I'm Dave Mudek, an independent travel advisor and endurance coach. I plan two kinds of trip: boutique and luxury hotels booked with the partner perks attached, and climbs, treks and safaris with the logistics worked out. Often both in the same trip.
Hotels chosen for where they put you and booked through my partner programs, so the perks come attached. A week before you check in I write to the hotel to reconfirm the booking and, at partner hotels, the perks.
Permits, guides, the gear list, acclimatization days and transfers that line up with landing times, sorted before you leave. I still go on the hard trips myself: Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc and Aconcagua to the summit, the Tour du Mont Blanc and the Alta Via 1 on foot.
A Racecation is the race with a trip built around it: arrival days, bike transport, the start line, then somewhere to recover. Coaching is a big part of it. I started coaching in 2002 and coach endurance athletes today. The same training gets you ready for a long trek or a summit, so the hardest day of the trip is one you've trained for.
Three nights at the Hotel Cipriani, across the water from St Mark's: a private boat to the hotel's own landing, a private boat back, and open days in between for the city, the lagoon islands or the pool.
Venice · Giudecca · St Mark's
A trip I booked for clients
Belmond's Rio Sagrado on the Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, then the Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu: nine nights that reach Cusco only after the train and end with three aboard a 20-suite Amazon expedition ship.
Lima · Sacred Valley · Machu Picchu · Cusco · Iquitos · Peruvian Amazon
A trip I booked for clients
Eight days on Kilimanjaro's Lemosho route after a rest day in Arusha, then a four-day private safari that starts with a bush flight into the Serengeti.
Arusha · Mount Kilimanjaro · Serengeti National Park · Ngorongoro Crater · Tarangire National Park
A trip I took myself
Cunard's Black Friday sale takes up to 40% off launch fares on 161 voyages across its four ships, from Queen Mary 2's Atlantic crossings to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, with fares from $999 and onboard credit.
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Holland America Line's Black Friday early access sale takes up to 30% off the cruise fare on more than 800 cruises departing December 2026 to May 2029, with the stateroom gratuities prepaid for the first two guests.
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A 2026-27 Epic Pass or Ikon Pass bought through me comes with $50 off a full ski package booked with me, or a $50 resort credit at select properties.
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No partner promotions are running right now. Ask me about rates for your dates.
A 10-day hut-based mountaineering program that climbs step by step from trekking peaks to a summit attempt on Chimborazo (6,268 m).
Our annual watch party for the IRONMAN World Championship, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The Dolomites' classic hut-to-hut trek, starting at Lago di Braies and sleeping in mountain huts (rifugi) along the way.
At hotels in programs like Virtuoso, Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Marriott STARS and Hyatt Privé, a booking through me usually adds daily breakfast for two, a hotel credit, and an upgrade or late check-out when the hotel can offer one.
For travelers who like to self-book, or need a quick booking, I've set up my own booking portal. It gives you my partner rates, and at partner hotels a partner rate comes with the perks. It's still a direct booking with the hotel, but book the same room on the hotel's own website and the perks aren't included. You still have my support, so ask me if you're not sure a rate carries them. For the whole trip, book a consult.
The two hotels I suggest for Christmas in New Orleans, The Roosevelt for its lobby of lights and the Monteleone for the French Quarter, and three more lobbies worth walking through.
If your vacations have started to blend together, with the same resorts, the same cities and the same pace, a dude ranch is a different kind of trip.
Travel Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is the year's biggest sale from airlines, hotels, cruise lines and tour companies. How to make the most of it.
Already traveling with me? Your itinerary is at the private link I sent you. Where to find it.
