TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

The Well-Traveled Now Travel Well: Louise Bryan Interviews Jen Duncan, founder of Brio Travel Artisans

File Jen’s story under "Fascinating" as you organize your office during this continued pandemic pause. While most of the U.S. adapted to “Safer at Home” orders by stocking up on paper goods, mastering Zoom meetings, and making resolutions, Jen Duncan, founder of Brio Travel Artisans, recognized an opportunity to travel in Europe during a lockdown and stay on top of the ever-changing reality of which countries may offer travel options for her clients. "Sophisticated Living" is excited to talk to the optimistic, analytical travel concierge, who curates personalized luxury experiences for high-end clients, who keep bucket lists on file with Brio.

Jen, how did you possibly end up in Europe during the summer of 2020?

My client base comprises a variety of avid travelers who cannot stay still. I have a client who wanted to travel to Europe during June and take advantage of the lockdown scenario. Summer 2020 was an unprecedented travel environment, yet I created a travel experience for my client by using my extensive local ground contacts, including travel experts and law firms. We facilitated the hire of a yacht to travel around

I would typically travel for a yacht hire in advance of my client to inspect the ship and meet the captain. On this occasion, I actually stayed with my client for the two-week duration of the cruise. After sailing the Adriatic Sea’s blue-green waters, I negotiated entry into Greece, becoming one of the first Americans to receive approval to enter Greek waters. At this point, I hired a villa in Greece and the group continued their journey on land, traveling the surrounding area while using the villa as their base. I remained nearby during the villa booking to ensure a safe and exacting experience for the group.

With the inaugural Croatian cruise a success, I helped another client book a week-long yacht charter along the French Riviera. With this cruise, I completed the advance inspection but did not board the vessel for the cruise. When the clients completed their seven-day sojourn without incident, I was ready Croatia, the one country allowing Americans to enter.

Did you recognize Summer 2020 as a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity?

Yes! I was excited to move through Europe and experience the lockdown as a tourist and learn from my travel experiences. I was allowed to travel freely around the continent because I could prove I had already been there for several weeks. While American tourists were not allowed to enter Europe, I was permitted to remain.

After you helped two groups successfully navigate cruises and tours in Croatia, Greece, and France during the height of the lockdown, how were you feeling and what was the next stop for you?

The chance to explore Europe during the summer without the usual American crowds was serendipitous to someone in my industry. My summer 2020 travels were rich in one aspect - that I enjoyed the scarcity of crowds. But I recognize that the value of travel includes meeting others and learning their stories. That connectivity is not possible when places are deserted or severely limited. While the circumstances afforded ease of travel, it was also not the way I really want to experience travel.

Coast of Croatia

What were your destinations in Europe and what were your observations?

Starting on the eastern side of the French Riviera, I rented a car and drove to Monaco. In Monaco, I boarded a commuter train without air conditioning, wearing a mask and reminding myself that travel glitches help us grow! Forty minutes in the heat of August, I disembarked in Sanremo, the coastal city in northwestern Italy and stayed at the Grand Hotel, a 5-star hotel.

The Grand Hotel Sanremo was renovated to what we now recognize as “the new normal.” Tables were placed six feet apart and the breakfast buffet included plexiglass installations with staff serving the guests.

After breakfast, I decided that Europe by car would be my travel mode for the duration and enjoyed not having a plan! My road trip was filled with wonderful surprises. Leaving Sanremo, I picked up the Autostrada A24, the east-west motorway connecting Rome to the Adriatic Sea. With breathtaking bridges and tunnels, the two-lane roadway was completely different without traffic, creating a cool and beautiful experience.

Continuing along the Italian Riviera, I arrived in Portofino, which was enjoying the smaller-than-usual crowds of Italians celebrating the week-long Labor holiday. Driving inland, I sought out the Tuscany region of central Italy, which was much less crowded due to the pandemic, as well as the traditional Italian retreat to the coast for summer. Here, I enjoyed the quintessential hill town of San Gimignano with a bike tour of the wine region. Driving 50 minutes south, I arrived in Siena, a city known for art, architecture, and cuisine and I stayed there for three nights. I played tourist for part of the time, while also catching up on work and running my business. COVID restrictions were in force as the museums were open. But I could not get a ticket because, with limited capacity, the reservations were selling out quickly.

Driving further south, I departed Siena for the 3-hour trip to Rome. Along the way, I stopped in the Umbria region of central Italy and enjoyed a delicious 6-course lunch at a farm with local wines from the nearby vineyard. At the cost of 36 euros, it was a farm-to-table meal that will long be remembered.

I arrived at an empty and eerie Rome, which evoked both beauty and affection. I fell in love with Rome for the first time in all my years traveling to the “eternal city.” During my week in Rome, I connected with locals and accepted invitations to stay in two different hotels. The tourism trade was eager to prove that their accommodation and service levels were suitable for my clients.

Now, our reader want to know your opinion on the obvious questions: Describe your client’s current mindset.

My clients are excited to get a trip on the books and to have something to look forward to by planning ahead. Some of these same clients may decide to postpone a trip and that will be perfectly fine. None of us has ever been through this before. At this point, the majority of my clients have made up their minds about their comfort level regarding travel — whether it is domestic, international, or not at all. The comfort level varies widely and also varies by age. Interestingly, I have some older clients, who are already traveling. These are clients who have worked hard to get to a place where they can enjoy life, want to be safe, and enjoy travel.

