From "preventative" healthcare to "supportive" healthcare

This series follows Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team as they uncover the secrets behind vibrant companies with 'originality.' In the 33rd installment, we hear from President Reiya Ito, who holds a medical doctor title yet founded the travel company 'Travel Doctor,' sharing his vision.

My encounter with President Ito occurred in 2021. It was during the LAVENDER RING DESIGN AWARDS, held as part of the LAVENDER RING project supporting cancer survivors. This award recognized "products, spaces, or experiences designed to enhance the very experience of daily life for cancer patients and broader disease survivors." Travel Doctor won the Grand Prix. He gave off a somewhat approachable impression, yet I distinctly remember sensing a strong will to "change society" in every word he spoke.

Travel Doctor was founded in 2020. Over three years have passed since its start. It's a venture run by a team of doctors, nurses, and caregivers that fulfills the "travel wishes" of people living with illness. When you hear "medicine meets travel," it somehow feels like Columbus's egg. Surgical scalpels! Forceps! Sweat! The kind of tense scenes you see in dramas—and the idea of enjoying a nice hot spring while traveling—don't easily connect. But when you ask, "What is human happiness?" it suddenly clicks: "Ah, it connects!"

Working in advertising, we're often told to "make your ideas jump." Whether we meet client expectations often hinges on the right degree of that leap. But it's surprisingly difficult. If the jump isn't big enough, it becomes "We could have thought of that ourselves." If it's too big and off-the-wall, it becomes "We don't really get it."

The company name "Travel Doctor" is already catchy. It's catchy, yet somehow imaginable. What is it about? What kind of leap will they show us? It makes you want to know more. It was this feeling that led me to request this interview with President Ito. I really wanted to delve into the "value of travel" seen from a doctor's perspective.

Written by: Masahito Nakagawa (Dentsu Inc. BXCC)

Weren't medical professionals the ones who had given up on their dreams?

"I'm not particularly fond of the term 'patient,'" President Ito prefaced, before sharing this insight: "Patients often hide their desire to travel. They feel that as someone suffering from illness, such a thing is utterly impossible for them, something they shouldn't even wish for. When I realized that feeling, I thought, 'Ah, perhaps this is where I can be of service.'"

Reiya Ito: President & CEO, Travel Doctor; Travel Medicine Specialist
Born in Tokyo. Graduated from Showa University School of Medicine. Worked at Rakuwakai Otowa Hospital in General Internal Medicine (early/late clinical training), Home Care, ER Emergency, and Anesthesiology. Completed Initial Caregiver Training and worked as a Care Taxi Driver. Globis Graduate School of Management, Class of 2019.
TOKYO STARTUP GATEWAY 2019 Grand Prize Winner
Selected for Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Start Next Innovator 2019 Silicon Valley Program

Initial reactions from those around him were reportedly along the lines of, "Travel doctor? Ito's saying something weird again." Three years after founding the company, with COVID-19 subsiding, inquiries are increasing. President Ito states, "I believe each person is feeling a growing desire not to have regrets in life. The desire to travel is something you should never have to give up. Of course, we're still halfway there, but recently I've finally started feeling like it's okay to introduce myself as 'Ito from Travel Doctor.'"

President Ito points out that it was actually the medical professionals who were putting the brakes on people's dreams of traveling. You're a "patient," so please rest and don't overexert yourself, and so on. "Of course, we must prevent accidents. That consideration and preparation are crucial. But sincerely engaging with a person's dream and wanting to help them achieve it is more a basic human instinct than a doctor's duty, isn't it? I believe the same holds true for family members."

A woman with a rare disease's journey to "meet dolphins"

Everyone wants to be a "free spirit." I feel that way myself.

"I think people only manage to be about half as filial as they could be," says President Ito. "It hits you when you lose either your father or mother. 'Oh, I didn't do enough for my parents.'" They say "When you want to be filial, your parents are gone," and looking back on my own life, I feel the same. "As long as we're alive, people want to be free. It's not about wanting some outrageous luxury or anything like that. It's about wanting to visit a place of memory on your own power, or with help from others, or wanting to soak in a hot spring. I don't think we should take away that freedom, that joy of living."

President Ito's family home is near Haneda Airport. He spent his boyhood looking up at airplanes. When I remarked that it seemed like a dramatic plot twist for that boy to become a travel doctor, he replied, "Yes, my father was the third-generation town doctor, and I'm the fourth. But he never once told me to become a doctor. If he had, I probably wouldn't have become one. I chose the path from being a doctor to becoming a travel doctor not for my own freedom, but for the freedom of my patients. I didn't want to take away their right to live freely."

