No templates and no automated trip builder. Every STC Escapes holiday is planned by a real person on our team in Exeter — here's what that looks like, from your first message to the day you fly home.
Start with a quick callback or the enquiry form — whichever suits. We want the useful things: the ages of everyone travelling, rough dates, the kind of pace you enjoy, and what would make the trip feel like a success. There's no obligation, and nothing you say is wasted; it all goes into the plan.
If it's easier to talk it through, we're happy to. A short phone call often tells us more than a form ever could.
One of our team builds your trip by hand — the route, the pacing, the hotels, and the guides we'd choose for a family like yours. We think about the details that make long-haul travel with children (or grandparents) genuinely easy: sensible travel days, rest built in, rooms that work for your group, and the small logistics that usually trip people up.
You get a clear day-by-day plan with everything laid out, and one person to talk to about it — not a call centre.
The first plan is a starting point, not a take-it-or-leave-it quote. Swap a hotel, add a rest day, stretch or trim the budget, change the balance of adventure and downtime — we adjust until it's right for you. This back-and-forth is the part that matters most, and it's where knowing the ground pays off.
When you're happy, a deposit secures the trip and the balance is due before you travel. Flight-inclusive holidays are ATOL protected under licence 11054, held by our parent company, The Specialist Travel Consultancy Ltd — so your money and your trip are financially covered, and you'll receive an ATOL Certificate.
Before you go, you'll have everything you need in one place. While you're away, you've got a real contact to reach if anything changes or comes up. We'd rather sort a problem quietly in the background than have you spend a day of your holiday on hold.
STC Escapes is the family-travel side of The Specialist Travel Consultancy — the team behind STC Expeditions, who've been organising trips responsibly since 2006. We're a small team on the ground in Devon, not a booking platform.
That's the whole point of planning a trip this way: you're not assembling it yourself from a website, and you're not handed off between departments. One person gets to know your family and stays with you from the first email to the flight home.
Ask us anything — no commitment. We'll call you back at a time that suits.
Or call 01392 660056 · enquiries@thestc.co.uk
Tell us a little about what you're after, and a real person will come back with ideas.
Start planning