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Stay informed as we add new experts and new destinations
to the Travel Expert Network.
Meet Our Travel Experts
Cassie plans trips to three major cities in Europe, London, Paris and Rome.
Eric plans trips for families who want to visit Iceland.
Jamie arranges trips for people who want to walk the Camino di Santiago.
Madeline started her travel planning business for Italy in 2008 and has sent 100s of people on amazing trips since!
All of the experts in the Travel Directory are:
- Certified by Travel Beyond the Obvious
- Qualified to plan every aspect of custom trips for travelers
- Independent business operators
Many of them lived in their region of expertise and decided to start a business planning trips there. When you use one of our experts it is as if you had a friend who really knows where you’re going and how you can have a great trip.
You’ll find a range of experience in our experts. Those that are Silver-Certified are newer, those that are Gold-Certified are more established. Every one has passed our rigorous evaluation process and can give you a fantastic trip.
How Does A Travel Expert Get Certified
Silver: Three Core Assessments
When we review a candidate travel expert for certification we look at every factor that goes in to being able to deliver custom bucket-list trips for their customers. We have developed a set of in-depth assessments and interviews that allow us to be sure our experts are ready.
Implementation Assessment: Are they able to plan and deliver fantastic custom trips to their destination for travelers? Do they conduct interviews to determine the best trip, do they create a solid itinerary, do they have the relationships with local guides, hotels, and restaurants that they need?
Expertise Assessment: Are they a “boots-on-the-ground” expert for their locale, able to create the perfect itineraries custom-tailored to each traveler? CTEs have either traveled to their locale extensively or lived there for a significant period of time.
Business Practices Assessment: Are they legit? Are they easy to work with, ready to go the extra mile, all “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed? Travel Beyond the Obvious does not give out badges lightly – we need to make sure we would recommend a traveler to the new expert’s business.
Gold Only: Advanced Assessment
Gold requires the three Core Assessments plus:
Engagement Assessment: TBO looks at some of their past trips, reviews their itineraries, process and feedback. Typically to pass this they need to have done more than ten trips or been in business over a year. These really are the Gold standard for the TBO Certified Travel Experts.
TBO’s assessments are a combination of written work and in-person interviews. We get to know each of our Travel Experts before we certify them!
What sets CTEs apart
The assessments cover a range of topics. TBO looks in particular for three things that set their Travel Experts apart from traditional travel guides and agents:
They Are a Travel Expert
TBO candidates are already travel pros with extensive personal experience.
They Primarily Offer Custom Trips
These experts know that the best trips are tailored trips, where the entire experience is planned around customers’ interests and needs.
They Never Charge Hidden Fees
To qualify for certification TBO requires that experts offer full transparency on what they charge clients, with no hidden commissions, hidden fees, middlemen or markups.
Where do I go from here?
If you have a trip in mind and want help from one of our Certified Travel Experts who plan awesome trips, you can find them here.
Browse the Directory
– Get to know our experts, check out their web sites and references
– Read about their trips and how they work with you
– Email them
– Schedule a free consultation
Submit a Request
– We’ll be in touch with our best suggestion and an introduction to make it simple.
Remember, there’s no commitment required here – we just provide their information, you work directly with them.
Also, we don’t make any money from trips our Travel Experts create. We believe our experts plan the best trips, and our only job is to connect travelers with our amazing Travel Experts!
