Dear Traveling Friends -

Hello to all of my traveling friends and acquaintances. The summer season is here! Are you considering taveling to places you have not been before or dreaming about a return to your favorite destinations? The economy has definitely affected the travel business as well as numerous businesses all over the country. Most of the day trips are full at this time, but some of the overnight tours still have openings. Take a few minutes to read over the trip itineraries as all you need to do is click on the "Tour Schedule" column, the tour you are interested in, and click "View Itinerary" for the day-to-day trip schedule. It is that easy!

Please note there are several tours that either the dates have been changed or the itinerary has altered slightly. The GETTYSBURG trip is now planned for Wed., October 14. This is an interesting and organized tour that many of you will enjoy. The DISCOVER QUEBEC BY RAIL FEATURING MONTREAL, VIA RAIL'S CHALEUR, THE GASPE PENINSULA, CHARLEVOIX, & QUEBEC CITY is planned for July 21-30. This is a good time of year to travel to Canada with its cooler temperatures. Both the PACIFIC WEST COAST tour in August and the ALBUQUERQUE KODAK INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON FIESTA departing September 27 with John Lyons as our tour manager have openings. Both tours are well planned and will be enjoyable to all. The REFLECTIONS OF ITALY tour for Oct. 19-28 had a May 11 deadine to sign-up for this trip. This means we cannot guarantee seats after this date as this tour will be open to the public. At the present time, we have very limited space. The fuel surcharge fee was reduced on this trip. Therefore, the trip cost is now $110 less per person. IF you are at all interested in this tour, please let me know as soon as possible.

The 2010 IMPERIAL CITIES PASSION PLAY itinerary has been slightly revised and all for the better. We are now staying two nights in Budapest instead of three, and a one night stay in Innsbruck, Austria, has been added. Participants will appreciate this change as it makes for a shorter travel day during the tour. Payment in full on this trip is due by January 13, 2010 by credit card or personal check. Approximately six weeks prior to the trip, my company will send you additional information about the tour itself and additional information that will assist you in preparing for this tour. We will have a meeting approximately 10-12 days prior to our departure to obtain our travel documents including air tickets, travel bags, insurance information, and much more. I will inform each participant of the meeting date in the letter that will be sent to everyone in late March.

Since the beginning of May, I am now booking some of the overnight tours for 2010. Some of the tours are as follows:

April 17-24: Charleston, Jekyll Island, & Savannah
motorcoach tour with the last night in
Myrtle Beach, SC

May 13-22: Oberammergau Passion Play featuring
Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Innsbruck,
and the Oberammergau Passion Play.

Also May 27-June 5: Same itinerary as above.

Approx. June 18-24 Chicago, Wisconsin, & Minnesota -
Flight to Chicago with motorcoach
sightseeing in Illinois, Minnesota,
and Wisconsin. Landmark Tours.

July 11-15 Cape Cod with a 4-night stay in Hyannis.
Day trips to Nantucket and areas in Cape
Cod. May book an extra day for touring
in Martha's Vineyard.

~ Aug. 14-22 9-11 day trip. Direct flight from
Dulles to Shannan or Dublin. Great
hotel stays, breakfast and dinner
every day, qualified tour guide from
Ireland, first class and superior
hotel stays, and much more.

Oct. 3-6 Woodloch Resort, Hawley, PA (Poconos).
It has taken me many months to finally
get a reservation at this fine resort.
Tried to get four nights and five days
but impossible so finally booked this
three night, four day trip. You will
thoroughly enjoyed. I have been here at
least 5-6 times in the past 12 years.
Accommodations in the deluxe lakeview
Greenbriar rooms and the Springbrook
Suites. All plans include full use of
the facilities and amenities with
fabulous meals and service. Each
evening enjoy fabulous shows at the
Nightclub in the main lodge
building.

Oct. 11-15 New Hampshire by Rail - I wanted to book
this tour last fall, but it didn't work
out with my schedule. Three enjoyable
train rides, lodging overlooking a
beautiful lake, and this week is
reportedly the "best fall foliage week"
of the year. Intresting sightseeing.

late Nov.-Dec.? Three day trip to NYC by motorcoach with
driving tour of NYC, Radio City Music
Hall Christmas show, South Street
Seaport, and several other attractions.

Additional trips will be on this website within the next two months (July and August).

Many thanks for your participation in the scheduled tours and for all the trips you have taken in previous years.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

New parking regulations for overnight tours. Worman's Mill is located within the city limits. It is a law that Frederick City residents are not to leave their vehicle on a city street for more than two nights. If, however, your vehicle is moved a few feet after the second night, this is no problem. When you do not have anyone that can pick up your vehicle for tours that involve more than a two night stay, arrangements have been made with Skate Frederick at 1288 Riverbend Way, Route 26 Liberty Road, to leave your vehicle at their parking lot for the duration of the trip. Skate Frederick is directly behind Wal-Mart. Please park next to the Car Wash, which is to the right of Skate Frederick. There is adequate parking on this lot. THERE IS NO COST TO YOU FOR LEAVING YOUR VEHICLE AT SKATE FREDERICK as my company will pay for the parking.

