In my book, “Invite Yourself to the Party,” I quote Emma Goldman who stated, “I’d rather
have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.” The ability to deliver five-diamond experiences, without rose-colored glasses, is the matter at hand.
-Michael Patrick Shiels
Every trip you take is a story and a memory, whether it is exploring someplace new to you or revisiting a destination dear to you. “Recollections may vary,” the late Queen Elizabeth
famously said.
Your perception of a place can be impacted by any number of variables, such as a delayed flight or a cold plate of pasta. Conversely, a romantic encounter or a high-adrenaline adventure might stimulate your heart decades later. Your memory of an experience can be a matter of perception versus reality.
The Actual State of Travel in 2025
Misty Belles, Virtuoso Travel’s vice-president of global public relations, studies where people have been and knows where they are going.
Belles, who appears often on NBC’s “Today Show,” held a press conference on the “State of Travel in 2025” during the organization’s annual Travel Week gathering in Las Vegas. Thousands, from 107 countries, held over 100,000 meetings talking cruise, adventure, family, culinary, wellness, ultraluxe and sustainability, sometimes in immersive settings.
Virtuoso’s global, invitation-only, travel agency network specializes in luxury and experiential travel crafted by 20,000 travel advisors around the world, drawing upon preferred relationships with 2,500 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations providing exclusive amenities, rare experiences, and inside access.
Belles shared industry data but drew a distinction between…perception and reality.
For instance, despite news accounts of “U.S. travel avoidance,” data reveal America remains the top travel destination, even among Canadians, and Australians and domestic travelers.
“There are pockets where it has softened. Trip lengths are shorter by about four percent,
for instance,” Belles admitted. “But a deeper look into the reality of the data proved travel is
still a strong priority at the luxury level. Hotel rates continue to climb. Yacht cruising and luxury safaris are up.”
Belles said data showed even younger people have learned to value experiences over “things,” and are willing to pay for quality experiences.
Valuing Experiences and How to Find Them
In my book, “Invite Yourself to the Party,” I quote Emma Goldman, who stated, “I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”
The ability to deliver five-diamond experiences, without rose-colored glasses, is the matter at hand.
Matthew Upchurch, Virtuoso Travel’s founder, addressed the travel writers and broadcasters who, themselves, traveled from across America and beyond, including England, to cover the massive weeklong event and learn from its thousands of international attendees.
Upchurch explained that Virtuoso advisors have relationships with Virtuoso-vetted travel providers around the world, with each travel entity seeking to achieve status.
“Every brand in the world is legitimately trying to create a standard. Even a mid-level brand aims for a level of consistency,” Upchurch said. “In the luxury sector, clients are starting to pay more attention to who owns a specific brand of hotel. Those types of little nuances are
starting to show up. You can have a hotel owned by an insurance trust or asset manager
screaming about the bottom line versus a hotel owned by someone who wants to know what they can do better.”
General managers tell Upchurch that their ability to do their jobs depends on the ownership
and the brand standard. “If a hotel is just another financial asset, it gets treated as such.”
For Example, a Castle in County Clare, Ireland
The general manager of Ireland’s Dromoland Castle Hotel and Resort, Mark McSorley, says the ability to keep the stately structure feeling like a guest house is what makes it special. The group of passionate, proud Irish Americans who own Dromoland invest in its facilities and people.
“We call our staff a ‘cast of characters,’ because they’re just amazing. They are so fun and they love the place as much as we do,” McSorley said. “We have staff who have been here at Dromoland for 20 or 30 years. Our longest serving employee is John O’Connor, who is on our door, and has been there 42 years. And Grace, our reception manager, has been with Dromoland for 40 years.”
These are the types of individual details a Virtuoso member travel advisor knows and
implements in designing custom itineraries. “At Virtuoso, we select and partner with individual hotels – not brands.”
This is one reason Upchurch insisted travel advisors are not going away. “Millennials best exhibit why. Their attitude is ‘Of course I can do it myself, but I don’t want to.’ The business of human connection is turning out to be the biggest advantage you can have.”
Upchurch also addressed a sensitive issue created by the high demand for popular locations and iconic experiences.
Are Some Places Too Popular?
Image by Michael Patrick Shiels
From waits at Westminster Abbey…to the winding death-zone queue at the top of Mount Everest, vacationers have experienced or seen media photos of throngs of travelers at
desirable destinations.
“’Overtourism’ is a phrase that vilifies travel and is better expressed as ‘destination stewardship,” Upchurch suggested. “That starts with what a destination wants from a self-
determination standpoint, Bhutan, for instance, has always been good at that.”
