travel

Aug 11
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Road-Trip Ultimate Playlist – 20 Songs to add to your trip!

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Every good journey deserves a great playlist to go along with it.  Each time you hear one of these songs, you will be reminded of the good times you had on your trip with your friends.  Below you will find a collection of music that will bring your group closer, keep your memories fresh and have everyone dancing and singing along!nTXk7aMTB

1. On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

2.  I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

3.  Holiday – Madonna

4.  Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz

5.  Life Is A Highway – Rascal Flatts

6.  Come Away With Me – Norah Jones

7.  Kokomo – The Beach Boys

8.  Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

9.  (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles – The Proclaimers

10.  Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty

11.  Drive My Car – The Beatles

12.  No Sleep ’til Brooklyn – The Beastie Boys

13.  Country Road – James Taylor

14.  Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls

15.  Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

16.  Everyday Is A Winding Road – Sheryl Crow

17.  End Of The Line – Traveling Wilburys

18.  Shake It Out – Florence & the Machine

19.  We Gotta Get Out of This Place – The Animals

20.  Traveling Band – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Jun 26
0

Ahhhh, Summer!

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There is no better way to celebrate summer and our nations birthday than a road trip to some unusual All American places, with friend/family, on a motorcoach.

This great nation of ours is home to thousands of great travel destinations that would make a memorable vacation for any group.  Below you will find our Top 5 Places You May Not Have Thought Of As A Summer Destination list.  Enjoy! #GoMotorcoach

5.  Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska.  Many have heard of England’s Stonehenge, but have you heard of Carhenge?  Thirty-eight, gray spray painted cars placed as a life size replica of the ancient formation.  Created by artist Jim Reinders in 1987, Carhenge now boasts 80,000 visitors per year.  It’s free to the public and open year round.

carhenge

4. The World’s Largest Twine Ball in Darwin, Minnesota.  In 1950, Francis Johnson began winding twine for 4 hours per day until the he passed away in 1989.  What resulted was a 17,400 pound ball of twine that was nearly 40 feet in diameter.  Darwin, MN celebrates each August with its Twine Ball Festival in which visitors can create their very own twine balls.  The attraction is open year round and free to the public.

3.  The Desert of Maine in Freeport, Maine.  Enjoy camping, hiking and a tram tour of Maine’s very own Sahara-like desert.  Scientist believe that a glacier left this 300-acre stretch of sand, that was buried for centuries, until poor farming techniques exposed it in the 1800’s.  The park is open May through October with admission cost of less than $10 per guest.

coral-castle-22.  Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida.  For over thirty years, Ed Leedskalnin carved his castle out of solid coral, using only basic hand tools.  Leedskalnin who was only 5 feet tall and weighed 100 lbs. worked mostly  during the night, to prevent prying eyes from seeing his creations.  The castle consists of over 1000 tons of coral and has a 9 ton revolving gate.

1.  Marfa Lights in Marfa, Texas.  On clear nights, onlookers can oooh and ahhh over the mysterious lights that appear over the Mitchell Flats.  Scientists have yet to explain why the light phenomenon happens.  Some say the lights are car lights and others say they are alien spaceships or ghosts.  Whatever they are, each Labor Day, Marfa celebrates the lights with the three-day Marfa Lights Festival.  Enjoy music, food, craft and art vendors and a night parade during the festival.

Jun 16
1

Don’t Overlook One Important Detail!

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Anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows that it’s a HUGE undertaking.  Once a simple and fast tradition has turned into a multi-day, big, expensive extravaganza.  In 2014, we have more media and ideas coming at us than ever.  Wedding websites show us all of the new and latest must-haves at our ceremonies and sites like Pinterest make the weddings of our dreams seem like a DIY reality.

With so many things to check off the to-do lists, don’t forget about one very important, usually overlooked part of the day: shuttling your guests between the ceremony, the reception and the hotel.  It may seem like a small detail, but it could make all the difference.  Your guests won’t have to worry about directions, travel time, getting a DUI ticket or worse.

According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) website:

                “In 2012, 10,322 people were killed and approximately 345,000 were injured. Each crash, each death, each injury impacts not only the person in the crash, but family, friends, classmates, coworkers and more.  Even those who have not been directly touched help pay the $132 billion yearly price tag of drunk driving.”

It’s easy to eliminate the risk of drunk driving all together when you hire a motorcoach company to take care of you and your guests on your wedding day.  Let’s face it, that day is stressful enough.  Take the guess work out of finding a sober, confident driver and enjoy your day.

