Travel Trends with Dan Christian
#1 B2B Travel Podcast. If you are looking to stay ahead in the travel industry, this new podcast hits all the highlights! The Travel Trends Podcast is where industry leaders converge to share & shape the future. Whether you're an emerging entrepreneur, a seasoned industry executive, or a dedicated travel professional, you’ll be able to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Uncover valuable insights, innovative strategies, and meaningful connections that will elevate your travel business or career to new heights.
Travel Trends with Dan Christian
Travelzoo Best Bets: Where to Go in 2026 with Jonathan Jones, Head of Publishing, Travelzoo
We’re kicking off a 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series to explore how smarter and more meaningful travel is taking center stage and how to book it at real value. Dan and Travelzoo’s Senior Editor and co-host Gabe Saglie are joined by Jonathan Jones, Travelzoo’s Head of Publishing, who leads the team behind the brand’s most trusted deals, including the iconic Top 20. A champion of price transparency and member-first storytelling, Jonathan shapes the editorial voice that reaches millions each week and helps maintain Travelzoo’s reputation as the trusted guide for its global community of travel enthusiasts.
In today's episode, we trace the personal and professional roots of this partnership, then go inside Travelzoo’s selection process. Editors around the world nominate destinations with genuine relevance, from major anniversaries and cultural moments to sustainability breakthroughs or new flight access that turns a “maybe” into a must. Jonathan explains why Best Bets isn’t about chasing trends for clicks; it’s about spotlighting places with meaningful stories, strong timing, and real value. Expect a tease of a 2026 U.S. city known for its blues scene and recently crowned the country’s best, along with surprising picks across continents.
Along the way, we explore the shift toward lifestyle travel, including Michelin-recommended dining, spa experiences, and immersive events, and why those local moments matter between major trips. We also dig into three forces shaping the year ahead: the rise of quiet travel, the pairing of generative AI with human editorial judgment, and the move toward intentional journeys that feel purposeful and restorative. If you want fewer tabs and more truth, this series is for you.
Stay tuned for next week’s episode featuring Andrew Young, Senior Producer & Tourism Board Lead who will walk us through the full Travelzoo Best Bets list for 2026. Become a member at travelzoo.com to access exclusive offers.
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/
After years of noise, crowds, and information overload, travelers are craving the comp. Slower, slower itineraries, nature-driven escapes, wellness-focused days, and destinations that that truly let them unplug, right?
SPEAKER_00:Hello everyone, and welcome to Travel Trends and Travel Zoo, a special partnership we have brought together to focus on the best bet destinations for 2026. This is your host, Dan Christian, and today I'm going to be joined for our very first episode by two extraordinary guests at TravelZoo. Now, I want to give it a little bit more context before I bring in my co-host and the head of publishing at Travel Zoo to join us. I have been a huge fan of Travel Zoo since the very beginning, and very interestingly, there's a personal and a professional connection. Of course, many of our listeners know that my dad passed away and it led to me creating the Travel Trends Podcast. Now, my dad loved Travel Zoo. He used to get his weekly top 20s. He would often forward them to me. He booked trips with Travel Zoo and even restaurant reservations in the city of Toronto where I am based. And I spent a significant amount of our marketing budget at the Travel Corporation on Travel Zoo because it worked so well for our brands. And I worked incredibly closely with the Travel Zoo team. So I knew from a personal level how meaningful it was to my father and many other travelers. And of course, I could see how it was working on a professional side as well. So I am especially thrilled to bring together this partnership because Travel Trends is now at the point as the number one B2B podcast to be able to partner with TravelZoo, a brand that I have known and admired for so long, to introduce the Best Bets campaign for 2026. Now, Travel Zoo only started Travel Best Bets in 2025. So we're going to have the opportunity here over the course of 10 episodes to be able to feature many incredible destinations, both cities and countries, that are incredible value for money and are really the top places to travel to in 2026. So I can't thank these two enough for bringing this series together. And I know our audience is gonna love hearing about the top destinations and the top travel deals for 2026. So I'm first gonna bring in Gabe Saglier, who is the travel content producer and host, as well as senior editor of Travel Zoo, who will be co-hosting in this series. And then we're going to bring in Jonathan Jones. He is the head of publishing in the US, and he is our very first guest for this episode since we want to give some context about Travel Zoo and Travel Best Bets to our global listeners. And then next week we're gonna bring in Andrew Young from Travel Zoo as well to announce the top destinations, and then we're gonna get right into them. But let's kick things off and bring Gabe into the conversation. Gabe, thanks so much for joining me on Travel Trends and as a co-host for this series. Tell everyone about your role and our plans for this series together.
