July 2, 2026
The Family Vacation You’ve Always Wanted — But Never Had Time to Plan
You’ve been saying it for years: This summer, we’re doing something really special. A trip where the grandkids actually put their phones down. Where you and your spouse finally exhale. Where every detail feels effortless — because it is.
But then life happens. Work doesn’t pause. Someone else needs you. And another year passes with the same trip you always take because it was easy to book and you ran out of time to plan something better.
What if you didn’t have to plan it at all?
That’s exactly what I do — and I’ve been doing it for families across Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Oakbrook, Elmhurst, Western Springs, and La Grange who are tired of leaving their best travel ambitions on the table.
My connections in the industry run deep. As a Virtuoso Travel Advisor, I offer my clients the “Best of the Best” in Travel. I offer my clients perks & amenities through EP Signature Travel & Virtuoso, such as: preferred rates, room upgrades, breakfast, resort credits, and early check-in or late check-out subject to availability.
The Experiences You Can’t Google
Here’s the thing about the internet: it will show you the same hotels, the same tours, and the same “hidden gems” that a hundred thousand other people already visited last week. What it won’t show you is the private wine cellar dinner in a 16th-century Burgundy château that a winemaker opens for only a handful of guests per year. Or the after-hours, behind-the-scenes access to a museum’s private collection that isn’t listed anywhere. Or the safari camp in Botswana where your family is the only group at the watering hole at sunrise — no other vehicles, no noise, just elephants.
These are the experiences I arrange. The ones that don’t have a webpage. The ones that come from years of cultivating relationships with the right operators, properties, and local experts around the world — people who save their best offerings for advisors they trust.
What Truly Discerning Travelers Are Looking for Right Now
The families I work with aren’t looking for a nicer version of what everyone else is doing. They want something different — something that feels theirs. Here’s what that actually looks like in practice:
They want to arrive and immediately feel at home. Not spending the first two days figuring out the property, decoding the restaurant situation, or waiting on hold with the concierge. The best travel experiences feel anticipated — like someone knew exactly what you needed before you asked. That’s the standard I hold every trip to.
They want privacy, not proximity to prestige. The most coveted luxury right now isn’t a front-row seat at something crowded. It’s space. Silence. A villa where no one else is. A yacht with a route that skips the tourist marinas. A resort buyout where your family genuinely has the place to yourselves. I have access to properties and experiences that aren’t available through public booking channels — and I know which ones actually deliver on that promise.
They want to be three generations under one roof — and actually enjoy it. Multi-generational family travel is one of the most requested and most complex things I plan. When it’s done right, it’s some of the most meaningful travel a family will ever do. When it’s done wrong, it’s a logistics nightmare with someone always unhappy. The difference is in how the itinerary is designed — building in shared experiences that work across ages, while giving each generation space to move at their own pace. I’ve planned these trips many times. I know what works and what unravels by day three.
They want someone to handle every single detail. The moment you have to think about logistics — a missed transfer, a reservation that wasn’t confirmed, a check-in that takes an hour — your trip has already been compromised. My clients don’t receive phone calls mid-vacation asking what to do. Problems get solved quietly and quickly, before anyone in the family ever knows something needed solving.
Private Jets and Around-the-World Itineraries
For families who want to truly maximize their time — or who are ready for the trip of a lifetime — I arrange private jet travel, including custom white-glove itineraries and access to several around-the world trips with pre-designed routes that let you move between continents without the friction of commercial airports. I work with Four Seasons Private Jets, A&K Private Jet Journeys, TCS World Travel, (which has incredible golf journeys), and the ultra luxury charter with your own custom itinerary.
These programs are designed for exactly the kind of traveler who wants to see the Galápagos, then Japan, then the Amalfi Coast — without spending a week coordinating connections. The routing is already optimized. The logistics are already handled. You simply decide where you want to go, and we build the rest around you.
If you’ve ever thought “I want to do all of it,” this is how people actually do that.
About Emily Petrak, Founder of EP Signature Travel
I’m a mom of two, a self-described wine snob, and someone who has been planning trips with the kind of precision most people reserve for surgery — which, as a pharmacist of 15 years, is not an exaggeration.
The attention to detail and clinical precision have defined my pharmacy career; these are the same qualities I bring to every itinerary I build. In pharmacy, a missed detail isn’t a minor inconvenience — it matters. I carry that same standard into every trip I plan, because I know how much this vacation means to you and your family.
My own travel obsession has taken me across the world. African safari is the best trip I have ever taken— the kind of experience that genuinely changes how you see the world. Along with help from my husband, I seek out luxury golf and wine experiences wherever we go. Next up for me is Northern Italy with my daughters. And my dream trips? Antarctica and the Galápagos Islands are both on the list — fitting, since I can arrange exactly those kinds of expeditions for my clients.
I started EP Signature Travel because I believe that busy, hard-working parents and grandparents deserve nothing less than the absolute best — and they deserve someone who will fight for every detail of that experience on their behalf.
The Families I Work With
My clients are busy. They’re running businesses, raising families, and showing up for everyone around them. They’ve earned the right to a vacation where someone else is doing the running around — where every question has already been answered, every preference has already been communicated, and every moment has been designed to exceed what they imagined.
They’re not necessarily looking for the most expensive option. They’re looking for the right option — the one that fits their family perfectly, creates genuine memories, and doesn’t require them to spend three months of evenings planning it themselves.
If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear what you’ve been dreaming about.
Let’s Start Planning
Ready to talk about the trip you’ve been putting off?
Emily Petrak | EP Signature Travel emily@epsignaturetravel.com
Serving families in Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Oakbrook, Elmhurst, Western Springs, La Grange, and beyond.
EP Signature Travel specializes in fully custom luxury itineraries, multi-generational family travel, private jet arrangements, and white-glove trip management for families who want the absolute best.
EP Signature Travel proudly serves clients throughout Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Western Springs, La Grange, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Naperville, and the greater Chicago area. Whether you’re planning a European villa vacation, African safari, luxury cruise, or once-in-a-lifetime family adventure, every itinerary is custom designed around your family.
Hotel-only bookings are free of charge, but must be in my network of luxury hotels.
Yes, I charge for my full-service travel planning. Rates start at:
$200 for all-inclusive bookings in Mexico
$1000 for 7 day + itineraries abroad
Custom rates apply based on the complexity & duration of the trip as well as the total number of guests (couple vs family with multiple rooms etc).
I do not utilize AirBNB for bookings. For villas, homes, or spacious apartments, I use vetted partners with professionally managed properties.
Depending on availability, yes. Last minute trips may incur an additional charge, as I need to rearrange my workflow to make your trip the priority.
Yes, I am located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and work with many clients from surrounding suburbs, as well as other states. I am a proud member of the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce.
