Vol. 1, No. 2 - Michael's trip to the National Tour Association convention in Reno/Tahoe

Last month, I went to a travel industry conference and spent the better part of five days "speed dating" with 125 different folks representing convention and visitor's bureaus, excursion companies, lodges, resorts and hotels. This large convention (over 3,000 attendees) gave me the opportunity to research ideas for how to make our custom trips the best that they can be.

While many in the travel business have felt the sting of the economy in 2009, Tracks & Trails has been doing very well. With the re-launch of our website and the airing of the Ken Burns PBS series on the National Parks, we have had a terrific fall building trips for 2010. We already have one RV rental supplier telling us that certain dates next summer are getting tight due to our big increase in business.

I've highlighted below a couple of the organizations that I met with at this conference. One is a famous attraction that we have been working with for a long time. Many train enthusiasts out there already know the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Bob Morris is an old friend of Tracks & Trails and it's always great to see his smiling face. Check out our itinerary so you can get on that train!

A new friend that I made at the conference represents a unique country-Victorian style inn in San Luis Obispo, California. The Apple Farm Inn has individually decorated rooms with cozy fireplaces and is located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. For our clients that would prefer to drive a car and stay in unique resorts and lodges for their road trip, Apple Farm will be our recommended stop on Down the Big Sur Coast itinerary. See more information below.

This historic train has been in continuous operation for 127 years, carrying passengers behind vintage steam locomotives. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year. By July of 1882, the tracks to Silverton were completed, and the train began hauling both freight and passengers.

Durango is a little off the beaten path for most of our clients. Our featured itinerary starts and ends in Denver, CO with stops Rocky Mountain National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Mesa Verde National Park, one of the first in the National Parks in the United States.

If taking an RV along the winding coast is a bit much, we can get you going with a full-size SUV and arrange unique accommodations such as the Apple Farm Inn. From your home base at Apple Farm Inn, you can explore San Luis Obispo, festivals, farmers markets, a historic mission, superb food and a creek that runs through town. Minutes away, rolling valleys offer the best in wine tasting. A short drive north on Highway 1 brings you to William Randolph Hearst's dream, Hearst Castle, and the spectacular shoreline of Big Sur.

Click on the link below to learn more about this memorable California itinerary, then call us to help arrange a special, unique California road trip!

So, if we've given you the itch to take a road trip next spring or summer, that's great! If one of these destinations is not your cup of tea, check out our new website to find a wonderful western driving adventure.

Either give us a call at (800) 247-0970, fill out a Contact Us form or use our new live chat feature to find out what's possible!