For many years, elite clients who could afford to spend weeks on private holidays were the ones belonging to exclusive travel clubs. But now, the world’s changing landscape is opening up members-only travel to those who want and can afford a luxury holiday while still keeping an eye on their budget.
Membership-only travel is evolving to serve those discerning clients who now have more freedom to travel because they’re working remotely due to the ongoing pandemic. Their top priorities remain at gaining life-enriching travel experiences but with an emphasis on the protection of their overall health and safety while traveling.
The pandemic has made many people second-guess their family vacation, business, and leisure travel plans. But with months of travel-restrictions, quarantining, and being bound to their homes, travelers find themselves anxious and ready for a break from the mundane.
Mike Cantrell, a 20+ year distributor at Global Connections, the company that created the award-winning Global Discovery Vacations membership, explains what the changing travel landscape looks like for many people who now find themselves working from home.
“We find that more and more people, who were once confined to working out of an office space, now have the freedom to work remotely from anywhere in the world,” he says. “It’s created a new laptop lifestyle that begs for people to travel more to escape from the routine while still earning a living and with tons of flexibility to explore the world.”
His energy and enthusiasm for all things travel are infectious. Listening to him explain how his company can help the average person plan world-class travel on a budget is enough to make anyone consider a luxury nomadic lifestyle.
The pandemic has changed the way we vacation
The subscription model that’s long been a staple in music and television streaming services is making its way to the luxury travel market and just at the right time to stave off travel-restriction blues. Global Discovery Vacations, “GDV,” is considered the leader in the subscription travel industry that has not only tested the market but created a sustainable way of unlimited vacationing for the intrepid traveler and nomadic souls alike. For a one time enrollment fee, travelers now have access to some of the world’s most beautiful and coveted vacation destinations through GDV’s premier luxury travel subscription services.
Cantrell gives us some tips and tricks for incorporating unlimited stays in popular destinations without breaking the bank.
1. Become a member
Becoming a subscription member of a travel club opens the doors for booking unlimited stays in private vacation residences. It also gives you access to legacy five-star hotel brands that have partnered up with GDV to bring you some of the most coveted properties around the globe. And with so many people staying home from school and working remotely because of COVID-19, it makes sense that now is the time to take advantage of the added flexibility to travel.
2. Be one of the first
Be one of the first people to try upscale leisure travel before the trend sees an explosion in the upcoming years. The first few people to join get the advantage of booking the most exclusive properties first before they’re booked to capacity, especially on popular travel days and holidays. Being the first also gives you a sense of exclusivity and belonging to a group of exclusive travelers.
3. Consider your options
“Booked inventory, especially in the high season, has always been a problem in reserving the most popular vacation property destinations,” says Cantrell. GDV has solved this common luxury travel problem by incorporating thousands of hotel rooms and private homes in their portfolio of properties available to its members. They use long-term leases to manage both homes and hotel rooms around the world.
4. Be flexible
With a GDV traditional subscription model, members pay an enrollment fee to join, then an optional yearly fee to gain access to most, if not all, of the properties that they handle – depending on the subscription level that you opt for. The membership allows travelers to select from any of the available properties in an easy-to-book format. Cantrell says that members have access to most of his company’s inventory throughout the year based on availability and level of membership the traveler has paid for. He credits his company’s five-star ratings to a combination of offering a great product, providing luxury travel experiences to their guests, and the traveler’s overall flexibility on getting them into the best properties for their money.
Global Discovery Vacations leads the subscription travel market
Subscriptions aren’t for magazines and newspapers anymore. Many subscription-based businesses such as Netflix, Rent the Runway, and ClassPass has already proven such a model’s success. Now it’s luxury travel’s turn to pave the way for travelers to explore the world. Global Discovery Vacations has been a leader in the travel industry for decades under its parent company, Global Connections, Inc. They aren’t new to travel or knowing what the discerning traveler looks for when booking luxury travel. With a GDV membership, you can book an unlimited number of vacations or long-term stays for the cost of the subscription fee. This fee doesn’t cover the cost of travel to and from your chosen destination, nor the cost of incidentals. But it does save you thousands of dollars each year, depending on how much you take advantage of the membership perks. Members have the freedom to book their travel with short notice. They can also plan their stays up to a year in advance. There is no need to wait a week after checking out before booking your next reservation like some of the other similar subscription-travel based companies that have recently popped up. For a small added fee, you can even share your membership with friends or family for those times when you’re not traveling.
A luxurious experience at a fraction of the cost
With GDV, what you pay versus what you’d have to pay is the model that makes this subscription service worth the membership price. You’ll never again have to worry about how much a nightly reservation rate is or if you can work the cost of it into your budget. With a travel subscription from GDV, all the rates have already been pre-negotiated for you, and you won’t ever have to look for a more affordable option when booking your travel. As with most luxury travel hotels and resort destinations, reservations offer generous cancellation policies without penalty. The safety and cleanliness standards all meet or exceed the recommended minimums throughout the world.
Deluxe Travel That’s Worth the Price
The travel demand has increased overall now that people have been isolated for months and are needing an escape. Booking safe, reliable, and flexible travel is at the top of most travelers’ minds when planning their vacations. A travel subscription service allows you to prioritize your vacation in a safe and stress-free environment. For those who travel frequently throughout the year, a GDV travel subscription is well worth the price. Memberships not only have the potential to save you thousands of dollars in travel-related expenses each year, but they also afford you the peace of mind of one-stop shopping. You can book all of your travel reservations in one place regardless of where you want to travel to around the globe.
To learn more about Global Discovery Vacations, please visit our online enrollment center at gdvweb.com.
