FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VAIR and DreamTrips Partner to Build a Global Pickleball Travel Community
Pickleball DreamTrips to Feature Daily Pro Instruction, VAIR-Certified Coaching, and a Full Year of VAIR+ for Every DreamTrips Member Who Travels on a Pickleball DreamTrip
Naples, FL, September 14, 2026. DreamTrips, the global travel club with two decades of curated group travel experience, and VAIR, the global AI-powered pickleball rating and performance ecosystem combining advanced technology with certified human evaluation, today announced a strategic partnership to build a global pickleball travel community.
The Pickleball DreamTrips Experience
Each Pickleball DreamTrip is a curated travel experience built for players who want serious court time without giving up the vacation. Guests arrive at premium resort destinations to find dedicated pickleball courts and daily camp-style instruction from professional coaches. A dedicated DreamTrips Host is there throughout the experience while airport transfers, welcome receptions, group excursions, and other trip details are managed end-to-end, with inclusions varying by destination.
The trips are intimate by design. Group sizes are capped, which means more court time per player, personalized coaching attention, and a social atmosphere closer to a private club than a commercial tour.
“DreamTrips has spent twenty years perfecting curated group travel,” said Mark Smith, CEO at Dream Trips. “Now we’re bringing that expertise to pickleball—combining serious court time, coaching, and competition with the incredible destinations and experiences DreamTrips is known for. It’s not a pickleball tournament with a vacation squeezed around it. It’s a DreamTrip built around the sport you love.”
Membership Benefits
Every DreamTrips member who travels on a Pickleball DreamTrip receives a complimentary one-year VAIR+ membership. VAIR+ includes AI video analysis of a player’s own gameplay, match predictions, opponent scout reports, monthly AI credits, and discounts on pickleball gear. Players can run the footage from their trip through the analysis tools, so a week at a resort becomes part of how they train the rest of the year.
VAIR+ also includes accident medical coverage for injuries sustained while playing pickleball or any other racquet sport. VAIR is the only pickleball rating platform that includes injury coverage with a membership.
“Pickleball has become a global community, and players increasingly want the sport to be part of how they travel, connect, and improve,” said Mike Barker, CEO at VAIR. “That’s what makes this partnership with DreamTrips so exciting. We’re connecting world-class pickleball travel experiences with the VAIR ecosystem, giving players access to certified coaching, meaningful performance insights, and tools they can continue using long after the trip is over. This isn’t just about taking VAIR international. It’s about helping build a more connected global pickleball community.”
Co-Branded Destinations
The partnership will feature co-branded Pickleball DreamTrips starting in late 2026, with VAIR branding and certified coaching at each location. The first trip under the new partnership is planned for Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in November 2026 with additional destinations under active discussion including Rome, Dubai, the Florida Keys, and Turks and Caicos.
About Dream Trips
DreamTrips is a global travel club with more than 20 years of experience and served more than 2 million travelers. A seven-time winner of “World’s Leading Travel Club” at the World Travel Awards, DreamTrips has delivered more than 30,000 unique DreamTrips across 70+ countries. DreamTrips has just launched DreamTrips.AI, bringing together intelligent technology, extraordinary experiences and a global community of travelers.
About VAIR
VAIR is a global AI-powered pickleball rating and performance ecosystem built to provide a more complete picture of player ability. By combining advanced technology, integrated performance data and certified human evaluation, VAIR measures how players perform, not simply whether they win or lose. Through VAIR ratings, VAIR+, VAIRified assessments and its expanding network of clubs, coaches, events and partners, VAIR helps players understand their game, track their progress and improve with confidence.