SPEAKER_02:Hey, Dan. I was gonna say to Jonathan, how many times have we heard that, right? That uh it's a lot about word of mouth. Members who have been big fans of Travel Zoo, someone peeks over their shoulder. How did you get to go into that particular uh, you know, uh concert hall or that experience? How did you get to pay that for that particular uh you know moment uh in in travel? So uh and it is a lot about uh word of mouth. We have a very um captive and very engaged audience, a very travel savvy audience. Uh and the fact that it that that war spreads as it did from your dad to you, Dan, is it's always fantastic to hear. Uh listen, I've I've been with Travel Zoo for a long time. My bra background is in broadcast journalism. I actually met the the two brothers of Bartels who started Travel Zoo before they launched the company. We were working together on a on a wine, sort of a fine wine website. Uh we met together in Santa Monica in LA. Uh they sort of folded that, said, hey, we're gonna start a travel uh website. I then decided to go into the world of television news, and then we just hooked up a few years later. So I just celebrated 20 years with Travel Zoo. Travel Zoo was founded in 1998. Uh it has grown as the world of travel has grown and as the traveler themselves has become savvier over time. Uh, and I think we're sort of on that on the on the leading edge of the way that the travel experience uh just sort of evolves over time. But yeah, 20 years, which coincides with my son Gabriel's 20th birthday. So I started right when my first son of three kids was born. Uh, and it's it's just it's been a it's more of a lifestyle. It's never really felt like a job. I think Jonathan can can agree with me. It's it's become a lifestyle, right? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. It it is it is it is certainly a uh a labor of love for all of us. We we we walk in the door every single day, passionate about bringing these amazing experiences to life for folks like you, Dan, and your dad. So we owe your dad a huge thanks because Gabe is exactly right. Uh, we've grown. Word of mouth has been a bit has been a big way that we have grown as a company and as a brand. So uh it it is it is truly a passion that we all share around here.
SPEAKER_02:So and I should mention, Dan, if you don't mind, the TravelZoo is a global company. We've got about 230 some odd employees across the globe. I'm part of our uh team here in in the US, uh, along with Jonathan. We've got Travel Zoo Canada, we've got Travel Zoo UK, France, Spain, and Germany. So we are in fact a global company. The the 230 some odd of us got together in Cannes in southern France just a few weeks ago uh for our company meeting to sort of you recalibrate as we head into 2026, and that was always a it's always a fantastic time when we get to put faces behind the email names uh and just reconnect with people. Um uh a lot of folks have been with the company for a long time to just get together again was a was a fantastic time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure. And I I mean we have so many colleagues in common, especially a number of people from the Toronto office, the New York office, and I I'm glad you mentioned about the global nature of the business because you know, being in a global travel company, we worked with Travel Zoo on a global scale. And so even the team members like in Europe and in even Asia Pacific, we were very focused on the North America market, so we had the deepest relationships with the Toronto and the New York office. But when I was living in LA, we were working very closely with the Travel Zoo team. They would come and visit us. And the one thing I've certainly learned is that Travel Zoo has beautiful offices as well. So I've had the privilege to visit a few office, and each of your offices has a spectacular view of the city that it's in. And I think that's actually directly connected to the founders. So tell tell us a little bit about that as far as how that connects to the Travel Zoo culture.
SPEAKER_02:Well, the you know, the Bartel brothers, uh, Ralph and Hoger launched the company in in 1998. I think the idea of being established in these sort of landmarked cities was a key part of of the of the birth of the company. And I remember as an employee flying from LA to New York to meet with Ralph for my meeting and having to go to the 37th floor of the IBM building of a corner of 57th in Madison was part of the excitement of being able to now to sort of potentially launch a new chapter in my professional career. Uh so I I dress the part, of course, and and it sort of tap the buzz of that uh beautiful midtown Manhattan. And that's certainly been been the part. Now, uh post COVID, we we've uh had some adjustments. The number number of offices has has uh shrunk a little bit, but we've got some beautiful outposts in in Chicago, in in Miami, and in New York City. The offices in, as you can imagine, in Germany were headquartered there in Berlin, great office in Munich that I've got a chance to work with uh out of uh over the years. Uh the London office, fantastic. We're also in Manchester, the Toronto office, obviously, uh also stunning. So I think that is part of the culture, the idea that, hey, we are in these landmark destination cities. Uh we we want to we're we're part of those communities. Uh and we're also in areas where we've got very savvy traveler uh uh audience, if you will. Uh and so it's it's it just yeah, it weaves into the into what the travel zoom membership and what that uh persona is all about quite nicely.
SPEAKER_01:And when you when you love where you work, right? And it to Gabe's point, when you walk into these office spaces, the the the the the it they just ooze the desire to collaborate. They just ooze the desire uh to want to know what's going on outside of those four walls and get get involved in these communities and understand uh the types of experiences that that are potentially available to the members that we serve. Uh and that is a big part of it. I'm here in I'm here in Miami. I'm I'm not in our Miami office today. It is Art Basel happening in Miami this week. So it is gridlock traffic everywhere, but I am normally in our travel zoo office here. Uh, but it is it is it is just a stunning example of of loving where you work. So we're very proud of that.
