Category: News

Gate 1 Travel is excited to announce that we are launching our first photo contest with a chance to win $500! Tag your best photo(s) from past trips with both #gate1travel #gate1contest and be entered to win a $500 Visa pre-paid gift card. One winning photo will be selected from each category (Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, Asia & Pacific, USA & Canada, and Latin America). The grand prize winner will be chosen from among the regional winners by our Facebook fans! The contest is open until February 29, 2016 and a winner will be announced in March. Full Details

How to Enter:

1. Upload photos to Twitter or Instagram or from your computer/device at gate1travel.com/photocontest
2. Hashtag #gate1travel and #gate1contest with the country where you took the photo (ex: #gate1travel #contest #italy)
3. Be sure that your social profile (Twitter or Instagram) is set to public
4. Keep an eye on our site and encourage your friends to vote for the grand prize winner on Facebook for your chance to win!

Categories: Europe, Mediterranean, Africa, Asia & Pacific, USA & Canada, Latin America

Instagram & Twitter: #gate1travel #gate1contest & follow Gate 1 Travel

Facebook: Upload directly from your profile, like Gate 1 Travel & share with your friends to vote for your photo!

Looking for inspiration? Check out our traveler photo gallery to see what others have posted!

Click here for full Terms & Conditions.

It has been just over a year since we launched the Gate 1 Foundation, our nonprofit organization committed to improving lives through travel, education and cultural exchange. Our mission is simple and basic: to provide children with better opportunities to learn and grow by offering supplies and new facilities to some of the world’s most rural and under-served places. But simple and basic needs can sometimes prove challenging to provide, which is why we have an entire team dedicated to the effort. The Gate 1 Foundation has just been formally approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This is exciting news as we will soon be able to accept charitable, tax deductible, donations to further increase the scope of our efforts for the children the foundation supports.

Since we began, the Foundation has not only donated time and resources to improve school conditions, including new classrooms, printers, computers, uniforms and even wood-burning stoves; it has also invited our travelers to visit the schools we help, encouraging them to hand-deliver supplies – like pencils and paper and everyday items like warm clothes – directly into the hands of teachers. It’s a terrific learning opportunity for everyone, and a chance for travelers to hear firsthand about the local curriculum and about the community issues that affect a village’s education efforts. “As a teacher, visiting the school in Ecuador was the highlight of my trip!” said Patti F. of Chicago, California, of the insight she gained during a visit.

In Costa Rica, students benefit from a new playground constructed in a safe environment free of debris. In Peru, Gate 1 funds multiple projects in five different schools. In Thailand, kids are enjoying a new library built with funds from the Foundation. All told, we have been proud to help 16 schools in 9 countries: Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Bali, Thailand, Turkey, Swaziland, India and Colombia. And we are working on an additional project in Turkey, with new projects in South Africa, Morocco and beyond.

You can learn more about the Gate 1 Foundation here. We hope our efforts inspire you as much as they inspire us. We invite you to check back to the website often to learn how you can make donations directly to the places we support, many of which are featured on Gate 1 Travel’s itineraries.

Gate 1 understands that today’s marketplace is comprised of a variety of interests and price points. Gate 1’s Custom Group Department has the tools you, a professional group leader needs to address this diversity and to present a professional, accurate and price-sensitive quotation.

Book your group of 15 or more on a pre-scheduled tour/cruise program or work with one of our dedicated staff to fully customize an itinerary that works best to fit your group.

Regardless of your group type, our sales staff will work with you to get the best possible pricing. Wonder how we do it?

Gate 1’s strong relationships with hotels and suppliers worldwide due to the overall company volume allows us to be strongly competitive in the Group Travel market

Our dedicated air team works on your groups behalf, with most major airlines to negotiate and find the right airfare to fit your group’s needs

In addition to getting the best possible pricing, here are some other reasons to book a group with Gate 1 Travel:

Ability to create a fully customized itinerary to fit your groups needs

Take advantage of our Group Sales staff with over 30 years experience in Group travel, who are also supported by the expertise and first hand knowledge of our 21 offices in destinations worldwide

Group Dedicated website with online group reservation capabilities

Our experienced tour managers stand out, as we know that the true value of your groups tour is when you are in their hands

Visit us at https://www.gate1travel.com/groups to get started today!

We are excited that construction of the brand new MS Monarch Empress is proceeding right on schedule. Ship building began earlier this year in Romania where her hull and exterior finishing touches were completed. In late August the Empress made the long journey along Europe’s waterways to the Netherlands where she is today. Work on her interior spaces is being done in full earnest.

With more than ten years of experience offering European river cruises, the Monarch Empress marks Gate 1’s first brand new vessel. She has been designed to offer some of the most spacious and comfortable accommodations on Europe’s rivers. Cabins range in size from 140 to 210 square feet and feature soothing blue and white interiors, cherry wood accents and top-of-the-line furnishings. 80 percent of the cabins also offer French balconies, providing private views of the stunning riverbanks. Other state-of-the-art amenities include a sundeck lounge, a generously sized library, a dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and an elevator to whisk passengers between decks.

The Monarch Empress will sail throughout 2016 along with the MS Sound of Music, a grand river cruise enjoyed by many Gate 1 travelers. The Sound of Music is scheduled to spend the Spring in Holland & Belgium, with the majority of 2016 sailing season featuring 7-night Rhine River itineraries and 14-night Classic European sailings which span much of Western and Central Europe between Amsterdam and Budapest. The Monarch Empress will spend most of her time featuring 7-night Danube River itineraries between Regensburg and Budapest, with a plethora of itinerary variations available which included pre- and post-cruise land tour extensions. Both ships are more than 50 percent sold for the 2016 season with many specific sailings already sold out, so we encourage those who have been considering a European river cruise not to wait. Book now and secure the sailing and itinerary that you have been thinking about. Click here to see all 2016 European River Cruises.