Zoom Vacations have been the experts in small luxury gay group travel since 2002. Whether it’s cooking in the private home of a famous Brazilian chef, getting blessed by a real Inca shaman in a temple of Machu Picchu, or entering a private African Party on the banks of the Zambezi River by elephant back, Zoom Vacations brings unmatched experiences, showing travellers more than just a good time. They created global vacations that feed the heart, soul, and mind of each client.

Travel Industry Today caught up with Co-Owner, Bryan Herb, to learn more about Zoom Vacations.

What are some of the key destinations that you foresee your travellers heading to this year and beyond, both the top favourites, along with any new and emerging destinations?

The destination for which we have been receiving the most calls is Morocco in May. In addition, Egypt has been a fan favourite for many years, and it looks like 2023 is going to be no different. I recently took a group to Kenya for a safari and Rwanda for a gorilla trek, and after my posts on social media we were flooded with bookings for our 2023 trip. It really is an over-the-top, once-in-a-lifetime experience. In addition to this, A new destination for us is our comprehensive tour of Scandinavia, which is taking place this September.

What are some of the key factors you look for when exploring a new destination offering?

Every destination we offer must always have gay-friendly accommodations. We look for destinations that are incredibly experience-rich and have a good tourism infrastructure. Since all our tours have our special signature events, we always try to find destinations that have options where we can create truly one-of-a-kind magical moments.

What are you most recent tour additions to your portfolio?

We recently added Scandinavia, and we are going to Mongolia in 2023! I am incredibly excited to bring a group to Mongolia. We will be staying in luxury yurts, which are portable, circular dwellings.

What are some of the things that make your tours unique and different to other small group LGBTQ+ tour operators worldwide?

There are several things that separate us from the pack. For one thing, the owners of Zoom Vacations, either myself or Joel Cabrera accompany every tour. This is our baby, and so when we are on tour, nothing is more important to us than the trip being successful. Our hallmark has always been to under-promise and over-deliver. That being said, there are many things we do that I won’t even mention here, because we like to positively surprise people.

Other than this, my personal favourite thing that separates us from everyone else is the elaborate special events that we create on every tour. From our unparalleled beach party in Rio de Janeiro where guests can choose to arrive via hang glider, to our champagne party on the great wall of China, our signature events are things that you wouldn’t expect, and that would be very difficult to do on one’s own. Our signature event that ends our tour to Vietnam and Cambodia is one of my favourites, but you will have to join the tour to see it, because I do not want to give away the surprise. It’s epic!

As a company that has succeeded in their mandate, what are some of the key principles that you have followed since day one, and what have been some of your biggest challenges?

Something we have always believed is that so much of the beauty in life is all about relationships. We do so much on our tours to create a sense of camaraderie. We also try to imbue all of our tours with positive surprises and magic. Being a company that steadfastly always tries to include incredible surprises along the way, it makes it a little hard to market and advertise the trip. Once someone goes on a trip with us, then they understand. However, getting them on that first trip is probably the biggest challenge. Fortunately, our past travelers help a lot with this, and are such fantastic spokespeople for what we do.

Can you tell us about some your green initiatives and giving back locally protocols?

We have been thrilled to see the luxury travel segment take such a bigger interest in green initiatives. One of the simplest things we have done is started using more technology to reduce the amount of paper items we provide to our guests on tour. For instance, we now use apps like WhatsApp more than ever to disseminate information to our travellers. In destinations such as Zambia, India, Cuba, and Argentina, we have created programs where our travellers can provide either new or used items to give to local people, especially local schools. Our travellers pack these items in their bags, and then after giving them away, they have all that empty space to buy new things and further help support the local economies.

You’ve been doing this for quite some time now, can you tell us about some of your most memorable experiences that either yourself, or your clients have experienced?

Most of the best experiences of my life have been on Zoom Vacations tours.

My top 3 are: Hot air ballooning over temples in Bagan, Myanmar, as morning mist from the adjacent Irrawaddy river crept through the temples like an ominous fog. Secondly, being on a safari during one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life in the Serengeti as a tremendous heard of Wildebeests continued their migration all around us. Lastly, a few years ago we were in Varanasi, India, and had given a small boy dressed in rags some money for a small trinket. He didn’t have change, and even though we told him he could keep it, he went to get change and searched all over the ancient city for us. When he found us, he gave us the money and when we tried to give him back the coins so that he could keep them, he said “no, give them to the poor people”. This is one of the incredible things about travel. Sometimes you can be taught such humble, beautiful lessons about giving and acceptance, from unexpected sources.

From a personal perspective, what is your favourite go-to destination, whether it’s part of your company offering or entirely separate, and why?

Oh, I am absolutely crazy about the Maldives. I think a lot of people consider it to be just a romance destination, but I went there for three weeks by myself last March and had the absolute time of my life. I took phenomenal yoga classes, cooking classes, surfing lessons, and so many other things. I snorkelled every day, enjoyed spa treatments, and ate some of the best food on the planet. It is truly paradise on earth. We are Maldives experts, and I love creating individual vacations for people to the Maldives, because I can almost always get them upgraded at the best places.

Where in the world haven’t you been yet, but is on your bucket list, and why?

I want to visit Poland largely because I want to see its ancient castles, Easter Island, because I have always been a fan of mysticism, and since “Lord of the Rings” is my all-time favourite movie, I really want to go to New Zealand. I cannot believe I haven’t been there yet.

What’s one of your favourite Canadian destinations, and why?

I absolutely love Quebec City. It truly is probably the most European feeling city in North America, and the New France Festival is so special. Several years ago I was on a show on the Travel Channel called “Vacation Challenge”, and I had to design a tour for two couples to Quebec City. I had such a blast creating their experience. One of the couples actually got engaged on that trip!

Bryan Herb is Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Zoom Vacations. He has been a high school English teacher, personal trainer, model, freelance writer, and a hotel marketing and events sales manager. He grew up in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, known today as Oregon’s premier wine country, and his childhood was filled with outdoor adventures. His roots in the outdoors, coupled with his inquisitive teacher’s mind and his appreciation for health and fitness (as well as for fabulous hotels and resorts) have led him to adventures in every continent, including Antarctica.