Are Marijuana Vacations the Next Big Thing?

A new company is taking advantage of Colorado’s recently minted marijuana legalization laws to create a niche travel experience. Dope Vacations hopes to create the perfect blend of smoking and sight-seeing in the mile-high city with a cannabis inspired guided tour. A quick visit to their website reveals a whole host of charming puns and the brilliantly simple tagline “You cover travel and buy the weed. We take care of the rest.”

The four-day package for private travelers and group tours of up to 15 people includes hotel rooms, a limo party bus, breakfast and lunch, and complimentary edibles all for the price of $1,650 per person. In addition to the traditional perks of a tour package though, Dope Vacations also provides free private photo books and videos of the tour for guests to share with their families and friends (in case you have trouble remembering details of the trip). Each tour will also be hosted by different comedians who will “delight your brain buttons with cannabisious humor,” according to the company’s website.

Steve Brady, co-founder of the company, says that the idea for Dope Vacations originated when a buddy who was about to be married suggested a gentleman’s trip to Colorado after the recreational marijuana laws passed in the state.

“I thought there would be a market for people that wanted an all inclusive package with a guide to help navigate the trip,” he says. “And comedy and weed kinda go hand in hand, so I added that as a kicker.”

A comedian based in North Carolina himself, Brady adds that in the future, he hopes more famous comedians from around the country will lead tours as “honorary hosts.”

The tours begin on Thursdays when guests arrive at The Curtis, a posh boutique hotel in downtown Denver. That evening, the tour group and host head to a cannabis bar to stock up on supplies and get to know each other.

The next morning, after complimentary unlimited breakfast pastries, the limo picks up the group for a jaunt around Denver’s most notorious dispensaries, Illuzions Glass shop, and even a commercial cannabis growing operation. Guests can explore the shops and make their own purchases or take advantage of complimentary edibles and joints provided by Dope Vacations. The rest of the day is a daze of Denver landmarks like Red Rocks Ampitheater.

The Dope Vacations website's Saturday itinerary is perfectly named “Get Crunchy with your Munchies,” a half-day guided nature hike in the Rocky Mountains, and it's followed by a group tour of the Denver Art Museum (surely with some enhanced surrealism) on Sunday.

Although Dope Vacations has only held a very soft launch with little marketing, people have already begun signing up for tours. Brady hopes to officially begin the tours in September. If you’re looking for perhaps the most mellow and relaxing vacation you’ll ever go on, check out dopevacations.com. Even if a dope vacation doesn’t seem like your thing, visit the website for a guaranteed chuckle.