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