The Joyful Travelers is a group of adventurous, curious and fun-loving travelers that has coalesced since Chris and Susan Meyer opened their Expedia travel agency in 2012. A brief history:

2012 – The seeds were planted when Chris and Susan joined Mike and Cathy Reed on a 4-day trek through Yosemite National Park’s High Sierra Camps and experienced the joy of group travel.

2015 – The group grew to nine when the Meyers and Reeds decided to explore French Polynesia and the Cook Islands on the Paul Gauguin, a small ship that anchors in the lagoons of Bora Bora and Moorea. We told some friends what we were planning and a few joined us. Among the many highlights were fantastic food and wine, circumnavigating Bora Bora on Waverunners, the crew’s extraordinary hospitality, the Gauguin’s private island, and the infectious comradery of the group.

2017 – The group grew to 22 when Chris and Susan told friends they were taking a Viking River Cruise. This struck a chord as  Viking’s marketing had created awareness and interest, but friends going led people to pull the trigger. We explored Berlin and Prague before embarking on a 7-day Danube River cruise from Nuremberg to Budapest. Highlights included a bike tour of Berlin, the sumptuous Taste of Prague walking tour, picturesque Passau, and enjoying sunsets together on the top of the ship while floating down the river. We even went to a classical concert in Vienna because, if you’re going to listen to classical music, Vienna seems like the  place to do it. We acquired our name from Cruise Director Anthony, who wrote Chris this note: “Thank you for bringing aboard a group of such joyful travelers.” Yes, it is apparent that we are having fun as we do laugh a lot!

2018 – Ten of us ventured into the Baltic Sea after a couple of days in Copenhagen. Highlights included two days touring St. Petersburg, kayaking outside of Helsinki, exploring fascinating Copenhagen and our floating destination, Norwegian Breakaway with it’s 27 restaurants, super-fun martini bar and talented dueling pianists

 

2019 – We ballooned to 33 with Israel and Jordan as bucket-list destinations for so many. Highlights included a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and dancing Heve Negila, several members baptized in the Jordan River, singing “Amazing Grace” in  a Jerusalem church with spectacular acoustics, celebrating communion at the Garden Tomb, floating in the Dead Sea, and taking the obligatory tourist photos aboard camels in front of Petra’s amazing Treasury.

The group has grown to include friends from childhood, college, and past careers. Also friends of friends who have become friends.

The Pandemic significantly disrupted our travel plans, but factions of the group continued to gather for socially-distanced backyard happy hours and parties celebrating Christmas and St. Parick’s Day. 

Future

 

August 2022 – Paris and Normandy river cruise. We’ll experience the City of Light, Monet’s Garden, the Normandy landing beaches, and other fascinating French places.

September 2022 – Immersive Greek Isles cruise. We’ll visit the hot spots as well as islands you may not have heard of.

January 2023 – New Zealand (Auckland to Sydney) – We have planned a wonderful cruise from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia to on the beautiful Celebrity Eclipse. After landing in Sydney, we have an optional four day land extension there. 

May 2023 – Lake Como and the Rhine River – Originally planned for 2020, we have decided that Covid-19 can delay this epic adventure, but not kill it. This 13-day killer  itinerary starts by Milan, Italy. We spend three days on Lake Como before traveling across the Alps to Basel, Switzerand for a seven-day cruise down the Rhine River before finishing with two days in Amesterdam, Netherlands. 

Fall 2023 and beyond.

Here are some trips we are contemplating for the years ahead. These will crystalize around preferences of group members. 

• Canada/New England cruise between Boston and Montreal.
• Intensive journey through South Africa, including Cape Town, safaris, and Victoria Falls.
• Great Lakes cruise between Chicago and Toronto including Niagra Falls and Makinac Island
• Cruise around Spain and Portugal including Casablanca, Morocco and the Canary Islands.
• Puget Sound cruise out of Seattle incluing San Juan Islands and Olympic Penninsula.
• British Isles cruise. 
• Mekong River cruise through Cambodia and Vietnam with an extension in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Cruise around Japan.

In the words for the Joyful Travelers and other Expedia Cruises customers:

“It’s the people that make a difference, and these folks are exceptional, enriched our lives a bunch!” – Don.

“It was an unforgettable trip of a lifetime!!! Such a great group of people!!!” – Colleen

“Great memories and even greater people! I’ll never forget raising the American flag on the Sea of Galilee!” – Lori

“That trip was one of our most memorable vacations. Thanks again for shepherding us through this rich experience.” -Craig

“It was amazing! Even better than I thought it would be! Great times! Spiritual growth, new relationships and strengthening long-time ones as well!” -Kim

“It was such a great experience on so many levels.” -Jane

“Such a wonderful trip with great memories and even better people!” -John

“Best trip and best group ever.” – Mike

“Many groups just listen to my comentary with little interaction. You guys ask a lot of questions. You all are very curious.” – Israeli tour guide Ori

“The cruising industry is exploding with a wide variety of pricing information!! So many emails, brochures, and websites to research that it is impossible to understand the best choice. Chris identifies your criteria,  listens to your wish list, and finds the best cruise at the best price. Simple. Efficient. Effective.” -Cheryl

“Expedia Cruises service is personal and thorough.  They are know the cruise business and pay attention to detail. They’ll search the ship for just the right cabin. They have also do an excellent job securing on-board credits .  My wife and I booked a cruise through the Panama Canal and the crew at Expedia Cruises got us $700 in credits.” -Tom 

“My ‘Irish twin’ sister (11 months older), her husband, my wife and I just returned from a two plus week trip to Scotland and Ireland.  Chris and his team put together the perfect package that included the basics – plane fare, rental car, ferries, hotels, and B&B vouchers.  The secret sauce was the way he helped us map out the trip so that each of us could fit in our individual different must see/do places. He gave us the confidence to build our own trip and know that we were getting the best possible prices.  I enjoyed the most our two-day stay on Isle of Islay and the tour of Laphroaig distillery. I added a third week for me to travel alone to Northern Ireland to investigate my family roots dating back to my fourth great grandfather’s wedding in 1817.” – Dan

“I’m a computer scientist, but I got confused searching the Internet for my honeymoon in Hawaii. My fiance and I wanted a low-key, authentic spot, but it was impossible to determine which resorts would deliver the qualities we sought. When I visited this Expedia office, they listened and recommended resorts on Maui and Kauai that staff members had personal experience with. Not only were these exactly what we were looking for, they also gave us great recommendations for farmers markets, restaurants and activities – plus a gift card to a popular Hawaiian restaurant group.” -Andrew

Want to explore with the Joyful Travelers? Be prepared to enjoy the destination as well as the people you travel with. We are fun-loving, curious and optimistic. We like to put a unique twist on popular itineraries.  If something unexpected happens (such as a 24-hour flight delay), we grin and bear it and power through.