How are people traveling domestically?

While many travel professionals had to brush up on road trip itineraries in the early summer, my clients were still booking flights as part of their plans. What has changed is that while some clients would not have considered private flights, more are recognizing that they can afford it, and at least during this travel environment, they see the value of having their family all together on a private flight.

High-end ranch destinations offering 1,000 acres and clean air in the western United States are in high favor. With an appreciation and a re-connection with the outdoors, these ranches provide beautiful spaces with luxury accommodations.

Now that spas have reopened, I am booking destinations with spa services, but these requests require additional research into spa treatment capacity, in addition to room capacity. I would not want a client to land in a lovely hotel only to find that the spa services are fully booked.

Demand is high in most luxury categories, and it is in the best interest of the traveler to plan ahead now and lock in dates. Most cancellation policies are relatively low risk because vendors understand the circumstances. Even airlines, which have taken advantage of customers by charging high penalties for change fees, are now offering low to no change fees. These lower change fees are one example of the re-calibration of the airline industry’s pricing, which will benefit consumers.

When can we travel internationally?

I am already organizing international travel with the clients that I worked with this past summer. Even during the pandemic, I have never stopped planning. Travel has always been an innately personal experience. All of our clients come to us as referrals from existing clients, which usually results in a great match for our personalized service. We feel honored by how our clients put their trust in us. This trust proves how personal travel really is. The current travel environment places an even more extreme personal decision-making level on clients to determine their right time to travel. Truly, it is different for each client. I provide the tools, including updated country-specific research, for clients to make their own personal decisions. The client makes decisions, including how and why they travel and what they want to take away from their travel experiences. My goal is to provide my clients with the ability to achieve their travel goals, not to sell specific destinations.

How are people traveling internationally?

Most of my clients are U.S. citizens, so international travel requires a great deal of detective work. It is our goal to provide all the information to allow travelers to anticipate all the current restrictions. This is such a new environment; a traveler must always have a Plan B — which hopefully does not mean pack up and come home. However, individual countries’ travel terms and quarantine restrictions are changing daily, so travelers must be ready to switch gears. Most of my clients, who are comfortable traveling, already have a flexible skill set and laid-back personality to take on international travel dynamics.

When a client inquires about a specific country, I will research exact and up-to-the-minute travel restrictions. If a client asks what destinations might be available, I encourage them to narrow their criteria because each and every country has dynamic travel terms. I will not quote any travel terms to a specific country in this environment until I have researched the details.

Private islands around the world are in high demand but have been booked up for months. The broader category of private islands, yachts, and villas is experiencing extremely high demand. I currently have a request for a private island destination that I would normally be able to book in two days, but I am just not certain that this request can be fulfilled for the dates requested.

What changes can the luxury traveler expect on their first trip to another country?

Every host country will welcome the American tourist with open arms and genuine gratitude. The pandemic has decimated the travel industry, and some small business owners and boutique hotels will not survive. My clients are well-traveled and travel well. Because every travel business will have some level of impact from the pandemic, the luxury traveler should be sympathetic to the strain on hotels and restaurants and aware that values have shifted. At the same time, luxury travelers genuinely appreciate the opportunity to be in another country because that possibility was absent for several months.

At the same time, I advocate for my clients and provide the personal services and resources necessary to bring the world up to the client’s expectations. Every detail of travel requires more time to confirm locations, reservations, and restrictions. In today’s uncertain travel environment, I seek to alleviate the anxiety of uncertainty and allow clients to enjoy every aspect of the trip. I meet a real need when clients report that they have a sense of relief when I plan their trip — ultimately serving as a personal assistant.

Portofino

Can travel be arranged so that the experience is both memorable and safe?

Yes, absolutely. We are all at risk now in our everyday life, and that is why we continue to live and travel with caution. Travelers are making the same choices about wearing masks, social distancing, and avoiding crowds in Europe as they are in the United States.

Outdoor experiences are still favored over indoor situations, which works well with cultural and warm-weather destinations. In some instances, airports and classes of travel are less crowded and can be more enjoyable.

My clients maintain active “bucket” lists and usually travel several times during the year. Now, these same clients are planning with greater intentionality because one whole travel season was taken away from them. As mentioned earlier, private experiences (e.g., private planes and drivers) are more in demand, and my clients who may have considered those experiences as too fancy or costly, now see the need to be smart and consider those amenities for them to enjoy their travel.

Rome

How has travel changed for the long term?

I do not think the world will experience the overall volume of tourism as in years past. Travel professionals believe that policymakers may see the value in lower numbers of tourists, especially in ancient cities. The wear and tear on beautiful landmarks, such as Venice’s canals, may be restricted to encourage the preservation of fragile destinations. In the same way, travelers will remain cautious about their health when making decisions to travel.

Speed Dating Questions. Jen, what is your advice for immediate travel to:

Europe: Croatia: most pristine water on the planet Beach: Turks and Caicos: Hard to beat for sand and sun Adventure Travel: Mexico: eco-tours: rappelling, swimming in cenotes, hiking the Mayan ruins, swimming with dolphins

Jen, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and insight with Sophisticated Living.

My pleasure, I love to meet fellow travelers.