The Insider Travel Report Podcast

Adrianne Calvo, special guest celebrity chef at Salterra, the brilliant year-old resort in South Caicos, talks with Amy Tate of Insider Travel Report about the food she prepared for guests during her mini residency at the resort. It’s all part of a Salterra program to host guests chefs that provide great culinary experiences for clients. For more information, visit www.salterra.com .  All our Insi...

Renata Saramago, hotel manager for MS Roald Amundsen, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how the ship accommodates and feeds guests on an Alaska expedition cruise. With spacious suites, a dedicated suite restaurant and two other dining options for guests, Roald Amundsen has all the comforts of home and much more, making for a great Alaska cruise experience. For more inform...

Adrian Rubio, expedition leader on HX Expeditions’ MS Roald Amundsen, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report on the ship’s cruise to Alaska, featuring unique ports of call and amazing scenery throughout. Rubio describes how HX delivers a very different kind of Alaska cruise, combining incredible scenery, wildlife viewing and interaction with locals. For more information, visit www.t...

John Hazzard, managing director of Salterra, talks with Amy Tate of Insider Travel Report about his one-year-old luxury resort on remote South Caicos Island in the Turks and Caicos. Designed for families, couples and singles, the property, named for the nearby salt flats, features a great beach, a private island, lots of activities and excursions, an amazing spa, special culinary programs, and ver...

Bram Olaf van Spriel, captain of the MS Roald Amundsen talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report on an expedition cruise to Alaska last month. Captain van Spriel tells us about the features of this still-new vessel, powered by a hybrid propulsion system, and why it is a popular option for guests seeking comfort along with the thrills of discovery. For more information, visit www.travel...

James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report goes to the tip of Manhattan in Battery Park to watch the Sail4th America 250 tall ship parade and aerial review on a hot day on Pier A. It was a spectacular event that won’t be repeated anytime soon. For more information on the ships and aircraft participating, visit www.sail4th.org .  If you wish to see this video, please go to our  Youtube channel  (yo...

Josh Stevens, senior vice president of strategy and growth for Global Travel Collection, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s GTC ARRIVE conference in Austin, Texas. Stevens says GTC is seeing incredible growth in average daily rate across all GTC hotel bookings, with sales up nearly 10 percent in the luxury corporate, luxury leisure and entertainment segments. Dem...

Katie Williams, chief operating officer and co-founder of Tern, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how her company has become so successful in just three years, with its products and services adopted by many of the big agency consortia and host agencies. Tern is an all-in-one, cloud-based software platform built specifically for travel advisors and travel agencies that is...

Simon Brooks, senior vice president-advisor success for Global Travel Collection (GTC), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s GTC ARRIVE conference in Austin, Texas, about his role with the luxury host agency. Brooks oversees the relationship GTC’s 1,500 independent contractors have with host, helping them work with preferred suppliers and sell more travel. Essentia...

Ragan Stone, senior vice president of In the Know Experiences, part of the Global Travel Collection (GTC), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report, at GTC’s ARRIVE conference in Austin, Texas, last month about how her unit fits in with the rest of the GTC luxury host agency. In the Know, which offers bespoke vacation planning, VIP event access (like sold-out concerts and fashion show...

James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report talks with the founders of Toggle Travel, a travel technology platform providing business analytics and reporting for host agencies developed by three University of Michigan computer science graduates—Husain Boxwala, Matthew Wade and Gabriel-Francois Gatete. Toggle Travel was named the winner of the 2026 ASTA Entrepreneurs of the Year at last month’s Trav...

Angie Licea, president of Global Travel Collection (GTC, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s second annual ARRIVE conference in Austin. Licea tells us how GTC has successfully unified all its former agency brands—Protravel International, Tzell Travel and Altour—under GTC, which is now effectively the largest luxury travel host agency in the world. She also tells u...

