TORONTO — Collette’s Explorations was so popular as a travel style, it made perfect sense to spin it off into its own stand-alone brand. Now clients can reap the benefits of this immersive, authentic approach to vacations.

Now known as Explorations by Collette, the brand was the focus of a special industry event last night, offering agents in attendance everything from henna applications, to a quick lesson in truffle rolling, to libations in the form of pisco sours, a drink clients can discover on the Explorations by Collette itinerary ‘Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands’.

Explorations by Collette is “small group travel, reinvented” and is a dedicated program with maximum group sizes topping out at 19, down from 24. Most groups actually average 15 travellers, says Stephanie Mirando, Collette’s Senior Marketing Manager, North America Trade Partnerships.

The brand was officially launched in August 2018, with more than 20 Explorations by Collette trips, each one focusing on “hyper-local” experiences.

When Explorations by Collette was introduced, Collette CEO Dan Sullivan summed up the brand’s ethos this way: “Over the last 100 years, we’ve learned a lot about what works on tour and we’re excited to add this breadth of product to Collette’s offerings. Whether it’s hunting for truffles in southern France, a home-hosted meal in Morocco, or an overnight in a glass igloo in northern Finland, our guests can now connect to destinations in an entirely different way.”

The list of Explorations by Collette tours runs the gamut from ‘Colors of Morocco’ to ‘Italy’s Bella Vita’, ‘Mysteries of India’, ‘The Plains of Africa’ and ‘Costa Rica: A World of Nature’.

At last night’s event, Mirando says one particularly special Explorations by Collette itinerary is ‘Switzerland: Hidden Trails & Majestic Peaks’, notable for its method of transportation – not by motorcoach, but by Switzerland’s famous rail system. Explorations by Collette’s tour designers “have built Impact Moments into every trip, and in Swizterland, instead of travelling by coach, guests go by train. You’re giving travellers this cool experience, and you’re also lessening their carbon footprint.”

More details about the program are available at explorations.com.