Insight Reveals Its Top 10 Experiences for 2019
With 2019 just around the corner, next year’s travel planning is well underway and the top travel trends are in. In line with this, Insight Vacations has issued its top 10 experiences for 2019 that are bucket list items and coincide with next year’s travel trends.
From travel for foodie experiences, to celebration travel, sustainable-responsible travel and more, consumers are looking for the very best and unique experiences, as part of the Experience Economy. Now, according to officials, as we see the Experience Economy shift to the Transformational Economy, they also seek authentic and meaningful experiences. The impact that social media (especially Instagram) has on consumers and their decision-making process when looking to book travel and deciding on what destinations to visit is immense. In today’s day and age, we see consumers replacing objects with experiences and sharing them with their communities via social media.
“Insight Vacations has observed the development of the Experience Economy trend in recent years and now we see the emergence of the Transformational Economy, so we’ve adapted our business strategies accordingly with our enhanced and immersive Insight Experiences,” shares Ulla Hefel Böhler, CEO of Insight Vacations. “We’ve always offered clients the most exceptional and magical experiences, though for 2019, we’ve enhanced many of our experiences and created life-changing opportunities on our journeys for guests to undergo an actual sense of transformation. “Whether this means connecting clients with local characters who really bring a destination to life or taking them to areas where they can see what sustainable development looks like, we proudly provide the value these experiences deserve,”
Along with expected travel trends, the following are Insight’s top 10 magical and transformational experiences it will be offering for next year:
- Trend: Eating your way through a destination
New for 2019, on the Elegance of Great Britain journey, the Willoughby family welcomes clients to their historic estate, Birdsall House, for a Dine-at-Home evening full of Yorkshire hospitality. Beginning with a glass of sparkling wine and canapés, guests admire the beautiful collection of art and furniture in the home, after which dinner will be served with chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and madeira sauce, local vegetables and new potatoes, followed up by apple and frangipane tart with crème fraiche and a traditional cheese plater with biscuits and grapes.
Guests can savour Farm-to-Table delights paired with local wines in Bordeaux on the Mediterranean Journey and European Grandeur which is another new experience for the 2019 season. Local delights include Fish Rillettes flavoured with cooked lemons and ginger and a herb vinaigrette, mille-feuille of fine pastry interwoven with tomatoes, fresh “brousse” (typical Provençal soft cheese) and fresh basil leaves or chef’s home-made terrine with pickles and seasonal salad – just as an example of the delicious starters served in delicious and authentic style.
On the magical Grand Italy & Sicily journey, guests join an expert vintner for a tasting of Puglia’s most robust and structured red wines and experience chef Alessandro’s nonna demonstrating the rolling orecchiette pasta by hand, followed by a private, sit-down Dine-At-Home meal to remember with antipasto, roast chicken Pugliese style with zucchini poverella, and more.
The Israel Discovery journey offers clients the opportunity to learn about the hospitality, culture and history of Israel on a journey that visits the Dead Sea. The journey now has a new Dine-at-Home lunch experience with a seasonal menu at a local Druze Village where guests will have the opportunity to meet and dine with local villagers and learn about their culture.
- Trend: Historic travel
Visit Castel Gandolfo to explore the magnificent Barberini gardens of the Pope’s summer palace, off-limits to visitors until recently on the Easy Pace Italy journey – a new Insight Experience offered this year.
Commemorate the 75th anniversary of the World War II Normandy landings by securing a spot or more than one for friends and family on the Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley itinerary.
On the Focus on Ireland journey, guests can meet a university insider at Trinity College for a guided exploration followed by priority entry to the iconic library to view the Book of Kells.
To truly discover the pyramids of Giza, clients can travel on the Wonders of Egypt journey with a certified Egyptologist and hear about Sphinx Secrets.
- Trend: Sustainable-responsible travel
Also new for 2019, on the Jordan Experience with Dead Sea Option, guests explore the ruins of Petra, go glamping in the desert and meet a community of female entrepreneurs supported by Insight Cares and The TreadRight Foundation, the Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Cooperative. The co-operative, which is managed and run by local women, has provided training projects for more than 150 women from all villages of Wadi Seer on a variety of handicrafts and tackles the issue of unemployment in Jordan for women that guests can experience and contribute to first-hand.
- Trend: Celebration travel
Insight will take clients on a special journey to celebrate Oktoberfest that includes a private invitation to exclusive seating in the renowned Ochsenbraterei Tent in Munich. Clients can sit back and experience the festive atmosphere of this once in a lifetime event and enjoy a three-course dinner, a dedicated host and savour the Bavarian Beer.
