Confessions of A Wannabe It Girl
The podcast that delves into the raw reality of achieving your dreams. Hosted by Marley Freygang who thought she had it all figured out, the show explores the gritty details of what it really takes to "make it" in today's world. From the high-pressure demands to the relentless hustle, she shares her experiences of the less-than-instagramable side of chasing your dreams.
But it's not all doom and gloom. With refreshing honesty, she provides actionable tips and advice, aiming to empower listeners with the confidence, clarity, and direction, they need to become an “it girl”. Whether it's starting a business or breaking into a new career, each episode features unique interviews, practical advice and carefully curated insights.
So tune in to "Confessions of a Wannabe IT Girl" and join us to help filter out the BS and become the next "it girl”.
Confessions of A Wannabe It Girl
Unlocking Luxury Travel Secrets with The Blonde Atlas: Tips, Transformations, and Unique Experiences
Curious about traveling luxuriously on a budget? In this episode, we chat with Whitney from Blonde Atlas, who reveals insider tips on maximizing travel perks, working with travel advisors, and navigating post-pandemic travel costs using the Amalfi Coast as an example.
Whitney shares her inspiring journey from advertising to travel advising, turning a passion for travel into a successful career. She also discusses her innovative women’s group travel experiences, offering unique adventures like truffle hunting and cooking classes that go beyond typical retreats. Tune in to learn how to create unforgettable travel experiences with expert guidance.
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Welcome back to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl, the podcast helping you filter out the BS in pursuit of becoming the next it Girl. In today's episode, we're going to dive into the world of traveling. Now, as we know, traveling has become very Instagrammable, very TikTok focused. You know all about the outfits and the things, which, at the same point, love it. Great, we feel it. I am so there for that moment. If you do not think that these trips I'm going on this summer I do not have a content folder saved for as well as outfits, you would be mistaken because I do. But also there's a lot of other things about traveling being immersed in the culture, the experience, even just like, maybe, seeing the tourism sites. There are layers of traveling that don't always make the Instagram feed because they're not really able to be captured in a picture, and I think somebody who really gets that is Whitney from the Blonde Atlas, and in today's episode, she is joining us to give us tips and tricks about traveling, as well as talking about two different sides of her business the traditional side, the travel agent, or now I've learned it's called the ambassador side of her business, where she can help you get the most out of your trip, as well as talking about her other side of her business, which is these women group trips around the world that have just such amazing range in activities, and you're getting the Instagram photos, but you're also getting a holistic experience. Whitney is just really thoughtful about travel and she's also really for women and this is like by women. So, without further ado, let's dive into the episode.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. I'm your host, marley Fregging, and I'm here to help you filter out all the bullshit and become the next it girl. This podcast explores the reality of what it really takes to make it out there. As it turns out, it is way less instagrammable than I thought it was going to be. I'm still very much a work in progress, but there's simply nothing else I'd rather be doing than chasing my dreams. So let's learn from my mistakes and work together to achieve our dreams with more confidence, clarity and direction. Let's get after it. Welcome back to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. I am joined today by Whitney from the Blonde Atlas. I am so excited to dive into talking about how we can live our Wannabe it Girl dreams traveling around the world. So thanks for being here.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to chat travel with you today.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Yeah, travel is. I think it's something that you know we all want to be doing totally like a luxury, but like we also want to do it and like live that luxurious life which is sometimes, you know, if you don't know how to do it, you don't know how to do it, so let's dive right in there. Can you share some maybe like secret tips or tricks for, like a beginner of luxury traveling or maximizing the perks, like what's your best upgrade hack go?
Speaker 2:for it? Sure, yeah. So I would say first thing is like I did not know until probably like the last decade that, like I thought travel agents were such a thing in the past because in my mind, people used to use travel agents when or advisors as they're called now when you didn't have access to information. And now we have such an abundance of information that it's like, well, why would you ever need that? But the reality is that there's too much information and so sifting through it can be so overwhelming. So a lot of people don't realize that if you work with a travel advisor, now different advisors are going to have different minimum spend, so you want to check on budget and things like that. But if you're wanting to do luxury travel, it is so advantageous to work with an advisor because a lot of times we can get you perks and upgrades at a lot of the hotels that you would want to book anyway, at no additional cost to you. So essentially it's this nice little mutually beneficial triangle where the hotels want leads, so they give advisors commission, essentially to say, hey, the leads that you bring us, we'll give you a kickback. And then in order to make our clients be like, well, why should we use an advisor? Then it's like well, we get you perks and upgrades that you wouldn't get otherwise. So if you're using third-party sites like bookingcom and stuff like that, a lot of times you don't have someone who's advocating on your behalf. You're just going to get kind of whatever room is left over Not necessarily, but you're more likely to be in that position Whereas you have a travel advisor. We've built relationships with these hoteliers who are able to say okay, you know what, we have an extra room available, that this top suite hasn't been booked and we know it's a really special occasion for your client, so we're going to make you look like a rock star and put you in that suite, so things like that that we can just kind of pull pull strings and things like that. So I highly recommend at least looking into working for a travel advisor to see if that's great for you.
