Why Working With a Travel Advisor Changes the Way You Travel
Everywhere you look, travel is trending. Scroll through social media, and you’ll find yourself in swoon-worthy destinations for hours: walking cobblestone streets, diving into crystal clear water from your own private villa, driving through rolling hills of picturesque landscapes, or eating your way through Italian countrysides.
But the reality? These 30-second snapshot images are not always ones featuring a picture-perfect vacation. They don’t show the realities of planning travel behind the scenes, or the hours that are put into making a destination dream come to life.
As consumers, we have access to more information and options at our fingertips than ever before, and yet this still seems insufficient when we’re planning our own vacations. Why?
Decision fatigue can be overwhelming, complicated, and time-consuming. How do we know if those images didn’t come from AI, or how do we know the entire story is being told correctly?
Maybe that’s where you are right now: Excited for the possibility of a new adventure, but overloaded by endless options, confused by conflicting travel advice, or worried you’ll spend thousands on a trip that falls flat.
STM Travel Design exists to connect travelers with experienced, passionate travel advisors who specialize in designing personalized, thoughtful travel experiences.
What a Travel Advisor Does & Why It Matters
Working with a travel advisor means you have a strategic and experienced professional to craft a well-paced journey to your dream destination. The bulk of the work of a travel advisor is behind the scenes and unfolds during the planning process, leaving you with the joy of exploring and making memories you’ll cherish instead of stressing about transportation logistics, a room that doesn’t match expectations, or not realizing until it’s too late the difference between “ocean view and ocean front.”
In the past, travel advisors had a more transactional approach with clients, focusing solely on booking the trip, sending travel documents, and saying “bon voyage.” Today, clicking “reserve” and applying deposits for a vacation only represents a small fraction of what advisors do. A travel advisor provides a full-service experience that helps clients navigate the complexities of travel without the overwhelm, transforming ideas into expertly curated itineraries. That includes:
A 1:1 consultation to gather your preferences, specific needs, and priorities
Matching you to the right destinations, accommodations, and experiences through trusted global travel industry partners
Designing custom itineraries with intention and purpose
Managing all the logistical details, such as travel requirements, timing, transfers, pacing, and keeping several steps ahead to find the best solutions and outcomes
Providing insight and insider access based on our professional credentials and personal experience
Support before, during, and after travel, ensuring you are well-informed and prepared
Helping you navigate through any unexpected disruptions
This matters deeply today since travel experiences are layered. Policies and entry requirements change, crowd levels fluctuate, pricing is dynamic, tourist traps can be just that, and at the end of the day, no two trips are the same, no matter how many inspiring images someone has seen online of a destination. Information and options are more accessible than ever. However, travel advisors bring context, perspective, experience, and specialized training to understand what exactly is best for your vacation.
Travel Designed with Purpose
At STM Travel Design, we believe that travel is not a transaction. We know that your experiences and preferences will vary, depending on the destination, the vacation goals, and the people who are traveling.
As a collective of several top-producing travel advisors with Share The Magic Travel, the heart behind what STM Travel Design members do is reflected in our mission:
To design travel with purpose and precision, delivering elevated experiences through trusted partnerships, thoughtful planning, and advisors who value relationships as much as results.
We know that travel is an investment of both your time and financial resources. As advisors, we do not take this lightly when you entrust your vacations to us. We are committed to the highest industry standards, professional development, personal connection, curated experiences, partnering with global leaders in the travel industry, while pursuing our passion through travel ourselves.
We would be honored to partner with you for your next vacation. To read more about our services and what you can expect working with an STM Travel Design advisor, click here. To learn more about our collective of advisors and their specialties, click here. To inquire about travel design, contact us here.
Written by Christa Jordan
Christa is a Platinum Top Producer and Senior Travel Advisor with Share the Magic Travel, and a founding member of STM Travel Design. She loves combining the art of storytelling with her passion for travel, helping clients write their travel stories through expert planning and collaboration. Even though she’s an introvert, she enjoys the rush of city life, unhurried mornings, and discovering the best local coffee shops wherever she goes. Wife of 15 years and mom to 2 active boys, going on adventures with her family is her favorite thing in the world.
Click here to learn more and connect with Christa.