Travel advisors talk bucket list worthy trips
Can you share some insights into bucket list trips, the destinations and the types of trips that are trending right now?
TS: I’m finding people are wanting immersive and explorative trips while visiting places they’ve always wanted to visit. For some it’s more “off the beaten path” destinations like Antarctica, Galapagos, Egypt. For other travellers the bucket list is places further away like the South Pacific; Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. For others it’s the type of travel like river cruises, expedition cruises or small group explorations.
CH: For myself and my agency, we only sell vacations to The Islands of Tahiti, which is a huge bucket list destination for so many people. We work hard to plan customized trips for our clients. We visit the islands often and are true destination experts and work with the best suppliers in French Polynesia. Our clientele tend to do island hopping in Tahiti and not just fly into the destination and go to Bora Bora for seven nights. We usually have three or more islands in each package.
As for trending within the destination, we are seeing more and more families heading to The Islands of Tahiti. It is great as the locals love kids and if families enjoy water based activities especially and culture it makes such a memorable vacation. I only wish the hoteliers would keep adding more family accommodations as space is limited for a destination that is largely known for couples and romance.
Why do you think these trips are resonating with travellers?
TS: We saw an increase in bucket list travel after the pandemic. I think people saw how global events can restrict their ability to travel. People weren’t able to travel for over a year. When people were able to travel again we saw people starting to take longer trip, trips they’ve always wanted to do but had been putting off for various reasons. I think it was a change of mindset towards not putting those trips off. To make travel a priority.
CH: The beauty of the islands surpasses that of almost anywhere else in the world. Clients dream of the blue lagoons, overwater bungalows and lush green mountains. It is an escape from the ordinary and a chance to have some authentic, personalized experiences. Once they are there, they fall in love with the warmth and spirit of the Polynesian people. In a time when over tourism is a big issue around the world the islands and resorts are small giving people a more private and unique getaway. It tends to be a destination where people do celebratory trips — honeymoons, weddings, anniversary, big birthdays, grad trips etc.
What’s the average price point of some of the big trips that you are booking and how far out do they tend to book the bigger ticket trips?
TS: I would say that the price point for the bucket list trips has been around $5,000-$10,000 per person. The majority of these big trips have been booked nine months or more prior to departure. It can vary depending on the type of travel. Things like cruises (ocean, river and expedition) all put their sailings out up to two years in advance. Right now many of the cruise lines have their sailings out for 2027. Booking when itineraries are first released with just a deposit, not only gives the best cabin availability but is also when the cruise lines put out great promotions with their early booking bonuses. I have had a couple bucket list trip that I have booked only a couple months out but these are less common and a little trickier as availability can be limited.
CH: Our average booking does tend to be higher than many destinations. The majority of our clients spend between 10-12 nights in destination plus their travel time to get there and back. Our average booking runs between $15,000-$18,000 per person. We typically offer more of the 4-5 star level accommodations and cruises vs the lower end lodges and pension.
The Islands of Tahiti is a destination that is booked well in advance. Most of our travellers book at least 9-12 months in advance and many, especially cruise clients well before that. We encourage early bookings in order to get the best rates and availability. We currently have a few bookings in place for November of 2027.
What stands out as the most memorable bucket list type trip you’ve ever booked?
TS: I’ve done a couple South Pacific itineraries. One was a month-long customized itinerary. I worked with a couple to create the itinerary to help them create their perfect itinerary with all their must sees. Another one was another month-long trip, this time visiting Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. This one was such a joy to work with. It was a solo traveller who had lost his wife a few years ago and it was a trip they had always talked about taking. It was nice to be able to help him plan this trip. I loved hearing about his experience when he was back and the highlights for him that he never expected to be highlights.
And Egypt. Egypt is on my personal bucket list so it was really fun for me to help them get to experience it. They had one specific thing that they wanted to do, snorkel in the Red Sea. Many of the tours that they looked at didn’t include that so we booked a tour for them that included the must see sights of Egypt and then did a customized Red Sea extension for them to do their bucket list activity.
