Welcome to our blog! I am very excited to start sharing travel tips and other helpful information with you. But first, let me introduce myself.
My name is Angie Laatsch, owner of Quality Time Tour Co and Quality Time Retreats. I have been married for 32 years and we have 3 adult children, one son and two daughters. My formal education was as a teacher, which I used for many years, both as a homeschool mom of 16 years and teaching classes for other homeschool families and our local co-op. When our youngest daughter was nearing her high school graduation, I decided to get my international tour manager certification from International Guide Academy in Colorado. I then worked a couple seasons as a tour manager for Worldstrides, leading educational tours in Washington DC for students. I also worked for Envision in their Jr. National Young Leaders Conference working with middle schoolers to develop their leadership skills. I thoroughly enjoyed these experiences and the opportunity to blend education with travel experiences that made everything much more impactful for the students. During COVID when there were no work opportunities in the travel world for several months, I decided to start my own travel company offering guided multi-day tours, which I launched in 2023. During 2024, I decided to also add retreats (Quality Time Retreats) after seeing that there are some gaps in important areas for both homeschoolers, travelers, and small businesses.There are two main areas that I focus on when it comes to tours: family/friend groups and corporate tours.
Family groups could be a couple, a single parent with children, a sibling group, grandparents and grandkids, or multigenerational (grandparents, kids, grandkids – think family reunions). We love all the different combinations of family groups and if you want to travel with just your family, we can even design a private tour just for you! All of my tours are designed with children in mind, so that I always have some age appropriate things planned for when we do have children on tour. While our tours are generally guided, which is the most stress-free option, I can also create self-guided tours upon request. So if you are the “planner” of your family vacations, and find that the planning and logistics are exhausting or overwhelming to the point that you aren’t enjoying or looking forward to it, then you are in the right place!
Friend groups could be besties from childhood, a church group, Girl Scout troop, garden club, crochet group, book club – really any group that meets together regularly and shares common interests. Working with friend groups is great fun because I can tailor a tour that is specific to YOUR group’s interests and goals. So if you’re in a group that has ever talked about taking a trip somewhere together but no one has volunteered to do all the planning, I would love to help you make that happen because nothing bonds a group like the shared memories and experiences from traveling together.
For small businesses who like to reward their employees for reaching certain goals or who would like their employees to bond on a more personal level, travel can be an impactful way to do so, not to mention it can be an incredible motivator for some employees. I can work with any size business to design an incentive or team building trip that fits your budget and overall goals for your company, so if you’ve never considered incorporating incentive/team building travel, I’d love to talk with you!
So now you know a little about me and why I got into the tour/retreat business. I look forward to sharing helpful tips and information about different aspects and types of travel, as well as tips and helpful information in this blog and hope that it helps you in whatever role you find yourself in!