Speaker 2:But then I also know a setback for a lot of people who want to do luxury travel. It can be budget like travel in general has just gotten a lot more expensive than it used to be. Post pandemic it's. There's a huge demand for it. We all want to do it. I think we all kind of realize what that is hugely important to us, and so prices are a lot more expensive than they used to be.
Speaker 2:One example that I will give is like top. Okay, if we think somewhere like a Malfi Coast, that's a super in demand destination that everyone wants to go to. So it's expensive, if you want to say it, like the top five-star hotels. A few years ago that would cost you like a thousand dollars a night, the top hotels. Now on Amalfi coast we're selling more, like three to 4,000 a night this summer, and that's just in a couple of years. That doesn't mean that that has to be your budget for any hotel. That's it. That's kind of an extreme situation If you're going during like peak season and you know, to one of the most coveted destinations.
Speaker 2:My point is just simply that travel is more expensive than it used to be. Um, there are tons of destinations that can kind of give you a similar vibe without that kind of splurge. Um, and something that I love to kind of help clients get that experience when they don't have like right, like three grand to cash out a night is, let's say, you're doing a trip to Italy, you might do like Rome, florence, and then end in Amalfi Coast and you might be like I want to do luxury the whole time. So I might say, well, how much are you actually going to be in your hotel when you're in Rome and Florence? Right, like, you're out, you're going to be at the Vatican and the gallery and eating and like wondering. So it's like that's actually probably not the best use of your budget to splurge on a luxury hotel there.
Speaker 2:Like go for a more comfortable boutique hotel where you can save some of those pennies and then, once you get to Amalfi coast even if you only you know maybe you want to do two different towns start at a more like boutique hotel and then your last couple of nights of the trip splash out on that expensive hotel hotel where you get to enjoy the pool and use the amenities and really take it all in.
Speaker 2:Or even if you were doing a city trip, let's say you're in Paris the whole time, having your final night of the trip, be like you know what I've done, the stuff I want to do. I'm not looking forward to going home tomorrow, but I'm exhausted. I'm just going to check into a fancy hotel, order room service and like relish in this luxurious experience and watch the Eiffel tower sparkle from my room. So we love helping clients kind of identify, like what do you want? Like everybody has a different idea of luxury, like to some people it's like location, to some other people it's view, to some other people it's service, and so helping you kind of identify what's important to you and then finding ways that you can kind of like make your budget and your goals align a little bit so that you can have the experience you want, even if you have to compromise in other areas.
Speaker 1:Well, I love that because I feel like a lot of times we just think like luxury and that means like just the best of the best, the highest, the highest, whatever is the most expensive, that's what I should go for if I want luxury.
Speaker 1:And yet we're looking at this so holistically in the fact of like, well, you know what are you going to be doing, how much are you going to be in your hotel, all the things. It's a very fullback approach and also, I think, sometimes get the idea from. I mean, travel agent does seem like such an old term and it's hilarious because my mom was once a travel agent. How was she was once a travel agent, oh yeah, crazy, um, and whatnot. But like you, you think like, oh, like there there's hidden fees and there's all this stuff and like they would never tell me to take the cheaper option or whatnot. But like that is a very for the client approach and I feel like it's really folk comes from a place of like you really want the experience to mean something to somebody who's traveling. And is there like a certain reason you got into travel, being a travel ambassador, like this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think honestly it was just a case of like personal passion. I don't really think I ever set out with the objective to work in travel. I have a background in advertising, so that's what I did for the first like seven years post-university and I worked on a few tourism accounts so I at least like understood the industry enough to kind of know like the difference between, like a convention and visitors bureau versus tourism board and like some of the like vendor partners and things like that. So I kind of like first learned industry like slogan or uh jargon that's what I'm looking for um in the advertising days.
Speaker 2:And then I went through like a series of big life changes, one that included getting laid off um and our favorite one, I know I know and um, yeah, I just was like, yeah, going through a lot of other personal stuff and I was just like travel is something that's really bringing me joy right now, and so this wasn't the most responsible decision. But I took my severance money and I was like I never studied abroad and I'm going to do what I call adult study abroad and I'm going to go travel for a few months. I'm going to take this money, I'm going to rent my house out on Airbnb, find ways to like cover my costs back home and just like scrape by on pennies while I travel and like gain some life experiences that, yeah, just kind of could bring me the joy that I was so desperately seeking. And it slowly just turned into me being like, well, I don't want to not keep doing this, like you know, and so I would, yeah, I would find I I'd come home for a bit and like I was doing things that were, you know, as a 30 year old at the time, um, were like seemed very like backward, like a step backwards, like I was babysitting or, you know, doing all these things that like I have a college degree. Why am I, you know, like not going and getting another job and it's like I would do it for a few months to save money and just like stash things away, leave again, and so, you know, do some like find ways to do freelance consulting, find ways to.
