Experiential and Educational Travel - Joseph Diaz - Episode # 016

When it comes to life changing events, there is nothing quite like travel. Joseph Diaz is the co-founder of AFAR Media, and he has taken it upon himself to use travel as a way to enrich the lives of the younger generation that doesn’t have the same opportunities. There’s a lot to be said about going to a completely new place and truly immersing yourself in the culture, and seeing what you can do to contribute to the community.  Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways: 

• The hospitality world has been flipped upside down. In 2019 it was very guest centric, but today it is a two way street. It is a concept that embraces the idea of mutual benefit, and what the guest can bring to the community.
• A form of hospitality where you put the guest on a pedestal is limiting and creates a fear of messing up. But what the guest truly craves is connection to the place they are visiting.
• Travel is the best form of education. Getting young people to travel and explore the world will provide them opportunities they might not have ever had and can change their world.
• You need to create a message to attract people to come visit your town or location not just during tourist season, but at all times of the year.
• How do we continue to stay open to new experiences? The good, the bad, the ugly? We have natural tendencies to run away from things we don’t like, but those experiences are just as important.
• The generation coming up is more in tune with their values and more open to travel and exploring other communities.

Quote of the Show:

1:34 “A 2019 definition of hospitality would be one that is extremely guest centric, where it's focused on the desk, doing everything to make the guests feel welcome, feel at home. You know, there's tons of  definitions that are similar to that in our world. And the way that we're thinking about things today, hospitality for us is a two-way street.

It is a concept that really embraces the idea of mutual benefit and what the guests can also contribute to the equation. You know, I think JFK, his famous ‘ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ Similarly ask, ‘not what your travels can do for you; ask what your travels can do for the communities where you're traveling and the planet in which we are living.’”

 Links: 

• Joseph’s Profile: https://linkedin.com/in/josephdiaz
• Company website: www.afar.com
• Twitter: @JoeDiazAFAR

Shout Outs: 

0:26 Independent Lodging Congress

5:09 White Lotus

9:01 “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

9:45 Laura Redmond

9:49 Ben Pundole 

13:42 Teach for America

14:13 Rosa Linda Elementary School in South Phoenix, AZ

16:10 JFK 

16:16 Peace Corps

26:08 Reykjavik

26:09 Venice

30:20 Asheville, North Carolina

31:45 Vanuatu

36:51: Airbnb

1;04:44 Amika Moran

1;07:08 Staples

 Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Podbean:  https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/Bl5TRqnVWiw