In 2024, you may e-book one (or extra) drone group holidays. What are drone group holidays, precisely? On this context, it’s mainly the final word journey expertise for drone pilots. You present up (in a wide ranging location, after all) together with your drone, and somebody plans the remainder — all the way in which down from the place you’ll keep and the way you get round. And sure, that even consists of the place you may safely and legally fly your drone.

Your drone group holidays planner is Johan Vandenhecke, a Belgium-based, award-winning aerial photographer. For the previous few years, he’s made a profession out of hosted guided excursions with drone pilots in thoughts. Meaning you’re touring the world with like-minded individuals (who’re keen to cease on the facet of the street and fly for the proper aerial shot, and who’re keen to get up early to get that golden hour mild).

Vandenhecke has simply revealed his lineup of 2024 drone group holidays, and it’s received me able to e-book airfare now. Actually, a few of these drone pictures journeys are so in style, they’ve already bought out. Right here’s the drone group trip lineup for the subsequent 12 months:

• March 2024 in South Africa: 5 days, 4 nights in a luxurious safari camp (bought out)
• April 2024 in Malta: 4 days, 3 nights in a luxurious villa
• Might 2024 in Azores, Portugal: 7 days, 6 nights in a luxurious villa
• August 2024 in Iceland: 6 days, 5 nights in a 4×4 campervan
• September 2024 in Mauritius: 7 days, 6 nights in a luxurious villa
• November 2024 in Socotra: 7 days, 6 nights in nomad tents

A number of the journeys are mainly replicas of journeys Vandenhecke has hosted in 12 months’s previous. His journey to the island of Mauritius has been a perennial favourite, combining drone flying with out of doors adventures like sundown crusing, waterfall path climbing and swimming with dolphins.

Different highlights embrace a journey to the Azores, which is an archipelago  composed of 9 volcanic islands within the Macaronesia area of the North Atlantic Ocean. Just like the Mauritius journey, that one’s a repeat of previous years — maybe unsurprising given how in style it’s been. In 2021, the group noticed a pod of 9 sperm whales, and in 2022 they noticed a blue whale passing by and a giant male sperm whale, who curiously meandered across the group’s boat for about 45 minutes.

Not all of the journeys are repeats although. For instance, new this 12 months is a drone safari journey in South Africa.

Oh, and in case you actually need to plan forward, Vandenhecke has one drone journey on the books thus far for 2025. That’s a 6 day, 5 evening journey in June 2025 to Madeira, an archipelago within the North Atlantic Ocean that’s thought of an autonomous area of Portugal. And that one may simply be the final word spot for drone pilots, on condition that in 2020 it was named ‘Europe’s Main Island Vacation spot 2020’ on the World Journey Awards for its out of doors adventures.

Simply know that these journeys aren’t precisely nice in case you’re an extremely frugal traveler. For instance, the Azores journey begins at 2,500 euros, and that doesn’t embrace airfare. Nevertheless it’s actually value it for a lot of. In any case, that covers a 7-day, all-inclusive keep, together with actions and luxurious lodging. You’ll additionally get highly-personalized consideration on condition that teams are deliberately small (for instance, that Azores journey is capped at six attendees).

What to find out about group journey chief Johan Vandenhecke

Johan Vandenhecke is probably going finest identified on-line for his digital drone class referred to as Drone Adventurer Masterclass+ (which not coincidentally is The Drone Woman’s upcoming decide for the finest drone photograph programs of 2024). He’s additionally written a number of free drone eBooks. 

Most of his teachings focus on DJI drones. Vandenhecke himself first began flying drones on the DJI Mavic Air earlier than upgrading to the DJI Mavic 2 Professional (and onwards and upwards from there).

In addition to main drone group holidays, Vandenhecke works as a contract photographer. Provided that entrepreneurial background, count on to make use of the journey to achieve invaluable enterprise expertise too. (Equally, his Drone Adventurer Masterclass+ on-line course covers not simply pictures, however enterprise recommendation like how you can work with manufacturers and how you can negotiate funds).

What different drone group holidays are on the market?

Vandenhecke’s drone photograph journeys are the paradigm for drone holidays, however they’re actually not the one ones.

Some have had combined success. At one level, the New York Instances provided a drone trip to Norway by means of an offshoot of its newspaper enterprise referred to as Instances Journeys, although this system resulted in 2021.

It’s additionally attainable to e-book drone flying adventures are half of a bigger journey by means of choices like Airbnb Experiences, which is affiliated with the holiday rental firm and permits vacationers to e-book personalized experiences (like drone lessons) with locals.

After which there are group holidays that aren’t essentially centered round drones, however that welcome them. For instance, Quark Expeditions, which is broadly thought of a pacesetter in group excursions of the North and South poles, wholeheartedly embraces drones.

Actually, I went on a Quark Expedition myself in 2018 to the Arctic Circle the place, naturally, I introduced my drone.

If you happen to’re particularly within the drone group holidays by means of Johan Drone Adventures, try Johan’s web site right here. Or in case you’re all for an excuse to have a drone affiliated trip however the Johan Drone Adventures aren’t fairly your factor, there are many different 2024 drone occasions on the docket, together with conferences all around the globe.

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