Girls make every trip more fun.
And while female guests typically make up only 15-20% of any given Brand g trip, we couldn’t be happier to have them. They make the group more diverse, more interesting, and more fabulous (although some guys will try to go toe to toe with them on the fabulous quotient).
So, what’s it like for these women to take a trip where they’re somewhat in the (albeit all-gay) minority?
We surveyed a number of them, and here are their responses:
- Though the ratio of men to women is skewed (we knew that going in), we made friends that we still keep in contact with to this day.
- We live in NYC and our circle is 90% gay men. We have so much in common with them and have established friendships on Brand g trips with some wonderful guys from other cities. So, it’s great being surrounded by the boys. ?
- We always felt included in activities.
- We are all “family” and found everyone to be friendly and approachable.
- I own an LGBTQ online marketing service in which I focus predominately on gay men. I have made lifelong friends on my Brand g trips, and we plan future trips with each other on our next Brand g adventure. The men always welcome the women, and men are always up for nighttime fun!
We also asked why they chose a Brand g trip in the first place:
- Honestly, we did not know of Brand g nor we were looking for a cruise specifically. But when we saw that the incomparable Ann Hampton Callaway was going to be performing, we became interested in the destination, the onboard entertainment and its excursions.
- I knew Jeff from traveling with him on RSVP cruises. [Jeff is the former President of RSVP, and Brian is the former Director of Marketing.] Gay men are so friendly and up for lots of adventures, so I decided to travel with Brand g to experience their mixed gay and lesbian trips. I enjoyed the first one so much and made so many great new friends that I have now been on 6 trips and signed up for my 7th this summer.
- We chose Brand g the first time for the ability to travel with like-minded people who wouldn’t just talk about their grandchildren 🙂 The idea of a totally gay cruise to such interesting European cities on a riverboat was irresistible.
- Brand g is made special by Jeff and Brian. They’re masters at making you feel welcome, that you are in knowledgeable hands, and that safety is a priority. All the pitfalls of traveling on a self-planned trip, ie: bad water, bad food, safety situations, etc. are avoided by being perfectly pre-planned by Brand g staff. There’s a unique feeling of “we are all friends in this together”, accelerated by things like Brand g providing everyone a name tag to wear during the trip, which creates this lovely ease of meeting one another. The Brand g itinerary – a mix of educational (guided historical tours) and cultural excursions (wine tasting in a castle, jazz concert at a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, etc) plus fun, funny and crazy activities onboard.
Then, we asked what they thought made Brand g different from other gay tour companies:
- We cannot speak enough of the overall quality of the trip. And that really speaks to the extreme care and attention to detail shown by Jeff and the Brand g staff. There is no facet they overlook.
- What made Brand g so appealing was definitely Jeff, Brian, Johnathon and Troy. They made sure they spoke to all the guests and welcomed us. They tried to share a meal or a drink with all of us, and any issue we had was promptly dealt with.
- It appears that their personal, and not just professional mission is ensuring that people have a good time and feel a part of positive social interactions.
- The Brand g guys are kindness and consideration personified as hosts.
- Brand g is made special by Jeff and Brian. They’re masters at making you feel welcome, that you are in knowledgeable hands, and that safety is a priority. All the pitfalls of traveling on a self-planned trip, ie: bad water, bad food, safety situations, etc. are avoided by being perfectly pre-planned by Brand g staff. There’s a unique feeling of “we are all friends in this together”, accelerated by things like Brand g providing everyone a name tag to wear during the trip, which creates this lovely ease of meeting one another.
- For me, it was my virgin cruise experience – not only did I not know what to expect but I didn’t hold high expectations for it in general. The reality far exceeded my expectations!
