too. So it's a good thing that she personally escorts well over half of the bespoke walking-and-biking adventures she arranges for high-flying guest who include such prominent personalities as newsman Tom Brokaw and a handful of US ambassadors.

Travel + Leisure

TL’s Ultimate Guide to Trekking, Walking, Hiking

It can take up to two days to reach South America's wild southern frontier from North America. If you've got limited time, Chile's northern Patagonia is the easiest way into the region. Gray & Co. (grayandco.ca; from $1,200 per person per day) has customized Itineraries: take the two-hour flight from Santiago to Puerto Montt, where the six-villa Cliffs Preserve will be your base for expeditions to spot palm-size monito del monte monkeys and to visit the active Osorno Volcano. Have a few more days? A two-hour drive (plus a 30-minute ferry ride) south is tranquil Chiloé Island, filled with UNESCO-designated churches and untouched nature preserves. Stay at the new Refugia (refugia.cl; $$$$$), where all 12 rooms have views of Chiloé’s inland sea.

Oh The People You Meet

Hiking Amalfi: Vistas, History & Italian Food

The Amalfi Coast as one of the world’s great paradoxes. On the one hand, it doesn’t get more glamourous, with its luxurious hotels and impossibly stylish boutiques and cafés. On the other hand, there is something perfectly rustic about the walking trails that follow former mule tracks, stone staircases, and coastal paths that have been trod for centuries.

Everett Potters Travel Report

The Best of the West Coast of Ireland

Ireland is a breathtakingly beautiful island, known for lush green scenery, sheep, Irish whiskey, music, leprechauns, fairies, fresh cuisine and the friend II est of folk - Cead Mille Faille or a hundred thousand welcomes!

Everett Potters Travel Report

20 Memorable Hotels in 2012

Are those original Chagalls and Picassos? I asked about the artwork throughout the lobby, dining room and library of the Aria Hotel. The answer was “yes.” – Cari Gray

Financial Times

Bespoke hiking and biking trips with a luxurious edge

In 2008, Gray launched her own biking and biking business, Gray & Co (www.grayandco.ca). All her bespoke trips feature carbon-fibre bikes, support vehicles, mechanics and high guide-to-guest ratios. And if there's one thing Gray also always gets right, it's the hotels: characterful, usually privately owned and rigorous when it comes to service.

AFAR

Book Memorable Travel Experiences from AFAR Experts: Bicycling in Burma

Bicycling in Burma: The recently opened country of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a fascinating place to explore by bike, foot, and boat. Gray&Co. does it in style-from the lush green landscapes of lnle Lake to the thousands of pagodas in Bagan.

Outside

The World’s Most Incredible Wildlife Encounters

Bird lovers will want to book a few days at Atta Rainforest Camp, part of Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Center. With a 505-foot-long suspension bridge that rises nearly 98 feet above the jungle floor, it’s almost easy to spot green aracari, scarlet macaw, guiana toucanette and channel-bill toucan. The walkway ends at Atta Rainforest Camp, surrounded by a forest with one of the healthiest jaguar populations left on the planet. Guides also offer nighttime caiman tours. Gray & Co can customize an itinerary with these and other lodges starting from $1,500 per person, per day.

Travel + Leisure

T+L’s Definitive Guide to Adventure Travel

Founder Cari Gray offers behind-the-scenes experiences—such as barrel tastings in Burgundy’s Bichot caves—on her finely tuned walking and biking itineraries in Europe, South America, and more.

Forbes

Read Tour De-France In Style

“As all our trips are custom, it’s easy to plan something for the Tour,” said Cari Gray, a former Butterfield & Robinson veteran who founded Gray & Co. literally to cater to the active travel needs of billionaires, but the company now casts a bit wider and more affordable net, though the all-custom, deluxe company is still pretty much at the top of the market. “To date we have had clients who want to ride parts of the Tour in Provence, most notably the climb of Mt. Ventoux, but the highlights, the Pyrenees, Alps, Burgundy are all doable for deluxe trips.”

