Some of the best travel experiences aren't particularly easy to find

One of my favourite parts of being a travel agent is finding the people who know a destination far better than I ever could.

Not the enormous global operators running the same itinerary every week. I'm talking about the small, specialist businesses built by people who have spent years developing relationships in one particular part of the world. They know the local guides, the family businesses, the tiny restaurants and the experiences you won't necessarily find by spending an afternoon on Google.

Those are the operators I get excited about working with.

Because while I can absolutely book you a beautiful hotel in Spain, sometimes I want to be able to offer you much more than that.

There is a big difference between visiting somewhere and getting properly into it

Spain is a perfect example.

It's one of the world's most popular holiday destinations, so finding somewhere to stay, booking a tour or putting together an itinerary isn't particularly difficult.

Finding your way beyond the obvious is a different story.

That's where specialist operators become incredibly valuable. They've spent years building local connections and understanding the nuances of a destination, and that gives travellers access to experiences that aren't necessarily available to someone planning independently.

It's also why I love collaborating with Casey Merwood from Biznaga.

Biznaga is a boutique Australian travel company specialising in deeply immersive Spanish travel.

Casey knows Spain exceptionally well, but more importantly, she has the relationships there to create the kind of experiences I look for when I'm planning travel for Living Blue passengers.

And she's just given me an advance look at her latest one.

The Wild Heart of Menorca

Menorca probably isn't the first place most Australians think of when they imagine Spain, and that's partly why this trip caught my attention.

Casey describes the philosophy behind Surrender to Spain: The Wild Heart of Menorca as adventures by day, deep rest by night, which is a pretty accurate summary of how this eight-day experience has been designed.

There are just ten women in the group, staying together at an incredible private finca in the Menorcan countryside. Everyone has their own room and ensuite, with no single supplement, so you get the fun and connection of travelling with a small group without having to share your personal space at the end of the day.

And the days are where it gets particularly interesting.

One of the experiences that immediately jumped out at me is snorkelling with a marine biologist inside Menorca's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Rather than simply being taken somewhere pretty for a swim, you're exploring the marine environment with someone who can actually explain what you're seeing and help you understand the ecosystem you're swimming through. For someone like me, this is exactly the kind of detail that turns a good experience into a memorable one.

There's also a full day on the water aboard a traditional Menorcan llaüt, the wooden boats that have been part of island life for generations. Apart from being a beautiful way to see Menorca, travelling by llaüt means the group can reach little coves and swimming spots that simply aren't accessible by road or on foot.

That's the part of this itinerary I really love. It isn't about ticking off Menorca's biggest attractions. It's about having access to the island in ways that most visitors simply don't.

Adventure by day and deep rest by night isn't a bad way to experience Spain at all.

After a day of exploring, swimming, sailing, walking or eating your way around the island, you return to the finca rather than moving on to the next hotel. There is space built into the itinerary to slow down, enjoy where you're staying and properly rest before doing it all again the next day.

It's higher-end travel, absolutely, but the luxury isn't simply that the accommodation is beautiful. It's the privacy of the finca, having your own room, travelling with only nine other women, the level of support throughout the trip and, most importantly for me, the quality of access that comes from travelling with people who really know Menorca.

This is exactly why I build relationships with specialists

I don't need to personally be the world's leading expert on every destination I sell. In fact, I'd be suspicious of any travel agent who claimed they were.

My job is to know who the experts are.

Over the years I've built relationships with specialist operators all over the world because they allow me to go much deeper when I'm designing a trip. It might be a dive operator who knows exactly which reef will suit a particular diver, a locally based expedition company that can reach places mainstream tourism doesn't, or someone like Casey, whose relationships in Spain open doors most travellers simply wouldn't know existed.

It means I'm not limited to what's sitting on the shelf.

And for travellers who come to me because they want something unusual, immersive or genuinely connected to the destination, that's incredibly important.

So, who would I send to Menorca?

This particular trip is for women who want Spain, but don't necessarily want the Spain they've already seen all over Instagram.

It's for someone who appreciates comfort and beautiful accommodation but still wants to get outside, swim, snorkel, walk, eat, learn and experience the island rather than simply admire it from a resort.

It's also particularly interesting for solo travellers. The group is capped at ten women, everyone has their own private suite and there's no single supplement, so nobody needs to find a travelling companion or pay extra because they're coming alone.

And because Casey is there throughout the journey, it's fully supported from arrival to departure.

That's the kind of small group travel I can get behind.

Want to experience this side of Spain?

If The Wild Heart of Menorca sounds like your kind of adventure, come and talk to me. I can arrange the experience with Biznaga as part of your wider Spain or European travels, including your flights, additional accommodation and anything else you want to build around it.

And if Menorca isn't quite where you're headed, but this style of travel is exactly what you've been looking for, tell me where you want to go. Finding the right people on the ground and creating a trip that gets you beyond the obvious is one of my favourite parts of what I do.

All images courtesy of Biznaga