Fulfilling a terminally ill man's wish to "bathe in a hot spring"

The business is still in its infancy

President Ito's vision for the business consists of seven steps. "First, we need people to know they don't have to give up traveling. Next, we need to show this is a viable business model. At this point, I feel we've just reached that stage."

The vision beyond that is remarkable. "What we want to do next is this: currently, we operate as one team, including myself. But that one team can't handle requests from all 47 prefectures. Establishing a local support structure is crucial. Fourth, instead of specially taking severely ill patients out, we want to enable mildly ill patients to travel freely. Fifth is handling inbound travel. Sixth is the reverse: taking people from Japan overseas. To Hawaii, or even the Arctic. Seventh, and this might sound crazy, is offering trips to the moon or space."

President Ito says he wants to deliver scenery to the final pages of people's lives. "Isn't it terribly sad to end one's life staring at the bleak ceiling of a hospital room? In terms of providing freedom, I think medicine is still powerless. While it's a doctor's duty to give their all to medical care, I don't believe that solves everything."

Collaborating with airlines and railways to enable long-distance travel

Taking off the white coat is crucial.

To achieve this, President Ito emphasizes that "taking off the white coat" as a doctor is crucial. "I don't believe genuine communication can arise from the dynamic of 'I am the doctor in the white coat, and you are the patient in pajamas.' The name 'Travel Doctor' stems from this very sentiment. While we are indeed doctors, we want to be travel companions."

I realized it wasn't about "Travel with Doctor." "To achieve that, we first listen to their feelings. Not just the patient's, but the family's too. Feelings, or rather, wishes. Then we ask about their anxieties regarding fulfilling those wishes. After that, we explore every possible avenue and give them a push forward. That push applies equally to the people supporting the journey; we explain things carefully. Once people see how much joy it brings, even those who were initially opposed start cooperating. When you see the client's true expression, you feel glad you joined this project. Even among medical professionals, more people are supporting us now."

It's like a team coming together to create a custom-made garment tailored to the individual, rather than off-the-rack clothing. It makes you realize how profoundly important it is to handle and be entrusted with life, and how deeply meaningful and precious service truly is.

Fulfilling the wish of a terminal cancer patient: "I want to attend my daughter's wedding"

We want to increase the "choices" in the story of life.

President Ito says that having many choices is essential for freedom. "Just telling them, 'We'll take you anywhere—the sea, the mountains, hot springs,' makes them happy. Of course, once we make that promise, we do everything possible to fulfill it. I don't know why, but I'm the type who gets fired up when pushed into adversity (laughs)."

Travel is ultimately a means to happiness, not an end in itself. "Speaking of which, there was a patient I cared for when I was young who kept telling me, 'I want to die soon,' 'Please let me die soon.' Then one day, he confided, 'Doctor, actually, I want to go on a trip.' It struck me. To me, it didn't sound like 'I want to go,' but rather, 'Doctor, I want to live.'"

That's why President Ito wants to create a fifth major life event, alongside the traditional four: weddings, funerals, and other rites of passage. We live in an era where people are said to live 100 years, yet there are surprisingly few milestone events. "I believe life needs ceremonies that let you feel the joy of being alive, of simply existing. Weaving your own story is about that. If I can help with that, as a doctor and as a person, nothing could make me happier."

The Travel Doctor Car, a welfare vehicle that fulfills wishes, also makes the dreams of those with severe illnesses come true.

Visit the Travel Doctor website here:
Watch videos about Travel Doctor here.

This series explores the secrets behind "vibrant companies" with originality, investigated by Dentsu Inc.'s "Company Design" team. In the 33rd installment, we hear from President Reiya Ito, who holds the title of physician yet founded the travel company "Travel Doctor," sharing his vision.

Season 1 of the series can be found here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.

[Editor's Note]

Listening to President Ito's story reminded me of a former boss who told me, "Do something extra." I thought it was a great phrase even then. Doing "something extra" takes courage. Above all, it requires a foundation of trust with the other person or your teammates. Is it viable as a business? How do you manage the risk? The adult logic is: forget about that extra stuff, just focus on what's guaranteed to make money.

But aren't the moments that make people tear up, that truly move the heart, often when someone does something "extra" for you? As someone in the service industry (though I believe all professions are service industries), I think this is something we must always keep in mind.

Travel is a luxury. Simply put, it costs money. It doesn't happen without the help of many people. And if you have a physical disability, you might tell yourself that such a luxury is simply not allowed, that you must restrain yourself. It's a shame to give up on that dream, President Ito gently extends his hand. "You want to attend your daughter's wedding reception, right? Then, no matter what, I'll take you there," he says. "What? Is that even possible?" the surprised person asks. President Ito would likely respond, "Who do you think I am? I'm a Travel Doctor. I'm your partner, walking alongside you in life." Those words come from a place of professional pride and deep respect for the person.