Custom tours & luxury cruises · Departures Travel, since 1985

Got a trip in mind? Ask Max.

Custom tours and luxury cruises, designed personally by a travel advisor who's been to 40+ countries — and grew up in the business.

Start planning my trip See real trips I've designed →

40+

countries visited personally

1,000s

travellers helped to 100+ countries

~$207,000

CAD of real trips published, with budgets

1985

Departures Travel — Victoria's oldest agency

Why "Ask Max"

Travel is the family business. Literally.

My parents opened a travel agency in Kyiv in 1996, and I grew up behind its front desk — listening, learning, and eventually planning trips alongside the best mentors I could ask for. Travel isn't a career I chose. It's the one I was raised in.

Since then, I've personally visited more than 40 countries and helped thousands of travellers reach over 100. Today I'm a Travel Specialist at Departures Travel — Victoria's oldest agency, trusted since 1985 — where I design custom journeys for travellers across Canada.

Here's what I believe: no two travellers should ever get the same trip. Your time is too valuable for a copy-paste itinerary. So I start with one question — what would make this trip unforgettable for you? — and build everything from there.

— Max Shkurupii, Travel Specialist, Departures Travel

What I do

Three ways I can help

🗺️ Custom Tours

Fully bespoke itineraries built around you

Your pace, your interests, your budget. Multi-country routes, once-in-a-lifetime milestones, family adventures, food pilgrimages. If you can describe it, I can design it.

Explore custom tours →

🛳️ Luxury River & Ocean Cruises

The right ship changes everything

I match you to the cruise line that actually fits how you travel — and handle every detail before and after the sailing.

River: Viking · AmaWaterways · Scenic · Emerald · Avalon
Ocean: Oceania · Regent Seven Seas · Silversea · Azamara & more

Explore cruises →

✈️ Complex Flights

The itineraries booking sites can't solve

Multi-city routings, around-the-world tickets, premium cabins for less. As an Air Desk Supervisor, I solve the puzzles online engines choke on — usually as part of a bigger trip.

Learn more →

Real trips, real travellers

Don't take my word for it. Look at the trips.

A few of my favourites — real itineraries, real budgets, real travellers. Every one published with my planning fee printed right beside the total.

PhotoThe Bernina panorama car, glass to the glaciers

Family · By rail · 14 nights

A Spring Break Grand Tour: 4 countries, 7 cities, zero flights between them

A Victoria family of four connected London, Paris, Switzerland and Italy entirely by train — with the Bernina Express stitched into the middle.

~$18,000 CAD all-in · my fee $630 Read the story →

PhotoThe navy-and-gold carriages at Gare de l'Est

Luxury · Grand journey · 13 days

Paris to Istanbul aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The once-a-year departure retracing the original 1883 route — five nights aboard, black-tie dinners, palace hotels, booked fifteen months out.

~$119,000 CAD all-in · my fee $420 Read the story →

PhotoThe Viking Forseti on the Dordogne at harvest

River cruise · 16 nights

Châteaux, Rivers & Wine: a Viking river cruise through France

An aunt and her niece, routed onto the same flight and met in Paris — then seven nights through Bordeaux wine country at harvest.

~$33,000 CAD all-in · my fee $420 Read the story →

Browse the full trip catalogue →

What travellers say

In their own words

"We booked a dream vacation in France with Max. Our experience in dealing with him was excellent — the trip went extremely well, hotels recommended all met our expectations, and travel times for trains and flights were well chosen. Very pleased with the level of service and competence."

— Google review · custom tour planning

"As magnificent as the train was, we both thought it was the staff that made the whole experience. Attentive to every need, friendly and considerate. First-class service."

— From a traveller's mid-trip email · Orient Express journey

"It was a magical vacation and everything was quite exceptional — from the flights, the hotel locations, the trains and the bistros. You guided us in the right direction, and hopefully we'll book another magical tour with you again."

— Google review · river cruise & France

Read all my Google reviews →

How it works

From "someday" to booked — in three steps

Ask Max.

Fill out the short form below (2 minutes) or book a free call. Tell me where you're dreaming of — or just describe the feeling you're after.

Get a personal plan.

I'll design a tailored proposal: route, accommodations, experiences, and honest pricing. We refine it together until it's exactly right.

Travel without the stress.

I handle every booking, document, and detail — and I'm one message away while you're travelling. You just enjoy it.