Travel Journals
Real Travel: Want Memories? Follow Your Nose — National Geographic Traveler
From the April 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler
My flight lands in Tahiti’s Papeete airport just before daybreak. “We’ll be on the ground for an hour,” the flight attendant tells me. Do I want to get out and stretch my legs?
Of course I do—not because I feel particularly restless but because I’ve never before set foot in the South Pacific. It’s only the airport, but still. This stopover on the way to Sydney is my first chance to experience a place I have always fantasized about.
A cabin crew member opens the door, and I clamber down the steps to the tarmac. At first all that I notice is the amethyst-hued dawn sky, in which the brightest southern stars still sparkle. And then it hits me: a moist breeze that stops me in mid-stride and blows away every other thought and sensation. Immediately I’m beamed to a beach by the ocean. I stand barefoot, garlanded in jasmine and plumeria blossoms, on a mound of juicy coconut flesh.
Perfume ads always try to convince us that their potions are intoxicating. The smell of Tahiti actually is. I began to calculate what the fallout would be if I got “lost” in the Tahiti airport and “missed” my flight.
The smells we encounter on the road probably rate as our most intense—and lingering—travel experiences, though we tend to disregard them. We venture forth and return home with collections of photos and stories, tales of fascinating encounters and new friendships. But ask someone to tell you about their trip to, oh, Tobago, and rarely will they lead with a description of the overpowering smells of the island, fragrances that remind you, at all times, that this is a land wreathed in the smoke of charred sugarcane. How many visitors to Spanish-speaking cities in the Caribbean mention the Agua de Florida cologne that seems to soak the very air inside buses or along crowded streets on a Saturday night? And while people love to describe their experiences eating Thai food, what about the rice, fried pork, shrimp, and lemongrass-lime aroma that is the eau de Thailand? In search of that ever elusive sense of place, we travelers often skip over the one quality that couldn’t be more essential to it.
Smell is the outlier of our five senses, primal and powerful, but evanescent. The pleasant sensation that washes over me when I get a hit of the aroma of crusty bread wafting from a tiny bakery in Paris evaporates so quickly that I often become frustrated and even depressed that I cannot hold on to it.
What smell denies us in the moment of experience, however, it returns a hundredfold in the long run. I may somehow try to retain the aroma of sandalwood and burning butter that fills the temple of Kanyakumari, and fail. But ten years later in New Jersey, when I enter an Indian temple that uses butter and incense for worship, I inhale my way back into my India trip so completely that I hear the chanting of mantras along with the trumpeting and bleats of the elephants. I even feel again the heat of the ceremonial fires. That is the big difference between photographs and smells: One reminds you of where you’ve been, the other returns you there.
And what a return! Wherever I go, I try to find something that contains the smell of a place—a scarf washed in the flowery laundry powder of Laos or a sachet stuffed with the lavender that grows wild on the Mediterranean hillsides of the Croatian island of Hvar. Over the years these talismans, inevitably, lose their strength, yet even a tiny hint of those fragrances can move me through time and space.
My favorite travel writers understand how smell works. They draw attention not just to landscape and culture and history but to the more subtle signs—both pleasant and unpleasant—that let us know where we are. Ian Frazier, in his latest book, Travels in Siberia, describes the peculiarly Russian funk of tea bags, cucumber peels, wet cement, chilly air, and currant jam and concludes with the wonderful exclamation: “The smell of America says, ‘Come in and buy.’ The smell of Russia says, ‘Ladies and gentlemen: Russia!’”
I know just what he means (although I have yet to inhale those soggy-tea-bag and cucumber-peel aromas myself). Traveling years ago in Cuba, then in Hungary just after the fall of the Soviet Union, I noticed the strangest thing: The two places, thousands of miles apart, smelled almost the same, or at least their hotels did. It was the oddest odor, yet unmistakable: institutional, with a hint of old cafeteria food and strong disinfectant. Was this the smell of the Eastern Bloc?
Likewise, when I stayed in cheap motel chains while traveling on a budget in the United States, I noticed that no matter whether I was in Minnesota or Chicago or San Francisco, my room always had a vague petrochemical smell, like a new car. Blindfold me and put me in one of those rooms, and though I wouldn’t be able to tell you which city I was in, I’d know with certainty that my hotel bill wasn’t going to break the bank.
