Flights & Fables: Fayetteville-based business aims to bring fantasy worlds to real life
A Fayetteville-based travel agency aims to transform the vacation planning experience for adventure seekers and fantasy enthusiasts by crafting vacation plans in New Zealand and Europe that feature popular locations from famous movies and books.
"The same place that I'm obsessed with, the fantasy world, I'm going to share that with other people and create a niche of fantasy travel," Rocky Dimico, owner of Flights & Fables, said Tuesday.
Dimico said Flights & Fables is an online travel agency that creates curated travel itineraries, offering a range of vacation plans from quick day trips to month-long vacations. He said he specializes in crafting trips for fantasy enthusiasts eager to visit the real-world locations where films like "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" were filmed.
The vacation planning process begins with a free 45-minute consultation with a travel agent to determine the trip's goals and priorities, followed by designing a custom itinerary and booking tickets, according to the company's website, flightsandfables.com.
Origin story
Dimico said his extensive global travel as the son of a U.S. soldier and then a career soldier himself, coupled with his vast love of legends and lore, inspired him to start the company in 2023.
He said his service in the Army from 1998 to 2018 provided him numerous opportunities to travel around the world. In 2004, while stationed at what is now Fort Liberty, he said he watched "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and was captivated by the stunning landscapes depicted in the film.
"When the movie came out, I was here stationed at Fort Bragg, I went to the midnight showing of it and I was just blown away," Dimico said. "I had to do some research of where the movies were filmed and I found out it was New Zealand, so it was on my bucket list for many years and then I went in 2022."
He said that the experience inspired him to share this adventure with others, sparking the idea of Flights & Fables. He said he then began researching the travel industry and discovered it was thriving.
"Obviously, I love 'Lord of the Rings,' I love 'Harry Potter,' 'Game of Thrones,' all these things. So, I said that will be my niche," Dimico said.
Dimico is a New Zealand Gold Certified Specialist, a credential that signifies an in-depth knowledge of New Zealand's tourism offerings awarded by Qualmark, New Zealand tourism's official quality assurance organization. He said he has spent six years living abroad in Europe. According to his website, he has followed "the footsteps of Vlad the Impaler in Romania, explored the mysteries of ancient sites in Stonehenge and Newgrange and studied Viking lore in Scandinavia." Stonehenge is in Wiltshire, England, and Newgrange is in Boyne Valley, Ireland.
Future plans
Dimico said the biggest difference between working with a travel adviser and booking everything on your own is that with a travel adviser, you have someone advocating for you — one dedicated person who takes care of you and provides recommendations.
He said that given the current growth of his business, he will likely need to hire additional agents, with the goal of eventually opening an office in downtown Fayetteville.
"My goal is not a set dollar amount with how much I want to make. My set goal is that at some point, I want to make sure that we're making enough money that we can provide one to two trips per year for families who would normally not be able to travel, who might be economically disadvantaged and not be able to travel, to be able to book a trip for families like that," Dimico said. "That's how I'll know that I reached my goal of what I want to do monetarily."
The details
Pricing for custom itineraries: $100 for small groups of six or fewer for up to seven days; $200 for up to 14 days; $300 for up to 21 days, with prices varying for longer trips, according to the Flights & Fables website.
Phone: 984-977-8482
Email: Info@flightsandfables.com
On the web: flightsandfables.com
Reporter Lizmary Evans covers growth and development for The Fayetteville Observer. You can reach her at LEvans@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How does Fayetteville's Flights and Fables travel agency work?