Speaker 2:You know, just like I was so scrappy with it and I think that it truly just like there's not like some. The inciting incident was like getting laid off or like going through those personal changes that led me to be like, okay, let's just do this for a little while. But then from there it was like a snowball effect where it was really just like, little by little, brick by brick, I kind of just wanted to like keep doing it and it slowly grew. I think it's funny Like there wasn't one magic secret, there wasn't one specific thing. It was just like, yeah, time and investment and passion, and yeah, those things can have huge impact over time.
Speaker 1:So you were like how can I keep doing this? And then you realized that I keep doing this, and then you realized that I can do this for other people as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, honestly, I genuinely didn't think I kind of stumbled into being a travel agent because, like I, I I was getting. I slowly started. Like I had a travel blog at first and it was, you know, like slowly growing, um, you know nothing crazy, but it was enough to, you know, be able to negotiate here and there, like, and I I found myself getting so many like questions or DMS from people and being like, oh, I'm going to Paris and I saw you were just there, can you give me some suggestions? And I was like this is like starting to take up a lot of time and it's cutting into my ability to like do some of these other side hustles. So, kind of just to protect my time, I put a splash page up on my website with like an hourly rate and I, now that I know what the industry is like, I actually started as what we would call like more of a DMC, which is a destination management company, so where you kind of specialize in one or select few areas. So I had my you know, rome, paris, like these cities that are, you know, popular spots in Europe that I knew quite well.
Speaker 2:And so I, rather than working just off, commission, cause my clientele was like people like me who didn't have the budget to be staying at five-star hotels and getting commissioned that way. Um, and I just had an hourly rate that I would charge people and in exchange for time, and I really genuinely thought like maybe a couple people would do it. I didn't expect for it to evolve the way that it has, but it's back to kind of that discovery that I stumbled into, which was, yeah, there used to be not enough information and now there's too much information. It is so overwhelming and even if you have access to information, sometimes you don't have time to like sift through all of it. You want someone you know. So, like for me, I was like sharing what I was doing on social media and people would be like, wow, that looks amazing, like that trip that you just did, can you just plan that for me? And and so it kind of, yeah, evolved that way.
Speaker 1:Well, and as somebody who probably like looks at all the not correct things to really lock down a travel fan like I'm looking at Instagram and I'm looking at TikTok and I'm like I would like to go there. Like there's no research. I have no idea how close things are to each other. I'm just like that looks good on this person's Instagram. I would like to do that. How can?
Speaker 2:I do that, that's kind of the.
Speaker 1:You know that is the wealth of information you know as we dive into. And so, as you're planning for your clients and whatnot and for the first time, maybe that it wasn't for yourself you booked something, maybe like crazy, for somebody. What was it and how did you do it?
Speaker 2:So the first time that I booked something for a client, you mean, that was like wild, or yeah.
Speaker 1:Wild, like you were like okay, okay, this is like a big thing, like I don't know, like the penthouse suite someplace.
Speaker 2:The biggest thing that I did earliest on, that felt like oh, oh, my gosh, wow, I can't believe I just booked. This was the first time. So another one part of my business is I'm a travel advisor. It's like traditional travel agent. The other part of my business is I have I do group tours for women. So like if you've ever wanted to like go on a trip but you don't have anyone who you can convince to like take the trip out of the group chat, or yeah, you just like have wanted but still want to travel with like girls, um, we, we do group trips for women who want to travel with like-minded women. A lot of times like it's I'm single and all my friends are married. Or sometimes it's I'm married with kids but none of my other mom friends will leave their kids and I still want to do girls trips, so people who prioritize travel and don't have other people in their life who prioritize it the same way, and so that's a huge part of my business.
Speaker 2:And the first trip I ever did was like pretty early on into the travel advising stuff and it was just me realizing that like I was sending people back to the same hotel in Tuscany over and over because people loved it so much and I had been on a yoga retreat a few years before and I loved it. But I was also like why is it that if you want to travel and like do a trip like this, you can it kind of has to be titled a yoga retreat? I didn't feel like there were many things that were like people who just wanted to go truffle hunting or cooking classes or like do these fun activities, and so I just started like crunching numbers and like asked the um, the hotel that I kept sending all those clients to. I was like, okay, if I have this many people, what does that look like? And do you have a transfer company you can connect me to?