Nicole Solano, CEO of the Belize Ministry of Tourism, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Caribbean Week in New York, about what’s new in her small Central American country on the Caribbean. Solano gives an update on visitor numbers, new and upcoming hotels, how to get to Belize and tourism infrastructure. Belize continues to be a great destination for diving, sno...

Stephanie Bonham-Carter, co-owner with her husband of Galapagos Safari Camp, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report, about her unique tented safari camp in the Galapagos. While many visit the Galapagos on expedition cruises, Bonham-Carter offers a land-based experience which can be customized to visit multiple islands in the Galapagos archipelago, though Santa Cruz island, where her...

Cyndi Williams, CEO and founder of Wanderlust Campus, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how her wildly successful school for travel advisors. It isn’t cheap, but professional training never is, and Wanderlust Campus graduates and travel suppliers tell us it works. Williams tells us how she began in the travel business and why she started her school for advisors, from newb...

Wesley Lucas, director of communications for Visit Austin, talks with Michaela Guzy of Insider Travel Report about Austin’s major events, including Formula One, Austin City Limits and South by Southwest, as well as music, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, hotels and outdoor experiences. Lucas also discusses Austin’s bat colony, new hotels, the convention center rebuild, and World Cup activity tied...

Guida Bothelo, vice president of The Travel Institute, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about why and how the nonprofit educational group updated the Certified Travel Associate (CTA) course to include some of the key things that advisors sell, namely cruises and all-inclusive resorts. Major updates include expanded cruise education developed with support from Cruise Lines Inte...

Lisa Kauffman, chief marketing officer for Azamara Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about the destination immersion-focused cruise line’s new marketing campaign, which focuses on the benefits of small ship cruising. The campaign launches as demand continues to build for immersive cruising defined by longer time in destinations, access to smaller ports and deeper cultu...

Jim Warren, director-business development USA for Anderson Vacations, talks with James Shillinglaw about this Calgary-based tour operator, which focuses on selling Canada, but also offers the U.S., including Alaska, and South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. With four categories of tours, Anderson can be the right solution for your clients’ vacation needs—and Warren gives us the reaso...

Donovan White, director of tourism for Jamaica, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Caribbean Week in New York about his island’s comeback from Hurricane Melissa last year. With rebuilt tourism infrastructure, newly refurbished hotels and even more resorts on the way, Jamaica is well on the way to complete recovery, as tourism numbers continue to climb. For more i...

Gary Rutty, minister of tourism for the Cayman Islands, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about the destination’s “vaCay” campaign, more airlift from the U.S., record visitor arrivals, cruise tourism, island culture and the differences among Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Rutty details the new hotels in the islands and more resources available for travel advisors. For mor...

Van Heerden, general manager of Leopard Sands Kruger Park, talks with Jeanie Fang of Insider Travel Report at this South Africa lodge about its 18 suites with private plunge pools, views of the Sabi River and Kruger National Park, and customized experiences for honeymooners, anniversary travelers, families and other guests. Heerden also reveals the lodge's safari drives, hot air balloon safaris, h...

Ashlee Collins, president of onefinestay, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how her group of luxury homes, villas and apartments has evolved to focus on Europe, the Caribbean and the U.S. With some of the most sumptuous accommodations in popular destinations, onefinestay can offer the perfect stay for your high-end clients seeking space and privacy—and it’s all commission...

George Hunter, vice president of leisure sales at Posadas, parent of Fiesta Americana Travelty, gives James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report an update on all that's new in the Fiesta Americana Travelty portfolio, including new resorts, revamped properties and a new travel advisor booking platform. For more information, visit www.fiestamericanatravelty.com/en/travelagents .  All our Insider Tra...

Winile Mntungwa, deputy director of Durban Tourism, talks with Jeanie Fang of Insider Travel Report at Africa’s Travel Indaba about Durban’s role as the longtime host city for the trade event, its warm climate, Indian Ocean beachfront, promenade, city sightseeing, culture, cuisine, nightlife and events. Mntungwa also discusses attractions including uShaka Marine World, new hotel development, inclu...