SPEAKER_00:And one of the things that certainly happens in those offices that we're gonna get into in this series is how you put together these incredible travel deals and put them into you what really kind of started this this top 20 newsletter. I know you do guys do so much more than that now, but that's one of the things that Travel Zoo has become known for. Uh but in terms of Gabe's role, I want to just bring uh our listeners along the journey because Gabe is gonna be a part of this 10-part series. And I thought that was really important. When Gabe and I first met, I was like, this is, you know, he is very active in the media space, and obviously you're gonna get that sense right away from hearing him, as you have already. And I really wanted to be a part of this since he knows Travel Zoo's culture so well, and of course, I know the Travel Trends audience, and I thought the two of us together, not only interviewing Jonathan today, but every guest we're gonna have over this 10-part series, is gonna be really important to have your insights and your contribution. So tell everyone a bit more, Gabe, about your role and where you're based.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, listen, thank you. I mean, uh, Jonathan is obviously at it leads the is at the helm of crafting these exclusive offers with uh the first, the foremost thing in our in our all of our minds as TravelZoo employees is our membership, or what we call our travel enthusiasts. What's going to get these folks enthused and motivated to take that next trip? We know that most of them have a, in fact, close to 97% of our membership has a valid passport, so they're ready to roll. Uh, and this is uh, again, a very savvy group of travelers. Uh, so that's what uh you know, that what you see coming to your uh to your inbox, the the deals and the content on the website. Uh certainly Jonathan is uh is on the leading edge of that. I take over when it comes to a lot of uh spinning some editor uh editorial storytelling around those deals. So I think to me, the way I approach any sort of travel zoo deal, there's a story behind it. There's a reason why we're publishing this particular deal now. Uh the destination, there's something special about the destination, there's something unique that allowed us to achieve that that very exclusive price point and some of those exclusive extras that make these deals uh you know, you know, uh top of their class and something you won't find anywhere else. So I do a lot of our editorial uh projects, a lot of media-facing uh projects where we take those deals, we take that content, we put it in front of a more uh sort of a widespread audience. Maybe the folks who are watching what we are presenting on television or on a podcast like this or on radio or on print are not Travel Zoo members or at the moment, but the idea is to sort of show them how we are unique inside the travel space, and those who are you, in fact, genuine travel enthusiasts will sort of now start to lean into the kind of content that you can really only find uh on the Travel Zoo website.
SPEAKER_00:No, that's great. Thank you, Gabe. I appreciate that context. I'm sure our listeners do as well, especially given you're going to be such a key part of the series. So we're gonna continue to have these discussions, and obviously I know you have some questions uh for Jonathan today. I just want to bring him in to the conversation now and and give some context to his role because you have been with Travel Zoo, as you highlighted, more than 20 years, and Jonathan is not far behind you because he's been nearly 17 years, you were a ticket master before, um, but you've had an incredible career already with Travel Zoo. Clearly, you love the company and the culture, and we've highlighted that, and that's why, you know, clearly, not only as a per personally and professionally being a big fan of Travel Zoo, also being able to have these conversations now about how these deals come together, because obviously your team is choosing these deals. I want to get into what the Travel Zoo community is all about. Um, but tell us a little bit more about your role and what a day in your life looks like.
SPEAKER_01:So listen, Gabe has a great job. Great job. I have the dream job, and that's how I position it, right? It is I am the head of publishing here at TravelZoo, and I honestly get the privilege of guiding what millions of travel enthusiasts read, watch, and act on uh every week, right? So my role sits at the intersection of journalism, commerce, and creativity. Um I get to lead uh this team of deal experts, is what we call them. They're storytellers and editors who scour the world to uncover the most exciting, best value travel experiences. Uh, and then that then translate them into content that inspires people to actually go. Um so you asked about a typical day. I would say this a typical day is wonderfully varied, which is good. I might start the morning reviewing new exclusive offers our team has negotiated, uh making sure that they meet our very, very high standards for quality, value, and trust, right? Midday, I might be you you might find me refining upcoming stories or concepts and thinking through how we bring these destinations to life in a way uh that sparks a bit of wanderlust with our members. And which ones might be perfect for our weekly top 20 newsletter, which includes the 20 best travel and lifestyle experiences we find each and every week. In the afternoon, I'm often uh working with our product and marketing and partnerships teams, uh exploring how we reach more members or deepen the engagement. And somewhere in between, I'm probably looking at performance data and feedback uh from our members. Uh, like we want to know what's resonating, we want to know what's trending and where we should go next. I would say at the heart, uh, Dan and Gabe, it's it's my job is really about connection. Um, connecting our members with experiences worth dreaming about. Uh, and ultimately we want them to book, right? So every day, you know, I'm asking the same question really for our club of travel enthusiasts. Uh, and this is the same question that our club of uh travel enthusiasts ask themselves. And it really is this where to next, right? And the hope is that we're answering that every single day with something.
SPEAKER_02:I have to say though, Jonathan's uh job, Dan, is uh I you know, think about this. So our flagship newsletter, uh the top 20 news uh deals, travel experiences of the week. Think about how much is on his plate on a you know, it we're talking about dozens and dozens, and there's an interesting dynamic that occurs with the producers and with the editors who bring these potential offers to the table. They're trying to sell them. Jonathan's playing goalie. You know, the only stuff that's gonna get through is a stuff that's really gonna be the creme de la creme, something that's gonna allow us week after week to be able to prove this is not uh something you're gonna find anywhere else. It uh there's an exclusivity. There's also a quality factor, which I think is an interesting concept. How do you uh eat at all price points? Because certainly I think part of the travels with DNA is the value concept, but that exists at all price points, and we've had some some very high price point uh uh uh experiences, uh Jonathan, as you know, that that performed quite well because although the price point was high, the value factor was still phenomenal. And I think it's all about that quality uh bar and when you're dealing with so much amazing content that could be potentially coming through, to weed it down to those 20 uh is is quite a task, right?
SPEAKER_00:Well, one thing I want to make sure that our audience also has a full grasp on is the portfolio of Travel Zoo because it's one of the things what you just described, Gabe, is spot on from my experience working with Travel Zoo as an advertiser, bringing travel deals to the table that I know your team vets thoroughly because we've had offers rejected because you found better deals in the marketplace. So I know that's a time tested from my experience. We know we need to bring something to you that you can't otherwise find in the marketplace that has to be better than anything else online. And but there's clearly more to Travel Zoo than the newsletter, and that was always the thing that stood out to me every time we had a meeting with your team. So tell us a little bit more about the overall landscape of Travel Zoo, the content side, social media activity, and some of the other ways you reach people even beyond email.
