Kate: Do you feel like we've been on this vacation before? The scuba diving, we did that in Bali and Costa Ricaā¦. Brad: Yeah, but this is Fiji. We've never been to Fiji. Any Four Christmases fans will recognize this exchange between Reese Witherspoonās and Vince Vaughnās characters. And if you think REAL people arenāt thinking & feeling the same way, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. According to Skift, 70% of US millennials and Gen Zs report that they will be seeking travel...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
The moment you realize that you've stopped playing is probably one of the most depressing moments of your life. It's only when something playful happens to jolt you out of your serious state, that you realize how dreadful life is without play. Let's say that the average person works 40-hours a week, sleeps 8-hours a day, and commutes 1 hour M-F. That's 101 hours every week dedicated to non-play activities. With 168 hours in a week, you might think "wow! That's 67 hours to dedicate to play...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Itās natural for us to have generalized perceptions of others. During strategy sessions with clients, I've heard all kinds of things from "my guests are happy, they don't have issues" to "I picture the luxury guest as this untouchable, pretentious snob." No judgement, of course. A big part of my job is to help my clients break through those misconceptions and remind them that EVERYONE is human. No matter how much is in their bank account, no matter how perfectly curated their Instagram feed...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
I promised you a deeper dive into immersion, so here we go! Today we're looking at immersion from a neuroscientific POV. Because thereās a physiological reason why some experiences resonate with us and some donāt! And if we view immersion this way, we can understand how immersion and transformation are woven together. Read: Key Qualities of an Immersive Experience I hope you find it as fascinating and useful as I do! As much as experience design is a creative & intuitive process, knowing a...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Experiences tend to swing on this pendulum between education and entertainment, with guests wavering between being ātalked atā and being in āobservation modeā. These experiences require little imagination on the travelerās part (unless itās being branded as an actual ācreativeā activity), and for the most part, theyāre pretty passive/absorptive. Absorption (necessary and important) occupies a personās attention, but immersion requires the guest to go into & include themself in the experience....
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
People wander off intended paths created by city planners & architects all the time. (Whoops, guilty!) In fact, people do it so often that these professionals have a phrase for it: desire lines. Desire lines are a visible, tangible reminder of how decision makers fail to understand human behavior. And yet, some genius planners use these desire lines to their advantage: instead of building sidewalks, they let people wander, and this wandering naturally forms trails in the grass. Only then...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
I can be pretty lazy when it comes to certain things. For example ā outfits. Putting together tops and bottoms and then layering in jackets, scarves, accessoriesā¦ you know some people just excel at that. If I could just throw on a dress or jumper and never have to think about clothing again, Iād be very happy. But cooking? Iāll spend hours on Saturday morning planning out my menu for the week, trying to strike the perfect balance of sauces, textures, and nutrients. Thereās nothing worse than...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Travelers get a sense of your purpose (or lack thereof) the moment they discover your experience. Your marketing makes a promise of your purpose, whether you realize it or not. After reviewing your website, listing descriptions, social media, and taking in your experience's "vibe", a traveler will come to some sort of conclusion in their mind: āthis is an experience/property/activity/tour/retreat that ________________ā. Will make me feel X. Will help me on my path to Y. Will empower me to Z....
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
Many of you told me that this year, youāre most interested in learning about how to attract high-value visitors & guests. And as talk of a recession continues, there's something we all need to keep in mind: People who crave travel will go to extreme lengths to make it happen. Even if that means moving in with their parents (like Gen Z) or depleting savings (pretty much everyone) so that they can spend their money on the experiences and things that make them happy. If you're looking to attract...
over 1 year agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read