These particular travel smells represent the opposite of a Tahiti: a sense of no specific place, an anodyne landscape we encounter all too often these days. Over time we travelers become blasé about how our olfactory sense colors our travel experience. The travel industry, however, has caught on. Increasingly, the real smells of life get crowded out by the “Come in and buy!” ones. Just-baked cookie aromas are pumped into airport lounges. Tony resorts extend their branding into the air—and our subconscious—by adding “corporate” fragrances to the climate-control systems.
Airlines eliminate scent entirely in their climate- and pressure-controlled cabins—something I appreciate, since I sometimes spend 18 hours shut up in them. This has another happy consequence: When you exit an airplane’s no-smell zone, anything that hits your nostrils right after carries twice the impact.
Really, I was ready to ditch my flight from Tahiti to Sydney. But as I took one breath and then another, the lush opium of the island slowly turned to powder, like old perfume in the crook of an elbow. I knew then that it would stay with me. Just in case, I bought a box of coconut-oil soap and a bottle of plumeria perfume in one of the airport shops. I then reboarded the plane.
The smell of Australia awaited.
In a world where travel has become increasingly immediate and customizable, expectations are at an all-time high. Modern travelers want experiences that are seamless, high-quality, and tailored to their preferences.
While online booking platforms promise convenience, they often leave too much to chance. This is where the travel club model stands apart. Offering a balance of personalization and predictability, travel clubs provide value that’s hard to match.
Personalized Planning Without The Guesswork
For many travelers, the hardest part of planning a vacation isn’t the destination‒it’s trusting that what they book will deliver. With a travel club, members avoid the trial-and-error of online listings and unvetted properties. Clubs focus on curating consistent experiences, combining destination expertise with member-oriented service.
Legendary Vacation Club is a family-owned business with five decades in international hospitality that has embraced this approach. By operating in high-demand locations like Los Cabos, Riviera Maya, and Punta Cana, LVC provides members with access to trusted properties and on-the-ground support, making personalized vacation planning less stressful and more reliable.
Long-Term Value in a Price-Driven Market
On-demand platforms often compete on price, but the trade-off is inconsistent service and surprise fees. A travel club, on the other hand, is designed around long-term value. Membership gives travelers access to preferred rates, special perks, and priority booking, all without sacrificing quality.
In competitive regions like Cancun and Vallarta, Legendary Vacation Club offers a distinct advantage. Members enjoy access to exclusive properties, including its Hard Rock resorts, all of which have earned the prestigious RCI Gold Crown award. These distinctions reflect not just luxury, but consistent delivery of service, something discount sites rarely guarantee.
Trust Built Through Proven Hospitality Standards
One of the strongest advantages of the travel club model is the trust it builds over time. For repeat travelers, the ability to return to known properties with reliable service is invaluable. Unlike one-off bookings, club memberships foster long-term relationships between travelers and providers, encouraging a higher standard of care.
In an industry where attention to detail defines the guest experience, long-term trust is one of the most valuable assets a club can offer. Legendary Vacation Club exemplifies this through its Riviera Maya location, where the Unico Hotel received the U.S. News & World Report Award in 2021.
Such accolades are more than symbolic. They signal a depth of operational experience that translates directly into member satisfaction.
A Better Way To Travel in a High-Expectation World
The rise of on-demand services has changed how people approach travel, but not always for the better. The travel club model offers something that algorithms and price filters can’t: a structured, member-first experience rooted in consistency, quality, and care.
For travelers looking to escape the uncertainty of one-size-fits-all solutions, a well-established club can provide a far more dependable alternative.
As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, the value of being part of a curated, experience-driven travel model becomes increasingly clear. For many, it’s no longer about just going somewhere. It’s about how well you’re taken care of when you get there.
Tech-enabled travel company Travel Counsellors has reported record £566m H1 revenues.
The Manchester firm saw 10% year-on-year growth in the six months ended 30th April 2025 as sales broke £500m for the first time, with Travel Counsellors citing growing demand for personalised travel advice.
The firm added 149 new travel advisors to its community, taking the business to more than 2,206 at the period end.
Summer 2025 is also set to be another strong season for the company with bookings across the peak summer season – July and August – 11% ahead of the comparable time last year, it added.
