Escape Plan
How to design the perfect modern travel itinerary. By Andrea Black.
When looking into the future of travel, the 2024 Virtuoso Luxe Report found that travellers are increasingly venturing farther afield, demonstrating a strong sense of adventure. We’re looking for experiential encounters in far-flung destinations, from dining in the home of a chef in Abruzzo, Italy, to learning to distil mezcal in Oaxaca, Mexico, to undertaking an expedition cruise, led by naturalists, to the Galápagos Islands or the Arctic Circle.
Anyone who has attempted to design their own ideal holiday along these lines will know it takes an enormous amount of time and effort — and some guesswork — to fit all the pieces together. It’s wise to seek expert advice from those who have trodden these paths before. They can offer in-the-know tips and access to a well-edited portfolio of the best brands in the business. Plus, they will be aware of the upcoming trends in travel and how to navigate them. Here’s an insight into what experts look for when crafting the perfect itinerary.
True Immersion
The founder of luxury travel group Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), Geoffrey Kent, has a favourite saying: “Planning travel is like writing a book, with each trip being a different chapter.” One person who helps write those chapters is Ann-Marie Chapman, the company’s head of customer sales and services in Australia. When working on the small, tailored group tours that A&K is known for, she says the first objective is to understand where, when and how their discerning guests want to travel. “From an itinerary design perspective, we pride ourselves on showing guests a different ‘view’ of a destination,” Chapman says. “We focus on including special moments and experiences in the itinerary that make it unique, such as behind-the-scenes or out-of-hours visits to sites.”
On A&K’s Taj Mahal and the Treasures of India small group itinerary, for example, guests not only visit the architectural marvel and stay in royal palaces-turned-luxury hotels, they are also afforded an opportunity to witness a holy rite beside the Ganges and to set out on private safaris in Panna National Park, home to the elusive Bengal tiger. Gourmet adventures are also a priority. “Our guests love special dining experiences, so we include the likes of chef’s table experiences and cooking classes to really get a flavour of the destination,” Chapman says.
Of their tailor-made travel plans, Chapman says a lot of time is spent in the “discovery phase” of client consultations to ensure that each itinerary is the right fit. “We provide this brief to our on-ground teams to ensure that they then match the right guide to accompany the guests,” she says.
Chapman says the travellers she works with are focused on true immersion in a destination — not “ticking it off” — with much emerging interest in places such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Namibia and Sri Lanka. “We’re seeing increasingly active itineraries and a focus on getting involved in our A&K Philanthropy projects as part of the journey,” she says.
The Art of Planning
Thinking ahead is essential when designing a luxury cruise itinerary — which might include anything from an expedition journey to an ocean voyage — after all, there are many stakeholders involved, from port authorities to local produce suppliers.
“Our planning cycle generally starts two-and-a-half to three years before the itinerary is scheduled to operate,” says Justin Poulsen, the vice-president of itinerary planning and destination development at luxury tour operator Silversea Cruises. The company offers all-inclusive experiences that span everything from immersive shore excursions to onboard butler services. Its itineraries include options across all seven continents, with highlight journeys through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Galápagos and both Polar regions. “Itinerary planning is both an art and a science — we try to balance a data-inspired approach with our deep understanding of experiential travel, all of which is underpinned by our mission to unlock deeper experiences in luxury,” Poulsen says.
When designing an itinerary, Poulsen says, “essentially, we are linking the most compelling experiences into a comprehensive destination story, and weaving it all together ... We are constantly learning and developing our destination knowledge so that we can continually improve itineraries and pay attention to travel trends.”
Offering travellers a chance to connect with local cuisine is one such trend, with a recent example being Silversea’s exclusive overland experience for guests aboard the Silver Shadow vessel, which docked in Darwin. The evening featured a special dinner, with a menu curated by the renowned Indigenous chef Mark Olive and served at Sails in the Desert resort in Uluru, preceded by an excursion to the artist Bruce Munro’s “Field of Light” installation.
The cruise line conducts research trips before any itinerary is added. “During these visits, we also spend quite a bit of time engaging with communities, developing local partnerships to understand as deeply as possible the profile of the destination,” Poulsen says. “We endeavour to work with local operators who have deep, local roots in the destination to identify the unique experiences we want to provide for our guests.”
Super-Personalised Experiences
When Yvonne Verstandig is preparing a bespoke itinerary for clients, understanding their needs — down to the smallest detail — is key, as is experience on the ground.
“When we understand the destination firsthand — the place, the people, the lay of the land — we are able to direct our clients properly and design the ultimate itinerary for them,” she says.
Verstandig is the director of Melbourne-based agency Y Travel, which is a member of the exclusive Virtuoso luxury travel network. “Our knowledge is constantly extended,” she says. As we speak, Verstandig is attending a South American trade show in Argentina. “Tapping into our Virtuoso network of local operators, who are located in that country and who specialise in that destination, is priceless,” she says.
Verstandig believes that discovering a destination properly means meeting its people and understanding and respecting the local culture, which is why her itineraries facilitate this through a range of dynamic activities. “Our clients, both the older and the younger affluent clients, yearn for unique experiences,” she says. “They want super-personalised experiences that resonate with them.”
Getting the details right is vital. “The accommodation must be perfectly suited to each individual client, from the double-sink vanity to blackout blinds to a pool — even in a city hotel — for the client who needs to swim every day,” she says. “For some, it will be about the meet-and-greet and fast-track services to expedite the long queues on arrival and transfers throughout.”
And Verstandig is embracing artificial intelligence in the planning stages, knowing it can serve as a useful tool.
“AI output is only as good as the human input; being as clear with as much detail as possible helps with the successful use of AI in our travel business,” she says. “Naturally, AI can’t add in that human emotion, which is one of the key ingredients for creating meaningful journeys for our clients. However, by combining the efficiencies of AI with the human touch, success is bound to happen.”
This is an extract from an article that appears in print in our twelfth edition, Page 140 of Winning Magazine with the headline: “Escape Plan”. Subscribe to Winning Magazine today.
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