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Why Travel with V&J
Why work with a travel specialist like V&J
August-2023
“My background was far from being in the travel business. Let stand my knowledge around the industry, and, definitely, I didn’t understand the major value of using a travel specialist. Most of the times I was under the impression that I could do it myself, like most of the travellers. However, I soon came to realize that everyone can incredibly benefit from working with a travel specialist, to really take our travels to the next level when planning a vacation that doesn’t fail to impress.” – Jasper Sigon
Even when you are a saturated traveller, these are 6 benefits you will experience travelling with Voyages & Journeys:
It needs to be valuable
Luxury is not about the price, but about value - what you feel that you have gained from the experience.
V&J was created from many personal experiences and one of the main purposes is to create extra value to our Guests. We provide a service that goes beyond anything you have experienced in working with travel advisors. Forget about standing in lines, the stress when a flight is cancelled, or when (often) something happens during the vacation. We take care of every tiny detail to fully optimise your time off, before, during and after your travels, and we bring new life into the concept. For example, we do not provide, as we like to call, “blue screen itineraries” that are not thought for individual needs. We design itineraries completely from the ground up that are fully aligned with your requirements and wishes. By doing this, we can build a trustworthy relationship with our Guests and that is one of the most important factors. Like this, you know exactly who we are and how we operate and while we design your itinerary, we can take every tiny personal detail into consideration, such as travel style, likes, dislikes, peeves, hobbies, etc. Every tiny detail will be fully tailormade for your needs.
Traveling with V&J also brings you a lot of little extras, such as our V&J travel box, upgrades to higher room categories (depending on availability), a welcome amenity, VIP treatment, early and late checkout (if available) for very early arriving or late departing flight without having to pay an extra night, among others.
Explore with Purpose
Besides our passion for travelling and exploring the unknown, our love for learning about other cultures, traditions, and their history is the main reason we founded V&J. Then again, the core of our ethos is that, with every itinerary or high octane levelled adventure we create, we really strive to make a difference. When you travel with V&J you are directly supporting the global eco-systems. How? When we finalize your travel itinerary, we combine the exceptional experiences we have created with local conservation projects, providing a unique insider access and experience about the destination you are visiting, such as, walk on patrols with antipoaching units and K9 units, following wildlife rangers, or visiting wildlife orphanages sanctuaries and rescue centres that protect the wildlife and their environment with their own life. With your visit you are directly supporting a conservation project, and in parallel we take a percentage from our earnings and donate it to that same conservation project. We try to select projects that fit with the theme of your journey – for instance, if you journey by sea, we will try to match it with an ocean conservation project.
We create remarkable journeys and private events among the most exceptional destinations, bachelor parties, birthdays, honeymoons, family reunions, a break with friends, or any other adventure. Nevertheless, we never neglect the ethics of travelling, the impact on the local community and environment. Leaving a positive impact with your presence is what we can define as responsible travel. Through the last years we build a unique network of wildlife scientists, veterinarians, rangers, wildlife photographers and conservation projects that are experts in handling wildlife, so that you can interact with them on a way that you have never imagined before, and in a safe manner, creating truly life changing experiences.
Optimise your time off
Planning the journey you have always dreamed about or just a short weekend break, a special celebration or family reunion can take from 20 up to 100 hours of planning or more. You will always spend a lot of time asking advice or nights and weekends scrolling through reviews wondering if the people who reviewed are even like you at all. Then after you decide which accommodation you are staying; you still need to plan all the details around activities and how to get point to point most efficiently. As seasoned travellers (we have been to more than 70 countries across 6 continents) and as travel specialists we can guaranty you that we do this more efficiently. With the local knowledge and industry partners that are pioneers in their own field we can guarantee a worry-free journey with the comfort and luxury you are used to.
You consult an accountant when you need help with your money. A lawyer when you need help with legal issues. Consult a travel specialist to plan your vacation and build your experience portfolio.
Service that goes beyond what you are used to
When we travel ourselves, whether domestic or international, the one thing we are immeasurably annoyed by is bad service, be it during a transfer, at a cafeteria, in the plane, restaurant, or anywhere else. These days it is hard to find good valuable service for the money you pay. This is an experience we try to prevent during your travels! We spend an average of 10 hours per week on research and development for our products. What does this mean? It means that we do not work with every provider, because we really research each facet of our daily operations with “military precision” and diligence. Each partner we work goes through a process, from an accommodation, yacht, tour providers, to aviation or private airplanes. If something goes wrong during your travels, or not exactly accordingly to plan, we can act directly and ensure that everything is taken care so that you do not have to worry and can focus on what is really needed – enjoy! We can provide this only because of our personal relationship with each partner and reputation of our company. For those who care about the details, relationships are the mostimportant factor.
Experiences that will change your perspective
Another good reason to travel with V&J is that we are on the cutting edge of the latest global travel trends, and most of the times we even know before its launched or announced to the public. One of our daily routines is to research the upcoming travel trends, such as openings of unique lodges and boutique hotels or extreme remote camps or extraordinary experiences that really provide you an inside access like no other. We are in constant contact with journalists, tourism boards, conservation projects, tour providers, accommodations, yacht owners, builders and brokers and other advisors across the globe. We also travel constantly in search for those, off-the-beaten path destinations, and insider experiences that cannot be found online. We check out the latest and newest ourselves as a kind of “mystery guests”, meaning that there is no previous announcement to the accommodations, tour providers, and others, that a representative of Voyages & Journeys is arriving. Like this, we can experience everything ourselves like a customer and create a clear inventory of what to expect and what to prevent before we put it on the portfolio to provide it to you. We live and breathe travel all day long and have access to proprietary sources of knowledge that you simply cannot find online. Through us, you can also be the first to know about new experiences, like exclusive restaurant experiences, popular sporting events or very rare and unique activities.
Risk assessment & emergency response
There are so many facets that can go wrong during your travels. Such as: lost luggage, cancelled or delayed flight, bad weather, unlucky accidents, evacuations for any reason and let’s not even mention something like Covid-19. We feel as if it is our responsibility and duty as your travel specialist to prevent and keep these obstacles to a minimum or respond to them without any delay or hesitations, and we take it very personal. We check and take care of every tiny detail, passport expiration dates, needed vaccinations, permits and all the fine print that comes with your itinerary.
In 2021, we developed one of the most exceptional bicycle routes to date. It started in the Netherlands and ended in the South of Spain, spread over 2.700 km in 35 days, included more than 20 Michelin-Star restaurants, wine tastings, private excursions, and 32 accommodations that belong to the best in Europe. Two weeks before the start, one of the Guests needed an emergency operation. We postponed and rescheduled everything for 6 weeks later without any detail being difference and without adding any extra cost.
We always advise to secure every reservation with a cancelation option. But if something strikes your destination a day before you take off, we will be negotiating on your behalf to minimize your cancellation losses or to see how we can reschedule the entire itinerary to another period. Because we are a trusted partner of Global Rescue, we can also advise the best and most inclusive travel insurance in the world, if a war or a virus breaks out, you have a serious accident on the most remote locations while climbing, diving, etc, we can activate immediately evacuations or medical evacuations on military level around the globe. If an insurance of that level is not needed, we ca assist you to specify which travel insurance coverage you should look for. When you travel with Voyages & Journeys, you are protecting your travel investment.
If you want to learn more about the benefits of travelling or working with V&J, we can schedule a video or normal call. Reach out at any time!