How Zoom Vacations Found a Niche in Luxury Gay Travel

In this interview, we delve into the inspiring journey of Bryan Herb, co-owner of Zoom Vacations, a luxury travel company catering to the LGBTQ+ community. Alongside his co-founder Joel Cabrera, Bryan has successfully navigated the challenges of the travel industry, creating unique and memorable experiences for their clientele.

Join us as we explore their motivations, strategies, and the invaluable lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Inspiration Behind Zoom Vacations

SBS – What inspired you to start Zoom Vacations?

Bryan – We actually started Zoom Vacations right after 9/11. I lived in New York City at the time, and it was definitely a wake-up call that life is unpredictable and that anything can happen. Life can be taken from you in a moment. Certainly we realized that life is too short to spend it not doing what you love.

We had seen other tour companies that offered either backpacking trips or very expensive, minimally active trips, and it was either-or. We realized that what was missing was beautiful trips that were luxurious, accessible, and also very active, with special events provided that someone couldn’t do on their own.

Destination Selection Process

SBS – How do you select the destinations for your tours?

Bryan – There are certain places that we ourselves have always wanted to visit, so we visit those places first before bringing a group. Also, a lot of times during cocktail parties or other social events, we listen to hear what people desire. The LGBTQ+ community talks a lot about travel, and it is in our blood. So, my business partner and I do a lot of listening. Also, sometimes destinations or hotels reach out to us with ideas for programs.

Challenges of Launching a Niche Business

SBS – What challenges did you face when launching a niche travel business?

Bryan – There have been many challenges, but the one that has always been there is the belief many people have that they can do certain things cheaper on their own rather than joining a group, and they don’t necessarily see the value. Once people take a trip with us, the value becomes apparent after the first day. Especially when little issues may come up, and they always do, we are there to handle them, allowing our travelers to simply have the much-needed vacation that they need.

Of course, the recession was a challenge, as was COVID, and various disruptions took place in countries around the world. It feels like every year, there is something we are maneuvering.

We have been quite resilient to these and other challenges. I imagine that since we started a travel company right after 9/11, we have always had a lot of courage and have always known that we can persevere.

Ensuring Traveler Safety and Comfort

SBS – How do you ensure the safety and comfort of your LGBTQ+ travelers in diverse cultural contexts?

Bryan – We do a lot of research before bringing a group to any destination, and we only select hotels, excursions, and restaurants that are gay-friendly. We educate our travelers on how they can be extra safe in each destination. When necessary, we have even employed security.

Building and Maintaining Customer Loyalty

SBS – What strategies have you used to build and maintain a loyal customer base?

Bryan – Ever since we started, our hallmark has always been to under-promise and over-deliver. We would rather put our money into providing great experiences rather than having mediocre trips and then spending that money on advertising and marketing. Instead, we want to create experiences that are so unique, interesting, and one of a kind that people feel compelled to spread the word. Since we survive on word-of-mouth like this, it certainly keeps us providing the best product possible.

The other benefit is that our travelers are really wonderful people, and the people they refer to us as are generally wonderful people as well.

Handling Tour Logistics

SBS – How do you handle the logistics of organizing luxury tours in multiple countries?

Bryan – We have incredible local teams that we’ve worked with for years in each of our destinations. We are in constant communication with them before and during the trip, as well as after, where we spend considerable time discussing how the trip went, what could possibly be improved, and what new things are on the horizon at each destination.

Evolution of LGBTQ+ Travel Acceptance

SBS – How has the perception and acceptance of LGBTQ+ travel evolved since you started?

Bryan – When we first started our company 23 years ago, we used to ask if destinations or hotels were gay-friendly and willing to accept a gay group. There has been a huge pendulum shift now from hoping that a hotel will allow us to come to hotels doing everything they can to get our business. It took a little bit of time, but the travel industry finally realized that LGBTQ+ people are, in general, incredible travelers who spend a lot of money while they travel and treat locals with respect and honor.

Effective Marketing Strategies

SBS – What marketing strategies have been most effective for Zoom Vacations?

Bryan – We have had incredible success with our social media posts. For instance, on my last trip to Rwanda and Kenya, I was merely posting about the experience. Just from people seeing my posts, we sold out the following year’s trip before I had even left Kenya.

Customization of Tours

SBS – How do you maintain a high level of customization for each tour?

Bryan – One of the things that sets us apart from other people in the travel industry is the lengths that we go to in order to get to know our travelers before the tour even starts. It helps that about 80% of the people on each tour are Zoom Vacations alumni, who we already know very well. We tailor each tour based on who is on that tour and their unique interests.

Our upcoming tour to Peru, for instance, will be somewhat different than the tour we did two years ago because the people on the tour all have different tastes. If we have a group that we know is comprised of a lot of foodies, then cuisine becomes an even bigger part of that trip. If we have a trip that has a lot of photography buffs, then we incorporate moments for great photography, even more so on that particular tour.

Advice for Aspiring Travel Entrepreneurs

SBS – What advice would you give to entrepreneurs starting a travel business today?

Bryan – Travel. Seriously, the biggest thing that I would tell anyone is to make sure that you yourself are actively traveling and seeing the world in new and interesting ways. I would suggest going to travel shows and finding a mentor in the travel industry, especially a travel agent or tour operator.

Managing Local Partnerships

SBS – How do you manage partnerships with local businesses and guides?

Bryan – We meet many of our partners, businesses, and guides while attending travel shows throughout the world. We have even hosted many suppliers at our office for events. One thing we’ve always known is that life is all about relationships. It isn’t just the relationship we have with our travelers that matters; it is the relationship with our partners that absolutely has been one of the reasons for our success.

Future Plans for Zoom Vacations

SBS – What are your future plans for Zoom Vacations?

Bryan – Our focus is certainly going towards mind, body, and spirit wellness. Especially after COVID, the world has seen the importance of connection with others and to ourselves. We recently attended an Ayurvedic wellness retreat in India, as well as an experiential, vegan hiking retreat outside of Rome, Italy. We are steering our travelers more and more towards experiences like this. Walking the talk, we even hold our own retreat in the Maldives every year, where we bask in beauty and share ideas for the future of our company.

We have always wanted to give people more than just a good time. We have always wanted people to feel inspired, and that is more true now than ever before