Experience This! Travel Industry Insights and Opinions

Lori, Bruce and Christian are joined by Beth Santos and Nikki Padilla Rivera to discuss She Shapes History New York, a walking tour concept focused on the hidden history of women. From storytelling and experience design to creator-led travel businesses, this episode explores a fresh and meaningful direction for the experiences industry.Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

What if tour operators could build their own software in minutes without writing a single line of code? In this episode, former Carpe Diem CMO Oli Green introduces “vibe coding,” a new (not so new)  AI driven way to create custom tools just by describing what you want. Build dashboards, landing pages, and operational tools instantly. But, when should you build something yourself vs. pay for existing software?Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Group celebrations aren’t just trips.  They’re high-intent, multi-booking moments. In this episode of Experience This!, we talk with the CEO of Batch about how celebration-driven demand is reshaping discovery, booking behavior, and operator strategy.Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Mary Collins, owner of Blue Fern Travel and Far Horizons, modernizes a 40-year archaeology tour company while running DC food and scholar-led trips. She discusses preserving human-led, scholar-driven small groups and redefining luxury as exclusive access. Mary explains achieving an 85% repeat rate through community and scholar engagement, and the digital upgrades like online payments, CRM, portals, and mobile apps.

Nick Gray, Co-Founder of Keyguides Connect introduces his approach to how Tour Guides are searched, booked and run their businesses.Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Josiah Filler, CRO at Peek joins the Experience This! Travel Show to discuss Peeks $70M raise and acquisition of Connect & Go and ACME Ticketing.Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

James Lemon from Stripe joins us as we discuss Instant Check out in Chat GPT, the world of Agentic Commerce Protocol vs. Model Context Protocol and how operators can ready themselves for this new world.Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Groupon is dusting itself off, investing heavily in Tech, becoming an AI first company and dominating the Things To Do space.   Listen in as Carrie Keplinger and Masha Sharma walk us through why the TTD vertical at Groupon has seen double digit growth for the past 6 quarters.  Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Show videos are posted on YouTube, subscribe and Like!Comments and discussions on the Experience This! LinkedIn Page  (Follow us and Discuss!)Podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts:Spotify, Apple, etc. - Subscribe and rate the shows.

Murray Decker, the founder and CEO of Tour Amigo, dives into the world of multi-day tours and the tech that supports them. He reveals the unique challenges of this sector compared to single-day experiences. Murray discusses the transformative impact of SaaS on travel operations and the rising importance of online booking systems. He also highlights the significance of data protection in travel and explores the enticing opportunities for digital nomads seeking to leverage tech in innovative markets like Tuscany and Singapore.