Speaker 2:And it turned into this like let's just do it once and see if I can sell it. Um, it felt like a huge risk because I had to front the money for the hotel and like hope that it's old and thankfully it did. But to me, honestly, that's what pops into my mind is because it was like it was this big booking of like 10 rooms and you know, for a week in Italy, and like I didn't have the people to go yet but I couldn't advertise it until I had, you know, like a space for everyone. So it was really scary, but also like my heart was racing, you know, at the thought of like bringing this kind of just idea to life and then actually working.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that and like I love this. You know, women just wanting to travel together. Whoever you are, whoever you may be, let's get together. We have this mutual interest and like, let's just go for it. Have you gone on the trips with the girls as well?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we've done over 25 now around the world and I've been on almost every single one except like one or two. We are starting to expand more and it's just like when you factor in like personal travel, like scouting trips, and like just also like the demand, like the types of destinations that these people want to go to, it's like there's so many the types of destinations that these people want to go to. It's like there's so many. So I've started to like grow my team. I have an amazing team that I work with who's like I'm just like so proud of them because they're so international. Like I have someone who's half Greek, half English and she speaks Italian, french, greek and.
Speaker 2:English Casual, but like it's so cool because she's half Greek. So when we do Greece trip she's talking to the locals in Greek. She was raised by her Greek dad. Like she understands the culture. So like we're not just planning a fun girls trip. Like you're getting an authentic experience and same with, like you know, we're able to have these like nurtured relationships with the locals and the destinations where we're going because of the languages we speak and because of like heritage and background from the team.
Speaker 2:Um, because of the languages we speak and because of like heritage and background from the team, because of you know, my relationships through the hotel industry and things like that, so it's like a really authentic experience we're able to provide. But as my team has done more and more trips and they've gotten so good at what they do, there's times that I'm like I don't need to be on every single trip and like we can cover more ground when we divide and conquer. So, yeah, I mean we are a lot of our trips tend to be focused in Europe, but we've done New Zealand, south Africa, we're doing Morocco this fall, so we're covering like kind of all over the place now, which is really exciting.
Speaker 1:No, it is so exciting and I feel like it's a great trip to kind of just get your like heart fulfilled by all these like amazing opportunities and being around you know just women who want to be in the same place. Like, have you seen friendships blossom out of these like groups? And what does it look like, getting packing up your stuff, going on a trip with all these women you've never met before? And then you're like here, like what does that look like?
Speaker 2:met before, and then you're like here like what does that look like? Yeah, it's all. I think it's always like a little bit nerve wracking for someone who's coming on a trip for the first time, um, and we try to do everything we can to offset that anxiety. So we do like little traveler profile forms that you fill out where you say, like your name, where you're from, your social media, like fun facts about you, and we send it out so that everyone can kind of put a face to a name of who they're traveling with. You can connect on social media before you can see things like oh, I'm also an attorney, or oh, wow, she's also from Boston, or whatever, and kind of make connections before you're even on the trip.
Speaker 2:We also ask like hyper-specific things, because the rooms rooms, like the price is based on double occupancy, so, like twin beds, you're not sharing a bed, but you're sharing a room unless you pay an additional fee for your own room. Most people choose to share, though. So we get super specific, like asking how do you like the temperature of your room, and are you a morning bird or early bird or a night owl, and so like we can pair people and like really try to be selective about ensuring that everyone has a good roommate situation. But you know it's funny, we do a pre trip call try to like like let everyone connect before ask any questions and just try to like ease anxiety as much as possible but like without fail, every time it's like really cool to see just how disarmed everyone is straight away, like everyone's relieved to meet each other. I think it takes a certain type of personality, like if you're willing to sign up for a trip like this, then chances are like you're an open-minded person. We're really explicit about that in our registration of like hey, if you're not like kind and open-minded and wanting to make friends and like be inclusive and have like a spirit of connection, like this trip probably isn't for you. It's not a mean girl situation yeah, like it's not.
Speaker 2:Like you know there's tons of other group trip companies, but like we have core values that we're really rooted in, um, first one being like fun experiences. Like we're really committed to itineraries that are for like the culturally curious, that like we're not just it's not just like party vibes, like you know some of the there's nothing wrong with that but like Contiki or some of the ones that are like straight out of university and it's just like party, party, party. But we're also not like retirees on a coach. We're like women in our thirties who, you know, want to experience a little bit of culture, want to drink spritz, but like we want balance right. Like we want to see like great food, great wine, fun experiences, shopping, downtime, connection, like that that's the vibe that we attract. So like, fun experiences, seconds meaningful connection, so like really coming into it with the intention to connect with people.
