Épisodes

  • EXPERT: Sell More Trips in 2026

    EXPERT: Sell More Trips in 2026
    Feb 4 2026
    Has your sales pipeline sprung a leak? Michelle Stark believes you’re likely missing some customers who should be traveling with you. A communications veteran with a special focus on tourism, she helps clients around the country build sales pipelines that deliver new customers — and repeat business from old ones. And she says it’s time to re-examine the way you sell and market in 2026. Michelle joins this episode of the podcast to discuss why you’re losing potential customers — and what you can do about it. She shares cost-effective marketing strategies for finding new leads and secrets to crafting emails people actually want to read. Plus, we have news about Celebrity’s rapid river cruise growth and a Hot Minute about what you can learn about selling from car dealerships. Insights from Michelle Stark Michelle had lots of valuable insight about building intentional purchasing experiences that make potential customers feel confident and excited to buy from you. Here’s what she had to say about how your website and content should be structured for maximum sales: “Are you really optimizing your website for what we call capturability, making sure that you’re not gating information, that you’re not making your customers go through too many clicks to try to actually sign up and book with you? Are you providing things like travel policies and forms upfront where people can read through those and opt in very easily — just removing friction?” Plus, she had great perspectives on: Different marketing strategies for different market segmentsWhat role AI can — and can’t — play in a sales pipelineKeeping your pipeline flowing when you’re busy with other things Resources Mentioned in This Episode Learn more about Red Sage Communications at redsageonline.com. Follow Michelle Stark on LinkedIn. Apply to attend our OnSite FAM tour in Louisiana at grouptravelleader.com/la-fam. Key Moments From This Episode 1:28 — Travel News: Celebrity is doubling its river cruise fleet 2:39 — News From Us: A few spots let on our FAM to Louisiana 6:11 — Why Michelle Stark left broadcast TV for tourism marketing 8:15 — What is a sales pipeline, and how do you build one? 9:27 — Touchpoints that should be part of your sales process 13:00 — Crafting emails your audience will want to read 15:21 — Keeping your sales pipeline full 17:49 — Can you automate your travel sales pipeline? 24:16 — Marketing ideas for reaching the middle class 29:09 — Can AI do your travel sales for you? 45:15 — Hot Minute: What you can learn about sales from car dealerships Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Michelle on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    50 min
  • Travel Pricing is Broken. Can You Fix It?

    Travel Pricing is Broken. Can You Fix It?
    Jan 21 2026
    Is travel’s affordability crisis reaching a boiling point? Rafat Ali thinks it may be. A veteran business journalist turned travel media entrepreneur, he is the founder of Skift, one of the world’s leading travel business websites. And he has been one of the industry’s most outspoken voices on the trouble brewing with travel’s high prices. Rafat joins this episode of the podcast to discuss the affordability issues dogging travel in 2026 — and how they may be driving customers away. He shares why profit maximization may be working against travel companies and how group travel may be one of the keys to making travel more affordable to the middle class. Plus, we have news about Delta’s growing premium sector and a Hot Minute about why you must clarify your core values in 2026. Insights from Rafat Ali Rafat had lots of insight about why travel got so expensive in the past few years — and why that trend is probably unsustainable. Here’s what she had to say about how the post-pandemic travel surge is changing: “The conventional wisdom became after COVID that people have reprioritized travel over other things. We have said that 100 times. But the numbers now are showing that travel’s wallet share has decreased in the last two years by four points, from 12% to 8%. And that means in the hierarchy of needs wants, travel has fallen back down to where it was before.” Plus, he had great perspectives on: Whether travel vendors have any flexibility on pricingAutomation ideas that could ease labor costs in travelDestinations offering great, affordable experiences Resources Mentioned in This Episode Learn more about Skift and subscribe to the daily newsletter at skift.com. Follow Rafat Ali on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/rafatali. Learn more about the Skift Global Forum at live.skift.com/skift-global-forum. Apply to attend our OnSite FAM tour in Myrtle Beach at grouptravelleader.com/mb-fam. Key Moments From This Episode 1:18 — Travel News: Delta doubles down on high-end customers 2:49 — News From Us: Join us for a student travel FAM to Myrtle Beach 7:06 — How Rafat Ali became a travel media mogul 10:12 — What is driving travel’s affordability crisis? 16:05 — How profit maximization might be damaging your brand 21:31 — Do your travel vendors have any flexibility on pricing? 23:33 — Is automation the answer to high travel prices? 26:06 — Identifying more affordable destinations 30:32 — Potential solutions to travel’s affordability crisis 42:55 — Hot Minute: Why does your travel organization exist in 2026? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Rafat on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    47 min
  • Is Email the Secret to Selling More Trips?

