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Travel
with Us and See The World!
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Our 2010 Travel Schedule
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
Atlantic City, NJ
Saturday,
September 11, 2010
ST. Michaels, MD
Saturday, September 18, 2010
ETTC "MVP" CLUB MEETING
Sunday,
September 19, 2010
- Harrington Raceway & Casino
Saturday,
September 25, 2010
An African American Heritage & DC Tour
Sunday,
September 26, 2010
Annual Appreciation & MVP Night
Saturday,
October 2, 2010
ST. Michaels, MD
Saturday,
October 9, 2010
Atlantic City, NJ
Sunday, October 17, 2010
- Harrington Raceway & Casino
Sunday,
October 24 - Monday, October 25, 2010
The Wheeling Dog Races & Casinos
Sunday,
October 31 - Tuesday, November 2, 2010
3-Day Atlantic City Trip
Friday,
November 12 - Saturday, November
13, 2010
An Evening of Soulful Sounds with The
Sensational Smokey Robinson
(The Westbury Music Fair - Westbury, NY)
Saturday,
November 13, 2010
Atlantic City, NJ
Sunday, November 21, 2010
- Harrington Raceway & Casino
Saturday,
November 27 - Sunday, November 28, 2010
An Evening of Soulful Sounds with The Sensational
Miss Patti Labelle
(The Westbury Music Fair - Westbury, NY)
Sunday,
November 28 - Tuesday, November 30, 2010
After Thanksgiving - 3-Day Atlantic City Trip
Our 2011 Travel
Schedule
Sunday, January 2 - Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Bring In The New Year 2011!!
3-Day Atlantic City Trip
Friday,
April 29 - Sunday, May 1, 2011
- Foxwoods Resort Casino
Ledyard, Connecticut
Friday,
June 3 - Monday, June 6, 2011
- Niagara Falls, Canada
Friday,
June 24 - Monday, June 27, 2011
- Niagara Falls, Canada
Sunday,
July 10 - Friday, July 29, 2011
- A Cross-Country Motor coach
Excursion
Sunday, October 16 - Saturday, October 22, 2011
- 2011 Cruise to Bermuda
Monday, October 31, 2011 - Saturday,
November
12, 2011
- South
Africa
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Member
Spotlight |
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The Spotlights are on
Mr. George Walls, Jr. |
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Ages
69 Family: One daughter, Ashley Walls, and several siblings
Places he'd like to visits
He never tires of traveling cross-country, and perhaps Africa
someday.
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Our goal is to identify at least one member per quarter
to spotlight in our Member Spotlight section of our website.
Members are selected based on one or more the following criteria: |
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Maryland tour operator takes matters into his
own hands when he sees a need.
By Le Datta Grimes
George Walls Jr. is a take-charge kind of
guy.
If there's a problem, he fixes it; if
there's an opportunity, he explores the possibilities. In 1999,
Walls saw both a problem and an opportunity: He was dissatisfied with
local travel options aimed at African Americans in the Washington, D.C.,
area, and he thought he could do something about it.
From this, Elite Tours and the Elite Tours Travel Club
were born.
"I've just got this thing about black people doing
things for black people," Walls said. "I've just always believed when
you do something for others, the blessings come back tenfold, and I
have to say that's been true."
Elite Tours specializes in motor coach rentals and
tours. The travel club, a separate venture, is a group of more than
1,700 African American members. Based in the Washington area, the club
is a mixture of all professions, income levels and ages.
What the members share is a love of hitting
the highway and exploring the country by way of the open road.
"It's just seeing
God's country," Walls said of his love for motor coach travel.
Walls knows the
highways: He spent 15 years with the Interstate Commerce Commission
before retiring in 1992. About that time, he began dabbling in travel
with a local social group. He also did some travel planning while
fundraising for disadvantaged area youth.
Amid his early travels, Walls noticed that
the buses weren't up to par. That fact detracted from the overall travel
experience, and that was a problem.
But it was also an opportunity, and Walls jumped right
in and bought his first motor coach.
That was the start of Elite Tours, which now owns and
operates three motor coaches. After a few years on the road, Walls
noticed another problem: His travelers were mostly Caucasians, and
African Americans were missing out on the joys of group travel. So, in
1999, he created Elite Tours Travel Club.
"I was noticing
that they were taking advantage of opportunities we weren't taking
advantage of," Walls said. "They were getting great discounts with
group travel, and I just thought I'd flip the script."
Today, Elite
Tours Travel Club is a multi-faceted organization that offers various
classes, access to a financial adviser and investment opportunities,
all while averaging 50 to 60 trips a year.
Travels include day trips as well as overnight tours to
destinations like Canada, Las Vegas and New York, and cruises in the
Bahamas.
Prices vary to meet every income level. So there's
everything from the $39 Christmas lights tour, which includes dinner,
parks, homes and the White House, to one of Walls' most popular tours,
the $1,900 cross-country extravaganza.
The 20-day, 19-night tour starts in Clinton, Md., and
ventures through Chicago; Kansas City, Mo.; Denver; Salt Lake City;
Reno, Nev.; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Albuquerque, N.M.;
Dallas; and Atlanta before heading home. "That is just
a fantastic trip," Walls said. "I've done it by train, but it's not the
same. When you go by motor coach, it's just like riding through
different parts of the world."
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