by guest blogger Ali Bond Europe has long been home to progressive and open-minded countries, with Denmark being the first place in the world to legally recognize same-sex unions in the late eighties. Now, years later, most countries in Europe embrace the LGBT community. In fact, gay tourism is worth more than 50 billion euros in the…
River cruising has become the Kim Kardashian of travel, except you don’t want to slap it. Everyone is talking about it, you can’t avoid it, and the number of ships and itineraries has exploded in the past 6 or 7 years. So, what’s the big whoop? Why are they so popular? Well, river cruises take…
Over the past 7 years, Brand g has grown from a two-man company offering one vacation annually to a five-person staff hosting 11 different trips around the world each year. But we couldn’t do it without the hard work and talents of these fairly awesome individuals. They’re not in it for the money – well…
Believe it or not, we don’t just spin a globe or play drinking games to select the destinations for our vacations. Careful deliberation, name-calling and hair-pulling goes into the selection of every trip. Okay, in truth, the process is based on a number of factors: Input from guests In annual surveys and occasional social media…
If you’ve ever imagined living in a castle and yelling out things like, “Where are my jesters? I’m sad!”, Germany is the place for you. And a Rhine river cruise is the ideal way to see these castles, which are best photographed from the water. (Brand g’s 2020 Rhine cruise does a daytime cruise through…
On many of our exotic trips like Asia and India, a feature that our guests refer to as one of the most memorable days of their lives is the philanthropic component. Since our inception, we at Brand g have felt that, as Americans, since we have so much, we owe it to the countries we…
France in general is a food and wine lover’s orgy – the kind of place where, after two weeks or so, your body is going, “Please, for the love of God, STOP.” But oh, what a way to overindulge. Considered the gastronomic capital of the world, France’s third largest city has both Michelin-starred restaurants and…
Christmas in Germany & Austria is like living in a fairy tale, except nobody gets eaten at the end. It’s incredibly enchanting. Of course, you’re probably thinking, “Why the hell would I want to go somewhere cold at Christmastime?” Here’s why: The holiday decorations and markets are beyond magical. There are about 1/10 the number…
So, you’re thinking about traveling to the southernmost point of the southern hemisphere…? BOOM. Mic drop. Just try to top that one. Less than 40,000 people a year get to visit Antarctica – primarily because, like the Galapagos islands in Ecuador, tourism is heavily restricted so as not to destroy the ecosystem. (Some big, ocean-going…
There are a lot of good reasons to consider giving the gift of a gay vacation this Christmas: You’d like to avoid spending your vacation time with your parents, listening to the captivating details of hip replacements and how we can make America great again. You prefer a vacation that includes unlimited adult beverages, so…
If you’re geographically challenged like I am (as my husband always tells me I need GPS to get out of a parking lot) you probably think of Antarctica being in the frozen northern sector of earth. But it’s actually south of South America, in the southern hemisphere. (The Antarctic Peninsula, where most cruises explore, is…
Hotel rooms where the power routinely goes out. Scammers wanting to give you a private tour (of the back of their van). Getting a delightful case of the runs from a local restaurant. These are the joys of journeying to India on your own. All can be easily avoided, of course, if you travel to…
Believe it or not, we’re only thinking of you. Booking early with Brand g has distinct advantages: Early Booking Discounts These $500 per person discounts are only offered for the first few weeks or months after a trip is announced. And since we announce our vacations 12-18 months out, it pays to plan in advance.…
Sure, you’ve been to Europe – but have you been to Europe during the holiday season? Western Europe in December looks like a snow globe exploded, sprinkling everything in glitter and fairy dust. Between the gorgeous street decorations, the crazy cute kiosks selling all manner of holiday baubles, and the stupid hot German and Austrian…
Sure, it’s a SWEEPING generalization, but the Irish are known to have an affinity for beer and falling down. (Don’t a lot of us.) But there’s MUCH more to Ireland than just hanging out in pubs, as entertaining as that can be. The Emerald Isle is a place of extraordinary beauty – it’s like God…
Sure, when you go to Peru, you wanna get your spiritual on. Machu Picchu is an utterly amazing and unforgettable experience. But there’s more to Peru than Incan ruins and bitch-slapping each other over an alpaca sweater sale bin. Lima – the country’s capital – has a stellar foodie scene; probably the best in South…
Asia is, for us at Brand g, one of our favorite destinations, and one that gets some of the best reviews of all the places we travel to across the world. “Life-changing” and “Best trip of our lives” are phrases we hear a lot, along with “my skin was dewy fresh” (what can we say,…
Back when I took my first few gay vacations, I always referred to the higher cost as the “gay markup” – the extra fee gay tour operators added on because they could. And I would give a big, dramatic gay sigh. (I’m good at those, just ask my husband.) But I wasn’t aware that there…
As a company, we don’t believe that behaving like rock stars trashing a hotel room is the most enlightened way to see the world. The planet is a fragile place, and travelers (and travel companies) who treat foreign destinations and communities like they’re there to be used and abused leave a lot to be desired.…
[Neuschwanstein Castle] “Why the hell would I want to go to Germany and Austria in December?” Two words: Christmas Markets. Europe during the holiday season is an absolutely magical place. You’ll wanna take that dollar store tiara with you, because you’ll feel like you’re in a fairy tale. Between the festively decorated city streets (Europeans…
You be the judge: It’s the largest gay pride in Europe, with roughly 1.5 million (In fact, Madrid hosted WorldPride in 2017.) There are theme parties at all the city’s best venues. (And these are some fairly fantastic venues.) They host Mr. Gay Spain. Madrid (Spain’s capital, for those who flunked geography) has a vibrant…
Warning: you’ll wanna stuff one in your man bag. Spending time with the families of gorillas in Rwanda is an otherworldly experience. You’ll absolutely fall in love with these furry creatures as they eat and play and behave for all the world like humans who haven’t quite boned up on their social conventions. (They may…
Budapest is home to some of the grandest working bathhouses in the world. Of course, these aren’t “wander around in a towel looking for love” bathhouses – they’re “take a soak in healing mineral waters and people-watch” bathhouses. With that said – ain’t nothin’ wrong with people-watching some hot dudes! Budapest was named the “spa…
Going on safari in Tanzania is like driving a jeep through the world’s most heavily populated zoo. Except there are no walls or glass enclosures or churro stands. In some countries within Africa, there can be great viewing of a particular species or two – say, elephants and rhinos – but in Tanzania’s Serengeti, there…