OUR STORY
How it all
began…
I don’t sell destinations.
I translate them.
The Amalfi Coast may be one of the most photographed places in the world, but experiencing it well is another story entirely. What looks effortless from the outside is layered, seasonal, and deeply human. My work lives in the space between what people imagine and what actually delivers.
I’m known as an Amalfi Coast expert not because I visit often, but because I understand how it functions- how hotels operate behind the scenes, how suppliers think, how expectations shift once guests arrive, and where experiences either elevate or quietly unravel. That understanding comes from proximity, relationships, and lived experience.
My journey began in 2014 when I studied abroad in Rome, unaware that Italy would reshape my life. I found a summer gig in Sorrento at bar and little did I know I fall in love with an Italian man, but also the destination. By 2015, I returned for the summer season, immersing myself not just as a visitor, but as someone learning the rhythms, realities, and relationships that most travelers never see. Italy became home- and eventually, the foundation of my work.
In 2020, I founded Luxama Travel, a U.S.-based luxury travel advisory inspired by the Amalfi Coast and built on the belief that luxury is personal. As a Virtuoso-affiliated agency and Forbes Travel Guide–endorsed partner, Luxama serves executives, multi-generational families, and discerning travelers seeking more than a beautiful itinerary- they want understanding.
I design travel with discernment.
Not everything that’s beautiful is right for everyone.
Luxury isn’t about excess or labels. It’s about alignment- the right hotel for the right traveler, the right pace for the moment, and expectations set with honesty so the experience feels effortless once you arrive. My role is to see what others overlook and guide clients accordingly.
While the Amalfi Coast is my foundation, my fluency extends throughout Italy and into select European destinations. Rome, Florence, London, Paris, Greece- each approached with the same standards refined along the coast. I don’t claim everywhere. I curate selectively, intentionally, and well.
What sets Luxama apart isn’t access- it’s perspective.
I sit between worlds: American and Italian, client and supplier, dream and reality. That position allows me to show travelers the real Amalfi Coast- the part beyond the postcard, shaped by the people who live there, work there, and keep it alive. Understanding the locals is understanding the destination.
This isn’t about going everywhere.
It’s about going well.
Welcome to The Luxama Family.
Ciao for now,
Sarah
Why Luxama?
Half Luxury & Half Ama- meaning 'Love' in Italian.
That’s the essence behind Luxama Travel. Every journey we design isn’t just about luxury; it’s about creating a connection so powerful that you fall in love- with the destination, its people, its culture, and its rhythm.
Our mission is simple: to curate experiences that go far beyond the ordinary. Luxury, for us, is deeply personal.
If, by the end of your journey, you feel so captivated that you begin to dream of calling that place home- as I did with Italy- then we’ve done more than plan a trip. We’ve changed the way you see the world and the people in it.
“To understand a place, you have to understand the people who live it.”
-Sarah L. Thompson
Let’s Plan your trip together
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