Trafalgar Launches Early Access Program with No Fee FAMs

Trafalgar has announced a new early access program that was designed to give select travel advisors a chance to experience new tours before they launch to the public.

Dubbed Trafalgar Trailblazers, the new program invites select travel advisors to try out new travel styles and itineraries before the first public departures in order to share feedback with the tour operator. Trafalgar benefits from collaborating with travel advisors, who possess unique insight into traveler tastes and expectations, while the advisors who participate can use the trip experience to better sell Trafalgar’s tours.

The initial FAM trip experiences include a free single room on one of two land small group tours with airfare.

“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 Trailblazers is debuting with two FAM opportunities for travel advisors to participate in, both departing in Fall 2026: Best of China or San Sebastián & Beyond. These are upcoming Trafalgar small group tours — a new travel style for the tour operator that was announced last month.

Best of China (with Yangtze Cruise) is a seven-day itinerary departing Oct. 24, 2026, that visits Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. Highlights include the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Terracotta Warriors, a Tai Chi session, a Shanghai acrobatics show, a Be My Guest lunch with a local family in Beijing, and a Make Travel Matter experience at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

San Sebastián & Beyond is a seven-day itinerary through France and Spain departing Oct. 31, 2026. Highlights include the Saint-Émilion wine region, Dune du Pilat, a stretch of the Camino del Norte, San Sebastián’s pintxos scene, a Make Travel Matter experience in Gernika, and a Be My Guest lunch with a Basque fishing family in Getaria.

Applications are now open for Trafalgar Trailblazers online. Advisors have until July 31, 2026 to apply, and those who are selected will be notified the week of Aug. 10, 2026.

According to Trafalgar, the new program is designed to be an ongoing professional development opportunity for advisors, and will continue to evolve to include other new products the tour operator rolls out in the future.

“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.”