Okay, I’m sure you recall all of “What’s a nice girl…” March 29th entry! If not, here’s the Cliff Notes version: I was born (not hatched); I traveled often and everywhere growing up and into adulthood (including Starved Rock State Park); became a travel consultant. I can tell you are sitting there with baited breath waiting for this next chapter in my ongoing saga. I ended Part I (don’t you think roman numerals make me seem official?) with a list of favorite destinations–past, present, and future. Fluffy, but not meaty. Now here’s the scoop:

Barbara’s awkward dance with the travel industry:

About 20 years ago I wanted to take a cruise. Having cruised several times, I had definite ideas of what I wanted—something more unique than the Love Boat (popularized in the 70’s on TV).

I walked into a travel agency, sat down in front of a woman who looked quite impressive: she had a big desk, a computer screen sitting on the desk, and a wall of glossy brochures adorned the wall behind her. She asked what she could do for me and I answered (refraining from my usual wise-crack of “Help me pay bills.” After all, I was on a mission to find my dream cruise and I didn’t want to distract her with my wit and charm!) I wanted to go on a cruise.

I will always remember what happened next because the event was key in my becoming a travel consultant (although I didn’t realize that back in 1986). The woman smiled at me, got up from her chair, picked two of the slick brochures behind her and returned to her seat. She held the brochures, tapped them gently together on her desk so they were perfectly aligned and laid them down in front of her. She leafed through the first brochure, stopping on a page with photos of a sumptuous buffet table surrounded by women in sequined gowns and men in tuxedos. She read aloud the copy that was written below that photo; put the brochure down; looked up at me and smiled.

I looked at her. She looked at me. I looked back at her. Smiling still, she looked back at me. This moment lasted hours in my mind. I panicked—what do I do now? Do I ask questions? Do I tell her she must have had an excellent first grade teacher because her reading was fluid and had good inflection? I was too meek to explain that I wanted to cruise somewhere other than the Caribbean on something other than the cookie-cutter cruise ship pictured in the brochure. I didn’t correct the woman when she told me that my husband and I would love such and such cruise line because it was oh so romantic—I was not married, involved, or planning to be—I wanted to go somewhere as a single person (Did you know that 1 is a whole number?). In 1986 being socially appropriate overrode my desire to say, “And, what is it exactly I am supposed to do with this entertaining yet useless information?” I finally choked out the question, “Have you ever taken a cruise?” and got a big “Negatory!” Still erring on the side of social acceptability, I looked at my watch, stood up, and said, “Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? I have a doctor’s appointment. I’m sure I’ll be back”—NOT!

You see, I grew up watching my parents interact with people who helped them plan wonderful vacations. Yes, my parents brought a lot of their own experience to add to the table, but they relied on, depended on the advice and counsel of professional travel consultants. It wasn’t just about finding the “best” hotels, restaurants, etc; it was about experiencing the essence of our destination, finding out which restaurant was better for lunch but only average for dinner; how to get into a museum without waiting hours in line; finding the off-the-beaten track antique shop (my parents collected antique clocks from all over the world). That’s what I was raised with and that’s what I wanted for myself.

Over the years I found two people that fit the description above, Marge and Florence. They were knowledgeable, professional, asked questions to discern my interests and desires, and they offered experienced guidance and opinions. Thank you, ladies, for being my role models!

Many people became involved in the travel industry when selling airline tickets was a lucrative venture—a few quick, quirky DOS keystrokes and voila—a ticket to jet off somewhere. For these people, the job description for the industry went from destination specialist to DOS savant. I wanted to create something different.

So, on July 13, 1992, I was very clear about where I was going and what I wanted to accomplish when I opened Great Getaways—I am a travel consultant…I am NOT a travel agent! I am not a reservationist, a go between, an airline ticket representative. I counsel, I advise, I create, I confer, I craft. I am not a generalist in the field of travel—I live by the adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none!” Our tagline is “Imagine. Create. Experience.” We collaborate with our clients to tailor just the right experience, an investment in memories of the heart.