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title: Indian Trails Express August 2017
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| Home \| Scheduled Routes \| Group Charters \| Michigan Flyer |
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| Take Our Survey for a Chance to Win! Here’s an exclusive offer only for past and current group charter customers of Indian Trails: Take this short survey to help us keep improving the quality of our service. As a token of our appreciation, you’ll get a free entry into a drawing for a $500 Amazon.com Gift Card!* If you’re a travel arranger, you already know about some things that set Indian Trails apart: 100+ years of experience in making your travel-planning job easier Expert sales associates who help tailor each trip to your group’s needs Professional safe drivers who’ve completed our rigorous training program One of the largest and newest fleets of deluxe motorcoaches in Michigan Full-time mechanics who maintain every coach in our fleet And of course we’re extremely proud to serve groups like the Girl Scouts of America, Michigan Dental Association, Michigan Education Association, Detroit Lions and Detroit Red Wings, Walmart, Quicken Loans, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, U.S. Army, Ford Motor Company, United Auto Workers, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. But in today’s competitive world, NO WAY are we about to rest on our laurels. We’re striving to be your motorcoach transportation provider of choice for the next 100 years! And that’s where you come in. Please, take five or 10 minutes to complete our brief questionnaire. If you have the luck of the draw, a $500 gift card could be yours. And by helping us to serve you even better, you’re sure to be a winner either way. *Amazon.com is not a sponsor of this promotion. Except as required by law, Amazon.com Gift Cards ("GCs") cannot be transferred for value or redeemed for cash. GCs may be used only for purchases of eligible goods at Amazon.com or certain of its affiliated websites. For complete terms and conditions, see www.amazon.com/gc-legal. GCs are issued by ACI Gift Cards LLC, a Washington limited liability company. All Amazon ® ,™ & © are IP of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. No expiration date or service fees. |
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| Real-Life Charters: A Passion for Travel “It was just wonderful,” says Millie Griswold, when she picked up a Custom Holidays brochure and took her first motorcoach tour to Mackinac Island with her husband, Tom, in 1999. The couple soon found themselves captivated with charter tours and the variety of single- and multi-day trips they could take to places around the state and nation. Because Indian Trails does its utmost to please tour customers, tour operators like Custom Holidays of Allen Park, Mich., often choose us to provide motorcoach transportation to destinations throughout North America. “Luxury motorcoaches like those of Indian Trails are very comfortable,” says Millie. “I like the WiFi. I love leaving the driving to someone else. And I always feel safe.” Though, sadly, Tom passed away four years ago, she decided to keep touring. “He encouraged me to do so,” she says, adding that she never feels alone thanks to the camaraderie of her fellow travelers, as well as tour guide Sue Biggs, owner of Custom Holidays in Allen Park, Mich. “We started using Indian Trails’ motorcoaches more frequently about two years ago,” says Christina Werner, of Custom Holidays. “We’ve really enjoyed the partnership.” What’s been especially important, she added, is the positive feedback the company has received from their tour-goers. They’ve been especially impressed with our modern fleet and its custom features like 110 volt AC outlets at each seat for charging mobile devices—especially desirable on long trips. She also appreciates the training and professionalism of our drivers. Millie is fulfilling a passion for travel that she couldn’t afford when she was younger, raising a family of three boys, and working as a high school economics teacher. Now the owner of a fitness franchise, she says, “I try to get away at least once a month, and Sue plans everything so perfectly that everyone feels comfortable.” In her nearly two decades of travel via charter tours, Millie has visited places like Branson, Mo.; Detroit’s Fisher Theater; Nashville, Tenn.; and Stratford, Ont. for musical and theatrical productions. She’s also hopped aboard motorcoaches for themed tours of resale shops, herb farms and historical sites. “For example, I went on a ‘Rum Runners’ tour where we learned how alcohol was smuggled from Windsor to Detroit during the Prohibition era,” she recalls. “And it’s fun to see the same friends on resale trips. We sometimes find things for each other in the shops and say, ‘This would look great on you.’” For Millie, it’s all about the memories she makes on each trip, and the friendships she’s creating with others who share her interests. |
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| Pro Tips for Bus Charters: How to Get a Group Trip Rolling |