It is important that you let us know prior to the tour that you plan to leave your vehicle at Skate Frederick and we are to pick you up at this pick-up point. This applies to overnight tours only that are three days or longer and for participants that do not have anyone to pick up their vehicle. All day trips and overnight tours will still have the same pick-up point at the Town Square Gazebo on Merchant Street in Worman's Mill. We am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you, but we are taking these measures to protect you from possibly having any towing charges.

I look forward to our future trips together. Thank you for traveling with Barbara Rice Tours. May your travels take you to new destinations you never dreamed you would be traveling to.

Warmest regards,
Barbara Rice

Why do travelers choose escorted group tours?

Companionship
Participants with similar interest travel together on a tour and often make new friends and travel experiences.

Fun
Groups enjoy a fun atmosphere as there is always someone to talk to and share the experience the trip has provided you.

Education
Travelers learn geography, history, special events, cultures, and so much more with trained professional tour managers, step-on guides, while becoming acquainted with your fellow travelers. Group travel is far beneficial as you learn so much more about the places you are touring.

Convenience
All the reservations, lodging, meals, attractions, show tickets, and transportation are already booked for you. Traveling with a group will save you valuable time as everything is planned for you.

Value
You get a better value by traveling with a group than making the travel arrangements yourself. Additional savings are meals, shows, attractions, and "much more" as you are paying the group rate.

Future Plans

Proposed 2009 Tours:
Month	Tour	No. of Days
Jan. 23-31	Mexican Riviera Cruise aboard the Holland America Oosterdam	9 Days
Mar. 4-17	Thailand - Ancient Capitals and Countryside	14 Days
Apr. 14-20	Arkansas including Little Rock, Hot Springs, and Eureka Springs	7 Days
Apr. 30 - May 3	Mystery Trip	4 days
May 19-21	Atlantic City, NJ	3 Days
Jun. 23 - Jul. 2	Quebec City, Montreal, Gaspe Region, Charlevoix (portion by rail)	10 Days
Aug. 1-11	West Coast - Victoria, Canada; Washington, Oregon, & California	11 Days
Sept. 19-23	Asheville, NC; Pigeon Forge, TN	5 Days
Sept. 27 - Oct. 4	Alburquerque Kodak Hot Air Balloon Fiesta	8 Days
Oct. 19-28	Reflections of Italy	10 Days
Oct. 31 - Nov. 8	Discover Sicily	9 Days
Dec. 6-8	Greenbrier at Christmas	3 Days

*Above dates are subject to change*

The Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany - May - October 2010:

In 2010, we celebrate the year of the 41st Passion Play, which includes some of Europe's most beautiful cities. The Passion Play is held every 10 years, and it originally took place in 1634. The tour I have chosen is the "Imperial Cities and the Passion Play," a 12-day tour. This tour features Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Prague, Czech Republic; Salzburg, Germany, and Innsbruck, Austria. It is an exciting itinerary and includes a fabulous Hungarian horse show and authentic Mozart dinner concert. All hotel stays are for two nights at each location. Let me know if you are interested in this tour, and as soon as I receive a confirmation with the date and price, you will be sent the detailed tour flyer. A paper copy of the itinerary is now available if you would like to review it. Our trip will be in mid-May. The cost of the tour, with detailed trip brochures, will be available by early 2009. A familiarization meeting will be held in late summer or fall of 2009 to learn more about the trip.

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Company History

Our company is a home based business. A six day southern tour began in 1985 with added tours the following years. The business grew as more tours were offered, both domestic and international. This year marks our 23rd year in the travel business. A tour schedule, listing all of the tours that are offered, is mailed at least twice a year. All of the advertised tours are arranged and escorted by Barbara Rice. My company prides itself on traveling with compatible people who are pleasant, open-minded, adventurous, and enjoys new sights. We offer a wide range of tours to choose from including day trips, short and longer overnight domestic tours, international travel, and both ocean and river cruises. On many of the extensive overnight tours, we often provide a familiarization meeting to introduce the tour. 10 days to two weeks prior to departure we frequently have a documentation meeting to distribute travel documents, discuss the tour in detail, and meet the participants that are going on the tour. Both meetings offer a question and answer session.

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Policy

Much time is taken to be certain each tour is well planned, organized, and suitable for clients. We travel to destinations at the best time of the year where you will have the ultimate experience on each particular tour. There are many variations of tours depending, of course, on what company we use as each tour has its own policy. A deposit of $10 per person is due within two weeks of your reservation on most of the day trips. The exception is show tickets to the New York City Broadway shows as well as shows in the Baltimore and Washington, DC, areas. The deposit amount is the cost of the show ticket and is due within two weeks of booking. The deposit for an overnight tour varies based on the cost of the tour and the amount of days on the tour itself.

Satisfaction Guarantee

Our goal is customer satisfaction. In most cases, if you need to cancel prior to the trip, our company strives to do its most to get as much of your deposit and/or final payment refunded as possible. Each trip is different, thus the policy of each will not be the same. If there is a waiting list for the trip you cancel and there is someone who will take your place, your money will be refunded to you. If you have insurance and cancel, in most cases you will get all of your money refunded except the insurance amount, which is non-refundable within a 90-day period prior to the tour departure date. Insurance is highly recommended for longer and more costly tours. On all of our overnight tours, we use the best drivers and motorcoaches available in order for you to have a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable trip.

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Barbara Rice Tours
2469 Five Shillings Road
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: (301) 662-3053
FAX: (301) 662-7141
E-Mail: Barbara@BarbaraRiceTours.net