Today we’d like to introduce you to Raymond Giles.
Hi Raymond, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey to becoming a luxury travel advisor was anything but a straight line.
I began my professional life in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Submarine Force as a nuclear-trained machinist’s mate. That experience taught me discipline, attention to detail, and how to remain calm when things do not go according to plan. After leaving the Navy, I built a career in quality assurance and eventually worked in global roles that gave me the opportunity to live and work overseas, including time in Finland and Saudi Arabia.
Those experiences changed the way I looked at travel. Living in another country is very different from simply visiting one. I learned how much more meaningful an experience becomes when you understand the culture, spend time with the people, and allow yourself to experience a destination rather than simply check attractions off a list. Over the years, I have traveled across five continents, visited dozens of countries, and experienced everything from major cities to places well outside the typical tourist path.
In 2024, I decided to take that experience and build something of my own. I launched Regal Luxury Travel w/ Raymond with no background in running a travel business and no guarantee that it would work. What I did have was decades of travel experience, an understanding of logistics and problem-solving, and a belief that planning a great trip should involve much more than booking a flight and hotel.
I built the business around a simple idea: my clients should be able to enjoy the experience without having to manage all the moving pieces behind it. Today, I design luxury vacations, international journeys, cruises, honeymoons, destination weddings, and group travel while serving as an advocate for my clients before, during, and after their trips. Through my affiliation with LuxRally Travel, I also have access to relationships with many of the world’s leading luxury hotel and travel brands, which allows me to provide experiences and benefits that travelers may not be able to access on their own.
What started as a leap into entrepreneurship has grown into something much larger than I originally envisioned. I’ve had the opportunity to help clients experience destinations around the world, build relationships throughout the luxury travel industry, become a published author, speak about travel and entrepreneurship, and continue growing a business that combines many of the things I learned throughout my life.
The interesting part is that my previous careers were not disconnected from what I do today. The Navy taught me accountability. Quality assurance taught me to pay attention to the details. Living overseas taught me cultural awareness. Traveling taught me curiosity. And entrepreneurship has taught me that sometimes the biggest risk is being willing to bet on yourself.
Regal Luxury Travel brought all of those experiences together. I may sell travel, but what I really provide is time, confidence, access, and someone in my clients’ corner when they are thousands of miles from home. That is what I set out to build, and it continues to be the foundation of the business today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Like many entrepreneurs, I started the business believing that if I worked hard, provided a great service, and treated people well, growth would naturally follow. I quickly learned that building a business is much more complicated than that.
Shortly after starting Regal Luxury Travel, I lost my father. Trying to build a new business while dealing with that loss was difficult, and there were times when the business simply could not be my first priority. It slowed some of the momentum I was trying to build, but it also reinforced something that has become central to how I look at travel and life: time is something we don’t get back, and we shouldn’t continually postpone the experiences we want to share with the people who matter to us.
Another challenge was growing beyond my immediate circle of friends and family. When you first start a business, those are naturally the people who know and trust you, but there is a limit to how far that network can take you. I had to learn how to introduce myself to people who didn’t already know Raymond personally and give them a reason to trust Raymond the travel advisor. That meant becoming more involved in my community, networking consistently, building relationships, and putting myself in rooms where I wasn’t already known.
There were also marketing decisions I made early on that, given the opportunity, I would reevaluate. I learned that visibility doesn’t always translate into business and that spending money on marketing is not the same as investing in the right marketing. Some of those lessons were costly, but they helped me become much more deliberate about where I spend my time and resources and how I measure whether something is actually helping the business grow.
I don’t think any of those struggles are unique to me, but experiencing them firsthand changed the way I approach entrepreneurship. I’ve learned to be patient with growth, willing to change course when something isn’t working, and comfortable admitting that I don’t have every answer. The business is still growing, and I’m still learning. I think that’s probably a much more accurate picture of entrepreneurship than pretending everything has gone according to plan.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Regal Luxury Travel w/ Raymond is a luxury travel planning and concierge business built around the idea that luxury is about much more than the price of a hotel or sitting in the front of an airplane. To me, true luxury is having someone understand what you want from a trip, manage the details, anticipate potential problems, and be there when something doesn’t go according to plan.
