Vacations That Grow Your Business!

September 12, 2025•3 min read

Shane opens by framing travel as more than logistics—it’s about maximizing life’s limited leisure time with rich, immersive experiences. He argues many DIY planners “sell the experience short” by optimizing only for cost and clicks rather than design and depth. Lugos Travel’s promise is to leverage time and assets so vacations are “go big on experience,” blending what clients love with culture, food, and place.

He contrasts button-click booking with true end-to-end orchestration. A vivid example: a same-day train strike in Italy. With Lugos, clients get proactively rerouted by a private driver (plus an impromptu lunch stop and on-time arrival) before they even learn there’s a problem. The point: white-glove logistics, 24/7 on-the-ground support, and anticipation—solving issues before they surface—are what typical EAs, VAs, or DIY approaches can’t reliably deliver.

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On AI, Shane acknowledges it’s useful for research and content (they use it for newsletters) but says it can’t manage real-world constraints—inventory competition, time zone crises, misaligned dates, room types, or VIP advocacy with hotels. Lugos differentiates via relationships and readiness: dedicated partners in 20 countries and systems that predict when clients will be smiling—and why. He also critiques the industry’s slow proposal norm (weeks of back-and-forth) and presents Lugos’ “Essential Tour” model: over 70 private, no-blackout-date tours that generate a fully priced, customizable proposal in under 10 minutes without a phone call.

Shane shares the range of experiences they can craft—from Baja race trucks and Ferrari track days to P-51 flights over WWI battlefields, Alpine skiing, and Machu Picchu—underscoring how “luxury” to them means precision, time-saving, and access. Standard tours average ~$15K–$20K for two over 7–10 days (4-star boutique hotels with built-in upgrades), while bespoke trips start around ~$25K and can scale into six figures with helicopters, yachts, villas, or premium suites. The service model starts the vacation at your front door: private cars at every luggage point, VIP coordination, and minimal client lift.

Beyond leisure, Lugos operates an incentive-travel arm for corporate groups—board retreats, sales incentives, and unique events. Shane recounts complex custom projects—a multi-day Key West surprise (birthday → engagement → wedding on a clipper ship with fireworks) and a “running cruise” featuring a first-of-its-kind race through Mayan ruins—illustrating the brand’s logistics DNA and creative event design. The throughline: they “move people and make things happen,” even when the desired experience doesn’t yet exist as an option.

Shane closes with a business philosophy aimed at entrepreneurs: vacations are an operational stress test that reveal system breakpoints. Step away, see what fails, fix it, repeat—until the business truly runs without you. That process both grows profits and buys freedom. Lugos’ role is to protect the client’s scarcest resource—time—so owners can invest it in family and meaningful moments, while enjoying a high-confidence, no-hassle travel experience.

Takeaways

• Most people planning their own travel sell themselves short.

• Travel should be about maximizing experiences, not just saving money.

• AI can assist in travel planning but lacks the personal touch.

• Human expertise is crucial for handling real-time travel emergencies.

• Lugo's Travel offers a unique proposal process that saves time.

• Clients can customize their tours without lengthy phone calls.

• The company provides private experiences without group tours.

• Memorable moments can be created for special occasions like weddings.

• Corporate travel can be tailored for incentive programs.

• Taking vacations can help business owners identify and fix operational issues.

Sound Bites