The other day I picked up Condé Nast Traveler’s The Expert Issue 2019. Yes, I know it’s already May. For me, the perfect time to travel is September, the crisp air of the fall still with the lingering warmth of the late summer. Maybe for you reading this, you may be inspired for your summer holidays or a more off-season trip to tick another thing off your bucket list. Top of my list of possibilities – Montana Megaliths and a foodie trip to Japan.
The Condé Nast print magazine only gave a sampling of their 185 trusted experts who are “the agents and fixers, explorers and connoisseurs, historians and naturalists, instigators and hand holders we most highly recommend.” The entire 2019 expert panel is on the Condé Nast website.
In the 7-page spread of this article, you find experts for Mongolia adventures, accessing “corners of the Middle Kingdom that are still impenetrable to many foreign agents”, “Asia’s still mysterious pockets”, “matchmaking the tired, the unfit, the stressed, and the burnt-out with the ideal program”, multigenerational trips, trips for LGBTQ, including some “very prominent closeted people”… basically getting into exclusive spaces, experiences beyond what you find googling Trip Advisor.
For my own trips, I mostly go on friends’ recommendations and yes, Google. I’ve had some amazing experiences, by trusting the concierge or the local tourist info centre as well. The Water Purification in Bali. Hikes in Northern Norway. And sometimes, plain getting lost.
The only time I had a travel expert plan the entire trip was for our honeymoon. We were living in Bermuda at the time and met our contact in NYC on a weekend trip. She also got me hooked on these incredible pastries that yes, I hunted for while in Morocco. So there’s that. Without this travel expert, I might have missed out on one of life’s delights.
I have to say, our honeymoon was amazing. We had a driver who took us from Fes to Marrakesh, through the Atlas Mountains. While we had hotel reservations, the trip was unhurried and we stopped often by the roadside for photographs. We had an overnight stay in the desert with a pre-dawn camel ride out to meet the sun. I remember waking up to the call to prayer so clear in the open space. In each city, we had a tour guide who led us through souks, historic ruins, and sights to see. That was 2004.
As time seems to compress, using travel experts makes sense. Just browsing their websites for ideas and inspiration is a wonderful trip in itself.
