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

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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,

randy@ptmgroups.com