Discover more about Detours small group multi-day excursions, including its latest offering, a river cruise between Amsterdam and Brussels to coincide with this summer’s Pride celebrations.
Ask what sets Detours Travel apart from other group tour companies, and Brandon Folkes, the Brand and Marketing Manager for the Canadian-based company, will point to the sense of community that its participants experience.
“It is a very brave thing for somebody to join a group tour if you’ve never done it before,” said Folkes. “The thing that sets ours apart is that, when you do go on our tours, you realize how many people you can actually relate to and connect with from all over the world and different walks of life.”
Created in 2012, Detours is a group of passionate travellers who all share a passion for travelling. It offers small group, 8 to 13 day gay adventure tours to select destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America, and, for the first time, a river cruise from Amsterdam to Brussels—timed to coincide with iconic Amsterdam Pride.
“It so famous with its parade down the canals, and Amsterdam being such an LGBT-friendly, it seemed right to start our river cruise there,” Folkes said.
Taking place from July 31 to Aug. 7, Detours’ river cruise will depart Amsterdam to visit the bustling port of Rotterdam, head over to Amsterdam for the weekend of Pride, explore the iconic windmills of Kinderdijk, drink in the historical charm of Dordrecht, and admire the medieval beauty of Bruges before concluding our adventure in the heart of Belgium, Brussels.
As with Detours other offerings, what will make this tour unique compared to those offered by other companies, is its approach to travel. “It’s about connecting people together through travel, through authenticity,” he said. “We’re not like party cruises or party tours, we are more about connecting with culture, connecting with the destinations that we operate in.”
“What sets us apart is our philosophy, which is that we have structured spontaneity on our tours. Yes, we are a tour company and we have an itinerary that we do, but we always ensure that there’s free time for travellers to be able to do the things that they want to do. There is always this opportunity to relax and sit on the beach, or if you want to go zip-lining, or if you want to go to a hike, or if you want to now do cooking class—these are options you can do on your tour if you want to.”
That ability to design elements of your own tour while you are on an excursion with Detours is part of the reason why so many of its loyal travellers—which Folkes describes as predominantly gay men—keep coming back, some more than a dozen times. While 95 per cent of its customers are gay men, it is inclusive to any travellers that share their love of connecting with other people and have amazing travel experiences.
“What they love about our tours is that you do get to build this sense of community and you do get that attention, and it creates an experience that when you finish your tour you leave on a high as you made friends and done the things that you wanted to do while having a great time.”
Folkes said Detours also tries to keep its tours limited to about 16 people because it allows them to really get to know each other and build connections. It is also small enough that the trip leader, who are there to ensure your trip is everything you’re looking for and more, can give each participant a proper amount of attention.
“We pride ourselves on our trip leaders. These are people that are responsible, that are fun, that can think out-of-the-box, are there to help you, and are engaged with people. Our trip leaders are people who love people.”
More importantly, said Folkes, the leaders are there to set the tone of the tour and create the atmosphere that keeps its travellers coming back again and again for unique travel experiences.
“Coming on our tours, it is really just going to open your mind and make you realize, ‘Wow, there are a lot of really cool, funny, interesting people out there.’ And it isn’t as scary to come on a group tour as you might think it would be,” he said. “You can just decide to go to Rome and travel to Rome alone, but it is very different when you do it with a group of people all invested in enjoying themselves, having good times and having authentic and social experiences.”
To learn more about what sets Detours apart, details on the different tours and destinations it offers, or to sign up for the upcoming river cruise from Amsterdam to Brussels, visit detourstravel.com.
