The Art of Luxury Travel with Berkeley Travel

Words: Jaz Grewal

In a world where today’s discerning traveller seeks exceptional and often unattainable experiences, the role of a travel adviser has evolved. Cue Berkeley Travel, the ultimate specialists in curating travel, whose founders, Andrew Bezhenar and Simon Binke, have earned an undisputed reputation as global leaders in providing seamless travel services to an affluent client base.

Originally established in 2014, Berkeley Travel’s dedicated travel designers have, for more than a decade, drawn on the agency’s combined 30 years of expertise in organising both unimaginable holidays and catering to the demanding business needs of their time-poor clients.

“Luxury today is more than just booking the best hotel and finding flights,” says Andrew Bezhenar. “It’s about feeling safe and comfortable in a new place, with that sense of reassurance that your likes and dislikes have been anticipated and noted in advance.” It is this uncompromising level of detail that has seen the agency achieve global acclaim over the years, with its elusive client base often referred by word of mouth.

Berkeley’s credentials have caught the attention of travel’s biggest names over the years, and today it holds elite status with the likes of Aman, One&Only and The Dorchester Collection, to name a few, as well as being a First Appointed Operator for British Airways and recognised as a Virtuoso agency.

In an ever-changing world, Berkeley’s clients are looking to the agency for more than simply organising their family holidays. The agency’s reach has now expanded to cover all aspects of travel management with a 360-degree view, enabling it to act as a safeguard during times of uncertainty.

“We know what our clients want and need, often before they do, and we hand-hold them every step of the way.” Bezhenar knows that, in an era where bookings can be made online, it is Berkeley’s localised knowledge and personalised approach that set the company apart from conventional travel booking platforms.

Client demands have also naturally evolved, as well-heeled sunseekers increasingly look beyond traditional escapes towards experiential travel and off-the-beaten-track destinations. The agency’s designers constantly receive requests for safari and nature-led holidays, an area Berkeley was among the first to truly master, creating unimaginable itineraries in some of the world’s most vibrant locations.

Keeping at the forefront of innovation, Berkeley Travel was also the first luxury travel operator to accept cryptocurrency payments, as the agency continues to adapt to its clients' needs.

Always looking to give back to important causes, philanthropy has remained a core pillar of the agency’s mission, and this year, Andrew Bezhenar has been named an Event Chair of the amfAR Gala Cannes, now in its 32nd edition.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “It is a great honour to have been selected as an event chair for this year’s amfAR Gala Cannes 2026. This is the fourth year Berkeley Travel has participated in an event hosted by AAB Productions, and I am truly humbled to support the fight to end the HIV epidemic once and for all.”

Bezhenar joins the glitterati of film and music, alongside Pamela Anderson, Elizabeth Hurley, Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Eva Longoria and Chopard President Caroline Scheufele.

This year, to support the annual charity auction at the star-studded event, Berkeley Travel has partnered with One&Only to donate a lot valued at €350,000, including a stay at One&Only Aesthesis, with the proceeds going directly to amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

www.berkeleytravel.co.uk

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