What does the new year have in store for travel advisors? On this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, the last of season six, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada give an overview of 2025 trends and break down their predictions for 2026. Will 2025’s bumpy road continue? Who will most influence travel decisions? What type of travel will continue to explode in popularity? Find out the answers to those questions — and more — on this week’s episode.

Trade Secrets will take a break after this episode, sharing some old favorites until season seven begins in early 2026. Happy holidays!

This episode was sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Further resources

From Travel Weekly: Travel that spans the generations

From Travel Weekly: A gift that keeps on giving (Signature’s family travel magazine)

DMCs:
DMCs help bring the ‘wow’ (story)
DMCs: Your travel advisor’s (not-so-secret) travel-planning partner (podcast)
Demystifying DMCs (Trade Secrets podcast)

Brand USA’s America’s 250 events

Phocuswright social media panel with representatives from Reddit, TikTok and YouTube

Family Travel Association research on “kidfluence”

Get in touch!

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the new year have in store for travel advisors? On this week&rsquo;s episode of Trade Secrets, the last of season six, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada give an overview of 2025 trends and break down their predictions for 2026. Will 2025&rsquo;s bumpy road continue? Who will most influence travel decisions? What type of travel will continue to explode in popularity? Find out the answers to those questions &mdash; and more &mdash; on this week&rsquo;s episode.
Trade Secrets will take a break after this episode, sharing some old favorites until season seven begins in early 2026. Happy holidays!
This episode was sponsored by <a href="https://www.afkl.biz/s/?language=en_US">KLM Royal Dutch Airlines</a>.
<hr>
Further resources
From Travel Weekly: <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Travel-that-spans-the-generations">Travel that spans the generations</a>
From Travel Weekly: <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Jamie-Biesiada/A-gift-that-keeps-on-giving">A gift that keeps on giving</a> (Signature&rsquo;s family travel magazine)
DMCs:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/DMCs-help-bring-the-wow">DMCs help bring the &lsquo;wow&rsquo;</a> (story)</li>
<li aria-level="1">DMCs: <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/DMCs-travel-advisor-in-destination-planner">Your travel advisor&rsquo;s (not-so-secret) travel-planning partner</a> (podcast)</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Trade-Secrets/Season-five-episode-fifteen-Demystifying-DMCs">Demystifying DMCs</a> (Trade Secrets podcast)</li>
</ul>
Brand USA&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.thebrandusa.com/media/newsroom/brand-usa-partners-america250-promote-nations-semiquincentennial-globally">America&rsquo;s 250 events</a>
<a href="https://www.phocuswire.com/phocuswright-conference-2025-social-search-influencing-future-travel">Phocuswright social media panel</a> with representatives from Reddit, TikTok and YouTube
Family Travel Association <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Family-Travel/the-kidfluence-effect-on-travel">research on &ldquo;kidfluence&rdquo;</a>
<hr>
Get in touch!
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
&nbsp;
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
&nbsp;
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at travelweekly.com/podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:

Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.

Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.


Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners&rsquo; questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more &mdash; as long as it&rsquo;s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at <a href="http://travelweekly.com/podcasts">travelweekly.com/podcasts</a>.
<hr>
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:
Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors&rsquo; 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives &mdash; the highs and lows that make them human.
<hr>
 Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop</a> License: <a href="https://filmmusic.io/standard-license">https://filmmusic.io/standard-license</a>
<hr>
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Advertisement