Travel Trends with Dan Christian

Send us Fan Mail Staying connected has become an essential part of modern travel. Whether you're finding your hotel, booking a ride, navigating a new city, or simply letting family know you've arrived safely, reliable mobile data can make the difference between a smooth arrival and a stressful one. In this Company Spotlight , Dan sits down with Jo Juliana Turnbull, Senior Growth Marketin...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of conversations about travel stay focused on the booking process, but the real opportunity begins once travelers arrive. What experiences do they choose? How do they discover them? And how is technology changing the way those bookings happen? In the second episode of our In-Destination Experiences Series , Dan sits down with Aaron Fessler , Founder and CEO of TripWorks . Dr...

Send us Fan Mail We were invited back to Miami for our second year as the Official Podcast Partner of Aviation Festival Americas and this one is special: it's our largest Event Spotlight episode to date, featuring 20+ interviews and over 5 hours of conversations with the incredible speakers, industry leaders and key attendees that came together to discuss the latest trends shaping aviation an...

Send us Fan Mail Tour operators aren't just competing on the experiences they sell, they're competing on the experience they deliver behind the scenes. From the moment a traveler books to the moment they leave a review, every interaction matters. In this Company Spotlight , Dan sits down with Benjamin Sann, Founder & CEO of TourOptima, and Josh Halpern, Chief Commercial Officer , to...

Send us Fan Mail Today's travelers aren't just choosing where to go, they're choosing what they'll experience once they get there. From immersive exhibitions and live music to unique cultural events, in-destination experiences have become one of the biggest drivers of how people choose, remember, and share their travels. In the first episode of our In-Destination Experiences Se...

Send us Fan Mail Sixty thousand meetings. More than 500 international buyers. Over $100 million in future tourism business. Dan recorded live from Rendez-vous Canada 2026 in downtown Toronto to explore what is driving Canada’s visitor economy and why the country continues to stand out as a global destination for nature, culture, and meaningful travel. In this special episode, Dan speaks with five...

Send us Fan Mail Payments can make or break a travel sale, yet much of the industry still treats them as behind-the-scenes infrastructure. In Company Spotlight, Dan sits down with Philip Hancock, Chief Commercial Officer at Mint Payments , as the company expands into Canada. The conversation explores what it means to build a travel-first payment service provider, from collecting customer payments...

Send us Fan Mail Points and miles may dominate the loyalty conversation, but they’re far from the only way to build lasting customer relationships. In the final episode of our Loyalty Series , Dan sits down with Nicolas Friend, Head of Brand, Marketing and Customer Experience at Unlimited Vacation Club , to explore a different model, one built around membership, belonging, and exclusive access acr...

Send us Fan Mail Travel advisors are experiencing a resurgence, but the story goes far beyond increased bookings. As travel becomes more complex and consumers seek expert guidance, advisors are proving their value as trusted partners who can navigate disruptions, personalize experiences, and provide support when it matters most. In this Company Spotlight, Dan sits down with Shayna Zand, Managing D...

Send us Fan Mail Your tour business probably doesn’t have a technology problem. It has a complexity problem. Over time, many multi-day operators add tool after tool until marketing, CRM, itineraries, payments, supplier payouts, and traveler communications all live in different places. The result is more than frustration. It creates duplicate work, missed traveler details, messy handoffs, lower con...

Send us Fan Mail Loyalty has become one of the most powerful forces in travel and one of the most misunderstood. For travelers, it's about perks, upgrades, and lounge access. For airlines, it's a multi-billion-dollar business that influences everything from customer retention to revenue growth. But what happens when loyalty extends beyond a single airline and into a global alliance? In t...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live at Intrepid Travel’s Toronto headquarters during Toronto Tech Week , this special Travel Trends episode moves beyond AI hype to explore what agentic AI in travel actually looks like when it meets the complexity of the real world. Co-hosted by Dan Christian, Host of the Travel Trends Podcast, and Christian Wolters, President Canada and GM, North America Marketing at I...

Send us Fan Mail The travel industry loves to talk about innovation, but Felix Shpilman brings a sharper lens: what has actually changed in travel distribution over the past decade, and what challenges still remain unsolved. Felix is the President and CEO of Emerging Travel Group and the driving force behind RateHawk . Joining Dan from Dubai, he shares an inside look at what it takes to build and...

