Our Journey to Redefining Travel: All-Inclusive Resorts & Authentic Local Experiences

We're back with Season 2 of No Tourist Allowed! This episode takes us on a deep dive into the expanding world of all-inclusive resorts. We recount our personal travel experiences in culturally rich destinations like Tulum, exploring the enticing predictability of these resorts where vacation pre-budgeting becomes an attractive reality.

As we bask in the luxury of these resorts, we also remind ourselves and our listeners of the importance of engaging meaningfully with local cultures. Drawing from Jeremiah Moss's powerful book, "Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul," we advocate for a shift from touristy behaviors towards embracing travel that honors and values authentic local experiences.

Excited yet? Join us as we talk about these issues, and get a sneak peek of future guests from the world of travel, including the editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly and pioneers in space tourism. So, hit play and let's embark on this enlightening journey together, shaping ourselves into better-informed and more respectful travelers.

Welcome Back for Season Two

Mike Putman: Welcome to No Tourists Allowed, a podcast where two recognized travel industry executives with a combined 69 years on the inside of travel and technology give up their secrets to the thing everyone wants to do. Travel better, pay less, and see more of the world. Enjoy today's episode. Hello everyone, I'm Mike Putman.

James Ferrara: And I'm James Ferrara. Welcome back for season two of No Tourists Allowed. We took a little respite that was only supposed to be very short, which turned into a long respite, but we are back for season two and excited to be here. Well, Mike, you can blame me to some extent because as you can probably hear, I have had some oral surgery, so I'm slurring my words a little bit, which is not good for a podcaster. Actually, my oral surgery went on for a couple of months, which would have made a great podcast in and of itself.

Mike Putman: I had a little bit of a medical issue myself. I had a kidney removed and I was in an extended hospitalization period. But I'm glad to be back, a little bit lighter, but certainly glad to be back at it. So you can certainly say that we had a good justification for our little hiatus, but we are so excited to be back for season two. I feel a little bit like a Netflix program. We've got an incredible lineup coming, which we'll talk about in a little bit.

Defining the "No Tourists Allowed" Ethos

James Ferrara: And I think probably we want to take a moment and remind our listeners, sort of reacquaint them with the ethos behind this podcast.

Mike Putman: Absolutely. We're all about No Tourists Allowed. And that might sound really strange coming from a couple of guys who have built their careers on sending people to places or having other people send people to places. But there is a nuance between being a "tourist" and being a responsible traveler.

That's what this podcast is about. Tourist has this connotation of the Hawaiian shirts, the white tube socks, and it used to be the camera around the neck, but everybody uses their phone now. They spend their time in gift shops and tourist traps.

Whereas there's another side of traveling which is a lot more interesting to most people and is a lot more fulfilling, better for the environment, and better for cultures that we go and visit. That's being a seasoned traveler. So that's what we're about.

The Distinction Between Travelers and Tourists

James Ferrara: Absolutely, Mike. I've been reading a book just for fun the last couple of weeks, and I came across some passages in it that really speak to this idea.

Mike Putman: You said passages. Are you going to read from the Bible? That's the only book I've ever heard passages used.

James Ferrara: Well, it is kind of my Bible, I would say. This is from a book called Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul. The author is Jeremiah Moss, who is a very famous blogger in the New York area. He's been writing about this idea of the real New York slipping away for many years.

In the book, there's a part that I really love. It says to remember there's a big difference between tourists and travelers, as Paul Bowles put it in The Sheltering Sky. To put it in some context, Jeremiah Moss writes that in Applebee's now in Times Square, there's a 7-Eleven in the East Village and a Patagonia on the Bowery.

These are big chain stores in very special places in New York, and this is where the tourists flock. Why would anyone come to New York to shop and eat in the same places they can find at their local mall back home? Travelers, on the other hand, are attracted to the true city.

They seek out the local and the idiosyncratic. They comport themselves as guests should. They don't want to be taken for tourists who live their days as though the city belonged to them, hanging out like bad guests who help themselves to the refrigerator and put their feet up on the coffee table.

I really like that description. If you're a tourist, you think it's all about your own culture and home. If you're a traveler, you're looking for those things that you haven't experienced before. You're not going to the same places that you have at home or living the same life that you have at home.

