TALES OF TRAVEL

Trusting the Experts: Planning Our Family’s Maldives Adventure

For ALL of our previous trips, be it to a simple all-inclusive or a multi-city trip to Europe, Lidija and I have taken the time to do all the planning. From exhaustive hotel searches, mapping the “must eat at” restaurants or seeking out the hidden gems, I’ve proudly worn the hat of our family’s CVO (Chief Vacation Officer if you have to ask!). But when the Maldives was decided as a dreamy family destination for Lidija’s 40th birthday, I found myself staring at an endless abyss of resorts, overwater villas, and logistics involving seaplanes.

So, for the first time, I decided to hand over the reins and work with a travel agent. Yes, you read that right—Mr. Independent Travel Planner himself outsourced the job. I’m here to tell you why it was one of the best decisions (and why my ego has managed to survive this humbling experience).

The Research Rabbit Hole

The Maldives isn’t your typical “search on Google, read a few reviews and book a package” kind of destination. It’s an archipelago of over 1,000 islands, with hundreds of resorts offering everything from underwater restaurants to family-friendly beaches. Each property has its own quirks: some cater to honeymooners, others to families, and a few seem designed exclusively for Instagram influencers.

After a few hours of researching, my browser had so many tabs open my laptops cooling fan sounded like a jet engine about to take off. I couldn’t tell which islands were accessible by speedboat versus seaplane, or why some resorts charged the GDP of a small country for a week-long stay. Every choice seemed to spark more questions than answers.

Enter the Travel Agent

Feeling overwhelmed, I reached out to a few travel agent who specialized in Maldives vacations. Some I NEVER heard back from, another responded a couple days later. then there was one who had responded in minutes and set up a direct call within the hour. As mentioned in a prior post ( https://talesoftravel.ca/2024/11/30/planning-a-dream-trip-to-the-maldives/), his name was Jason Toms from Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com) and literally within minutes of our first call, I knew I’d made the right choice. Jason had been to the Maldives multiple times and even had his recent wedding there. He even asked questions or brought up insights I hadn’t thought of, like:

• “Do your daughters prefer a kids’ club or more adventurous activities?”
• “Would you rather dine barefoot on the beach or have a fine-dining experience under the stars?”
• Pros and cons of each resort and accommodation types…yes, the overwater villa with a pool would be ultimate but would it really be worth the additional (significant) expense based on how we plan to spend our time?

The Benefits of Letting Go

Here’s what Jason did that I never could have managed solo:

1. Personalized Recommendations: After the introductory questions to learn what we were seeking from our trip, he narrowed down the resort options to three family-friendly properties that matched our budget, vibe, and Everleigh’s and Madelyn’s preferences. One has a dance class for kids (Everleigh’s dream!) and another features a mini water park (Madelyn is already practicing her cannonballs).
2. Insider Tips: Jason clued us in on the best time of year to go…literally down to the day, which islands are more family-friendly, and how to avoid “resort fatigue” by choosing the right activities. Who knew too much relaxation could be a thing?
3. Stress-Free Logistics: He handled the seaplane transfers, ensuring we’d have a smooth journey from the airport to our villa. I didn’t have to decipher a single flight schedule—bliss!
4. Exclusive Perks: Maybe it was destiny, but Jason must’ve been meant to be the one to help us. He responded usually within minutes as we went back and forth refining the trip. He made clear that the benefits of working with him is that 24/7 he would be my go-to guy the entire trip. Having direct contacts at the resorts of choice he was even able to secure a speedboat transfer within a day to transport us from one resort to the next (More on this to come…)

A New Perspective

As much as I LOVE planning trips, this experience has shown me the value of trusting an expert. Jason not only saved me days (if not weeks) of research but also gave me the utmost confidence that our Maldives adventure will be as seamless as possible. Plus, his knowledge of the region means we’ll have a trip tailored to our family’s unique quirks—from Everleigh’s creative spirit to Madelyn’s fearless cartwheels on the beach.

The best part? Letting someone else do the heavy lifting has given me more time to focus on the fun stuff, like convincing the girls that snorkeling with the reef sharks is not as scary as it sounds and apparently starting up a blog about this trip and all our other past travels

If you’re considering a trip to a destination as unique as the Maldives, I can’t recommend working with a specialized travel agent enough. They’ll help you navigate the overwhelming options, avoid rookie mistakes, and elevate your trip from good to unforgettable.

So here’s to new experiences, both on the beaches of the Maldives and in the way we plan them. If this trip goes as smoothly as I’m hoping, I might even start outsourcing our next adventure. (Suggestions , anyone?)

Stay tuned for continued updates from our island getaway—Next up….OUR DECISIONS