Village Travel

🌍✈️Exciting times are ahead for our "Irish Adventure" tour group, who embark next month on an 11-day tour of the Emerald Isle! A few weeks before an international departure, we almost always host a "Know Before You Go" meeting. We cover everything from travel documents to voltage requirements for hair-styling tools!

CIE Tours, our tour partner in Ireland, provided a backpack that includes some great travel essentials.

Did you know? Some European hotels don't provide wash cloths! Details are important!

Photos from the Road! What an adventure! The "Escape to Lake Geneva" group has just wrapped up their 7-day journey to Wisconsin. From the iconic Lake Geneva Lighthouse to delicious treats at Lehmann's Bakery and an unforgettable US Mailboat Tour, every moment was filled with stunning sights and tasty delights!📸🌊l

Photo Credit: Judith Hibun, Tour Director

The new Village Travel facility is rapidly taking shape at the northwest corner of I-44 and I-35 in Oklahoma City! Have you had a chance to drive by and catch a glimpse of the action? What do you think so far? We're absolutely thrilled about this expansion, especially since our current departure center, which has been open since 2007, has served us so well. Get ready for an even bigger and better Village Travel experience in OKC!

Did you know? The restrooms are constructed of cinder blocks with concrete caps and will also serve as tornado shelters!

Photo Credit: Bryan Urban

When driver Teri Craige was a school counselor at Jim Thorpe Academy in Shawnee, OK, she taught with Sara Branson. Captain Branson and her troops were recently on a Village Travel coach on their way to Camp Grayling, MI, with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, and Teri had the pleasure of driving them!

Photo Credit: Teri Craige

Photos from the Road! Exploring the beauty of all four Great Lakes! Our 'Great Lakes Voyage' tour group is making unforgettable memories this week!

Photo Credit: Tara Baalmann, Tour Director

It takes a Village to keep this company running smoothly…let's visit the Parts Department! These hard-working and organized ladies coordinate the acquisition of more than $2 million in bus parts each year and expertly manage the huge inventory! They oversee the precise ordering, receipt, and storage of these crucial components. Each day they can be found sustaining key partnerships with 892 vendors including bus manufacturers, semi tractor manufacturers, a semi-trailer manufacturer and multiple parts suppliers!

L-R clockwise: Michelle Courtney (OKC), Brenna Kreutziger (Wichita) & Jackie Underhill (Wichita)

🚂✨ Photo from the Road! On August 3rd, the epic "Alaska by Rail" tour set off on an 8-day railroad trek through the breathtaking Alaskan wilderness! With dynamic Driver Adam Piazza at the wheel and Tour Director Julie Schillings—who's also served as a Tour Coordinator at Village for 6 years—guiding the way, this unforgettable expedition promises memories that will last a lifetime! 🌲🚞

Who would you love to spend 9 days in Rome, Italy with✨!? Tag them and let them know!

"Jubilee: The Holy Year" is a once-in-a-lifetime tour that will send you on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi during the Holy Year 2025! Visit inspiring sites like the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City and Scala Sancta (the Holy Stairs).

⛪Celebrate Mass at 5, and visit all 7, of the Pilgrimage Churches of the Jubilee
🏛️Visit numerous Basilicas and Holy Sites
🚍 Includes Airfare, Hotels, Transportation and Guides
🛌🏽SAME hotel in Rome for the entire tour
📿Opportunity for Papal audience at the Vatican City
🗓️ Departs March 26, 2025
👨‍🍳11 Meals Included

govillagetravel.com/tours/jubilee-the-holy-year/

What is Christi up to now?! Any guesses? More info to come on a fun, new project in the works!

We were thrilled to see so many smiling faces from our charter offices representing Village at Anthony Travel's SOS Meeting this week in Orlando, FL. Anthony Travel is a significant name in collegiate athletic transportation, and we're very proud to be one of their trusted partners!
Pictured: Jeff Johnson (Tulsa), Rusty Handy (OKC), Cathy Gafford (OKC), Becky Fields (Tulsa), and Mindy Bagwell (Springdale)

It may not hold a torch to the 2024 Summer Olympics , but in the spirit of competition Village is currently holding Driver competitions called "Bus ROADeos." Last week, we held one in Springdale, AR and yesterday in Oklahoma City. Only drivers with exceptional overall safety scores are invited to participate. No medals 🏅 are presented, but the overall winner will represent Village at the 2025 UMA Driver Competition held in Oklahoma City this February! It takes a major effort from our safety department to set up and conduct these events – just setting up the 100 traffic cones took over three hours!

