ABOUT US
We are a locally owned and operated in Great Falls, Montana. We have been in business for 30 years. Bob and Bernice started their tour business out of their basement in the early 1980s. They were joined with Anderson- Elerding and Morris-Murdock travel before striking out on their own once more in 2004.
Our tours are geared for retired people who want to travel and explore, but prefer group and ground tours. We stop every 1 1/2 to 2 hours for leg stretches and breaks, or more frequently depending on sites and picture opportunities. Our motorcoach is equipped with a restroom. We have escorts on all of our tours to keep you entertained, along with serving coffee, juice, water, and snacks. They are also there to answer any questions you may have.
Our experienced drivers and escorts are there to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trip. They have been all over the country, along with Canada and Alaska, and are ready for almost anything that can come our way.
Bernice and Bob
Bobby
Lila
Dick and Louise
Sherilu and Ron
Carol and Don
Why does a tour cost so much more for a single than it does a double?
Our tour cost more for a single than a double, because one person is paying the cost of the room instead of two. Take, for example, a room that costs $100 a night. If two people are sharing the room, then it costs each of them $50 a night. When you take a tour that is 10 nights longer, the room is going to cost $500 more for a single person than if they were sharing the room.
What is travel insurance, and why is it so important?
Travel insurance is an insurance policy taken out by travelers to cover the unexpected events that happen before or during a tour. About 30 days before a trip leaves, we have non-refundable deposits and payments due to hotels, cruises, and most trip costs. We do our best to get what we can back, but unfortunately, it doesn’t happen very often. Unlike individual rooms and activities, most group reservations require payments and cancellations at
least 30 - 45 days before departure. Many are non-refundable to us. This is where travel insurance comes in. If you have to cancel at the last minute, you get the cost of a trip back. If your trip is interrupted, they will make the arrangements in getting you back to your home town, plus refunding un-used portion of your trip. It also covers
the cost of medical care, and in places like Canada where Medicare does not cover,the travel insurance will.
Should I buy the cancellation insurance when I sign up, or when I pay my balance on the tour?
If you have a pre-existing condition (i.e. cancer, diabetes, etc.) that could prevent you from going, then you need to buy the insurance within 15 days of your deposit to cover cancellation or trip interruption because of pre-existing conditions. If you do not have pre-existing conditions, then we recommend buying the insurance when your balance is due.
What is the purpose of signing up early?
This past year has had many examples that show the importance of signing up early. So far this year, we cancelled three tours that would have had enough people on the tour to go, if only they had been in early. Nearly all hotels have a date they need to be cancelled by, or we lose all deposits. This date is usually 30 - 60 days out. Our tours are based on group prices. If we don’t have enough people on the tour, we lose our tour group status, which raises the hotel prices, and we are forced to cancel the tour because of operating costs. Please sign up early.
Who are all of the extra people in your office?
As many of you know, we do rent office space from another travel agency, Odyssey Tour and Travel. Sharing space with them has given us better access to check airfare for our fly groups, along with offering a cruise here and there. But, we are still our own company, so if you’re coming to see us, just ask for Bernice or Missy.
Why are some of your tours as long as they are?
When most people travel, they want to see all that they can because chances are they won’t be through that area
again. We can’t cover everything that we do in a shorter amount of time without wearing our clients out, and we don’t want to run an endurance race. When other companies do tours in less time and for less money, the client doesn’t see the sights and side trips that we do. One option that many people have taken advantage of, however, is to join our groups down the road. You many join or leave our group anywhere along our route.
Your Questions, Asked and Answered
ABOUT US