Speaker 2:And then the third is empowering better travelers. So like not just being about consumption, not just about like the Insta selfies and then, but like how do you actually learn from your experiences? How do you go home? A more open-minded human who's been like touched by travel.
Speaker 2:We try to do a lot of stuff with like offsetting our carbon footprint, donating to like local organizations, to like try to, yeah, use travel as a force for good, as a way to open our hearts and minds, and so that's what we try to attract and we try to be really explicit about that so that we attract the right type of group, and I think naturally that creates like a cool like.
Speaker 2:I'm always hesitant when I say like-minded because we're like-minded but we're open-minded, so we're not a carbon copy of each other, right Like we're all different and bring like something unique to the table, but we share that like-minded passion for like and curiosity for travel and the world and all of that. So it's amazing, though, we have such a strong alumni community and we've done multiple trips that are just repeat customers because we we we did a reunion trip um a few weeks back and we had almost like just under 50 girls who'd all been on trips before, who like further kind of were connecting within the Atlas community, and so it's really special. Like it's people who you know I feel like our society kind of creates structures of like your community is like who you know parents and their friends or kids at school, or it's you know, your neighbors are like a little bit more like traditional community aspects and there's nothing wrong with those, but they don't necessarily not everyone fits in those boxes. Like there's people who don't have partners or families yet, or there's people who do, but, like you know, they're chasing careers and if, and some of their other friends are like just like prioritizing different things. So it's just like a special place that, through these trips, like you can connect, like there's so many broader spectrums of ways to connect with people.
Speaker 2:Like I travel to Austin. I'm just this is an example travel to Austin all the time for work, and like I met this girl who lives in Austin and so now when I'm going, I'm not having to like eat dinner by myself. I I'm like have other friends in different cities and it just makes the world feel smaller. It's really, really special to be a part of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it feels very thoughtful, Like it's very thoughtful in your team's approach of, like you know, sustainability, learning about the culture, not just, you know, for the Instagram, even though, like, we love the Instagram shop, but like, what was that experience?
Speaker 2:Like we don't even know though. Like we love the Instagram shop, but like what was that experience? Like totally, totally like we have a photographer like we have tons of photographers on our team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, so like, a lot of our team is trained in photography, so that's not necessarily like their, their sole purpose on the trip, but like, yeah, we and like one of the things that we'll offer.
Speaker 2:It depends on the trip and who's coming and availability and stuff but a lot of times what we'll offer is like a photo package. So, essentially, like, if you don't want to have to worry about trying to get all the photos it depends on the trip and who's coming and availability and stuff but a lot of times what we'll offer is like a photo package. So, essentially, like, if you don't want to have to worry about trying to get all the photos and you want some great shots of you, you could for like an additional, like add on fee, you can have there's like select moments on the trip where, like call times a little bit earlier and you meet with our photographer and they take some photos of you. So you know you're going to get some great professional quality photos of you in these select destinations. Like in Paris it might be like the Eiffel tower and, um, you know, arc to triumph, whatever. So you know you're going to get some great photos of you without having to like, constantly be like. Can someone take my picture?
Speaker 1:Oh, you put my feet off, Like you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:It's like and that just lets you be present and in the moment. So we're not at all against taking photos we love taking great photos but I think it's just like not letting that be where the bill stops Right, like wanting to go a little bit deeper, wanting to like have more to take away from your vacation than a photo for women, with women in mind, by women.
Speaker 1:It's just so thought out and I love that. Can you tell us maybe some of the experiences or activities that you've loved and maybe the location they were at?
Speaker 2:Sure, I mean the thing that comes to mind instantly anytime somebody's favorite is safari. I did my first safari like a year and a half ago, and it was the most life-changing experience. Like run, don't walk. My team would love to help you plan. We know how to do like the best one in terms of the best ones in terms of like sustainability, but also like yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like good for the animals, we don't want to, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, Making sure that we're like supporting good partners who are doing a ton for like conservation and things like that. But we did our first Atlas Safari in March this past year and it was just so special because I don't know how to explain it, but I mean the Bush in general, like being on safari. I think it just takes you out of your day-to-day routine, Like so many of the things that we focus on. Again, nothing wrong with these things, Like I love, you know, my wardrobe and like stuff. There's nothing wrong with material stuff.
Speaker 1:but like yeah, but like.
