What Working at CTS Taught Me About Travel

Isn't traveling only for people with lots of money and vacation time?

In October of 2012 I was hired as the new Tour Operations Manager at Chicagoland Transportation Solutions. In the process of creating group tour itineraries for great places in and around Chicago and developing resources to plan great group trips, I learned quite a lot. So now, one year later, as I prepare to leave and move on to some new experiences of my own, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned. I hope this will inspire you to plan your next trip with friends, family or any group you can get together to go a town, state or country away. (Image above is me with the Chicago Tour-Guide Professionals Association.)

Why Travel is Important

One of my favorite quotes says “leaving and coming back is not the same as never having left.” Traveling is one of the most powerful experiences a person can have. Ask anyone who has every studied abroad, traveled to a new country where they didn’t speak the language, or even just saw their hometown through the eyes of a tour guide or a new visitor. They will all tell you that travel changes you. It gives you a new perspective of the world around you and opens you up to see and experience things in ways you never would have before. Travel takes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to explore something new.

Transportation Doesn't Have to be a Luxury

When most people think of riding in a limousine they think of a very special occasion such as a bachelorette party or someone famous arriving at their show. However, transportation services do not have to be reserved for just these times. By booking transportation, be it a limousine or even just a sedan, you can make your day or night out much more enjoyable. Imagine you’re going out for a night with your friends and will be drinking and coming back late. By booking transportation you can avoid having to sit in traffic on your way there and instead you can enjoy the time with your friends. Plus, when you arrive at the restaurant or bar, you don’t have to find a place to park or pay for parking. Your driver can simply drop you off right at the door. This is especially great if it’s snowing or pouring rain. Plus, you can drink and enjoy the night with your friends without having to figure out who will be the designated driver. The same can be said for something like getting your family to the airport before a vacation. If you’re going to splurge on a vacation then you may as well make every part of it great. As for a night out with friends, if your friends can all enjoy themselves without having to worry about all these factors, they’ll likely be willing to chip in twenty bucks to cover the cost.

Why Groups are Great

Sure traveling with a group means cheaper rates and admissions, special entrances and skipping lines. However, there are many more benefits to traveling with groups that may not be top of mind. For instance, when you travel with a group of people you already know you strengthen your relationships with them and add value to your time together. By having a shared experience like this you get to know people outside of their normal setting and have something to bond over later. Plus, traveling with people gives you the added comfort of being safe and not having to go anywhere new alone. There are lots of great reasons to travel with a group.

What I Should Worry About While Traveling

I’ve always enjoyed traveling both near and far. However, I must admit I did used to worry about things like getting lost or sick. Though after a lot of research about traveling and tips to make travel run smoothly, I found out things I really should worry about while traveling. I now worry about making an effort to try new things, be in the moment, and get the perfect photo and then move on and enjoy the experience.

Chicago is Full of Surprises

Even if you've lived in the Windy City your whole life, I bet there are still hidden pieces you don't know about. You may have heard the phrase “be a tourist in your own town.” This saying is really great advice. Think about how many times you’ve had a friend from out of town visit and ask to go somewhere like Navy Pier or Millennium Park. There’s a good chance they said “you’re so lucky you live here because you can go here all the time.” And there’s an equally good chance you responded with something like “I live here and I barely ever go here.” Being a tourist in your own town allows you to open yourself up to enjoy touristy things that you probably usually avoid. Hey, they’re popular for a reason right? Plus, going on more specific tours of specific neighborhoods or even specific attractions can really show you something you never even knew was there. I recently toured the Pullman district and learned so much that I never knew about that tiny area a little bit south. I’ve toured famous homes, museums, factories and more and been mesmerized by each and every one of them! Sometimes just learning about the history and architecture of some of those buildings you walk by every day can be enlightening.

