As you might imagine, I log a lot miles on the road and in the air every year. People always ask me about my favorite places. Here is the answer. In my travels, I am always on the lookout for what’s new, innovative, and cutting-edge. Yet, I am consistently surprised when I run up against the ordinary in the travel industry. And, that is too often the case… the same old stuff – the same sights, the same activities and the same routings. I found this in Australia, China and Chile, just to name a few. At times, there seems to be little difference between private tours and the masses of buses in that they are all headed to exactly the same places.

Indeed, probably 95% of travelers are still being funneled into the same molds, whether they are private clients or mass market. At Big Five, we have deliberately chosen to look after the 5% who share our philosophy, where the most valued asset has nothing to do with price. Of course, there are classic sights that will nearly always be included. After all, who would go to Egypt the first time and not visit the great pyramids of Giza? But there can still be distinctiveness and originality in how they are seen. That is our intellectual property, where creativity, originality and outside-the-box thinking are the rule and not the exception. This is ingrained in our entire Big Five team, which means that we look deeper and farther afield to give you something more. Our aim is to present you with journeys that are worth taking!

With President’s Pick, I wanted to take that a step further, to share adventures that I am personally passionate about, tours that have touched me in some way and where I have seen a serious need to not merely think outside the box, but to destroy the box. I have never been one to follow, and I always aim to make a positive difference in every one of our destinations. Please enjoy my personal picks, and let us help you plan yours.

After the excitement of the wedding ceremony, couples begin their shared journey on an unforgettable exotic honeymoon adventure. From spectacular locations around the globe, the perfectly planned honeymoon vacation offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Discover Africa by vehicle, boat, on foot, by horseback, or from the air by hot-air balloon or privately chartered plane. Explore the Central American Maya mountains for a few days and then rest by the shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea. Experience unique landscapes and explore traditional cultures while savoring stays in luxurious and unique accommodations from suites to private villas that incorporate the best in sustainable practices. New beginnings are worth with the wait.

There is an exciting global movement to reduce our traditional modes of producing and using new energies. Everyone’s talking about it but what is alternative energy all about and how does it help us? In a general sense, alternative energy is that which is produced or recovered without the undesirable consequences inherent in fossil fuel use, particularly high carbon dioxide emissions, an important factor in global warming.

Alternative sources encompass five general areas: solar, generating of electricity from the sun; wind, generating electrical energy from wind; biomass electricity, plant-derived energy that substitutes gasoline for powering vehicles; hydroelectric and ocean energy, generating energies using water; and geothermal, utilizing steam from the ground’s core for general electricity production.

Around the world, people and businesses are embracing new ideas and approaches. That is the focus of Big Five’s New Energies Collection.

What if they told you that you can’t change the world?

You can…

We know that kids can make a difference.

We have partnered with Family Travel Association, to help educate, motivate and inspire families to understand the value of family travel, much like our luxury family vacations. Going on kids holidays with your children when they are young is one of the greatest and potentially most powerful gifts you can ever give them.

Precious Journeys® adventures allow our youngest travelers, from ages five to 11, to explore a wondrous world of exciting places filled with incredible animals, amazing landscapes and fun things to do. In crafting these unique journeys, we have selected the best options in touring that put children first such as the number and length of flights on any specific day, the number of hours spent driving between destinations, the flexibility available in meal options, availability of specialized children’s programs, activities, guides, and more.

Our goal is to inspire kids to discover the world’s grandeur as well as its challenges. They will encounter other cultures, and meet other children as well as fascinating people working on real-world solutions. They will learn what the sustainability movement means from a global perspective, and have opportunities to experience fields ranging from archaeology to conservation to organic farming. These journeys, with more coming online soon, are meant to inspire our children to meet the world… head on.

New Challenges & New Directions

Precious Journeys® College Edition is about the next steps for our future leaders as they begin to discover their own voices, talents and independent forms of expression. These adventures allow young adults to continue to explore while still with their families, and, at the same time, begin to use the knowledge and skills they have gained up to this point.

Just as Precious Journeys® introduced younger children to new places, people and experiences that they have not likely encountered before such as a hands-on peanut butter workshop in Guatemala, Precious Journeys® College Edition presents young adults with opportunities to investigate more complex interests such as the global art form of graffiti as expressed in Buenos Aires, Colombia and elsewhere; or on a multi-day trek walk to connect with Australia’s amazing wilderness; or a climb up 750 steps of Sri Lanka’s 12th-century Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

Precious Journeys® College Edition challenges tomorrow’s leaders to make a difference as they prepare for college, careers and future lives.