Travel Trends with Dan Christian

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your customers stop “visiting” your website because their AI agents visit for them? That’s the future we explore with Dan Flores of Satisfi Labs, who went from helping grow Maverick Helicopters into a tourism powerhouse to pioneering agent-first customer experiences that sell tickets, qualify MICE leads, and streamline service for destinations, attractions, and t...

Send us Fan Mail In the final episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with citizenM’s former CEO and now another star CEO Lennert De Jong to unpack how a boutique hotel brand reinvented loyalty as a product rather than a points program. The result was a paid subscription model, guaranteed room availability, and a bold brand IP sale to Marriott, all of which reshaped citizenM’s growth, distribut...

Send us Fan Mail Think points are the prize? In travel loyalty, status is the real currency - the fast lane, the lounge, the upgrades, and the ease that comes from knowing you’re looked after. In the second episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with Erin Murray, CMO of Loyalty Status Co, to explore why many loyalty programs are now more valuable than the airlines that run them and how the sma...

Send us Fan Mail We’re excited to kick off a new three-part Loyalty Series, where we explore how airlines, hotels, and loyalty status companies are rewriting the rules of traveler engagement. In this first episode, we begin with a refreshingly simple philosophy from KM Malta Airlines: make value clear, make status meaningful, and make the journey smoother. Oliver Piers Ross, Head of Loyalty &...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live in Puerto Natales, Chile, this special Event Spotlight takes you inside the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) — the annual gathering of global adventure leaders hosted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association . From rewilded national parks to the gravel roads of Aysén, from marble caves at sunrise to a tent shaking to the sounds of Los Jaivas, this episode captur...

Send us Fan Mail Want a clear-eyed look at where travel is headed next? Erik Blachford, early Expedia leader turned board member at Zillow, Hipcamp, and Fora, joins us to unpack what the future that actually works looks like — AI behind the scenes, humans up front, and real-world experiences that no screen can replace. We trace Erik’s journey from building one of the first online travel agencies t...

Send us Fan Mail Travelers think they want Stonehenge - but what they remember is a pint shared with locals, the scent of wild hedgerows, and a guide who brings the landscape to life. In the final episode of our Emerging Multi-day Tour series, we sit down with Will Cairns, Managing Director of Active England Tours, to explore how a soft-adventure brand transforms repeat UK visitors—mostly American...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live from Washington, D.C., Arival 360 is the premier gathering for what many call the “1% of the experiences sector.” This meticulously curated event brings together visionary creators, resellers, technologists, and leaders from across the travel ecosystem — from day tour operators and multi-day specialists to innovative startups and global platforms like GetYourGuide an...

Send us Fan Mail Curiosity 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 destina...

Send us Fan Mail We’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....

Send us Fan Mail In 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 travel...

Send us Fan Mail In 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, ta...

Send us Fan Mail Purposeful 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 un...

Send us Fan Mail We're so fascinated on how Destination Marketing is being transformed by AI that we partnered with Mindtrip to bring together this 3-part mini series.  We have an incredible line-up of speakers joining us in advance of our AI Summit to exploring how AI is transforming the way travelers dream, plan, and book their journeys. In our first episode, we sit down with Janette Roush,...

Send us Fan Mail A misbooked flight, a lost day in Beijing, and a spark that reshaped how millions discover what to do when they land. In this Captains of Industry episode, we sit down with Tao Tao , Co-Founder and COO of GetYourGuide , to unpack what it really takes to build a global marketplace for experiences—from cold-calling suppliers before the website even existed to mastering SEO when orga...

Send us Fan Mail Tickets are booked, slides are brewing, and Seville is calling. The Tourism Innovation Summit is a three-day, five-stage gathering where tech, innovation, and sustainability meet the real reasons we travel: culture, connection, and stories that last. In this event preview episode, we sit down with Congress Director Brigitte Hidalgo to unpack how TIS scaled to 8,000+ attendees and...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine walking into a distillery and being greeted by the master as a hologram who already knows your questions. That’s the bold vision of Geotourist, and where our conversation with CEO and Founder Shaon Talukder begins. From its start as an “audio map of the world” to hosting community voices, screen tourism, and accessibility routes across 94 countries, GeoTourist is redefinin...

Send us Fan Mail Discover how Viator became the world’s go-to platform for in-destination experiences. Viator is transforming how travelers discover and book more than 400,000 unique activities worldwide. In this episode, Laurel Greatrix, Viator’s VP of Marketing, takes us behind the scenes of this powerhouse and its rapid rise. Laurel reveals how Viator’s acquisition by TripAdvisor turned into on...

Send us Fan Mail Step into the wonderfully weird world of Meow Wolf as founder Vince Kadlubek takes us behind the refrigerator door to reveal the journey from a dumpster-diving art collective to a multimillion-dollar immersive empire. In this episode, Vince shares how a scrappy group of twenty-something artists in Santa Fe - working restaurant jobs and transforming recycled materials into fantasti...

Send us Fan Mail Introducing the First Captain of Season 6! We’re thrilled to kick off Season 6 of Travel Trends and our Captain of Industry series with Chris Hemmeter, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Thayer Ventures, for a powerhouse conversation on the future of travel and tech investment. Chris opens the black box of venture capital, revealing what investors really look for in founders, how...

Send us Fan Mail Discover Colombia like never before - a country where music, nature, and community transformation redefine travel. In this Destination Spotlight episode, Dan explores this vibrant destination with Impulse Travel and their inspiring local guides. Our journey begins with Juliana Medina (CEO) and Rodrigo Atuesta (Co-Founder), the visionaries behind Impulse Travel, who are redefining...

Send us Fan Mail In this spotlight episode, Murray Decker, CEO and founder of Tour Amigo, shares how his innovative technology platform is transforming the multi-day tour industry by equipping operators with cutting-edge reservation systems and seamless distribution capabilities. Murray’s journey began as a Contiki tour guide in 2008, where he gained firsthand insight into the travel industry. By...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine travel not merely as an escape, but as a powerful catalyst for healing, transformation, and self-discovery. This is the groundbreaking vision Sahara Rose De Vore has brought to life through her pioneering work with the Travel Coach Network. Sahara’s journey began with a hospitality degree and a one-way ticket to Europe, igniting a decade-long adventure across 84 countries....

Send us Fan Mail When millennials rediscovered travel advisors, they revived a profession many had written off too soon. “Millennials’ expertise is knowing who the experts are,” says Arnie Weissmann, editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly. With more than 25 years leading the travel industry’s most influential trade publication, Arnie has chronicled - and shaped - some of the most pivotal transformations...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine exploring Rome with an archaeologist who's unearthed its ancient secrets, wandering Tokyo with an architect shaping its skyline, or navigating Barcelona's vibrant markets with a culinary expert who knows every vendor by name. This is the transformative experience Context Travel has been perfecting for over two decades. In this conversation with CEO June Chin-Rams...