Speaker 2:I think that can bring us like joy, but like to an extent, and I think it's so easy for us, like in our society, to just get like that's what is like. You know, we live in a capitalistic society that's constantly like buy more, you're not enough, you need this, and so to be somewhere that is so removed from all of that you don't have cell phone connection, you are like out with the animals, just watching nature, be nature, and there's something so, yeah, like life changing about that and so being building friendships amongst that too, and like connecting with women who are like it. Just it creates lots of like vulnerability, lots of like lots of philosophical kind of like what is the purpose of life, questions and just like really authentic conversation around like what really matters to me and like why, why am I focusing on the things that I focus on? And like what really matters in life and and just being so rooted and grounded in like gratitude that, like by a landslide, stands out to me. Safari will always be one of my like favorites, if you ask me, but I would also say, just like on a lighter note we always try to include something on our trips that you couldn't just do if you booked the trip yourself, right, like there's power in numbers. So, like in Paris, we have a close relationship. I don't know if you're familiar with the brand Cezanne, but they're from Paris, their original apartment is there and so, like we have a great relationship with their team and so on every Paris trip they keep the apartment open like after hours for us and we have like a private shopping experience where, like the girls have the store to themselves, we have like champagne and snacks, everyone. It's just like so fun having all the girls like try on outfits with each other and you don't have to, like you know, fight for the changing room with like everybody else. It's just like a special touch to have like the space reserved for us. And so, yeah, we do that kind of stuff on like a lot of our trips. It's just like what's something special that we can create that you know, if you were just booking the trip yourself, you couldn't shut down the whole store or whatever it may be, and I think it's nice. It's nice to like you know we all deserve to.
Speaker 2:I think, especially, I related to this a lot like back in the day. I don't feel like I see it as much anymore. But when influencers really started to first surface, you'd see all these like press trips, and I think they still do happen. But I think, like as a consumer, you're just like sitting at home watching this happen and kind of feeling like I don't know if left out is the right word, but you'd feel this sense of like. Well, it must be nice. These people get to go on these like splash brand trips and they're getting spoiled left and right and get all these cool experiences and like I'm eating, you know, chips on my sofa, um, and so I think like something that's like special for us is to be able to create these experiences that, like all are welcome and, like you know, you get to have, you get to feel special and have these kind of like once in a lifetime opportunities too, cause, like we all deserve that you know. So I think that, like, we really pride ourselves in.
Speaker 1:Oh I could. I could write a little mini novel on the feelings behind brand trips and whatnot and all the things and what that's done to like us as a culture or whatnot. But I just love the range that you guys offer. We've got everything from you know getting deep into our philosophical thoughts on safari, when we're finally all removed from technology, to shopping with champagne, and it's like it doesn't need to be one or the other. I'm not trying to like at the yoga retreat but, like you know, sometimes it's like we don't want there to be only one mission, we want the range. We're multidimensional and this is giving us multidimensional. That being said, in your line of work I am sure you hear people's horror stories and cringe about the mistakes they made in planning. What are the common things? Maybe us who don't know as much about traveling? What are the common mistakes you hear about or often want to correct for people when traveling?
Speaker 2:The first thing that comes to mind for me is hotels, because so often people will take like a brand, recognized name like I don't know. I'm trying to think like Marriott, for example, and they'll be like oh, I'm Marriott loyal, so I booked, I used points and booked this. And I'm like, oh my gosh, why didn't you? I understand if you want to use points, but like now your whole itinerary is thrown off because you booked this Marriott. That's like way over here and like in this random area and like it sounds good on paper and the pictures look pretty on the website. But like you did not, like you should have talked to me first, Right? So I think, yeah, like a lot of times people get like tricked into booking a hotel or something because they're like oh, this sounds easy, click, book rather than actually thinking through you know more holistically, like what kind of experience do I want? And like if I want to see all these things, and now I'm staying an hour outside the city and like that's going to dampen my experience.
Speaker 2:I'm like, why are you flying all the way to Rome to stay at this hotel when you're going to be like transferring it out? It just like cheapens your experience. Like at that rate, like stay in like a you know, super cheap Airbnb. That's like nothing fancy, but at least you're like in a good location and like spot. Yeah, I don't know. So that's a common mistake that I see. A lot is people not really um understanding, and I don't blame them for not understanding, but acting without like having either spoken to someone who understands. It's like if you're going to come to me, your travel advisor now like why not? Why don't let me like advise on that too? Because now I feel like you're asking me to make like lemon lemonade out of oranges.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to make this amazing trip happen for you, but, like you didn't give me a great foundation to go off of, so that's probably something I would see is like the more that the sooner you can pull someone in. It doesn't mean we have to do everything for you. I understand some people like prefer to do certain elements, but, like we love when you involve us in every capacity so that we can like really guide you in the right direction and, yeah, everybody wins you get to have a great experience.
