After a long drought, it poured rain on Thursday, the night of our Open House. Despite the storm, it was a wonderful success and a very special day for me, my Freedom Travel team, and my family. I want to thank all of my business colleagues, friends, and friends of friends who shared this milestone with us.
In March of 1990 (25 years ago), I took a photographer, my daughter Kristine, and 18 rug dealers (not drug dealers) to Turkey, and that was the beginning of Freedom Travel. I continued to take small groups to other countries including Italy, France, Chile, and Portugal during those early years. Later, in 2006, I began working primarily with individuals, sending couples and families to places like England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Greece, Germany, Vietnam, Norway, and more.
Much has changed in the travel world since then, but I stayed focus on one universal theme – provide customer international travel (that is…) unique experiences and non-stop service. I was very clear about a few things. First, I vowed to keep Freedom Travel a home-based business, but 3 1/2 years ago, I moved the company to downtown Alexandria, LA. Then, I vowed I would only design international trips, but recently, we added some US havens (lke California/NY/Hawaii/Alaska) to our menu. I also vowed I would never NEVER do cruises or DISNEY, but then Carroll magically appeared, and well… we offer Disney and cruises of all sizes and experiences. Lastly, I vowed I would never be in a strip mall, and well… here we are, nicely positioned on one of the busiest streets in the city.
So the message is never say never, and always be open and receptive. And lastly, surround yourself with experts (not just travel agents). The evening was full of enthusiastic experts made up of my Freedom Torus team, family, friends, and business colleagues.
