27/12/2011

Régis Nicolas: General manager of Traveler in the World

His voyages around the world gave him a taste for elsewhere. But a tailor-made elsewhere where luxury is not at all a cliché. Thanks to Traveler in the World, the tour operator that he created, Régis Nicolas designs holidays and travel “à la carte”. To the delight of travellers who have the highest standards and ideas about holidays outside the norm. For wandering the world over…

There are exceptional destinations, exclusive tours, unusual escapades and tailor-made trips. Custom voyages which exceed your expectations and dreams. Trips that when compared to the usual offer from tour operators appear as rare jewels, and this is Régis Nicolas’s speciality. And who is Régis Nicolas? A long-haul traveller, a passionate man who spent twelve years criss-crossing the globe for a receptive tour agency specialising in South Africa, who one day, returning from a detour, had the idea of putting his experience and expertise to use to provide another dimension to travelling. “I worked closely with generalist tour operators, which helped me forge my own travel philosophy. Because I think that a successful holiday is well planned and thought out and adapted to each individual’s needs, so I then decided to create my own agency,” he explains. No sooner said than done. In 2008, Traveler in the World was born. What makes it unique? The tailor-made service. Truly custom, with no concessions. “To find the perfect solutions for my clientele’s desires, I immediately established a golden rule: Traveler in the World would only offer destinations and services that my team and I know perfectly. We select the sites to visit totally independently. Our choices are not dictated by any financial compensation or exchange of merchandise. Only the quality of what is provided guides our decision. Our slogan: impartiality. In my past experience, I met too many people who had been disappointed by tours they had chosen from a catalogue. Tours where nothing was as advertised and which did not meet their expectations,” specifies Régis Nicolas. The result? No brochures or boutique where just anyone can walk in, but a completely personalised approach. This entrepreneur’s recipe is as simple as it is efficient. To better understand his customers, he often organises a meeting at their home. “This allows us to have a real discussion about their travelling experience, to sound them out, and more importantly, understand the type of ambiance and scenery that will please them. In this way, I can better advise them on a particular hotel for example. Using a questionnaire, I also discover what their intentions are. Are they taking their children with them to Africa for example? If so, I recommend a lodge that offers family safaris. These kinds of details are extremely important. What is the point of setting them up in a hotel where the kids stay in a mini-club with English nurses? The same is true for seasons. It doesn’t make sense to take them to Namibia in January or Peru in August,” continues Régis Nicolas. With three brands and three continents Africa, America and, by the end of the year, Asia Traveler in the World above all targets people who love refinement, personalised service, and luxury lodging, but not just any luxury. At the age of 40, Régis Nicolas has a very specific idea about what constitutes luxury. “Luxury is not just about an air-conditioned room or a swimming pool, but greater authenticity, the exclusive nature of an encounter, an escapade. So that the trip is unique and unforgettable,” he concludes.
By Valérie Ferrer