HAPPY EASTER!

Weather is more typical for this time of the year...but the sun is shining. I just hope the 70 degree weather we had a month ago wasn't our summer...Our travel show was awesome - 124 attendees and lots of exciting trips planned.

We have added so much since March 21st so check out our website...2 big name performers, Loretta Lynn and Glen Campbell are on our schedule for June 24 & June 29 so give us a call.

Looking forward to our spring tours coming up this month...the fly mystery and the Carolinas - it will be good to get back out on the road.

Tracy

LOVE THIS WEATHER!

What an awesome spring we are having...makes me wonder if we will be less fortunate this summer. But I choose to just be thankful for a wonderful spring and not doubt that the rest of the year will be fabulous as well:)

We are preparing for our spring travel show this week. Come on out and spend a few hours with the staff at Personalized Tours and see where the roads will take us in 2012. We have something for everyone from casino jaunts, to theater trips, to International wonders. Wednesday, March 21st at 2:30p.

Hope to see you there....and remember to bring a friend!

Tracy

PS If you mention the code "Escape" to me on Wednesday - AND YOU ARE THE FIRST TO DO SO....a surprise awaits you.

IT'S TIME!!

This week we have been busy getting our March edition of the newsletter ready for print. For those of you that receive it via email....Thursday, Feb 16th is the day, so check your inbox. Those who are keeping their mail carriers busy, check your mail box around the 23rd.

Lots of new things added and I look forward to a busy spring. Just to squash the rumors......I AM NOT COMING OFF THE ROAD COMPLETELY! Gloria is the one that is semi retiring not me - I have a LONG way to go. We have hired a new girl, Brenda Kunkel to help me out with the trips and I know you will love her - we do!

So yes, you will be stuck with me quite a bit in 2012 and also blessed with Brenda. We have several tours that overlap and both Shirley Theis and Barb Hilbert have retired (again) from taking out our one day trips so I definitely needed the help. This will allow me to be more flexible with scheduling and get out there on an occasional one day and casino trip.

Well back to work and be sure to read your newsletter thoroughly.....


Yours in travel,

Tracy

ANOTHER MONDAY...

It seems the weekends always go by so fast but especially when you spend Saturday "working". LOL Not sure most people would consider spending a great day at the Fireside Theater in Fort Atkinson working, but since that is what I do...I technically was "working". The Fireside's group leader appreciation day was last Saturday and Joy, Gloria, Jim and I had the privilege of a marvelous time dining and previewing "Viva Vegas". WOW!! It was fabulous. The band was spectacular as usual and the songs a great trip down memory lane. So if you haven't booked Feb 9th will us yet, do so quickly. Time and space are running out!

Back to work and this time I don't mean dining and entertainment.

Tracy

IT'S FRIGHTFUL OUTSIDE!

Brrr, I am chilled to the bone. I guess our "winter" has finally arrived! Not that I missed it, but did we really think we'd get through January as nicely as we did December? Not in Wisconsin. It's a day like today that working on a Palm Springs or a New Orleans tour is somewhat comforting:) Well I guess I'll turn up the heat and be thankful I don't have a job outside. Doesn't the warmth and comfort of the inside of a motorcoach sound tempting right now....we can change your scenery with just a call.

Stay warm -

Tracy

ABA - AMERCIAN BUS ASSOCIATION

Gloria and I are back from Dallas, TX and our annual ABA convention. The month of January in this industry can be just like January in the private world - dreary, gloomy, and depressing. With the help of ABA and the 3500 members that attended this year, its a helpful tool in regrouping after a busy year and making new acquaintances for hopefully a successful upcoming year. With the economy still very sluggish in tour and travel, we gather with other tour companies, businesses, and destinations feeding off each other's positive outlook and hopeful attitude. We had a great time and look forward to a wonderful 2012 with new destinations, better venues, and improved products.

Now I must get busy putting all the ideas together and developing the perfect tour that is "planned with YOU in mind". Working on Palm Springs won't be hard as we are predicted to get 4-6" of snow today...

Tracy

HAPPY 2012!

Hello everyone!! Yes I am still plugging away here in Waldo, WI. I know some of you have expressed concern due to the lengthy absence of my blogs, but that is just "me being me". In the course of any given day the order of importance is highly recommended in this industry and blogging comes in near or at the bottom along with taking time for lunch...but I am back thanks to my wonderful "technical" soulmate!

Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas and a great time ringing in the New Year...with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays over, we are now settling down into our office routine of planning some fantastic destinations so watch our website for details.

