Boca travel agent goes 'The Extra Mile' for 'Bachelor' stars in new travel reality show

Travel agent Leslie Tillem-Doniger’s itinerary for reality-TV stars Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon includes the couple rappelling down the side of the "Vessel” at Hudson Yards, being pampered in a wine bath in a chic 1880s- textile-factory-turned-spa, and driving a Ferrari 488 for the day.

It’s part of a new NBC travel reality show called “The Extra Mile Club” that features Tillem-Doniger, owner of Eltee Travel/GTC of Boca Raton. The pilot will air May 20 after the season finale of "Saturday Night Live."

“I’m afraid I won’t stay awake to see it,” joked the 62-year-old. “I’m more nervous than excited.”

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The show features Tillem-Doniger and her colleague/competitor Curtis Parris planning an ideal New York City weekend for the couple, who hail from the "Bachelor" franchise and are social media stars with a combined following of more than two million.

The competition will have the couple enjoy two different New York City experiences, one planned by Tillem-Doniger and another by Parris. Both advisors are part of The Global Travel Collection (GTC), the luxury division of Internova Travel Group, and were selected after auditioning for the roles.

If the show gets picked up, both agents are likely to become the recurring travel advisors on the show. Much like the dueling hosts of the HGTV show "Love it or List it," the chemistry between hosts makes it work.

Brent Rivard with Internova came up with the idea and approached Tillem-Doniger for her thoughts. Her first reaction: “Brilliant!”

To plan the many twists and turns of her itinerary, the Delray Beach resident did lots of research and asked everyone she knew for ideas.

“I’m not shy,” she said with a laugh. “My hope is the pilot does well enough to be picked up for a series and I get to purchase a new wardrobe.”

Iaconetti and Haibon will select the winning itinerary of the episode, to be revealed at the conclusion of the broadcast. The married couple are alumni from the "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" who met and became a couple over several seasons of "Bachelor in Paradise."

Tillem-Doniger's biggest challenge was securing a location to film. For example, the original plan involved shooting behind-the-scenes at the Bronx Zoo.

“We thought we were good to go — and Flaco, the owl, went missing and everything changed,” Tillem-Doniger said. “We had to go to Plan B. By the way, Flaco is still missing.”

Tillem-Doniger is no stranger to obstacles; travel agents encounter them regularly, she notes.

“From destination knowledge to travel insurance, concierge services and dealing with travel snafus, travel advisors listen to their customers, create travel dreams and fulfill wishes,” she said. “That’s what we wanted to get across in the show.”

Tillem-Doniger also arranged for a hand-painted custom birthday cake with a family picture on top to celebrate the couple’s child’s birthday and finally, a custom 36-by-36 piece of art supplied by Pop Art Prince.

Eltee Travel, elteetravel.com, is located in The Reserve Shopping Center at 9858 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton.

Eight questions with Tillem-Doniger

Who is your hero?

Don’t have one specifically. Have a celebrity crush — George Clooney. Long story with that one.

What is your favorite movie?

“Pretty Woman.”

What are your hobbies?

Travel, photography, taking care of my animals, reading.

What do you do to get away or take a break?

Travel … anywhere! I love to read and crotchet as well.

Favorite book and why?

There are so many as I am an avid reader and heading to my book club tonight. We are reading "The Lincoln Highway." I would probably say “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet is up there.

If you could meet any person in history, who would it be and why?

Joy Adamson (author of "Born Free").

Most cherished memory?

Without sounding like a cliché, the births of my children and my wedding.

Best advice you ever received?

Go for it! This has always been my mantra. It helped me to open an office in Boca at the end of COVID when people thought I was crazy to do so.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca travel agent on reality TV show with 'The Bachelor' stars