Ruby Jones recalls with laughter the first trip she ever planned.
It was a bus trip with 38 people aboard to Lady Luck casino in Iowa.
But, Lady Luck wasn’t with them aboard that bus. All the way there and all the way back it rained, and the bus leaked horribly.
“People kept switching sides to keep dry,” she said. “But my people didn’t get discouraged; they had the utmost faith in me.”
They still do, and nothing like that has ever happened again.
Ruby L. Jones offers something special and unique on every trip: herself. Her warmth, her care, her kindness and her commitment.
“It all comes from within,” Jones said. “I treat people the way I want to be treated. I’ve never had anybody really complain. They just praise me and my group. I’m a people person, very outgoing. I just have my own little style.”
Jones got her start in travel planning 12 years ago.
She began with volunteer work for her neighborhood group. Upon building up a steady clientele, she ventured forth with Ruby’s Community Travel in Chicago.
Her signature style includes homemade goodies aboard her buses.
“Some people go buy doughnuts and cookies,” she said. “I hand-bake banana-nut bread, fudge.”
Take a recent casino trip to Milwaukee.
Jones handed out colorful Christmas bags she put together herself. Each bag contained her homemade coconut balls dipped in chocolate, peanut brittle, cookies and banana-nut bread.
“That’s what my clients like about it,” she said. “It’s homemade and it’s delicious. Most people don’t take the time to do this, because it’s so easy to go buy some sweet rolls.”
But, Jones isn’t about easy; she’s about service.
Jones’ group heads out every other month for local trips and two to three times a year for overnight and extended trips. Upcoming trips include a March excursion to the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan and a five-day trip in May to Tunica, Miss. Though many of her trips are to casinos, Jones always includes tours of surrounding cities to broaden the experience for her travelers.
And, on every occasion, Jones provides her signature service.
Little things, she said, like name tags, drinks of their choice — nothing generic — bottled water, goodie bags, introducing herself and the bus driver, and snacks coming and going, keep her travelers happy.
Another bonus of Ruby’s Community Travel is the atmosphere. Jones said she doesn’t hang fliers so just anyone can sign up. Everyone on her bus knows one another, and it is a quiet, relaxing ride.
“I cater to my customers,” she said. “I like them, and they like me. I don’t want undesirables on my bus. We’re just very friendly and outgoing. It’s a wonderful fellowship.”
Among the added incentives for traveling with Jones is free travel for clients who refer five new friends or family members. And she’s willing to do whatever else it takes to make her clients happy. She loves travel, but she loves serving people more.
“I’m 73 years old,” she said. “And the trips just keep me going. If it wasn’t for the trip planning, I don’t know what I’d do.”
