A family of five stands on the beach holding hands, with the ocean and a large green tree in the background during sunset. The family includes two boys, a man, a woman, and a young girl.
A sandy beach with a few rocks in the foreground, calm turquoise ocean water, and a partly cloudy sky. A large tree with palm-like leaves extends from the right side of the image.

ABOUT NICOLA

Four people in winter clothing and helmets kneeling and sitting in snow with a snowmobile in the background, outdoors with a snowy landscape and cloudy sky.

I’m Nicola

I am a Virtuoso luxury travel advisor, the founder of 6Teen Summers, and a mother of two boys based in Newport Beach, California.

I grew up in the UK and have spent most of my adult life moving; London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Dublin, Sydney, and eventually Orange County, where my family has been for the past thirteen years. Between my husband and me, we have lived in or travelled through close to 90 countries. That is not a stat I lead with because it sounds impressive. I lead with it because it is the foundation of everything I do for my clients.

I started 6Teen Summers because I could not find anyone doing this the way I wanted it done. High-touch, genuinely personal, built around the people taking the trip rather than the packages available to fill them. The name comes from a number I kept coming back to: from the year your child is born to the year they leave home, you have sixteen summers. That is not a lot. It is worth doing something with them.

That said, my clients do not all have children at home. I work with couples who are ready to finally take the trip they have always talked about. Multigenerational groups spanning three or four generations. Families where the dog is as much a part of the plan as anyone else. What my clients have in common is not a family structure, it is a desire for travel that is planned properly and feels genuinely personal.

Before this, I spent sixteen years running a business from the ground up, a start-up that eventually sold to a NASDAQ-listed company in 2022. That background shaped the way I work. I am detailed, direct, and completely focused on the outcome. My clients do not manage the process. I do.

I am affiliated with Departure Lounge and work within the Virtuoso network, which gives my clients access to preferred rates, exclusive on-property amenities, and relationships at the hotels and cruise lines that matter. I specialise in luxury family travel, couples travel, multigenerational itineraries, safari, luxury cruises, private aviation, and yacht charter. My clients define family in their own way and I plan around that.

I also write a monthly column on travel for Port Streets Stroll magazine, and I have been a speaker and contributor on luxury family travel in the US and internationally.

If you are thinking about a trip and you want it planned properly, I would love to talk.

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair in a pink blazer sitting in a brightly lit restaurant or cafe with yellow cushioned seating and large windows showing greenery outside.
Sunset over the ocean with calm waves lapping at a sandy beach and a few clouds in the sky. 
Warmly, Nicola
A woman sitting at a table with a laptop and a smartphone, smiling, in a brightly decorated room with large floral arrangements and colorful hanging decorations.
View of a large body of water with cliffs and islands in the distance, seen from a swimming pool or hot tub with a glass barrier.

OUR TRAVELS

Countless awe-inspiring experiences have ignited my love for travel; three trips, in particular, have left an indelible mark on my heart. With its pristine snow-capped mountains, Aspen left me breathless as I skied down the slopes, feeling alive as the crisp, fresh air filled my lungs. Tahiti, a dreamy paradise of turquoise waters and lush palm trees, enchanted me as I discovered vibrant marine life while snorkeling through the crystal-clear lagoons.

But it was our 29-night cruise around the South Pacific, starting from the iconic Sydney Harbour and culminating in Long Beach, that truly captivated my wanderlust spirit.

Night view of a snow-covered mountain landscape with illuminated buildings and trees in a small town or ski resort.

ASPEN

Our first ski trip as a family was Aspen, and nobody had any business being on a mountain. My husband had never skied. My boys were two and a half and five. I had not been on skis since school.

I planned it knowing the whole thing could go sideways. I had spoken to friends whose families had split right down the middle, one child who loved skiing and one who hated it and I was determined that was not going to be us. So I chose a resort I knew well, arranged direct flights from our local airport, sorted transfers, ski lessons, and ski school in advance, and built in enough alternatives; snow tubing, alpine coasting, good restaurants booked ahead, that we had a real trip whether anyone skied well or not.

My husband fell over. A lot. With genuine commitment.

The boys took to it immediately. We are now, without question, a skiing family. It worked because it was planned for the reality of who we are, not the brochure version of a ski holiday.

Overwater bungalows with thatched roofs and wooden balconies, set against a backdrop of lush green mountains and cloudy sky, near turquoise water.

TAHITI

Tahiti was before children, which meant it was a completely different kind of trip. The pace was slow, the water was extraordinary, and there was genuinely not much you needed to do except be there.

My husband ate a hamburger at a small restaurant near the lagoon that he has compared every subsequent hamburger to for the past fifteen years. He has never found one that matches it. I consider this one of my more significant travel legacies.

Tahiti is one of those places that is exactly as beautiful as people say it is, which is rarer than you would think.

SYDNEY

The trip that probably did the most to shape how I think about travel was a 29-night cruise around the South Pacific, departing from Sydney Harbour and finishing in Long Beach. The scale of it — the distances, the islands, the weeks at sea — gave me a different perspective on what travel can be when it is not rushed.

Sydney itself remains one of my favourite cities in the world. I lived there for a period and have been back many times. It has a particular quality of light and a particular kind of energy that I have not found anywhere else.

The cruise ended in Long Beach, which felt like a strange kind of full circle, living where I now do. It is one of those trips I think back on often.

A sailboat and a yacht on the water with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background, under a cloudy sky.
A woman and man standing together on skis in a snowy forest, smiling, with snow-covered trees in the background.

Every trip I plan starts with a conversation about the people taking it — who they are, how they travel, what they actually want to come home with. The logistics, the bookings, the relationships with properties and operators — that is all handled. What I am really doing is making sure the trip works for your people specifically.

If you are ready to start planning, I would love to hear from you.

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