How I Barely Scratched the Surface

Finally, I’d like to point out that after a whole year of researching all the hidden gems and great places to go in the Chicagoland area, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. There are so many more great places out there that have been added to my bucket list that I didn’t even know existed. I've traveled from Los Angeles, California to Krakow, Poland and many places in between and there are still so many places I want to see in Chicago and beyond. This time however, I'm not going far and most weekends you'll be able to find me in Chicago checking out little-known museums, sampling food at new restaurants and enjoying all the fun the Windy City has to offer.

See more of my blogs about travel and tourism at http://chicagotransportsolutions.com/blog-0/

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Why I'm Chasing Waterfalls..

What is the point of all this constant posting and begging for votes? Why am I doing it? Is XY Unlimited really that good? You may have asked yourself some of these questions already. Well they deserve the money, I truly believe in them so I support them in every way I can, and yes, they are really that good. Now, I'm not going to dive into the actual (and tragic) meaning of "Waterfalls" but simply use the chorus as a giant, vague metaphor to apply to my current life situation. Cool? Cool. Coincidentally, it's also my favorite song to hear XY Unlimited cover (and I know I'm not alone in this!) 

When they start to play and their infectious enthusiasm and the catchy rhythm and melody only 1995 could give us spreads around the room you can feel it take over. Then it gets to the chorus. Everyone knows the chorus:  "Don't go chasing waterfalls...please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to." 

To this I say...we're chasing waterfalls. Today, and for the next two weeks, we are working to take 1st place on Artist Signal this month. It's no easy task. However, we spent the first two weeks moving from 4th place to 2nd and we're not stopping now. Screw the rivers and the lakes...XY is chasing waterfalls! 

Want to find out more about XY Unlimited? Check out this video some of their other fans and I put together!

Convinced? Good because here's the most important part: the XY INVASION. 

We're asking everyone we know: moms, dads, roommates, friends, professors, doctors, bosses, co-workers, baristas, neighbors, that guy who holds the "we buy gold" sign, people waiting for the train...everyone...to vote today. We want to get as many votes as possible today to try to take over 1st place (or get really really close!) The best part is...the other artists won't see this coming and thus won't be prepared with a counter-surge. So please, help us get there! Vote, share, spread the word. Plus, you get rewards the more you vote!


We've already made great progress as you can see in these super nerdy and colorful graphs I made: 

We took 2nd place: 

Now we're coming for 1st!

So please, help us out with as many votes and shares as you can. The more the better; every vote counts. Oh, and if you really want to get in on the fun join the Facebook Event and change your profile picture to this: 

And please...VOTE!!!

A little story about helping people.

Here's a little story about helping people.

One of the many valuable things I learned in college was finding a balance between saying "yes" and saying "no." Learning how to say "no" constructively was quite a task. I had a habit of always agreeing to things and saying "yes" constantly because I wanted to be involved and help people! Sounds easy enough right? However, I eventually found myself constantly leaving things early only to arrive at my next commitment late. I had crammed too many things into too short of an amount of time. However, I loved everything I was doing! I had to learn what things I could say "no" to or say something like "I can't personally help with this but I can refer you to someone great who maybe can." However, since college, I've had to take on the unexpectedly daunting task of starting over and finding all new things to be involved in. When I got my new job I started volunteering at the animal shelter here. I attended a few meetings for volunteers and found myself saying "I'll help!" to just about everything. I had to take a step back and remind myself what consequences that can have. I have since been working toward a healthy balance of work, my 2nd job, freelance writing and marketing on the side, being involved with the convention and visitors bureau, and more. 

So what does that have to do with Friday? Well, sometimes a spontaneous "yes" when you feel like maybe you should just say "no" can be just as beneficial as learning to say "no." I had also made a habit in college of saying "no" to things like going out and going to parties yet every time I went I always had a good time. So, Friday I went to pick up my best friend Kristin from the train station so we could leave together to see the musical at our college the next day. When I pulled into the train station I was discussing the Artist Signal contest with my friend Caleb and was on my bluetooth headset. I see that Kristin is standing with 5 people all wearing Cubs gear (woo!) and talking with them. She walks up to the car and I said "wow, you made friends already? jeeze!" to which she responded that one of the people saw my Carthage College sticker on my car and commented they went to Carthage as well. They had also gotten off at the wrong train stop (their cars were parked one station down) and needed to get to the next station. 

