Africa guide Howard Saunders with locals in Kenya. Africa guide Howard Saunders with wildlife. WE consult specialists when it comes to, say, our hearts or teeth or if in need of legal advice. But many of us take pot luck when we plan holidays, settling for generic tours or "one size fits all" itineraries. A newly formed collaboration of adventure company owner-operator guides is set to send a jolt through the adventure travel industry. The Shackleton & Selous Society promises its members have "the experience, connections and the creativity to take you virtually anywhere in the world." The aim is to ensure clients a consistency of service and excellence for a wide range of destinations. This club-like security taps into a growing tourism trend of "insider experts" -- travellers want the peace of mind that comes from dealing with the best in the business, a consistency of standards for a complicated itinerary and the sense of drilling deep into a destination rather than skimming the surface. Hotel marketing groups, which typically bring together, say, small properties, boutique resorts or luxury B&Bs, trade on such collaboration and provide clients with the reassurance of quality control. Such accommodation portfolios make their money via membership fees but the Shackleton & Selous Society -- named after legendary explorers Ernest Shackleton and Frederick Selous -- is a fellowship so elite that operators can't buy membership. "They have to be invited," says Australian-born and Nairobi-based Howard Saunders, a spokesman for the new society, which will be officially launched at the end of this month. Saunders says the expert guides who make the cut for membership are renowned in their homeland as conservationists, historians, anthropologists, explorers or wildlife experts. Saunders, a partner with Africa's long-established Ker & Downey Safaris and founding trustee of the Kenya Wildlife Trust, guides in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. He describes his crafted journeys as "offering the chance to immerse yourself in the traditional east African safari, complete with your own exclusive tented camps." Saunders' bush excursions also involve the expertise of conservationists and animal researchers such as his wife, Stephanie Dloniak, a wildlife biologist. Bespoke itineraries may include cultural components such as "visits to family homes and schools of the Masai tribe to provide what could be life-changing experiences." Using language akin to such learned institutions as London's Royal Geographical Society, Shackleton & Selous Society members are referred to as "fellows" and Saunders says that in some cases they will even visit a prospective client's home to "best understand their desires and interests." Unscripted safaris are a mainstay of the venture. Logistics must be flawless, there are no brochures or online itineraries but given the target age bracket and demographic of clients, it's likely there will be a safety net of soft and secure comfort. "The guides not only plan the holidays but travel with their clients and, on safari, often erect mobile camps according to a client's exact specifications with staff moving one or two days in advance of the guests to set up," Saunders says. The line-up so far includes fellows who lead tours to all the Arctic territories, Antarctica, Alaska, eastern and southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Mongolia, Myanmar and Bhutan. Also crucial to the destination mix are Patagonia and the Galapagos Islands, where Dolores Diez of Quasar Expeditions offers "one of a kind" yachting expeditions and is acknowledged as the region's standard-setter for successfully combining environmental preservation and education with eco-tourism. The Australian connection is Adelaide-based Drew Kluska, managing director of The Tailor, which offers "hand-crafted journeys" of the outback and "infrequently explored" areas of regional Australia, from the Kimberley Coast to the remote reaches of Arnhem Land. Kluska says: "I am honoured to be chosen for Australia. This initiative provides discerning travellers with the rare opportunity to experience the world's last great wild places with the local experts who know it best -- such as exploring Irian Jaya to experience the vanishing culture of the Asmat and Dan tribes with Shackleton & Selous Society member Patti Seery. In New Zealand, Jean-Michel Jefferson of Ahipara, based in the South Island's wildly beautiful Central Otago region, has been creating bespoke experiences for the past 11 years. He claims that his itineraries give clients a "deep" insight into the country, with "living legends" in the mix. Jefferson says that these legendary locals include "the country's pre-eminent pinot noir winemaker, a rally driving legend, superb landscape artist and a Maori chief." The Leading Hotels of the World group has already set up a partnership with the Shackleton & Selous Society that gives its premium Leaders Club members privileged access to journeys organised and led by the fellows. Leaders Club members who book tours worth $US5000 ($4850) and above receive a complimentary pair of Nikon binoculars. It seems a small perk, but it's a rather suitable accessory for those who aspire to become visionary travellers. The personal touch ALSO stepping up to give holidaymakers hand-crafted itineraries and insider advice are Europe's smaller villa rental operators, such as British-born Italy expert Merrion Charles, who represents a hand-picked portfolio of accommodation, from Abruzzo and the Amalfi Coast to Sicily and Sardinia. She says her eponymous company guarantees personalised attention, matching clients to the "exactly right" villa with hands-on care, if needed, during their stay and advice on the best regional touring.