FROM THE EDITOR
Bob Rouse Editor 101 Prosperous Place , Suite 350 Lexington , KY 40509 USA + 1.859.264.6548 bob . rouse @ ntaservicesinc . com
DANG IT ! I let Travel Exchange ’ 17 in St . Louis slip through my fingers .
There are so many of you I wanted to speak to but didn ’ t . So many members I wanted to interview but couldn ’ t . So many hugs and handshakes that never connected .
Don ’ t get me wrong . I enjoyed our time in St . Louis immensely , and I did touch base ( or elbows or cheeks ) with many members . But I missed many more . Plus , I had more ground I wanted to cover with you . I guess I had a long to-do list with not enough hours in the day .
So with that in mind , I propose a new time zone — TREX Standard Time — for one week in one city : San Antonio , mid- December . Under my plan , TST would create an additional six hours each day — extra time for business , socializing and … I don ’ t know ... snacks .
Delegates will get their smart phones programmed for TST at the registration desk , and we ’ ll all operate on 30-hour days . ( I guess this could cause some calendar problems when we go home , but I ’ ll iron that wrinkle out later .)
For now , I invite you to take a look back at St . Louis ( starting on page 25 ) and enjoy the many significant connections we made with each other . There was no shortage of hugs and handshakes when NTA ’ s Old War Horses convened . Linda Fort Harvell ’ s essay on page 56 describes the vitality of that gathering .
Faith travel encompasses a wide assortment of groups and experiences , and it also covers a variety of terrains . Turn to page 20 to check out five examples . And take a look at our destination coverage , brought to you in words hand-picked by Pat Henderson , Gabe Webb and Kendall Fletcher , on pages 38 through 46 . And Pat directs the City Spotlight on Boston ; see pages 35 – 36 .
I hope you enjoy this issue . And I hope you ’ ll keep reading Courier , because we ’ re giving you insight from experts , intros to colleagues and insider info about destinations and tours that absolutely floor me every month . I just wish I had more time to experience each one . More time … dang it !
Write on ,
April / May Courier Destination Index
Arkansas 43 – 44
Boston 35 – 36
Croatia 50
Georgia 18
India 22
Iowa 38
Italy 20
Kansas 38
Kenya 46
Missouri 39
Nebraska 39
Oklahoma 40
Scotland 22 South Dakota 18
Tanzania 45
Tennessee 23
Texas 42
Washington 50 Washington , D . C . 23
On the cover : Joe Luffman , Gaylord
Opryland Hotel & Resort ; LouAnna Henton , Nashville CVB ; and Mark Miller , Sweet Magnolia Tours , camp it up during happy hour at Travel
Exchange in St . Louis . Photo :
Naim Hasan Photography
4 April / May 2017