On The Record: What is your No. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary?
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FolloWing are ansWers from Leisure Group Travel readers who responded to the question: What is your No. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary? Find more comments on leisuregroup travel.com, online exclusives. as a leader in culinary travel on the east Coast, my motto is “it is all about the experience.” i have found people are looking for the ground- and sea-to- table-type of experiences. our programs include lobster pulling cruises followed by a lobster bake dinner. other experi- ences include walking through an oyster farm in a salt marsh followed by an oys- ter shucking with champagne, breakfast with a chef where you create your own breakfast, and foraging with a chef and then using your finds in preparing a meal. Chris Donnelly Sugar Tours, Inc. Creative Culinary Tours West Dover, VT on every one of our tours we add a WoW factor. something that people feel they can go home and talk about. it might be a personal meeting with entertainers following a perform- ance...taking a group into a sculptor studio and having the sculptor create a special piece for each group member to take home...having an attraction open early just for the group so they don’t have to deal with crowds. it might be taking something that is normal and “spicing it up,” such as a traditional high tea and making it a tipsy tea party. or producing special shows that go along with the theme of the specific tour. it might be offering a wine and cheese party on a rooftop gar- den or a canal boat. Diane Sphar, President Ohio Travel Treasures LLC Cincinnati, OH We like to surprise our guests with var- ious wee things on tour, such as straw- berry picking, where passengers pick their own and eat back at the hotel. We also drop into whisky distilleries, farms and those wee nooks and crannies other tour companies pass on by. We have also been known to have “Jacobite clansmen” attack our tour coach. We make a sightseeing/photo stop and sud- denly eight or so armed clansmen “at- tack” us, brandishing swords and other weapons. great fun and they then chat to our guests about history and their costumes/weapons. We also have pipers welcome us, and some evenings they will give piping demonstrations and in- sight into the instrument, even giving people a try. Paul McLean, Owner McCleanScotland Perth, Scotland i like a restaurant with atmosphere, like the Proud Bird in la, where you can watch planes and listen to the control tower. or a restaurant with a lovely water view such as many in newport Beach. The Cannery in newport can give you lunch in the restaurant but then dessert on a boat cruise around the harbor. i also like lambert’s in spring- field, Mo., Home of the Throwed rolls, which is fun and different as waiters throw rolls at you from across the room. also, a trip to springfield’ s Bass Pro outdoor World (the original and largest Bass Pro), which is almost like a mu- seum, can fill a few interesting hours. Lori Leiman Lori’e Adventurers Queen Creek, AZ on the record ❖ 22 June 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com What is your No. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary? CHRIS DONNELLY LORI LEIMAN ROB WEBBER Bagpipers at breakfast and roll-throwing waiters can shake things up.
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Leisure Group Travel readers responded to this question: What is your No. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary?
Transcript of On The Record: What is your No. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary?
Following are answersfrom Leisure Group Travel readers whoresponded to the question: What is yourNo. 1 way of spicing up an itinerary?Find more comments on leisuregrouptravel.com, online exclusives.
as a leader in culinary travel on theeast Coast, my motto is “it is all aboutthe experience.” i have found people arelooking for the ground- and sea-to-table-type of experiences. our programsinclude lobster pulling cruises followedby a lobster bake dinner. other experi-ences include walking through an oysterfarm in a salt marsh followed by an oys-ter shucking with champagne, breakfastwith a chef where you create your ownbreakfast, and foraging with a chef and then using your finds in preparinga meal.
Chris DonnellySugar Tours, Inc.
Creative Culinary ToursWest Dover, VT
on every one of our tours we add awow factor. something that peoplefeel they can go home and talkabout. it might be a personal meetingwith entertainers following a perform-ance...taking a group into a sculptorstudio and having the sculptor create aspecial piece for each group member totake home...having an attraction openearly just for the group so they don’thave to deal with crowds.
it might be taking something that isnormal and “spicing it up,” such as atraditional high tea and making it atipsy tea party. or producing special
shows that go along with the theme ofthe specific tour. it might be offering awine and cheese party on a rooftop gar-den or a canal boat.
Diane Sphar, PresidentOhio Travel Treasures LLC
Cincinnati, OH
we like to surprise our guests with var-ious wee things on tour, such as straw-berry picking, where passengers picktheir own and eat back at the hotel. wealso drop into whisky distilleries, farmsand those wee nooks and cranniesother tour companies pass on by. wehave also been known to have “Jacobiteclansmen” attack our tour coach. we
make a sightseeing/photo stop and sud-denly eight or so armed clansmen “at-tack” us, brandishing swords and otherweapons. great fun and they then chatto our guests about history and theircostumes/weapons. we also have piperswelcome us, and some evenings theywill give piping demonstrations and in-
sight into the instrument, even givingpeople a try.
Paul McLean, OwnerMcCleanScotland
Perth, Scotland
i like a restaurant with atmosphere, likethe Proud Bird in la, where you canwatch planes and listen to the controltower. or a restaurant with a lovelywater view such as many in newportBeach. The Cannery in newport cangive you lunch in the restaurant butthen dessert on a boat cruise around theharbor. i also like lambert’s in spring-field, Mo., Home of the Throwed rolls,which is fun and different as waiters
throw rolls at you from across the room.also, a trip to springfield’s Bass Prooutdoor world (the original and largestBass Pro), which is almost like a mu-seum, can fill a few interesting hours.
Lori LeimanLori’e AdventurersQueen Creek, AZ
on the record �
22 June 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com
What is your No. 1 way
of spicing up an itinerary?
CHRIS DONNELLY LORI LEIMAN ROB WEBBER
Bagpipers at breakfast and roll-throwingwaiters can shake things up.
we organize cycling and walkingtours that raise money for aiDs andbreast cancer organizations. we al-ways try to customize an event to thelocal country. in scotland, for in-stance, bag pipers might call everyoneto breakfast and send us off on ourfirst day of riding. we also havethemed days, like country westernday, Mardi gras day, red/pink dressday, Hawaiian day and white party.we publish the themes in advance soparticipants can bring appropriate“costume” items.
we also provide themed trinketsthroughout the day and pass themout at pit-stops and lunch; this can beanything from temporary tattoos, tosquirt guns, to feathered masks for
Mardi gras night. our support vehi-cles also play a selection of music,themed to the appropriate day andwe’ll even have themed meals. lastly,at the start and end of the trip we’llsend off or welcome home our partic-ipants with a shower of environmen-tally friendly confetti (made fromcorn starch) that can be used justabout anywhere and when it rains theconfetti just dissolves.
it may sound like a lot of work, buti think it’s what keeps our partici-pants coming back year after year. it’sa week-long party, instead of just aweek-long walk/bike ride.
Rob WebberFor A Cause, Inc.
Chicago, IL
LeisureGroupTravel.com June 2009 23
Camden Waterfront, NJ800-616-JAWS
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IN THE AUGUST ISSUE of Leisure Group Travel, our
on the record column will explorefall foliage trip planning. Please send
us your response to this question:
What are the challenges you face in planning and executing fall
foliage/harvest season trips?
along with your comments, pleaseinclude your name, company nameand location. also for publication,
send a high-resolution photo of yourself. a selection of responses
will be printed in the august 2009issue. Thanks in advance for your
valuable opinions. send to:randy Mink,
