It’s seven months since Sarah White made the move to purely selling luxury holidays and she’s already reaping the rewards.
“When I worked out my earnings on bookings made from December 2025 to January 2026 compared to the previous year, my commission has increased by 400%. Selling luxury only is paying off for me,” Sarah, who runs Wanderlux Luxury Travel, told Indulge.
After a career in interior design, Sarah made the switch into travel five years ago, originally as an InteleTravel agent, then moving to another agency group before joining Little Emperors last year. It’s affiliated with Virtuoso, the global network of agencies specialising in luxury and experiential travel, sells only five-star luxury product and has more than 5,000 upmarket hotels on its platform. Its agents are called MyLERs.
Sarah said: “I’ve always marketed myself as luxury but I would also sell Jet2holidays and others as well, but when I made the shift to solely luxury, that’s when I saw the difference.”
Taking the plunge to luxury-only is a brave step, and there could be a lull period at first, but it’s worth it, she says.
“I’d advise people to be prepared for a period of getting your name out into a different market. When you are selling bucket and spade you can sell to the majority of people. Luxury is harder, but once you start getting luxury clients, they are more loyal, buying on service. Take the time and it will reward you in the long term.”
Clientele
“Most of my clients are slightly older or with older children. A couple of clients are families – most are high earners and those with children are in private school so are not tied to the state-school holidays. Others haven’t yet had kids and can travel when they want to as and when they want to.
“Luxury travellers don’t book in the same way as people booking Jet2 or easyJet. They tend to schedule themselves much further out. They are either professionals who know when their ideal times are to be able to take a trip, or the retiree market, who can travel when they like. Bookings come in more steady throughout the year, with long-haul bookings made eight to 12 months before travel.
“Of the enquiries I get now, the price point is coming in where I want it to be. I haven’t had one person ask me for money off for six months.”
Her biggest booking was for a group to Greece, for £40,000, but most sales are between £10,000 and £20,000. Her most lucrative booking per person was a US fly-drive for a couple, costing £12,000pp.
It also pays to know your client. “One client always goes to a country music festival in the US, so when I see anything that is geared towards county music, I show it to her. It’s good to keep an eye on interests that people have.”
Sometimes clients ask for a particular place that has been recommended. “One client asked for the Quellenhof Luxury Resort, Lake Garda. It’s not on our standard tour operator portfolio and the hotel doesn’t work with many people, so we booked it directly and packaged up with flights.”
How it all started
“Back in 2020, I was doing an interior design project for a client who decided to rent a luxury villa in the South of France while the work was going on. I said I could help them find the perfect place.
“As an interior designer, travel became a natural extension of my creativity. Every new destination, every culture I immersed myself in, added another layer to my perspective. It wasn’t just about seeing the world – it was about experiencing it, connecting with people, and understanding what makes a place come alive.
“I started a travel business, and I said to my interior design clients ‘if you ever want to get away, I know what you like. I can get you good rates and good prices’.
“In 2024, I did my last interior design project because my love of travel had just taken over. Who would want to be on a wet building site in November when you could be selling luxury holidays?”
Sarah says there are some similarities between the two professions.
“When it comes to what is on someone’s wish list, most of the time you are creating something. I used to say I was part interior designer and part marriage counsellor. I think the same can be said for being a travel designer. I’m part luxury travel designer, part marriage counsellor – and sometimes part therapist as I get to know my clients really well. Often you have to negotiate between a couple’s preferences or even a group’s preferences.
“One person wants to do one thing, the other wants to do something else we have got to find the best of both worlds.”
Defining luxury
Sarah says it’s important to get to know a client in order to understand what luxury means to them.
“Luxury could be considered as when someone doesn’t want to have to lift a finger and wants to be waited on hand and foot. Or they just crave peace and quiet and are quite happy to cater to their own needs. Someone else’s idea of luxury could be wellness – doing something outside their comfort zone such as a cookery exploration through a different region.
“Luxury is more of an experience-led offering rather than just price. It’s always been a bit like that but now it’s more marketed.”
Get social
Sarah’s been using social media for years but interestingly, she spends ‘very few’ hours posting content. “Just copying and pasting deals isn’t enough,” she says.
“If I am on a fam trip, I will spend time loading content but typically I will probably only spend one to two hours a week making social media content.
“However, I spend time engaging with people, such as in Facebook groups, although I tend not to track that activity because it is in my spare time. I use my social media scrolling – doom scrolling as people call it – for work purposes. I would say 80% of my spare time is spent on social media.
“I’ve been using social for years and I understand the dynamics. The social media companies are changing the algorithms every six to eight weeks and it can be a full-time job keeping up with it. I have a bank of user-generated content I can use.
“It needs to be inspirational, educational and entertaining. One thing people don’t realise is that, just because people are in the luxury market, it doesn’t mean they don’t find something funny.”
