A Peek Inside the Trips We Take for You
From Antarctica to Africa, Egypt to Ecuador, Japan to Jordan, the WhirlAway team has taken educational trips to more than 30 continents and countries, cruised with more than a dozen river and ocean lines, toured hundreds of hotels, and spent countless hours exploring the places our clients want to travel.
Why? Because no amount of research can replace firsthand knowledge. “Experiencing a destination with all senses gives our advisors a unique perspective to better guide a client toward what’s right for them,” says Jamie Jones, WhirlAway Travel’s President and Luxury Travel Advisor.
These educational trips are far from vacations. During a recent visit to Greece, Alison Warner stayed at five hotels and visited 20 more—taking detailing notes, photographing rooms and public spaces, and building relationships with hoteliers and concierges along the way. Often, our advisors travel alongside trusted in-country partners, allowing them to evaluate every element. “We see firsthand the quality of the guides, cars, drivers, and the experience itself,” notes Sara Samuel, Vice President and Luxury Travel Advisor. “It’s about learning all the little nuances.” Here, we share eight such nuances that make all the difference.
1. We know how the service truly feels.
It’s so much more than formal versus casual, stuffy versus friendly. We know if a specific hotel’s room service will deliver your cappuccino in five minutes or in 35 … if the concierge will remember your name after day one or if you’ll always be a room number … if the staff is genuinely happy to serve you or simply going through the motions.
2. We know the difference between a location and specific locations
within that location.
For instance, staying along the Grand Canal in Venice is fantastic … usually. That’s because there are many locations within this area—and each varies greatly. In some spots, you’ll be right on the water and it will feel like your family has it all to yourselves. In others, there will be a crowded promenade between your hotel and the water, your view always blocked by passerby. There’s a big difference, and we share every bit with clients.
3. We know how easy or challenging it is to get around a destination.
Of course we provide seamless arrangements, but we can’t control the traffic flow, the quality of the roads, or an airport’s efficiency. In more remote destinations or developing nations, this is particularly important so we can manage expectations and prepare clients for travel.
4. We know what a curated tour or experience is
really like.
Private cheese-making … horseback riding to a mountaintop picnic … sunset sail. They all sound spectacular but it’s the tiny minutia that can transform something great into “holy-sh*t-that-was-the-most-incredible-thing-I’ve-ever-done!” Take, for instance, a visit to a Venetian atelier where you dress up in vintage costumes. Sounds a bit cheesy, yes? That’s what we thought—until we experienced it ourselves with an incredible guide. Now it’s something we recommend to the right client, but only with this particular guide who knows exactly how it should be done.
5. We know that not every five-star hotel is equal.
There are many hotels that are technically five-star but don’t feel very five-star when you actually stay there. Take, for instance, the beautiful five-star resort at the bottom of the Taormina hilltop in Sicily. It’s just a short walk from the cable car that whisks you up the cliffside to the historic town center. But we recently discovered the short walk is on a busy road with almost no sidewalk (have you seen Italian drivers?) and the cable car station is much like a bus stop—there’s nothing luxurious or charming about it. We have the perfect alternative.
6. We know who the other guests will likely be.
We can tell you if your traveling neighbors will be predominantly American or international. There’s nothing wrong with either as the preference depends on the individual client. Let’s say you're visiting a beach resort: Who do you want to be lying next to you at the pool all day? It’s little things like this that matter, and we get it.
7. We know that timing is everything.
Yes, a site or landmark feels different depending on when you visit, but it’s so much more than what season or what month. Oftentimes, it comes down to the very hour. Case in point: the famous cathedral in Orvieto, Italy, its façade bedecked in gold mosaics. Visit when it’s shaded and you’ll find it lovely, but visit when it’s hit directly by the sun and glistening in all its golden light? An incredibly magical, jaw-dropping sight.
8. We know how to cut through clutter and fake content.
In this day and age of information overload, research fatigue is more prominent than ever, while AI can make it difficult to know what’s truly real. But not for us—because we’ve been there in real life. That means we can provide certainty, peace of mind, and photos that we know are not altered.
