Travel Trends with Dan Christian

Dan Christian
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to our Travel Trends Podcast, the #1 B2B global travel podcast for professionals shaping the future of travel. Hosted by Dan Christian, this show features candid conversations with global travel leaders, startup founders, tourism boards, hospitality executives, and technology innovators. Together they explore the ideas, innovations, and strategies driving the next era of travel. Whether you're building a travel startup, leading a destination, scaling a hospitality brand, or new to the industry, you’ll gain actionable insights and real-world perspectives from the leaders redefining the global travel economy.

  1. 20h ago

    The Evolution of Timeshare: Tech in Timeshare

    Send us Fan Mail AI is rewriting the rules of timeshare, and the biggest shift is simpler than it sounds: we are finally fixing communication. Recorded live at ARDA’s Spring Conference in Las Vegas, Dan sits down with two leaders working at the intersection of technology and vacation ownership, and we get concrete about what’s working right now and what’s about to change next. This is the final episode in our 3-part series exploring the evolution of timeshare. First, Jason Tremblay, CEO of One Agency, explains how AI moves from “cool idea” to practical application in sales and marketing. We dig into real-world use cases like turning social media comments into two-way conversations, handling skepticism at scale, and using persistent memory so a prospect’s context follows them from platform to platform. The takeaway is clear: better conversations mean better conversions, and AI makes one-to-one personalization possible without burning out teams. Then Mike Norton, Director of Sales and Marketing at TimeShareWare, breaks down the foundation side of the equation: modern resort platforms, APIs, and the decisions resorts must make when choosing technology partners. We talk security concerns around guest and owner data, how AI can support call centers with live transcription and quality assurance, and why assigning a real internal project owner often matters more than the tool itself. If you care about timeshare technology, resort software, AI in travel, and the future of vacation ownership, this one is built for you. Learn more at arda.org. And if you like to be a part of those conversations in person, then you should absolutely be at ARDA's 2027 Spring Conference, which takes place April 4-7 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    The Evolution of Timeshare: Tech in Timeshare

  2. 1d ago

    From the Front Lines to Founder: Reinventing Travel Technology with Aderra Solutions

    Send us Fan Mail A CRM system is supposed to make life easier, but for many travel companies, implementing one becomes a costly and frustrating experience. So why do so many Salesforce and CRM projects fall short, and what does it take to get them right? In this Company Spotlight episode, Dan sits down with Amber Halliday, Founder and Principal Consultant at Aderra Solutions, to explore the common mistakes travel companies make when implementing CRM technology and how to avoid them. With more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry, including hands-on roles in reservations, sales and operations, Amber understands the challenges from both sides. From unrealistic timelines and budgets to overlooking frontline employees during the planning process, Amber shares where implementations tend to go wrong and why understanding how a travel business actually operates is so important. We also discuss how to approach a new implementation, when to simplify existing processes rather than carry old problems into a new system, and what to do when a project isn't going to plan. We also look at the growing role of AI in CRM, including how it can help teams work more efficiently and why proper oversight is essential to avoid creating new problems. Whether you're considering Salesforce, improving an existing CRM or trying to get a struggling project back on track, Amber offers practical advice to help you make better technology decisions and build a system your team will actually use. Learn more at aderrasolutions.com. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    From the Front Lines to Founder: Reinventing Travel Technology with Aderra Solutions

  3. 2d ago

    Travel Trends Monthly Report - October 2026

    Send us Fan Mail Booking patterns are moving in two directions at once. Some travelers are locking in premium, high-value trips months or even years ahead, while others are waiting until much closer to departure, particularly for shorter trips. It’s what we’re calling travel’s two booking clocks, and it has major implications for tour operators heading into 2027.   In this month’s Travel Trends Report episode, Dan sits down with Travis Pittman, CEO and Co-founder of TourRadar, to unpack what TourRadar’s proprietary booking data tells us about the multi-day market. Travis shares how booking windows change based on trip length, price, age and party size, including why shorter trips are being booked later while higher-value and capacity-constrained experiences are selling much further ahead. We also look at the rise of solo travel and small groups, and why flexibility and free time are becoming increasingly important to travelers.  Then we turn to AI and the future of travel distribution. Travis explains why travel products will need to be readable, believable and bookable as AI agents move from helping travelers research trips to actually completing transactions, and why structured content, accurate information and connected booking infrastructure will matter for both AI agents and travel advisors.   Finally, Marius Nigond, CEO & Co-founder of iWander, joins Dan to look at the wider trends shaping travel right now, from the recent pressure on OTA stocks and the rise of personal AI assistants to investment flowing toward scarce, difficult-to-replicate travel experiences. We also explore rising costs, shifting destination demand and what operators should be thinking about as they set pricing and plan for 2027.   Download the full October Travel Trends Report, and join us as we separate the signal from the noise and look at what the latest shifts could mean for the months ahead. 👉 Listen to Travel Trends Monthly Report - October 2026 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/

