Sue, Pat and Kate were staying with friends in England. They like English gardens and country houses, and are quite knowledgeable about them. They asked me to organise a day out. They didn't mind where they went, but wanted to avoid crowds and to travel in style.

In the morning I chose to take them to Hidcote Manor Gardens, Gloucestershire.

These gardens, begun by an American officer in 1907, are reputed to be the finest of the 20th century. We enjoyed a gentle exploration of Hidcote's beautiful surroundings , followed by a light lunch. We then drove to our afternoon destination - Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, a romantic moated manor house dating from the 15th century. Two hours there left us with ample time for an early evening meal in a country pub, before returning to their friends' house.

Will and Nan were spending a couple of weeks touring the UK, and wanted to be collected from Birmingham International Airport before settling in at their hotel nearby. They were looking forward to seeing an area they had heard much about - North Wales - and seeing its beautiful countryside and magnificent castles dating from the end of the 13th century.

I arranged to pick them up from the airport and deliver them to their hotel in the Rolls. This was to be followed by a three-day trip to Wales. On the day after their arrival we drove to Dolgellau, North Wales, for lunch at the George III, a riverside pub. In the afternoon it was on to Harlech to visit the castle on its rock overlooking the sea. Overnight stay in B and B and then after a good Welsh breakfast, to Caernarvon - historic royal capital of Wales and site of the Investiture of the present Prince of Wales.

Overnight stay in Caernarvon was followed on the third day by crossing to the Isle of Anglesey - viewing, on the way, the two historic bridges built by Victorian engineers Telford and Stephenson - to see Beaumaris castle, famous for its symmetrical concentric construction. Back to Birmingham in the evening, travelling through the Snowdonia National Park.

Bob and Jo knew that her family came originally to the U.S.A. in the 1850s. Their roots were in the city of Coventry, but this was all that Bob and Jo knew. They wanted to combine a holiday in the UK with some research on Jo's family origins - finding out where and how they lived, and tracing any family members who might still be in the area.

My job was to get them started, by preparing a dossier of information about family details, and a suggested list of places to visit including the actual street (not the house, unfortunately, which had been demolished) where Jo's ancestors lived. The dossier also included old street maps, copies of census returns, relevant extracts from local newspapers of the time, information on museums with exhibits on life and work in the mid-19th century, and much more.

Bob and Jo were quite happy to use the dossier themselves, using a hire car to tour the area and find the places I'd suggested they visit. They didn't need me to drive them around in the Rolls, although they did want me to meet them at the airport and deliver them back there at the end of their stay.

After we'd negotiated their exact requirements by exchanging E-Mails I got to work. I spent four days in local record offices and libraries, and I employed a specialist researcher to do the detailed investigation into genealogical records. I then spent a day turning my findings into a detailed report that Bob and Jo could use to guide them on their trip.