Now normally my response would have been something like "well that's their fault" or "too bad, we're in a hurry" (It was currently 6:30 pm and we had to eat, drop Kristin off at my house and I had to get to my 2nd job by 8 pm.) However, they were wearing Cubs gear, had gone to Carthage, and we were only about a mile away from the other station. So I sad "yes" and told them to pile in. One the probably no more than 5 minute drive to the next station I ended my conversation with Caleb, apologized and explained to them that we're working on a contest with my friends from XY Unlimited as well to win money for their music careers on Artist Signal. When I told them this they asked how they can vote. I had Kristin write the link to the site on the back of my business card and give them the card. They offered to go vote in return for my giving them a ride! I may have wasted a few minutes by driving them or I may have gained some free advertising and voters for the contest! I'd say it was a worthwhile investment if you ask me. 

No, I don't know whether or not they actually voted but I like to think they did. What I'm saying though is that sometimes that spur of the moment choice between yes and no can be difficult. Go with your gut and things may turn out better than you expected. Also, say YES to voting for XY Unlimited and Caleb McGinn on Artist Signal now! I mean c'mon look at those faces! Okay, well maybe not those faces. However, XY currently has more voters than anyone in the contest. You can vote as often as every hour. So if everyone who has voted so far voted every hour just for one day we could take the lead! 

XY Unlimited Hits Illinois

XY Unlimited Hits Illinois

As you've probably all seen on my Facebook over the last week...some of my favorite guys on the planet (Zack, Michael, James & Macain) have been touring around the Midwest recently.

They were in Elgin two weekends ago even played a little impromptu show for my dad in our backyard! (pictured left) My dad has an Arlo Guthrie guitar signed by Arlo Guthrie himself. It has never been played since he got it and definitely hadn't been tuned! Michael was super awesome and tuned the guitar. Then, my dad goes "can you play a song on it?" Mind you, this is a 12 string guitar, too. Michael said "of course!" and the guys went out to the deck for an impromptu show! (Check out the video here!) My dad loved it, as did I, and I'm pretty sure the geese in our backyard had a blast too. The guys also made me breakfast and even did all the dishes! (pictured above)

They also hung out in Ottawa and Utica this past weekend. They did an awesome show at Jeremiah Joe Coffee in Ottawa on Saturday night. (pictured right) They did my favorite cover and James even rocked a freestyle verse about Ottawa. It was pretty great. (I'll post a video of this soon!) They even got up Sunday morning and braved the elements for a hike to see St. Louis Canyon! It was a little bit of a muddy hike because of the recent flooding. It was also a bit chilly and cloudy with misty rain but all in all it was definitely worth it. You never expect sand, canyons and this kind of beautiful nature to be right here in Illinois! 

XY Unlimited also performed at a bunch of colleges around the Midwest in between these weekends. I'd be exhausted! (as I'm sure they were!) Anyway, during the month of May, XY is going to be working on a bunch of awesome stuff. You can (and should!) check out their music here. Let me tell you...it's like an acapella group, Miles Davis and a sexy boy band you loved in high school had a really weird threesome that made a beautiful musical baby called XY Unlimited.

Most importantly though, they're going for the win on Artist Signal. This is a site that helps artists get money to fund their music. Artist Signal is great because the winning artist gets $10,000! Also, as fans vote they can earn rewards such as free songs, exclusive videos and more awesome stuff! 

If you want to be awesome and help XY win you can attend this Facebook event and share it with your friends! My favorite part about Artist Signal voting is that you can vote every hour with one click! You can log in with Facebook and keep it open on your computer all day long and just vote every hour! The more you vote, the more cool rewards you can claim. I love it! Plus, you're helping XY in the process which is even cooler! They are seriously such a great group of guys who are so incredibly talented. Their CD hasn't left my car except for the time during which I was putting it on my computer at work. And trust me, once you hear their music you will feel the same way!

Artist Signal: www.artistsignal.com/xyunlimited 

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/335221843266960

...and don't forget to like XY Unlimited on Facebook! 

Millennials Are The New Market For Bank Travel

Bank Travel: Re-Imagined for 2013

Customer loyalty can easily be achieved through a new spin on the classic bank travel clubs. You may be quite familiar with the concept of bank travel clubs or you may know next to nothing about them. Either way, things are changing in 2013. Bank travel is making a comeback and in a whole new way.

What is Bank Travel?

Bank Travel is the common term for customer loyalty programs which provide travel as an incentive to members of a given financial institution. Bank travel is used to build and maintain relationships with customers as well as acquire new clients. It is also used to keep current customers loyal and fend off competitors.

Bank Travel Before

Bank travel up until this point has been widely geared toward senior citizens or at least those over the age of 50. Most bank travel groups required a minimum deposit into an account that was a fairly large amount (commonly $5,000-$10,000) and the travel incentives often included things like theater trips and bus tours.

Bank Travel Now

In 2013 I think it’s time we make some changes. Bank travel can be reimagined for this new era we’re in and become even more valuable. With advances in technology plus a different demographic, bank travel could come back to life. What made senior citizens such a great demographic for bank travel is that they often have the time and money to travel. However, if we gear a bank travel club to a younger group of say, 18-24 year olds, it could really take off.

A Younger Group

Many college-age young adults come home from school for summer vacation and have some time on their hands. They also tend to have summer jobs. This is great for two reasons. First, summer jobs mean they have some money to spend on a bank travel trip (at least an inexpensive one). Second, they have funds coming in which means they’ll need a bank. They may be saving up for college or to get a car and having a bank they trust and are comfortable with will help them do it. You could be that bank. Bank trips can provide an educational opportunity for this age group. The bank can use the trip to educate the members on how to maintain their finances as well as the bank itself. A college student’s summer job or internship may be the first one they’ve had with the option of direct deposit. This is a perfect opportunity to offer the bank travel group as an incentive for enrolling in direct deposit with your bank. This younger demographic has so much to offer in terms of making bank travel groups a worthwhile endeavor. Simply gear the trips toward a younger demographic with things such as amusement parks, comedy shows, etc.

Using Technology

With all the new technology we now have available, bank travel trips can become way more effective. For instance, instead of simply talking about your bank, you can now show a commercial or a slideshow about your bank on the motorcoach. You could develop a PowerPoint presentation with slides of graphics and statistics and play it as a slideshow as well. You can have text in polls on board so members can vote or answer poll questions with their cell phones and you can get responses in real time. You can even do bank trivia throughout the trip and award prizes for those who text in the correct response. For instance, you can ask something like “on a scale of 1-5 how likely would you be to order personalized checks with images if they were more expensive than plain checks?” and get responses from your group in an instant. You could also ask them questions about what you’ve gone over and the first person to text the correct answer will get a free water bottle or t-shirt.

"Bring a Friend"

Allowing bank travel group members to bring a friend is beneficial in two ways. First, it encourages members to go on the trips even if they’re shy because there will be at least one person that they know. In addition, it gives you a chance to acquire a brand new bank member; if your sales pitch is good enough that is! You could charge the member the lowest fee and the “bring a friend” rate could be slightly higher.

Loyalty Cards

You can give all members of your bank travel group a loyalty punch card of some sort for when they go on multiple trips. By attending multiple trips they can earn punches on the card for a final reward when the card is full. For example, if they go on five trips they can attend the sixth one for free. It could even be something as simple as a bank t-shirt or small gift card. Rewards and incentives of all kinds are encouraging and this will make them feel even more like a valued member of the bank and not just an account number.

A Learning Experience

Since members in this younger age group are not as familiar with how banks work, bank travel can be an opportunity to educate them about all different types of bank services. If they learn about these complicated and sometimes overwhelming topics they will be more likely to come to you for these services in the future and remain loyal to your bank. They will stick with what’s familiar and that will be you. 

Want to learn more about Bank Travel: Why you can’t afford NOT to do it and other topics such as How to get people to sign up for your trip, some Trip Ideas and Does it really even work? Then

download my full whitepaper here!

My Letter to the Stoner Family Business Group

My actual letter to Tiffany (and Eric) after tonight's horrendous waste of my time. Yes, I used lots of SHOUTY CAPITAL LETTERS. And please, friends, always always always be wary of vague business opportunities that use buzzwords like "quickly developing business" or "unique opportunity." Oh! And if anyone ever offers you a job that has "free leadership training trips including cruises" for the love of God turn them down. Anyway, without further ado, my probably-unnecessary-and-a-tiny-bit-over-the-top letter that really does make me feel better. Enjoy.


Dear Tiffany and Eric,

I am emailing you to tell you that I want NO part in this and quite frankly I am furious with you both for lying to me and pretending this opportunity was something more than it is. You said, and I quote:
     "My marketing company has several different projects we are working on currently."
First of all, THIS IS NOT MARKETING. I am a professional with a bachelor's degree and if you think THIS is marketing you could.not.be.more.wrong. It is at best a scheme for you to make money by suckering in young people like myself into what seems like a worthwhile opportunity. The fact that you said:
     "It is hard for my husband and I to find trust worthy people to work with."
is an absolute joke! You are not trustworthy people. You are liars who led me to believe you had a marketing opportunity that would challenge me with "several different projects" and allow me to develop my skills. You know full well that is NOT what this is. Call it a lie of omission if you want. Call it twisted words or my perception of your overly vague statements. Call it whatever you so choose but just know that you wasted an hour of my time on a night that I could have been doing REAL work on a website of my own for a part time client I help or working on my personal blog or researching other jobs or God forbid, just relaxing! Instead I came home from work, at my real job, changed clothes and quickly rushed through dinner to go back out into the pouring rain and waste my gas and time to come to this joke of a meeting.

You took my one free weeknight away from me, put me in a room full of people who were either suckered into this or else don't have any real skills of their own to use to pursue a career and had me sit through a presentation trying to SELL me on this absolute joke of an opportunity. This was a sales pitch - simple as that. You told me (Eric that is) that I would be meeting "some associates" and that they would be "going over all of the projects that we are working on at this session." CLEARLY that was not the case. It was a sales pitch, plain and simple. Quite frankly, I'm am furious with you for deceiving me like this.

Yes, perhaps some people really can profit from "getting paid to shop for products they're already going to buy" and "build a team and have their income increase while their time working decreases." However, you're lucky the guy presenting was funny and seemed nice because if it weren't for him I would have absolutely gotten up and walked out. I refuse to be the annoying person who is pestering my friends and family to use this site and buy these products. I refuse to plaster this crap all over my social networks. And most importantly I refuse to associate myself with this kind of a business. The kind that remains incredibly vague, answers few questions, and ropes you into something before telling you what it really is at the last minute. Don't think I haven't seen this before. I've seen it with so-called "consulting companies" or "marketing firms" that end up selling Cut Co knives or AT&T U-Verse by cold calling and going door to door. I will not fall for your scheme. And I will absolutely be warning all my friends, especially those about to graduate and have tons of student loan debt like I do, to NOT WASTE THEIR TIME with this kind of deception and avoid “business” like yours at all costs. And yes, I use “business” in quotes because I don’t think you deserve to be called a business.

