From being shipwrecked on a deserted island to exploring the endless ice of Antarctica and experiencing weightlessness in his astronaut training, Jonny Dodge has done it all. The CEO of GP Management is not just a businessman, but a passionate explorer and disruptor. Jonny Dodge speaks with Beau Monde Traveler on reimagining the meaning of travel, seeking unrivalled luxury in unexpected destinations and how it all influenced him to found his business GP Management, a corporate incentives and experiences service and yacht charter.

GP Management for Corporate Incentives & Experiences

Jonny Dodge’s events service company GP Management stands out through its wide range of unique experiences that it offers. The company prides itself on delivering experiences and stories that are unforgettable, whether that is for incentive programs in the workplace or for individuals who seek for special moments.

From yacht charters over Formula 1 hospitality to experience days in unusual corners of the world, Jonny Dodge and GP Management offer a wide array of services. In the past, the company has taken clients like Samsung to an eventful adventure in Iceland and invites businesses and likeminded people to explore the most majestic destinations of the world.

 Jonny’s Path into the World of Luxury

From his sunlit corner in Dubai, Jonny contemplates on how he came into the world of luxury and what influenced him to found GP Management. He laughs as he describes his journey to “involve a lot of mistakes along the way” but finds himself lucky to having had great mentors and business partners that helped and inspired him. However, Jonny’s interest in luxury started way before he set foot into the business, as his father was working with super yachts and private jets. “I do remember my first Monaco yacht show and being down there and thinking ‘I’d love to be on boats’, and subsequently, I’ve set up a yacht charter and management company, so I made sure I was on there!”.

One can’t help but sense the passion in Jonny’s voice when talking about his love for traveling around the world. “It does work out well being involved in the world of luxury, which is something that I’ve always been passionate about and got excited by and being around incredible, magical places like Monaco”, Jonny says in confession of love to the country. “There is a certain essence that you can’t quite place that you find there, and that you don’t find anywhere else.”

Jonny Dodge on Redefining the Meaning of Travel

Beyond what he describes as pure luxury travel, Jonny believes that the meaning of luxury has changed throughout the years. “It used to be about just posh five-star hotels, and people see luxury now as far more about the value they are getting and the experience around, whether that’s getting back to nature or doing better in the world”, shares Jonny. “Often, people are now traveling to give back, looking after local communities, and they find that far more enriching. So, I think the true nature of what a luxury travel trip is has very much changed from what it used to be”.

Jonny envisions that combining luxury with adventure is a perspective that has driven him forward in his career. As one of the pivotal moments in his life, he shares his memories on traveling to the centre of Antarctica more than a decade ago and how it inspired him to look for bigger explorations. In more recent times, Jonny adds, “I was shipwrecked on a deserted island for ten days in the Pacific Ocean. All we had were our clothes on our back and a machete. So, we managed to make fire from rubbing sticks together and catch some fish and eat coconuts. I view that as a new form of luxury in the modern day! If anyone can name 10 days where they’ve been away from their mobile phones and out of contact with the outside world, that’s certainly a luxury experience.”

Jonny Dodge on Disrupting Luxury Travel

Certainly, Jonny’s stories from around the globe are worth a book on their own. But how do these extraordinary experiences play into his business? As he contemplates about his upcoming projects, the answer lies in the details. Later this year, Jonny is planning to fly to space on a commercial flight with Virgin Galactic and is currently in the stage of training for the feeling of weightlessness. “I’m trying to experience all the unique things the planet has to offer, or escaping the planet in this case to experience it”, he reveals. Instead of merely being influenced by unique travels, Jonny seeks out the less (or never) travelled path and looks for new kinds of experiences that merge with his perspective on purposeful traveling while providing unrivalled luxury.

There is a serenity with which Jonny says, “I always wanted to break some records” and talks about his unconventional plan to attempt the fastest-ever crossing of Antarctica by car within the next year. With GP Management, Jonny enables his clients to experience a similar kind of wonder and passion for travel that he senses on his adventures. Jonny Dodge is a true disruptor both in his professional and personal achievements, and Beau Monde Traveler wishes him the best of luck with his ventures.

In his exclusive interview with Beau Monde Traveler, Jonny Dodge shares insights about GP Management’s astonishing experiences and his plans to make a true impact for the future of the planet.

Which one of your many services would you recommend to someone who is booking with GP Management for the first time, and why?

One of my favourites is a getaway to Iceland. It’s an amazing experience where we drive up the volcano and the glaciers in Iceland with these giant monster trucks with huge tires. You spend three days there and you’ll meet some great people. You’ll go with a group of about 30 of you each time and you’ll meet amazing new friends and entrepreneurs and likeminded people. You will start pulling yourselves out the snow, the stories you have to tell – it’s just such a life-changing experience, being stuck in blizzards, going skidooing over the glaciers. It’s quite a magical and unique time, and everyone who’s done it says it’s been one the things that has been the most impactful in their lives. You definitely create a mix of people and create life-changing experiences, that really my goal.

Do you have any big plans coming up for GP Management this year?

We have quite a few projects in the pipeline. Of them is actually out here in the UAE. What I really love doing is bringing together likeminded people and bring them on great adventures. So, we thought about collaborating that with business. A mix of ted talks and burning man on an island just off of Abu Dhabi, we’ve got a private safari there with cheetahs and giraffes and a hotel there, and you have quite a bit of private strip to land on privately. So, we want to get together some high-powered business leaders around the world and talk about how we’re going to make a big impact on changing the future of our planet. But then, delivering on that, putting funds behind that and investing in projects. It’s something in the early stages still, but it’s definitely something we’re excited about and that’s going to be quite transformational in terms of what we deliver. So, watch the space!’

So there you have it. Beau Monde Traveler take s look under the hood on what makes Jonny Dodge and GP Management run like the wind. We look forward to staying tuned to what ahead for this luxury lifestyle maverick.