The luxury travel designer launched Emily Grace Travel earlier this month, fulfilling her dream to combine her passions of health and holidays after 10 years in the sector.
Having previously worked for Scott Dunn and Mr and Mrs Smith, she is debuting the company with the head start of an existing black book of contacts and a seasoned understanding of luxury travel.
But Grace, a certified holistic health coach, knows it’s a saturated industry. With wellness now a $1.8 trillion global consumer market, travel brands are increasingly investing in this area and more agents are listing it as a speciality.
Grace is confident, however, that her training at the College for Naturopathic Medicine will give her the edge against the competition. She explains her wellness trips belong to an “eco-system”, functioning as just one part of the service she offers.
“My business doesn’t stop with the retreat,” Grace tells TTG Luxury. “A retreat is a great start, but wellness is a journey. So I am there throughout the year to support clients with their health journey, until that next retreat.”
Grace hopes her USP will be the network of reputable health practitioners – including nutritionists and physiotherapists – she is currently building, so she can refer clients after they have returned from the trip.
She adds she is also working with wellness hotels that align with her ethos, adding she won’t partner with any suppliers that endorse “fad” diets.
Clients can expect Grace to customise their trip to fit their wellness needs, whether that be a UK spa getaway or an adventurous tour in Sri Lanka. Grace also works with medical-style retreats where guests can have a full check-up by a certified health team in a luxurious environment.
She adds she hopes to specialise in “stress management”, due to the increasing levels of burnout in today’s fast-paced world. “People are working huge hours and they’re on a hamster wheel,” she says. “It’s so important to keep stress to a minimum. We don’t always get the opportunity to do that day-to-day.”
Harking back to her original mission, Grace emphasises that the retreats should have a long-lasting impact on clients. “I want them to bring tips and tools back with them. With everything we have to juggle, stress can lead to so many other ailments when if it’s not managed properly. It affects everyone.”
