Finding a brand-new, unique and unexplored travel niche in a post-COVID landscape is something of an accomplishment.
Trenda Travels has done just that. A self-proclaimed planner of secret adventures, it has created a platform built on the premise of exploring the niche of surprise secret adventure travel.
“Trenda Travels is striving to offer a new, bespoke, unique travel based throughout South Africa and Africa, which we are very excited about,” explains MD Brenda McRobert. “The experience is curated based on the client’s budget and 'wish list', so we manage all the logistics at this point in time in conjunction with our selected service providers.”
“To truly fill your soul tank, we thought: why not plan a surprise trip – all the more exciting, right? We find the destinations and magical hidden beauties. We plan the adventure. You explore,” TrendaTravels.co.za promises.
Travellers simply provide Trenda Travels with their chosen travel dates, preferences, history, interests, and general traveller information such as budget. The team will then devise, design and book the travel, accommodation, and excursions to a destination based on these specifications – but no further details are given to the customers just yet.
Seven days before travel, Trenda Travels sends the traveller a clue as to where they are about to travel. This includes a ten-day weather forecast and a list of what to pack for their holiday – but that’s all.
Twenty-four hours before travel, travellers receive details about time and place of departure. Only two to three hours before departure do the clients find out just where they are going, and the top ten facts about that destination.
Further surprises after arrival may be in store, and travellers can tweak itineraries once they arrive, but the ‘secret adventure’ is kept secret until the absolute last minute.
“Since we have recently launched, at this moment, we are only catering for clients directly. Additionally, we want to ensure that our systems and process are 100% before working with other travel agents, but we are intending to in the near future. Commissions for travel agents have not been finalised just yet, but I would be happy to keep you in the loop as we progress,” McRobert adds.
There are certain aspects to keep in mind that affect the price of a trip. Departing from smaller airports is generally more expensive, and travelling on or around holidays and weekends may compound costs. Trenda Travels typically starts local packages from around R3 000 per person, per night.
“Trenda Travels is currently focused on servicing only South African clients right now but we’re planning a big push to attract foreign clients from early next year,” McRobert promises for the future.
