Analysis
Clarify the real objective.
Are you marking a milestone, reconnecting after a demanding season, choosing a cruise, or building a group around a shared interest? The answer changes the plan.
Meet Jack Buchanan
Travel planned with the discipline of intelligence analysis.
I founded Tradecraft Travel after more than three decades in the U.S. Intelligence Community, retiring as a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service. My work now is different, but the habits are familiar: define the objective, understand the terrain, evaluate the options, anticipate friction, and brief clearly before anyone moves.
Good travel planning starts before the booking engine.
Most trips do not fall short because someone chose the wrong destination. They fall short because the planning was thin, the questions were too generic, the tradeoffs were not understood, or the itinerary looked good on paper but did not match how the traveler actually wanted to experience the place.
Tradecraft Travel exists to solve that problem. This is not travel planning by guesswork. It is structured, intentional, and built around the traveler.
Why My Background Matters
Preparation is not a formality.
An intelligence officer learns quickly that preparation is the difference between confidence and improvisation. That does not mean travel should feel rigid. It means the right questions need to be asked early.
Judgment
Separate signal from noise.
Not every supplier, ship, hotel, guide, cabin, or itinerary is equally good for every traveler. My job is to help you understand the tradeoffs before decisions become expensive.
Communication
Brief clearly.
I do not try to overwhelm you with options. I explain what I recommend, why I recommend it, and where the risks or compromises sit.
How I Work
From idea to clear plan.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. From there, I help you sort through the real choices: suppliers, itineraries, ships, cabins, hotels, guides, pacing, logistics, and risk points.
1
Listen
We start with what the trip is supposed to do for you, not with a prepackaged answer.
2
Analyze
I compare options against your priorities, budget, timing, travel style, and tolerance for friction.
3
Recommend
You get a clear recommendation with the reasoning behind it, not a pile of links to sort through alone.
4
Support
The work continues through booking, preparation, travel, and the moments when plans need adjustment.
What I Plan
Custom trips, cruises, groups, and meaningful travel.
Tradecraft Travel serves clients who want more than a booking engine. The work is often about narrowing choices, identifying tradeoffs early, and turning a broad idea into a plan that can actually work.
Custom Trips
Tailored travel for clients who want thoughtful pacing, strong logistics, and a plan shaped around actual priorities.
Explore custom planning →Cruises
Help choosing the right line, ship, itinerary, cabin, timing, and value proposition before you commit.
Explore cruise planning →Groups
Planning support for affinity groups, academic communities, families, alumni, and shared-interest travelers.
Explore group travel →Espionage Travel
Intelligence-history journeys built around real places, serious context, and expert interpretation.
Explore espionage travel →Signature Journeys
Espionage history without the gimmicks.
Tradecraft Travel’s signature intelligence-history tours grew naturally from my background and interests. They are designed for travelers who want to understand the places where intelligence history actually happened: borders, surveillance headquarters, listening posts, exchange points, resistance sites, and ordinary streets where extraordinary pressure came to bear on real people.
These are not theatrical “spy tours.” There are no costumes, gimmicks, or staged intrigue. The focus is history, tradecraft, and the human consequences of decisions made in the shadows.
“I will tell you what I think, why I think it, and what tradeoffs come with the recommendation.”
Clients who work with me should expect direct communication, careful preparation, and clear reasoning.
I will not tell you that every trip is the “trip of a lifetime.” I will not push urgency for its own sake. I will not pretend every supplier, ship, hotel, or tour operator is equally good.
You still make the decisions. My role is to make sure you are making them with better information, stronger context, and a plan built around your actual priorities.
Start With a Conversation
Bring the idea. I’ll help turn it into a plan.
If you are planning a custom trip, evaluating a cruise, organizing a group, or considering one of our espionage history journeys, reach out. The best plans begin with better questions.