You are seeking out, as she said, the idiosyncratic and the local. Isn't that what we talk about all the time on here, Mike?

Respecting Local Cultures and Environments

Mike Putman: Yes, and it makes a very big difference not only in your experience as a traveler, but also to those people that you interact with in the destination. I find it really troubling sometimes when I see people in popular destinations treat the service industry folks with a lower degree of respect than they might at home.

Just because someone may be in a less advantageous job, or in a place where the level of income is much lower, we still have to remember those people are people. It's very important to treat them with respect.

James Ferrara: Absolutely. A little tip I'll give everyone is when you're visiting another country, if the language is not English, make an attempt to speak something in the language. It is a sign of respect.

Remember that to visit someone else's country and expect them to speak your language is actually the mistake. Even if it's just hello or good morning, those few words show effort. Even if you speak them poorly, you will be appreciated and you will notice a difference in the way people receive you and treat you. I've learned that over the years.

Recapping Recent Travels: From Belfast to Tulum

Mike Putman: Absolutely. It makes a big impact. Well, I've been traveling a little bit during this break. Not a lot. And I know, James, you have as well. Where are some of the places that you've been?

James Ferrara: Well, let's see. I have been to the UK, of course, where we have big business, so I've been to London. We went to Belfast together in Northern Ireland towards the end of last season. I have been in search of some warm weather over the winter, so I actually had an incredible trip down to Tulum.

Tulum is a wildly popular resort area in the Yucatan Peninsula, south of places like Cancun and the Riviera Maya. It became famous for its healing, New Age community—massages and yoga—but has really grown beyond that now. It's a major archaeological area for the Mayan and other cultures in that part of Mexico.

There are incredibly beautiful, complex ruins there, but also incredible beaches and just an absolutely beautiful unspoiled area of Mexico with some outrageous resorts.

Mike Putman: If you're not familiar with Tulum, just log on to Instagram and it seems like every popular influencer has been there. It is a popular place. Rightly so, it's very picturesque and it makes for great photos, but some of the prettiest beaches I've been to anywhere in the world are there in Tulum.

The Evolution and Growth of All-Inclusive Resorts

James Ferrara: The town of Tulum itself sort of just tumbles out onto the beach and everyone's walking everywhere. Picturesque is a good word, Mike. Also, it is now home to this spreading phenomenon of all-inclusive resorts.

That's something Mike and I have been talking about. Through the pandemic, there were only a few places where Americans could travel without a lot of friction: the Caribbean, Jamaica specifically, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. When you travel to those places, you find a preponderance of all-inclusive resorts.

A lot of people got their first taste of the modern all-inclusive vacation idea during the pandemic. People remember Club Med and some of the earlier iterations, but all-inclusive vacations have changed quite a bit.

There's specialty dining, multiple restaurants, all kinds of activities, circus schools, and snorkeling. You've got buffets, but you've got all this other stuff now too. The properties have become very elaborate, including a whole new luxury end of all-inclusive resorts.

The old style was to think of all-inclusive resorts as a little more rustic. But now you've got top-level brands who've created all-inclusive resorts. I was at the brand new Hilton Tulum, and also on that property is their luxury Conrad Tulum.

Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and all these brands that we know have sub-brands in all categories of pricing, including luxury. They have all announced big forays into the all-inclusive market. Hilton is building several dozen all-inclusive resorts over the next couple of years. So it's big.

Mike Putman: It is big. Although that product has been in the Caribbean for a while in limited amounts, it is really flourishing. This is a spillover, I believe, from the Spanish market where there's a tremendous number of Spanish brands that we may not be aware of here in the US, like Barceló and Riu.

There are tons of them, as well as several Mexican-owned or operated chains. Hard Rock and Palace Resorts are all chains that are operated by those executives from there. They're great properties.

I think this really comes about as people found this way of vacationing really relaxing. While I love a cruise and I'll always be a proponent of cruising, with the land-based all-inclusive programs, they also include a little bit wider variety of opportunities, such as your drinks.

