memories Archives - Starr Tours & Charters

Reflecting Back – Moving Forward

As the height of the touring season was about to begin I started reflecting back on the bus tours I escorted last year.  Each tour is unique, even if I’ve traveled there before, partly due to changes in the landscape, different local guides, new venues to see and familiar ones to explore more deeply.  But my favorite part of directing tours is the people I come to know as we travel together – for they help to create my wonderful memories of these trips.

 

A few who come to mind are the 12 friends and a few family members who traveled on the Agawa Canyon, Ontario bus tour with us.  I affectionately named them the “dirty dozen” (their photo is below).  These 12 people were warm and friendly to everyone and included others in their conversations and adventures whether on the train or during the evening activities.

On the same trip were two brothers and their wives who were the “readers” of the trip.  They all were reading different genres of books and provided us with enough book titles to last for months.

 

During several of the trips I met fellow knitters. On one trip, a guest was kind enough to edit and write directions for a sweater to make it fit better.  We laughed and talked about knitting shops along the trip.  Just another guest helping another traveler and building memories of a fun-filled vacation.

 

So many guests last season were celebrating anniversaries and birthdays.  One couple wore color-coordinated clothing every day to celebrate their anniversary and the entire coach waited to see how they were matched each morning.  Everyone enjoyed watching their celebration.

 

Then there was the creative guest who turned my name into an acronym as a thank you for a fun-filled and exciting trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On that trip we were on a Shrimp boat (who knew there were so many different kinds of shrimp) and took great photos.

 

As I move through this tour season I realize that each trip, whether a new or a familiar one, will be interesting, exciting and fun-filled. They are always planned with fascinating sites to see, shops, buildings and monuments to explore plus beautiful scenery, but most importantly the coach will be filled with great tour guests who help create our wonderful memories.

 

I look forward to making memories with you one day,

Anndee Byers
Starr Tour Director

 

 

This year, travel with me to the Gaylord National Resort in August, Mississippi’s Gulf Coast or Pittsburgh in September, Savannah & Charleston in October, or Busch Gardens in December. I’m also directing a variety of day trips! Click here to find out more.

From Sea to Shining Sea and Memories in Between

Christine Durling

Escorting passengers three times on Starr’s Cross Country tour has touched me with so many terrific memories. Of course, there were the famous landmarks beginning with the Gateway Arch in Missouri, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Old Faithful in Wyoming, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Not to forget the Grand Teton Mountains, the Great Plains, the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts, Lake Tahoe and streams and waterfalls, and the Pacific Ocean.  Even with all of this beauty and wonder, I will never forget the in-between memories that were reflective of the passengers on the tour as well as the people I had met along the way.

One day after being on the road for a week, one of our passengers asked me if he could talk on the microphone for a few minutes. Not knowing what he was up to but thankful for a talking break, I quickly agreed.  Little did any of us know, he was observing our daily activities and would spend his evenings writing lyrics about some missteps— like someone leaving house keys in a hotel room, meeting up with a snowfall in Nevada in July, or being awakened in the middle of the night by a hotel fire alarm because someone got stuck in the elevator.  Not only did he sing the song but he accompanied himself with a portable cassette player—remember them? We laughed so hard and so long that he never had to ask for the microphone again.  He had a standing gig on the bus each week thereafter. We could hardly wait to hear what and who he was going to sing about next.

Food was always on our minds when traveling cross country.  Starting with satisfying hotel breakfasts to surprise snacks shared by our passengers.  It was not unusual for a bag of grapes to suddenly appear being passed up and down the aisle followed by a big bag of chocolate candies.  Then there was the box lunch in the middle of the Painted Desert in Arizona – not another vehicle in sight as we savored the solitude and the indescribable landscape.  Dinners ranged from fine dining menus to pizza delivered to hotel rooms.  One of my favorite food memories was our stay in Los Angeles.  Our hotel was across the street from Ralph’s Supermarket.  One of the passengers asked me what my dinner plans were for the evening.  I mentioned I was going over to Ralph’s for a roasted chicken and something from the salad bar.  She thought that was a swell idea and joined me by the pool.  There we were surrounded by California palm trees and digging in to our dinner with plastic knives and forks.  Fine dining— at least in our minds!

 

Probably the number one question I get about the cross country tour is “What about laundry?”

My view while walking to the laundromat

Starr has that figured to a “tee”! —pun intended.  Many of the hotels en route have laundry facilities on-site.  The passengers were great about taking turns doing their laundry to everyone’s satisfaction.  After 14 days on the road, I decided to do my laundry in San Francisco.  Unfortunately, for me, there were no on-site facilities.  Desperate times called for desperate measures.  So after a few directions from the front desk, I packed up my dirty laundry in a small suitcase and rolled my way up a couple of hills in San Francisco to the neighborhood laundromat humming, “I washed my socks in San Francisco. . .”  Being in the heart of this famous town, game me a bird’s eye view of its diversity when I met a young man from New Jersey who moved there a year ago for a job.  He was cleaning his apartment and doing his wash before his mom’s visit that weekend.  Then there was the girl with multiple tattoos who ran in and out checking on her stash in the dryer.  While waiting for my wash to be completed, an elderly Chinese gentleman wearing a large straw hat, asked me if I was from Australia?  Somewhat amused, and somewhat flattered, I asked him why he would think that.  He said, “because everyone that comes in here is from Australia.”   I had to chuckle because when I first arrived at the laundromat— a mother and daughter who helped me maneuver the money changer told me that they were on a three-week tour of the States – from Australia!

On our 26th and final day on the road and after traveling over 7,000 miles—yes, on a bus—yes, with the same people—a couple of our male passengers asked if they could say something to the group.  It came as no surprise that their comments brought tears to everyone’s eyes.  They, too, spoke about their memories that no guidebook could explain nor postcard could picture—those in-between memories!

 

I hope you one day have a chance to collect your own treasure trove of in-between memories on our wonderful Cross Country tour!
Christine Durling, Starr Tour Director