Special thematic tours around Poland – WYSE chats with Monika Zakrzewska, Director of Wish To Travel

Wish To Travel is a tour operator specialising in tailor made packages in Poland and Europe.They are experts in designing meetings, incentive travels, conferences and events. WYSE Travel Confederation spoke to Monika Zakrzewska, Director ( Co-Owner) of Wish To Travel about their success story.

Tell us your story. How did your business get started?

In 2010 three friends decided to join their skills and experience, they gained during years of work for other companies in tourism business. The aim was to become  incoming tour operator, joining MICE services and education through travelling, in one unique organisation.  Since the beginning, Wish to Travel wanted to offer  this kind of personal approach  and professional client services, which makes visitors willing to come back. That kind of service was lacking, and that’s where we found our niche on the market. Our success was built thanks to relationships.

What are your unique selling points? What makes you different?

We specialise in thematic tours around cities in Poland which we change into unforgettable events by  combining education with fun and good food. That’s why our communism tours around Warsaw travel in old, convertible bus typical for 60’s, and on the same trip we propose not only eating polish “pierogi” but also our chef teaches how to make them. City and terrain games are always fun, especially when there are several different trips from different countries involved, which happened already!

We try to be as genuine as possible. When we host a group interested in Warsaw Uprising, we invite a guide whose grandparents were solders during uprising, when we talk about Jews in Warsaw and Holocaust our storyteller’s ancestors belong to The Righteous Among the Nations of the World.

Every day, when we work on one of tailor made tours, we challenge our motto – “Sky is the limit”. We  were able to organise workshop of throat singing for young dancers and singers in Poland passionate about traditional folk shows.  Our tutors came all the way, from Yakuck in Asia, which lies 10000 km to the East from Warsaw. For Asian masters it was the first time, they had a chance to see Europe, and they were so happy to present their skills on several occasions during their tour.

What are some of your success stories?

For several years we manage to organise with our partners from Russia music& dance festivals. Every year on professional theatre stages, we host few hundreds bright young talents from Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. Local communities, where we regularly come with the show,  are literally “counting the days” until next festival will arrive!

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We also managed to successfully compete on the  public orders market, when we won auction for international conference organisation at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce.

But as our biggest  success we recognise the fact that as a family business we still manage to work with passion and cooperate with several partners around the World.

As incoming tour operator, through the years we managed to select some fantastic specialists with their unique skills, involved in tourism, who we can always rely on. For some of us Wish To Travel became the way of life….

What are your future plans?

We always try to search for new goals and to be a little bit fashionable. That’s why we will try to work out new products, which will offer escape from fast city life with mobile phone in your hand for 24h a day. We propose to discover Bieszczady wild mountains which you can admire from horse back or  Mazury, once called The Land of 1000 Lakes and Baltic States tours. This fantastic, regions with still unspoiled nature offer slow life, slow food  and loads of adventure, including driving 4x4s, riding horses, discovering mysterious lakes from kayak or sailing boat, rafting Carpathian rivers.

Any top tips for people starting out in the youth travel sector?

To understand present day and to plan the future we need to know the past. That’s why visiting new places in distant countries gives you other point of view, lets you understand the others. Travelling, “wyse” travelling can make the World a better place! . But don’t make it to serious, try always to offer some fun and entertainment. Learning can be fun and its always the best way to do so.

Monika Zakrzewska

What was your motivation to join WYSE Travel Confederation?

Trying to gain experience and expand our business we decided to visit ITB in Berlin. As always we found ourselves a bit lost cruising among vast corporate and national areas with tens of staff, huge screens and waving flags. But then we fund  WYSE Cooperation and neighbouring stands. After spending some time talking to different exhibitors we felt we are at the right time in the right place. These were people we would like to deal with, they knew what we are talking about and they exactly understood what we offer!

Which trends and challenges do you see in the youth travel sector?

Youth we know are searching for new experience, their life is active and creative. They try to be great discoverers and have passions witch the very serious about. They dream about becoming Photographers , famous dancers, top chefs, or politicians. Our aim is to help them achieve  that by  organising appropriate tour program.

As people are generally more aware of healthy lifestyle and their diet,  food trips included in tour program are on the rise.

Find out more at www.wishtotravel.pl