“We’re seeing increased demand from millennial customers for cruise and adventure travel,” said Steve Byrne, CEO. “This demonstrates this generation’s preferences for premium and differentiated travel experiences.
“These are consumers who want more than just a holiday – they want peace of mind, personalised experiences, and meaningful, memorable journeys.
“During the first half of the year we’ve continued to experience good growth across the business, which is once again a firm demonstration of the strength of our differentiated strategy and was underpinned by the record number of customers who trusted Travel Counsellors with their leisure and corporate travel needs.”
Travel Counsellors has also maintained its five-star Trustpilot rating, recently reaching 10,000 reviews.
“This is a strong testament to our customer-first culture that runs through everything we do,” said Byrne.
“It’s for this reason that more than two thirds of our customers come to us through word-of-mouth referrals – which is a strong endorsement of the level of care we provide.
“We are focused on continuing to disrupt the travel market over the coming years through superb, personalised service and our scalable, relevant, and differentiated business model.”
A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday (July 13) shortly after take-off. Visuals showed black smoke billowing from the Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft after the mishap.
London Southend Airport confirmed a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft. Witnesses have reported seeing a “huge fireball” emerging from the crash site.
Let’s take a closer look.
What happened?
A 12-metre plane with two pilots onboard crashed at London Southend Airport. Emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance service, rushed to the site.
Essex Police said they were “alerted” about “reports of a collision” involving the small Beech B200 aircraft at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 8.30 pm IST.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now, and that work will be ongoing for several hours. We would like to ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues,” it said in a statement.
As per the flight-tracking service Flightradar, the aircraft took off from Southend Airport at 8:18 pm IST and was headed to Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
Earlier on Sunday, the plane flew from Athens to the Pula airport in Croatia, before making the three-hour flight to London Southend, reported Independent.
After the crash, London Southend Airport closed operations until further notice. It said it will inform the public of any updates and those set to travel on Monday should contact their airline.
As per the airport’s website, five international flights had been cancelled after the accident.
Dutch company Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at London Southend Airport. The company said they were “actively” supporting authorities with the investigation, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
Besides the two pilots, it remains unclear how many people were on the plane. The cause of the crash is also not known yet.
David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West & Leigh, wrote on X: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
United Kingdom Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
“The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.”
I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible.
I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.
— Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 13, 2025
Witnesses describe London plane crash
Witnesses told British media that the plane crashed “head first into the ground”.
John Johnson, who was watching planes with his wife and children at the airport, told BBC he saw a “huge fireball”.
“You could see [the pilots] smiling and we all kind of smiled back, the aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take off point, powered up its engines and powered past us, carrying on down the runway,” he said.
“It took off in probably three or four seconds. It started to bank heavily to its left. I said to my wife, that’s unusual. We don’t find aircraft normally turning at that stage in their ascent.
“Within a few seconds of that, the aircraft almost inverted and hit the ground. There was a huge fireball.”
According to Johnson, the airport’s fire service responded immediately after the crash, with two fire engines reaching the spot.
They were followed by local police, ambulance and fire services.
Speaking to Metro, a woman said she was watching planes departing with her daughter from a viewing deck at the Holiday Inn on Sunday.
“It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left. With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground. We can’t believe what we have seen.
“It didn’t look like there was time to bail out. Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.”
James Philpott, a bartender at the golf club next to the airport, told BBC that he felt “a big heatwave” before looking up to a “massive fireball” in the sky.
“Everyone was just quite shocked… we haven’t seen anything like this. People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured.”
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What we know about the crashed plane
The plane involved in the crash at Southend Airport was reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air, a US-built aircraft with a jet turbine, according to flight tracking data.
It is a small plane capable of carrying more than 20 people for short-haul charter flights.
The aircraft was a medical transport jet equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, reported The Mirror.
However, as per the Independent report, the ill-fated plane was a luxury private aeroplane with eight seats and a comfortable leather interior.
According to BBC correspondent Tom Symonds: “This sort of aircraft is a bit like a Land Rover of the skies. It’s a bit like an all-purpose vehicle and we can see that it has been rented out for roles including medical evacuation, moving transplant material, aerial mapping, that sort of thing.”
Zeusch Aviation, which operated the plane, specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights as well as private charters.
Meanwhile, Essex Police said it was working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch. Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.”
With inputs from agencies
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