Raleigh-based world traveler Desmond Barnes founded group travel company Views Weekend to offer members cultural, networking, adventurous, fun and relaxing experiences while traveling abroad. (Kiara Harris)

Here for the Views

In Do, February 2023 by Lauren Kruchten1 Comment

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It was a study abroad trip to Bangkok that changed Desmond Barnes’ outlook on travel. Despite temporarily losing his wallet on the way there, the well-seasoned globe-trotter—who’s visited 32 countries (!)—was welcomed with open arms by his host family and ultimately experienced his “golden years,” he says. “Studying abroad was, hands down, the best choice I ever made.” 

Upon returning to the States, Raleigh-based Barnes wanted others to enjoy the same travel awakening. After organizing small vacations stateside with friends, he began planning international trips with fellow wanderlusters—and so began Views Weekend, which curates stress-free global group trips.

“I like to think of Views Weekend as the bait,” says Barnes. “So I bait people with all these amazing things we’re gonna see, but, deep down, my goal is to help people get their first travel experience—to explore destinations they may not have known they had access to—and break down those travel barriers to show them there’s a whole world out there.”

Since his first international trip to Jamaica with ~60 participants, Barnes’ travel company has transported some 1,200+ vacationers from Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte (though anyone in the U.S. can sign-up for a trip) to destinations like Saint Lucia and the DR. This year, ops include Riviera Maya, Mexico (June 22–26); Cartagena, Colombia (July 20–24); and Dubai (Sept. 27—Oct. 2). 

Each trip is all-inclusive (food and liquor) and competitively priced (from $1,250, including cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance), with curated experiences based on trip tier: Summer Homecoming (Mexico), Views Culture (Colombia) or Views Platinum (Dubai).

Summer Homecoming, Barnes explains, is geared toward first-time international travelers and those who enjoy a more upbeat experience—aka a jampacked week of excursions (boat party, anyone?!). Views Culture, as the name suggests, leans luxe experience + destination education, by, say, visiting a UNESCO site. And Views Platinum “helps members check off bucket-list locations like Paris and Dubai with luxurious stays and meals,” says the master curator.

In 2024, look for the premiere Views Unplugged trip to Bali to hone in on “slow travel” for those who feel travel burnout and just want to silence their phones and put the world on wait.

“A lot of people—especially Americans—leverage their vacation days very differently than people from other countries,” says Barnes. “And I understand this may be their only vacation for the year, or may be their first vacation abroad, so we just want to be extremely mindful about what our members are entrusting us with—their time and money.” 

In addition to the curated outings, each trip also includes five-star accommodations and what Barnes has dubbed a Views Token, enabling tripgoers to customize their experience based on interests—say an ATV excursion or a massage. 

“All of our members have different travel styles,” explains Barnes, “and we understand everyone is not going to want to do the same things.” No matter the “view,” though, everyone ends up having a blast. Pack your bags! viewsweekend.com

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