The Hivemind Podcast

Provence is often treated as one destination, but the geography tells a different story. Avignon to Nice is over two hours by car, and clients who want both the lavender country and the Côte d'Azur need a split stay, not a single base. Ece Armanet, Head of Marketing at Découvertes DMC France and a resident of Aix-en-Provence, walks travel advisors through how to structure it by zone: wine tour...

Maui is the island every client seems to want and one of the hardest for travel advisors to advise on with confidence without having visited. Erica and Jordan Fromholz, co-founders of The Hawaii Vacation Guide, spent years living in both Oahu and Lahaina and bring ground-level intel that research alone rarely surfaces. They cover the three Cs framework (clouds, crowds, and costs) for timing client...

Lecce, Salento, Matera, and Bari represent the less-traveled side of Puglia, and for travel advisors, they hold some of the region's most compelling itinerary-building material. From the baroque hilltop streets of Lecce and the wild coastal towns of Salento, to the UNESCO cave city of Matera and the newly internationally connected hub of Bari, this part of the region rewards clients who want to go...

The Itria Valley and the seaside towns of Puglia offer Travel Advisors one of southern Italy's most textured and least-understood destination stories, where centuries-old masserias, trulli architecture, clifftop coastal towns, and a growing luxury property scene come together in a region that rewards more context than most clients arrive with. Elisa De Pascalis, Sales Manager at Southern Visions,...

Western Sicily and the Agrigento area offer travel advisors a more layered and less traveled way to position Sicily for clients who want something beyond the island's well-known eastern circuit. The Trapani area's salt ponds, Arab-influenced towns, medieval hilltop villages, and coastal archaeological sites pair naturally with Agrigento's slower tempo, deep Greek heritage, and access to genuine ru...

Delhi and Khajuraho reveal an India itinerary that can move beyond the classic gateway city and into a layered mix of history, wildlife, food, art, and cultural depth. Vivian Peres, Director of Ventours, joins as an India-based DMC expert with decades of firsthand experience designing high-touch travel across the region. The conversation explores how to position Delhi as a meaningful three-night s...

Porto and the Douro Valley offer Travel Advisors a more textured way to position Portugal, with Porto’s food, history, family-friendly spirit, and riverfront energy pairing naturally with the Douro’s slower, more remote wine-country rhythm. In this episode, Ryan Opaz, owner of Patamar Select, shares his deep destination expertise as a Portugal-based DMC with a background in food, wine, culture, an...

Spa and wellness has become one of the most nuanced categories in luxury travel, and this episode unpacks how Travel Advisors can better qualify what clients actually mean when they ask for a spa day, a wellness reset, or a more immersive health-focused stay. Kate Sullivan, co-founder of Anthology Travel Group, joins the conversation to break down the wide spectrum of wellness experiences, from di...

Spain's Basque Country is a destination where gastronomy, coastal culture, mountain landscapes, and slow-paced discovery come together in a way that feels entirely distinct from the rest of the country. Sandra Sancho, Office Director Spain for Tempo VIP, shares her personal connection to the region and how travel advisors can better understand its geography, culture, and client fit. The conver...

Disney World’s deluxe hotels offer vastly different experiences depending on proximity, transportation, and how clients want to balance park time with resort time. In this episode, Travel Advisors Debbie Robinson and Danielle Schneider share firsthand insights from staying at and inspecting Disney’s top-tier resorts. They break down key properties including Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporar...

The Cotswolds is far more than a countryside day trip from London, it is a sprawling region of villages, historic sites, and immersive experiences that reward a slower, more intentional pace. In this episode, luxury travel specialist Karen Gee shares her firsthand expertise guiding Travel Advisors through one of England’s most in-demand destinations. From structuring a seamless itinerary across th...

Family-friendly hotels are often misunderstood, with many properties claiming the label without truly designing for how families actually travel. In this episode, Travel Advisor Lee Friedman of Mango Tree Travel shares firsthand insight into what makes a hotel genuinely work for families. The conversation dives into real-world considerations like room configurations, kids club quality, dining flex...

Athens gets underestimated. Most travelers pass through it, a night before the islands, a quick tick on the bucket list, and leave without ever seeing what the city actually is. Aris Mitropoulos knows better. Born and raised in Athens, and now the founder of Nostos Greece, he's spent years watching travelers shortchange one of Europe's most layered, alive, and culturally rich cities. In this episo...