Motorcoaches come in so many sizes, it’s easy to customize to your specific needs.  Coach companies today have a wide variety of vehicles in their fleets from old fashioned trolleys to large, executive style motorcoaches.  Each company is different and fleet details vary, so make sure you ask questions when talking to your sales associate.

May 28
0

The Summer Road Trip.

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Nothing says summer more than a road trip.  There is something about the good old American road trip that’s romantic to us.  Perhaps it’s the memories of us as children, piled in the back of our parent’s station wagon with no seat belts on, and if/when it was your turn to sit backwards you felt like the king of the road!  Perhaps you were traveling with a group of family or friends, each of you in your own vehicles, driving for hours and only getting to meet and visit at a road-side gas station during bathroom breaks while your Dads fueled their vehicles.  After the break, you would hop into your own car, and wait to chat until the next break time.

Fast forward to 2014 where you don’t have to wait until someone has to gas up or relieve themselves to talk to each other.  When you choose to use a motorcoach, instead of separate cars, everyone can travel together, the whole time!  Not only do you save time and money, but you save wear and tear on your individual vehicles.

Today’s motorcoaches are designed with your group travel in mind.  They have plush amenities, including Wi-Fi on board and outlets.  No more running into the gas station and begging for an outlet to charge up your dead cell phone.  No more using your data plan up on the first day of the trip.  We have you covered!

Here is the best part: You tell us what you want to do, where you want to go and what you want to see, we do the rest.  Motorcoach companies are well versed in travel and can help groups of all sizes get tickets, hotels and meals all lined up – and if they can’t, they know who can.

Summer is almost here, don’t wait to plan that fun group getaway, call your local motorcoach company and begin planning your epic summer vacation today!  Go Motorcoach and leave the driving to us!

May 13
0

Top Movies to Watch on your next Charter Bus Trip.

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2013-04-25 16.17.25Nothing says road trip, like an awesome iPod playlist (stay tuned) and great movies to watch while on the motorcoach.  Young and old alike can enjoy these great feature films.

1.  The Muppet Movie: Nobody does a road trip like Jim Henson’s Muppets.  Music, mayhem and all kinds of silliness,  this classic movie is fun for the entire family.

2. Dumb and Dumber: Clearly not the smartest film on the list, but if you can keep a straight face as Lloyd and Harry bumble through America in their dog-shaped “shaggin’ wagon”, you need to pull over and have your funny sensor checked.

3. RV:  Who says you can’t road trip and work at the same time?  This hilarious movie starring Robin Williams will leave you laughing all the way to your destination – let’s just hope you leave your bus in better shape than they leave their RV.

4. Disney’s Frozen:  The newest hit movie from the Disney company, the film tells the story of a fearless princess who sets off on an epic journey alongside a rugged, thrill-seeking mountain man, his loyal pet reindeer, and a hapless snowman to find her estranged sister, whose icy powers have inadvertently trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.

5. National Lampoon’s Vacation:  Need we say more?  Wanting to spend more time with his wife Ellen and their children, Clark Griswold decides to lead the family on a cross-country expedition from Chicago to the Los Angeles amusement park Walley World, billed as “America’s Favorite Family Fun Park”.

6. Rudy:  What’s better than a feel good, sports movie where the underdog wins?  Not. Much.  That’s why Rudy earned a spot on our list.  It is an account of the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles.

7. Princess Bride:  This classic movie has everything.  True love, sword fighting, giants, comedy, torture, screaming eels and a beautiful princess.

8.  Finding Nemo:  It tells the story of the over-protective clown fish named Marlin who, along with his friend, Dory search for his abducted son Nemo all the way to Sydney Harbor.  Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and let Nemo take care of himself.

9.  Mary Poppins:  Disney at its best.  The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews as a magical nanny who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family’s dynamic.

10.  Tommy Boy:  Knock, Knock…”Housekeeping, you need towel?” This movie is not only fun to watch, but you will be quoting it the rest of your trip.  Chris Farley and David Spade make a great team when they join up to save the Tommy’s family’s factory.

 

Apr 22
0

Green Group Travel: It’s Easy Being Green!

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There is a benefit to traveling with a group.  Private rooms in restaurants, special behind-the-scenes tours only available to groups, and awesome experiences with friends just to name a few, but did you know that when your group travels by motorcoach, you are also being green?Kermitbanjorainbow

That’s right!  Today’s motorcoaches are the greenest, most efficient mode of ground transportation available – and it’s not close!

One full sized motorcoach removes up to 57 single passenger cars off our already crowded highways.  That single motorcoach is 475% more efficient than a hybrid vehicle in regards to the amount of fuel used per passenger.  That same coach provides over 206 passenger miles per gallon of fuel compared to 92 MPG for commuter rail, 44 MPG for air travel and 27 MPG to single passenger cars.

Not convinced? A single passenger car emits up to 400 pounds of CO2 per four hour trip –a motorcoach on the same trip only emits approximately 150 pounds.  Now that’s GREEN!

Motorcoach companies nationwide are excited and proud to be the greenest transportation option for group travel. If your group is interested in going green, a motorocoach is the best choice.

 

Apr 08
0

To Fly or Drive – The Benefits of Going by Motorcoach

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GRULet’s face it, traveling by plane alone or with a group is difficult.  Long lines, delayed flights, cancellations and on top of that, there are so many changing rules about what you can and cannot have with you in your carry-on .

Picture this, you along with your family and friends, meeting up to go on a trip.  Each of you is relaxed, calm, without worry of lines, cancellations or delays.  Each of you has a large suitcase, a carry-on and some even a laptop computer.

Your vehicle arrives and as you board you notice the plush reclining seats, the panoramic views out the large windows and the outlets…..OUTLETS?  Yes, you read that correctly, outlets.  Many of today’s modern motorcoaches have 110 outlets available for you to power up your computers, iPods and cell phones.  Many more coach companies also have Wi-Fi available on their buses – and you can use it the entire ride, not just above 10,000ft!

Your journey starts, and along the way you make stops at national monuments, fun hole-in-the-walls and dine on more than a bag of peanuts at one of thousands of group friendly restaurants.  Your group arrives at the hotel, and are dropped off at the door.  No luggage carousels, no lost baggage to worry about, it’s all right there with you.

During your stay, your driver and coach are ready and waiting to take your group to any destination you wish to experience.  That’s the motorcoach difference.  Most people think that flying is the only way to go, well they are wrong.  When you travel by motorcoach, you travel together, you travel safely, you travel smart.  GoMotorcoach!

Mar 27
0

Let’s Eat!

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Everyone knows that besides choosing what destinations your group is travelling to, where and what to eat is just as important.

After deciding where you are going, visit that city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau for a listing of what restaurants are group friendly.  They are a great resource and will have lots of suggestions and ideas of what to do and where to eat in their city.

Deciding on where you will dine, is just the beginning.   The National Tourism Association suggests calling the restaurant’s manager and asking some of the following questions:

  1. How much advance notice do you need for our group?
  2. Is convenient tour bus loading/unloading available onsite?
  3. Do you have room to park a charter bus?
  4. Do you have special meal options specifically for large tour groups?
  5. How will we be seated? Is there a banquet room on site?
  6. Do you offer group discounts?
  7. Do chaperones receive a free meal?
  8. Do you require an advance deposit? If so, how much?
  9. Is the deposit refundable?
  10. What is your cancellation and refund policy?

With the answers to these questions, it will be easy to plan your group’s meal!  Now all you need to do is sit down, relax and enjoy the meal!

Mar 19
0

Lasting Memories

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There are so many reasons to travel, so many places to see and experience, but I think that going together, with a group is the most memorable way to get there.

I remember in high school, our band and choir did a combined end of the year tour. We took two motorcoaches loaded down with band instruments, music stands and luggage. The buses were full of my excited band and choir mates, our teachers and a few parent chaperons.

What I remember most about that trip, is the laughter. I know what you are thinking – high school girls laugh at everything, and you are right to some degree, but this was different. It was like we are all in it together, the jocks, the nerds, the band geeks, the populars. All clique boundaries were thrown to the side for a few days and together we were on those buses making memories.

For me, it’s been over 20 years since that music tour and my high school friends and I still laugh about the things that we said or did on that trip. It’s funny how long something like that will stay with you. Yes, traveling by plane is faster for the most part, but can you make pit stops along the way and see places you might never have thought of? Traveling by plane is also less personable and comfortable. When you travel by motorcoach you get to know your driver, and he/she becomes part of your group.

The driver of our bus was named Chuck, and he loved racing. Because Chuck was such an awesome guy, we decided to make a pit stop in Indianapolis and tour the race track. Our group purchased him a shirt and I remember he was moved to tears because he was so touched that we thought so highly of him. Can you blame us? This man was sent out on a four of five day trip with a bunch of crazy high schoolers. I think a shirt was the least we could do for him!

Motorcoach trips = lasting memories, and that’s why I think group travel is better by bus.