SPEAKER_02:Generally, I see Travel Zoo as really a menu of uh of travel uh experiences delivered across multiple channels. So clearly, our goal is to leverage all possible channels to deliver this content to a very captive and a very savvy audience. So, for example, I work closely with our team that does social media, and that's not only here in the US, but in Canada and in Europe as well. What's the content that's gonna make sense across all of those global social media channels? Some of that content is gonna make really more sense to push it across certain channels in Canada or perhaps in Germany and France and Spain and not everywhere else. So there's there, you know, there's a there's a prioritizate prioritization of the audience that's gonna be receiving these along across these social media channels specifically. And and then how do we then take content that might be on the on the on the website as a deal on the top 20 or as content on what we call our showcases, uh, which are these spectacular, visually stunning, basically blog posts, if you will, that uh these stories that bring destinations and deals that are connected to them to life. But yes, it's a multi-product. I I see there's a menu of opportunity here. Uh, but Jonathan, you can speak better to the fact that you you've got your hands basically in in all of that because what you're creating, what you're putting out there, ends up then uh you know, making its way across all of these platforms, all of these channels, and and in some cases across the globe as well.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. Yeah, this the this you know, our members, we have to meet our members where they are, right? And in this in this day and age, certainly email uh is is a big piece of that. But what we're finding now too is that our members are are digesting our content more on our through our social channels, right? So so what we what we are are working through is what what types of platforms and formats make the most sense for this type of content, right? How can we like evolve a lot of the things that we used to do in email into video? Because that's what people want now, right? They want they would still want the travel zoo experience, but they want it in a 15-second video clip, right? Within within at the end of it, a way to actually book it. So it's that type of evolution that we're that we're seeing. Certainly, social media has paved the way for that, but it's that type of evolution that that we are working through. But it has not had any impact on the level and types of experiences that we continue to offer to our members.
SPEAKER_00:And the reason I wanted to ask you that, both Jonathan and Gabe, is because I had many different executives within the travel organizations I'd work with when I would bring a Travel Zoo opportunity to the table, and their first reaction sometimes was, you know, we're not discounting or doing uh deals, but at the same time, what we discovered working with Travel Zoo, if you're launching a new river cruise ship and you want to be involved in highlighting that content, you have such an engaged audience of travelers who meet the criteria for travel advertisers that they have the means to be able to travel, they have the interest, and they have a passport. So the people who are on a Travel Zoo website, they may be deal-oriented, but it's not necessarily a discount. A lot of your customers are very affluent and they travel frequently. And so that was one of the things I just wanted to establish at the at the onset about Travel Zoo as a brand and a business from my experience. Having said all of that, we are here to talk about best bets for 2026. And I do want our audience to know how that comes together. So maybe, Gabe, why don't you start off to give our listeners an overview of what is a Travel Zoo best bet?
SPEAKER_02:So this is an editorial tour de force, really, because this is a relatively new campaign for us. We launched it in 2025, and um it really was editors within the company, uh, me, Jonathan, and really dozens of folks initially nominating uh destinations around the globe that would really help craft a super unique, special, inspirational list uh of places for people to go, both domestically. Uh, for those of us in the US, uh it could be a state, it could be a city, or certain, or certainly uh uh globally. Uh, we put a fantastic list of nine destinations together for 2025. We won four. Travel Weekly Magellan Gold Awards for uh including one for that particular campaign uh this year. So very happy with that. And so now we've ramped it up a little bit. We've got 10 destinations on tap for 2026. Uh I've seen the list. Jonathan's, we've all seen the list. We we we want to tease our audience and let them know we we will be revealing over the next couple of weeks some of these destinations. But there's some fascinating destinations, both domestically, if you're a Canadian, if you're a if you're an American, certainly internationally uh as well. Uh and it it is it starts as a nomination process. So you've got these deal experts, these travel experts within the company that uh suggest the destinations. We use criteria that will make these destinations relevant. Uh is there a landmark anniversary, a major event next year that perhaps will shed the spotlight on this destination? I think sustainability has become a major calling card for us as well. Are there initiatives? Are there ways that things are done on the ground at these places that can inspire travelers, that can inspire other destinations to perhaps creatively uh create uh sustainable ways of enjoying these destinations uh as uh as we move forward? Uh connectivity, is there something new about the ability to reach these places that perhaps last year did not exist? Increased flights, um, new infrastructure infrastructure that allows us to get there. So the idea is to create, and you've seen the list, a very eclectic um international snapshot of places that we feel in 2026 will really be part of the any travel enthusiast conversation. Um and you know, Jonathan, I mean, you know, you we look at this list and it's like some of these places we're familiar with, some we have perhaps distantly thought about, and the fact that now it's coming into focus. And I'll use one example from 2025, Jonathan, that I think you'll agree with me. Malta. Because Malta, for the American traveler, I think perhaps Canadian as well, very much a far-flung, exotic destination. We have that on our 2025 list, and really I think we've seen over the course of the year that we were pretty right on the money. There has been this surge of interest. Delta now announcing the first ever US to Malta non-stop flight they're launching in June of 2026. So I think we were we were right on the money with that one. We were on the and I've had a chance to be there I I a year ago, Dan, I could not have probably found Malta, you know, on the map uh all that all that well. I've been there three times in the last year as we continue to build on that relationship with the Visit Malta uh team and as we see increased um interest and appetite from the Travel Zoo membership around content that we put out there. Jonathan, you know, we put out some some fantastic Malta uh deals that finally have opened up this exotic destination to an audience that before would never have known about