    Is Email the Secret to Selling More Trips?
    Dec 17 2025
    If you made smarter use of your email list, would you sell more trips? Sheila Scarborough believes you would. A travel journalist turned tourism marketing consultant, she has helped dozens of organizations hone their marketing strategies. And in the age of social media, she’s still a big believer in old-fashioned email. Sheila joins this episode of the podcast to share how travel entrepreneurs can use email to build a reliable marketing strategy when social stops working. She gives some practical advice on what your email campaigns should look like and gives an inside look at her list-building program. Plus, we have news about a proposed rule that would require international visitors to submit their social media history to U.S. customs officials… and a Hot Minute about why this is a terrible idea. Insights from Sheila Scarborough Sheila had lots of real-world tips about how travel sellers can create email campaigns that nurture profitable relationships with their audience. Here’s what she had to say about how to build a solid email list, even if you’re starting small: “You need to make it stupid easy and worth their while to subscribe to your newsletter. So for starters, the sign-up box needs to be on every page of your website. There needs to be a call to action at the bottom of every single blog post. “You’ll also have a landing page set up that is specifically on your website for email subscriptions. And that’s going to be the URL you are going to share out regularly on social. “Explain why it’s valuable. Explain the periodicity. Make it stupid easy to sign up because it’s everywhere they go on your website, at the bottom of every blog post.” Plus, she had great perspectives on: Why the “sales funnel” doesn’t workWhat kind of email content your audience really wantsWhich email metrics you should be tracking Resources Mentioned in This Episode Learn more about Tourism Currents at tourismcurrents.com. Read Sheila’s blog series on email marketing here. See an example of a social-to-email marketing post here. See our list of upcoming FAMs and sign up to attend at grouptravelleader.com/fams. Learn more about GroupCollect at groupcollect.com/gatherandgo. Key Moments From This Episode 1:18 — Travel News: CBP proposes rule to require social media history from visitors 6:26 — How Sheila Scarborough went from Navy vet to tourism marketing pro 11:40 — Why social media shouldn’t be your only marketing channel 17:24 — How effective is email marketing in the 2020s? 21:51 — What should be in your marketing emails? 29:37 — Which email metrics matter most? 32:58 — How to build your email list 50:00 — Hot Minute: Will a required social media history backfire on American travelers? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Sheila on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    54 min
  • BONUS: Your Group Will Love These German Gems

    BONUS: Your Group Will Love These German Gems
    Dec 10 2025

    From Christmas markets to beer festivals, some of Germany’s most iconic experiences are hidden in its historic cities.

    With more than a millennium of history, Germany offers American travelers an abundance of unique travel opportunities. And among the most memorable are experiences that await outside larger destinations, in cities where travelers can enjoy the best of German culture shoulder-to-shoulder with locals. On this episode of Gather and Go, Sascha Mayerer and Sandra Weinacht of Historic Highlights of Germany uncover these German travel treasures. They tell us about the fascinating history of 17 German cities, take us inside local beer festivals, tantalize us with visions of charming Christmas markets and give us details for planning amazing German travel adventures.

    This episode is brought to you by the Historic Highlights of Germany.

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode

    Learn more about Historic Highlights of German at historicgermany.com.

    Key Moments From This Episode

    3:06 — Wrapping your mind around thousands of years of German history

    6:37 — What can American travelers expect to experience in Germany?

    9:08 — Where are Germany’s Historic Highlights?

    11:03 — Theme tour opportunities in Germany’s historic cities

    14:32 — All about Germany’s famous beer festivals

    17:30 — How difficult is it to take a group to a German beer festival?

    21:30 — Germany’s magnificent Christmas markets

    26:18 — Authentic connections with German locals

    30:02 — Germany’s year-round festivities

    34:40 — Safety, security, currency and language

    39:05 — Finding partners for your group’s trips to Germany

    Watch the Full Interview

    See the full interview with Sascha and Sandra on our YouTube channel.

