We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Ternavan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’d been living in Europe for a few years and had been arranging trips with friends and family who’d come and visit me in Prague, then we’d go somewhere else. Croatia was off most Americans’ radars at the time (pre-Game of Thrones!). People told me how much they enjoyed these trips where they’d just have to show up, I’d taken care of all the details and based everything on what they’re into and the kinds of places I knew they’d love to stay, and that’s where I saw an opportunity: custom tours, first of all to Croatia, then Central Europe, and now we cover over 30 countries in Europe and have over 100 staff.

What should our readers know about your business?
There are plenty of travel advisors out there who’ll plan a custom trip for you, and custom tour companies these days. What makes us different is that we’re with you the whole way, from the first phone call about your trip to the final airport transfer for your flight home. We send our travel advisors on extensive research trips, our trip planners inspect all the hotels we work with, and our on-the-ground staff is just a phone call, text, or email away throughout your trip. When we first started I did all those roles. The hardest part was scaling or more to the point – in learning how and what to delegate, and in keeping that same quality of service that I delivered when I was doing everything myself. First by hiring more local staff to support our guests, then hiring our first travel advisor to work alongside me, then trip planners.

Regarding challenges, the pandemic was far and away the biggest we’ve ever faced as a company. We had to say goodbye to the people we’d hired in advance of what was going to be a record-breaking season, but we tightened our belts, burned through some savings, and kept as many of the staff who’d been with us in 2019 as possible. Even harder would have been restarting once travel returned, with none of the people who made us what we were.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My first love of all our destinations is Croatia, and Dubrovnik in particular. A week in Dubrovnik is a long time but it gives plenty of time to add on one of Croatia’s most special islands, and one that gets overlooked because most people have only heard of Hvar: Korcula. So here’s how I’d spend that week:

Day 1 – arriving in Dubrovnik – the views over the old walled city as you come in from the airport are spectacular and whet your appetite for what’s to come. A leisurely lunch at Kamenice, for a first taste of Croatia’s exceptional seafood, followed by a walking tour to get acquainted with the city’s history, is essential. As long as it’s not too hot, a walk around the walls is a must as well. Finish up by taking the cable car up Mt Srd for killer views over the city and a beautiful sunset.

Day 2 – Lokrum island, shaped like a humpback whale, is located just off the coast of Dubrovnik. We’ll rent kayaks right by Old Town and paddle around the outside of the city walls, then out to the island. It’s got stone-slab beaches, a couple of cafes for lunch, and an away-from-it-all vibe. Take your pick of leaving the kayaks there at the rental station and taking the ferry back or the additional exercise of paddling back to the city. For dinner, there’s no better place than Proto-Dubrovnik’s premier fish restaurant, and I know the manager, so we’ll get the best table on the roof terrace.

Day 3 – A private boat day to the Elafiti archipelago is in order. Swim stops, hidden bays, and a phenomenal lunch stop on the furthest island. Back in Dubrovnik for dinner time – tonight we’re mixing it up and eating Mediterranean Fusion at another friend’s place, Azur.

Day 4 – A driver will pick us up and take us to Korcula. It’s possible to get a bus or ferry, but this way, we get to make a couple of stops, first in the town of Ston, famed for its vast city walls, its salt pans, and most importantly, its oysters. We’ll stop at my friend Dennis’s oyster farm and have mussels and oysters pulled straight out of the sea – you’ve never had fresher! After lunch there, we’ll make another stop on the Peljesac peninsula for a wine tasting at a family-run winery producing Croatia’s best red wine – Dingac. It’s made with Dalmatia’s ever-present Plavac Mali grape but Dingac can only be made from grapes grown on a slope facing the Adriatic. After that a 15-minute ferry ride and we’re on Korcula, and staying right in the old city – on the waterfront. Dinner is at Lole, a cute tapas bar that only has outdoor tables for 4 in the alleyway.

Day 5 – Today is dedicated to exploring the island of Korcula so we’ll get eBikes and take a tour with my friend Lea, a born and bred Korculan, to visit what I think is Korcula’s best winery, Bire, where they produce Grk, a white wine unique to Korcula. A light lunch with the wine tasting it’s time to visit Lumbarda for some beach time. On our tour with Lea, we’ll stop in at a farm shop to taste local honey and jam and meet Vlaho, a beekeeper who’s also a star player in tonight’s entertainment – the traditional Moreska sword dance. Pre-show drinks at Massimo’s, a bar atop one of the towers of old city walls, is a good way to warm up. The show starts after sunset and we’ll witness this once-a-week spectacle that tells a tale of the triumph of good over evil, with a love story thrown in, with Vlaho as the White King.

Day 6 – Lumbarda was just a taster – it’s time for more beaches – we’ll hop on a taxi boat to Pupnatska Luka, a calm bay that’s easiest to reach by water. There, one of the island’s best taverns has set up a beach bar and restaurant, so we don’t need to pack food & drink. Take the water taxi back, and then it’s time to freshen up for one of the highlight meals of the trip at LD, a Michelin-starred restaurant right on the waterfront. Beautiful plating and the sun setting on the hills of the Peljesac peninsula across the water is the perfect setting for a last night in Korcula.

Day 7 – Back to Dubrovnik by ferry. We’ll have a last chance for souvenir shopping at non-touristy places with genuine local crafts before enjoying arguably the best meal in Croatia. You couldn’t leave without having a peak – a one-pan dish covered with a dome, coals, and placed in a fire. Best enjoyed at home and with a few people, we’ll join Marija and Zlatko in their backyard for a feast of local hams, cheeses, and other produce from Marija’s farmer friends, then the peak itself, either veal and lamb or octopus depending on the day, followed by homemade desserts. All this is accompanied by locally made wine and homemade liqueurs. We saved the best for last for sure!

ᐧ

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My biggest supporters have always been my parents. They believed in what I wanted to do, and they provided financial support at the very beginning to get up and running.

Website: https://jaywaytravel.com/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.