Travel + Leisure

Trip of the Month: Gray & Co’s Catalonia Bike and Walk – Full Article

Every month, Travel + Leisure Elite Traveler, our travel club for deals on hotels. cruises. and more. spotlights a trip curated by one of the industry's best tour operators.

Everett Potters Travel Report

Sarajevo Rising

At first, you notice the bullet markings. Everywhere. They still scar the buildings of Sarajevo, ever since the siege. Mortar shells, now safely embedded like fossils, lie in the concrete of sidewalks. Thankfully, nowadays bullet casings are carved into decorative vases, pepper grinders and key chains that sit in the windows of brightly decorated shops. Sarajevo, the capital city of the tiny, heart-shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina, is bustling. Streets are lined with countless stylish cafes and restaurants where locals slowly sip coffee and eat. The young women all look like supermodels, especially at the popular Cafe Tito student hangout.

Departures

Gorillas in the Midst

Thanks to the work of many—not least of all the late Dian Fossey and the Gorilla Organization. the NGO she inspired-the rare mountain gorilla is thriving in the bamboo forests of Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. For some time now tourists have been able 10 come lo the park. a twisting two·hour drive from the capital city of Kigali. but a lack of comfortable accommodations nearby discouraged visitors. In the fast year, however, new properties have opened, and today access to the great apes is much more convenient – not to mention blissfully exclusive, limited to a handful of people each day. - Cari Gray

Departures

If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Snowing in Saskatchewan

From Whistler’s vast expanses of pristine powder to the modern cityscapes of Montreal and Quebec, expert outfitter Cari Gray reveals her top picks for winter in Canada. Pack a warm coat, a pair of snow boots and a sense of adventure.

Departures

Letter from Guyana

I'm writing from Guyana, where my partner, John, and I are in the middle of one of the four pristine tropical rainforests left in the world (the others being the Amazon, Congo, and Papua New Guinea). It is incredible to be in a country so new to tourism due to its challenging history, socialist-leaning government, and a terribly unfortunate Kool-Aid incident. - Cari Gray

Departures

Lewis and Clark Go Luxe

Too often, the joy of America's pristine wilderness is spoiled by dehydrated camp food and the blisters formed getting there. But there's no reason a sunset on Idaho's Salmon Rivet or a starry night in Arizona's Havasu Canyon should be reached through perdition. A new breed of safari combines spacious tents, gourmet meals and exclusive access, and these four outfitters bring five-star service to the wild. With purple mountain majesties, hot showers and sundowners, natural beauty has never felt so good. - Cari Gray

Everett Potters Travel Report

The Best Lodging in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a staggering number of affordable lodges and resorts to consider, and it’s a challenge picking the right places to stay — and the best ways to get there.

Indagare

Brazil Hot Spot: Ponta Dos Ganchos

When Ponta dos Ganchos (pontadosganchos.com.br) opened in 2002, Brazilian couples flocked from Sao Paulo and Rio in search of the ultimate romantic escape. Located 25 miles north of the surf capital of Florianopolis, the resort was the essence of relaxed elegance from the start. Now Pon ta dos Ganchos boasts even more international lovers (thanks in part to being the first hotel in Brazil to join the Relais & Chateaux portfolio). The hotel has also been the recipient of countless awards and accolades for both its high- end hospitality and cuisine.

Indagare

Back from Queenstown – Eichardt’s Private Hotel

The new Lakefront Cottage suites at Eichardt's Private Hotel (www.eichardtshotel.co.nz) make a perfect family base. Eichardt general manager Victoria Shaw comes from a long line of New Zealand hoteliers, and as a young woman, is a rarity among high-end hoteliers in the countty. In 1981, her family created Wharekauhau, one of the first NZ luxury lodges. Eichardt's, owned by six families from the U.S. and N.Z., opened to rave reviews in 2001 with five rooms in central Queenstown-the first ultra high-end city property, on par with lodges such as Huka and Blanket Bay. At the end of 2008, Victoria launched the Lakefront Cottage, comprising four suites next door to the hotel.

IN THE PRESS