Speaker 1:That being said, I mean I just can't. I feel like I can't not ask you like what is your feelings about points programs and credit card points and mileage point? Like being in your line of work, I like it there's so much buzz for us to use them and like, have them. And then there's a lot of math involved in and I don't really like it Totally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. So, um, I have a ton of points because I, like you know, through business and stuff, I'm like spending a lot of money like for on all these trips and everything, and so I get you know through the business account. So I get a ton of points. I don't know the first thing about how to redeem them to your point, it is so complex. I literally, right before this call, had one of my best friends. She is like, knows the game and everything, and I gave her my login. I was like Andrew and I are trying to book our honeymoon. I don't know how to do this. Can you book me a flight? I just need to get from here to here. If I can be in business class, great. And she's like here's your itinerary. So I think it's great for people like um, like the points guy, if you don't follow him, like wonderful resource.
Speaker 2:It is like a commitment to learn the game and you have to be willing to like. For example, we're going to start our honeymoon in India, um, and, and then go from there to. We're trying to figure out still. But, um, we, so we were flying from, like London to Delhi, and it's like we could like because everyone's competing for the same reward availability. So it goes quickly. So, like we could, we could have done direct, but it wasn't available by the time we looked. So now we're going by a Doha and having a layover and like it's a little more clunky, but I'm like, yeah, well, I'd rather have a layover it's only two and a half hours and I get to be in business class versus like you know, um, so I, I'm all for it if you want to learn, but it's like very complex.
Speaker 2:Um, it doesn't typically like align with our work. So like, for example, like, if you're hiring a travel advisor like and there's probably people who you can hire who are more like points advisors, that's not us but, um, we typically don't. It'd be one thing if you said, hey, I already booked my flights with points, but we want to help with all the hotels and stuff, then like great happy to do that, but we aren't necessarily the ones who are like the hotels and stuff, then like great happy to do that, but we aren't necessarily the ones who are, like you know, helping you use your points to book the whole trip because you know it's that's not what we're trained to do. So totally understand that people want to use points, like I have tons of points and I need help using them. So that's what I have my my friends for. I help them with their trips, they help me with my points. So think both can exist, but I think it's it's. They're different worlds in terms of who's kind of specializing and helping in those.
Speaker 1:No, totally. And, that being said, you know there's so many places people want to go. I feel like you know we hear all the buzz ones, the Instagram like feed, popular ones at the time like Malfi Coast. Is there any destinations that you kind of think like are the best kept secrets right now, or like the top ones you're kind of like, ooh, this looks really great.
Speaker 2:It's so tricky because I, I, I, I don't know if I, if this is like actually accurate, but I almost fear we live in a time where there's no best kept secrets anymore because, like with social media and not even just social media, but like our generation's passion for travel, it's like the places that are like really worth going that will wow you. I feel like, to an extent, have been discovered or they're really really difficult to get to, and that's like a barrier to entry for a lot of people who have a limited amount of time, right, um, there's tons of wonderful places and places that are like. I think part of it is like destinations can go through cycles a little bit.
Speaker 2:Um, so like a multi coast was actually hugely popular back in like I don't know like Kennedy era. Like I feel like like Jackie Kennedy and some of them and then I feel like it kind of like I don't know, I didn't hear about it growing up but like only recently, yeah, only recently it was like wait, the Kennedys and stuff were going there too.
Speaker 2:And now it's like having this huge resurgence. And I'm not saying it'll go out of style, but I think it's like people, these destinations get so crowded and then, like some people are like, okay, I've been there, done that, it's too crowded, now I'm going to go to another destination, but that doesn't mean they won't ever go back, or oh, you're kidding, sorry, oh my gosh, she's the love of my life.
Speaker 2:Sorry, hunter, I mean, sorry, the love of my life. But yeah, I, um, I forgot what I was saying. Yeah, so there's, um, I would definitely say, like as a travel advisor, like there's always going to be. Like kind of a buzzword destination, a buzzworthy destination of the year, the one that I keep hearing about that like all the advisors are scrambling to try to get to, because it's like, oh, my gosh, have you heard? It is Bhutan. It's like, and I'm dying to go. I haven't been. But um, so, yeah, I think it's like there's always going to be. I think that's the cool thing now is like the world's so much more accessible than it used to be. So, like between shoulder seasons, like traveling off peak, um knowing what kind of trip you want, like you can always find ones that aren't going to be too crowded. But I kind of have given up on the like I don't need to. Like I know we love that, like it makes us feel good when we're like in the know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I found this place. Like I know something you don't know. Like it makes people feel good. But I also just think like and and and that's could be true. Like there's no way that we can all know about every destination, right, so, like something that you maybe never have heard of, I could have been, but that doesn't mean that there's not tons of other people who know about it too, you know. So I think I just encourage people to like not worry so much about, like what's the best kept secret and try to just get really clear on like what are you looking for?
