Anyone interested in starting a travel group in Southeast Louisiana area, or know of one in existence? I've planned three two week trips to Europe in the past six years and think it would be fun to meet with other travelers to share my travel experiences and hear about theirs....and also help each other, and new travelers, to plan their next trip.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
I'd play.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33457 posts
Good luck in setting up a group, Jim... I'm sure you will be successful. I expect you'll start small like most have, and grow from there.
Don't fall for franchise fee demands from you-know-who... ;-}
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8299 posts
My parents were a part of a travel group in Franklin, Tennessee. They had 22 members, and it was closed to anyone that wasn't a family member of the original members. The travel club traveled worldwide for a number of years, and they were a very, very close group.
A travel group is best if it's made up of people that are from the same community and know each other--not strangers. You've got to have a very strong leader with authority to make decisions for the whole group. And it helps if the travel group is made up of people with strong financial means--those that will go on every trip.
My parents' group usually had 5 women that were in their 50's--very well dressed and attractive gals. They usually left their husbands back home tending to their farms. And every city they ever visited, they got serious attention from the gentlemen. And they knew how to let their hair down and have a seriously good time.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Whoa! I must have misunderstood. I thought it was a group to bat the breeze. If it's to figure out how to travel together that's another story - - no way.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10544 posts
Ed, I thought the same thing when I read the question. We have a group of people in Sacramento who met up through this Helpline, oops sorry, forum. We meet monthly and have a great time. No one has done any actual traveling together per say. That's not the purpose of the group. Although I did have dinner with Larry from Elk Grove in Barcelona! Anyway, we get together to talk about travel and we have people who have come specifically to get help planning their trips. We have been meeting since the summer of 2010.
I hope you can get a group together Jim!! If you'd like any pointers about how to get it started, I would be happy to help.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4412 posts
Sounds like Jim is talking about the type of group like the other 'Helpline' groups: travelers getting together to talk with each other about their future and/or past trips, help others plan their trips, play show-and-tell with their cool travel gadgets and luggage, etc. NOT a group-that-travels-together. But I could be mistaken.
And yes, I'll be sending you your Helpline (aka Travel Forum) Travel Get-Together Packet soon. Among other things will be my address for the forwarding of your franchise fees ;-)
Good luck with this group! If I'm ever in the area, I'd love to drop by...although a location along the LA-TX border would be soooo much more convenient for me...just sayin' ;-)
Posted by
OP
Slidell, LA
567 posts
My intent (maybe I worded it wrong) is to get together a group of like-minded travelers to share their travel experiences, photos, etc., and those who would like to travel but may have concerns and/or fears that could be helped by those with more experience. I think a group of people with similar interests would be like a local Traveler's Helpline, only face to face over dinner or coffee and pastries. I would NOT want to put together group travel, having done three trips in six years for just my wife and her mother in which I was the planner, organizer, financier, tour guide, pack mule and security guard. While I thoroughly enjoyed the process of planning and executing the trips there were many things I would like to have seen/done that I didn't because it was really their trip. As such, I am working on my own solo trip this fall to some of those same places as well as new ones. I want to discover if a TH friend's advice is right, "when you're by yourself all opinions are unanimous". For that I would welcome any advice anyone has to offer.
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
Hi Jim!
The Atlanta group started nearly 4 years ago and the core group is still going strong. It's a great way to create a network of like-minded people who are passionate about travel. This winter some members of the Atlanta group are even taking Italian lessons together. We learn a lot from each other.
Just schedule a meeting and see who shows up. You might be surprised. We love Louisiana! I met my husband at a Cajun dance. It would be a great excuse for us to visit your part of the world to attend one of your meetings.