For 18 years, Travelin’ Northwest Style has been helping active seniors take day trips, and even overnighters, to see some of the Northwest’s most scenic vistas and most unusual destinations, from eagle watching on the Skagit River to Harness Racing at Fraser Downs in British Columbia.
For Edward Miner, helping seniors add some social fun to their lives is the best job he’s ever had.
“I was the activity director in Snohomish County and then was promoted into management and marketing at a few different properties, as well as collaborating with some of the local senior centers on community events. I loved it because my college studies were all in geriatrics. That was the field I loved most,” he said.
Then the sagging economy brought layoffs and he was looking for work. Within the same month, his wife LaTisha was laid off from her work. It was time to look at major changes in their lives.
“We’d talked for some time about working with senors in some way,” he said. “Then we saw Scott and Rosie Fincher’s mini-coach in our neighborhood and discovered they were looking for someone to take over the business. It was a perfect match.”
Now, after a year of using the Travelin’ Northwest Style mini-coach they bought with the business — which they upgraded with state-of-the-art GPS, a sound system and a coffee service cabinet — they are looking to move up to one with a few more seats, some aded luxury features and a co-pilot chair.
As they begin their 2010 travel season, they’re more excited than ever. Their new roster of Spring and Summer trips will be on their new website soon (www.TravelinNorthwestStyle.com) with plenty of information on new trips as the seasons change.
In March, they visited the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia and toured the CB’s Nuts factory in Kingston and took home warm, fresh-roasted peanut butter. They also visited White Rock Museum and Promendade in British Columbia.
Some longer trips reach to Napa Valley’s Wine Country or Lake Quinault Lodge for a rain forest getaway.
Entertainment venues have included included seeing “The Gypsy King” at the Village Theater in Issaquah and the Theo Chocolate Tour and Hale’s Ales Brewery &Pub in Seattle’s Ballard District.
“We’ve also visited the Hutterite Community in Marlin and stayed at the Surfsand Resort at Oregon’s Cannon Beach for storm watching. People love seeing different new places and many come back to revisit places they’ve been. Some of our guests have been taking trips with Travelin’ Northwest Style for 18 years,” he said.
While senior centers often provide local trips for seniors, they don’t venture as far afield to as many unusual destinations as the Miners do.
“Our minicoach is nice and comfortable but smaller than the tour buses people travel in, so we can stop at small restaurants or get closer to out-of-the-way destinations on our trips than the larger vehicles can do,” he said.
The smaller groups also help seniors enjoy their time together more easily. Many of them make close friends.
“We have one group that always travels together because they have so much fun being with each other,” he said.
Trip prices range from under $100 per person to two or three hundred dollars for longer, overnight trips. Those opportunities are ideal options for many seniors, whether living at home or in senior retirement centers, because they often have the money to travel but don’t want to drive long distances or no longer have a car.
“We even do door-to-door pickup service in many areas. We want people to have all the opportunity possible to get out on trips and add new adventure and fun to their lives. It’s a great social environment for them,” he said.
LaTisha said many earlier competitors have closed, leaving Travelin’ Northwest Style as the prime tour business north of King County for seniors who don’t want to just sit home.
“People always have a great time,” she said, “and many tell their friends.”
At the end of each trip, the Miners often hold a drawing for a bottle of wine from Gallagher’s Where U Brew in Edmonds. Their guests love it!
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