Surfing, stretching and drinking… in a group trip?

As a burnt-out fitness professional, Mantas Zvinas was looking for a group vacation that didn’t exist. So he created one for himself. That inspired the founding of SurfYogaBeer, a tour company that has become popular among the young and active. Mantas joins this episode of the podcast to tell his group travel story, explain how his trips build friendships between strangers and share tips for aspiring tourism entrepreneurs.

Mantas explains why young people love coming on his group trips (it’s not just about the beer) and how he recruits and trains trip leaders to be excellent at facilitating fun and connection. He also explains why the size of a travel group may not be as important as many people think and gives an inside look at how his company attracts new customers. Plus, we have news about a decline in travel to the U.S. from Canada; a Road Tip about using your phone abroad; and a Hot Minute about the ways a government-imposed Big Tech breakup could impact your travel business.

Mantas had a great perspective about the real mission of SurfYogaBeer’s trips and why they resonate so deeply with customers. Here’s what he said about the power of personal connection in group travel:

“It’s all about bringing people together. What we focus on these trips is that camaraderie, and you create that through going through something difficult. But we also play games throughout the day that bring people together…. By the end of day one, you’re so connected with everybody. You’re having a beer and you’re sharing your deepest secrets with somebody you met 24 hours ago.”

Plus, he had insightful thoughts on:

Learn more about SurfYogaBeer at surfyogabeer.com.

Follow SurfYogaBeer and Mantas Zvinas on Instagram.

Connect with The Group Travel Leader on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

1:50 — Travel News: Inbound travel from Canada is falling

3:20 — Road Tip: Using mobile data when traveling abroad

8:38 — Great follows on social media

13:56 — How Mantas Zvinas discovered fitness travel amid professional burnout

19:48 — The community effort that built SurfYogaBeer

23:20 — What SurfYogaBeer trips look like today

27:41 — Training world-class trip leaders

30:01 — What’s the ideal size of a group trip?

31:19 — How customers fine SurfYogaBeer

33:12 — Turning a following into a travel company

49:52 — Hot Minute: How could a Big Tech breakup affect your travel company?

See the full interview with Mantas, including content not in the regular episode, on our YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor Visit Atlantic City for making this episode possible. Learn more about group travel to Atlantic City at visitatlanticcity.com.

Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.

You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.