Our story
We are a travel design studio — not just an agency, but a creative ecosystem built for the autonomy of the advisor and the curiosity of the traveler.
From the founder
Shih Travels is my creative space.
After years as a travel agency owner-operator, I realized that the industry was missing a space that truly honored the autonomy of the advisor and the curiosity of the traveler. I created Shih Travels with the intention to fill that void — not just as an agency, but as a creative ecosystem.
I am an experienced owner-operator, and I built this to be a different kind of experience for travel advisors: a community where they can work together as a team when they choose to, and market their business the way they desire to their clients, without any corporate restrictions.
And for travelers, it means something equally simple. We bring you to the places that genuinely inspire us — and if they inspire you too, we pave your way there.
Our philosophy
We believe travel advisors do their best work when they are entirely free. Shih Travels provides a restriction-free environment where independent professionals can build their unique brands and book their own preferred suppliers — while enjoying a collaborative team dynamic whenever they choose.
For our clients, we design travel rooted in genuine inspiration. We bypass the standard tourist traps to focus on destinations that possess a unique, undeniable magic. We aren’t just booking trips — we are sharing the places that move us, and meticulously carving out the path for you to experience them yourself, the way you desire.
What we stand for
A small studio can afford to be particular. These are the commitments that shape every trip we design and every advisor we welcome.
Built to empower female travel advisors who possess the spirit of entrepreneurship and appreciate the strength of teamwork.
We only sell what moves us. If a destination is on our list, it is because someone here fell for it properly.
Advisors keep their brand, their voice and their supplier relationships. We provide infrastructure, not oversight.
Knowledgeable experts, vetted partners on the ground, and a plan for the moments when travel does what travel does.
A note to female travel entrepreneurs
As advisors, we do our best work when we are entirely free to create.
In our collective, each one of us is fiercely independent. But we also know how powerful it is to have a sophisticated community that understands your daily world and actively supports your growth.
We know what matters most to you. Your clients buy into your vision and your personality, not a corporate agency badge. At Shih Travels, we are here to celebrate that individuality.
The collective
Shih Travels is a distributed collective of independent advisors, each running her own business in her own way. We collaborate when it serves the work — a second opinion on a route, a supplier introduction, a hand on a complicated booking — and we get out of each other’s way the rest of the time.
Looking ahead, we want the collective to gather in person once a year, somewhere genuinely worth travelling to. Because the people who design journeys for a living should take one together.
Our favorite industry partners
Common questions
How the collective actually runs, for both sides of the business.
We design itineraries around destinations our advisors have personally explored, we don’t restrict planners to preferred-supplier lists tied to commission tiers, and we don’t operate on sales quotas — so the priority is the right journey for you, not an upsell.
No. Our collective exists to bring together passionate, like-minded advisors who want a supportive community behind them — not corporate targets hanging over them.
No rigid long-term contract. We use a straightforward Letter of Intent to confirm mutual expectations and welcome you aboard as an affiliated advisor.
Two ways in
Whether you are planning a journey or building a business, it begins the same way.