Thankfully, specialist tour operators really thrive on this type of enquiry, and this is where the close relationships between travel agents and specialists really come into their own.
To celebrate these partnerships, TTG has been delving into operators' enquiry books, to discover what dream bookings have been made possible for agents and their clients.
Pots of fun... and more poignant requests
Sunvil says it’s common for travel agents to approach the Greek specialist with requests from clients looking to go far beyond the familiar islands and well-known sights. Thanks to its in-house experts and long-established network of local representatives across many Greek islands and the mainland, these requests are often fulfilled.
Dudley der Parthog, director, says: “Recent examples include an agent, Hazel Bryant at Travel With Kitts, whose client was keen to take part in pottery courses. We steered them towards the small island of Sifnos, renowned for its long pottery tradition, and arranged a hands-on workshop.”
Sifnos is known for its traditional pottery and Sunvil can arrange workshops © iStock Rawf8
He adds: “Some requests are more poignant. We do occasionally receive enquiries about scattering ashes on a client’s favourite Greek island. No special permission is required to scatter ashes in Greece (unless on private land like a hotel). To take ashes on a flight, the airline usually needs a death certificate and a certificate of cremation. We suggest consideration is given to locals (the Orthodox church tradition is for burial over cremation) so pick somewhere secluded and maybe early morning or early evening, i.e. not on a busy beach in the middle of the day. Our hoteliers and reps are always willing to assist with arrangements.”
Walking like a Maasai
No request is too bold for African Pride, reveals marketing executive, Martha Hallows. “Over the years, agents have come to us with a wide range of specialist requests, and our expertise allows even the most ambitious ideas to become a reality.”
A memorable booking she highlights involved Travel Counsellor Lisa Hillyard’s clients, who were seeking a trekking holiday in Tanzania, “that went far beyond the usual safari experience”.
Lisa Hillyard's clients spent three days hiking in the company of Maasai tribes people
Hallows explains: “We designed a three-day private walking tour that explored some of the region’s most secluded and untouched areas. It began at the Ngorongoro Crater, wound past the Empakaii Crater, through traditional Maasai villages to the striking Lake Natron, before they were transferred to a Serengeti camp to continue their safari. The clients were accompanied by their own Maasai guide, support crew and donkeys, and they experienced landscapes and villages few travellers ever see.”
Hillyard adds: “Being outdoorsy people, my clients were keen to have a very true and authentic adventure and their three-day hike with the Maasai tribe was a unique experience in so many ways. They told me their final day with the Maasai was their favourite day of the entire trip – clear skies at sunrise as they descended from their camp down a ridge line to the base of a volcano, an epic 4x4 drive to Lake Natron, walking with wild giraffes and an unbelievable night sky to end the day."
“Liz Hall at African Pride was incredible in her communication – the clients were very reliant on her outstanding knowledge. With a few tweaks, the clients readily accepted her plan as soon as they realised it was a very special, bespoke trip. And using an operator like African Pride, when things didn't go to plan and there was a flight issue, it was soon sorted and their magical adventure continued.”
Bookings that bloom
For Latin Routes too, off-the-beaten-track is very much a speciality. Julia Ross, business development executive, explains that over the years agents have come to the operator with all kinds of requests, from motorbiking journeys along the remote Austral Highway to clients wanting to travel to Colombia to see Valle de Cocora, the region that inspired the setting for Disney’s Encanto and even to Argentina to revisit a particular tango club they fell in love with in their youth.
Latin Routes is able to immerse clients in the movie set inspiration for Disney's Encanto © iStock anamejia18
“We also had an enquiry from an agent whose clients were determined to visit specific churches in Bolivia known for a distinctive style of Virgin Mary artwork, which very few know about, and we made it happen.”
A recent example shared by Latin Routes was a request from Paul Levett at Ashdown Travel in Tunbridge Wells. Ross says: “Paul called us on behalf of a client passionate about visiting the world’s most remarkable gardens. They wanted to visit several gardens in more remote parts of Mexico, and the client wasn't sure whether it would even be possible to arrange access for them all. Working closely with Paul, we confirmed access to all the gardens, and created a bespoke botanic itinerary that allowed the client to realise their dream.”