    About the Podcast

    Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

    You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    46 min
  • Could AI Take Your Travel Biz to the Big Time?

    Could AI Take Your Travel Biz to the Big Time?
    Dec 3 2025
    Is artificial intelligence the best thing that ever happened to small tourism companies? Dan Flores believes it may be. A longtime travel marketing executive and current head of tourism for Satisfi Labs, Dan has worked with dozens of organizations to help leverage the power of AI to extend their capabilities and increase sales. And he’s excited about what the future this technology holds for tourism entrepreneurs. Dan joins this episode of the podcast to share how AI can give small tour companies a competitive advantage and explain why you can’t afford to delay in adopting this technology. He also gives some insights about how travel companies should organize their web content to become more discoverable by AI agents. Plus, we have news about a rollback of airline compensation rules and a hot tip about signing up for the industry’s best familiarization tours. Insights from Dan Flores Dan had lots of exciting perspective about how artificial intelligence tools can benefit travel professionals. Here’s what he had to say about how AI can give smaller operators a competitive edge: “For a small tour operator or entrepreneur, it actually gives you opportunities. It democratizes scale. We’re seeing more solo entrepreneurs build companies that they couldn’t build in that time frame right now becoming millionaires because they can use AI to build all these things…. They don’t have to have the cash flow to hire all of these people to do it. It makes two people, three people, five or six people operate as if they had 18, 20 or 25 people.” Plus, he had great perspectives on: How to build website chat bots people want to useHow AI agents can save you timeIntegrating agentic AI into your travel sales pipeline Resources Mentioned in This Episode Learn more about Satisfi Labs at satisfilabs.com Follow Dan on LinkedIn. Sign up for our OnSite familiarization tour list at https://grouptravelleader.com/fams/. Key Moments From This Episode 1:08 — Travel News: DOT rolls back airline passenger compensation plan 2:22 — Be the first to know about our upcoming FAM trips 6:09 — The stunning growth of AI tools and adoption 8:11 — How Dan Flores uses AI in everyday life 12:49 — How AI is impacting tourism businesses 17:06 — A better way to answer customer questions 23:10 — Leveraging AI agents to serve customers better 30:06 — How close are we to fully automatic AI sales in travel? 31:46 — Optimizing your website to work with AI agents 34:48 — Will AI disrupt your travel career? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Dan on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    48 min
  • 90 Billion Reasons Why Group Travel is Thriving

    90 Billion Reasons Why Group Travel is Thriving
    Nov 19 2025
    Domestic group travel contributes more than $90 billion dollars to America’s economy each year. That’s according to a new report from the American Bus Association and Tourism Economics. On this episode of the podcast, research collaborators Lew Myers and Omneya Fahmy explain the massive scope of the group travel industry and share reflections on what it means in 2025 and beyond. Lew and Omneya break down the statistics and reveal the jaw-dropping ways that group travel stacks up against other tourism segments. They reveal which states are punching above their weight in group travel and how tourism professionals can leverage this data to advocate for policy change. Plus, we have news about tour operators’ business prospects; a Road Tip about avoiding awkward conversation pauses; and a Hot Minute about the main thing missing from international travel today. Insights from Lew Myers and Omneya Fahmy Lew and Omneya had lots of eye-catching stats to share about the size of the group travel market and the way it impacts America. Here’s what Lew said about the study’s key takeaways: “This report confirms that busses bring business. The motorcoach industry has a $90 billion economic impact. We support over 540,000 jobs. We contribute $16 billion to the federal government in the form of taxes. And we have created over $30 billion in wages and salaries. “This really goes to show that unlike airlines and trains, the motorcoach industry touches every state, every county, every city, every urban and rural community, and we move over 400 million passengers a year.” Plus, they had great perspectives on: How tourism marketers can leverage this data to maximize their impactHow group travel stacks up against other industry segmentsGovernment threats to the group travel business Resources Mentioned in This Episode Access “The Economic Impact of Motorcoach Travel in the United States” at buses.org. Email Lew Myers at lmyers@buses.org. Follow Lew on LinkedIn. Learn more about Tourism Economics at tourismeconomics.com. Email Omneya Fahmy at ofahmy@oxfordeconomics.com. Follow Omneya on LinkedIn. See the full NTA member survey at https://ntaonline.com/nta-news/collaboration-in-packaged-travel/. Key Moments From This Episode 1:28 — Travel News: NTA tour operators are optimistic about 2026 2:55 — Road Tip: No more awkward silences 12:15 — A comprehensive guide to group travel’s economic impact 15:38 — The $90 billion question 17:40 — Surprises hiding in the group travel data 19:35 — How do you measure the size of the tour industry? 22:34 — Which U.S. states are the most popular for groups? 24:29 — How group travel stacks up against other travel segments 25:50 — How tourism marketers can leverage data to benefit their destinations 29:02 — Using data to impact policy 31:07 — The impact of adverse policies on the group travel business 46:20 — Hot Minute: Has technology made international travel better — or worse? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Lew and Omneya on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    51 min
  • Where Should Your Travel Team Work?