Your drinks are included at all the different bars or while you're having dinner. There are premium opportunities to upgrade your wine or liquor, but generally, it's all-inclusive. Sometimes people just want to pre-plan and pre-budget their vacation.

I was just at the new Royalton Splash last month, which has a Tulum address. I wouldn't call it Tulum, but the address is Tulum. It's a beautiful property and a Marriott signature property. It has about half a mile of private beach, seven or eight different themed restaurants, really good entertainment, and lots to do.

It is clearly the way the market is moving. When you see the developers that are building in a certain mode of accommodation, you know that's the way the future is going. Hands down in the Caribbean, all-inclusive is the hottest thing going.

James Ferrara: It makes sense. From a budgeting point of view and a sense of value, it's great to have all of these things included and not have to worry about carrying your wallet around.

A common complaint about some cruising is that when the trip is over, you're going to be presented with a big bill in addition to what you thought you committed to. There's a sense of security too, which is very important to people right now with a little bit of unrest in the world.

You feel very protected on property. In the last two years at InteleTravel, we've seen our all-inclusive business triple—a three hundred percent increase. It really is a trend at the moment, and I highly recommend you check it out.

The Importance of Venturing Out from Resorts

Mike Putman: The only thing is if you do that, you can't be one of those folks that just stays inside the resort and never ventures out. That's the only downside. We don't want you being like a tourist. We want you to be a traveler.

Get out, even though you've paid for every single meal or every morsel of food you could eat. If you go to a destination and you don't leave the property, you're not doing the destination because you're missing out on a lot of history.

James Ferrara: I'll give you a good example, Mike. One night, even though everything was included at the Hilton, we went out into the little village of Tulum along the ocean. It's full of nightclubs and restaurants as it has grown.

There was an Argentinian steakhouse under a thatched roof. In the back, in an open courtyard, they had the open fire pit where they cook everything—the steaks, the vegetables, and the desserts. It was such a huge fire. It was like they opened the gates of hell and we were looking into it. It was amazing.

They had all these guys working back there with big long poles to get close enough to the fire to cook the food. It was such a great atmosphere and the food was great. Then you finish dinner and you're walking along the dirt road that goes down the middle of Tulum.

I would have missed that. The food was great at the resort, but we would have missed that or the day that we went to the Mayan ruins. They are incredible ruins.

Mike Putman: I agree with you a hundred percent. Take the best of both worlds with what's available to you there on the resort, but then get out and get your sense of place. Know that you visited Tulum and not some cookie-cutter resort anywhere.

What to Expect in Season Two

Well, James, we have a really packed schedule for this season. Thanks to you for getting a lot of guests lined up. One that I'm really excited about is the editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly, Arnie Weissmann.

Arnie is a forty-year veteran of the travel industry, but he's also the most thoughtful writer about the industry. He's a very philosophical and almost poetic guy, and I think his insights into travelers and the world of travel today will be really fascinating to our listeners.

James Ferrara: I'm really looking forward to having Arnie with us. We're also bringing in senior executives from some very interesting companies—presidents of companies. One of them is one of the new companies offering space travel to tourists, like low-orbit outer space. You've signed up for that yourself, I believe.

Mike Putman: What we've actually done is we reserved a ship, a whole ship, which is about eight passengers. It's not for a couple of years that it actually takes off, but we didn't want to get locked out, so we've reserved a whole ship.

James Ferrara: We also have G Adventures, the great adventure travel company. That is another area where we've seen tremendous growth. It's so popular and kind of jives with our thinking here because it's focused on small groups and going to places in the world that are still untouched and unspoiled.

We've got some major cruise lines coming in too. We've got quite a slate. Please go and visit the website as we announce these dates. Even better yet, download our podcast on whatever platform you use—Spotify, iTunes, or whatever—and get it automatically every week so you don't miss one.

Mike Putman: We've had great downloads even while we've been gone. Thanks to all of our patient listeners and loyal followers who've been with us. We really do appreciate your support. I think that's going to wrap it up for us today, James. It's a short intro back to season two, but thanks to all of our listeners for following us. We look forward to speaking with you next week.

James Ferrara: Thank you, everybody. Thank you for listening to No Tourists Allowed. See you next week for another episode.