Travel Trends with Dan Christian

In this engaging discussion, Lisa Pagotto, founder and CEO of Crooked Compass, shares her passion for frontier travel, emphasizing authentic cultural experiences over typical tourist routes. She reveals how her small-group tours take travelers to unique destinations like Papua New Guinea and Mongolia while ensuring local communities benefit. Lisa discusses the shift towards private tours post-pandemic and highlights the growing number of solo female travelers seeking transformative journeys. Her insights on sustainability and safety in post-conflict areas offer a fresh perspective on responsible travel.

Send us a textWe’re kicking off our new Emerging Multi-Day Operators series - spotlighting how a new wave of founders is reinventing group travel for modern explorers. The multi-day category is poised for growth in the next 5-10 years an impressive average of 20–30% annually, driven by travelers seeking deeper connection, curated itineraries, and shared experiences.In this episode, we meet Dr. Nabila Ismail, pharmacist turned founder and creator of A Dose of Travel, who turned her solo travel storytelling into a thriving small-group brand that celebrates belonging for South Asian travelers while welcoming all who share that spirit of curiosity and connection.Nabila shares how her first “MVP” trip to Bali sold out without even a website, and how scaling meant moving from spreadsheets to modern systems, partnering locally, and building SOPs that protect traveler experience. We unpack how A Dose of Travel differentiates through community rituals, women-only and singles formats, immersive local partnerships, and value-forward stays that prioritize culture over flash.We also explore how distribution is evolving beyond social—through tourism board collaborations, co-branding, and the growing role of travel advisors as travelers crave human guidance in a digital world. As multi-day travel continues to surge, A Dose of Travel shows how small, tech-enabled brands can punch above their weight - staying human, connected, and true to their mission. For more information on A Dose of Travel, please visit doseoftravel.co/.👉 Listen to Girl Gone Global: Building a Bold New Kind of Travel Brand Now🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textIn the third and final episode of our Mindtrip mini-series, we sit down with Discover Puerto Rico’s CMO, Storm Tussey to see how AI is reshaping trip planning - making it easier, smarter, and more personal while keeping culture and community at the heart of the journey.Our conversation explores how the destination uses AI to turn inspiration into real itineraries - helping travelers move from “where should I go?” to “here’s my perfect trip.” From safety questions to salsa lessons, from coffee haciendas to eco-adventures, we unpack a practical framework for personalization that respects the island’s identity and lifts up small, local businesses.Then, Mindtrip’s CMO, Michelle Denogean joins to share what they’re seeing across destinations: how conversational trip planning surfaces hidden gems, why human storytelling still matters, and how AI-driven insights are helping DMOs refine content, fill information gaps, and connect more deeply with travelers.If you’re rethinking how to market destinations in the age of AI—or simply want to see what smarter, more human-centered trip planning looks like - this episode offers both inspiration and actionable ideas for the road ahead.We hope you enjoyed this series! For more information, please visit Mindtrip.Don't forget to oin us at our AI Summit next week for a panel discussion “How DMOs Are Being Transformed By AI,” hosted by Matthew Gardner from Travel Massive London. If you’re listening after October 28–29, watch on our YouTube channel: Travel Trends Podcast.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textIn this second episode - part of a 3-part mini-series with Mindtrip exploring how AI is transforming destination marketing - we sit down with Lynn Carpenter, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Visit California, to unpack how a how a $157.3B tourism economy is being reimagined through AI, data, and human storytelling. Lynn shares why engagement now matters more than traffic, taking us from the dot-com era to today’s AI surge and revealing how her team built an advanced content platform designed for both humans and machines. Think California industry led RAG architecture, a massive digital content library, and editorial processes that add what the web can’t know yet: local nuance, future packages, and timely insights.The results are eye-opening. Visit California’s new road trip hub offered three planning paths - quiz, human-curated, and AI-assisted - and the AI option has now surpassed curated links in click-throughs. Visitors entering via AI spend an average of nine minutes on site, a strong signal of intent for a property designed to hand off to California travel partners for booking. Lynn breaks down how international offices inform market strategy, how multilingual search became a hidden growth lever, and how her team draws a direct line from owned content to more than a billion dollars in incremental tourism impact. For more information, please visit industry.visitcalifornia.com.Join us next week for the final episode in this mini-series, featuring Discover Puerto Rico CMO Storm Tussey and Mindtrip CMO Michelle Denogean, as we explore what’s next for destination marketing in the age of AI.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textPurposeful travel is having a moment—and we’re getting to the heart of what’s driving it. From a windswept opening in Patagonia to an inside look at EF’s new active brand, this "Captains of Industry," conversation with Heidi Durflinger, CEO of EF World Journeys USA, explores how learning, community, and movement are reshaping multi-day travel for every generation.We unpack EF’s expansive global footprint - spanning educational travel, cultural exchange, language schools, and higher-ed pathways - and how EF World Journeys bridges three distinct audiences: Gen Z through EF Ultimate Break, all-ages travelers with EF Go Ahead Tours, and active explorers via EF Adventures. Expect data-backed insights. We explore the rise of AI in trip discovery, the solo-travel boom, and why responsible tourism has shifted from nice-to-have to must-have - 89% of travelers now prioritize sustainability, and over half are willing to pay more for it.If you care about where travel is heading - community-driven, responsibly designed, and joyfully active - you’ll come away with practical ideas and a renewed sense of why we go. For more information on EF World Journeys, please visit efworldjourneys.com.