Alex Erdman Ely

Owner, Local Foreigner

Tell us about you and your company. 

Local Foreigner is a boutique travel agency based in NYC with affiliates all over the US (and Europe!). We plan travel worldwide and have spent the last 10 years sourcing and building relationships with the best partners in every region of the world. Our focus is on luxury travel, but we understand that means something different for everyone, so while some clients appreciate over-the-top hotels, others might value seclusion. I got into the business because I loved to travel and was always researching destinations and planning trips in my free time (so cliché, but true!). After working at another luxury travel company in New York, years (and a lot of hard work) later, I started Local Foreigner with my three business partners in 2015.

What’s the entry level to talk to you?

We work as a consultancy and charge hourly fees for our time. We don’t have a trip cost minimum, but we work holistically with our clients who come to us for everything they need as it relates to travel. Typically, they are investing over $100,000 per year in the experience of travel.

What is the sweet spot of your expertise?

Safaris, boat charters and multi-gen trips for large families, though we work with excellent partners in every corner of the world. We can almost guarantee that someone on our team is an expert in the destination of your choosing…though no one’s been to Antarctica…YET!

A favorite experience/trip you’ve planned that best represents your travel philosophy…

Our philosophy in a nutshell is “travel makes people better.” So, I would have to say that a favorite trip that we planned was a year-long, around-the-world adventure for a family of four with two children under age 10. Stops included Paris, Israel, Maldives, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and East Africa. They used the opportunity to teach their children about the importance of taking the time to get to know and understand cultures other than their own. We had them with incredible local guides (who were often friends!) everywhere they went and used as many opportunities as possible to have them connect with children their age. Making connections with people, taking the time to enjoy beautiful landscapes and learning about distinct cultures and ways of living to reflect on your own life is what it is all about.

A favorite hotel or other property you love and go back to again and again…

Oh man, this is tough. I adore Eden Rock on St Barths and am returning to the island for my fifth time this fall and staying in one of the villas from the Eden Rock Villa Collection. I am also a huge fan of small properties with a high level of food and wine experiences, so I would have to say Twin Farms and The Point on Lake Saranac are two of my all-time favorites. In Europe, Le Sirenuse and The Beaumont in London have the most incredible service, and in Asia, the Aman Tokyo. I also love New Orleans and could visit that city every year and stay at Maison de la Luz, which is a dreamy home away from home.

The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…

Anything with good company! But if I had to choose one, it would be one Thanksgiving spent with my husband and good friends at Falsled Kro a couple hours outside of Copenhagen. Everything about the meal and the hotel was perfection. I’ve been back multiple times since then to basically drool over their cheese cart. Also, I was lucky enough to stay at La Chartreuse at Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux and every single meal we had there was absolutely insane, from the multi-course sit down dinners to oysters shucked fresh from a little shack along the estuary.

A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region of expertise…

I don’t think I can choose! Walking safari at Little Chem Chem in Tanzania, hiking the Base Las Torres in Patagonia, a makoro ride in in the Okavango Delta, horseback riding on the beach in Jose Ignacio, a behind-the-scenes tour of the restoration workshops at the Louvre, a food safari with Ingrid-Anne and Bjorn at Storfjord in Norway, private access to Catherine’s Palace in St Petersburg, the heli hot tub experience at Minaret Station in Wanaka, and nothing beats first tracks with Hanazono Powder Guides in Niseko.  

What is a place we should consider traveling to that could really use our dollars, and what is a place we should put on pause because, even though we love it, it sees too many tourists?

For the first, Southern and Eastern Africa. Every dollar spent helps conservation efforts and supports local communities. I hate to say it, but coastal Europe in high season could do without so many people crowding its shores, so my suggestion would be to focus on low season in those towns.

Underrated location, overrated location, personal favorite, recent discovery?

Underrated: Jose Ignacio (Bahia Vik), Zimbabwe (Singita Pamushana), Panama (Sweet Bocas and Islas Secas), and the Musandam Peninsula in Oman (Six Senses Zighy Bay).

Overrated: I don’t think anywhere is necessarily overrated, but I do think people have unrealistically high expectations for Japan. We also find that our clients feel the need to tick off a million restaurants in Tokyo (despite our pleas to take it easy for a few meals) and inevitably want to cancel half once they are on the ground, which is not culturally appropriate.

Personal Favorite: New Zealand (Minaret Station and Blanket Bay), Sumba Island (Nihi Sumba), Botswana (Mombo and Zarafa), Patagonia (Tierra), and the American West (Ranch at Rock Creek and Dunton Hot Springs)! If you can’t tell, I like the outdoors!

Recent Discovery: Domaine de Primard just outside of Paris is so incredibly dreamy. Fantastic food and that perfect “at home” vibe. The entire Domaines de Fontenilles collection should be on people’s radars.

The one thing you always pack…

My Bose Noise Cancelling headphones. Also, I just had a baby and the SlumberPod is quite possibly man’s greatest invention, especially if you are sharing a room.

What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers? 

I wish people had more patience, compassion, and understanding for everyone they interact with throughout the process, from their travel advisor to the concierge to their waiter. Travel is so beautiful, but nothing is ever perfect, nor should it be. My best memories are of trips gone awry! And while you should be getting a high level of service and room product when spending at the luxury level, there will be mistakes along the way, and kindness (especially during these times) should be king.

How do you want people to reach out to you? Website, please!