Newsletter – October 2024

Around the world and back 🛫

Hello from US soil!

The picture you see above is the exact route I’ve taken over the last two years. I know it’s a bit hard to read since I condensed 2/3 of the world into a single photo, so I’ll break it down for you—

From Oct 2022 – Dec 2023 I visited and/or lived in: 

• Morocco (rang in the New Year in Marrakech)
• Spain (Barcelona + Canary Islands: Gran Canaria & Lanzarote)
• Egypt (3 months)
• UK
• Georgia; The Republic of (4 months)
• UAE
• India

Jan 2024 until Oct 2024, I visited and/or lived in: 

• India (we rang in the New Year in Goa, spending 4.5 months total) 
• Sri Lanka (2 months)
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Cambodia
• Hong Kong
• China
• Nepal (2 months)
• Finland
• Sweden
• Estonia
• UK
• USA!

2022 was an amazing year for me when I finally reached South America, but I can’t deny that 2023 and 2024 (so far) have been more on-par with my dream to truly travel the world. These two years between time “at home” have brought me more lessons and knowledge than I could have ever asked for when I stepped out on this journey 4.5 years ago. 

Now that I’ve officially gone all the way around the world and back, I’m in the USA for three months soaking up time with my family and friends all around the country before the next big adventure, and believe me— it’s going to be big. 

Before I get to that (find out below), this month’s newsletter has less to do with my big adventures and much more to do with yours. 

How so? Well, let’s dive in… 

You may have noticed that all my newsletters start with the FORA logo. If you haven’t been a long-term client of mine or somehow missed my announcement last year, Fora Travel is my travel agency’s host agency.

“Your what?”, you may be asking.. 

To put it simply, they are a game-changing travel agency with a network of the best travel partners in the industry. They hand-selected me to be a good fit for their community and I pay them for access to their network and incredible technology.

So what does that mean for you?

Well, a lot of things. Working with me means you not only gain access to the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 4.5 years of traveling full-time, but you also gain access to quite literally the best travel industry network in modern times.

I’ve been with Fora for about 15 months now and I’ve been trying to tell people how bada** this agency is. This last week I popped up to New York City for a 3-day conference held by Fora and boy did they prove it.

Fora is technically a start-up company with a power trio running the game— a tech whiz, a Condé Nast award winning NYC Travel Agent, and a multi-faceted CEO. 

You won’t find better value when booking your travels with anybody else.
 

Can’t I just plan my travel using AI?

During the Fora conference last week, Matthew Upchurch, the CEO of Virtuoso, gave a wonderful keynote speech about the travel industry in the age of AI. His key take-aways were:

• Anybody can plan their own travel, but why would they want to when they still have to sift through endless amounts of unpersonalized noise?
• We should use AI to automate the predictable so we can humanize the exceptional.
• We are in the “how did you make me feel” business. AI can’t go above and beyond to enhance your trip, only travel agents can.

AI is a fantastic tool that we have access to in this day and age, but that’s just it: a tool. 

The value of a travel advisor is not just to know the top 10 things to do in your destination of choice.

We’re the people who know how to put together that perfect family vacation you’ve been planning to go on for years, that’s fully customized to your aunt’s gluten-free diet and your kid’s dairy allergy. We know which hotel has the connecting rooms and which charges extra for the roll-in bed.  

We’re the people who know how to book you a sightseeing expedition around India when you want ashrams booked but also want to take a cooking class in Udaipur and see the tigers in Bandipur. 

We’re the people who have already spent hours and hours and hours researching and connecting with (and visiting) the best hotels in Sri Lanka, the best cruise operator in Ha Long Bay, the best museum in Mexico City. 

The travel industry is an ever-evolving game. Once, we were in dusty offices and your only option for booking a cruise or Disney Land. Now we’re world-travelers and tech-advanced research junkies who know how to make your precious free time exceptional. 

And in a world of automation and convenience, we’re the humans who have your back when the airline cancels your flight or when the hotel misplaces your reservation (which wouldn’t even happen anyway when using an advisor). 

Okay, that sounds pretty nice. How can I work with you? How much do you cost?

This might be redundant for many of you who have worked with me already, but if you haven’t— or if it’s been a while— here’s some info about working with me:

🏨 If you already have a destination in mind and even picked out your hotel(s)— nice work! I can book that for you for no cost. What’s the point? I can add special industry perks like free breakfast, free upgrades, free late check-out, a welcome bottle of wine, etc. Never hurts to check! Plus, if anything on your trip goes awry, I’m there to help!

Need help choosing a hotel? I charge $70 for three options, booking is included! Need help choosing a location for your trip? I charge $100 for three options. 

VIP itineraries that include ground transfers, accommodation, activities & tours, food reservations, and concierge services cost $60/day of the trip with discounts starting at 10 days! That includes my 24/7 support during your trip and the itinerary easily accessible in a smartphone app (so you never have to search through your emails for important docs or info). 

🛫 If you just need help picking the best flights for your trip, I charge $50 one-way and $75 round-trip to research and book your flights for you. 

📇 Planning a corporate retreat? Have I got you covered! All-inclusive group trips have been one of the most requested. Prices vary on the specs. 

🗺️ Thinking about a sabbatical or a Round-the-World trip? I have an amazing coaching program which includes handling all your travel logistics (yeah, for the whole trip) for just $1,500/month.

Planning something else? Let me know. 

All you have to do is reply to this email with your ideal trip plans. I have a small waitlist but I’m getting through it quickly. Christmas/festive travel will be prioritized but you have to get me the deets asap!

I’m only here for your travel updates… Where are you going next??

Since it’s been two years since I’ve been home, I have a lot of friends and family to catch up with. So I’m bopping around a whole bunch of US states until Christmas. 

After that… WE’RE GOING TO AFRICA. 

For the next year to two years, my partner and I are planning to see as many countries as we can manage. That doesn’t mean we’ll see them all, we work full-time after all! But we’re planning 1 ~ 3 month stints in each country we visit. Kenya is up first!

I truly can’t wait to get to know how each country differs. Thrilled to meet the people and get closer to our human roots. And of course, I’m ready to be amazed by all the animals and birds we encounter.

I’ve already been working on some safaris for 2025 and soon I’ll be even more knowledgable. Be sure to put me down as your go-to safari provider!