Speaker 2:Like you want to flop and drop, relax, unplug. Like do you want culture? Cause? Like okay, for example, somewhere Amalfi coast, I'd put in this category, tulum I'd put in this category. Like they are not. You don't go there necessarily for, like a cultural immersion, not to say you don't get local culture when you go, but they're very much touristic destinations and but they're beautiful and they do have. Like you can get amazing Mexican food in Tulum, you can get amazing Italian food in Amalfi coast, but you're not amongst locals there, right?
Speaker 2:Like you're going for the beautiful views. You're going for the fun restaurants, the tourist spot, like so if if you don't want touristic, then don't go to a destination like that. Go somewhere that's like a little more off the beaten path or like not as touristy. So I think that's what I like to encourage people is like get really clear on what kind of holiday you want, what experiences you want. Do you care about food? Do you care about culture? Do you want to be amongst like? Do you want awesome views? Do you want um?
Speaker 1:yeah, what's your pillar of importance here?
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly, and then you can kind of choose your destination accordingly. But I kind of, personally, I'm just like surrendering the idea of best kept secret, cause I'm just like I just feel like that can steer you in the wrong direction. You could end up somewhere. That's like, yeah, this isn't a secret, it's just not that exciting. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, fair, fair. And when you travel, which like pillar do you usually tend to go for? Is it usually?
Speaker 2:culture, is it food, all of them? All of them, honestly, like it depends what I'm in the mood for, like, uh, I would. I would typically say I like, I would love, like a combo, so like, for example, we're looking to do, um, india for our honeymoon, and so that's like culture, adventure, um, like see, do, experience, um, but then we're probably going to end somewhere, like I don't know if the Maldives, we're trying to figure out, like weather, what's the best time of year. Somewhere, then it's like I don't know the Maldives, we're trying to figure out, like weather, what's the best time of year, but somewhere then it's like okay, we just went and adventured and like went so hard, and now we just kind of want to like decompress and like relax and recharge a little bit before we go home.
Speaker 1:Transition back to home.
Speaker 2:We actually exactly, exactly, but I love all of it. Like I think it's just like the season you're in, like I've been on a really busy season, work wise, and so there's days that I'm like man I can feel myself. I used to never be a like what we call flop and drop in the UK Um, I just like. I'm like that's boring. Anyone could do a beach vacation. Like I want to go see so much and do so much and uh, so that's like what I normally gravitate towards. But as I've been in a more like busy season of life, I'm like no, there is beauty in slowing down and I totally respect and appreciate people who need holidays to do that and like don't, don't need it and they just want to like, unplug and recharge, like I get that and I need that.
Speaker 1:That's so funny my parents, my mom being a travel- agent when I you know before I was born and then a little bit kind of when was growing up. They were always adventure, go, go, go and I think I did it so much as a kid that now I'm just like a fluff and sleep on the beach girl Like I'm like I don't see anything.
Speaker 1:I mean, I do, I do want to see things, but like they were definitely like going for the adventures, like I'd always joke that you know I would see my we cruised a lot growing up. We'd see my like friends from the kids club like going on like the nice, organized, clean cruise ship organized. And then there'd be us with like a local who like barely speaks English, like going the other direction I'd be like bye, like you know, like my mom's, like we gotta be there at 7am, you know.
Speaker 1:So it's it's fun to have the range and like they each serve their purpose and it is a really amazing experience I had as a child. But yes, different times in life lean us to be piqued by the curiosity of one or the other.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's the beauty of travel is it can serve so many purposes, you know, like you can. Even. I know travel is often pinned as being, you know like, oh, it's like so energetically draining and this and it's like no, but travel takes you outside of your everyday routine and it can be like give you fresh eyes and perspective and inspire you. It can recharge you if you like, cause you aren't distracted by everything at home. So it can, you know. It can stimulate you, it can relax you Like it can it. Just it's all contingent upon the destination, and I think that's the beauty is like what you need in life and seeking it out and letting travel do what travel does.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is such a beautiful thought. And, whitney, you are so lovely. You have to tell everybody where they can find you and find your company and all the good things as well.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yeah, so you can follow blonde underscore Atlas on Instagram. That's my account, so it's a combination of like travel that I do kind of for travel planning clients, like that kind of scouting, research, plus a little bit of Atlas Adventures trips too, and then, if you want to follow the trips specifically, it's Atlas Adventures trips. All one word on instagram, um, on our, you can also go to blondeatlascom. That has all my information. If you want us to um plan a trip for you has like rates, all of our trips that are available. We're about to announce a bunch of new trips for atlas under the um group trip section, so lots of information on there, um and be, and then on our website you can also find how to subscribe to our newsletter, because newsletter subscribers get priority access on registering for any of our trips.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Winnie, thank you so much for taking the time to immerse us and excite me to travel again this summer.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. It's lovely chatting with you.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for listening to Confessions of a Wannabe it Girl. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the show. As always, we'll see you next Tuesday.
