I'm Sarah Payne — a travel adviser based in Newport Beach, California. I'm Australian by background, a designer by training, and someone who has spent a lifetime believing that where you go and how you experience it are two entirely different things.
Before travel, I spent years as an interior designer working on high-end residential projects. That background shaped the way I think about every trip I plan. I don't just look at where you're staying — I think about how it will feel to be there. The light in the room. The neighbourhood outside the door. Whether the place has a soul or just a star rating.
Moving into travel advising felt less like a career change and more like a natural convergence — of a designer's eye, a lifetime of travelling with intention, and a genuine belief that the right trip, planned properly, changes something in you. As an adviser with FORA Travel, a Virtuoso agency, my clients have access to preferred partner rates, property relationships, and a network of in-destination specialists that no booking platform can offer.
I travel broadly and always have — drawn equally to the stillness of a beach in Hawaii or the Maldives as to the energy of Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Paris, the unhurried pace of Provence, or the glamour of the French Riviera.
Travel has always been something I've pursued with genuine curiosity — not just as a visitor but as someone who wants to understand a place properly. That curiosity led me to deepen my knowledge formally. As an Australian who has travelled extensively across the country my whole life, earning the Aussie Specialist credential through Tourism Australia was a natural extension of knowledge I'd built from the inside. Becoming an Abercrombie & Kent Safari Specialist took me deeper into a destination I'd fallen in love with on my own honeymoon — into the logistics, the camps, the seasons, and the details that make the difference between a good safari and an unforgettable one.
Planning a trip with me is a personal process. I want to understand not just where you want to go but how you like to travel — the pace, the priorities, the details that matter to you and the ones that don't. That understanding is what separates a good trip from one that feels like it was made for you specifically.
I work with a small number of clients at a time, which means the people I work with get my full attention — from the first conversation through to the moment they come home. The feedback I value most is when someone says it felt exactly like them. Or when they come back for the next one.
If you've read this far and something here resonates — I'd love to hear about your trip.
Start planning your trip →
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EMAIL: sarah.payne@fora.travel
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