How We Choose Our Signature Destinations
When it comes to choosing our signature destinations each year, the team at Authenteco Travel takes this seriously.
A lot goes into our decision-making, which is why we only release 5 new signature destinations per year.
We choose these destinations based on several important factors, including:
If our team has been there to ensure it really is the perfect eco-luxury vacation
If the destination is off-the-beaten-path & not the same destination everyone and their mother is going to!
If the destination has initiatives in place to protect the environment and local communities
If the destination retains the quality of experience (must-see sites are open & able to handle travelers)
If the destination prioritizes community and traveler safety
Plus so much more!
Read on to find out how we choose our signature destinations.
Want to know what a signature destination is? Read this post!
The Burks on their celebratory parkation mid-covid 2021
Scouting our signature destinations
If there’s one thing as a travel company we love, it’s travel.
Our small team of incredible women are all travel lovers – it’s a requirement of the job.
Between everyone, we’ve visited over 60 countries in the world and covered the majority of our home countries – the United States, Australia, and the Philippines.
We’re travel lovers, and so we take pride in knowing that we are experts in the destinations we are sending travelers to.
Because we have such high standards for our trips, we like to make sure that we really really know each and every destination before we start sending travelers there.
We combine personal experiences with scouting experiences and team retreats to capture the very best of every country.
That’s how we create the perfect vacation. We get our boots on the ground and take the trip ourselves. We trial all the accommodations, activities, and restaurants based so we know you’ll love them all!
A best friend getaway to Colorado mid-covid in 2021
The destination is unique and off-the-beaten-path
Unique. Wild. Off the beaten path. Once in a lifetime.
These are all words that have been used to describe our trips - and we can’t agree more with them.
At its heart, an Authenteco vacation is a vacation that captures you from the moment you step off the plane until long after you return.
They are bucket list vacations that will leave you with incredible memories for years to come.
Our itineraries are filled with unique experiences that you won’t find anywhere else – experiences we spend hours and hours, weeks and weeks researching to make sure they are truly what you want.
The accommodation has been sourced from our secret list of suppliers and offers nothing but the best, most luxurious experiences of your life.
The tours and activities combine a mixture of wild, out-there experiences you won’t find elsewhere, with relaxation and beauty.
And our restaurants and cafe choices? Well, we only pick places that we know YOU will want to visit.
The destination has initiatives in place to protect the environment and local communities
Everything we do is to fulfill a greater purpose – to make responsible travel easy and to purchase and protect endangered land.
Because of this, your perfect vacation will always support eco-friendly destinations that care about responsible travel.
Sustainability isn’t a selling point to us; sustainability is a core value of our business, and it is ingrained into our business model.
We genuinely care about what we do because we genuinely want to make a difference in the world.
Some of the things we look for in a legitimate, sustainable destination are:
Positive 4.5 and greater reviews from other travelers detailing green practices they experienced in certain locations/ on tours/ in accommodations
Legitimate, sustainable practices listed on legitimate government websites
Do they have any special eco-friendly education programs they are a part of?
How do they tackle energy and water?
Where do they source their food, and what are the farm-to-table restaurants like?
How do they handle composting and recycling?
What is the local employment rate like? Are they given fair wages?
These are just a few of the essential facets we look into before selecting our signature destinations.
Want to know more about sustainable travel? Check out our sustainable travel blog post.
Gracie and Caleb on their Honeymoon post-covid
The destination retains the quality of experience in a post-pandemic world
In a post-pandemic world, some places just aren’t the same. Many businesses struggled to survive, service suffered, the quality deteriorated, and unfortunately, while some hotels, restaurants, and small businesses pivoted and thrived, others failed.
When it comes to crafting custom itineraries and selecting new destinations, we have to make sure that everything on our itineraries uphold the standards they did before.
We make sure everything is perfect for you, so you can take a stress-free vacation and really switch off!
Will they go the extra mile for our travelers?
What is their communication like?
Do they uphold high standards for their staff and business? How has this bounced back since COVID?
Are they eco-friendly?
Are they a luxurious/ once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience or accommodation?
These are just a few of the question we ask.
Here’s an example of one of our trips to get an idea of what we’re usually looking for.
CEO & Founder, Shelby Dziwulski hanging out with the locals
Prioritizes community & traveler safety
Unfortunately, many destinations have changed in the pandemic environment, and can no longer sustain tourism or are struggling to bounce back after being hit hard by the pandemic.
Because we always ensure the environment and local communities are at the forefront of our minds, we never want to book vacations to destinations that cannot handle tourism and will be harmed by the impact of tourists visiting.
We make sure that all the COVID protocols are in place and dependable, so you don’t have to worry about this.
The tourism industry was hit hard when the pandemic hit, but not every destination is prepared and ready for the mass amount of tourism to return. When we select new signature destinations, we make sure that the communities are eager and welcoming to travelers.
Additionally, we need to know the rules and regulations of entering and leaving each country. Many big bucket list destinations still have requirements for entering and leaving the country, so it is important we understand and oblige by the rules so we can help you.
Hours and hours of research go into every destination, and this doesn’t end when you depart. We are constantly checking updates while you are away, and even after you return to make sure that the destination remains a safe place to send future travelers.
A unique experience from our itineraries - swimming with turtles in Maui
Emphasizing slower travel
One of the things Authenteco Travel is known for is our unique itineraries with plenty of ‘white space’. This means that we combine a healthy amount of adventure and activity with relaxation and downtime. We don’t want you to be stressed on vacation – we want you to relax.
We emphasize slower travel - visiting fewer places and staying longer so you can really get a feel for the culture and local gems.
Because of this, when we choose signature destinations, we scout for places that won’t take up too much time traveling.
For instance, when we send you to Italy, we don’t want you to be spending 6+ hours a day driving between towns and cities.
So, rather than creating a 5-day jam-packed Italian adventure where there might be lots of driving involved (and way less adventuring), we’ll create a 10-day itinerary that we know will be just the perfect balance of activity and white space.
Likewise, rather than creating a multi-island Maui adventure where you have to catch several flights and need to drive around each island at lightspeed, we will send you to one incredible island that you can see in depth.
All of this (and more) goes into our decision-making, and we don’t take this lightly.
Ready to travel? Book your trip here!
