The big mistake that can leave you ‘highly disappointed’ with your vacation, says travel agent for billionaires

Jaclyn Sienna India knows how the mega-rich like to vacation — she's the founder of a Sienna Charles, a members-only travel agency that caters to wealthy clients who take million-dollar trips around the world.

India's clients include Wall Street titans, tech VIPs and Hollywood tycoons with high standards and endless resources.

But even billionaires make a common misstep in their vacation planning that everyday travelers are guilty of: choosing vacations based on what's trendy and will look great on social media.

"I think people need to stop following trends, and they need to follow their heart more," India tells CNBC Make It. "If everybody rushes to the same place, then it gets destroyed by over-tourism. There's a whole world out there."

Many of her clients end up "highly disappointed" when they follow what she calls the "billionaire's calendar" (think: Europe in the summer, Aspen in the winter) and end up going to the same places as everyone else. When a client says they want to visit a major European city in the summer, India wonders: "Why would you go then? You see more Americans than you do locals."

People of more typical means should avoid falling into the "celebritization of travel," India adds. Vacationers "see what Beyonce is doing, or see Jeff Bezos on a yacht" and want to recreate those trips "so you can share it on your Instagram that you did the same thing as celebrities. That's soulless."

She finds that "a lot of people are taking the pictures for other people, but they're not capturing the place for themselves."

Instead, India recommends choosing travel spots based on your own passions and what you want to learn more about. "Go to places that interest you, that help build and shape your mindset [and] your world."

C