    Travel Trends Monthly Report - October 2026

  4. 3d ago

    Iceberg Ahead with TourRadar

    Send us Fan Mail Most travelers judge a tour platform by what they can see: the itinerary, the price, the reviews and the “Book Now” button. But behind every booking is a much more complicated system moving money between travellers, operators and partners around the world. In the final episode of our three-part Multi-Day Commerce Series with TourRadar, Dan sits down with Shawn Pittman, Co-Founder and SVP of FinTech at TourRadar, to unpack the money flow behind multi-day travel and why payments become especially complex when the average booking is around $3,000. We get into everything from local payment processing and foreign exchange to deposits, payment plans, trust accounts and operator payouts. Sean explains why structures like FBO accounts matter when you’re holding money on behalf of suppliers, and what it takes to manage bookings where itineraries change, operators have different terms and payments may be spread across months. Then we look at what’s coming next. Sean shares how AI travel planning, conversational search and user-generated content could make complex trips easier to understand and book, while new social commerce tools are creating opportunities for creators and travel advisors to sell multi-day experiences in entirely new ways. Multi-day travel may be one of the most complex products in travel, but that complexity is also creating some of the industry’s most interesting opportunities. As technology makes these trips easier to discover, sell and pay for, the question is how much bigger the category can become. Learn more at tourradar.com. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    Iceberg Ahead with TourRadar

