Italy's Great Cities Tour continues to delight and inspire first-time travelers

What does a first time traveler to Italy have to look forward to on a Story small group tour? According to travel expert, Mr. Arthur Frommer, it's "the perfect way to see Italy." I tend to agree with Mr. Frommer though I need to go a bit further to explain why I believe in the magic of Story.

You see it all started way back in Australia. Yeah, I know...what does the land down under have to do with small group tours through bella Italy? Without writing the proverbial novel let me just say Australia and her frontier-spirit played a huge role in the development of my love for Italy. It was this sense of discovery and independence that led me to Italy. I have a large family of uncles and aunts many of whom lived during World War II. The uncles were well traveled as defenders of freedom and the European theater played a huge role for them. My Dad was in the Pacific theater and I have another chapter planned for him and that region of the world.

Anyway to get back on point, Italy was everything I had hoped for: authentic people who were passionate about living, great food and delicious wine, and scenery that was out of a storybook - pun intended. Thus Italy's Great Cities Tour was birthed because of how truly great the cities I discovered on my first time to Italy were! Venice was and is magical. Folks who haven't been there may have heard how stinky August can be or dirty some of the sidewalks can be...well it's true, but if you go to your own downtown I'm sure you can find something equivalent. And can you believe some folks don't even want to try Venice? I think this is what we would call, closed-minded fools. Venice is alive and thriving even though it's still sinking and many of its population now live on the Mestre, or mainland. But it's worth seeing and it's magnificent.

Florence, birthplace of the renaissance is probably the most-favored city for the majority of travelers. It's up there for me, too, as it boasts a medieval feel and invites you to explore while also saying, "have a seat in my shadows and enjoy a good chat!"

San Gimignano is a hill town in Tuscany known for its towers. It had at one time something around 70+ towers but the plague, earthquakes, power plays and politicians ensured their demise. Now around 12 towers remain and the town is lovely. It features a gellateria that has won the country's best title several years, so worth a stop. The area is known for its white wine called Vernaccia, a pleasant nectar that goes down smoothly and encourages the consumer to stop, look and relax a bit.

Cortona, where Under the Tuscan Sun and Francis Mays took my heart and imagination to new heights, is our next stop. It's a short stop in the context of the tour through Italy and a diversion from the cities.

Finally we arrive Rome where all roads lead. Rome has a special feeling in the air most of the time: from its incredible past as an Empire that dominated the world to its contemporary culinary and cultural scene that is distinctly...Roman, it's a place that draws you back again and again. That's why they have the Trevi Fountain, right?

You, too, can visit all of these wonderful places and find your self in your own story of travel through Italy. Visit www.StoryLandSea.com and start exploring all of our Italy small group tours and find the next chapter in your Italy Story today! Oh and you can also click on www.ItalyStory.com!

Andiamo!

Guests returning to Italy celebrate on Piazza San Marco in Venice

Story Tour Captain Steve Richards in Tuscany!

Story Tour Captain Steve Richards, who apparently cannot stand up straight anywhere while in Italy. 

Back from Hawaii; The Year Moves Onward

I am just recently back from Hawaii after spending some much needed vacation time with the family. Work mode is back in full swing for me here, although I never really got totally away from it on my vacation. That's just kind of how it is when you run your own business. It comes with the territory!

One thing I accomplished when I got back to town was to enter QueensLander Tours in Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards under the category for "best in travel" under the Marketing-Consumer Website category. We hear over and over again how our website is what convinced a couple or a family to travel with QueensLander. And while our website may appear very busy to some, it seems to get the job done! Maybe it's because there is so much information there to help consumers make their decision, such as our Customer Reviews page? Whatever the reason, we are happy that QLTours.com is accomplishing its task over and again!

When you stop to think about it, QueensLander Tours began as a web-based business, and in many ways it still is. Our website is our major presence, the place where people are first exposed to our brand and philosophy of small group travel. While that's often their first introduction to us, it's the level and quality of service and quality of tour experience that sells them and keeps them coming back again and again!

In other news, we have started making plans for our annual Christmas party in December. The year moves on at a busy pace!

www.QueensLanderTours.com

A Great Time in Europe! Returning Home Wednesday...

Well, it's been awhile since I had the opportunity to get out on the road and lead one of our tours, but that's what I've been doing for the last few weeks. I've actually crossed two of our tours, but I primarily led our May 13 Italy's Great Cities tour. It wasn't supposed to happen, but due to some last-minute changes, I found myself taking on the task. After all, I am the original Tour Captain for QueensLander Tours, so it's important and good for me to occasionally reconnect with what makes our tours so special. It's important for me to know first-hand what our regular Tour Captains deal with on a daily basis. It's important for me to know the problems our vendors may encounter as they service our guests. It's important for me to take a second look at our hotels and restaurants to make sure they are living up to the quality of experience that our guests demand and deserve. And most importantly, it's beneficial for me to connect with our clientele so I know what their thinking is about our product, as well as how we can improve our service!

During this time away, I have had a wonderful group of folks on the Italy's Great Cities tour. We also had an equally stellar group traveling through Northern Italy, Austria, and Switzerland. I so enjoyed our time in Salzburg and Vienna! Even though it was rainy, we had a terrific time! I hope to return to these two places again soon.

