On the Write Side
NUMBER CRUNCHING
Meet the Contributors to This Issue marty
8 sarbey de souto see page
With over 40 years in nearly all phases of the travel business, our long-time columnist is excited about the website just launched by Sarbey Associates, her travel/tourism industry consulting and educational firm (sarbeyassociates.com). She lives in El Cerrito, Calif. with her husband Jose Souto-Martinez. Enjoy Marty’s column on page 8.
sue
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10
arko
john
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26
kloster
A 30-year travel industry pro, John is a senior editor of Leisure Group Travel and was twice named one of the industry’s 25 most influential executives. He consults with OSSN, a travel agency group, and Europanache, a Paris-based FIT operator. His favorite trip is his next one. Enjoy John’s Midwest rail and cruise article on page 26.
dave
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bodle
don
melinda
heimburger
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52
hughey
Don began his publishing career early—at age 14 he became publisher of the S Gaugian, a model railroad magazine that today has worldwide circulation. The Chicagoarea resident has founded and continues to publish two other magazines—one on model railroads and an all-digital magazine entitled European Traveler.net. Read his rail museums column on page 12.
Melinda is a regular contributor to Leisure Group Travel and for more than 25 years has been “on the run and having fun” with senior adult bank travel groups she’s served through her own company, The RH Factor in Pulaski, Tenn. See her article on Southern rail and cruise options on page 52.
randy
carol
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14
mink
The managing editor of Leisure Group Travel, a lifelong resident of Illinois, recently has been finding travel treasures in neighboring states he previously overlooked, with trips to places like Amish Country in Indiana and Iowa. His next trip targets another “I” destination—India. Read Randy’s foreign and domestic articles on pages 14, 18 and 88.
75 Percent of West Virginia covered by forests
560 Length in miles of North Carolina
70 Ghost towns in Montana
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76
smith
Leisure Group Travel readers may know Carol Smith from when she was editor of Group Tour Magazine. Carol is delighted to have found a new home at Premier Tourism Marketing as a senior editor. We welcome her aboard! Feel free to drop Carol a line at carols.csmith@gmail.com. Enjoy Carol’s Tacoma article on page 76.
Become a fan of ours on Facebook and we’ll keep you informed of the latest news in the industry by sending you Facebook updates when news breaks. Simply search for “Group Travel” and look for the Premier Tourism Marketing logo! Leisure Group Travel is also joining the Twitter craze. Go to Twitter.com/LeisureGroup to get the latest “tweets” from the Leisure Group Travel staff.
LeisureGroupTravel.com
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46
Based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Dave heads up our Southern editorial coverage and contributes a marketing column. He was publisher of the Carolina Explorer, Virginia Explorer and Tennessee Trails group travel publications. See Dave’s North Carolina trains article on page 46, West Virginia holiday report on page 49 and marketing column on page 106.
12
Year the Amish settled in Iowa
Miles from L. A. to Sydney
Based in Gilbert, Ariz., Sue is owner of Free Spirit Vacations and Events and co-owner of Red Hot Celebrations and Travel Alliance Partners. She earned her bachelors and masters degrees in recreation and public administration at Arizona State University. Check out Sue’s article on holiday events on page 10.
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233,000 Miles of railroad track in the U.S.
588,373 Population of Washington, D.C.
June 2011 5