Wendy Perrin Holds First Global Travel Summit

Wendy Perrin is aiming to be a major channel for travelers seeking the best travel agents in their specialties.  

Perrin, who developed a network of travel specialists during her years as an editor at Condé Nast Traveler, hosted the first Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit in New York last week, bringing together top travel consultants from around the world. The meeting was the culmination of a year in which Perrin launched her own site, Wendyperrin.com, which connects travelers with her Trusted Travel Experts (TTEs)—consultants with specialties in destinations and categories like cruising. 

“There are a lot of frustrated luxury travelers,” Perrin said. “Travelers are desperate because there is too much information on the Internet; we decided to fix the problem.”  

Based on the 2,500 requests the site received in its first year, these were the most frequent challenges faced by travelers: 

1. Choosing the right locations within the country/region they’ve picked.

2. Avoiding tourist places, crowds, and lines.

3. Solving logistical and timing/pacing problems.

4. Getting better value for their dollar.

5. Finding the right accommodations.  

To deal with those challenges, Perrin’s site has a built-in trip planning system. Travelers can contact her directly via the “Ask Wendy” tool, or go to the “WOW List” to connect directly with a TTE.  

Consumers who use a trip request form available on the site receive advice from Perrin at various stages of their trip planning. She also monitors their trips from start to finish and requests reviews when they get home. 

“In the past when I put together my lists of experts, I relied on research and my gut. Now I have actual reviews to work with,” she said. 

Every TTE has a review page, where travelers can post comments on “what a human being added to a trip.”  

Perrin said her feedback showed that travelers will pay double on a trip to avoid the bad food or bad scheduling they experienced on a previous vacation, and 50% more to avoid a bad guide. 

Asked about the business model for her site and what the financial relationship is with agents, Perrin said, “It’s evolving and complicated.” Agents cannot pay to be on the WOW list, for example, and there is some advertising on the site. Every TTE must sign a pledge to offer the best rates and VIP treatment to site users. 

What luxury travelers spend
Based on the data from Wendyperrin.com over the course of a year, this is what travelers who deal with the site spent on various kinds of trips (average price per trip): Safaris ($23,294); Fishing ($22,782); Trips with a private chef ($20,044); Wildlife ($17,831); Romance ($17,592); Cruises ($16,318); Scuba diving ($14,585); Archaeology ($14,247)); Wine ($13,150) and Hiking ($12,981). 

Experts on Trends
Wendy Perrin asked the Trusted Travel Experts in the audience for the trends they see in 2016. Here were some answers:

• “People don’t want to leave cash in their pockets when they die. They are looking for extremely memorable trips. For example, if they go to Scotland, rather than visit a distillery they spend a day with a master distiller.” 
• “Travelers want to visit the Greek islands where refugees are staying to expose their families to it, to get them out of the bubbles in which they live.” 
• “Travelers want to visit safe and secure Muslim countries, to be exposed to that culture and get to understand it.” 
• “There is a lot of mixing of high and low. For instance, travelers to Mexico might want to go to a four-star restaurant one night and then eat street tacos the next night—as long as they are safe and clean tacos.” 
• “Shabby chic or haute hippy is growing in popularity. The pattern is that backpackers are followed by a cool hostel which becomes a luxury boutique.” 
•  “There is a change in the role of the guide. Instead of a professional tour guide people are looking for a host, a friend, who can make them feel they are living in the destination. “ 

Pic: Facebook