Jackie Chalkley can easily call any travel agency and book a vacation from her Washington, D.C., home to wherever she wants. But she and her husband are among the affluent who look for something far beyond guided tours, a nice hotel and good eats.

The Chalkleys are members of the boutique travel service known simply as Andrew Harper, best known as publisher of the Hideaway Report newsletter, now in its 31st year, which offers suggestions for high-end travelers seeking top-shelf, hidden, off-the-beaten-path destinations.

The basic idea is that Harper's editors travel anonymously and at their own expense to offer bias-free advice to members of its private travel club. The company also provides custom trips, an online community for members and numerous publications, both print and online. Andrew Harper, based in Illinois, is named after the first Andrew Harper-a pseudonym for a longtime amateur travel writer who anonymously visited the hotels he reviewed. After a quarter of a century circling the globe, the original Andrew Harper retired six years ago and was replaced by his handpicked successors. Today, two contributing editors, both of whom remain anonymous-one based in New York, the other in Paris-carry on the role under the same pseudonym.

To this day, the new "Harpers" and their assistants reveal just which rooms in top-shelf properties offer the best views, have a bigger closet and the like. At first, Harper's missives were read by friends, but after many began clamoring for an untainted voice covering high-end luxury travel, the Hideaway Report was born and it is now one of the most distinct voices in luxury travel. To abide by Harper's strict rule about not accepting compensation from the travel industry and staking a non-biased position, the newsletter has no advertising and subsists strictly on subscriptions.

The company has evolved in other ways since Harper's globe-trotting days. Andrew Harper is no longer just a little broadsheet, but a full-fledged service owned by CapStar Partners, an Austin, Texas-based private equity group that bought it in 2005.

"We didn't touch our bags when my husband and I went to Java through Harper," explains Chalkley. "They had chilled champagne waiting the moment we arrived at the airport and after staying a night at a spectacular hotel, the very first thing in the morning we were brought to the top of Borobudur temple, a Buddhist monument, which was pre-arranged so we would be the only ones allowed at the top."

Full membership costs $400 per year and includes private travel planning services, the ability to travel with other Harper members, a subscription to the Hideaway Report and access to an active, members-only online discussion forum where many who have become travel partners and friends share recommendations and detailed descriptions of their travel experiences. Membership also includes a copy of the 800-page Harper's Collection, a listing of properties visited and recommended by Harper. Each month, members receive updated pages to place in the binder.

"We really are a travel service that places a focus on customizing trips for individual members or even larger groups who have met through being members," explains Harper's director of travel planning, Sandi Ferreria. "Where we differ from a standard travel agency is the reach of our ground operations ability, which includes connections with local concierge services and, for example, park rangers who know just when to bring guests to remote locations. That information and the ability to use it is what we specialize in."

Chalkley is among the affluent members of Harper who can tap into a community of worldly friends and trusted experts-people who share a passion for authentic and unique experiences. For Chalkley, luxury travel goes beyond staying at a five-star resort. She looks for recommendations that cannot easily be found online or in books. "Being a member makes a big difference," she says. "They communicate with the newsletter and other ways. I have met many wonderful, interesting and sophisticated people just through the discussion forums provided for members to share their experiences. In many cases there is a member who recently returned from a property and will point out what to some might seem like little details, but to a lot of us, that makes the difference."

Many travelers want to explore and understand the cultures of the places they visit and give something back to the communities that have welcomed them. "Our trips are split between just a nice top level vacation to taking the opportunity to experience the last of dying cultures or to see animals that may become extinct," explains Chalkley. In India, many never get to see Bengal tigers, but Harper had contacts within the park rangers and "had a ranger take us out to the spot where he knew the tigers would be."

Boutiques like Harper are cost-effective ways for advisors to deliver specialized services to ultra-high-net-worth clients, according to experts.

"For an advisor, it is difficult to give great service in a small niche," explains Richard Weylman president and CEO of the Weylman Center for Excellence in Practice Management, the only online university for financial professionals in the affluent marketplace. "The affluent are seeking out an elevated experience. By hooking up with a firm like Andrew Harper, you position yourself as not just a financial resource but a trusted go-to source for life issues."

Harper has made increasing use of intermediaries in its dealings with clients, says Ferreria.

"These days, we rarely hear directly from those traveling," Ferreria says. "It is usually a trusted associate who requests information about becoming a member. Once they join, it is also rare to book a trip directly with them." 

Trips arranged by Harper can range from $100,000 to $350,000 in price and have included gorilla treks through Uganda, luxury mobile safaris in Tanzania and, in one case, a trip celebrating the birthday of a family patriarch that consisted of a two-week "cradle of civilization" tour through India, Turkey and Egypt.

A representative of a wirehouse, who asked to remain anonymous because of compliance issues, says services like Harper's are becoming an important component to serving affluent clients.

"Our firm considers more than just the financial health of our clients, and when appropriate, seeks to take an interest in their personal well-being," the representative says. "We frequently recommend Andrew Harper membership, as it provides the best in travel advice and planning services. We've actually seen two generations of clients become members."

Perhaps as a reflection of the money-is-no-object attitude of many of its well-heeled clients, Harpers does not list the actual prices of its posh getaway listings on its Web site. Still, during these tough economic times, cost concerns may be creeping into the picture. That's one reason Harper's online auction service is becoming more popular. The service, available to members only, can sometimes save members the cost of their yearly membership. As of February 2, for example, the opening bid for a stay in Bagnols, France, at the Chateau de Bagnols, stood at $1,425, compared to a retail cost of $2,588.

"Our private auction sales are definitely up, as everyone is looking for value, and our recommended hotels and travel partners are creating some of the best offers we've ever seen," says one of the anonymous Harper correspondents.