👉 Listen to Leading the Future of Educational Travel & More Now🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textWe're so fascinated on how Destination Marketing is being transformed by AI that we partnered with Mindtrip to bring together this 3-part mini series.  We have an incredible line-up of speakers joining us in advance of our AI Summit to exploring how AI is transforming the way travelers dream, plan, and book their journeys.In our first episode, we sit down with Janette Roush, SVP of Innovation & Chief AI Officer at Brand USA, to talk about how destination marketing is evolving as trip planning moves from search boxes to chat interfaces and AI-generated itineraries.Janette shares how Brand USA is reimagining engagement - from building smarter, more conversational tools that inspire travel to creating frameworks that help DMOs and industry partners use AI responsibly and effectively. We discuss what it means to shift focus from clicks to intent, how automation can free teams to focus on creativity, and why data quality matters more than ever.Janette is one of the sharpest minds in this space and is the perfect guest to kick off this series with.  We will have 2 more episodes ready to released each Thursday which will feature Lynn Carpenter, the SVP of Global Marketing for Visit California and Discover Puerto Rico CMO Storm Tussey. We will also be joined by Mindtrip's CMO Michelle Denogean in our final episode to talk about where this technology is heading.   We hope you really enjoy this series. Don't forget to register to join our AI Summit to listen to these leaders directly.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textA misbooked flight, a lost day in Beijing, and a spark that reshaped how millions discover what to do when they land. In this Captains of Industry episode, we sit down with Tao Tao, Co-Founder and COO of GetYourGuide, to unpack what it really takes to build a global marketplace for experiences—from cold-calling suppliers before the website even existed to mastering SEO when organic growth still compounded, and designing a company around work, not titles or ego.Tao explains why execution - not a single “big idea” - wins in travel. We explore how GetYourGuide scaled city by city, managed operator tensions with radical clarity, and made UX choices - like 24-hour cancellation - that boost conversion without breaking trust. He shares lessons on timing, luck, and how culture - anchored in curiosity, high standards, and follow-through - turns principles into performance.Looking ahead, Asia is roaring back, with Japan leading both demand and creative supply. Learning-led experiences - from cooking classes to knife-making workshops are surging as travelers seek skill and story over stuff. As GetYourGuide expands into multi-day trips, shows, and events, Tao envisions owning more of the traveler’s journey from “What should we do tonight?” to “How do we make this trip unforgettable?” He even welcomes Airbnb’s return to experiences, noting that a rising tide of awareness lifts every boat.If you care about the future of travel, marketplaces, or simply making great things easier to find, this conversation delivers sharp insights and practical takeaways. For more information on GetYourGuide, please visit getyourguide.com.👉 Listen to Inside GetYourGuide's Journey Now🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textTickets are booked, slides are brewing, and Seville is calling. The Tourism Innovation Summit is a three-day, five-stage gathering where tech, innovation, and sustainability meet the real reasons we travel: culture, connection, and stories that last.In this event preview episode, we sit down with Congress Director Brigitte Hidalgo to unpack how TIS scaled to 8,000+ attendees and 400 speakers while staying sharp and useful. Expect candid sessions on AI that go beyond buzzwords, insights on “travel tribes” from group adventures to city-scale experiences, and case studies on influencer campaigns, cultural stewardship, and designing authentic moments that resonate.If you’re weighing where to spend conference time, here’s the upside: affordable passes, a walkable city, engineered networking, and a lineup that spans Microsoft and Amadeus to bold AI startups. Can’t make it? Sessions are recorded and translated for replay back home.Bottom line: the future belongs to organizations that blend smart tech with human-centered travel. Join us in Seville, Oct 22–24 → tisglobalsummit.com.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Shaon Talukder, founder and CEO of GeoTourist and a key innovator in immersive travel experiences, shares his journey from pharmacy to travel tech. He unveils how GeoTourist transforms storytelling in tourism through community-driven tours and cutting-edge AR holograms. The discussion also touches on the importance of human voices in storytelling, the future of AI in travel with real-time translation and personalized recommendations, and the exciting trends shaping the travel industry. It's a must-listen for those intrigued by the evolution of travel experiences!

Laurel Greatrix, VP of Marketing at Viator and a travel industry veteran, shares insights into transforming travel experiences. She discusses the impact of Viator's acquisition by TripAdvisor, which sparked a remarkable 200% growth post-pandemic. Laurel highlights the enduring popularity of offline bookings and trends like food tours and outdoor adventures. She explores AI's role in enhancing the traveler journey and emphasizes India's potential as a booming market. Expect a fascinating glimpse into how technology is revolutionizing travel!