Have you ever wondered why would people use destination specialist? Isn’t that so 1990? Well, no, it’s very NOW actually!

More than ever, we yearn for deeper, more meaningful travel and crave to experience a country from within. Long gone are the days when the greatest voyage you could wish for was to travel to the most talked about destinations, follow the tourist map, stay in the biggest hotels you could find and tick off a check list of things to do. A bucket list trip has transformed into quite the opposite actually – we look to take the road less travelled, to experience the small boutique hotels where you’re not just a room number, and for a VIP ticket to the most “un-googleable” experiences that you can travel back to in your mind time and time again. More importantly, the human connection is at the heart of it all.

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And while the internet has certainly facilitated research and finding information, it has also become overwhelming: there is so much information (ranging from quality to contradictory) that you just get sucked in, without actually finding what you’re looking for… and with no guarantee of what it will be in reality.

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Enter the destination specialist, essentially defined as a person who is based in and knows the country more than any computer-based technology ever will. Our job is two-fold:

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• To know our country inside out, have personal relationships with the best network of local partners and to continually stay informed on the latest news, experiences and openings
• To get to know you, your dream-experience, your must-haves, what you love, what you don’t love, your interests and everything in between to tailor the journey you’ve always dreamed of, that’s right for you.

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Still not convinced? Here are top 5 reasons why travellers (and advisors) refer to a destination specialist:

1. We Are An Unbiased, Personal Advocate

The most important reason is probably simply this one : we’re born and bred in Switzerland, and know our country intimately. We continuously travel from north to south and east to west to enrich our knowledge and give you the type of insider tips and up-to-date unbiased advice that no website or social media account will be able to give you.

Okay, fine, we admit it, the internet does do a pretty good job of putting forward the standard typical tourist map of “must see” places… but what about the hidden gems, the small “mom and pop” restaurants, the artisan boutiques with the best local crafts to take home, the storytellers, and the noteworthy boutique hotels that actually take your trip from the ordinary to the extraordinary?

2. We Offer A VIP Pass To Enriching Human Connections

Let’s continue on that thought for a second: the storytellers that perpetuate our local know-hows, traditions and culture. They’re not the type of people you just find on any travel website because most of the time, their main job is not to welcome tourists (other than our trusty guides of course). They are locals who are passionate about their craft (be it cheese-making, the alphorn, cow-bell making, chocolatier, etc…) and they do their job exquisitely well; but it doesn’t go beyond that. We found about 85% of our storytellers by literally knocking on their doors, or by word of mouth. Because the way we see it, luxury is giving our travelers access to what the typical tourist does not have access to.

3. We Will Show You First Hand The Art Of Swiss Hospitality

And that also goes for hotels actually. We make a point of visiting and experiencing all of the hotels we work with to make sure that they are at the standard that you deserve. Why do we drive sometimes up to five hours just to see a hotel? Because the devil is in the detail. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve been misled by a hotel website in the past (in good and in bad), so now we just go and see for ourselves (and in return, for yourself too!) Not only do we check the standards of potential partners and get a feeling of the place to be able to advise you based on what you’re looking for, but we also establish a direct contact with the team on the ground, the very same that will be welcoming you!

4. We Give You Back Your Most Precious Asset: Time

So far, we’ve established that a destination specialist will give you peace of mind that everything will run like Swiss clockwork and that you’ll make the best of use of your precious holidays. But through the whole process, you’ll have saved an unimaginable amount of time researching everything yourself. We know the drill – it can literally take hours to look for hotels and destinations, filtering contradicting information and finding that exact experience you’re looking for.

On top of that, we often find ourselves creating and designing experiences that don’t exist to satisfy your wildest dreams by using our creativity and coordinating with our partners on the ground. So use that time to do, in Marie Kondo’s wise words, “what sparks joy”, and we’ll take care of the rest.

5. Think Of Us As Your Local Friends

So we’ve put together the journey that you’re excited about, booked your hotels, coordinated your activities and seamlessly arranged your itinerary and put it all in a travel booklet so that all you have to worry about is enjoying it all. But then all of a sudden, for some reason, something goes wrong… you have an unexpected change of plans, you get lost, it’s raining and you don’t know what to do or you just need some guidance. Well, we’re right behind you as your safety net if you need anything. What’s more, we’re in the same country as you so you don’t have to worry about the time difference, we are just a call or a text away…!

Naturally, you don’t have to wait for something to be wrong to be in touch. As we get to know each other pretty well through the planning process, it’s always pure bliss to get to meet each other in person. As much as we possibly can, we always try to either catch you along the way, be it for a drink, a meal (like a delicious fondue in a spectacular location) or even spend one day or more together to personally show you our favorite part of the country.

A bientot!