The Benefits of Group Travel

No doubt, traveling with your spouse or significant other is fun and memorable.  Likely, traveling with your family is exciting, too. 

No? 

Ok, well, pretend it is! 

Even traveling with a friend has great benefits.

That said, adding to you and your spouse with several other couples, adding extended family members to your immediate family trip, and gathering a group of friends together for a trip makes for a wonderful and exciting time for all allowing multiple experiences and memories.

There are various benefits to group travel, but most often people find the greatest benefit is price.  Hotels, cruise lines, airlines, etc. are eager to provide group contracts with pricing at a lower cost because it’s less work for them.  We, your group travel agent, are able to pass those savings on to you!

Additionally, many people enjoy the opportunity of traveling with people of similar interest.  Joining a group for travel provides a greater energy and vibe than traveling with just your partner or small family.  In fact, we find many of our evaluations state that ‘this is the only way to travel.’

Enjoying a stress-free trip is a bonus for many as well, as there is little to no planning involved for each individual.  Allowing us, your group travel experts, to coordinate a trip for you permits you to sit back, relax and focus on the enjoyment of your trip instead of planning every hour of your journey.

This stress-free trip will likely come from having a group coordinator on your trip to travel with you!  Groups of a certain size (typically 20) will allow you to have a group coordinator on your trip!  Having this coordinator is key in ensuring that your group stays on their well-planned itinerary and is able to see all the sights and destinations that your group chooses to view.

With these great benefits, we trust you will want to join us for a group trip soon.  If you don’t see a trip you’d like to join us for, let’s create one for your group!

Below are some great ideas for groups:

• Large families
• Family Reunion
• Collegiate class year alumni
• All collegiate alumni
• High school class year alumni
• All high school alumni
• Destination Weddings
• Multiple couples and their children
• Bible study
• Girlfriends only
• Guys only
• Country club
• Garden club
• Tennis club
• Fitness club
• Golf buddies
• Anniversary with friends and family
• Birthday with friends and family

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

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.

---

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)

---

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!

New Cruise Ships for 2011

Recently, MSNBC posted an article about the brand new cruise ships taking their inaugural sail in 2011.  We found it very intriguing as there are so many new cruise ships this year!  Several more are planned for 2012 as cruising becomes many traveler’s preferred method of travel!

One of our favorites, Marina, is actually mentioned 2nd in this article and is the newest ship in Oceania Cruises fleet.  As we anxiously await this ships completion, Cindy and Linda are preparing to attend the inaugural ceremony on February 5th!  We are even more excited about having travelers join us twice this year onboard Marina for the Baltic Treasures sailing as well as the Grecian Glory sailing.  Let us know if you want to join us on one of these fabulous sailings.  After all, how could you not be excited about seeing this?!

Also within this article, we are thrilled to see the Seabourn Quest debut!

Seabourn really does have a service in a league of their own, as Cindy and Linda have experienced first hand.  Now, with Quest, Odyssey and Sojourn in their fleet, they have new yacht-like ships that look like the service they provide.  Quest accommodates just 450 passengers creating a smaller cruise experience, however Seabourn does not incorporate “small” in anything the provide.  You want for nothing when you sail with Seabourn.

We are thoroughly looking forward to taking our travelers aboard both of these ships.  In 2012, we also anxiously await the debut of Oceania’s Riviera!

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

Last Minute Christmas Gift Baltic Treasures

Give the gift of travel this holiday season!  Still have someone you haven’t purchased a gift for?  Not to worry!  We can get you taken care of before Christmas and put your special someone on a cruise through the Baltic Sea.  This fabulous sailing makes ports of call at:

• Stockholm, Sweden
• Helinksi, Finland
• St. Petersburg, Russia for 2 days
• Tallin, Estonia
• Riga, Latvia
• Visby, Sweden
• Gdansk, Poland
• Ronne (Bornholm), Denmark
• Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany
• Copenhagen, Denmark

Fabulous itinerary, right?!  ***Well, as if that wasn’t enough, we are thrilled to have Giuliano Hazan onboard with us for this cruise!  Hazan, the only son of Marcella Hazan, began working as an assistant at his mother’s renowned School of Classic Italian Cooking at 17.  Now, Giuliano is an author, teacher, entrepreneur, and one of the foremost authorities on Italian cooking.(http://www.giulianohazan.com/about_chef_giuliano_hazan/)  ***Those who board this cruise with us will have the opportunity to take an onboard culinary class from THE Giuliano Hazan himself in the ALL NEW Culinary Center aboard Marina (taking her inaugural cruise February 2011).
***This private course with Giuliano is exclusive to travelers with Beyond Group Travel.
I’m sure we’ve provided enough reasons to board this cruise, but there’s more!  You’ll sail this fabulous cruise onboard Oceania’s newest ship, Marina.  This brand new ship is ultra luxurious, built with fabulous cuisine in mind, and more spacious than her sister ships.
Above: Marina’s Grand Staircase accented with Lalique Crystal.

Above: Marina’s NEW restaurant, Red Ginger.
Above: A view of the Owner’s Suite bedroom.
There are several staterooms available to join us for this cruise, so contact us today to ask your questions and make your reservation.
We have other sailings with space still available, as well.  Join us for one of the following:

• Mediterranean Mosaic – 10 day voyage – April 26 – May 6, 2011 – Marina – Rome to Venice
• Treasures of the Continent – 12 day voyage – July 29 – August 10, 2011 – Marina – London to London
• Grecian Glory – 10 day voyage – October 1 –11, 2011 – Marina – Athens to Venice
• Frontiers and Glaciers – 10 day voyage – June 7 – 17, 2011 – Regatta – Vancouver to Vancouver

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

***As of 1/11/11, Giuliano and Lael Hazan will no longer be joining us on this cruise.

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!

Signature Spa Experiences announced for Marina’s Canyon Ranch SpaClub

Have a look at this article from Breaking Travel News on the fabulous treatments Canyon Ranch Spa will be offering on Oceania’s Marina!

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.

Passport Applications and Renewals

Source: http://travel.state.gov/passport/

It is always a good idea to ensure that your passport is current and up to date.  In fact, should you need to travel with a passport, Beyond Group Travel, Inc. recommends that your passport be valid for at least 6 months after your departure date.  In other words, should your trip leave on November 1, 2010, we suggest your expiration date not proceed May 1, 2011.  If your passport will expire soon, please look into to the Renew Passport page on travel.state.gov.  There you will find the proper procedure for renewing your passport.

Has your name changed since your last passport (issued over 1 year ago)?  If this is the case and you have proof of the name change, you will be following the renewal steps as well that are linked above.  Documents that you provide to prove your name change (if submitting by mail) will be returned to you, though they might come in a separate package from your new passport.

If you do not currently have a passport and are planning to travel internationally, it's urgent that you apply now.  Routine service is taking anywhere from 4-6 weeks, at the current time, per the Department of State website.  It it definitely possible to have your passport expedited, just be advised that you can expect an extra $60 charge for the expedition of your passport application.

What happens if you lose your passport on your trip?  Beyond Group Travel, Inc. hopes this never happens to you, of course, but it's always a possibility.  Lissa Harnish Poirot gives some great tips on FamilyVacationCritic.com.

"Contact the local embassy, which you will have to do in order to receive an emergency passport. These will be granted on a limited basis and can get you home; once home you'll have to apply for a new passport. However, in order to receive an emergency passport, you will need:

• Three passport photos for every person applying for an emergency passport
• A photo ID
• Proof of U.S. citizenship
• Airline ticket, booking confirmation or itinerary
• A police report, if your passport was stolen
• $100 (U.S. dollars) passport application fee"

She goes on to discuss how beneficial an emergency passport kit, with the above items, could be when kept in another piece of luggage.  Should all of your things/luggage not be lost or stolen, you'd likely have this emergency passport kit to save you in a sticky situation.

Further information on checking the status of your passport, changing or correcting a passport, or lost or stolen passports can be found on the Passport Services website of the Department of State.

Also, be sure to check out how you can reserve your spot for one of our upcoming trips!