  5. Oct 2

    Event Spotlight: Adventure Travel World Summit 2026

    Send us Fan Mail 35+ voices. Seven hours. One extraordinary adventure travel community. There’s something special about a gathering where old friends greet you with a hug, new connections quickly become friendships, and people genuinely want to help each other succeed. That’s the spirit of the Adventure Travel World Summit, and Quebec City gave us an unforgettable setting for its biggest and best edition yet. As the official podcast partner, Travel Trends was proud to return for our third ATWS Event Spotlight, recorded September 14–17, 2026. This one breaks a major record for our Event Spotlights: seven hours of conversations featuring more than 35 speakers from across the global adventure travel community, in mostly 15-minute segments you can explore at your own pace. We kick things off with ATTA CEO Shannon Stowell and Board Chairman Erik Blachford, setting the scene for a remarkable few days. Marie-Hélène Hudon from Bonjour Québec shares the host destination’s perspective, while keynote speakers Leigh Barnes from Intrepid Travel and Aizaz Sheikh bring insights on the industry’s direction. From there, we meet some of adventure travel’s fastest-growing tour operators, exceptional cycling companies, writers, destination leaders, and the technology and marketing teams helping these businesses thrive. These conversations bring together people building businesses, creating meaningful experiences and working through the challenges facing our industry. They share the trends they’re watching, lessons from their own journeys, and ideas to help you prepare for success in 2027. Along the way, we reflect on what made Quebec so magical. From the Pre-Summit Adventures to the Day of Adventure, the shared experiences gave people a chance to connect long before they sat down for a meeting. That generosity, curiosity and love of adventure carried through the entire Summit. It’s what makes the ATTA community so special, and why so many of us keep coming back. We close with ATTA President Gustavo Timo looking ahead to 2027, followed by Magí Castelltort Claramunt of Turespaña announcing next year’s host destination: Almería in Andalucía, Spain. A heartfelt thank you to the ATTA team, our hosts in Quebec, and everyone who sat down with us and shared their time, stories and ideas. We hope these conversations bring a little of the Summit’s energy to wherever you’re listening, spark something useful for your business, and inspire you to join this incredible community next year. Choose a conversation, discover someone new, and come along for the adventure. We’d love to see you in Spain! Timestamps: 0m0s - Shannon Stowell, CEO, Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) & Erik Blachford, Independent Director & Board Chairman | ex-CEO Expedia/IAC Travel  18m48s - Marie-Helene Hudon, Director of Business Development, Trade & PR, Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec (Bonjour Quebec) 28m42s - Kimberly Daley, Chief Operating Officer, Transcend Cruises 40m47s - Rodrigo Atuesta, Chief Impact Officer, Impulse Travel Colombia 52m33s - Nina Kokotas Hahn, Chief Strategist, VP of Marketing & Director of Content Strategy, Red Thread Strategy & Storytelling 1hr6m - Aizaz Sheikh, Marketing Leader, Aizaz Ventures Inc 1hr16m - Marcelo Meneses, Owner/CEO, Neotropic Expeditions 1hr32m - Jessica Canelo, Marketing Director, Chile Tourism Board 1hr44m - Rob Holmes, Founder and Chief Strategist, GLP Films 2hr1m - Matthew Newton, CEO, Leatherback Travel 2hr10m - Kay Allen, Manager Regional Marketing & Communications, Japan National Tourism Organization  2hr27m - Leigh Barnes, President North America, Intrepid 2hr55m - Christian Wolters, President for Canada and GM of Marketing for North America, Intrepid  3hr09m - Jessica Haire, Founder Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association  3hr21m - Stacey Funt, Founder, LH Adventure Travel  3hr32m - Isabel Hofman, Founder, Bike Odyssey 3hr44m - Carlos Pizarro Figueroa, Local Guide, ChiliTrip Tours 3hr52m - Marc Giraud, General Manager, Vanuatu Tourism Office  4hr4m - Josh Halpern, Chief Commercial Officer, TourOptima 4hr17m - Todd Smith, Founder & President, and Lis Larson, Senior Content & Marketing Strategist, AdventureSmith Explorations 4hr26m - Maria Elena Price and Monica Price, BikesPlus and ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours 4hr39m - Nic Shaw, Director, South African Tourism Services 4hr54m - Eric Segalstad, VP & Partner, Gondwana Ecotour 5hr04m - Marc Ruffet, Partner & Head of Growth, Go Beyond 5hr13m - Cari Gray, CEO & Founder, Gray & Co  5hr22m - Jared Alster, Chief Strategy Officer & Co-founder, Dune7 5hr38m - Al Check, Co-founder, Odyssey 5hr49m - Dale Schober, Founder & CEO, Radventures  6hr01m -  Julie Thorner, President & Founder, LiquidSpark 6hr15m - Raffaele Di Biase, Co-founder, BirdsChile 6hr24m - Paloma Zapata, CEO, Sustainable Travel International 6hr35m - Gustavo Timo, President, Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) 6hr44m - Magí Castelltort Claramunt, Director, Turespaña The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    Event Spotlight: Adventure Travel World Summit 2026

  6. Sep 30

    What Wellness Travelers Really Want

    Send us Fan Mail Wellness travel is having a moment, but at its core, the idea is simple: travellers want to come home feeling better than when they left. In this episode, Dan sits down with Robin Ruiz, Founder & CEO of WITT (Wellness in Travel & Tourism); Lauren Pronger, Founder & CEO of Well Inspired Travels; and David T. Stevens, WITT-AP, Co-Founder and Wellness Architect, to explore what wellness travel really means and how the industry can separate meaningful experiences from clever marketing. We get practical about what hotels can do to better support travelers, and it doesn’t always require an expensive spa or the latest biohacking technology. Blackout curtains, better sleep environments, healthier food options and opportunities for movement can all make a difference. Robin explains why standards and certification matter as more hotels position themselves around wellness, while Lauren shares what clients are looking for, from burnout recovery to performance-focused travel. Then we take wellness beyond leisure travel. David makes the business case for bringing it into meetings, conferences and business travel, where better sleep, nutrition and more thoughtfully designed schedules can improve the experience for everyone. Finally, we get into wearables, AI and wellness technology, and why technology can be useful without replacing the fundamentals. As wellness becomes a bigger part of travel, the question is no longer whether travellers care about it. It’s how the industry can deliver it in a way that feels genuine, useful and accessible. 👉 Listen to What Wellness Travelers Really Want 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/

