The people behind the map

A small London team with a big conviction: holidays are too precious to be planned badly.

Our mission

DealioMap exists to help people rest properly. Not “lie by a pool scrolling work emails” rest — the real kind, where you come home with bright eyes and stories you’ll tell for years. We believe that kind of holiday doesn’t happen by accident; it happens when someone has done the homework, checked the seasons, compared the budgets and quietly removed every trap along the way.

That someone is us. Since 2022 our editors have planned, taken and dissected hundreds of trips across 37 countries — from £400 city breaks to once-in-a-decade honeymoons. Everything we learn goes straight into the destination pages, itineraries and guides you read here.

We are fiercely independent. No tour operator owns us, no hotel pays for placement, and when a famous resort disappoints, we say so. Our only loyalty is to the traveller holding the suitcase.

The DealioMap team planning routes over a world map in the evening

Why travellers choose us

Five plain facts — no marketing glitter needed.

12,000+ trips planned

Readers have turned our research into real holidays since day one.

Only real reviews

Every quoted opinion comes from a verified traveller, never a bot.

Personal approach

The 60-second quiz and curated collections match trips to your style.

Always up to date

Budgets, seasons and entry rules re-checked every single month.

No pushy advertising

No pop-up storms, no paid rankings — just clean, honest guidance.

Our values

Six principles that decide what gets published — and what never will.

Honest recommendations only

If we wouldn’t send our own family there, it doesn’t make the site. Full stop.

Quality over quantity

248 verified resorts beat 10,000 scraped listings. We curate, not aggregate.

Respect for time and budget

Clear prices, realistic timings and no “from £99” asterisk games.

Inspiration and new emotions

A trip should change something in you. We hunt for places that do.

Responsible tourism

We favour places that protect their nature and pay their people fairly.

Constant development

New destinations, better tools, sharper guides — the map never stops growing.

Meet the team

Three travellers, one shared suitcase of expertise.

Emily Carter, founder and editor-in-chief of DealioMap

Emily Carter

Founder & editor-in-chief

A former travel journalist who once planned a wedding and a Patagonia trek in the same month — and says the trek was easier. Emily sets the editorial bar: if a guide wouldn’t help her own mum, it gets rewritten.

James Whitfield, destinations editor at DealioMap

James Whitfield

Destinations editor

Twenty years, 60 countries and a legendary spreadsheet of hotel notes. James personally re-checks our resort database and has an uncanny radar for overpriced minibars and underrated beaches.

Priya Nair, content editor at DealioMap

Priya Nair

Content editor

Our itinerary architect. Priya turned her own three-day Istanbul dash into the site’s most-loved route and now builds every scenario so it survives contact with real life — naps, queues and all.

Ready when you are

The next great holiday starts with one small step — pick yours.