Manifest Travel Club Launches Three New Chapters in Texas

October 12, 2021 at 08:00 AM EDT

Lifestyle Club Provides Custom-Crafted Getaways to Unique U.S. Destinations Paired with Private Plane Service

Manifest, the exclusive, chapter-based lifestyle and travel club that provides custom-crafted getaways to unique destinations within the U.S. paired with private plane service, announced today the launch of three new chapters in Houston, Dallas and Austin, Texas. Founded by Jeff Potter, former CEO of Frontier Airlines and Exclusive Resorts as well as Los Angeles-based Surf Air, Manifest launched in 2020 and currently has chapters in Denver, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Phoenix.

“There has been a growing interest from travelers in the Texas market and we believe it is a natural fit for Manifest to expand to the Lone Star State,” said Jeff Potter, Founder and CEO of Manifest. “Throughout COVID-19, Texans, like many of us, have continued to search for moments of excitement and discovery but in destinations much closer to home. What we are offering – small group trips, U.S. destinations, private plane travel – continues to resonate with what travelers want right now.”

Recent data supports the demand for travel clubs and experiences like Manifest. Experiential travel was widely acknowledged as the fastest growing sector in the leisure travel space pre-COVID-19 with Skift Research’s U.S. Affluent Traveler Survey finding that 67% of affluent travelers would rather spend their money on activities than on a nicer hotel. More recently, a survey of 14,000 travelers by industry leaders indicates that travel trends lean heavily toward domestic travel as international travel restrictions continue to be in limbo, which is likely to continue well into 2022.

In addition, there is a yearning among luxury consumers to avoid the commercial air travel experience – both on the ground and in the air – combined with an underutilized private aircraft industry. This confluence allows Manifest to offer flying private within a two-hour radius of the origination point for the same cost as business or first-class fares through the “shared economy” concept, while ensuring a greater level of health, safety and service compared to commercial travel.

Manifest will have club “chapters” that are geo-located in the top 50 to 60 U.S. markets based on household income selection criteria and filtered against data that shows each markets’ propensity to buy business and first-class fares. Each chapter begins with a limited number of memberships and members pay annual dues of $2,500, which provides access to Manifest’s exclusive members-only experiences. Those interested in future chapters, can hold their position for a $500 fee ensuring that they become a member in their chosen home chapter.

Manifest designs, curates and manages all of the logistical components of each experience which includes adventure, wine/culinary, golf, cultural, and romantic destinations such as skiing in Telluride; Destin Beach vacation; yoga and wellness in Snowmass; Nashville Music Tour; and Orvis Shooting School and Golf in Mississippi. A complete list of experiences is available here.

Manifest currently offers members multiple experiences throughout the year in a combination of three-, four-, six- and seven-day trips. Members can invite up to three guests per trip and most trips will have between four and eight people. The experiences will range in price depending on the activity, location and length of stay.

Given the ongoing environment of uncertainty, Manifest has taken steps to ensure members have complete confidence and flexibility when joining the club. Texans who join by December 31 will receive the first six months free, and pay only dues for the second six months ($1,250). In addition, annual dues are fully refundable if the member doesn’t book a travel experience within six months and any waitlist deposits for membership in future chapters are fully refundable if Manifest doesn’t begin service within one year. Finally, Manifest works only with partners that adhere to, or exceed, the CDC recommendations for safe travel measures.

About Manifest

Based in Denver, Colorado, and founded by Jeff Potter, the former CEO of Frontier Airlines, Exclusive Resorts and Surf Air, Manifest is an exclusive, chapter-based lifestyle and travel club that provides custom-crafted getaways to unique destinations within the U.S., and removes the hassle of typical travel by providing private plane service. Currently, Manifest has chapters in Denver, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles Basin, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Phoenix with additional chapters to follow. For more information, visit www.manifestescapes.com.