The Magic Behind Extraordinary Travel Experiences

The best trips pair an advisor who knows you with a local expert who knows the destination.

Imagine celebrating your 30th wedding anniversary with a private dinner on a set of steps in Santorini that the general public cannot access, with the sun setting over the Aegean Sea as your backdrop.

Or picture a family exploring Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, not to spend a week at an all-inclusive resort, but to connect with the country's culture through unique experiences and stays at boutique properties.

Maybe you are a couple with a shared love of antique shopping, dreaming of wandering the streets of Rome in search of treasures you would never find on your own. Or a family whose fascination with elephants inspires an entire trip to Thailand, built around meaningful opportunities to learn about and experience these incredible animals.

Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán and a longtail boat in Thailand: two very different trips with one thing in common.

These are the kinds of experiences that make travel personal. They are also the kinds of experiences that explain why we do not plan trips alone.

The Secret Behind the Magic

As travel advisors, we get to know our clients. We learn what excites them, what matters to them, how they like to travel, and what will make a trip truly memorable for their family or travel companions.

But knowing our clients is only half of the equation.

Behind many of the trips we create are Destination Management Companies, or DMCs. These are destination experts who live and breathe the places where they work. They know the people, the culture, the hidden corners, and the experiences that might never show up in an online search. They have relationships and local connections that help us create something far beyond a collection of hotel reservations and tours.

Most DMCs work behind the scenes with travel advisors rather than directly with the public. Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) is one of the exceptions, and I had the pleasure of having lunch with my A&K representative last week.

I have been asked before, “What is the point of using you for an A&K trip when I can book directly with them?”

It is a fair question.

First, I know the questions to ask. Having traveled extensively myself, I bring firsthand perspective to the planning process. I understand what it is like to visit a destination as a traveler, not just how it looks on paper. I can help you think through the details, ask the right questions, and shape an itinerary around what matters most to you.

Second, there is a difference in how we work with A&K. When you book directly with them, you generally work with their central team. As travel advisors, we can work directly with the individual A&K destination management company in each country. This means our pricing comes straight from the local team and not the central office.

Third, you benefit from the collaboration between our agency and the local DMC. I bring firsthand experience from visiting many of the destinations we plan, along with a deep understanding of your travel style and interests. The DMC brings its in-depth local knowledge, relationships, and expertise. By working together, we can create a trip that combines what I know about you with what they know about the destination.

When Personal Experience Meets Local Expertise

Consider a family traveling to Thailand with a fascination for elephants. Our own family visited an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, and I shared the experience on the blog. That post is actually how these clients found us!

You can read about our own experience here: Our Thailand Elephant Resort Experience With Kids.

Bath time at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

When it came time to plan their trip, we combined our firsthand experience in Thailand with the expertise of A&K's destination team on the ground. The result was a trip built around something this family genuinely cared about, with the benefit of both personal insight and local expertise.

Sometimes, a personal travel experience becomes the inspiration for someone else's adventure. And when we combine that firsthand perspective with the right destination partners, we can take an idea and turn it into something truly special.

That same approach applies whether we are arranging a private anniversary dinner overlooking a Santorini sunset, helping a family connect with Mexican culture beyond the resorts, or working with a local expert who knows the antique shops and hidden corners of Rome.

Wandering the streets of Rome in search of treasures you would never find on your own.

Could we research a destination, piece together an itinerary, and book the individual components ourselves? Of course. But would that trip necessarily deliver the same depth of local knowledge, access, and personalization? Not necessarily. And with enough time and research, you could do much of that yourself, too.

I know my clients. Our DMC partners know their destinations. And together, we create the kind of travel experiences that keep our clients coming back.

You Bring the Dream. We Help Make It Happen.

The most memorable trips are rarely about simply checking destinations off a list. They are about the experiences that bring a place to life, the details that make a celebration personal, and the discoveries that stay with you long after you return home.

Sometimes that means a private anniversary dinner overlooking a Santorini sunset. Sometimes it means discovering a side of Mexico that goes well beyond the beach. It might mean finding an extraordinary antique shop in Rome or creating a family adventure around a lifelong fascination with elephants.

A quiet courtyard pool: the kind of boutique stay that shows a different side of Mexico.

Those experiences begin with understanding what matters to you and partnering with the people who know how to bring it to life.

At Explore More Travel Co., we combine our firsthand travel experiences and knowledge of our clients with trusted destination experts to create personalized itineraries, connect you with vetted hotels and local experiences, and open doors you might not find on your own.

If you are ready to elevate your travel experience and explore beyond the expected, we would love to help you plan your next adventure.