CH: We did an incredible family vacation trip for 17 people complete with resort stays and a private island stay. The private island could only sleep six so we had helicopters going back and forth between the resort and island a few times to change out family members staying on the island. We then finished it off with a huge party on the island for the whole family including spa treatments on the beach, jet skis, a Polynesian dancers, Polynesian va’a and holopuni boats, traditional handicrafts, bar tender, photographer, Polynesian dinner, fireworks and more. It was something special and I wish I could have been there with them to see it all come together… and I was so happy it didn’t rain!
Where will your own travels take you this year or what trip is on your bucket list?
TS: As I answer these questions, I’m actually on my own epic adventure to the Arctic. I’m off exploring Iceland and Greenland. Iceland has been on my bucket list. I love the outdoors, hiking and exploring. From all that I’ve seen of Iceland it is a heaven to the outdoor enthusiast. And over the last few days, it hasn’t disappointed. The waterfalls, geysers, black sand beach, volcanic fields. Such a beautiful country.
After Iceland, I will be boarding Adventure Canada on an expedition cruise heading to Greenland. During covid, I decided to create my niche and focus on immersive travel experiences like expedition cruising. This meant lots of training and learning about expedition cruising with the various cruise companies. Though I was learning about this for my clients, it quickly became something that I wanted to experience for myself. So I can’t say that Greenland was ever on my bucket list but an expedition cruise is and I am so excited for the experience. Saying that, I am excited for the opportunity to see Greenland. The landscape looks amazing. Looking forward to the wildlife possibilities, like seeing polar bears! Visiting local villages and learning about the Greenland culture.
CH: I am doing a lot in 2025 and have already been to Tahiti once with a group onboard the Paul Gauguin for 10 nights. I still have a trip to Spain, Greece, Turkey and back to Tahiti all lined up in the second half of 2025. I make sure I visit The Islands of Tahiti at least once a year to keep up on everything going and make sure we remain the destination experts. My bucket list still has both polar regions, Japan, Philippines and much more.
What advice do you have for other travel advisors booking bucket list trips (or trips to Tahiti)?
CH: Get a rough idea of their budget but make sure you plan the dream. Qualify them to find out all their preferences, dreams, dislikes and work hard to build a customized trip for what their dream is. If you ask for a budget and only work towards staying in that budget you may not give them their dream. You can always scale back on the quote when you are over budget — but present their dream and let them choose what part of their dream they are willing to forego. Bucket list trips are often only once in a lifetime so you want to make sure you give them what they want.
Do you have anything to add?
TS: Aside from the bucket list trips that I personally have booked for clients, I do read reports from travel organizations and tour operators to learn about the travel trends. There’s definitely been an increase in small ship expedition cruising. People are enjoying this type of travel as it’s a more personalized experience with fewer guests onboard, higher guest-to-staff ratio. It’s about learning and immersing oneself in a destination. You travel with experts like marine biologists, historians, archeologists, photographers and more. Expedition cruises don’t mean roughing it. They can be quite luxurious. It’s about getting into destinations not as often visited. Places you couldn’t visit on a regular big ocean ship. Expeditions are much more than just Antarctica or the Arctic. Travellers can find expedition cruises to Alaska, South America, Asia and even the Mediterranean.
Another popular type of travel that is gaining popularity is river cruising. This year there have been two new river cruise companies joining the already great companies sailing the rivers in Europe. Along with the variety of river cruise companies there are so many different itineraries and rivers to explore offering great options for those wanting through the heart of the destinations. For those that have cruised Europe and maybe want to try somewhere different, there are river cruises around the world which often people don’t know about. The Mekong in Asia. The Nile in Egypt. Chobe River in Africa. Amazon in South America. And most recently a brand new ship and destination sailing in Colombia.
CH: There are so many bucket list destinations around the world in places like Africa, the polar regions, Galapagos, Japan, etc. I highly recommend agents who have a passion for somewhere unique, complex to book and higher end to jump into it as a niche. We get clients from all over the world booking with us now as we specialize in the destination — don’t limit yourself to the Canadian market only and work hard to be the expert in your niche.