    Where Should Your Travel Team Work?
    Nov 5 2025
    Can remote work really work for travel professionals? Ryan Kramer believes that it can. After a life-changing group trip brought him into the tourism business, a detour through other sectors taught him how to do work-from-home right. He’s now the leading culture strategist at GroupCollect, and he joins this episode of the podcast to share how you can work from home without losing your mind or your money. Ryan discusses the habits and disciplines that give his life balance as a remote worker. He shares tips for hiring great remote team members and pulls back the curtain on the process his team employees to keep the remote culture healthy and thriving. Plus, we have news about growth at American Cruise Lines, ; a Road Tip about traveling in the rain; and a Hot Minute about the ways governments are failing the tourism industry. Insights from Ryan Kramer Ryan had lots of great insights about how teams can work from anywhere and get great things done. Here’s what he had to say about how he learned to build a great remote culture: “We set up guardrails around when the virtual office opened and the virtual office closed. If you wanted to stay late or get there early, you were welcome to do that. “It’s a cameras-on culture. If we’re going to be virtual, great, but let’s talk. Let’s look each other in the eye. The companies that failed I think lost site of the fact that it is possible to build that camaraderie. They discounted that that could happen and said ‘this could only happen in the office,’ and they gave up.” Plus, he had great perspectives on: Whether remote employees are cheating youTapping your network to maximize your talent poolKeys to holding great in-person meetings Resources Mentioned in This Episode Email Ryan Kramer at ryan@groupcollect.com. Follow Ryan and GroupCollect on LinkedIn. Sign up for our OnSite familiarization tour list at https://grouptravelleader.com/fams/. Key Moments From This Episode 1:33 — Travel News: American Cruise Lines adding six new ships 2:43 — Road Tip: Preparing your travelers for rainy days 8:03 — Meet us on the road this season! 11:57 — The band trip that kicked off a tourism career 15:10 — How Ryan Kramer learned to love remote work 21:15 — Why companies fail with work-from-home culture 24:58 — Work from home without losing your mind 27:30 — Tips for hiring remote team members 30:26 — Are remote employees ripping you off? 32:42 — Building a strong remote culture 34:53 — Keys to holding great in-person team meetings 47:25 — Hot Minute: Is the federal government failing the tourism industry? Watch the Full Interview See the full interview with Ryan on our YouTube channel. About the Podcast Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly. You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    52 min
  • BONUS: Missed the Bus, Changed the World

    BONUS: Missed the Bus, Changed the World
    Oct 29 2025

    In 1951, Barbara Johns missed the school bus. That started a chain of events that made her a hero of the Civil Rights Movement.

    Johns was a student at Robert Russa Moton High School, a Black school in segregated Farmville, Virginia. When a passing white school bus driver refused to help her get to class, Johns decided to start a student boycott to protest school segregation. Her protest and subsequent lawsuit became one of the important actions leading to the Supreme Court decision overturning segregation in schools.

    On this special bonus edition of Gather and Go, we’re sharing a preview of an upcoming episode of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail podcast that tells the stories of Barbara Johns and how her bravery changed history in the United States and beyond. Subscribe to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail podcast to hear the whole story when it debuts early in 2026.

    This episode is brought to you by Virginia Tourism.

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode

    Learn about the U.S. Civil Rights Trail and explore more podcast episodes at civilrightstrail.com.

    Learn more about visiting historic sites in Virginia at virginia.org.

    About the Podcast

    Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

    You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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    14 min