Dear Traveling Friends -

Hello travelers. Spring is here, and it certainly feels like it with frequent warmer days. The spring flowers are starting to appear, and the cherry trees are gorgeous.

Springtime brings thoughts of travel, gardening, and outdoor activities. Read over the planned tours for 2008 and perhaps there may be a trip or so that is appealing to you whether it is a day trip or an overnight tour. Thank you for your participation in the scheduled tours. On nearly every trip there are new participants that have never traveled with my company before. It is always a pleasure to become acquainted with new clients and to continue traveling with my regular travelers as well.

You will notice there are a number of day trips to New York City for Broadway shows. There have been numerous phone calls for "Grease," "Jersey Boys," and "The Little Mermaid," which are all new shows. Some of the shows are already full. There are still openings for both the Saturday, April 5 and the Wednesday, June 25 shows to see "Mary Poppins." Call as soon as possible for this entertaining show. We saw this show on May 5 and loved it; you will too. It is important that you send in your deposit for the cost of the show ticket within two weeks of booking as there are many people interested in the Broadway shows. I will most likely be booking additional show dates for both Grease and Jersey Boys for 2009. Dinners are always included in New York City after the show.

There are a number of motorcoach tours planned for this year ranging from two to six days, and you just may find the very trip that you having been wanting to take. Transportation costs continue to increase, and my goal is acquiring the best rates and motorcoaches for you.

My company's latest mailing was January 30. For the first time, the trip schedules were sent both by regular mail and e-mail. This past year many travelers requested receiving their schedule by e-mail. If you have an e-mail address and have not already shared this with me, please forward this to me. However, if you do not want the trip schedule sent by e-mail, just let me know. Many of you do not have computers. Not to worry as the tour schedule will be sent to you by regular mail. Thank you for your interest.

Please remember to send in your deposits within two weeks of a booking. This is a must! Often trips fill up quickly, and if I don't have your deposit, there is no guarantee that you are actually going on the trip. This makes it necessary to phone you. If you sign up for more than one trip, you can pay for your trips with one check. Always check my website for updates and a complete listing of tours. Let me know by phone, a note, or e-mail if you are moving and you will have a new address. Also let me know if you no longer want to receive the tour schedule whether moving out of the area or you are unable to take tours. I look forward to our future trips together.

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
January	Mexican Riviera Cruise	TBA
March	Thailand - Ancient Capitals and Countryside	14 Days
March	Little Rock, Hot Springs, & Eureka Springs, Arkansas	TBA
April	Atlantic City, NJ	2 - 3 days
April or May	Mystery Trip	3 - 4 days
April - May	Quebec City, Montreal, Gaspe Region, Charlevoix (portion by rail)	TBA
June	Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA	3 days
August	West Coast--Victoria, Canada; Washington, Oregon, & California	TBA
September	Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, TN	TBA
October	Albuquerque, New Mexico, Balloon Fiesta	TBA
November	Sicily or Southern Italy & Sicily	TBA
November - December	Greenbriar at Christmas	TBA

*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