(This article originally appeared on News is Out.)
“I feel like I’m in that scene from ‘Under the Tuscan Sun,'” my wife whispered to me as we boarded the Brand g Vacations bus in Bordeaux, France.
She’s not wrong. It brings to mind the scene in which Frances Mays (Diane Lane) embarks on a kinky European adventure accompanied by her lesbian best friend. We were sitting surrounded by gay men (and two ardent lesbian brand-g patrons) on our way from the InterContinental Hotel in Bordeaux to lunch at the famed Château Smith Haut Lafitte. One of the many excellent guides we had that week told us that King Charles III had recently visited the winery. This visit set the tone for the rest of our trip down the Loire Valley: sometimes decadent, often raucous, but always fun.
Founded in 2011 as “the next generation of gay travel,” Brand g Vacations offers an alternative to queer travel companies that organize large cruises and resort getaways. If a party-centric cruise with 1,000 people isn’t your thing, Brand g offers a more intimate, tourist-focused option that’s popular with Brand g’s clients, many of whom have traveled with the company multiple times.
Eric Poole, Brand g’s marketing director, says the company’s success is based on four elements: service, quality, inclusiveness and destination.
“Our commitment to white glove service is unmatched in the industry,” Poole says. “In the surveys we receive after each trip, our guests consistently express appreciation for the extremely high level of personal service and the fact that all they have to do is show up and we take care of everything else.”
Mark W., from Fort Lauderdale, was one of about 80 guests on the trip, and Poole says it’s that level of service that has led Mark to book 17 trips with Brand G. Mark says the door-to-door service and like-minded LGBTQ guests keep him coming back.
Couple Steve M. and David P. also praised the service they experienced with Brand G. Originally scheduled for a U.S. cruise, it was canceled by the charter company, so the couple pivoted and booked a trip to the Loire Valley, their third adventure with Brand G.
On this trip, we arrived in Bordeaux and then spent six days touring beautiful towns in the Loire Valley, including Nantes, La Rochelle, and Clisson. During our visit to Clisson, we happened upon an Italian-style festival in the 13th century town, complete with masked revelers, music, and lots of tourists.
Our trip was led by host and cruise director Jonathan Gallagher. A native of Scotland, Gallagher is a frequent character on Brand g trips. One look at Gallagher, who is sleazy and friendly, and it’s easy to see why he’s such a popular touch point with guests. Steve M. and David P. told us that Gallagher helped them add so much to their last trip that they’ve booked again.
Gallagher is a very entertaining character, but he wasn’t the only top-notch talent on board. Guests were treated to musical performances by West End star Emma Linders and musical director and composer Tom Knowles. Linders and Knowles performed everything from disco hits to Broadway ballads, enthralling guests at every turn. They were kind enough to let guests, including me, sing a bit.
Dynamic Wales-based performer Lee Gilbert also performed to a cheering crowd. Previously a guest on the Brand G tour, Gilbert now serves as host and performer after impressing the team with his authentic acting skills.
I asked Poole what brand g looks for when booking talent to appear on these cruises.
“Her ability to wow guests, her ability to perform multiple shows over the course of a cruise and keep audiences engaged with new material with each show, and her amazing humanity.”
At Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, wine barrels await their time to shine. (Photo: Dana Piccoli)
What was special about this trip for me was the opportunity to get to know many of the guests. I sat with various guests at meals and excursions and made the effort to get to know groups of people who came from places like Palm Springs, Fort Lauderdale and even Melbourne, Australia.
It would be impossible to write about my experience without mentioning some key demographics: My wife and I were two of four female travelers on the trip, and we were among the youngest travelers on the ship. Brand g was candid about this when I asked about marketing to queer women.
“Our tour clientele is largely male, so rather than an all-female tour like Olivia’s, we try to attract women who have lots of gay male friends or female travellers who enjoy travelling in mixed groups. No disrespect to Olivia, but there is a place for all LGBT+ travel experiences,” Poole says.
“We’re looking for a subset of lesbians, so it tends to happen by referral rather than marketing.”
Poole noted that Brand g tours are typically dominated by women, sometimes making up as few as 15 to 20 people on a tour of 80 to 120 people.
Guests on Brand g tours also tend to be over 55. On our tour, the average age was about 62 years old.
“Our trips tend to appeal to an older, more affluent demographic because they are luxury, all-inclusive packages, but we’re always working to expand our offerings to attract more guests in their 30s and 40s,” Poole says. “And each trip is structured a little differently based on destination, duration and cost. Exotic trips that require longer travel to reach the destination or feature more physical activities, such as trips to Africa, Nepal, Bhutan and Peru, attract younger customers, as do trips that offer lower-cost luxury travel to places like India, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.”
Sometimes things are out of our control – for example, rising waters on the Loire River kept us anchored in Nantes for longer than expected and forced us to change some of our plans – but Brand g did their best to pivot and continue to offer their guests adventures, even if it meant longer than expected bus travel times.
My experience with Brand g Vacations was unforgettable. Personally, the highlight was meeting some of my best friends. Now that I have family in Palm Springs and Melbourne, I plan to return. At its core, Brand g is about heart, community, and the celebration of LGBTQ+ culture that most non-LGBTQ-focused vacations fail to offer.
Brand g offers a more intimate and immersive experience than larger, party-centric cruises, making it a great choice for LGBTQ+ travelers who value adventure and connection.
Brand g has 24 trips planned for 2025, including adventures in Japan, Australia and Scotland. See the full list of trips here.
