A TYPICAL SPECIAL JOURNEYS TRIP DAY...
Our number one goal as Travel Companions is to ensure that the travelers are well cared for and having a great time. Our days begin with helping each traveler with the specific care they need. Then luggage is packed up and set outside the rooms. Travelers are then guided to the hotel breakfast room. As necessary they may also be directed to a dedicated med room to receive their pills from the Med Team.
If we have attractions that day, Travel Companions walk around with the travelers and engage them in the experience. When the group is shopping at a gift store, Travel Companions will help with selecting items, checking sizes, and coordinating with individuals who are done.
At meal times, Travel Companions will assist with general eating assistance such as getting fountain drinks and ordering off the menu.
When we arrive at each hotel we will begin setting up rooms for the travelers. Once that is completed, we bring travelers to their rooms and help them get settled. At the end of each day we help travelers into bed, and once their needs have been met, we can go to our rooms to rest. In the morning, we wake them up and help them get ready for the day's activities.
Special Journey trips are demanding on Travel Companions. Yes, it is a vacation, but it is also a lot of work. Travel Companions must assist travelers with many tasks such as personal hygiene, shopping, eating, getting on and off the bus, and sometimes walking. The main focus of a Travel Companion is to ensure that travelers enjoy themselves and are well cared for. While Travel Companions get to see and do activities and go to new places, the Travel Companion team's primary focus is to serve the travelers' needs first.
HOW WE KEEP THE TRIPS RUNNING SMOOTHLY
The Tour Leaders have decades of experience leading efficiently run chaperoned trips. Special Journeys uses trip-tested, custom-made documents, support equipment, and custom software that have all been developed from our experience with the specific needs of travelers we have taken on trips. We have developed repeatable processes and procedures to ensure that travelers remain safe and well-cared for, that activities run smoothly, and that everyone in the group knows what is happening and what to do. For example, before we even arrive at a hotel, we already know which rooms we have and who will be in each room.
We've received many compliments on our trips from people who tell us that Special Journeys is the most organized and efficient group they've ever seen!
SAMPLE ITINERARY:
Christmas in Branson
Tuesday, December 7 – Saturday, December 11, 2021
DAY 1
Tuesday, December 7
DAY 2
Wednesday, December 8
DAY 3
Thursday, December 9
DAY 4
Friday, December 10
DAY 5
Saturday, December 11
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Today, we will be picked up in smaller route vehicles and make our way to Omaha where everyone will board the bus. Once aboard, we will make our way towards Kansas City, stopping for dinner along the way.
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Overnight at Best Western Plus Kansas City Airport
11130 N Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO 64153
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Breakfast at hotel
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Today, we’ll make our way towards Branson, stopping for a wonderful lunch in Bolivar, Missouri at the Springfield Café!
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After lunch, we’ll finish our drive to Branson.
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This evening we’ll head on over to the Dick Clark Theater to see the award-winning show, SIX. This all-male powerhouse group features 6 real brothers who take musical entertainment to a whole new level. Dubbed as an “orchestra of human voices,” these multi-talented brothers don’t use any instruments other than their mouths, although you’d never know it. They are called “true pioneers of contemporary a capella” music, and this evening you will experience the power of SIX for yourself! Tonight, the brothers invite you take a moment and enjoy a memorable Christmas experience with SIX, which promises to be full of magical music and entertainment!
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Overnight (2 nights) at Grand Oaks
2315 Green Mountain Drive
Branson, MO 65616
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Breakfast at hotel
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This morning takes us over to Branson’s Famous Theater to see Doug Gabriel! Doug is the 8th longest running act in the Branson area. His good clean family fun and slap stick comedy will keep you laughing and smiling! If we’re lucky, he might even play his World Famous Mufftar, which is a guitar made out of a 1969 Thunderbird muffler! It’s Christmas time in Doug’s house and you will be sure to be treated to some wonderful Christmas time cheer!
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Lunch this afternoon will be at the Fall Creek Steak & Catfish House. Delicious food and waiters that fling rolls at you! We’re in for a treat!
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After lunch, we will head on over to Sight and Sound to see JESUS, a production revolving around the life Christ. From the bustling streets of Jerusalem to the raging Sea of Galilee, JESUS is an action-packed musical stage adventure. We will experience the greatest story of all time complete with massive sets, special effects, and live animals in this original stage production.
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Hearts full of gratitude and joy, we will then head to dinner before we retire to our hotel for the evening.
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Breakfast at hotel
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Our final morning in Branson takes us back to the Dick Clark Theater for the Brett’s Family Christmas! No holiday trip to Branson is complete without experiencing this wonderful production where you’ll feel the joy, nostalgia, reverence, fun and all the best feelings of the season. No one does Christmas quite like the Brett Family. With their tribute to Patriotism, and special Christmas surprises, we are sure this will put you in the mood for Christmas!
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Before we make our way back to Kansas City, the Brett’s have invited us to join them for lunch where we’ll enjoy a delicious barbeque dinner before we retire to our hotel for the evening.
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Overnight at Best Western Plus Kansas City Airport
11130 N Ambassador Drive
Kansas City, MO 64153
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Breakfast at hotel
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Today we continue back to Omaha where everyone will split up into their different routes. After lunch in Omaha, we will board our smaller vehicles and then finish our journey home!
THANK YOU for choosing a Special Journey!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
To go on tour with Lexi and Tom catches your heart to the motto of their life and their beautiful business. Yes, for most of us that assist in the field of Developmental Disabilities, this is a way of life. It is not a job. Our Heavenly Father put these two in my life, for which I am and will be forever grateful. They both have become my friends, and I would do anything to help their dreams become mine.
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– Mindy