Meeting new people, learning about different cultures, tasting new food, such experiences will help you in broadening your view of the world.
Local and international travel has become much more accessible lately, thanks to the growing number of travel agencies who come up with great packages that enables one’s travel dreams to come true.
The Travel Insiders’ Johan Aguilar and Kara Lim share how they are able to make traveling to one’s dream destinations a reality.
Ice, Ice Baby
One of Johan and Kara’s favorite destinations of all time is Iceland. An experience that they could not stop gushing about. “It gave us a different sense of fulfillment. Same goes to our families and friends who went to that Iceland trip with us. Iceland has a way of captivating you in a very different, nostalgic manner,” says Johan.
This is why the two thought of coming up with their own Iceland travel package, so that other people will be able to enjoy this destination the same way they did.
“We initially tried to offer Iceland tours. We started with a small group last April, 2018, and unexpectedly we were able to bring a group twice the size come September 2018.” shares Kara.
She adds, “Johan and I went to Iceland separately on our first time there. When we started planning the trip, we shared our itinerary and combined the sites that we went to and decided that we wanted to take Icelandic tours to the next level.”
Doing a comparative research also helped in making their Iceland tours better. “We researched on the existing Iceland tours that are being offered in the market and we realized that the places they go to are just the cliché, easy to reach ones. We started incorporating less touristy but equally beautiful spots in our tours. We also made sure that the accommodations were the best we could get. We wanted to go the extra mile by giving them a different take on Iceland. We made sure to take notes of the photo-worthy and iconic spots so our guests can also experience the same.” says Kara.
To give a sample of their Iceland itinerary, Johan and Kara listed some of the key places they want their clients to see and experience: Kirkjufell (Iceland’s most photographed mountain), Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon, and the Blue Lagoon. As for the “non touristy” places, there’s Stokknes Island, Aldeyjarfoss, and the Highlands.
“Although everything in Iceland is a must-see! The great thing about this beautiful country is that the variety of what it can offer is so versatile – you can have falls, volcanoes, lava fields, beaches, cliffs, glaciers, Northern Lights and so much more!” she shares.
Complementing these sites are of course, experiences that are unique to Iceland. For this Kara and Johan shares, “We’d recommend a Glacier Hike which will give you a chance to walk on top of one of Europe’s biggest Glacier Mass. Another would be an Ice Cave tour, which will bring you to an ice cave under a Volcano. Another interesting activity would be a boat ride across Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon to see the icebergs up close. As for food, there’s this famous low-key seafood restaurant by the Reykjavik harbor called Saegreifinn, where you can try different seafood dishes like grilled Arctic Char, Rotten shark, and lobster soup.”
The Travel Insiders
Of course there’s more to traveling than just sightseeing and taking pictures, The Travel Insiders ensure that their clients have the best time but making sure that their travel needs are always met so they can enjoy their trip better.
“The Travel Insiders makes everything easy for the guests by us doing the dirty work. We bring you to the best sites, straight-to-the-point. We provide the best accommodation available – accommodations that are both comfortable and ideal for Northern Lights hunting.” says Kara.
As tour managers, they check and study the Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis Forecast with help from their mentors and their background on “Aurora hunting”.
“There are so many factors in chasing the Northern Lights and this is one way that we make things easy for our guests – by not letting them freeze outside to hunt but rather, we study and hunt for them first before we wake them up! The Aurora is also hard to photograph! Imagine, setting up our tripods, adjusting the camera settings and framing the photo in a dark and freezing state – we got that all covered!”
Ultimately, another thing that Kara and Johan thinks that what really sets them apart from other travel agencies, is that they have the advantage of being travel photographers. “We take photos of our guests, the best possible way we can so they get to return home after the trip with memories and photographs as their lasting souvenirs.”
For more information about The Travel Insiders PH and its offerings, visit @TheTravelInsidersPH on Instagram or you may reach them at 09178725010 | 09176251888 or inquiry@thetravelinsiders.ph | johansen@thetravelInsiders.ph | kara@thetravelInsiders.ph
Written by PR maven Ana Liza Bautista for The Travel Insiders
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