Finally, do not, I repeat DO NOT try to convince me that I have the wrong idea or that this isn't how it really works or that I would enjoy it. Don't try to convince me that you were simply offering me an opportunity, because you did not fully explain it and made it out to be something it wasn't. And do not try to defend your "business" or LDT or anything that has anything to do with these companies. I will just have to go on with my life like the rest of America and not get "paid to shop." It works out since I don't wear makeup, drink energy drinks, eat meal bars or protein shakes, or use basically any of your "exclusive products" anyway. 

--------------------

So, just to clarify for those of you who read all of this, I do not think that Amway, AT&T or even people working for them are part of a "scam" or fraudulent business scheme. I think the people who tried to convince me that this was something else are guilty of dishonesty and deceit. If you want to follow the story, there's more. Many of my friends have since come to me and told me they got the exact same message from the exact same woman. Here's my friend Jesse's story and response!

My Break-Up Letter to 2012

Dear 2012,

When we first met I was pretty sick, but you told me you'd take care of me and help me get better. You took me back to Germany for a fantastic month-long trip to see my friends, meet some new ones, explore places I've never been, and revisit some I love. I told you that 2011 “really messed me up” and that I wasn't really ready to trust a new year yet. You helped me through my surgery, another winter in Wisconsin, and boring-as-hell classes like macro-economics.  I started working on the senior film and prepared to graduate. When I began to get cocky, thinking I could handle anything after writing my thesis and dealing with the rest of 2011, you put me in my place and reminded me what real challenges are like…and real victories for that matter. By helping me to complete my leadership certification, finish the senior film, and graduate from college, you showed me what I am capable of. Granted you got on my nerves at times. In fact you were 50 shades of really freaking annoying when you constantly reminded me I only live once. You were always there for me though, through countless hours of job applications and interviews by phone, Skype and in-person. Through multiple small internships and conferences I found my passion and connected with some amazing people.  You brought many late night trips to taco bell after heartbreaking new episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Then, you didn’t judge me when I was sobbing, balled up in my Snuggie, dripping tears into my cheesy gordita crunch.

2012, you trusted me when I turned down job offers to experience a (low paying & long commute) internship for something I am passionate about. You believed in me that I would make my first loan payment on time. You saw me get a job with creative freedom and great coworkers and you helped me decide to officially move into my dad’s house (and steal my brother's bed) to save money. You never really let me down 2012, and that means a lot. You helped me get my beautiful smile and feel better about myself. You guided me through my first steps into the "real world." You had faith in me to stand up to those who hurt me in the past and get protection against those who didn't listen. 2012, with you I've found apologies, forgiveness, honesty and friendships. True friendships. You kept your promise 2012; you helped me get better. Though I have to say, I will not “call you maybe” so please stop asking.

2011 was rough but you got me through it and I love you for that. Together we fought with Obama to win the election and care about women, like myself, who care about their bodies and having the freedom of choice regarding it, have a job, and relied on college loans to get through school. However, the last few months we haven't talked much...in fact it barely felt like you were there. Then when I realized it felt like things were coming to an end, you started to get on my nerves. You’ve let Taylor Swift become even more successful, “shine briiiight like a diiiamond” is on every radio station at the same time, and your holiday commercials are a new form of torture. Oh, and don’t even get me started on how disappointed I am in the Bears' recent losses.

It’s time for me to move on now and leave you behind. We had fun together but that's not enough. Just like Twinkies, I didn’t appreciate you on a regular basis, but it was just nice to know you were there. You were comforting, like a soft, cream-filled cushion to fall back on. It’s been nice having you around but when you brought a baby named “hashtag” into the world, I knew the time had come. I had to move out of my college apartment; Ted has to meet their mother; all things must come to an end. I learned a lot from you, 2012. I learned sometimes “things have to fall apart to make way for better things.” Speaking of better things, I’ve met someone else. I’ll never forget you, 2012, but this is the end. And I think 2013 is going to be LEGEN… (wait for it)