it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, listen, Best Bets is is honestly one of my favorite projects uh because it really does a beautiful job of showing how editorial our approach is. You know, this this isn't just a list of deals and destinations, it's a perspective on where we think travelers should be paying attention, right? So for 2026, you know, we all know America is approaching its 250th year, right? One of the one of the questions our team asked was this, right? What destinations, and Dave spoke to this a few minutes ago, what destinations represent that spirit of exploration, whether it's close to home, uh which you'll see uh in the list uh once we reveal it, or far away, right? Uh we we we invited our editors uh worldwide to nominate these places for all sorts of reasons, right? Again, big anniversaries, milestone moments, right? Cultural or historic importance, sustainability, uh breakthrough and sustainability also being a part of this. Or even brand new infrastructure. And Gabe mentioned this too, that suddenly makes a place you know more accessible. And once those nominations uh are in, we we we do what we do at Travel Zoo. We discuss, we debate, and we refine. That's what we do. That is our value proposition, right? We look for destinations that feel both meaningful uh and exciting. Um places that have something to say in the year ahead. Then then we match that, what I call our editorial vision with our deal making expertise. That piece comes in so that our members can not only dream about those places, but actually go. So Best Bets isn't chosen because it's trendy. There's so many other brands that are that are showing you trendy. It's chosen because it has a relevance, it has a story, uh, and there are real reasons why 2026 just happens to be that destination's moment.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and it's one of the things that I love about this concept of best bets, because I can see from my experience in the industry how much it can lift up a destination. And so not only when they get selected, uh, they are not only thrilled to be listed, but the business results to the point you just shared gave about Malta. And that's why I'm really excited. I know next week we're gonna share the official list. This week we are highlighting not only the relationship with Travel Zoo, the best bets, and introducing our audience to Jonathan to get his overall take on the business and where Travel Zoo is headed, especially with these best bets. But there's one I want you to be able to give away this week for our listeners because I know it's it's near and dear to your heart. So to uh kind of whet everyone's appetite of one of the top destinations for 2026, one of the best bets. Jonathan, would you share one of those highlights with us?
SPEAKER_01:I'll give you two hints to this destination. I'll give you three hints, actually. The first hint, it is close to home. Uh so it's not it's not terribly far, it won't take you for it terribly far to terribly long to get there. Uh the second hint is uh it actually has been in the spotlight this year because uh a very reputable company has recognized it as the US's uh best city. So so if you don't get it from that, the third hint and if you like blues music, this is literally the capital of blues. Now, I'm not gonna tell you the name of the city. From those three, you should know exactly what it is. And if you don't, you'll have to wait till next week.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, it's one of my favorite cities in the U.S. I've spent a lot of time there, I've got a lot of friends there, and I can't wait to record that episode. So, you know, then this is where for our listeners, we haven't recorded that episode yet. This is literally the first episode we're recording. Then we're gonna announce all the destinations, and then Gabe and I will be speaking to each of these destinations, and we're gonna have multiple people from those destinations joining us to be able to highlight what makes that destination so special, and obviously how thrilled they are to have been chosen as a Travel Zoo best bet for 2026. And I look forward to seeing the results on each of their cities or countries because it is a combination of both. Now, let's let's let's look ahead as far as where we go from here, because obviously there's so much to share about Travel Zoo itself. And one of the things I wanted to make sure that we highlighted is this concept of the club experience. Because that has been an exciting shift for the business. And so, Jonathan, obviously that's a key part for you, and Gabe, I'm keen to get your take on this as well. What does the travel club mean? And for those people who are coming to understand a travel zoo membership, what are some of the benefits of them becoming a member of Travel Zoo?
SPEAKER_01:So we call our members travel enthusiasts. And when you are a club member at Travel Zoo, that name is is very intentional. Uh, because they're not, in our opinion, they're not just shoppers, right? They are are people who light up at the idea of discovery. Our members aren't passively browsing at all. They're they're actively dreaming and planning and and and comparing notes with us, right? And when we think about membership and we think about this this idea of the of the this club of travel enthusiasts, again, it's not just focused on the act or the action of booking something. It really is about uh being in this community of people that want the same things that you do. They want to have these different experiences, right? And and and that's good. And there's a lot of lot of education and tip sharing as well. I think these folks are are quite loyal, uh, and they're loyal to Travel Zoo. And I think if you were to ask me like what makes them loyal, I think it's a, and we spoke about this a minute ago, it's a mix of of trust uh and this shared passion, right? And that that to me is a benefit. For more than two decades, you know, we we've we've treated travel almost like a craft, right? We vet rigorously, we recommend uh selectively, uh, and we talk to our audience uh like fellow explorers, right? Not not just consumers. Uh when we say something is worth it, they they know a real editor, a real person stood behind that decision. Um I would say the other part probably is this idea of participation. Our members give feedback. They tell us what they book, they they they share uh where they want to go next. It's a loop. Their true enthusiasm for what we do and the and the types of experiences that we're we're sharing with them shapes what we actually publish, right? Which fuels their next adventure. Um and that's the loop, right? That sense of belonging is is so powerful. So so so this idea of of building this club for of travel enthusiasts goes well beyond uh deals, right? It truly is respecting what we said to our members from day one. Trust us. That loyalty, you know, comes from from from from feeling seen and understood. They know travel zoo isn't just a deals feed, you know, it's it's this club built around, and I use this word quite a bit, but curiosity, uh value, uh, and I'd say like the thrill of what's possible. And once you feel that, you don't really want to travel any other way. Let me tell you. Once you got that, that's the only way you're gonna go. So that's just super important.