    What Wellness Travelers Really Want

  7. Sep 29

    How an Organized Adventure Finds Its Traveler with TourRadar

    Send us Fan Mail You can feel a shift happening in multi-day travel. Travellers want the ease of an organized trip without giving up individuality, while tour operators are looking for ways to reach more customers without losing what makes their product unique. In the second episode of our three part Multi-Day Commerce Series with TourRadar, Dan sits down with Brendan Roberts, Chief Commercial Officer at TourRadar, to explore the distribution side of the business and how the right trip ultimately reaches the right traveller. Brendan takes us behind the scenes of the TourRadar marketplace, from how the company evaluates new operator partners to what it takes to get tours live. We talk about API integrations, reservation systems and manual onboarding, as well as why structured content matters when travellers are comparing their options. We also get into what drives conversion. Brendan explains how TourRadar looks at quality across content, service and trust, and why strong reviews, detailed itineraries and clear accommodation information can make a real difference. Then we look beyond direct-to-consumer sales and how TourRadar is connecting multi-day inventory with travel advisors, host agencies, consortia and retail partners through white label solutions and APIs. Finally, we explore what AI and social commerce could mean for the category, from helping travellers understand what makes one tour different from another to the growing role of authentic traveller content and hosted trips. For operators, advisors and anyone interested in the future of travel distribution, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to get the right multi-day experience in front of the right traveler. Join us next Tuesday for the third and final episode in our Multi-Day Commerce Series with TourRadar. Listen to the first episode with Travis Pittman, CEO, TourRadar here. Learn more at tourradar.com. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    How an Organized Adventure Finds Its Traveler with TourRadar

  8. Sep 24

    How Nezasa Is Building the AI Workforce for Travel

    Send us Fan Mail A trip doesn’t usually become complicated when it’s booked. The real challenges come later, when flights change, strikes are announced, wildfires disrupt plans, hotels overbook or border delays throw an itinerary off course. Suddenly, operations teams are dealing with hundreds of small tasks that take up time, slow down response and eat into margins. In this Company Spotlight episode, Dan sits down with Manuel Hilty, CEO and Co-founder of Nezasa, the travel technology company behind TripBuilder, to explore how AI could help travel companies manage that complexity. Manuel shares the story behind Nezasa, from his background as a PhD computer scientist who initially thought travel planning would be relatively straightforward to discovering just how complicated travel distribution, integrations and operations really are. What began with early tour operator clients has grown into a platform used by companies including TUI, supporting everything from complex tailor-made itineraries to dynamic packaging and collaborative planning between travelers and travel professionals. Then we get into what Nezasa is building next with Tai, its new AI platform designed specifically for travel operations. Manuel explains why simply adding a chatbot isn’t enough and how Tai is being built to work across different AI models while allowing travel companies to create their own no-code agents. The goal is to take on many of the repetitive tasks that consume an operations team’s day, from pre-departure checks and rate sheets to reporting and other routine workflows. We also look ahead to Tai Guard, which is designed to monitor itineraries from beginning to end, identify potential disruptions early and eventually help teams determine the best response before a small issue turns into a much bigger problem. For travel companies trying to understand what agentic AI could actually look like in practice, this conversation offers a look at how it could become part of the day-to-day work happening behind every trip. Learn more at nezasa.com. The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.  https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

    How Nezasa Is Building the AI Workforce for Travel
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to our Travel Trends Podcast, the #1 B2B global travel podcast for professionals shaping the future of travel. Hosted by Dan Christian, this show features candid conversations with global travel leaders, startup founders, tourism boards, hospitality executives, and technology innovators. Together they explore the ideas, innovations, and strategies driving the next era of travel. Whether you're building a travel startup, leading a destination, scaling a hospitality brand, or new to the industry, you’ll gain actionable insights and real-world perspectives from the leaders redefining the global travel economy.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Christian
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    271
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Travel Trends with Dan Christian
  • Show Website
    Travel Trends with Dan Christian

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