It started out as a simple challenge. Three friends wanted to go on a cruise and see how many folks they could take along with them.
Could they plan it? Would other folks be interested? And if so, how many?
“We just wanted to see if we could do it,” said Alice Peters, recalling her first foray into travel planning.
They could, they did, and thus began the Trio Group, a Detroit-based travel group headed by Peters with the aid of good friends Mary Holliquest and Katharine Lawson. They’ve been at it for 20 years or so.
That first trip was a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico; they took 100 guests.
The trip was a four-day venture that went well and taught Peters a lot about travel planning, dealing with people and finances.
Today, she is a wiser, well-traveled and well-rounded woman in the travel-planning industry. She not only has firsthand experience, but she has studied the industry. For three years, Peters took classes with a local travel agency and honed her craft.
She now has her hands in several globetrotting ventures.
Peters works part time with Alternative Travel in Detroit.
“I’ve been with them 15 years now,” she said. “And sometimes I don’t even take a commission, because I like doing the travel so much.”
On her own, Peters heads Trio Group.
The group ventures out four to five times a year and has visited places like Las Vegas, New York, Canada, Chicago and Niagara Falls.
In addition, Peters plans trips for her Red Hat Society. In October, they’ll be wearing their red hats in Las Vegas. Next year, Peters will have the ladies in red sailing the high seas.
Peters also plans trips for herself and family.
In July, she visited Mississippi, and she is now in the midst of pulling together next year’s family reunion in Atlanta.
It sounds like a lot, especially when Peters revealed that she still works full time at AT&T. She has been with them for 36 years but makes time for all her travel and travel-planning endeavors.
“I’m motivated,” she said. “I like going places and meeting people … and going places I never thought I’d go.”
Among all her travels, Peters said she is known for three key trips: her cruises, New York and Las Vegas.
New York is a weekend jaunt. Peters and her guests travel overnight by bus, arrive and shop all day. Later, they check into a hotel, rest, relax and possibly head out again. The next day, it’s on to Ground Zero, Chinatown and Broad Street for sightseeing and even more shopping.
In Vegas, Peters plans a nine-day immersion in the sights and sounds of the city. Some gamble, others shop. She loves the food and people watching.
Peters has hit the high seas at varied times and is now planning a joint cruise for her Trio Group and Red Hat Society for next year. Details are not yet finalized, but she said the trip will bear her signature touches: lots of fun, good conversation, new adventures and new acquaintances.
