At the age of 13 most teens ask for money, video games, shoes or the newest electronic devices for their transition out of childhood – but not Eric Grayson. He asked for stocks in the Four Seasons at his Bar Mitzvah, and after attending his first shareholders’ meeting as part of that gift, his career in the hotel and travel industry began to transpire. Playing many roles, including creating a travel networking app, spending time as a travel agent and working in the hotel sector, Grayson finally decided to create his own business and became CEO of Luminary Travel.

Luminary Travel is a bespoke travel company and icon focused on client advocacy, long-term retention and providing unforgettable experiences. With headquarters in New York and a growing online presence, Luminary’s goal is to be a one-stop-shop for all affluent travel seekers.

The idea of Luminary Travel came when Grayson was just an intern for a travel agency. At the time, he originally thought of the trade as a “dinosaur business.” After looking closer, he saw the demand for travel agents specifically in the luxury market. He began to develop a different view of the field and decided to create a company that wasn’t based on the need to travel, but the experience, the want and the desire. “Our whole motto is people do not need what we do. There is no part of our job that’s a necessity. So, we have to create an experience and a product that people want and desire,” Grayson said.

The company is two-fold: Luminary Travel and Luminary Experiences. The core of the business is Luminary Travel, a venture rooted in providing high-end bespoke luxury travel to a wealthy clientele. One of the company’s core values is providing an exceptional service-first model, a concept that Grayson says is an important differential point between Luminary Travel and other travel agencies. “I think most other companies in this space are very focused on travel, but our primary focus is on service,” he said. “It’s the service you offer the client from the minute they pick up the phone or send you an email about a trip until they return home.”

Grayson’s company is also rooted in the belief of not only creating highly customized trips but also going above and beyond to customize all aspects of a client’s journey. “I think that’s an overused phrase – customized,” Grayson said. “What that typically means for people is that they customize a trip. But for us, that goes beyond just customizing a trip and it digs deep into customizing an experience to a client’s case.” For example, an agent of Luminary Travel calculates the best time to speak on the phone with a client, the best way to communicate, what type of material is delivered, and what travel advice is given.

This hyper-awareness is only available because the team consistently works behind the scenes at Luminary Travel. Employees consist of world travelers from all over the globe. The team is divided into two teams– client service managers and operations. Both sides work collaboratively throughout the trip-planning process to build highly specific trips. “The primary thing we look for is attitude, the ability to be client advocates and amplify an attitude that clients come first, above all else. We’ve built an amazing team.”

Alongside client advocacy, customization and sustaining a service-first mindset, Luminary Travel continues to break away from the typical luxury travel mold by being innovative and providing its clientele with new ways to see the world. One such way is through  Luminary Experiences. Launching four years after the initial company started, Grayson and his team created Luminary Experiences. This secondary revenue driver includes pairing influencers, thinkers and leaders in varied fields of study and culture to join a small group of travelers to a specific area of culture, history or interest relevant to the leader’s work.

Featured trips include experiencing Paris and Normandy with world-renowned presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, spending a long weekend behind the scenes of the New York City Ballet with acclaimed Principal Dancer Tiler Peck or exploring Iceland with Hafbor Julius Bjornsson from Game of Thrones. Grayson said one of the most appealing parts of trips like these, for both the leader and the guest, is that the “luminary” is not the guide. He or she is a glorified attendee. “The leader is learning just like everyone else, but at the same time sharing his or her knowledge and information with the group,” he said. “These are opportunities that few people get to have.”

Both Luminary Travel and its counterpart are part of a company that focuses on client advocacy and delivering exemplary services. From the one-day trips to Los Angeles to the month-long, life-changing journeys across Africa and Asia, Grayson wants every new and current client to know that every aspect of his company is rooted in providing the best service possible. “Every aspect of what we do is meant to think about the client experience and the service that goes into putting together a well-planned and well-managed trip.”