In the sun-splashed corners of the Internet, this is a familiar scenario: “My post about this tiny little cottage on the sea in Sifnos got, like, 700,000 likes, and so many inquiries about how to book it,” Alexandra Taylor, the founder of the boutique travel agency Where to Wander, says. “But it’s pretty baseline in terms of amenities.” In those cases, Taylor redirects clients elsewhere, “shifting them to other properties that I have relationships with,” and booking the trips through an affiliate portal that earns her a commission.
For years, the rise of Expedia and Airbnb convinced us the travel agent was a dead profession—a relic of the era of paper tickets and storefront offices. Then the Internet became a wasteland of “sponsored” reviews and A.I.-generated listicles, and suddenly the human gatekeeper was back. Young women with a preternatural knack for social media began flocking to the field, parlaying viral content into high-net-worth clientele, who value their aesthetic as much—or even more—than their planning skills.