SPEAKER_02:One thing I wanted to throw in there, this will make uh Jonathan giggle because we spend as a company from the top down, uh we spend a lot of time just trying to define the term travel enthusiasts. Like because the better you understand who this particular individual is, then the better you're gonna be able to craft content that's going to inspire them to travel. So we're talking about travelers who are passionate, as Jonathan mentioned, engaged. They do participate. I mentioned our company meeting in Cannes at the beginning of this uh uh episode. When we were there, part of how we spent an afternoon was we flew in about 10 different members from across the globe to sit on stage, meet face to face, the couple hundred folks who are responsible for the deals that they're booking on a regular basis, but then to get their real-time feedback, honest feedback, a lot of it good, some of it was very uh, you know, was was pointed, and and we learned some things about how we we're always trying to evolve and become better. What better source to figure out how to do that than the membership that's acting on these deals? So that was probably if you talk to most of the folks who were there, our favorite part of the of the of that meeting was that we were able to see face to face and hear from this membership. So they are engaged, they're looking to make the content they're getting uh better and and much more relevant. So that communication, and I should point out we do have, for those of you on Facebook, we have a fantastic uh closed group on Facebook, Travel Zoo Nation. Uh if if you're interested in engaging with other travelers, exchange ideas and tips about destinations, how to travel, what to do when things when problems arise, et cetera, that's a fantastic resource as well. It's sort of a snapshot of that travel enthusiast we're talking about, uh, which again drives pretty much everything anybody in a company, Jonathan uh or I or anybody else, do on a on a day-to-day basis.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. We are we will we are and will always be a members first organization. Our members come first in what they say, how they uh interact with with our brand uh and this community is is is always top of mind for us for sure.
SPEAKER_02:And that's why the dynamic is so interesting that you referenced earlier, Dan, this idea that we've got travel partners, clients, customers who are all the time, thanks to in part to Jonathan, hearing uh no, that's not gonna make the cut. Uh let's go back, let's rework this, let's come up with something that's really going to wow uh uh our audience, our membership uh uh of travel enthusiasts. So it's an interesting dynamic. Usually, you know, businesses are used to just taking uh uh what clients say and that we run with it. There is an it very interesting dynamic here that uh Jonathan beautifully reconciles every single day uh to ensure that the content is premium and uh and exclusive and certainly unique.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and you mentioned Jonathan about meeting the customers where they are, and one of the things that I've seen with Travel Zoo over the years is that you have evolved really to be a lifestyle business beyond just a travel business. And so you know you've clearly, and I think people have heard from our conversation about how you have become one of the most trusted names in travel deals, if not the most trusted name in travel deals, given the way you approach this. And so when people see your best bets, obviously they know that these are the destinations and there's great offers to be had to travel to these countries and these cities. But one of the things I just wanted to highlight, I'm keen to get both of your take on this, is that when I think about the travel zoo membership experience being a lifestyle one, when I get my travel zoo and I get multiple travel zoo emails because I subscribe for in different countries and also for uh newsflash and and because I want to get deals if there's and so for like weekend getaways. So like everything from Exotica promoting a 999 deal to Peru with and or we were doing this with our African safari brands for you know promoting 1999 trips to uh South Africa or 2999. We were putting these different deals together and and we would see great success. We'd put a deal in the newsletter and we would get you know thousands, hundreds or thousands of bookings. Like it's depending on the price point, but nevertheless, it was real and it was meaningful. But I also see that you guys are into dining, even wellness, and even like even weekend getaways. So I'm based in Toronto, as our listeners know and have heard, and Prince Edward County is one of our team members is based there, and I keep getting these deals to go for weekend retreats to Prince Edward County, so I'm always flooring them to my friends there so they can share it with their family or friends that might want to come for a visit. But so tell us a little bit more about how keep doing that. Well, and the deals are great, so it's like they're why wouldn't you take up on that for a weekend getaway? But yeah, tell us a little bit more how how you guys have expanded into these lifestyle experiences and I guess your overall vision for where the brands and business is headed.
SPEAKER_01:Sure. I mean, for us, I would say expanding into dining and wellness uh and events, it was a very natural evolution. You know, travel has always been about experiences, uh uh uh the things you taste, you the things you feel, the things you remember. Offering those closer to home fits perfectly uh with our mission, right? Our members are experience seekers, right? And that could be from from to your point a$9.99 trip to Peru to having a great meal at home. They don't only want great trips, they want memorable moments. So whether it is that that dinner at a Michelin recommended restaurant, a spa day, or an immersive event, you know, we apply, honestly, the same editorial rigor and and and value standards uh we use for travel. There is no change between the two. Um it also keeps the brand present in our members' everyday lives. And you know, we you might only take a few big trips a year, right? But you can enjoy a great restaurant or uh a wellness escape any weekend. Those those touch points uh uh strengthen the relationship that we have with our members. So lifestyle isn't a pivot by any by any means. It's it truly is an extension of who we are, and and and and that is a club uh that helps people discover these exceptional experiences wherever they are, right? Because that's the most important piece. And it goes back to what you mentioned and what I said, meeting our members where they are, wherever they are. And and those these lifestyle experiences do that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's great. I really appreciate it. Now, one of the things I want to talk about too, is there's two more things I want to cover in our first episode. And one of them, this wouldn't be a travel trends episode if we didn't talk about trends for 2026. So the overall theme of this series is you know, best bets. So those are the biggest trends in terms of destinations and deals that are going to be out there. But I wanted to get both of your take on the trends you're paying attention to. So even when we have a conversation like that, we think about wellness and certain categories that you're seeing growth on. And so maybe Gabe, I'll go to you first and then bring Jonathan back in. But Gabe, in your role, what are some of the overall trends you're seeing in the travel industry for 2026 that might be interesting for our global listeners?
