reported by Andrea Bennett

Trying to score that next-to-impossible reservation, find that undiscovered hotel, or want the details of your once-in-a-lifetime trip flawlessly choreographed? In an era of do-it-yourself Web-based research and booking, where travelers have unprecedented access to just about any destination on earth, expert advice is more important than ever. Which is why, on the following pages, we've tapped 128 super-agents who can solve your travel dilemmas. To narrow the list, we spoke with hundreds of agents and surveyed our favorites. When it came to delivering on special requests for clients, some interesting stories emerged: Ever wondered what it takes to arrange a private helicopter tour to a royal palace or how you convince a duchess to give up her house for a romantic proposal? Here, our favorite trip specialists share a few tricks of their trade-where they're sending clients, their secret sources, what's on their radar, and the dream trips they're longing to take themselves.

China Guy Rubin

Over the Top Request – Planning a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony for an American couple who wished to renew their marriage vows on the Great Wall, with musicians, lion dancers, a procession bearing the couple on a sedan chair, and a banquet. The bride was moved to tears for much of the event, which came off without a hitch. YEARS AS AN AGENT 9. Consulting Fee$100.* Imperial Tours, Beijing. 8610/844-7162 (or call U.S. Director of Sales Margot Kong at 888/888-1970));

*Fee included in trip cost

©September 2007 TRAVEL + LEISURE