Gentle Nibbles Has a New Sponsor - You Reap the Benefits!

We are so excited to announce a new sponsor that has joined us here at Gentle Nibbles.  Shoes Only Travel, owned and operated by a real life and completely sexy Lifestyle couple, has come on board to help keep gentlenibbles.com alive and well.

This top notch husband and wife Lifestyle travel agency, is going above and beyond routine sponsorship as they are also now extending a major discount on a premiere luxury Lifestyle cruise to all of Gentle Nibble’s readers.

The cruise, aboard the Windstar, Windsurf sail driven cruise ship, is set to take sail on January 24, 2010.  This is not going to be a mixed vanilla and Lifestyle cruise aboard an ordinary vessel, instead this is a completely Lifestyle “Au Naturel” cruise aboard one of the premiere motor/sail luxury cruise liners in operation today.  The Windsurf will be carrying 152 sexy Lifestyle couples when it departs out of Barbados heading for six other Caribbean stops along it’s route.

Shoes Only Travel has offerred savings up to $2,485 to Gentle Nibbles readers depending on the package you select.  To find out more information about this very special offer Email Jonathan and Lori, and ask them about the Gentle Nibbles offer.  (Make sure and give us a heads up if you decide to go, as Mrs. G and myself are considering signing up ourselves.)

We are really excited to have these guys on board at Gentle Nibbles for several reasons. 

• They are classy and professional!
• They are real swingers!  They have profiles on several swinger websites and were even at Swingfest in Florida with us a couple of weeks ago.
• Their business is legitimate and personal.  They are not just a typical online “Lifestyle” travel booking agency.  Their approach is a personal one that involves making the best decisions for the traveler.  Check out their “Traveler Personality Profile” on their website to see what we are talking about.  We have had some bad experiences with booking online before, so the “personal” factor is very important to us!

Don’t just take our word for it.  Here is a fantastic letter we received from Jonathon and Lori regarding the origins and philosophy behind their business.

The Birth of Shoes Only Travel

We are asked quite often “so what made you decide to open “Shoes Only Travel?”. Like most things in life we came to it almost accidentally.  From a personal perspective, we are world travelers having been to dozens of countries and have enjoyed both textile as well as “Au Naturel” travel for years.

In addition to being well traveled we are what you might call extremely observant and demanding. While we like 5-star travel it is not necessary and we often travel in all categories. What we do demand and look for are experiences where the vacation exceeds our expectations.

Professionally, we have owned a “Brand Identity” consulting firm for over 7 years (having spent over 25 in the industry), providing strategic development and implementation programs for large corporations and governments across the US. In developing Brand Blueprints for our clients we are usually involved in all of the background research, planning and execution to make sure that we understand the customers’ needs and provide our clients the tools to exceed their customers’ expectations. That takes us back to our previously described travel experiences and observations……sort of an occupational hazard.

We spent a year doing some research for a client that involved the Clothing Optional and Lifestyle travel markets. What came out of that research was a deep understanding of the market and, more importantly, what the Lifestyle and Clothing Optional traveler was seeking. Marrying that research with our own personal knowledge led to Shoes Only Travel.

So what makes us different?

We, like other agencies, will of course book travelers to the most popular resorts such as Desire, Hedo and a few others, either individually or in groups. This is a major portion of the market for a good reason. These resorts do a great job and provide the Lifestyle and Clothing Optional traveler the experience they are looking for.

Let me give you an inside tip… the price you will pay from any travel provider is basically the same (it is also the exact price you will pay if you book directly with the resort). The resorts pay a commission out of their end so you, as the traveler, see the same price either way.

So what it comes down to is service and understanding. Understanding the resort as well as the traveler’s wants and needs. Shoes Only Travel has intimate knowledge of all the resorts we represent. We have been to each of them, know the management and understand the experience. We utilize a “Traveler Personality Profile” on our site to develop a clearer understanding of you and your desires so that we can match you to appropriate resorts, which will exceed you expectations. Even if you have been to Hedo II, say 10 times, if you have not been to Desire or Hidden Beach or Grand Lido it is hard to make a judgment about them.

Also, how wonderful is it to have a truly carefree trip? Knowing your transport to and from the airport has been arranged and confirmed for you the day of travel. Even your stay at the resort is personally confirmed the day or two prior to your arrival to make sure they are ready for you and all is good- even arranging an early check in and preferred room location when possible so you will not have to wait for a room and will get a super, rather than random location at the resort.

I recently saw a post for a group trip where the major benefit being highlighted was that they send you a goody bag with 3-4 lbs of stuff (junk).  We choose a little different direction.  Rather than spending money on a bag of things you don’t need and will likely throw away (like, the last thing I need is another bag of stuff) Shoes Only Travel has partnered with CarbonFund.org for our company and all of our travelers to have a green vacation.

This means that when you travel with Shoes Only Travel you will do so knowing your vacation has a Zero Carbon foot print. Shoes Only Travel is paying a fee to  CarbonFund.org for every vacation it books to offset your impact from:

Your round trip car ride from your house to the airport
Your round trip flight for 2 from your home airport to the destination airport
Your entire stay at the resort
Finally, you can vacation without clothes and a clear conscience!
Group trips are another area. We take great pains in developing interesting groups often including some entertainment or services not normally found at the resort for our group. We also have at least one host couple and/or staff to accompany the group to act as a liaison onsite with the resort as well as arrange some private parties for our group. It is all designed to make it a special experience for you.

Finally, we saw a need in the market for some more unique and unusual offerings. Again, while the traditional resorts are wonderful, many of us are also seeking new and unusual experiences. So at Shoes Only Travel we are constantly on the lookout for these opportunities. One such unique opportunity is our January 2010 charter of the Windstar’s Windsurf ship out of Barbados. This luxurious, intimate ship (156 cabins) is a total takeover which means this is a 100% Clothing Optional Lifestyle Cruise with unique parties, entertainment and excursions.

So welcome to our family and we look forward to being your Clothing Optional and Lifestyle friend in the travel business for years to come.

Enjoy,

Jonathan & Lori

We are glad to say that it looks like we have not only found a great sponsor, but our future travel agents as well!  Make sure and click on one of their banners to check out their great website as well!

Take care,
Mr. and Mrs. Gentlenibbles