Tanzania is a destination of scale and surprise, where vast savanna, ancient crater floors, and over 120 distinct cultures exist within a single country that rewards both first-time safari-goers and seasoned travelers looking to go deeper. In this episode, Melvin Mapetla, General Manager of Truly Swahili and East Africa DMC, shares how to orient travel advisors around Tanzania's key regions, h...

Emilia-Romagna is one of Italy’s most rewarding yet overlooked regions, where world-famous culinary traditions, historic cities, and cultural depth create a destination Travel Advisors can confidently position for curious, food-loving clients. In this episode, Marilena Barberi, founder of Italy with Class, shares an insider perspective on how Travel Advisors can bring this region to life for their...

Paris palace hotels sit at the top of the luxury tier, but stepping inside reveals how differently each one actually feels. In this Stay Guide, Heartfelt Travel founder and Travel Advisor Jaclyn D'Esposito joins Paris-based luxury Travel Advisor Jessie Leventhal to share firsthand perspective on how the city's most prestigious properties truly compare. From icons like Ritz Paris and Four Seasons H...

The Dominican Republic offers far more range and nuance than many travel advisors initially consider. Whitney sits down with Sergio Taveras, Founder of Bonvidó, a Dominican Republic-based DMC, to explore how the country’s regions differ dramatically in landscape, pace, and ideal client fit. From the 500-year-old colonial streets and evolving gastronomy scene of Santo Domingo to the adventure-forwa...

Bordeaux is one of France's most layered and rewarding regions, but it takes more than a love of wine to plan it well. France specialist Livy Leroy, General Manager of Essentially French, unpacks what travel advisors actually need to know to design a Bordeaux itinerary that goes beyond the obvious. She walks through how seasonality shapes the experience, why harvest season is a category of its...

The Dolomites are one of Italy’s most visually striking regions, but they require far more strategic planning than many travel advisors expect. In this episode, Italy specialist and Travel Advisor Karen Hattaway shares firsthand insight into how seasonality, elevation, and geography shape the client experience in the Dolomites. She explains when to send clients for summer hiking versus winter snow...

San Sebastian, Spain sits at the intersection of world-class food, coastal beauty, and deeply rooted Basque culture, making it one of northern Spain’s most compelling destinations for well-rounded itineraries. Juan Gonzalez, a destination expert with personal ties to the Basque Country, shares insights in this episode on when to visit San Sebastian, how long to stay, and how to balance food-focuse...

Travel Advisors who see Sicily as a  multi-region destination, not a single stop, know that  each area offers a distinct rhythm, culture, and client fit. In this episode, Alberto Buzzanca, Founder of Authenticus Italy, shares a practical framework for understanding how Sicily truly works on the ground. The conversation moves from Palermo’s layered history and food culture to Taormina’s resort appe...

The southern Caribbean island of Curaçao is a destination of contrasts, from lively beach scenes to quiet, design-forward hideaways, and knowing where to place clients makes all the difference. Tune in for firsthand insights from  Travel Advisors Lee Friedman and Lauren Tilley sharing notes from site inspections and personal stays across the island. They break down five different properties, from...

Mexico City is a destination of contrasts; where ancient history, modern culture, and world class food coexist across a city that rewards curiosity and time. In this episode, Cintli Chacon, General Manager of Across Mexico, shares insider insights on when to visit, how long to stay, and how to think about neighborhoods, museums, and movement across this sprawling capital. From Dia de los Muertos a...

Los Cabos continues to redefine what adults-only, all-inclusive luxury can look like, with properties that vary dramatically in tone, service, and guest experience. Travel Advisors Merceades Gonzalez of Go & Wonder and Alexis Pettway of AP Travel Services share firsthand insights from an intensive self-FAM where they toured 13 resorts in just six days. This episode  focuses on four standout ad...

The Osa Peninsula is Costa Rica’s wildest corner, a place travelers often hear about yet rarely experience with full clarity. In this episode, Kathleen Hall of Explore the Americas unpacks the region’s energy, logistics, and the practical nuances travel advisors need to confidently guide clients to visiting. She breaks down seasonality shifts, how to approach flights and boat transfers, and the re...