A NEWSLETTER FROM Pryority Travel

There I was at the champagne bar and I didn’t know a soul…

 

I was at the Four Seasons Surf Club in Miami on a Tuesday night, live musicians playing, singers belting out Nessun Dorma so well I swore it was Pavarotti himself and a room full of people I hadn't yet met.  If you met me at a party, you probably think I’m an extroverted, ready to chat with a stranger kind of guy, but really, this isn’t my zone.  I prefer smaller gatherings with a warm introduction to help break the silence.  

 

But that night - I was determined to not give in to my introversion and depleted social battery and make some connections with people.  So I sat at the corner of the bar and put my phone down so I could be more approachable and waited for an opening.

 

The man I ended up talking to was a New Yorker with a thick accent and the same drink order as me (A Surf Club Negroni) made for an easy conversation opener.  Turns out, he  spends his career planning travel for people like Taylor Swift, Lewis Hamilton, Billy Joel, and Charles Leclerc. He didn’t tell me his clients names as a way of bragging, we’re in the same industry.  He told me so I could understand the unique set of problems he has to fix for his clients.  Security, privacy, exclusivity, and logistics that would make your head spin, all of it handled so his clients can just go along and enjoy it. He described his job with an air of quiet humility and a passion that let me know, he’s someone his clients trust.

 

And about halfway through the our negronis, I realized he was describing my job.

That event was part of a week I just spent at L.E. Miami, a by-application-only gathering of luxury hoteliers, tour operators, and travel specialists from around the world. To attend, you need an application and three reference letters from past attendees. I was honored to be surrounded by people that came to connect, not to collect business cards.

 

During the days, I sat in 20-minute meetings, 15 per day (we call them extended speed dates) at a convention laid out like a wheel.  The hub had bright disco lights, food, drinks, a DJ worthy of Ibiza and an MC to keep the day entertaining. Each spoke was lined with a different collection of properties and operators. I met with the likes of Rosewood, Rocco Forte,. Grace Bay, Four Seasons,  Nordic properties across Scandinavia, and a few resorts in Switzerland I'm working into future driving tours for clients. Each conversation was about one thing: finding better ways to make your trip feel less like a typical vacation and more like one that was planned specifically with you and your preferences in mind.

 

What surprised me most wasn't the celebrity name-drops or the gorgeous property portfolios. It was the detail. Hoteliers who want to know not just your room preference, but the view from your window, the scent when you walk in, what's waiting on the desk when you arrive. Properties that have handled stays for some of the most high-profile people in the world. Where one detail out of place isn't just an inconvenience, it's a missed opportunity for connection.. Those same standards apply to every guest. Including you.

 

I came home with a list of destinations I want to start building proper pages for: Morocco. Egypt. India. Western Mongolia. South America. Africa. Places that clients sometimes assume are too complicated, too far outside the familiar to be worth asking about. They're not. I have partners in every one of those places who specialize in making them not just accessible, but genuinely extraordinary, and I’ve been on a 5K Run and to a SoulCycle class in Miami with them to make sure I’m remembered!

 

If you've been quietly thinking about a trip that feels just slightly out of reach…somewhere you've never seriously considered booking because it seemed too complicated to plan, that's exactly the kind of trip I want to talk to you about.

Events like L.E. Miami exist because the best travel experiences don't happen by accident or when you ask AI for “best restaurants in Amsterdam.” They happen because someone spent three days in rooms like that one, asking the right questions, building the right relationships, so that when your trip comes together, it looks effortless.

 

If any of those destinations caught your eye, reply and let me know. I'd love to help you imagine what’s possible.

 

P.S. The early morning 5K sunrise run was supposed to be a reset before meetings. In reality, it was me mentally building out an ideal itinerary to Morocco and learning more about Mallorca from my running buddy.

A FEW DETOURS WORTH TAKING

Were you sent this Newsletter from a friend and you'd like more?

If you’re new here, welcome. I’m Ian, a travel advisor who helps people design trips that

feel personal, thoughtful, and easy from start to finish. I’m really glad you’re here, and I

hope you’ll stick around for destination ideas, inspiration, and stories from the road in

the weeks ahead.