I am excited to be heading to Grapevine, Texas for our annual American Bus Association (ABA) convention. New ideas and a great way to get enthused about the tour and travel industry. As my favorite quote reads, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page" - St Augustine. If I do my job well, we will be creating alot of travel memories together in the future.

Back to work for me...

Tracy

440 GETS A FACELIFT!

The newest addition to our fleet #440 (which is a used coach that we purchased in September, 2010) is getting a whole new interior today. New fabric and foam on all the seats. The crew from Sardo's Bus Upholstery out of Florida came rolling in around noon today and the four guys have been busy ever since. I love the smell of new vehicles...boy does it look nice...ready to roll by the weekend.

Tracy

HOME SWEET HOME!

Our group arrived home safely Thursday, February 3rd after approximately 30 hours of travel...but we all agreed it was worth every minute and every penny! I don't even know how or where to begin to describe our Plains of Africa tour. As Judy A said, "you have to see it to believe it" and I must agree totally. I will be posting my photos soon (after I take time to go through them, since I have over 1000 total). We saw every animal possible, the weather was fabulous, and NO ONE GOT SICK (including me!). Now that is a successful 16 day tour!

We will be offering another African Safari next January so if you are interested in learning more please stop in and see me...you will be glad you added it to your bucket list. And this one you need to do while you are able to enjoy a very adventurous jeep safari...

Tracy

LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Wow the last 8 days have been surreal. We are half way through our Plains of Africa tour and I can't believe all that we have seen. We are only missing 1 of the BIG 5 and that is the Rhino...otherwise we've had plenty of sightings of the leopard, elephant, buffalo, and lion. Hopefully tomorrow the Rhino will be in our sights. We've seen so many giraffes that we don't even get our cameras out anymore...today someone in the safari jeep compared it to us with deer.

We have done 5 game drives with 4 yet remaining. Several local tribes have entertained us and made arts and crafts for us and the scenery has ran the gammit from poor huts to 5 star hotels. A very different culture with unique customs. This is definitely a trip of a lifetime!

Looking forward to the second half of our trip!!

Tracy

AFRICA - HERE WE COME!

Well the voicemail is changed, the email is being answered by the auto office assistant, and my bags are packed! Our group is getting VERY excited (even though dreading the 24 hour travel day tomorrow) and we can't wait for our African Safari...

I won't be posting due to the extreme remote area we are traveling to but you can plan on hearing from me when I return on February 4th! Have a great January and stay warm...I know we will:)

Tracy

JUST IN TIME!

As I look out my office window guess what? YES, it's snowing, blowing and getting VERY cold the next few days. Guess our trip to Africa couldn't have been planned for a better time...we depart Wednesday for a trip-of-a-lifetime and now that my shots are over, clothes are packed, and desk is getting organized, I AM SO READY! Looking at the information, we will experience 75 to 80 degree weather during our two week stay which is a welcomed thought.

Lots to do the next two days to get ready so everyone stay warm and we'll chat when I return.

Tracy

SNOW SNOW GO AWAY!

The office is very quiet today. Helen and Joy are on a "office shutdown" and won't be back in until next week so it's just Lindsay and myself plugging away. This time of the year the phones are always quiet which makes us nervous. As I finish up my year-end books and get ready for this year...I happen to look outside and it's snowing pretty good...well it is January I guess but it makes me look forward to departing for Africa in two weeks. With all the shots taken care of...yuck! the next hurdle will be packing for our 16-day adventure. Well time to get back to work so more later...

Tracy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I sure hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and the start of a fabulous New Year! I am back in the office trying to get motivated again after some needed time off. The whole family was home for the holidays this year and it was amazing. With parents wanting to go where it is warm, siblings living distances apart, and children on their own, it is an occurance that doesn't happen very often and may not for some time to come.

2011 will again be a busy year for Personalized Tours & Coaches starting with a 16-day tour to Africa in a couple of weeks...I'm getting excited so watch for posts and pictures at a later date...we are doing 9 game drives so access to computers will be limited.

Well back to work...have a great week!

Tracy

A GREAT DAY

Vermont is spectacular! We visited everything from the Rock of Ages granite quarry, the resort town of Stowe for lunch at the Von Trapp Family Lodge (delicious I might add) to a gondola ride up the mountain during peak color....Emily's covered bridge was our photo op enroute to Lake Morey and our Inn for the night. The height of our coach is 12'4" and the bridge clearance is 8'6" but our crazy group tried to convince Jim that if he got a running start we could be the FIRST and LAST coach to cross the bridge! I am so glad HE is driving and NOT them.