I specialize in customized international travel, luxury hotels and resorts, ocean and river cruises, honeymoons and destination weddings, and complex itineraries involving multiple destinations. My clients range from couples planning a milestone vacation to families traveling together and busy professionals who simply don’t have the time or desire to research hundreds of options and coordinate every detail themselves.
What sets my business apart is the combination of personal experience and the level of involvement I have in each trip. I’ve lived overseas and traveled extensively around the world, so many of the conversations I have with clients come from firsthand experience rather than simply what I can find online. I also bring the attention to detail and problem-solving mindset that came from my previous careers in the Navy and quality assurance. When something changes during a client’s trip, my role isn’t to give them a phone number and wish them luck. I’m there to advocate for them and help find a solution.
Through my affiliation with LuxRally Travel, a Forbes Travel Guide endorsed agency, I also have access to an extensive network of relationships throughout the luxury travel industry. Those relationships can provide my clients with preferred amenities, upgrades when available, special rates and experiences, and connections with some of the world’s leading hotels, resorts, cruise lines, and destination partners.
One thing that surprises many people is that I do not charge my clients planning or consultation fees. My compensation comes from the travel partners they book through me, so my clients receive my planning, expertise, concierge support, and advocacy without an additional professional fee from me.
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud that Regal Luxury Travel has developed a clear identity around service rather than simply selling travel. My philosophy is summed up in the phrase, **“Luxury is not an upgrade, it is my starting point.”** That doesn’t mean every trip needs to be extravagant. It means I begin by asking what would make the experience exceptional for that particular client rather than starting with the cheapest available option and trying to add things to it.
I also want people to understand that using a travel advisor isn’t about giving up control of their vacation. My job is to make the process easier and give clients better information so they can make confident decisions. Some clients want me involved in nearly every detail, while others simply want access to the right hotel, cruise, or itinerary and the reassurance that someone is in their corner if they need help.
Ultimately, I don’t want Regal Luxury Travel to be known simply for booking beautiful places. I want it to be known for the way people are taken care of. The hotel matters. The destination matters. The experiences matter. But when a client can leave home knowing the details have been handled and that they have someone they can reach when they need assistance, that is where I believe the real value of the brand comes through.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I don’t think there is one particular book, podcast, or app that I can point to and say it has been the secret to how I operate. I’ve probably learned the most from experiences, from the people around me, and from being willing to ask questions when I don’t know something.
My time in the Navy still influences how I approach both business and life. I learned the importance of preparation, attention to detail, accountability, and being able to adapt when the original plan no longer works. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career and are especially valuable in travel, where even the best-planned itinerary can change because of weather, a delayed flight, or something completely outside of anyone’s control.
Travel itself is also one of my greatest resources. I learn by experiencing destinations, hotels, cultures, and different ways of doing things firsthand. Within the travel industry, I rely heavily on the relationships I’ve developed with other advisors, hoteliers, cruise representatives, destination partners, and the resources available to me through LuxRally Travel. Sometimes a conversation with someone who has just returned from a destination is more valuable to me than hours of online research.
Technology has also become an important part of how I work. I use tools such as ChatGPT to help me research ideas, organize my thoughts, challenge how I’m approaching a problem, and improve different areas of my business. I don’t see AI as a replacement for experience or human relationships, especially in a relationship-driven business like travel, but I do think it can be an incredibly useful tool when you know what you want to accomplish and are willing to question the answers it gives you.
Outside of work, I try to remain curious. I read, follow what’s happening in the world, talk to people with different backgrounds and experiences, and continue traveling whenever I can. I’ve found that some of the most useful lessons don’t necessarily come from a business book or podcast. They come from conversations, experiences, successes, failures, and being willing to admit there is always something else to learn.
Pricing:
- My services come with zero fees
Contact Info:
- Website: https://regalluxurytravelwraymond.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/regal_luxury_travel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=regal%20luxury%20travel
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-giles-cmq-oe-ba02671a/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Regal_Luxury_Travel_w_Raymond