SPEAKER_02:And I'm and I'm lucky enough to to engage with uh people in the media business and they're hearing from consumers all the time. So it's an interesting, uh interesting dot to connect there. A couple of things come to mind. Um, I think uh culinary travel is going to continue to expand and grow, especially in these more sort of nuanced and bespoke types of culinary experiences. So I think that is not going anywhere. It'll simply continue to uh expand uh as something that's going to lure travelers uh to get out and about. Um I think wellness, particularly uh self-focused wellness. Um can I travel somewhere and finally get a really good night's sleep? Uh can I travel somewhere and sort and detach myself from the daily routine uh that perhaps uh prevents me from feeling really good uh every single week? Maybe I need to just go deep into a forest and forest bathe. Where can I go do that? So this idea that I'm doing I'm traveling for the sake of introspection, of self-uh analysis and being able to tap things and moments that will enhance that. Um and I do think that there's an interesting cross-section between travel and pop culture that is unavoidable. So this this set-jetting idea that we've that we've buzzed about in the last couple, I think that's gonna continue to uh play a role in in I think uh amongst uh uh you know gen uh Gen Xers and the millennials. There's a there's a growing population of of younger travelers who are clearly taking their cues from what they're seeing on their phone screens, on uh on the movie in the movie theater, and and how that encourages and inspires destinations to to tap that pop culture phenomenon, I think, is something we'll continue to see grow in in 2026 for sure.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I think for me, you know, uh I would say there are probably three trends uh that I'm watching uh especially closely right now. Gabe alluded to one of them. Uh it's this idea of quiet travel. I would say the second one would be uh generative AI, uh, which is a big one, uh, and and purposeful travel, right? Uh and I think together when you think of those three things, though they're reshaping how people plan uh and experience trips. You know, quiet travel is a big one, as I mentioned, right? After years of noise, crowds, and information overload, travelers are craving the calm. Slower, slower itineraries, nature-driven escapes, uh wellness-focused stays, and destinations that that truly let them unplug, right? So it's less about doing more and more, and really more about feeling restored, and that's important. Uh the AI piece is another major shift. Uh, I think we're all experiencing it now. It's transforming how people plan. You know, giving travelers faster answers, curated suggestions, uh, and the ability to really sort through uh complexity, because sometimes trips are not easy uh easy to book and plan, right? Uh but do to be able to do that instantly. But the real opportunity uh is combining AI speed with human editorial judgment. That's the travel zoo piece, right? Uh which is where we absolutely thrive. This idea of purposeful travel, uh it's quite interesting, I'll tell you. People want trips with meaning. And I I think this came out after coming out of a pandemic and and travel being more so pre-pandemic, checking boxes for Instagram. I think we all we all know what that used to look like. Now it's it's it's it's people want these trips to really mean something, whether that's connecting with local culture or celebrating personal milestones or even choosing experiences that feel responsible and intentional in some kind of way. And I think when you put those trends together, Dan, it's it's clear. Travelers, you know, they want travel that's calmer, uh uh smarter, uh, and more meaningful. And those themes are guiding, I think, how we think about content and curation here at TravelZoo.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I really appreciate sharing those, Jonathan. I a couple of those certainly really resonate with me. I even actually have heard like the quiet concept of hush fatality, where people, you know, they they just want to be unplugged. And this is and you bring up two important themes, which is you know, with the with Gen AI and the continued development technology, there's this great utilization of the platform where you can. Combine the technology with the human touch, but then ultimately people want to people want to disconnect from technology and they want to connect with other people, which is back to your point about purposeful travel. So no, I really I appreciate you sharing those with us. I know this is something that Travel Zoo stays close to because obviously the focus on the membership, the community, you guys are obviously almost always first to know when you're seeing what people are clicking on, whether it be emails or on your website, and can highlight. And I'm certainly keen to bring that up over the course of this series. So, Gabe, one thing we'll we'll definitely plan on is sharing some interesting kind of stats, highlights, yes, sir, some things that everyone should be paying attention to in 2026. But I've got one more question for Jonathan. He won't be joining us every episode. He's you're welcome back anytime, just know that. And maybe we can finish off this series and bring you back for a few highlights from uh all the destinations we've covered. If you if you wouldn't mind joining us again, would love to. Cool, that'd be great. I'm sure our audience would be after they've got a chance to meet you here as well. And especially then I'll finish with Gabe with some of the highlights you're looking forward to in this series. But Jonathan, I want to make sure while we have you as part of this, what are some of the other things that beyond the best bets, which Gabe can speak to in a moment and our priority around highlighting those in 2026? What are some of the other initiatives around TravelZoo in 2026 that'll be worth our listeners being aware of?
SPEAKER_01:Um I would say uh if thinking about going beyond best bets, I'd say we're expanding how we inspire members, right? Uh think uh deeper editorial storytelling, more first person experiences from our team uh via our social channels, uh, and in new themed collections. We talked a bit about this, like from wellness retreats, uh, and Gabe mentioned this, which is going to be really huge for us in 26, uh, to culinary journeys, right? Those are the things that help travelers choose based on the kind of experiences they want, not just the destination. So I think you know, a look out, be on the lookout for again more discovery, uh, more intention, which is which is important, and more ways for our travel enthusiasts to find experiences that feel genuinely special. Because that's important. Genuinely special in the year ahead. So that's what I would say.
SPEAKER_00:That's great. Thank you for sharing that. And Gabe, so this is episode one, uh nine more to follow. Next week, we of course, and so these are launching every Tuesday. It's Travel Zoo Tuesday with Travel Trends every Tuesday for the next 10 weeks. And I know we've already talked about looking at doing some other interesting content uh initiatives as well. But as we focus on this and bring this great series together, what are some of the things that our listeners can look forward to next week in the weeks ahead? And what are you excited about about the series?
SPEAKER_02:I'm excited, uh, and I think what will resonate nicely is the fact that there are uh all of these destinations are going to perk people up. Some will raise some eyebrows in that very sort of curious, uh intriguing way. We've got most continents represented on this list. Um, and some of these destinations are simply far-flying, exotic, um, and remote to the personal experience enough to really kind of perk people up. And and I, you know, I mentioned uh just a reference to 2025 list, which it's included in Malta. Uh, I've talked to a lot of people who I got Malta on their radar because of this list. The fact that a lot of us within the company have been physically traveling out there, and uh and so we're getting very pointed questions about what's it like there? What does it cost to go there? When is the best time of year to go? These very basic questions that simply a year ago would not have been part of the vernacular for these travel uh enthusiasts because Malta was not on their radar. Greenland was also on that list before it became a bit of a political hot potato. Uh Greenland was on our list for for solid reasons because of increased uh flights uh you know out of the US, et cetera, et cetera. So I think there are destinations. One is particularly personal to me because it's where I was raised. Um uh so uh there's a personal affectation there. Uh so that'll be a fantastic episode. But I think it's the way that it's going to get people to sort of really perk up, raise that eyebrow, and put something on their to-do list that simply would have been off their radar just a year ago.
SPEAKER_01:You see what Gabe just did there? He's gonna have he's gonna have your your audience Googling his name and where was he raised, so they can find at the second, the second destination.
SPEAKER_02:Just lit a couple of little uh little hints here and there. Yeah, little hints. No, no, exactly.
SPEAKER_00:Um I like the little Easter eggs you're leaving for everybody. And even if they go to the website today, so travelzoo.com, they can register in any country they're in, it'll automatically redirect. I was even in anticipation of our conversation today, um, looking at the site and seeing a number of these destinations already standing out to me. So some of those are you know what we'll reveal next week. People can get more information right away on the website. So, Gabe, just make sure that everyone knows how to register, how to get involved in Travel Zoo. We'll obviously we'll cover that as we go along in the series, but just to make sure everyone's starting off with us that they can get registered, be signed up, and be ready to go as we start rolling these out.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, become a member uh in in any of the countries that we're in. Certainly through the TravelZoo website, travelzoo.com uh in the US, travelzoo.ca there in Canada. But you go to the Travel Zoo website, it'll direct you to, as you mentioned, Dan, to any uh any one of our multiple uh country uh versions of the of the website. You'll find us on social media, certainly on Instagram uh and Facebook in in particular. And but the TravelZoo webs is gonna be your best resource and your best guide into a very special, very unique and exclusive world of uh travel experiences.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. Well, Gabe, we're gonna speak again soon, so thank you for this, and I look forward to speaking to you next week and announcing the official destinations. And of course, Jonathan, since you've agreed to come back, our listeners are going to expect to hear from you in episode 10, because we can actually revisit the city that if anyone didn't get it, but we could also uh we could also highlight some of the other destinations that stood out to you and just kind of summarize this series. So thank you for the partnership. Uh, thanks for the opportunity to uh to work together on this. I'm really excited to bring this to life for our listeners and for our global travel audience. So thank you for that, and uh, thanks for everything you've shared with us today. I'm excited to get this going.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks for having me. Thanks for having Travel Zoo. We are very excited about this series, and yes, I will am happy to return anytime you'll have me.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you again, Jonathan, and thank you, Gabe. I'm so thrilled to be kicking off this series together. I hope everyone now has a great understanding about Travel Zoo and about the best bets for 2026. Next week, we will introduce you to Andrew Young and all the best bet destinations for 2026. We're gonna be launching these every Tuesday. So it's a Travel Trends and Travel Zoo Tuesdays from now on for the next 10 weeks. So make sure you're subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice, whether it be Apple or Spotify. And we are gonna be posting clips and highlights on our social channels as well, which you can find at Travel Trends Podcast on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. We also do publish our monthly newsletter, so you can sign up for that at Travel Trendspodcast.com and get more information on us. And check out travelzoo.com and make sure you are fully registered and engaged to be able to book any of these destinations as they come up over the course of this series. Thanks again for joining us. I can't wait to have you back for next week. Until then, safe travels.
