Luxury Travel Insider

Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/    Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

Today we’re diving into the world of Auberge Resorts with CEO Craig Reid. Whether you are skiing in Aspen, horseback riding in Costa Rica, or harvesting mushrooms with the chef before dinner - Auberge delivers an experience based kind of luxury that’s hard to find anywhere else. Craig had a long career at some of the most storied brands in luxury travel. In talking to him, you can sense that coming to Auberge was like coming home to what he feels is the heart of hospitality - simple every day pleasures, luxury in the form of thoughtful gestures, and cultivating meaningful experiences for guests.   Craig and I chat about off the beaten path destinations, historical landmarks, Bob Hope, and much more!  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn  

Today we’re diving into the paradox that is the country of Israel. In such a small nation you can be surrounded by tech entrepreneurs, holy men and women from multiple faiths, geopolitical conflict, world class nightlife, and natural wonders like the Dead Sea AND the Mediterranean Sea.  To try to unravel some of this beautiful complexity, we have three guests on our show today. My friend and partner in the region, Yoav Gal - an expert in luxury Israel itineraries; Eyal Riess - a Rabbi in the mystical Jewish tradition of Kabbalah, and Libbi Cohen- an expert in Tel Avivian history, culture, and nightlife.  We discuss everything from Israel’s new cultural revolution, to spiritual experiences in caves, to Bauhaus architecture - and of course hummus!  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn  

Today I’m whisking you away to experience the greenest of countryside, the freshest of salt air, and the purest heart of hospitality. A visit to Ireland will give you all this and much more.  My guest today is Crothúr Murphy, a long time expert not just in tourism to Ireland, but in the history, culture, and soul of its people. Crothúr grew up here and has been showing his country off for nearly 30 years - which if you can imagine, takes a whole pot of passion at the end of the rainbow to do and do well.  Crothúr and I discuss how Irish culture survived through 800 years of English rule, fairies and fairy trees, how to feel like a local, and more.  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/    Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

If you’ve been paying attention to the mental health and wellness space, you know that psychedelics have burst onto the scene in a big way. Major universities like Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Berkeley are studying their effects on PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more.  Many guides and shamans in this space describe the use of psilocybin, MDMA, and other substances together with integrative therapy sessions to be equivalent to years and years of traditional therapy.  And now, these plant medicine journeys are making their mark on luxury wellness travel.  My guests today are Robert Grover and Gary Logan who provide private luxury retreats and create profound experiences for clients.  We discuss their experience with these medicines, their guiding philosophies, and how they orchestrate a comfortable luxury setting. For more accessible information on the science of psychedelics I can also highly recommend the Michael Pollan interview on The Tim Ferris Show.  Last but not least, though the substances discussed on this episode are showing great promise in the clinical studies, they are not legal in the United States and many other countries. Luxury Travel Insider and I are not condoning any illegal activity.  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/    Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn  

My guest today is Tom Rutherford, the Regional Director for three gorgeous Aman hotels in Southeast Asia - Amansara in Cambodia, Amantaka in Laos, and Amanoi in Vietnam.  When you head to this region of the world, especially away from the hustle and bustle of the major cities… time just seems to slow down. Here there is enough time for the Laotian farmer to tend to the animals, the crops, break bread with his neighbors, and honor his family. There’s enough space on the beaches of Vietnam to quiet your mind, and enough grounding history in Cambodia to inspire you to get back to your purpose for being.  Combine this atmosphere with the Aman ethos for wellness, beautiful architecture, and some of the best service in the world and you’ll understand why guests come back to these gems over and over.  Tom and I chat about all of this, plus why now is a phenomenal time to be visiting Southeast Asia.  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/    Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

We’re talking about travel insurance and other forms of travel protection. I can’t tell you how many myths abound about this aspect of travel - from thoughts that claims don’t get paid anyway, to not fully understanding why it’s so important.  We insure our cars, our watches, our dog’s vet bills - and even though luxury travelers are spending MUCH more on their trips than on these items… they don’t all insure.  Over the past two years in my business I can’t tell you how valuable having travel insurance has been for our clients in the know.  So today I’m welcoming Shannon Lofdahl and Ross Thompson, respective CEOs of Travelex and Covac Global. We did our best to illustrate this topic through some interesting stories and historical context.  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

Today we find ourselves on “The Ice” deep in the heart of Antarctica. And I mean the interior of Antarctica, land of majestic mountains, the Emperor Penguin, and the magnetic south pole.  Though you once had to go on months long expeditions to reach these destinations, you can now fly five hours on a Gulfstream from Cape Town and experience all the Great White has to offer from the comfort of a luxury camp.  Our guest today is Patrick Woodhead - founder and CEO of White Desert, the logistics and hospitality company that can make all this happen. But Patrick’s vision for White Desert comes from his years of being a true explorer, visiting some of the most remote places on the planet.  We chat about what it takes to be an explorer, how all of us can infuse that spirit into our daily lives, some of Patrick’s craziest experiences, the Antarctic experience, and baby Emperor Penguins. Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

Today we’re chatting with Bob Lepisto, President of Sea Dream Yacht Club. SeaDream owns two mega yachts, each with about 50 cabins. The biggest no no when talking about SeaDream is to call it a cruise!  Bob has been with the company for 20 years so we get to chat about the history of the cruise industry and how with SeaDream they wanted to start something different. Something where you wouldn’t have to organize your own yacht and all the work that goes along with that, but where you’d still get the yachting experience.  SeaDream sails around the Caribbean and Mediterranean and gets you access to gorgeous spots that you couldn’t otherwise see on a cruise ship. The company is famous for its super friendly crew and world class cuisine as well.  Bob and I talk about some of his favorite destinations, parties in the mid-Atlantic, and a few insider tidbits as well.  Looking to book a luxury hotel? Get special perks and support the podcast by booking here: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/sarahgroen/travel/luxury-hotels If you want our expert guidance and help planning a luxury trip with experiences you can't find online, tell us more here and we'll reach out: https://bellandblytravel.com/book-a-trip/  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn