Holidays in New York 2012

Each year, we conduct a trip to New York City over what many call the most popular weekend in NYC.  Because our selected weekend follows the traditional Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, many tourists are in New York to experience all else that this wonderful destination has to offer!
Our travelers are spoiled with prime accommodations, which were at the New York Barclay this year!
In addition to great NYC accommodations, we love that this hotel really involves the Christmas season both in their décor in the notable lobby but also in providing occasional evening holiday entertainment to their guests.  It truly is a wonderful place to stay during the holiday season.
In traditional Beyond Group Travel fashion, we welcome our travelers on the first evening of the trip at a cocktail party complete with hors d’oeuvres.  Our travelers greatly enjoy the musical styling of the Toy Soldiers that we bring along as well!  Below you can see Linda and Ashley enjoying a photo opportunity with these talented gentleman.

On our first full day in New York, some travelers elected to join us at the Neue Galerie to view early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design. 
Later that evening, we took our group to see Newsies, which is Disney’s musical and the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of ragged band of teen aged “newsies,” who dreams only of a better life far from the hardship of the streets. But when publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack finds a cause to fight for and rallies newsies from across the city to strike for what’s right.  This musical was nominated for eight 2012 Tony Awards and and won Best Original Score and Best Choreography! 
Saturday morning, some travelers elected to join us for a tour of downtown Manhattan, which includes St. Paul’s Chapel, the 9/11 Memorial, and Winter Garden. 
Look at the fabulous picture Ashley captured in Winter Garden!
Later that night, we all enjoyed a fabulous showing of Nice Work if You Can Get It with Matthew Broderick and Kelli O’Hara.  Perhaps you caught a glimpse of their show performed in Herald Square during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
On our final full day in NYC, our travelers elected to see either Radio City Christmas Spectacular or Once The Musical, and both were fantastic!  Later Sunday evening, we traveled together to one of Beyond Group Travel’s favorite NYC fine dining restaurants, Astra.  This dining venue has one of the greatest views in Manhattan, and our photos don’t even come close to describing the incredible view, although they do help!

Can you tell we had fun?!
After dinner, we even had the opportunity to meet some of New York City’s finest!
In ALL of our trips to NYC, however, we would be remiss not to thank our wonderful, tried, and true motorcoach driver, Jacques.  He’s so much more than our driver, and travelers always LOVE him!  He truly makes the most of his career, and it works because we are always requesting him!
Experience the excitement, and join us next year for our annual Holidays in New York trip!
Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours! 713.954.4825

Thanksgiving in New York 2012–More Pictures!

This week, we leave our devoted readers with more of a glimpse at our Thanksgiving in New york trip.  Enjoy this pictorial story portraying the loads of fun we had with our trip to New York for our close-up and luxurious view of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours! 713.954.4825

Thanksgiving in New York 2012

In reading our original post about Thanksgiving in 2010, it’s amazing to see how Beyond Group Travel has blossomed our signature Thanksgiving in New York program from 2010 to 2011 to this year, 2012.  2012 blessed us with a SOLD OUT program with 155 travelers, nearly all families!!!  Between the Traveling Aggies, Ohio State University Alumni, the War Eagle Travelers (Auburn), Georgia Tech University Alumni, and the University of South Florida Alumni, we filled the Residence Inn Times Square Manhattan. 

It was a pleasure to have one of our new staff members, Sandra Rodriguez, along to work with Cindy and Linda this year!  Our team was also pleased to work alongside each host; Jennifer Bohac – Traveling Aggies, Jacky Bennett – Ohio State University, Tanja Matthews – War Eagle Travelers, and Joe Irwin – Georgia Tech University.

Without a doubt, we knew we had found a gem for family-friendly accommodations when we began working with the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square in early 2011.  After last year’s Thanksgiving trip, we were impressed and thoroughly pleased to continue working with this property and their Director of Sales and Marketing, Jim McCabe. We cannot say enough wonderful things about how our spacious NYC accommodations worked out, the fabulous food we enjoyed for our welcome cocktail party and private parade viewing as well as breakfast each morning.  What we further love about working with the Residence Inn is the eye-appealing wrap-around view that this property provides to our travelers for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

As our program continued through the weekend, travelers were able to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the legendary Rockettes, and we took our largest conclusive group to date on a Downtown Manhattan tour as well as a Circle Line Cruise.

Further, what’s New York without a little Broadway?!  Travelers saw one or two of their chosen favorites from Jersey Boys, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Spiderman Turn Off the Dark, and Wicked.

We greatly appreciate the compliments and testimonials we have already received, and we are energized to continue with our programs, including our Holidays in New York program that departs THIS WEEK!

We’re already planning for Thanksgiving in New York next year, and we look forward to hosting the Flying Longhorns, Alabama Alumni Association, and, for the first time, Wolftreks Travel (North Carolina State)!  Is your family interested in celebrating Thanksgiving in a new way?!

US Open in New York City August 30-September 2, 2011

We are thrilled to announce a new trip on the Beyond Group Travel 2011 calendar!  Join us as we travel to New York City for the US Grand Slam event of tennis; the US Open. 

Trip highlights include*:

• Roundtrip airfare from Houston. (other air cities available on request)
• Roundtrip transportation between the airport and hotel
• Deluxe accommodations for three nights including hotel taxes at the Hilton Times Square
• Welcome lunch with open bar
• One (1) roundtrip Metro pass on Subway to Flushing, NY
• Baggage handling upon arrival in New York City
• One Upper promenade seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium including grounds ticket to USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
• Gratuities on included package features
• Trip managed and accompanied by Beyond Group Travel, Inc.

As you can see, we are returning to the Hilton Times Square, the hotel we fell in love with on the Maggie Dixon Classic trip.

Furthermore, here’s a few more details on the itinerary of your trip with us to the US Open.

Tuesday— Upon arrival in New York City, we will transfer from the airport to enjoy a Welcome New York Pizza lunch with open bar at John’s Pizzeria in Times Square, a popular NYC restaurant featured on The Food Network and The Travel Channel’s Top 10 Pizzerias in the US. Following lunch, stroll to the Hilton Times Square with your room key in hand and luggage conveniently stored in your room. The remainder of this day is open for you to explore on your own activities.

Optional theatre performance viewing such shows as Jersey Boys, Wicked, or Billy Elliot. Beyond Group Travel can help you find the right one for you.

Wednesday—This is our full day of tennis—strap on your comfortable shoes as we will travel by subway to Flushing, NY. Your ticket today provides access to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as well as a reserved seat in the upper promenade section in Arthur Ashe Stadium for both the day and evening sessions.

Thursday—This day is yours to create. Choose from an optional second day evening ticket of tennis at the US Open or optional morning World Trade Center Site Tour by New York subway.

Friday—Before your return home this afternoon, you will have the morning free to enjoy shopping along Canal Street, take a walk through the world famous Central Park, or allow Beyond Group Travel to make arrangements for you to tour one of the many sights of NYC. Transfer to airport for flight home.

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Package Price:
$1,589.00 per person - double occupancy
$1,929.00 per person - single occupancy
LAND ONLY AIR CREDIT - $325.00 per person (transportation to/from hotel on your own)

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This trip is a great value!  Book by January 31, 2011 to receive this published trip price offering tremendous value. Rates will increase after this date due to ticket prices at the US Open.  Click here to view the brochure and contact us as soon as possible to reserve your space while you still can!

Additionally, we still have limited space available on the Mediterranean Mosaic sailing April 26, 2011!  If you are interested in sailing from Rome to Venice with ports of call including Portofino, Florence, and Amalfi, we would love to have you join us.  It’s not too late!  Deadline is Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

*Trip highlights subject to change based upon hotel, tickets & theatre availability.

Beyond Group Travel is 1 year old!

Above: Top, Krista and Henry Borchard. Bottom, Linda and Gary Triplett, Cindy and Dave Chambers.

Happy New Year to all of you and Happy 1st Birthday to us!  Tomorrow, we celebrate one year from our Incorporation date.  What a fabulous year this has been!

Cindy and Linda started the year off running and quickly built fabulous clientele, terrific quality trips, all while keeping a straight and organized business.  All the while working on 2010, we were able to build on 2011 and EVEN 2012!  That’s right; keep up with us to see the exciting details we have planned for upcoming years.

We were pleased to host trips with various collegiate alumni travel organizations, country clubs members, garden clubs and more to the following locations in our first year of business:

• Fredericksburg, TX
• Santa Barbara, CA
• Guiliano Hazan’s Cooking School in Italy at Villa Giona
• Annual New York Theatre Trip (Linda has had the pleasure of hosting this trip for 25 years!)
• Austin, TX
• Thanksgiving in New York (our annual bucket list trip!)
• Holidays in New York
• Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York

As you can tell, New York is definitely the signature destination at Beyond Group Travel, Inc.  2011 is already packed full with new destinations and, by popular demand, we’ve included more cruise groups!  If you are interested in hosting your group (family, friends or any other type of group) contact us to discuss the options available to you.  We are looking forward to an even better 2012!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Maggie Dixon Classic

Back in October, we told you about our upcoming trip to New York with the Traveling Aggies and Aggie Women’s Hoops for the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden.  This trip departed on December 17th and returned home on December 20th; it was fantastic!

Linda was fortunate to be able to travel with the group of 25 fans that gathered to cheer on the Aggie Women’s team.  Jennifer Bohac, Director of Traveling Aggies at the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University, was also able to join Linda for this trip.

