Ask any Travel Director and they’ll tell you: first-time travelers don’t all arrive the same way, but by Day Three, they often start to look surprisingly similar. The nerves soften. The questions slow down. The group dynamic shifts. And something subtle but important happens: first-time travelers stop watching the experience and start being in it.
We spoke to Trafalgar Travel Director Miriam Bourin about how first-timers finally begin to travel the way they hoped they would.
First-time travelers arrive prepared. Day Three is when they let go
In the first couple of days, many first-time travelers are quietly assessing everything. A lot of our guests are used to being organised, capable and in control, they’re often people who plan, manage or lead in their everyday lives. On tour, that instinct doesn’t disappear overnight.
Rather than ignoring that need for control, she addresses it directly, reassuring guests that things are taken care of, and that it’s okay to step back.
“The relaxing part can be difficult,” she says. “But I do believe in approaching it and recognizing it.”
By Day Three, that reassurance has usually landed. First-time travelers stop monitoring the experience and start trusting it, allowing themselves to enjoy the trip without feeling responsible for it.
“If you need extra reassurers that I know what I’m doing I say, hey, feel free to reach out.”
Day Three is when first-time travelers stop needing constant reassurance
Another thing Travel Directors notice about first-time travelers is how much reassurance they quietly look for at the beginning — even if they don’t always say it out loud. Miriam sees this as completely natural. She makes sure first-time travelers know exactly where to find information and support.
“I give them multiple channels to find information apart from me personally. I have websites, chat groups… everything is available to them.”
By Day Three, first-time travelers usually stop checking and start trusting. They know where things live, who to ask, and — crucially — that they don’t need to ask everything.
Shared moments matter more to first-time travelers than they expect
One of the biggest shifts Travel Directors notice by Day Three is how first-time travelers respond to shared experiences. Early on, people can feel a little self-conscious and unsure how much to engage or how quickly to connect. By Day Three, that hesitation often fades.
“I try to really capitalize on moments where people come together and feel the same thing. This is a shared experience. We all feel these moments.”
Miriam is intentional about noticing when those moments happen and helping them land.
For first-time travelers, these shared moments, like a heart-warming local-hosted Be My Guest dinner or an interactive travel experience are often the turning point. It’s the instant they realise they’re no longer traveling alongside others, but with them.
First-time travelers relax faster when laughter enters the picture
Another thing Travel Directors notice about first-time travelers is how much easier it is for them to relax once laughter breaks through.
“I try to kind of milk funny moments just to make people laugh and to make them relax.”
Sometimes that comes from a view or a story. Sometimes it’s something more unexpected.
“I buy this really awful peanut butter whiskey…we do shots of it together and everybody laughs.”
The point, Miriam says, isn’t the drink itself.
“It’s about creating that sense of, yeah — we’re in this together and we’re having fun.”
By Day Three, first-time travelers stop trying to ‘do it right’
Many first-time travelers arrive with an unspoken pressure: to be energetic enough, curious enough, social enough — to somehow travel “correctly.” On tour, that pressure usually dissolves quickly.
“You’re here to relax and laugh, relax, learn, laugh, have a great time.”
What first-time travelers realize (a little later than expected)
First-time travelers often think the hardest part of a guided tour will be the schedule, the group, or the pace. What Travel Directors actually notice is that the hardest part is something quieter: learning to let go. By Day Three, most first-time travelers have done that, even if they didn’t realise they were holding on in the first place. And once that clicks, first-time travelers don’t just settle into the trip, they start enjoying it in ways they didn’t anticipate.
Any advice for first-time travelers, Miriam?
“It’s a cliché, but relax, let go of the control and lean back. Look out the window.”
That advice is especially relevant for first-timers, who are often used to being in control of every detail.
“Let somebody else do the work… This is why you’re here.”