I sat down with Christie Acevedo, the president and co-founder of Adventure Travel 365, to discuss the origins of her company, her travel knowledge, and her plans for the future.
Adventure Travel 365 is the leader in luxury travel. It produces a monthly digital magazine, EXPLORE Luxury, that reaches a growing audience of travelers and highlights the top resorts worldwide. The magazine also publishes one print magazine every December with a list of the 365 most luxurious resorts in the world.
I founded Adventure Travel 365 in 2018 to create a central informational site specific to luxury travel and luxury adventures.”
BPM: Tell us about the founding of Adventure Travel 365.
CA: I founded Adventure Travel 365 in 2018 to create a central informational site specific to luxury travel and luxury adventures.
The website fills a void and offers a real information hub on private transport, places to see and where to eat, all surrounding the top resorts, and the things to do outside of basic listed excursions.
Ads cannot just be purchased on Adventure Travel 365. Each and every location must be approved by our Luxury Travel Team.
BPM: What compelled you to launch Adventure Travel 365? What drew you to the travel industry as a whole?
CA: I have had a love for travel my entire life and have traveled to more than 260 destinations around the globe. As a child we moved a lot, not in a luxury way, but simply moved. The more we moved, the more I felt a connection to the world and to others and had a sense of so much that I was missing each time I discovered a new place. This started my love and desire to see as much of the world as possible.
In these travels, I found it very difficult to acquire information geared more toward exclusive or luxury travel. I would spend a lot of time searching for the right private yacht to whale watch vs. a group charter. I wanted to find ones that were accessible, easy to book, trusted and private. Additionally, I found it was difficult to determine which resorts had private chefs or butlers.
I wanted to create a site that was all encompassing and could focus on all the detail you truly need when traveling, which is so much more than the destination itself. The other challenge I wanted to create in building this company was to find a site that was more than simply a “paid” booking site where anyone could call themselves luxury and be on a booking site. There is too much paid advertising allowing companies to list themselves in any bucket making it much harder for someone looking for what they want. If someone wants luxury travel, they can be assured they will not find anything else on our site.
BPM: Any new changes within Adventure Travel 365?
CA: We have recently added an annual overside luxury magazine called EXPLORE Luxury, this will be printed in December and will encompass the top 365 most luxurious resorts in the world. This will be backed up with an online voting site listing the 365 resorts, for the public to vote on which will ultimately list the number one resort in the world for 2022. This prints and is distributed to over 1,100 locations worldwide and available for purchase by direct mail.
BPM: How do you see Adventure Travel 365 evolving in the future? Do you have a second phase planned out? An expansion?
CA: We do plan to add booking options on our site this year. You will be able to book luxury resorts and luxury adventures directly on our site. In addition, we’ll be releasing some amazing travel line retail items under EXPLORE Luxury – very soon.
BPM: Tell us about your favorite vacation offered by Adventure Travel 365.
CA: We took a trip through Italy. For me, it was primarily to see Venice, somewhere I’d always wanted to visit. Venice did not disappoint and was beyond incredible. Every piece of the journey was flawless from our arrival and airport pick up with our limo driver to the ship, the additional nights on land with meals waiting, etc. Every detail was perfect.
The big surprise on this trip was the Amalfi Coast.
Although my sights were set on Venice (and I was convinced it would be the highlight of the trip), the beauty of the Amalfi was beyond captivating. The restaurants that sit on the beach, the people, the most incredible shops all within the cliffside. It’s simply not something you can ever capture in a photo.
After most trips, I’m generally already looking beyond it to the next great destination. After this trip, I am busy planning our return visit to the Amalfi Coast. I could spend another day walking the cliffs and beaches and testing the bread and olive oils at every opportunity.
BPM: For those not ready to adventure internationally, what is your favorite destination within the United States?
CA: There are so many great resorts to choose from. One of my personal favorites, however, is the Chateau in Upper Deer Valley and Park City. It is stunning. Its location, service, private decks, and drink selection make it one of the most amazing places right here in the U.S. to take an unforgettable trip. There is no detail left undone and the options are endless from activities to room options. You must check it out.
BPM: What is the most in-demand travel destination right now? What kinds of adventures/vacations are people most requesting?
CA: We have seen a huge boom in what I would call the bucket list destinations – places like Antarctica and the Galapagos. These fragile places that are more affected by global warming and environmental changes. I believe it is perhaps due to a concern that these places may soon limit visitors more and more or that the changes in the earth may start to more rapidly change some of the wonders and beauty within these incredible places on earth.
More people are making the effort to book these trips now.
One of the biggest booming options we have seen so far in 2022 is all inclusive resorts with a new spin. When most of us think all-inclusive, we think of all the food and drinks you can get. Today, however, travelers are looking for the destination to help coordinate their vacation. All inclusive now means you can book all your excursions, tours, private drivers, and meals catered to your needs. This concierge level of all inclusive is the most booming trend of 2022.
BPM: What countries/destinations do you have packages setup to visit? Any plans to expand? Which destinations are next?
CA: We have some incredible options in Machu Pichu. San Miguel, Mexico boasts one of our favorite properties Luna Escondida. Looking ahead this year, I think we may focus on some eco-friendly resorts and family friendly luxury resorts in the U.S.
Another big focus of expansion will be Bora Bora and Tahiti. We want to shed more light on these trips. Most people focus on the incredible over the water resorts, but we have found incredible beauty in the private island vacations where you can easily swim with octopus and sharks. This type of trip is just not featured the way it should be on booking sites. We are creating a lot of upcoming all-encompassing packages for this that can include cruising, private yachts, helicopter tours and more.
BPM: How is Adventure Travel 365 different from the competition
CA: Adventure Travel is the largest luxury adventure travel site in the world with 2.2 million luxury travelers who have opted into our weekly email newsletters, and more than 930K engagements on social media monthly.
No advertiser is allowed on our site without approval from our travel board. In addition, we offer a Luxury Seal Program that can only be obtained by an on-site visit by our travel team to verify the location against a 100-objective checklist. Every aspect is verified against our standards before they can receive this seal. Since we launched the Luxury Seal Program more resorts have been turned down than accepted as this is a distinguishing award.
Those who achieve the luxury seal award are listed with the seal on our website so travelers can easily see the resorts that passed our vetting. We put tremendous effort into ensuring our travelers can only find luxury options on our site.
BPM: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
CA: In 2022, my best friend Crystal Fyke joined Adventure Travel 365 as my business partner. We already share multiple companies together and have been traveling together for almost 15 years. Every major part of the world I have seen, I have seen it with her. We share a love and passion for travel along with our spouses. Working together is the perfect fit to continue to grow to be the world’s leader in luxury travel. Crystal has been traveling the world, months at a time through private jets, river cruises, private yachts, private transport, luxury cruise lines and can handle literally any adventure you can throw at her. Her experience around the world and ours together as luxury travel partners allows us to find and stand behind our luxury travel opportunities as they can not be found on Google.
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explore@adventuretravel365.com
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