Accommodations were at the Hilton Times Square, and this is definitely a favorite NYC hotel for Beyond Group Travel.  Providing our clients with the largest hotel rooms in Manhattan is a plus, and the staff is great as well.  We are very pleased!

Our group also enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Carmine’s on Friday evening with all of the Aggie Women’s team, their coaches, and their staff.  The girls seemed to love the family style of dining!

Saturday, the Aggie Women’s team received a touching and well-planned tour by Linda through some of NYC’s highlights and on into the World Trade Center site.  That afternoon, our group of fans and the team were able to see the Rockettes in the Radio City Spectacular.

Sunday, the reason for this trip arrived, and it was time for the girls to dominate Rutgers in the Maggie Dixon Classic!

Our group of fans thoroughly enjoyed their NEAR COURTSIDE seats!  They commented on the fantastic view they had for not only the A&M game but the UCONN vs. Ohio State game following.  The Aggie Women’s team did a terrific job and indeed won their game against Rutgers.  Great job ladies!

It was a wonderful trip and one we hope to repeat!  We look forward to other trips with the team and Coach Gary Blair.  Thanks for a wonderful time to our travelers and the Aggie Women’s Basketball team!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Thanksgiving in New York 2010

Wow!  What a fabulous trip we had hosting the Traveling Aggies, Georgia Tech Alumni Travel, and Emory Alumni Travel Program in New York City November 24-28, 2010 for our signature Thanksgiving in New York Program featuring the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  After arriving via Continental Airlines, accommodations were at the fabulous New York Sheraton hotel which provided amazing views of the parade, excellent staff, and scrumptious buffets.  We were able to provide a memorable trip for families and friends that joined us for this terrific trip.  Porter Garner, President and C.E.O. of the Association of Former Students, joined Jennifer Bohac, Director of Travel Programs at the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University, in hosting the Aggies this year; they each did a terrific job in ensuring a magical trip for all of the Aggies involved.  Don Chapman continued his talented service as host for the Georgia Tech Alumni.  This was Emory Alumni Travel’s introductory year traveling with us, and appreciated their involvement in the educational component of the World Trade Center site during our Manhattan tour.

Linda has hosted this trip for many years and is excited that this trip has continued so successfully with its first year under Beyond Group Travel!  This year, we were able to do:

• a welcome cocktail/reception party
• multiple theatre performances including, The Addams Family, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, and Wicked
• a Private Thanksgiving Day breakfast buffet with indoor PRIVATE parade viewing at the Sheraton

• performance of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
• Football Game Watching parties for the Texas A&M vs. UT game as well as the Georgia Tech vs. Georgia game
• a cocktail reception and Thanksgiving dinner at Maloney and Porcelli.
• a Private NYC Manhattan tour
• a Circle Line cruise viewing Manhattan from the Hudson and East Rivers as well as an up close view of the Statue of Liberty.

We’ve received many gracious and thoughtful compliments thus far which really warms our hearts; it makes us proud to do what we do!  We are thoroughly looking forward to hosting the Flying Longhorns and Alabama next year for Thanksgiving in New York 2011!

Take the hassle out of group travel; call us to plan your next group trip or join ours!

Aggie Christmas Match-Up - Maggie Dixon Classic

Join the Traveling Aggies and Aggie Women's Hoops at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York City!  We have extended the deadline to November 2, 2010 and would love to have you join us.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

• Three night’s accommodations at Hilton Times Square – Soaring 44 stories above Manhattan, The Hilton Times Square offers over-sized guest rooms with spectacular, panoramic views, surrounded by Broadway theatres, shopping and fine New York restaurants.
• Attend the Basketball Games in Madison Square Garden – on Sunday, December 19^th, watch our Big 12 Champions Texas A&M Women take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Noon for the 5^th Annual Maggie Dixon Classic! Immediately following, watch the 2010 National Champion UCONN Huskies take on Ohio State.
• Radio City Spectacular starring the world-famous Rockettes – enjoy the flawless precision of the Radio City Rockettes as they perform legendary numbers such as the “Parade of Wooden Soldiers”. Marvel at the re-enactment of the first Christmas in the “Living Nativity”.

Land Only Package Includes:

• Accommodations for three nights at the Team hotel
• Hotel Taxes
• Reserved ticket for Maggie Dixon Classic games to see 4 Top-15 ranked teams, including our Aggie Women on Sunday, December 19^th
• Orchestra ticket for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Team on Saturday December 18^th at 4:30pm
• Porterage for one bag upon arrival at hotel
• Trip is escorted by Beyond Group Travel, Inc.

Click here to access and print the brochure.  Contact us for further details or contact the Traveling Aggies with questions.