So, I will be back in the office Thursday morning, ready to tackle all the challenges that may have arisen while I was away. Still, my time in the field has been productive. It will go a long way toward helping me renew our core values in the home office, as well as giving me suggestions for improving our new venture into Austria and Switzerland. New challenges and new horizons, the hallmarks of a continually growing company!

www.QueensLanderTours.com

Our Last Full Day in Virginia

We are on our last full day in Virginia, as we wrap up our D.C. with Philadelphia tour. It has been a good trip. I was pleasantly surprised by Philly, as some of the reports I had heard about it were not very positive, but we enjoyed our time there. D.C. is always great, of course. For last couple of days we've been in Williamsburg, which always ignites your patriotic spirit!

One of the places we like to visit when we are down this way is Jamestown, the original English settlement in this country. The last time I was here, our park guide was a retired army drill sergeant, and he was a lot of fun! You also realize when you are here what a price those early settlers had to pay, with diseases like scarlet fever, wild animals, native Americans, the general hardships of daily life, and adhering to the ultra-strict religious code of the day. We are definitely a spoiled lot by comparison, but I am thankful I did not have to live in that day and age!

Another thing I like about visiting the park at Jamestown is that they have the best bread pudding you've ever put in your mouth, bar none. It is awesome! Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Will be back home to Denver soon, then off to Las Vegas next week for the Home Based Travel Agents Forum. Life and work stay interesting!

www.QueensLanderTours.com

En Route to the "City of Brotherly Love"

I'm en route to Philadelphia as I write this. Our Washington, D.C. with Philadelphia tour begins tomorrow, and since I've not been to Philadelphia before, I'm going in a day early to get my bearings. Of course, I'm hearing now about the bombings at the Boston marathon. My heart goes out to those affected. At the same time, I am also grateful that we did not pick Boston as part of this particular tour. It was a possibility in the planning stages.

This is a reunion tour of sorts, as some of the guests were with us a few years ago for another visit to the nation's capital, namely Tom and Dee Treloar, who inspired this return trip. This time, however, we'll be adding Philadelphia to our stops, where we'll see Independence Hall, the place where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.

Then we'll head on to the District of Columbia and Williamsburg, Virgina. We'll visit such places as the Smithsonian Institute, the Vietnam Memorial wall, the FDR memorial, the relatively new World War II memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Governor's Palace at Williamsburg, and the Yorktown battlefield, where general Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington. All of these sites and more await us on this tour that truly inspires a renewal of our faith in the concept of America, that "shining city on a hill".

www.QueensLanderTours.com

Meticulous Detail is a Must in the Success of Small Group Touring...

Well, here it is Friday, and I'm just now making my blog entry for the week! Leading a tour company is a full-time business, as well as one that requires meticulous attention to detail for every trip. We have to be extremely careful when juggling hotel reservations, train tickets, portage of luggage, arrival and departure transfers, flight arrangements, etc. Everything must work together and come together cohesively. Absolutely no detail is too small or to be taken for granted. If you do, then you are surely to go wrong somewhere. Everyone on staff has to be doing their part to make these trips happen successfully. We've had very few issues, so I'm extremely proud of my team and all they accomplish each week!

At this point, the customer reviews of this year's tours are starting to come in, and the response is spot on from what I'm seeing. Each of our Tour Captains has a huge responsibility out in the field to make sure that all the arrangements we've worked so tirelessly to get organized come off without a hitch. Sometimes there may be a little pressure behind the scenes, but I have to say they make it look flawless and effortless! We have an incredible team of Tour Captains, including Dan Dieckhaus, Sandy Gregory, Janette Tepas, Caron Guillo, Elaine Rodriguez, and Jodie Hedrick. We've also recently brought on board Janet Kucks, Audrey DeMonte, and Troy Bradley, all of whom will be making their first trips very soon. We are grateful for all of their hard work.

Just a reminder that this coming Tuesday, we be having another one of our bi-monthly webinars about traveling in Europe, so be sure to log on and join us at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/qltours We'll start at 6:30pm Mountain Time, 5:30pm Western, and 8:30pm Eastern. See you on the web!

www.QueensLanderTours.com

QueensLander's 'Roar of Success' Continues to Be Heard Loud and Clear!

It's great to see the sun out here in Denver! We've had a few days now of snow and frigid temps, so it's a delight to see a beautiful clear sky today, and one hopes the snow will melt off quickly.

I cannot tell you how busy we are these days! Without doubt, this has got to be our best year ever for sales. Our schedule for the year is filling up quite fast, which is great news. Our sales team works hard to process new leads, as well as service existing guests who have already booked with us. It's all part of the service here. We don't just work a new lead and then pass it off! That customer gets first-hand service from start to finish. This is one small way in which we assure our guests that they are getting the best quality for their money. We want every customer to know how very important they are to us, and we go the extra mile to demonstrate this attitude.

Among the tours that are filling up, Italy remains our number one best seller! But we continue to grow and develop our other destinations, including Spain & Portugal, Ireland & Scotland, England Scotland & Wales, Switzerland Austria & Northern Italy, and Australia & New Zealand. Many of our past Italy clients are starting to take tours of these other destinations, and we welcome return customers! They have become part of the QueensLander family, and we value their business and their input.

So, I must get back to the grindstone. I have lots to do. Thank goodness the sun is out; it is a source of comfort and renewed energy in these last cold days of March. She is going out as a lion for sure, but our roar is just as loud!

www.QueensLanderTours.com