EP #140 Stop Letting Google Plan Your Vacation

A single travel mistake can cost you days of joy and a lot of money, and no search result will pick up the phone when plans fall apart. We’re talking with Christina Driskill, founder of Open Horizon Journeys, about what it really means to work with a travel advisor and why the biggest value isn’t the booking, it’s the decisions behind it.

Christina shares how nearly 20 years teaching history and geography shaped her approach to personalized travel planning. Instead of starting with a list of hotels, she starts with a question that changes everything: what do you want to bring home besides souvenirs? We dig into how intentional, meaningful travel can turn a typical getaway into something that stays with you, whether you’re craving culture, food, learning, or a fresh perspective on your own life.

We also clear up common myths: that travel advisors are only for luxury trips, that AI can replace real expertise, or that an advisor is “steering” you for their benefit. Christina walks through her step by step process from inquiry and itinerary design to pre travel prep, support during travel, and a post travel wrap up. She explains why vetted international partners and strong travel networks matter for peace of mind, especially when you’re investing in big trips and tight schedules.

If you’re ready for a seamless travel experience built around you, connect with Christina at openhorizonjourneys.com or on Instagram at Open Horizon Journeys. Subscribe for more Fredericksburg local business stories, share this with a friend who’s planning a trip, and leave a review with the destination you want to visit next.

Christina Driskill

Open Horizon Journeys

openhorizonjourneys.com

christina@openhorizonjourneys.com

+1 757-448-5569

Transcript

Welcome To FXBG Neighbors

Speaker 1 0:01

This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 0:13

Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. We've got Christina Driskill joining us today, and she is with Open Horizon Journeys. Christina, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 0:33

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here today with you and your audience.

What Open Horizon Journeys Does

Speaker 2 0:38

Well, I'm excited to dive in and to learn more about you and learn more about your business. So let's start there. Share with us what is Open Horizon Journeys.

Speaker 0:50

Sure, I am the founder of Open Horizon Journeys and I design personalized travel experiences. So a lot of people think a travel advisor, I just book hotels or flights, but it's so much more. And I really help my clients make those confident decisions, protect their time and investment, and at the end create a trip that's really seemingless and meaningful from start to finish for them.

From Teaching To Intentional Travel

Speaker 2 1:19

And so I feel like you have my dream job. So much fun, so rewarding. But I want to know how you got into this. Tell me a little bit about your background and what led you to starting this business.

Speaker 1:35

Absolutely. Before this, I spent about 20 years in education. I was privileged to teach high school students about history and geography. And I've always been drawn to learn how experience how people experience the world and how things like places and cultures and stories really shape us and who we are. And travel has been a big part of my life, even from when I was a child. But over time I started seeing how much more deeper it could be when it's done intentionally. And that's where I came to the point where I was really called to build something that was my own and something that combined both my background and education and also my passion for travel. And that's how Open Horizon Journeys was born. It's about helping people, you know, not just go somewhere, but really experience it in a way that really stays with them. I like to ask my clients, what is it you want to bring home with you on this journey, other than just your souvenirs and your suitcase and your pictures on your camera roll? What is it you want to bring back inside?

Speaker 2 2:47

So I love this so much. And I love that your background is in education and history and geography. So that all wrapped up, it now makes a lot of sense. And it also makes sense how you can provide your clients with a deeper experience because you are so interested in history and geography. It's not just about where we get a vacate, but you know, for especially for those travelers who really want to learn about the place that they're going. You know, not everybody, you know, there's nothing wrong with a trip where you're laying on the beach, but for a um deeper experience, I guess is what I'm trying to say, you are so perfectly suited for that. I love it.

unknown 3:35

Yeah.

Speaker 3:35

One thing that really spoke to me during my kind of transitional journey from the classroom uh to the business chair was this idea of study abroad programs, that as young college students, I mean, before we really know what the world is about, we're going out there and doing these study abroad programs. And even when you're in your 40s and in the middle of your life, people are still talking about those trips. They're talking about the things that they remember tasting in Spain, or the places they remember seeing in Italy, or the friends they made in Portugal while they were sitting out on the rooftop bars at night. And so if you can have those experiences in 19, 20, 21 years old and then be meaningful, you know, why not have it at a different age and, you know, kind of where I was in my life and my transitional journey? That's kind of what I was looking for. And so I'm really excited to provide that to my clients as well.

The Biggest Travel Advisor Myths

Speaker 2 4:33

That's amazing. I love it. I love it. And so I imagine that there you are hearing a lot of myths and misconceptions about the industry. So walk us through some of that. What is something that you hear that, you know, kind of drives you nuts and you want to set the record straight?

