Audley Travel Unveils Road Show Dates, Launches Valentine’s Day Contest for New-to-FIT Advisors

Customized travel operator Audley Travel is hitting the road hard in 2026 with nearly 30 roadshow events spread across the United States designed to educate travel advisors on how incorporating tailor-made travel into their businesses can boost their profitability.

The roadshows are part of Audley Travel’s expansive initiative to take travel advisors back to a time before everything was packaged and bundled together.

“Travel advisors these days are so accustomed to selling cruises and escorted tours and group travel, that that’s their go-to a lot of the times,” Cathy Kusuma Bennis, vice president and head of trade sales and partnerships, North America, told TMR. “We’re trying to get back to the roots of the travel advisor and get them back into that FIT space.”

She added that the response from advisors they’ve spoken to has been excellent, particularly because they’re hearing from advisors that they are getting more requests from clients for customized, experiential travel.

Hosted by the brand’s regional sales directors, the lunch-and-learn roadshows will teach advisors why selling experiential FIT travel is trending and how they can take advantage of all that Audley has to offer. Advisors will get to meet their Audley regional sales director in person, network with other advisors to share best practices, gain access to exclusive booking incentives for attendees only, and take home a variety of prizes and giveaways.

“We want to meet with as many advisors as we can,” Kusuma Bennis said, emphasizing that the events will be practical.

“Over the years, you meet with lots of travel suppliers who tell you all about their product but they don’t always tell you how to sell it. That’s the most important part of it. Advisors can find it a little intimidating thinking I don’t have that clientele in my network, but they really do. We’ll help them figure out within their database of clients how to find the perfect Audley client.”

Advisors should reach out to their respective regional sales director or to traveladvisors@audleytravel.com if they don’t know who their RSD is for more information on how to register for an event.

(Dates are listed at the bottom of this article.)

Win a Spot on Audley’s First-Ever U.S. FAM

At the same time, the company is launching a “Love at First FIT” contest that will provide one lucky new-to-FIT travel advisor the chance to join Audley’s first-ever U.S. advisor FAM trip to Morocco. The contest is designed for advisors who are already selling escorted tours and/or high-end cruises and have an interest in expanding their portfolio to include custom itineraries, experiential and immersive travel, and exotic destinations.

Running from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2026, the Valentine’s Day-themed contest invites interested advisors to submit a short essay (300-500 words) explaining why selling tailormade FIT travel with Audley will help them boost their business. The essay must answer the prompted questions shared on Audley’s travel advisor Facebook page. Answers may be structured as individual answers or woven into a cohesive story.

A photo (reflecting curiosity, connection, or meaningful travel) of one of the advisor’s favorite travel experiences must be included in the submission.

One winter will be chosen to receive a guaranteed spot on the FAM, which departs June 8, 2026 and will give participants firsthand experience of Audley’s detailed planning, on-the-ground experience, and immersive travel style that they can share with their clients.

“Supporting travel advisors in their business and helping them to expand their offering to include tailormade FIT is really important to Audley,” Kusuma Bennis said. “This FAM place won’t be allocated on the basis on current FIT sales volume, or indeed ever having sold an Audley trip – it’s about vision, curiosity, and readiness to grow. I can’t wait to see the entries and welcome a new, ambitious travel advisor to the world of tailormade travel with Audley.”

Booking Incentive

The contest is part of Audley’s ongoing “Audley Loves Travel Advisors” campaign, which also features a “Fall in Love with Audley” booking incentive for the first half of February. For every new booking made and deposited between Feb. 1 and Feb. 14, 2026, travel advisors will get a $100 gift card (CAD gift cards also available).

Revamped Audley Academy

As part of the company’s commitment to working closely with the North American trade, Audley has also revamped its training program. The all-new Audley Academy will launch this March and will feature several training modules, primarily focused on destination training.

“That’s the heart of what we sell,” Kusuma Bennis said, adding that when the Academy launches it will feature an overview of all the regions Audley can plan travel for, with more in-depth modules on, among others, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and African safaris.

When advisors complete the program, they become official “Audley Ambassadors,” and will receive a sales and marketing toolkit designed to help boost their tailormade business, along with an exclusive booking incentive, access to opportunities for future FAMs, sneak peeks at new products and experiences prior to official launches, and more.

Information on how to register for the Academy will be available on Audley’s travel advisor Facebook page in February.

Road Show Dates

Chicago – Jan. 14, 15
Indianapolis – Jan. 22
Dallas – Jan. 28
Long Island – Feb. 4,5 and May 13, 14
South Florida (Miami/Broward/Palm Beach counties) – Feb. 17, 18, 19
Houston – Feb. 18
Los Angeles – Feb. 23, 24, 25, 26
Tampa – Feb. 24
Austin – Feb. 25
Philadelphia – Feb. 25, 26
Albany – March 3
Northeast Pennsylvania/Scranton – March 11, 12
Northern California/Sacrament – March 16
San Francisco – March 18
Atlanta/Greenville (SC)/Charlotte – March 30, April 1
Northern NJ – April 1, 2
Rhode Island – April 7
Phoenix – April 13
Washington, DC – April 16
Cherry Hill (NJ) – April 21
Western Pennsylvania – April 29, 30
Las Vegas – May 8, 9, 10, 11
Southwest Connecticut – May 21
Seattle – June 9
Denver – June 23
Nashville – June 24