Custom Holidays

Custom Holidays Company Information

Owner:
Sue Biggs

History:
Sue's husband, Ron, was in the Marine Corps for 20 years and retired as a band director of one of the field bands. During their time in the service, they were stationed on the east coast and the west coast. Upon retirement, Ron finished his college education graduating with a degree in Sacred Music. Sue took a travel agent's course and discovered that her training would qualify her to take people all around the world as a tour escort.

Ron took a job as Minister of Music at a church in Allen Park, Michigan and Sue worked at a travel agency and at a retirement home as the activities director, where she discovered she had a flair for creating memorable experiences for others.

Sue began her company in 1986 as Christian Holidays and her first tour was escorting 26 friends to Hawaii. The company became Custom Holidays after a few years and currently offers approximately 150 days of touring annually.

Staff:
Benita Garner is Sue's able assistant in the office. Sometimes Benita goes on tour. Sue Fisher has the summer off to take care of an eye problem that has recently developed. Christina Fichter will be helping this summer as a high school student who helps with the mailings. There are several others who help as tour managers. Special thanks to Marge Souva, Vivian Moore, Ann Rees, Sally Brewer, and Brigette Smith who help with that important job.

Groups:
Custom Holidays loves groups! We work directly with group leaders to plan tours tailored to your group. Please look over our ideas or give us a call with ideas of your own. We will customize a flyer with your group's name and pertinent information. If your group is small and cannot fill a motorcoach (minimum of 30 people), we will be happy to combine you with another group or advertise your trip to our general mailing list. If you already have your plans finalized for this year, please keep this information on file. These same tours can be repeated next year.

National Affiliations and Certifications:
Custom Holidays is a member of the National Tour Association and as such, we adhere to a strict code of ethics. The NTA is an association of approximately 700 tour companies that promote product education, high ethics, and the operation of quality tours. Custom Holidays is a member of the American Bus Association also.

Custom Holidays is also a member of TAP (Travel Alliance Partners) which is a group of 32 tour companies throughout the US and Canada. The partners promote each other's trips, helping each partner minimize its number of tour cancellations.

In January 2000, Sue Biggs completed the requirements for certification as a CTP, Certified Tour Professional. She took a number of classes, wrote a 10-page paper, and passed a rigorous test to qualify for the coveted accreditation. In February 2003, Sue Completed the requirements for her CITM, Certified International Tour Manager.

Making great memories for each client on each tour is a high priority for Custom Holidays.