INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT RON MONTGOMERY

Cantabrian Magazine wishes to welcome our new International Travel Correspondent Ron Montgomery, Director of Spirit of Travel. Ronwill share destination information, decades of travel experiences and the ins and out of travel in today’s globally connected world.  

Our socials will be full of his adventures over the next few months as he traverses the planet with his true spirit of travel ethos. We caught up with Ron before he departed to go in depth about the true essence of travel and where his passion lies. 

Do you have a travel memory which inspired this professional life direction?

I grew up in a household of storytellers, passionate about European history which sparked a fascination with medieval Europe. At 18 I was off for my OE, living and working in the centre of Paris, only a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. This trip led to a foundational change in how I viewed the world and what I wanted out of life, though it too me a while to find my way to the travel industry.

How do you assist people with their travel plans that is different than a regular travel agency? 

I’ve been working professionally in the industry since 2013 with my expertise on tour and cruise products. Over the years, I became aware of an unserved gap for informed customisation. I started to take more time to understand what the client was looking for rather than jump at the first impulse flight or tour. I decided it was time to depart that employment and start my own travel business which focused on the type of customisation lacking in mass market travel solutions, and its working as I have assisted hundreds of clients create the memory making trips they always dreamed of.

Where are the top destinations for 2024/25?

Top destinations for my clients are not typically the same as the rest of the industry for business reasons. 2024/2025 most desired requested destinations are: Portugal, Norway, Iceland, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Japan, with ocean cruising being the most popular common component. It was planning a clients cruise from Iceland to the UK that led to me booking a cruise for my family in September along their same route. I will be sharing those details in a future column. 

How far in advance should travellers begin to plan their journey?

Kiwis used to be among the furthest out to book, generally getting the best access to deals and their optimal choice of product. Americans were the lion share of English tourist around the world and they would often book 3-4 months out, but that has changed.  American habits have changed, and they are now booking much earlier which means travellers are learning the hard way now there is a current supply and demand issue for many travel options, such as river and ocean cruising. The best answer is, as far out as you can. Cruises are often on sale 16-24 months out, river cruises generally 16+ months out. Tours and hotels are limited by rate release schedules, so they are still best booked 9 months out. Special events like the Olympics, F1, and the big events will often take waitlist applications up to two years out.

What technology is adding value and making your clients life easier?

One of the big technological implementations I have brought on board is a purpose built app. My clients download it to their phone, and I am able to load the entire itinerary onto it. They can access the information online or offline, so no Wi-Fi issues, and I can send live updates, as well as create custom information for them which will push through as a notice at key times. So 24hrs before your flight you’ll get a notice that your flight departs, and an update a short while before telling you which terminal and gate. I have a client who’s a Coeliac, so for him I have translated a message into 3 different languages relative to where he is going to best communicate, and these are sorted by destination and very easy to access for his peace of mind.

What top considerations do you recommend travellers think about when booking their trips?

Never lose sight of why you are going to travel. Yes, there is an experience you are wanting to have, or a story you want to live and that’s the place to start your planning. Don’t start with flights! What if your return flight turns out to be the day before the event you always wanted to experience, or the day before the cruise you want to go on ends. Flights are a means to the end, they are not the end so don’t start with them, start with the experience you want to have.

What is Spirit of Travel's point of difference from other travel companies?

As time goes on the list is growing, but the core point of difference is that we are not trying to sell a flight or tour or cruise. Spirit of Travel wants to first understand who you are as a person and a traveller. We want to know what you aspire to do, and our goal is to help you live this experience on your trip. We spend as much time as we can in the early phase getting to know you, so that when we do come to you with a recommendation, we’re confident in what we are proposing. 

Time is everyone’s most valuable commodity. We spend the time to create your dream, so you can spend the time living it.

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Dear Cantabrians,

I am writing to you from a charming little café in Soho, near the heart of London, one of my favourite spots to visit when I come to the UK. This opportunity to work with Cantabrian Magazine as their International Travel Correspondent has allowed me to share our beautiful world on my own grand journey. Travel has always been my great passion—a passion that I have been fortunate enough to turn into a profession with my bespoke travel brokerage, Spirit of Travel.

As I reach the halfway point in my overseas sojourn, it is a good time to sit back and reflect on the first six weeks.

We started in Fiji, a convenient stopover on our way to Canada, where we spent two nights in an up-and-coming area called Wailoaloa. This was my children’s first time at a resort offering a kids' club, and they fully embraced it. We barely saw them for two days.

After this, we were off to Canada, specifically Calgary, where the Calgary Stampede was underway. This is the world’s largest rodeo and is truly a world-class event that needs to be experienced. We took trips to the mountains, helped send off the Rocky Mountaineer luxury train journey, and sampled some of the local craft beer made with glacier meltwater. Nearing the end of our time in Canada, we drove across the prairies to Saskatoon, my hometown. We made it just in time for the first Montgomery family reunion ever, with over 60 family members arriving from around the world.

As July drew to a close, we flew to London and were immediately whisked away to South Wales. This was my first time visiting the Welsh valleys and surroundings, and it exceeded my expectations. It baffles me that Wales is not overrun with tourists; it is truly an underappreciated gem.

Bringing us up to date, London is the grand hub you’d expect, and I can’t get enough of it.

The next half of my journey should prove even more action packed, with a cruise in the mix, so keep an eye out for that.

As always, I’m still working with clients to plan their next great adventure, so feel free to reach out to me at ron@spiritoftravel.co.nz for yours.

Warmest regards,

Ron Montgomery
Spirit of Travel