Travel Trends with Dan Christian

Send us a textExperiences - not things - are becoming the world’s most powerful growth market, and investor Michael Zeisser, Managing Partner, FMZ Ventures joins us to explain why. In this Captains of Industry episode, we explore how the shift from goods to meaning is reshaping the entire travel and experiences economy and what it means to play the long game in a world where travelers increasingly seek connection, transformation, and purpose. We look at where travel is headed next as new ecosystems of creators, distribution platforms, and enablement tools emerge. Michael breaks down why companies like GetYourGuide and Fever are pulling ahead, and why true differentiation, not copycat concepts, is what builds category-defining brands.We go deep into how AI is transforming experiences through three major shifts: hyper-personalization grounded in real-world context, productivity gains that expand margins, and time reallocation that ultimately generates new demand. Michael connects these advances to what travelers are seeking most in 2026: agency, connection, and inspiration. The conversation stretches beyond travel, touching on the rise of psychotherapeutic experiences, the early science of experiential medicine, and evolving approaches to legacy and sustainable death. Michael also shares why he is bullish on live events consolidation, what drove his investment in MARI, and how the Middle East is rapidly building cultural and tourism infrastructure at global scale.If you are creating, investing in, or simply curious about the next era of transformative travel, this episode reveals where value is moving and how to design for the why, not just the where.👉 Listen to The Mind Behind Investing in the Experience Economy 🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textReady to trade crowds for clarity and noise for nature? In episode four of our 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series, Dan and Travelzoo Senior Editor (and co-host) Gabe Saglie head to Finland with Visit Finland’s Tarja Koivisto to map out a year-round escape shaped by wellness, design, and wild beauty. Think 188,000 lakes, 3 million saunas, and four regions that make trip-planning effortless: Helsinki for architecture and food, Lakeland for serene, water-lined landscapes, the Coast and Archipelago for island-hopping freedom, and Lapland for snow-soft winters and glowing summer nights.We start with the practicals: nonstop flights from major U.S. cities, smooth trains, easy roads, and English spoken widely. Then we lean into the good life. Tarja breaks down sauna culture - how it works, what to expect, and why Finns swear by the heat-and-plunge ritual. We explore Everyman’s Right, Finland’s open-access tradition that lets you walk, paddle, and forage respectfully across nature. And of course, the flavors: forest-to-table meals, legendary “coffee breaks,” Karelian pies, and soul-warming salmon soup.All eyes turn north in 2026 as Oulu becomes a European Capital of Culture, hosting a full year of music, film, visual arts and Indigenous Sámi heritage, an inspiring pairing with a Helsinki city break or a Lapland adventure. For slow-travel days, we spotlight the Archipelago Trail from Turku: ferry-linked islands, small inns, Baltic breezes, easy by car, unforgettable by e-bike. Families, solo travelers, women’s groups, and soft adventurers all find their rhythm here, supported by safe cities, marked trails, and a cultural pace that treats silence as a luxury.If you’ve done Europe’s greatest hits and are craving something fresh, Finland offers a clean, creative, and deeply restorative next step.New episodes drop every Tuesday, each featuring local experts who bring these Best Bets to life. Become a member at travelzoo.com to access exclusive offers.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textStart the new year with a clear-eyed plan for transformational travel. In the final episode of our Sustainability Series, we sit down with Dr. Susanne Etti, Intrepid’s Global Environmental Impact Manager, to explore how one of the world’s leading adventure brands is moving sustainability from promises to proof-phasing out offsets, investing directly in decarbonization, and expanding carbon measurement to include the full customer lifecycle, even flights they don’t sell.Dr. Etti breaks down Intrepid’s three-pillar approach. First: rigorous measurement and transparent reporting that capture everything from on-trip transport and lodging to meals, waste, and now customer air travel. Second: deep decarbonization, including EV adoption for ground transfers, renewable energy across global offices, and itinerary redesigns that remove flights where safe and feasible. Third: climate literacy and advocacy, empowering teams worldwide to understand the data, communicate tradeoffs honestly, and guide travelers with carbon labels and clear storytelling.For travelers, choosing better is about recognizing the signals that matter: B Corp certification, public impact reports, carbon-label transparency, local leadership on trips, and partnerships that support ecosystems and communities. For operators, the roadmap is practical and actionable, measure accurately, engage suppliers, design lower-carbon products, educate teams, and stay transparent about the challenges. Intrepid’s 2030 goal - an 8% reduction across the full customer journey illustrates what accountability at scale truly looks like.This episode is a grounded, hopeful blueprint for anyone who wants travel to be both meaningful now and sustainable long into the future.Thanks to Intrepid for sponsoring this series! 👉 Listen to Climate Leadership in Action: Inside Intrepid’s Decarbonization Now🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textImagine a travel company where the business itself fuels impact, not just through donations but through ownership. That is the UnTours story. In this episode, CEO Jonathan Coleman shares how the world’s first certified B Corp tour operator became part of a foundation that invests every dollar into small businesses creating meaningful change in destinations.Jonathan walks us through Hal and Norma Taussig’s remarkable origin story, beginning with apartment-based, slow travel in the 1970s and evolving into a vow of poverty that redirected profits into a foundation, eventually transferring company ownership. We then explore the Reset Tourism Fund, which transforms corporate philanthropy from partners such as Expedia Group, TUI Care Foundation, Skyscanner, Tourism Cares, Agoda and XO into flexible, low-interest loans for small tourism enterprises. The results are tangible and people-centered, from Invisible Cities training individuals who experienced homelessness to become tour guides, to Greether creating safer experiences for solo women, to inclusive LGBTQ+ travel initiatives in Colombia that combine safety with cultural immersion.The conversation also moves beyond offsets into the deeper work of sustainability. Jonathan explains why aligning all foundation assets with mission is essential, how consumer expectations are shifting as greenwashing becomes easier to spot, and why measurement must come before management. Listeners will come away with clear guidance on what to look for as travelers, including transparent certifications and local ownership, and what to prioritize as industry leaders, from supplier selection to risk-sharing models that build more equitable and climate-conscious tourism systems.Tourism represents about 10% of global GDP, jobs, and emissions. Where our industry goes, the world follows. Thanks to Intrepid for sponsoring this series! 👉 Listen to Where Sustainable Travel Meets Impact Investing Now🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoadThe #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

Send us a textA century-old highway is about to steal the spotlight again. In episode three of our 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series, Dan and Travelzoo Senior Editor (and co-host) Gabe Saglie head to Arizona’s storied stretch of Route 66 with guest Nikki Terlesky, Director of Operations for the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. Together, they explore why the Mother Road still embodies freedom, spontaneity, and Americana—especially as the U.S. approaches its 250th birthday. From neon-lit motor lodges to desert bends that test your steering, this is road-tripping at its most evocative.You’ll get a practical 2026 game plan: the best times to go, how weather shifts with elevation from Kingman to Flagstaff, and how to layer in icons like the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Meteor Crater. Expect insider picks too including Winslow’s famous corner and La Posada, Flagstaff’s restored vintage motels and centennial exhibits, and the GuideAlong GPS tour that turns the drive into a living museum.Along the way, we trace the roots of diner and motel culture, the postwar birth of the family road trip, and why international travelers still flock here for classic burgers, milkshakes, and glowing neon. The result isn’t just nostalgia—it’s an authenticity-rich, digital-detox adventure where the road itself becomes the destination.If 2026 is your year to rediscover the open road, Arizona’s Route 66 delivers history, scenery, and pure fun in one timeless drive.New episodes drop every Tuesday, each featuring local experts who bring these Best Bets to life. Become a member at travelzoo.com to access exclusive offers.The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/