Send us Fan Mail Price used to win bookings. In 2026, elite status is quietly winning loyalty and it may be the most underleveraged ancillary revenue opportunity in travel. In the first episode of our Loyalty Series , Dan is joined by Loyalty Status Co . CEO Mark Ross-Smith and CTO Stuart Melim to unpack why “status currency” is emotional, identity-driven, and far more powerful than traditional po...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live from the Bellagio at ARDA’s Spring Conference in Las Vegas , Dan sits down with the leaders reshaping vacation ownership into something far more flexible, experience-led, and dynamic than most travelers realize. This conversation explores why the industry is having a real moment and how shifting traveler priorities around access, identity, and unforgettable experienc...

Send us Fan Mail Travel feels more unpredictable than it did a few years ago, and that’s exactly why guided travel is winning again. In this Captains of Industry episode, Dan sits down with Terry Dale , President and CEO of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) , to unpack what’s really driving the surge in tour operators, packaged tours, and high-touch planning in 2026. Terry expla...

Send us Fan Mail Travel is being rewritten in real time, and it’s not being led by hotels or airlines. It’s being led by experiences that create real connection to place. Dan sits down with David Barry, President and CEO of Pursuit , to unpack how a true “category of one” company gets built. With a 40-year career across hospitality, aviation, and travel, David shares how Pursuit has evolved into a...

Send us Fan Mail A jersey can do what a guidebook cannot: it gets you welcomed. That single idea opens the door to a much bigger trend, the rise of sports tourism as one of the most powerful forces in experiential travel today. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and cities like Toronto preparing to take center stage, the momentum behind spo...

Send us Fan Mail The “timeshare” stereotype is officially outdated. Recorded live from the Bellagio at ARDA’s Spring Conference in Las Vegas , Dan sits down with the leaders redefining vacation ownership into something far more flexible, digital, and experience-led than most travelers realize. This conversation explores how the category is evolving, what’s driving growth, and what today’s owners e...

Send us Fan Mail Payments are where travel brands quietly win or lose trust, often only becoming visible after something goes wrong: a declined card, a messy refund, a spike in chargebacks, or a drop in checkout conversion that’s hard to explain. In this episode, we dig into one of the most overlooked parts of the travel business, even though it directly impacts revenue, cash flow, and the ability...

Send us Fan Mail Agentic AI is quickly becoming the difference between a travel experience that feels generic and one that adapts to you in real time. In the final episode of our Agentic AI Series , Dan sits down with three builders deep in the work: Jeff Kischuk , CEO of Tripian, Jessie Fischer , Founder and CEO of GuestOS, and Marius Nigond , CEO of iWander. Together, they break down what “agent...

Send us Fan Mail Rail is having a real moment, and not for the reasons most people think. The tracks haven’t changed, but how travelers see them has. In 2026, rail is no longer the alternative to flying or driving. It’s becoming the experience itself. To close out our Rise of Rail Series with Railbookers and Rail Month itself, Dan sits down with Railbookers CEO Frank Marini to unpack what’s really...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re still managing tours through email threads, spreadsheets, or a “Contact Us to book” form, you’re not just adding admin, you’re likely leaving revenue on the table. In this Company Spotlight, Dan sits down with Sam Jeffries , Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Bokun , to break down what it really takes to sell more tours and activities in 2026: instant booking, smarter di...

Send us Fan Mail Filters, dropdowns, and endless tabs are starting to feel like the old internet, and travel is right at the center of that shift. In the second episode of our Agentic AI Series , Dan speaks with Ben Manzi , Co-founder and COO of Maya , Michelle Denogean , CMO of Mindtrip , and Brianna MacNeil , Director of AI Products and Personalization, TravelAI , to unpack what “agentic AI” rea...

Send us Fan Mail Rail is having a moment and not just as a way to travel, but as a way to experience the world differently. As part of Rail Month , we are diving deeper into the category in this second episode of our The Rise of Rail Series with Railbookers , this time focusing on the return of luxury rail. Luxury rail travel is back, and it is no longer just about getting from point A to point B....