Speaker 4:53

Yeah, I think a lot of times when people hear the word travel advisor, they tend to have one of three reactions. One, some people kind of dismiss it. They think that they can Google it themselves, or now with AI, they can have AI build a trip for them. Uh, some people are very skeptical. They assume that there's some sort of angle that the travel advisor is working, or that they're steering them towards something for their own benefit. And others assume that it's just not for them, that it's only for a certain type of trip or only a certain level of traveler. But the reality is the value isn't necessarily in the booking, it's in helping someone make better decisions and having the right support along the way. And then ultimately my client being able to enjoy the experience more. And so I want to kind of change that reaction when people hear travel advisor, I want them to hear somebody that's there to protect their investment, protect their time, and really be a partner and a support for the journey that they're about to go on.

Speaker 2 6:02

I love that. I love that. And as someone who has tried to uh arrange my own excursions and all of that and have made the mistakes and it's uh it's very it's very valuable. I I love it. And so tell me, what is something that you know people don't know about your your business or your industry that you really wish the listeners knew?

Speaker 6:29

I think that I really wish that everybody knew that working with a travel advisor, you're not outsourcing your vacation planning or your travel planning, but you're coming alongside of somebody in a partnership and a collaboration. And that means different things to different people. Some people like to be very involved in every decision that's made about their travel. And some people don't know what decisions that need to be made. And so sometimes just bringing the decisions and the options to my client allows them to make the best decision for them and in return have the best experience. Because the client's still very much part of the experience. I'm just helping them guide it, refine it, and make sure that they don't miss what actually made the trip worth planning to begin with. And that's the difference, I think, between a good trip and a great one isn't that somebody has a bitter, bigger budget, but it's that they make better decisions when planning their trip.

A Step By Step Planning Process

Speaker 2 7:34

I love that. And so um, I'm going off script a little bit. I didn't prepare you for this question, but I'm curious, talk us through what the process looks like. So if someone listening right now is thinking, okay, she is speaking my language, I need Christina. Walk me through what the process looks like working with you.

Speaker 7:55

Sure. The first step of the process is the inquiry phase. It's where we kind of meet, a lot of times it's virtually, um, but kind of talk about what they want out of the trip. Um, a lot of times I ask them questions like I mentioned before, you know, what is it you want to bring home with you? What is it, what are the feelings you want to have during and after the trip? And that really gives me a special insight into how I can make that trip extra special for them. Um, and then once we go through the inquiry phase, then it's kind of the planning phase where I build the itinerary and the client then gets to start seeing their vision kind of come to fruition with that itinerary building phase. And then we go into the pre-travel where it's all the excitement, the you know, what you're gonna do, where what you're gonna pack, where you're gonna stay. Um, and then of course the support during travel. And that's very important, depending on how experienced a traveler is, as well as what type of protection for their investment they need as far as the support during travel. And then last, and sometimes in my favorite part, is the post-travel, where I get to welcome them back home and hear all of the wonderful things that they learned from their journey, both about the place they went, but also what they learned more about themselves along the way.

Speaker 2 9:22

So fun. You have the best business ever. I love that you mentioned, though, about the support during the trip, because that I feel like you that is a huge piece that no one will ever get doing this on their own. If something goes awry, you know, to have that support during the trip. That's so valuable. I'm glad you mentioned that.

Speaker 9:46

And when I was building this business, I built it very intentionally, and that was one of the main factors in deciding for me what um international travel consortiums I was going to be a part of. And the one that I decided to um have my business be a part of really vets our travel partners in other countries at the highest level. And I didn't know this until I learned a little bit more about the company. But if a tour company, for example, in Italy that sells wine tours, if they want to be part of this network of partners that we use, they have to be vetted at the highest levels. And, you know, I knew what I thought I knew what that meant until I learned what it really meant. It even includes turning over their company's financial records from the last several years so that we can make sure that our clients know if they're booking a trip with us, these companies that we're using have existed successfully for years and are gonna continue to do so. So they don't have to worry about um companies that kind of pop up for a little while here and there, international businesses, and worry about, you know, in a year or two years from now, what is that company situation gonna be like? So that support and that um confidence piece is really big when you're exploring uh the world around us.

Speaker 2 11:13

So important. So important.

Speaker 11:15

I know that was a little off script.

How To Reach Christina

Speaker 2 11:16

So no, but thank you for bringing that up because I think that that's really important for people to know. And it it not building your trust in what you do, but building the trust in your clients in you that you have taken that step to do that research and make sure that you're aligned with the right companies. So um I'm so impressed. I'm so impressed. So if the listeners are interested in connecting with you, if they want to learn more from you, how can they reach you?

Speaker 11:46

Sure. The first way is through my website. I'm at open horizonjourneys.com, or you can connect with me on Instagram, which is also Open Horizon Journeys. I also offer complimentary consultation where I kind of talk through travel ideas, see if it's going to be a good fit to work together. Um, so that's a lot of times where clients start. And then from there, I kind of guide you through the entire process so that you feel um supported and that your trip is seamless and meaningful and well designed from start to finish.

Speaker 2 12:21

Amazing. Amazing. Christina, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Open Horizon Journeys with us. Thank you.

Speaker 1 12:32

Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG Neighbors Podcast.com.