Levett says: “These are long-term clients and they have a book that's all about the 1,001 best gardens to visit around the world, which they're ticking off. They were really pleased we could make it happen because the itinerary was quite complicated, with internal flights and long road journeys. The most unusual and remote was probably "Laz Pozas", the surrealist sculpture garden of Edward James in Xilitla, which is a four-hour road trip from Tampico airport.”
Drummers drumming
Niche is all part of being a specialist, says Inside Travel, who have abundant examples of opening cultural doors that the average visitor might not even know existed. One such example from the trade sales team was inspired by the popularity of green tea and matcha, and travellers wanting to explore the origins of the drink in Japan.
Global trade manager Gabo Quiros says: “We recently sent an agent’s clients to a small traditional tea farm near Nagasaki where they met the farmer, explored the fields, drank tea and ate lunch with the locals.”
Other cultural drivers include samurai and drumming, with InsideJapan designing a trip for a keen amateur drummer who was interested to explore taiko (Japanese drumming) in its motherland.
InsideJapan can help clients experience the powerful Japanese art of Taiko drumming © iStock / mura
Quiros says: “We arranged for the customer to have Taiko drumming classes in Tokyo and to visit the home of Kodo drummers on Sado Island for the Earth Celebration music festival.”
For a couple, who are clients of Sarah McLennan, sales manager at Real Holidays, InsideJapan has built a trip around Ninja culture. Sales consultant Aaron Boothe was able to organise a private Ninja training lesson at the Ninja Dojo in Kyoto as well as a Ninja weapon making class. McLennan says: “They are repeat clients, in their 30s, and it's their first trip to Japan, and they said they were really keen to experience different elements of the culture.”
InsideAsia organised a cultural adventure for a traveller who had done a school project in Borneo as a teenager, living in a village for a month and helping build a bridge. InsideAsia took them back to that village years later.
And even though India is a relatively new destination for the operator, InsideAsia has already helped antiques dealers visit the lesser-known region of Gujarat, where they visited one of India’s most prestigious textile museums, the Calico Museum of Ahmedabad. They’ve also organised a series of mobile camps in rural Rajasthan for a group of keen horse riders, enabling them to ride from location to location on the rare and revered Marwari breed.
“It’s all about our relationships on the ground,” adds Quiros, “so clients don’t just see a place, they experience it with the help of crafts people, master brewers, artisans, restaurateurs, holy men and women, and Indigenous communities.”
To hell and back
Undiscovered Destinations has been sending adventurous travellers to some of the least visited places on Earth for almost a quarter of a century. Over the years, agent requests have ranged from clients wanting to observe the incredibly surreal site of the Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan, which has been burning for 50 years and is nicknamed "the Door to Hell"; a request for a stay with remote Baka pygmy tribes in Cameroon; and a client wanting to photograph the medieval watchtowers of the High Caucasus range.
Undiscovered Destinations can show clients the Door to hell, also known as Darvaza Gas Crater in the Karakum Desert © iStock / Iwanami_Photos
The Turkmenistan clients belong to Rob Hitchings, director of Nomadic Travel in Exeter, and they travel later this year. He says: “These are regular clients, a group of seven friends, and the Darvaza Gas Crater is a must-see for them, it’s an absolutely unique feature. Working closely with Undiscovered Destinations we’ve provided a detailed two-week itinerary, which enables them to have a comprehensive tour of Turkmenistan.”
Mark Huggins, tailor-made specialist, adds: “Another memorable example was an agent who had some clients wanting to visit the home of the European Space programme, just not in Europe! They wanted to tour the Guianas Space Centre, in French Guiana. You can take an amazing half-day tour of this tropical space centre site, which includes being able to sit in the actual control room, where the countdown to launch takes place. Although this was the focal point of the trip, we were able to put together an exciting tailor-made itinerary of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, combining historical, cultural and nature experiences.”
