We Chat Summer Travel with the Founders of Well Traveled, An Elevated Vacation-Planning Platform

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Well Traveled, a new members-only digital travel platform, was created to provide an elevated, modern travel platform for a select community of like-minded travelers. The platform offers the opportunity for members to share travel recommendations and reviews, along with a seamless booking process. Currently, there are over 50+ destinations and over 2,000 approved spots on the platform. 

Samantha Patil and Casi Hough, the founders of Well Traveled, launched the platform after noticing a gap in the market for resources available to frequent travelers in their early 30s. They were looking for something that could make travel seamless, but without astronomical fees. What they encountered in their research was either elite travel agencies that cater to the uber-wealthy and are hard to access, or broad and generic sources like TripAdvisor and Yelp.

“We really wanted to create a product designed specifically with today’s traveler in mind as we are  females in our early 30s. Many of the largest travel sites today were built more than 20 years ago and mainly for businessmen or families. Most travel sites haven’t changed much since, yet how we travel, what we prioritize when we travel, and even where we travel has changed so dramatically. So we decided to build something that serves the needs of a newer, more tech-savvy generation of travelers,” says Patil.

We chatted with Patil and Hough to get their top vacation-planning advice and all the details about Well Traveled:

Samantha Patil.

Casi Hough.

Tell us about your background and what inspired you to start Well Traveled:

Sam: Growing up, my family moved around a lot (back and forth from the U.S. and the UK, where I was born), so I caught the travel bug early on. We finally settled in California, but made frequent trips back to England to visit family and spent summers traveling throughout Europe. I’ve since built my career around travel, helping lead international marketing strategies for brands like Snapchat and Dollar Shave Club.

The desire to start Well Traveled was really born out of my own personal frustrations while trip planning, feeling like I could never find trustworthy recommendations or reviews that were relevant to me. Many of the largest travel sites today were built more than 20 years ago and haven’t changed much since…yet how we travel, what we prioritize when we travel, and even where we travel has changed so dramatically (especially in the past year!) I noticed a gap in the market and had a vision to build something better, designed to serve the needs of a new generation of travelers, foodies, and adventure-seekers—and Well Traveled was born.

What is Well Traveled and how can someone become a member?

Sam: Well Traveled is a members-only community and booking platform designed for today’s modern traveler. We help our members find and book places they actually want to go, vetted by a community they can trust. We designed Well Traveled to be the go-to resource for individuals who prioritize spending their time and money on travel, food, and experiences over physical possessions.

 Casi: Part of what makes Well Traveled special and sets us apart is our focus on community. That’s not something we’re seeing other travel companies really invest in today or if they are it’s an afterthought. But people want to be able to connect with other travelers who share similar interests and we’re really excited to be able to create that space for our members.

 What’s been really exciting for us is the majority of members on the platform today have been invited by existing members through our referral program. So while we’ve been invite-only since launching late last year, we’ve grown to more than 1,500 members driven entirely by member referrals and word of mouth.

What are some of the benefits and perks?

Sam: As a member you get access to our private community, curated content, planning tools, and of course, our premium booking service. Because we’re real people (not robots), we can help tailor your trips to fit your personal travel style. Since we are a private club, we frequently get access to exclusive rates, offers, and member-only perks (like room upgrades, free breakfast, resort credits, and more) plus all members receive a welcome gift with every reservation. Our number one priority is member experience and we want members to know they’ve got someone in their corner advocating for them…we mean it when we say, “We’ve got your back.”

How do you select your destinations?

Casi: We’re constantly getting input from members about the places they want to see on the site and the recommendations they’re looking for. This heavily influences our content roadmap. For example, last summer was definitely the “summer of road trips” given that international travel wasn’t really an option. The majority of our members live in bigger cities like LA, New York, and San Francisco, so we quickly launched destinations like Napa, Santa Barbara, and Upstate New York that were more accessible for members and felt relevant to where they wanted to go at that time.

What criteria do you require for the accommodations you work with? Do you work with hotels, vacation rentals, etc? 

Sam: We’re primarily focused on our hotel and vacation rental partnerships right now. That said, we can help members with flights and transportation on an as-needed basis. As our team grows, we’re planning to expand our offerings so we can provide more concierge-like support for members. Our requirements vary from property to property, but we prioritize properties that come recommended by members.

What are some of your favorite travel discoveries featured on Well Traveled?

Casi: While we help curate content for members, more than 40% of the content featured on our site are direct recommendations from our members. Our members find some of the best restaurants, hotels, and things to do. A few of my recent favorite member discoveries include: The Nautilus in Nantucket, Amanemu Aotel in Japan and Demetria Winery in Los Olivos.

Sam: I actually recently visited Demetria after a member recommended it! It was such a wonderful experience and I would have never found it without seeing their suggestion on the site.

Any trends that you are noticing in 2021?

Casi: Last year it was all about local destinations, road trips, glamping, and weekend escapes. This year we’re already seeing a lot more members planning international travel. Tulum and Cabo continue to be some of the most popular destinations, but as more European countries announce reopening plans this summer, we’re seeing demand for those destinations increase. Greece, Spain, and Italy are all really top of mind for people right now. 

What are the top three items that you can't travel without?

Sam: I always pack my own snacks for plane rides, if it’s a long haul or overnight flight I’ll even bring my own salad for dinner! Second would be my XL S’well bottle (my trick to fighting jet lag is drinking a ton of water before, during, and after flying). I also always bring my Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydra-Gel Eye Patches. I wear these on the plane to help keep my skin hydrated on long flights.

Casi: I always pack my Kindle and a comfy scarf (comes in really handy on long plane rides), and of course, all my saved Well Traveled recs.

Any travel tips for this summer?

Casi: My biggest piece of advice would be to plan ahead. There’s a lot of excitement and optimism in the air to travel this summer and we’re already seeing demand increase. While we saw a lot of “last minute” trips planned in 2020, I’d recommend planning ahead when you can this year.

Sam: We tripled our reservations last month and expect that trend to continue as we gear up for summer travel. After a year of road trips and local weekend getaways, we expect to see a sharp increase in international travel and longer trips as more countries open their borders to vaccinated travelers.

Travel has also gotten more complicated. Rules and restrictions are still changing all the time, so planning ahead gives you time to sort through some of those logistics. Good news is: Well Traveled members can rest easy because we can help make sure those details are taken care of.

Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy