Trafalgar Trailblazers: New Venture Brings Advisors into Product Development Process

Global guided vacation company Trafalgar has launched Trafalgar Trailblazers, a new advisor advocacy program that gives select travel advisors exclusive early access to new Trafalgar itineraries before their first public departures. 

Designed to deepen collaboration with the advisors community, the program invites participants to experience new travel styles ahead of launch and share insights that help Trafalgar refine the guest experience, while equipping advisors with the knowledge and confidence to inspire and guide their clients. 

The program debuts with an opportunity to apply for one of two exclusive Trafalgar Small Group Tours FAM experiences this fall: Best of China or San Sebastián & Beyond. 

“Travel advisors do more than sell vacations; they understand what inspires today’s travellers and what turns a great trip into a lifelong memory,” said Melissa DaSilva, Deputy CEO and Chief Sales Officer of TTC Tour Brands. 

“That’s why we created Trafalgar Trailblazers. We want our advisor partners involved earlier in the process, bringing their perspectives to new itineraries before they launch. It’s an investment in collaboration that ultimately creates stronger experiences for our guests and gives advisors an authentic story they can confidently share.”

Trafalgar Small Group Tours are built for guests who want the ease and confidence of guided travel paired with the intimacy of a smaller group and deeper local connection. Advisors selected for the first Trafalgar Trailblazers will win a free single room on one of two land Small Group Tours with airfare included:

Best of China (with Yangtze Cruise) — a 7-day journey through Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, departing October 24–30, 2026. Highlights include walking the Great Wall, exploring the UNESCO-listed Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, taking in the scale of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, joining an intimate Tai Chi morning session, catching a high-energy Shanghai acrobatics show, and taking in the Bund skyline at night. 

The itinerary also features a Be My Guest lunch with a family in their home in one of Beijing’s hutongs and a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to learn about conservation efforts to rescue and protect endangered giant pandas.

San Sebastián & Beyond — a 7-day journey across France and Spain, departing October 31–November 6, 2026. Highlights include the Saint-Émilion wine region, Europe’s largest sand dune at Dune du Pilat, a stretch of the Camino del Norte, and San Sebastián’s renowned pintxos bar culture. The itinerary also features Trafalgar’s MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience in Gernika, meeting local elders who preserve Basque heritage and history, and a Be My Guest lunch with a local Basque fishing family in Getaria.

Trafalgar Trailblazers is designed as an ongoing professional development opportunity. Beginning with Small Group Tours, the program will continue to evolve alongside future product launches Trafalgar brings to market, giving selected advisors direct, on-the-ground product knowledge they can carry into client conversation. 

“This is just the beginning for Trafalgar Trailblazers,” said DaSilva. “We’re continuing to invest in new and exciting products that guests want to book and advisors can confidently sell, from Small Group Tours to river cruises with much more on the horizon. This program will grow right alongside that innovation, giving advisors an inside look into it all.” 

Applications for Trafalgar Trailblazers are open now through July 31, 2026 – with selected participants notified the week of August 10. 

Applicants chosen for the first Trafalgar Trailblazers experience will have successfully demonstrated how they can advocate for the Trafalgar brand, share valuable information to shape product development and spread awareness about new products with their advisor peers and clients. An active and engaging social media presence where advisors can share their experience post-trip is encouraged.

Travel advisors can see the application to become a Trafalgar Trailblazer here.