Jonathon McKillip, a former Global Sales President for WorldVentures, launched TheClub.Travel around August 2021, introducing a new travel membership opportunity. The website for TheClub.Travel, registered privately on July 26, 2021, provides no corporate ownership or management details, though McKillip identifies himself as the company's CEO on Facebook.
McKillip's professional history in the multi-level marketing (MLM) travel sector includes significant legal and regulatory scrutiny. In 2016, Malaysian authorities pursued WorldVentures for allegedly violating tourism laws. During his defense of the company, McKillip stated, "Our product is not travel packages. Our product is merely the (WorldVentures) membership." This admission suggested a focus on recruitment over tangible travel sales.
He resigned from WorldVentures in December 2017, then became President of MaVie in January 2018. That June, WorldVentures filed a lawsuit against Ariix and MaVie, naming McKillip as a defendant. The litigation centered on claims of unfair competition against MaVie, Ariix, McKillip, and several former WorldVentures employees. A month later, in July 2018, a court entered an injunction against McKillip, specifically barring him from further use of confidential information he obtained during his employment with WorldVentures.
In late 2019, prosecutors in Taiwan filed criminal charges against WorldVentures, alleging it operated as a "classic pyramid scheme." Both then-President Eddie Head and Jonathon McKillip were named as defendants in the Taiwanese action.
McKillip left MaVie in December 2019. He was appointed President of Hapi Travel in February 2021. The parent company, Elevacity Holdings, which later became The Happy Co., launched Hapi Travel as Hapi Travel Destinations in October 2021. However, McKillip had already departed Hapi Travel by August 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile, coinciding with the launch of TheClub.Travel. The absence of McKillip's name from TheClub.Travel's official website remains unexplained, given his self-identification as CEO.
TheClub.Travel markets three distinct travel booking membership subscriptions. The "Leisure" membership costs $25 per month and offers access to a travel booking platform, a 50% discount on hotels and resorts, car rental services, cruises, destination activities, and hotel credits.
The "Globetrotter" membership, priced at $50 per month, builds on the Leisure package. It increases the hotel and resort discount to 100%, adds access to vacation rentals, provides "advanced access to club travel posting," and includes cyber protection.
The highest tier, "High Flyer," costs $100 per month. This subscription adds "daily discounts (US only)," a VIP concierge service, a personal travel agent, and a "fast pass passport and visa service" to the existing benefits.
The company's Policies and Procedures document references a "Value Package," stating that members can choose a monthly subscription or purchase this package. However, the specific details or benefits of this "Value Package" are not clearly outlined alongside the monthly membership tiers.