Travel Trends with Dan Christian

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“Pet-friendly” is a term we see everywhere in travel, but what does it actually mean? For many travelers, it still comes with frustrating restrictions, unexpected fees, and limited options. In this episode, Dan sits down with Luis Zamora, Co-Founder and CMO of PetsVivo, to explore the growing pet travel market, what pet owners really want, and why hotels and destinations could be missing out on a major opportunity.
Luis shares insights into the rise of pet travel, including how changing attitudes toward pets are influencing travel decisions and spending habits. We discuss why travelers are willing to spend more with businesses that genuinely welcome their pets, and what hotels can do to create a better experience. From clearer pet policies and more transparent fees to thoughtful amenities that make a real difference, Luis explains how small changes can help properties attract more guests and encourage repeat bookings.
We also explore some of the biggest opportunities in pet travel, from RV adventures and national parks to wellness retreats designed for people and their pets. As more travelers look to include their four-legged companions in their vacations, destinations and travel businesses have an opportunity to rethink how they cater to this growing audience.
Finally, we look at how AI and search are changing the way travelers discover pet-friendly accommodations. Luis shares why clear information, relevant content, and authentic guest reviews are becoming increasingly important for hotels looking to stand out online.
For hotels, destinations, travel advisors, and anyone looking to better serve this growing market, this conversation offers practical insights into what it takes to move beyond simply allowing pets to creating experiences that make travelers and their companions feel genuinely welcome.
👉 Listen to Why Pet Travel Is Booming and What Hotels Are Getting Wrong Now
🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 8 Title Sponsors for their Support: Quark Expeditions,  Intrepid, Kaptio, Propellic, Repayd, and Holafly
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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Booking travel shouldn’t mean entering the same client details over and over, chasing commissions months after a trip, or juggling multiple platforms just to book a hotel. In this Company Spotlight episode, Dan sits down with David Shull, CEO and co-founder of Tern, to explore how the company is simplifying the way travel advisors and host agencies run their businesses.
David shares the challenges that inspired Tern, including the behind-the-scenes administrative work that can take up 80 to 90% of an advisor’s day. From client management and itinerary planning to payments, compliance and commission tracking, Tern brings the tools advisors need into one platform. The goal is simple: less time spent on admin and more time building relationships, serving clients and growing their businesses.
One of the biggest announcements is the launch of Hotels by Tern, a new hotel booking platform taking aim at one of the travel industry’s most persistent headaches: getting advisors paid. With guaranteed commissions automatically reconciled and paid to agencies and host agencies within seven days of checkout, Tern is changing the way hotel bookings work, making the process faster, simpler and more financially predictable for travel advisors.
David also discusses how Tern handles payment processing, disputes and chargebacks, along with its approach to 24/7 hotel reservation support. We look at how the company is using AI to manage routine requests, support personalized email marketing and give advisors more time to focus on what matters most.
As technology continues to reshape the travel industry, this conversation offers a look at what happens when innovation is built around the people actually using it, and how removing everyday frustrations can help travel advisors build stronger, more profitable businesses.
Learn more at tern.travel.
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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AI is changing how travelers discover, compare and book trips, and travel brands need to rethink how they get found. In the final episode of our Marketing Series sponsored by Propellic, Dan sits down with Brennen Bliss, Founder and CEO of Propellic, and John Lyotier, Co-Founder and CEO of TravelAI, to explore what AI visibility means for travel businesses heading into 2027 and beyond.
As platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity become part of the travel planning process, the rules of online visibility are changing. Brennen and John break down Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), how it builds on traditional SEO, and why showing up in AI-generated recommendations is becoming increasingly important for travel brands.
Brennen shares how Propellic studies real traveler behavior to better understand how people use AI to research and plan trips, and what marketers can learn from those insights. John brings the perspective of building AI-powered travel technology, explaining the growing role of connectors, plugins and proprietary data in shaping which businesses get recommended.
The conversation also tackles one of the biggest questions facing the industry: Will AI agents eventually handle the entire booking process, or will travelers still want to be involved in planning their trips? From trust and transparency to attribution challenges and the changing relationship between travelers and suppliers, Dan, Brennen and John explore what these developments could mean for the future of travel.
For tour operators, hotels, destinations and travel technology companies, this episode offers a practical look at where AI-powered discovery is heading and what businesses should be paying attention to today.
The way travelers find and book trips is changing. The opportunity now is to understand those changes, rethink how your business gets discovered, and make sure you're part of the conversation when AI starts making recommendations.
👉 Listen to The 2027 Travel Marketing Playbook Part 3: AI Visibility Now
🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 8 Title Sponsors for their Support: Quark Expeditions,  Intrepid, Kaptio, Propellic, Repayd, and Holafly
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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If ChatGPT can build a two-week travel itinerary in seconds, where does that leave destination management companies (DMCs)?
In this Spotlight Episode, Dan sits down with Hicham Alaoui, co-founder of The Travel Collection, a network of 16 locally led DMCs operating across 22 countries, to explore why local expertise and personal connections matter more than ever. Hicham shares how a Harvard Business School trip to Morocco that sold out in minutes helped launch a business built around delivering exceptional travel experiences.
At the heart of the conversation is Hicham's philosophy that great travel comes down to 95% execution and 5% magic. From quick response times and seamless logistics to thoughtful budgeting and attention to detail, he explains what it takes to be a trusted DMC partner. But it's that final 5% that makes an experience truly memorable: understanding what travellers want, drawing on local relationships, and creating moments they wouldn't find on their own.
The conversation also turns to AI and how it's changing the way trips are planned. With more travelers and advisors arriving with AI-generated itineraries, Hicham explains why local knowledge is still essential for turning those plans into experiences that actually work. He also shares how The Travel Collection is using AI behind the scenes, where he sees the biggest opportunities for automation, and why the human side of travel remains so important.
As AI makes travel planning faster and more accessible, this episode explores what technology can't replace: trusted relationships, local insight, and the ability to turn a good itinerary into an unforgettable experience.
Learn more at travelcollection.co.
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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Measuring marketing performance in travel has never been straightforward, and it's only getting more complicated. With evolving privacy regulations, changing attribution models, and travelers researching trips across multiple platforms over weeks or even months, how can marketers really know what's driving bookings and where to invest their budgets?
In the second episode of our three-part Marketing Series, sponsored by Propellic, Dan sits down with John Matson, Chief Revenue Officer at Propellic, and Nicole Robinson, CMO at andBeyond, to explore what effective performance marketing looks like in today's travel industry.
From understanding key metrics like ROAS, CPA, and conversion rates to tackling the challenges of attribution for high-value, long-consideration trips, the conversation looks at why traditional measurement models don't always tell the full story. John and Nicole share their perspectives on first-party data, CRM integration, and incrementality testing, including how marketers can better distinguish between campaigns that generate new demand and those that simply capture existing interest.
The discussion also turns to marketing budgets for 2027. If you had an additional $100,000 to spend, where would you invest it? Paid search, social media, retargeting, content, or something entirely different? And as AI-powered search and agentic booking continue to evolve, how should travel brands rethink the way they attract, engage, and convert travelers?
For travel marketers looking to make smarter investment decisions, better understand what's working, and build a strategy that delivers measurable results, this episode offers practical insights from both sides of the industry.
👉 Listen to The 2027 Travel Marketing Playbook Part 2: Performance Marketing & Data Attribution
🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 8 Title Sponsors for their Support: Quark Expeditions,  Intrepid, Kaptio, Propellic, Repayd, and Holafly. 
The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/