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| Let’s say you’re arranging a family reunion and need to get a large group of relatives from Point A to Point B for the festivities. What’s the first step to securing motorcoach transportation? It’s as easy as calling one of our friendly charter sales consultants like LuAnn Smith, who’s been arranging trips for families, corporations, sports teams, school districts, special interest groups, and others for 11 years. You can expect LuAnn or any of Indian Trails’ consultants to ask a few simple questions to get the planning in gear: What are the start and end dates of the trip? Where will you leave from, and where are you going? How many people will be traveling? Will it be a single- or multi-day trip? Will you need the bus for side trips while at your destination? The dates are most important, says LuAnn. Because reputable charter bus service is often in high demand, the further out you plan your trip, the greater the likelihood that a coach and driver will be available. “If your event will occur at a time of year when we transport college or pro sports teams and fans, you should book the trip at least six months out,” she recommends. “Motorcoach reservations for fall weekends start going in March and are gone pretty soon thereafter.” For multi-day excursions—especially in April, May and June—“It’s best to book your reservation a year in advance because many schools use our coaches for spring field trips,” she says. “However, on shorter notice we can often accommodate something like a day trip to Cedar Point.” If you only know the dates of your trip, the starting point and destination, LuAnn recommends making the reservation and securing it with a 10 percent deposit: “You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have the bus on hold. We can fine-tune the details later.” How Much Will Your Trip Cost? To give you the most accurate price quote for a charter bus trip, our sales consultants will need a good idea of your itinerary. For example, if your group wants to stop for a meal at a particular restaurant, or detour to a sight like Paul Bunyan’s statue in Manistique, Mich., it’s best to mention that. The more information the better. “We work with customers to build a detailed itinerary,” says LuAnn. “Our aim is to give the driver as much information as possible ahead of time to study the trip’s route.” On the other hand, if your group just wants to grab a meal on the way without having a specific restaurant in mind, that’s okay too. “You can just tell your driver to be on the lookout for a Cracker Barrel or something like that when meal time is approaching.” Cost depends partly on the distance, duration and number of buses needed for a particular trip. The Indian Trails fleet includes 30-,52- and 56-passenger motorcoaches. Items like tolls, parking fees, bridge costs, historic districts fees, and pick-up fees at airports are included in the initial quote. If it’s a multi-day trip, the cost will include a private hotel room for the driver. “Our flat rate is $180 per night for most places,” says LuAnn, “so it’s usually more cost-effective for the customer to arrange the driver’s accommodations.” Other items that may be included in the overall cost: A $500 security deposit will be added to the bill if your group will be bringing alcohol and/or food on the motorcoach. (However, it’s refundable if there’s no damage or excessive cleanup.) Also—if requested—coolers, catered meals or extra water are available at additional cost. (Next Month: What to Expect On Your Trip) |
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| Do You Know the Safest Ways to Travel? |
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| For decades, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) has been tracking incidents involving major modes of transportation. So, the facts are beyond dispute: U.S. commercial airlines are tops in terms of passenger safety; they were responsible for zero deaths in 2015. Next come buses—including motorcoaches like those operated by Indian Trails, as well as public transit and school buses—which are the safest form of surface transportation, along with passenger trains. But that doesn’t mean the nation’s roadways are safe: 35,092 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2015. Of those (according to these tabulations) 22,543 were in passenger cars and trucks; 5,376 were pedestrians; 4,693 motorcyclists; 817 bicyclists; 600 large truck occupants; and 1,063 “other” (including 49 bus riders). Yet, those numbers don’t add up to a fair comparison of safety by mode of travel (since many more people ride in passenger cars than in buses, for instance). So, Northwestern University professor Ian Savage analyzed U.S. passenger deaths per 1 billion passenger miles from 2000 through 2009, and came up with these fatality rates: Motorcycle 212.57 Car 7.28 Ferry 3.17 Train 0.43 Subway 0.24 Bus 0.11 Plane 0.07 Clearly, automobiles are one of the deadliest ways to get from here to there, and motorcycles are far worse. "A motorcyclist who traveled 15 miles every day for a year, had an astonishing 1 in 860 chance of dying," Savage wrote. On the other hand, "A person who took a 500 mile flight every single day for a year would have a fatality risk of 1 in 85,000." How about Indian Trails’ safety record? We’re ranked by USDOT in the top 5 percent of transportation companies nationwide for safe driving. |
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| Custom charter trips from your group’s location in Michigan, Northern Ohio and Northern Indiana to anywhere in the Continental U.S. or Canada            |
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