Another beautiful sunny day in New England. This group even asked our local guide if Jim could put the Packer game on the radio for the last 2 minutes...unreal! They won out...only Packer Fans!!

Well, I am going to turn in early (9:30p) because a group of us are meeting in the lobby at 5:00a to enjoy a 5 mile walk around the lake before breakfast and departure. It helps ease the pain of all the food we've been eating...and interesting and informative day - a successful day!

Tracy

TRACY'S FAVORITE

Everyone that knows me, knows that Fall is my favorite time of year - (to travel). And the New England states are my favorite place to do that! With the crisp air you can alomost "smell" autumn and you can most definitely "see" mother nature at work. Yesterday was an absolutely fabulous day. We woke to the sun shining brightly and a local guide whose knowledge of Vermont is endless. We visited the Morgan Horse Farm (UVM / University of Vermont Middlebury), Shelburne Vineyards (and yes, Bonnie Heili controlled herself with only 2 cases of wine, not nearly breaking her record of 13), a cruise aboard the Ethan Allen on Lake Champlain, (and NO Champ was not spotted), and a very expensive stop for the women at Dan Forth Pewter...even I did more damage than planned. We ended our full day with a delicious meal at the Countryman's Pleasure where the sauerbraaten was deemed the favorite.

Looking forward to heading north and into Stowe today with lots planned and our weather looks like it will cooperate.

Tracy

EXPLORING VERMONT

WOW, the last couple of days we have kept busy with getting acquainted (almost too much) and exploring the roads of New York. Corning Glass Museum was a wonderful stop and lots of purchases...but that's not hard for this group. (They started shopping at Cracker Barrel in Elkhart, IN during lunch the first day out). Jim is having to be VERY creative in packing...we have 46 passengers, luggage for a month, and enough food to eat 5 meals a day for EVER!! The sun is shining today and we have entered Vermont - a small but very beautiful state. We will welcome our local guide after breakfast this morning and spend the day exploring...

We "played" my moose game yesterday and laughed so hard that Pat DeGuire cried until she almost wet her pants! Amazing the body parts grown adults put on a moose!

Well gotta go! More later....

Tracy

HEADING TO NEW ENGLAND

Early morning departure - 5:00AM!! A great group of travelers, 46 in all, ready for two weeks of leaf peeping...the color is really starting to turn along the Ohio turnpike since I was last through here 4 days ago returning from Washington DC. Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire should be at peak and as long as we can avoid the nasty weather heading up the coast from Florida we should be in for a great two weeks.

Everyone has enjoyed dinner, relaxed in the pool, bar, or lounge, and are now heading for a good night's sleep (me included). I love this time of the year...crisp mornings, sunny afternoons, and cool evenings - mother nature at her finest:)


Tracy

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

Today we traveled 2 hours to Salzburg for a guided tour of this fabulous city. Christiana, our guide showed us such places as: Mirabell Gardens (seen on the Sound of Music), the quaint Getreidegasse (site of Mozart´s birthplace), and many other highlights. Marcie and I explored the many squares of the "old" city for shopping and sightseeing. Our dinner was in the centuries-old St. Peter´s Restaurant, Austria´s oldest, which may have hosted both Charlemagne and Columbus. An hour spent in the "bier garten" waiting for others in our group made for much laughter. Jim & Kathy Thiel have finally figured out how to enjoy bottles of local wine AND keep the lights from going off in the bathroom. Philip & Mary Kae took two days, but can open and close their door all by themselves. Marcie NO longer hears voices when she goes into the bathroom. WOW what a 5-star hotel with all these extra amenities...

Tracy

MY FAVORITE DAY

Today we traveled the picturesque highwaýs of Switzerland to the Austrian border and the striking Olympic city of Innsbruck, the Capital of the Tyrol. We made a stop in Leichenstein before crossing the border with NO problem at all. The Austrian officials didn't even ask for our passports...guess we look honest and American. We had a great city tour with a local guide and that was followed by an indepth walking tour. We have walked, climbed stairs, and moved more in the past 4 days than I can remember doing on a tour in a long time. The group is having a great time, and finally found a bar open...so you can imagine a group from Wisconsin trying to teach an Austrian bartender how to make old-fashioned cocktails...wow it was crazy!

Meals have been interesting and good...

Tracy