Who is Patrick Faust, creator of trips to Slovenia?

Patrick shares his experience.

Patrick dedicated some of his time to answer a few questions about his experience as a travel planner with Vialala.com.

Introduce yourself in a few sentences.

Hello, my name is Patrick, I am a Web developer, and I have been living in Slovenia for over 10 years.

I am also a "serial-blogger," whose main one talks about Slovenia.

I mainly travel in Europe, slow-travel style, my furthest journey was a road trip in the American West (with 0 % planning ;) ).

I favor natural destinations (I am well served with Slovenia :) ).

I mainly travel around Europe, in slow-travel mode.

What destinations do you offer and what is your experience with them? 

Mainly Slovenia, which I know well, and also a bit of the Balkans, which I have been traveling through for a long time.

What motivated you to become a travel planner?

I occasionally receive requests on my blog, being neither a travel agent nor a guide, I do it for free depending on my availability and the "feeling" (I prefer when travelers are really interested in the country they visit).

With Vialala, I will be able to offer something more professional, while remaining authentic.

What does the job of a travel planner involve?

I think there are several ways to see this profession, being a destination specialist, I view it as a finder of good deals tailored to the traveler's request.

What is your process when a traveler contacts you for a custom travel proposal?

Starting from a few necessary pieces of information, I create an initial travel plan, which will be personalized through exchanges with the future traveler.

How much do you accompany travelers?

Being on site, depending on my availability and if the traveler wishes, I can accompany them on certain visits.

What do you think are the necessary qualities to become a travel planner?  

Knowing your destination well and lots of listening to understand the traveler's request.

Can you tell us about one of your best experiences as a traveler?

Definitely my road trip in California, which I started on a whim (bad idea in terms of plane ticket prices!), I had nothing prepared, in the spirit of "letting go", the opposite of all-inclusive, it wasn't even a destination that initially appealed to me… a real eye-opener! I can't wait to go back :)

What role do you think social media plays today in organizing a trip?

Social Networks greatly influence the world of travel, unfortunately, the race for likes leads to standardization and results in "overtourism" at certain destinations.

Our role as a Travel Planner is also to discover other things.

What motivated you to join the Vialala.fr community?

Share and make known my adopted country.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a travel planner?

Being passionate and curious... but also loving Excel (private joke ;) )

Why use a travel planner instead of a traditional travel agency?

Our role as a Travel Planner is also to introduce other things.

Travel agencies generally sell what's in their catalog, customization for the client is quite limited. Interaction with the travel planner will allow for better consideration of the traveler's expectations.

Thank you very much for your testimonial, Patrick, see you soon!