In a world where we can push a button and let an AI chatbot draft a travel itinerary or be bombarded with trending travel suggestions from social media, the travel industry has started to feel a little less personal. The modern traveler often wants a more authentic experience, regardless of the destination or type of trip they take. In other words, we crave that personal touch when we plan a trip, ensuring that our travels feel meaningful and unique to us. In this article, we’ll be exploring how a personalized travel itinerary, drafted with help from seasoned travel professionals, can help people achieve this dream of meaningful travel.
Travel agents and planners need to be able to “walk the walk” to build trust with the travelers they help. You wouldn’t take the word of someone who didn’t know what they were talking about. Travel agents who love to travel can build and demonstrate credibility in their field so you can trust their expertise. For me, my journey started with one transformative experience when I had the opportunity to live in France for a whole year.
During that year in France, I had the chance to explore and adventure various towns in France and many nearby countries at a steady pace. I not only worked to learn the language and immerse myself in local culture, but I was also able to create a personal connection with all the small, vibrant towns throughout the French countryside. I worked hard to immerse myself in the local culture, showing the people of those towns that I was there to learn and participate in what made them special. Because of that, they accepted me warmly and I was able to build a sense of home, as well as my own confidence as a young woman traveling the world.
The main key to generating a personalized travel experience is to get personal. We need a nuanced understanding of our needs. Ask yourself first, “What do I want to get out of this?”
For example, honeymooners will have different needs than first-time solo travelers.
The planner can much more easily assess your preferences, expectations, and dreams to build your itineraries if you have an idea of what you want. Just like in any type of relationship, there needs to be open communication. When working with a travel agent or planner, their ability to create balanced, structured activities hinges on detailed consultation. This simple balance guarantees that travelers can enjoy their surroundings at their own pace, gain insight into less traveled paths and hidden gems, and create memories that last forever.
For travelers who may not have an exact idea of what they want, the planner can offer recommendations based on their own experiences. Especially for specific regions, the planner can build custom recommendations to meet the traveler’s needs and wants without any of the stress or laborious research on the traveler’s part.
Travelers opting to use a customized travel plan have a better chance to escape tourist traps. AI-generated itineraries and trending destinations often offer a more generic experience, adding to over-tourism. You potentially miss out on a lot, losing out on opportunities to immerse in the local culture, support the local economy, and receive better deals too. Planners can leverage their own knowledge to help stretch a travel budget and give you an insider look into how the locals live their lives.
Additionally, having a support system and a flexible plan in place helps greatly minimize any stress that comes with taking a trip. There’s no need to plan on the go so travelers can enjoy the moment without having to worry about what comes next.
While the travel industry is booming, some common, outdated misconceptions surround travel agents specifically. Misconceptions about high costs, inflexibility, or generic experiences often put travelers off. Poor travel agents or those who lack credibility have helped perpetuate these misconceptions. Travel planners who have a genuine desire to help others travel and experience the world work hard to provide value and flexibility, working within your travel budget, to balance luxury, pace, and interest.
As the travel industry evolves and continues to be more and more accessible, more meaningful travel will become more important. Travelers are seeking more adventure and they want their travel to be socially conscious, positively impactful, and immersive.
Travelers will want their trips to be more off the beaten path, wishing to avoid more touristy places in favor of exploring unique places that set them apart from the influencers on social media. More socially conscious travelers will want to avoid contributing to gentrification and over-tourism, favoring lesser-known destinations where they can get more bang for their buck.
Travelers looking to stay abroad for longer periods of time will want to explore new cultures that pique their interests and align with their lifestyles and goals, especially if they’re looking for a potential new home base.
To manage all these future trends and expectations, personalized travel planning will be in higher and higher demand.
At the end of the day, we want our travel and our experiences to mean something to us. There is nothing worse than putting in the effort only to feel like you missed the mark or that our trip didn’t live up to its own potential. We can eliminate that feeling with the help of a professional travel planner. The French word “Flâneur” doesn’t have a direct English translation, the closest being to wander leisurely. Working with a travel planner, travelers can wander and explore freely while at the same time knowing that they are supported and are not wandering aimlessly. They can strike a true balance between structure and adventure, allowing them the custom travel they want without the stress, anxiety, and fear that they might have made a mistake.
Riya is a travel contributor for The Remote Traveler and the founder of Flâneur Travels, a fully custom travel planning service that helps clients and travelers plan the perfect, unique travel experience every time.