For our latest Travel Journal we selected our favourite new travel publishers and asked them what they make of the future of travel. Here's Josh Spear from the members travel site, Valet.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm a curious frequent flyer mile collector and Founding Partner and Chairman at Undercurrent.  I spend an enormous amount of my time exploring new cities and discovering the fringes of internet culture and global culture. Now I'm also the Founder and CEO of Valet.

What is Valet?

Valet is a travel membership club focused on bringing intel and access to creative minded professionals, influencers and tastemakers.  We provide curated city guides and ongoing discounts, exclusive rates and perks at more than 80 hotels around the world.  This number is growing every week.

Why did you decide to create a travel website?

I've spent my life traveling the world– and I always wanted to do something travel related online.  I spent two years living in hotels around the world and realized the time was now.

What differentiates Valet from other sites?

Members have to fill out an application and be accepted to get inside.  We also charge for access to our guides and use of our hotel partners. We're different than the trend towards 'social travel' because we've taken a very strong Valet position on certain places– as well as enlisting well known curators and experts.

What are the benefits of limiting the membership base?

I like to build businesses that have a distinct and clear value exchange.  We debated the amount, but we always knew what we were building couldn't be free.     Keeping our membership base select and closed allows us even more leverage to create better hotel partners, and gives curators a safe place to share their city intel.

Do you think people are now looking to sidestep traditional tourism?

Definitely.  If you're going to travel to NYC, wouldn't you much rather visit the favorite places of someone who lives there and is an expert in XYZ, than pick up a guide written by someone who is just churning out guides?  Every place we feature in a city is tied to a well known individual, so you can decide if you have that persons sense of design, service or aesthetic before venturing out.  Our curators are real life archetypes for our users.

Are people travelling differently nowadays?

Absolutely.  I think the market has been sent to the extremes.  Bargain basement shoppers on one side, and luxury give-me-the-best on the other.  That leaves a very wide open window for curated experiences and good-value-for-money plays.

How will the travel experience evolve in the next 5 years?

The proverbial kimono is starting to come off on hotels, travel agents and travel providers as a whole.  The industry commission structure has limited innovation on the business model for decades, and we think that's going to change.  Human beings expectations of the interaction they have with a travel agent is going to continue to go up.