Join me on the Beaches of Normandy next May, when we will explore World War II (1939-1945) and the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulting in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Code named Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known…
Introduction: Many of you already know Brand g’s co-owner, Brian Van Wey. He has spent the last decade – along with co-owner Jeff Gundvaldson – building Brand g into an industry leader with care and thoughtfulness and a willingness to let me humiliate him on a regular basis. So, let’s begin! What’s your favorite part…
Introduction: Many of you already know Brand g’s co-owner (and Anderson Cooper’s younger, cuter brother), Jeff Gundvaldson. He has spent the last decade – along with co-owner and honorary gay Brian Van Wey – building Brand g into an industry leader with care and thoughtfulness and a willingness to let me humiliate him on a…
Millions of dollars in deposits and final payments from our guests flow through the Brand g pipeline each year…and believe it or not, we don’t take that money and go shopping for Bentley’s, or roll around in piles of cash in a suite at the Four Seasons. Fun as that sounds. We also don’t use it…
Introduction: Many of you already know the Scottish sprite, AKA our beloved Johnathon Gallagher, the man who hosts Brand g trips around the world. He’s committed to ensuring that you have a grand time, whether you like it or not. What’s your favorite part of your job? Connecting with the guests – even the drunk…
As we enter our 10th year, Brand g has a lot to celebrate. We’ve grown from a two-man company offering one vacation to a five-person staff hosting 12 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…
Who doesn’t love some showtunes on the Seine? Or a little drag on the Danube? On a Brand g European river cruise, every night is opening night. Our cruises always include two featured acts (occasionally three) who provide nightly entertainment throughout the cruise. These entertainers have become so popular, some guests leave dinner early to…
24-year-old Instagram models in onesies making fun of everyone over 30. Leather men eating dinner in assless chaps. These are the images that many people conjure when picturing a gay cruise or land tour. And while those aren’t entirely objectionable (who doesn’t love a little eye candy), those are people you will rarely meet on…
Check out this fascinating blog of what it’s like to tour Japan, from two of our delightful guests, Dan Evans and Jim Kelly-Evans. https://hardtoport.blogspot.com/2019/05/sunday-in-tokyo.html Note: This is the initial post; click “Newer posts” at the bottom of the blog entry to read their posts from subsequent days!
To put it succinctly, it means this: We only want you to pull out your wallet to buy that fabulous piece of art or to tip a stripper. We include just about everything else. From the moment you arrive at the destination airport, you’re under our care. Airport transfers are included, of course, and these…
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…
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.…
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.…
When most of us think of Europe, we picture frescoes, ruins and hot guys with accents. So, who knew you could get a dose of incredible nature on the Danube? Most people take Danube cruises because of the sophisticated, world-class cities that line the river, like Vienna and Budapest. But there’s another great reason: just…
Think the Taj Mahal is the only cool thing to see in India? Think again. India has 35 – count ‘em, 35 – UNESCO World Heritage sites. (The U.S., by comparison, only has 23, Australia just 19.) So the Taj is just the tip of the iceberg. And with British and French influences – Britain…
No matter what your taste in nightlife, Vienna has it. Probably the grandest city in all of Europe (and that’s saying something – those European rulers didn’t exactly have restraint), Vienna is glamorous, sexy, and super cool. And Brand g’s Prague and Danube cruise overnights in Vienna, so you can take advantage of all the…
Miss Conception is the celebrated female delusionist who headlines many Brand g cruises and performs encores in crew quarters. Canada’s chanteuse extraordinaire, she entertains around the globe, including a residency each winter in Puerto Vallarta. As befits the whirlwind life of a superstar, we got together with the sequined siren at a popular local motel.…
Khmer Cool: The Astounding Temples of Angkor Wat & Cambodia Anyone who considers Cambodia nothing more than a great Asian country to fly over is missing some of the most incredible sightseeing – and shopping – in the world. The city of Angkor, with its 154 square miles of temples and monuments is like a 12th…
Chances are, you’d have to be living in a bomb shelter with Kimmy Schmidt not to know Amy & Freddy, the smash hit duo who headline in NYC, LA, Chicago, Palm Springs, P-Town, Puerto Vallarta and just about anywhere else a gay person has uttered the word fabulous. And they’re headlining – alongside the hilarious…
Check Out Our New Piece in Passport Magazine: MEKONG RIVER CRUISE: CULTURE SHOCK & AWE Are you ready to cruise the Mekong River? Southeast Asia is a place of incredible contradictions. Urban megalopolises like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with their stunning French architecture and millions of motorcycles exist in a sort of awkward…
If you’ve ever done a gay ocean cruise, you probably have a certain image of that experience: Thousands of people Dance parties that can turn into public sexy time The need for a steamer trunk of costumes Having to drag yourself out of bed after a late night party to go sightseeing (since that’s sort…
If you’re interested in Brand g, you’re probably somebody who values unique travel experiences and learning about other cultures – am I right? But you’re probably also someone who would like to LEAVE that culture behind at night and come back to a 5-star river cruise ship or land resort. I mean, come on! Seeing…
What’s Included in a Brand g River Cruise? ALMOST EVERYTHING. Most Brand g programs offer the following inclusions: Pre-cruise hotel stay. Arrival and departure transfers. Wine and beer at lunch and dinner. Daily shore excursions and touring. You get the idea. A lot of the things that are usually add-on costs are included in the…
Wanna hear all the inside scoop on river cruises right from the horse’s mouth? (Hmmm, bad metaphor. Or maybe not.) Brand g’s Brian Van Wey talks all things River Cruise on the latest episode of the River Cruise Radio podcast! Listen here: or download from iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/river-cruise-radio/id1157582589?mt=2