Category: Travel
Small Group vs. Private Tours: Culture & Immersion
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The question we hear often: “Do you offer small group tours? We’re just looking for something more intimate than a bus tour.” I understand the appeal. Small group tours promise a middle ground — not quite the cattle-car experience of 40-person coach tours, but not the perceived “expense” of going…
LGBTBE Travel 2025, No Group Tours, Gay-Owned SF Concierge
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Dear Friends, Grab your favorite beverage — wine or hot cocoa — this month’s newsletter is a long one! But with a year this full of growth, gratitude, and exciting developments, we couldn’t help ourselves. Thanks for reading along! As an LGBTBE certified luxury travel LGBTQ concierge committed to no-group-tour…
Designing a Perfect Healdsburg Insider Wine Day – Case Study
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At CKcurated, every excursion we design is fully bespoke — tailored to your group, interests, and the memories you want to create. I recently designed a full itinerary for a private Healdsburg day for a group of four friends — let’s call them Emma, Claire, Sophia, and Mia — who…
Rethinking Corporate Retreats: From “Just Another Offsite” to an Experience Your Team Will Remember
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As a 30-year corporate veteran in design & construction and big tech, I’ve attended more retreats and summits than I can count. Some left a lasting impression — experiences that still come up in conversations years later. Others… were forgettable, the kind everyone dismisses by Monday. The difference wasn’t fancy…
Beyond Booking: How CKcurated Designs Personalized Travel Experiences
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Lately, some people ask whether we do “the same thing” as a travel advisor on a certain large booking network that promises “curated” trips. Our social media feed even shows ads inviting us to become one of their “entrepreneurial advisors.” Naturally, we took a closer look: Yes, their business model…
One Year of CKcurated: Launching “California Wine Excursions” for Curious Travelers
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Reflections on a milestone — and the launch of something new One year ago, I officially registered CKcurated as a business. Like many first-time founders, I was both exhilarated and overwhelmed. Building a business, especially one rooted in relationships, creativity, and trust, has felt a bit like building a plane…
Building a Business, Discovering Its Soul — My Journey as an Entrepreneur
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When I set out to build CKcurated, I thought I was simply launching a small business. I had spent 30 years working in the corporate world as an architect. Some of those years were shared with incredible colleagues and clients. Others left me wondering, “What have I done to deserve…
Curated, Not Crowded: How CKcurated Designs Itineraries That Reflect You
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At CKcurated, we believe every traveler has a story — and every journey should shape your next chapter. That’s why we don’t do one-size-fits-all travel; we design bespoke itineraries rooted in your tastes, your pace, and your purpose. Whether you’re planning a milestone birthday in Rome, a weekend wine escape in…
From Architecture to Lifestyle Experience: Reinventing My Authentic Self at 55
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In the latest episode of the Practice Disrupted podcast, I joined Evelyn Lee FAIA, NOMA, to share a deeply personal journey: how I transitioned from a 30-year career in architecture and tech to founding CKcurated, a lifestyle concierge service that blends travel, food, wine, and design into unforgettable, bespoke experiences. This wasn’t…
Why Are Group Tours Outdated? And What’s the Right Way to Travel Instead?
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For decades, group tours have been the standard way to travel — large buses rolling into cities, flag-waving guides hurrying tourists from one landmark to the next, and rigid itineraries that allow little room for genuine exploration. You get the idea. But times have changed. More travelers are discovering that…
There’s something really easy and just somehow uncrowded about the Portland airport. Every time I go there, I’m like, “Why is this so easy and sweet?” -Fred in Portlandia
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I am an aviation geek, and I love visiting airports. When I read about the newly renovated Portland International Airport, called PDX by the locals and by the industry, I had to check it out. Two weeks ago, during a business trip from San Francisco to Seattle, I opted for…
A visit to Nalle Winery during Sonoma’s amazing harvest
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One of the many pleasures of living in San Francisco is its proximity to California’s Wine Country. Driving north, we enjoy the world-renowned Napa and Sonoma wineries. Heading east, there’s Lodi, an emerging player, and to the south, the Central Coast produces my favorite California Pinot Noir. A year ago,…
SFO’s Brand New Harvey Milk Terminal 1
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As an Alaska Airlines frequent flyer, I recently had the opportunity to experience their new home at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), having relocated from Terminal 2 to the brand-new T1, formally known as Harvey Milk Terminal 1. Let me tell you — it was fabulous! The first thing that…
My First Vacation from Hong Kong to the USA
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“What’s the name of the city where had your first vacation?” I may be giving away the answer to my password secret question on this blog, but so be it! I grew up in Hong Kong during the Cold War, when it was a tiny British colony surrounded by the…
I Scream for Ice Cream! — My All-time Favorite Thing
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I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t enjoy ice cream. Even those who have to refrain from eating it still want to enjoy it. And for those who can’t indulge in traditional ice cream, there’s always sorbet and other non-dairy, non-sugary options. My love for ice cream began when I was…
