Travel Trends with Dan Christian

• Uncharted Worlds: Perspective-Shifting Journeys with Crooked Compass

  Send us a textCuriosity changes everything. That’s the thread running through our conversation with Crooked Compass founder and CEO Lisa Pagotto, whose frontier-travel philosophy favors depth over dazzle and local impact over checklists. In this second episode of our Emerging Multi-Day Tour Operators series, we explore how she designs perspective-shifting journeys in safe yet overlooked destinations — from Papua New Guinea’s highland festivals and WWII relics to Mongolia’s sweeping steppe — and why honesty about difficulty, logistics, and culture leads to more meaningful travel.Lisa reveals the craft behind the brand: small-group tours capped at 12, a post-pandemic rise in private touring, and a rigorous duty of care that comes before any itinerary is built. For her, sustainability isn’t about box-ticking — it’s about keeping money in local communities and creating genuine cultural exchange. We also look at who’s booking these trips: often 55-plus, well-traveled, with a growing solo-female segment seeking connection, storytelling, and transformation.We chart what’s next in frontier travel — from the Balkans and the Silk Road’s five Stans to North Africa’s unsung gems like Tunisia and Algeria. Lisa also shares how she evaluates post-conflict destinations such as Iraq or Syria through careful risk frameworks, and why transparent pre-trip education turns hesitation into confidence. Along the way, a remarkable field story from North Korea challenges perceptions and captures the true spirit of perspective-shifting travel.Come for the inspiration, stay for the playbook — how to spot emerging destinations, build local partnerships, and choose journeys that make a difference. Learn more at crooked-compass.com.👉 Listen to Uncharted Worlds: Perspective-Shifting Journeys with Crooked Compass 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/

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• Girl Gone Global: Building a Bold New Kind of Travel Brand with A Dose of 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/

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• The Impact of AI on Destination Marketing featuring Discover Puerto Rico

  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/

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• The Impact of AI on Destination Marketing featuring Visit California

  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/

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• Leading the Future of Educational Travel & More with EF World Journeys

  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/

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