What’s Hot? Where Are People Traveling with The Spence Connection?

The Spence Connection started organically, long before it had a name, phone number, or website. While on a six-month sabbatical with my wife, traveling through New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and the UK, I frequently received messages from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. They tracked me down on LinkedIn, social media, or WhatsApp, seeking my travel advice.

A typical request would sound like: “John, I have a cousin wanting to take his family to Africa for the first time. Can you recommend someone?” or “My business partner wants to take his sons to Japan to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers and then explore the country—do you know who can help?" or "Three other couples and I want to rent a luxury villa in Italy. Any ideas on where to start?”

It dawned on me that not only did I know a lot of people in the travel industry, but I also had the connections to find the right expert if I didn’t have the answer immediately.

In the last six months alone, The Spence Connection has helped arrange trips to destinations like India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Vietnam, New Zealand, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Morocco, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, and the USA.

The common thread in all these requests? Travelers were looking for personalized trips tailored to their specific needs and dates. These were all referrals—friends of friends, or people who had traveled with us before, wanting expert help to make their next journey exceptional.

Despite the overwhelming amount of travel information and jargon, the world remains a vast and wonderfully diverse place. Bucket-list destinations like Africa or Italy still hold endless magic, but when planned by an expert, they can be experienced in ways you never imagined. There’s also an array of lesser-known gems waiting to satisfy your wanderlust, and The Spence Connection is here to help make that happen.