This episode of Ask Us Anything is dedicated to WYSTC, the annual event of WYSE Travel Confederation bringing together leading brands specialised in international travel and tourism for young people. Our guest is David Chapman, Director General of WYSE Travel Confederation and 19-year veteran of WYSTC. We put David to the test with a series of rapid-fire questions about WYSTC in this episode. The result is a start-to-finish guide of tips and tricks useful for WYSTC newbies and veterans alike. Plus, David reveals the special sauce for making the most of WYSTC 2025. Have a listen…

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

We hear from Tim Alpe, Managing Director of Lylo, in this episode of Ask Us Anything. LyLo is a new brand of experience-led hostels operating in cities throughout New Zealand and Australia - and soon to be in London. Tim talks about LyLo’s expansion plans and new product development for 2025 and into 2026. He also discusses the LyLo brand DNA and the most useful tools and tactics for a new brand to reach an audience for growth. We also touch on the wellness trend in travel, solo travellers, pod accommodations and how LyLo won the Global Youth Travel Award for Best Hostel in 2024. Have a listen… 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

Our guest this episode is comedian and content creator, Derek Mitchell. Derek is known for his live comedy shows and short-form character sketches. He regularly performs on comedy and theatre stages in the Netherlands, the US and the UK, including Edinburgh Fringe Festival. You might be familiar with his stage shows titled Double Dutch and Goblin, or his ‘Lets double Dutch’ Instagram and TikTok videos which illustrate cultural differences in a humorous and entertaining way. 

Born and raised in Chicago, educated in Canada and England, Derek is a global citizen who is both achieved and aspirational. Having lived in Amsterdam for many years while currently working as a touring entertainer, you might call him a sort of entertainment migrant whose work is enjoyed by locals and expats alike. In this conversation we talk about comedy as a tool for stepping outside of one’s cultural framework and its power as a connector across cultural differences. We also discuss influencers, the future of consumer brand ethics and storytelling, what most people don’t understand about content creation and what to avoid in influencer marketing. Have a listen... 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

In this episode we meet Eduardo Heidemann, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Travelmate, a student travel agency in Brazil.  

Eduardo shares the origin story of Travelmate, which goes back to his college years in the mid 90s and meeting his good friend and co-founder Alex. He also talks about current student travel market demand in Brazil and some of the factors that influence Brazilian students’ motivations to travel abroad for educational and cultural experiences. Because BridgeUSA programs are popular with Brazilian students, we also discuss demand for specific programs and some of the challenges facing the cultural exchange community at large in the coming years. On a lighter note, Eduardo reveals his love of music and the theme song he would choose for Travelmate. Have a listen… 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

Joakim Malm, owner and operator of Stockholm Adventures is our guest for this episode of Ask Us Anything.  

Stockholm Adventures specialises in guided group tours and outdoor activities in and around the city of Stockholm. Originally started in 2007 as ICEguide and offering ice skating tours of Stockholm, Joakim has expanded the company to include a variety of outdoor activities for the entire year, including cycling, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, and snowshoeing, as well as city walking and Segway tours. 

In this episode Joakim talks about providing unique, active experiences that allow international visitors to enjoy the city’s nature and Swedish culture in a sustainable way. We also go back to Joakim’s teen years to discover what valuable life lessons his love for skate- and snowboarding gave him. Have a listen. 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

Phakamile Hlazo, Founder of Zulu Nomad, talks about the power of authenticity, backpackers and cultural exchange for tourism in emerging destinations in this episode of Ask Us Anything. Her journey as a Rotary Ambassador, Chinese government scholarship grantee and now tourism innovator has helped other young Black South Africans to embrace their freedom to travel and power to establish their narratives of authenticity. You'll hear why Phaka is enthusiastic about digital nomads, how cultural exchange is transformative for communities and what was so 'mind-blowing' about WYSTC.

Read more about Phaka and her experience at WYSTC with the WYSE Up Programme here.

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

In this episode we meet Ari Charlestein, Owner and “Evil Genius” of Competitours, the only company in the world to offer full-scale international team travel competition trips. Competitours trips combine travel with creative, competitive fun - and a mystery itinerary.  

Ari explains the unique aspects of mystery travel and the Competitours experience, not only from the consumer perspective, but from a planning and logistics point of view too. You’ll learn that mystery travel involves a number of special characteristics that you could say attract a ‘special kind of crazy’ traveller and trip leader. 

Ari’s background in points and miles programmes offers unique insights on consumer habits, loyalty and some interesting post-pandemic overlaps of business travel and game-ified adventure travel. You’ll also hear Ari’s number one business hurdle and ultimate joy. Have a listen… 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

In this episode we talk to João Cortes, two-time volunteer of the World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC).

Most likely João welcomed you to the trade hall or an educational session at a recent edition of WYSTC in Lisbon, Portugal but now he finds himself in Spain doing a seven-month internship with a major international hotel chain. João has an eye and appreciation for the opportunity to learn something from every situation and every person he encounters. This suits his aspiration to become a leader in hospitality rather well.

In this conversation you'll discover what kind of impression WYSTC delegates left on a volunteer, the biggest social challenge for young people right now and why international educational opportunities, like Erasmus+, are so important to students. Have a listen.

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

Haydn Marriner, Chairperson of the Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association (BYTA) of New Zealand discusses the country's losses in international youth arrivals in the latest episode of the WYSE Ask Us Anything podcast. You'll discover the economic value and ripple effect of the backpacker and working holiday markets for New Zealand and what BYATA is doing to recover their losses and keep the destination relevant to youth. Have a listen.

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.

Professor Konstantina Zerva is our guest for this episode of Ask Us Anything, she is  Professor of Marketing and Market Investigation at the Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona in Spain.  

Professor Zerva’s research is related to niche tourism market segments, gender and mobility, social marketing and theories of social exchange. She is the coordinator of the special interest group on ‘dark tourism’ of ATLAS, the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research. 

Dark tourism includes a wide range of sites and tourist activities associated with death and suffering, but also danger and survival. Such sites might include constructed memorials, abandoned places of historic events and simulated or actual environments. Dark tourism activities can be passive or active, self-reflective or communal. Increasingly, technology is used to simulate dark contexts and experiences. 

As you will hear in this conversation, dark tourism is a useful analytical tool for understanding cultural exchange, tourist behaviour and the delicate balance among a variety of stakeholders, including locals, victims and survivors. We touch on some of the beneficial aspects of dark tourism, as well as the controversial aspects, including its commercialisation. Confronting the darkness of humanity is an age-old activity, however, the ways that humans - and tourists - do this are changing. Have a listen… 

Learn more about WYSE Travel Confederation, the international travel trade association for organisations specialised in youth, student and educational travel.