Meet your dedicated Village Travel Tour Department! Tour Coordinators and Reservationists came together for a 2-day training at the Wichita office. This fabulous group works closely together to lay the groundwork to guarantee smooth voyages before the tour heads out on the road!

Pam Schrant will be retiring from Village Travel on July 31 after almost 11 years with us! Pam has been an anchor here as a Reservationist, and she has certainly been a part of a lot of history at Village. We'll greatly miss her and wish her the best as she'll have more time with her family. Join us in wishing Pam the best!

Happy NATIONAL FOOTBALL DAY! Where are our CHIEFS fans?! Share this post with your football buddies, because it is time to travel to Arrowhead Stadium in style to cheer on the Super Bowl Champions in their 2024 season! Chiefs vs Bengals on Sept. 15th and Chiefs vs Broncos on Nov. 10th. Go Chiefs! 🏈

✓ Transportation on a premium motorcoach
✓ No Parking Hassles
✓ Lower Bowl seats

There's no better way to enjoy a CHIEFS game than from the stands in the loudest stadium in professional football!

For more information - https://www.govillagetravel.com/?s=Chiefs&post_type=tour

The Branson QUEEN ESTHER tour is so popular, we've added a second Wichita departure for September 3rd. Don't miss your final opportunity to experience this mesmerizing tale at the renowned Sight & Sound Theatre. Share this post and Tag the friends you'd like to accompany you on this 3-day tour! Book now! This departure launched yesterday and is already half-way full.

https://www.govillagetravel.com/tours/branson-queen-esther-2-2/

Moving right along! Check out the progress on our new Oklahoma City location!

Spending the day in Tulsa for the 2024 LIFEstyle & Wellness Expo with LIFE Senior Services!
Shout out to Nikki & Angela for holding down the booth!

A Pair of Transportation Powerhouses!
at The National Museum of Transportation

Photo Credit: David Littlejohn

Behind the scenes meeting with a Tour Coordinator, the Tour Operations Manager and 3 Drivers ironing out the details for a complicated sequence of upcoming tours! These are just a few of the folks who assure a smooth running tour. The first tour, Pacific Northwest, leaves on Monday.

Any guesses to which tours they are discussing?!

#344 at Multnomah Falls in Oregon with a Charter group!

Photo Credit: Driver Ralph McKay

The Big Reveal! Check our stories to watch the video of the family finding out the destination for their mystery vacation!

Our Happy Family🥰 They are off to the Riviera Maya to stay at an all-inclusive resort. Our winner of the water bottle is Lori Eastman Jones!
Thanks to Arturo with American Airlines and Butch at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport who was incredibly nice and helpful!
Happy Birthday Jerry, enjoy your vacation with your beautiful family!

There's something special about the excitement and adventure of a short getaway with Village Travel. These short 4 to 5-day tours are the perfect opportunity to get away, experience the open road, and see the incredible destinations waiting for you!

Click here to see some featured Short & Sweet tours!
https://mailchi.mp/govillagetravel/lastchancetours-698209?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Village%20Travel

Where do you think Village Travel with Shelley's mystery vacation will be headed?!

I'm super excited! Today we have travelers leaving from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport on a mystery family vacation! They will not know where they're going until they arrive at the airport. How fun is this going to be?! It's like a gender reveal only it's a vacation reveal 😂

✈️ What's your guess?
If you answer correctly you'll win a Village travel Water Bottle!
We will announce the destination after 1!

On Monday, we had a huge move with our friends at BattleCreek Church for their Student Summer Camp! It took 17 coaches to transport the group! It was a group effort with drivers from our Tulsa, Springdale, and Springfield offices. The drivers and Mechanics onsite even gathered for some breakfast at Mom's Family Diner - Broken Arrow .

It's so fun being a part of memories like these! Hope you guys are having a great week at camp!
BattleCreek Church BattleCreek Students

Photos from the road with our Lilacs & Lighthouses tour!
📸 Director Tammy Mills

Village Travel had over 70 coaches working the annual Walmart Associates Week, June 3-7, 2024 throughout northwest Arkansas. Associates Week is a celebration of Walmart associates from around the globe. Village Travel Coaches were available to get attendees from point A to B for all their meetings, entertainment and activities.

One of the most popular side-line activities is the pin trading that takes place! Associates from all over the country and world are there and the exchange of pins transcends language barriers. No words necessary when a smile and pin exchange says it all! This year, Village Travel Drivers got in on the action and had their own custom pins to exchange.

Our Travel Agency Team spent time over the weekend in Washington DC for the Travel Leaders Network 2024 International Conference where our team is continuing to learn and grow to offer our customers the best custom travel experiences possible!

Be sure to follow Village Travel with Shelley to keep up with the Village Travel Agency!