Venice, Italy, for instance, has limited large cruise ships from choking the Grand Canal and lagoon and has begun charging a nominal fee for day-tripper admission. Something, again, a travel advisor can prepare clients for.
“Luxury travelers are planning further in advance for big milestone trips, and they react to special opportunities. Great advisors have been helping their clients be more thoughtful in
their planning so they get a ‘return on life,’ similar to how a financial advisor can optimize your free leisure time.”
Upchurch explained that Virtuoso Advisor debriefs – the feedback that comes from that form of communication after a trip – allow for a trusted advisor-client relationship
Why Do People Travel? Where are They Going? What Do They Seek?
Belles, back at the podium, poured over the data, revealing Autumn 2025’s top destinations: US, Italy, France, Mexico, UK, Spain, Japan, Greece, Canada and Portugal.
She then moderated a panel discussion of travel advisors who presented and took questions from the nearly 70 travel journalists covering the press conference.
Bharti Keshwala, partnerships director of global elite luxury for Reed & Mackay Travel in
London shared her recent experiences working with clients: “Travel decisions are being more
smartly made for trips that deliver. Loyalty programs also impact the way people travel.”
Chris McIllroy, a travel designer who advises Australians, detailed a different experience.
“Rather than chasing miles, we see clients going for value, even if still in business class,”
said McIllroy, managing director for Travel Inspirations.
“They also choose to combine destinations on one itinerary. We might also pivot them from Sicily to Malta, for instance, for better value. Instead of Slovenia, perhaps Switzerland is an option.”
Practically speaking, McIlroy advises doing their most active, hardest trips now: “You never know what is around the corner.”
Keshwala assists her United Kingdom clients in planning properly when it comes to another
practical issue. “Visas and passports are a hot topic, so we remind our clients to keep an eye on Brexit, as sometimes there are more hoops to jump through and it can take longer.”
Active and Actively Traveling to Watch the Action
Keshwala has noticed her clients have an interest in luxury wellness. “There is a demand for villas and yachts, but wellness travel with a digital detox, so people can get in touch with
themselves is also very popular.”
To that, Eli Wagner, founder of Wagner Bespoke Travel, addressed another trend when asked about the impact of weight-loss drugs on travel. “We do not know what meds our clients are taking or not taking, but some of them are asking not to be booked at the 10-course restaurants with opulent dinners. They want more mom-and-pop experiences.”
Luxury travel advisor Carly Renshaw discussed the demand, by her clients, for exercise
facilities and gyms at accommodations during travel.
Even watching action is popular. McIlroy said travel to sporting events and Formula 1 racing has become extremely popular. “Australians love sports, and they are willing to travel around the world to see them.”
F1’s famed Monaco Grand Prix is changing dates in 2026. “It will now be held the first week in June, but it will be amazing even on the new dates,” said Charlotte Assenza Parianen,
Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority.
“We also have the historical grand prix, the electric grand prix, first, so it is really an amazing month-and-a-half for car lovers.”
Australians might stay the entire time, according to McIllroy, who said they travel for
longer than people in many cultures. “Sometimes they go for eight weeks, during which they will schedule cruises and restful periods between active weeks.”
Active Travel Tips and Tales from Travel Week’s Meetings
Luxury Travel advisor Christine Gaffney, who started as a fjord guide decades ago, suggested Norway for weeks of active adventure.
“How about seeing the Northern Lights…from a helicopter? We guarantee seeing them,” she
said. And while she demurred from pushing people off a mountaintop, Gaffney did say visitors can be buzzed overhead and up close by daredevil wingsuit fliers. “And I have another suggestion for active adventure: we offer swimming with orcas, humpback whales and fin whales at a glacier.”
Marine biologist Juana Ortiz Basso also suggests swimming in warmer water temperatures far to the south, such as at Los Cabos, Mexico. She represented the “Cabo” tourism board while wearing a red stocking cap and toting a little pipe in honor of the late ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.
“You do not have to be afraid of sharks if you are snorkeling or diving at Los Cabos. We
have 10 species such as mako, hammerheads and blue sharks,” she explained. “You can see
reef sharks at Cabo Pulmo, which is our largest reef. But the bull sharks are very curious
animals. You can scuba dive with them in the diving community and can go down without
any cage. It is interesting because they see you and they continue.”
“No cage?” I asked.
“Si. No cage,” Ortiz Basso confirmed.
“Have you done that yourself?”
“Of course,” she answered. “Many times.”
Begin fulfilling your “wanderlist” at Virtuoso.com
Read more of Michael Patrick’s work at The Travel Tattler and contact him at MShiels@aol.com Order his book Travel Tattler – Less Than Torrid Tales at
https://amzn.to/3Qm9FjN
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