Detours Gay Travel Blog
New Year, New Destinations: 2024 in Review
- Detours
- Dec 30, 2024
Well, 2024 was an absolute blast! And if the upcoming year is anything like the last, we’ve got a boatload (or plane-full) of unforgettable experiences lined up for 2025 too…
Looking back at the year that was, we have a lot to be grateful for at Detours.
We get to travel, create connections, and share unforgettable experiences in diverse destinations all around the globe. Doing this with an amazing team, and meeting so many wonderful travelers who join us along the way! 🛫🧳
Here’s a few highlights from last year…
Growing our Team
We had the privilege of welcoming two trip leaders to the Detours team this year: Clayton and Billy!
Clay made his Detours debut at the beginning of the year and joined us in Spain, Greece, and Japan. Clay’s biggest passion in life is world travel. A self-described modern-day Indiana Jones, who visited a modest 50 countries before turning 30! Now, each year he’s vowed to spend at least one month abroad to continue learning what treasures and experiences the world has to offer. Now that we have him at Detours, we have a feeling he might be spending more than a month abroad; sorry Clay… 🤠 🗺️
Billy’s first foray into trip leading (with us at Detours, anyway) was Australia. A full circle moment considering his travel journey started in the same place when he was 18. We’re excited to have him on the team, and we know our guests will love his bubbly, fun-loving personality and his love of travel. Billy is due for plenty of adventures in 2025 as he builds his travel repertoire with us and he’s looking forward to all the memories to be made in the years to come 🛬
Clay and Billy, welcome to our gay group travel community. We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for both of you!
Team Bonding
With our team members scattered around the globe you can imagine getting us all in the same room (let alone the same continent) can be challenging. But we sure try our best!
We had our annual team getaway in a cozy cabin in the woods, and our 12th annual Detours Christmas party where we saw the Cirque du Soleil perform ECHO and hit the town for dinner and drinks afterwards!
It’s our treat to plan and bring our laid-back and authentic trips to life! And to do it with such an amazing team makes it even better…
Is it a lot of work? Yes. But traveling (or planning it) never feels like work. Or maybe that’s because we all have a few days off… 🤭
All jokes aside, we’re grateful to be doing this! Plus, it’s a big world out there… 🌎🌍🌏
Detours does Japan!
This year we had the pleasure of introducing our first trips to the land of the rising sun. Five departures to be exact… 🗾⛩️🍣
Japan’s reputation as a world class destination is no secret. Even though we can live vicariously through incredible photos of Tokyo, the countryside, or the mountains; it’s a destination that truly needs to be experienced firsthand.
From tasting some of the best sushi in the world, looking at very large shirtless men (sumo wrestlers), walking through bamboo forests, witnessing macaques in hot springs, and navigating the politest crowds in the world; Japan exceeded our expectations!
We know this trip will be a fan favourite for years to come and we can wait to get back in 2025! And back we’ll certainly be… with 11 trips lined up this year! 🏯
We have a feeling Japan will never look the same way twice…
Croatia, we’ve missed you
Croatia made its return to our itinerary in 2024, because who doesn’t love Baltic hospitality, Mediterranean cuisine, white sand beaches, clear blue waters, and ancient medieval cities?
Croatia is hard to put your finger on, but anything that earns the unofficial title of Europe’s best kept secret, is certainly doing something right…
From the old town of Zagreb, to the ancient walled town of Split, island hopping to the cosmopolitan town of Hvar, and taking in the incredible historic city of Dubrovnik —it’s a treat for any traveller. But if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, maybe even more of a treat!
This trip even includes a stop in neighboring Bosnia to experience the beauty of Mostar and its iconic bridge, Stari Most.
Croatia is always a hit with our travelers! And we’re excited that it's back in our rotation.
Rhine River Cruising
We also launched an extra-special voyage, exclusively offered to our alumni travelers! 🚢 🛟
A nine-day trip down the Rhine River with pit stops in unique towns and at fabulous European Christmas markets, and Drag Queen performances, cooking demos, and games onboard too.
My FOMO was kicking in for this trip, but I heard nothing but good things from our trip leaders Brandon, Dan, Miles and Ollie. It went so well that we launched our 2nd trip, available to the public, next summer!
This unforgettable trip is one our seamen and sailors will never forget!
Discovering the Jewels of the GEM
In October, we had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo for their “soft opening” - some of the first people in the world to do so.
Visiting one of the largest, most modern, and renowned museums in the entire world did not disappoint! This billion-dollar project brings together 12 rooms with countless Egyptian artifacts under one roof and where they belong: back in Egypt.
This bucket list museum experience was well worth the wait and was one of the highlights of our year!
See you Next Year
Whether you’re a seasoned Detours traveler, or you’ve still yet to join us on your first, we’re eager to keep shaking things up with improved itineraries and new destinations through the coming year. In fact, we’ve already published trips all the way through early 2026 for those of you who are super-duper planners.
We’ve got space available for Australia, Egypt, Peru, Portugal & Morocco, and Central Europe, plus more destinations to choose from!
Until we see you next, have a wonderful New Year and we hope you’re as excited as we are for what 2025 has in store!