By DEBORAH GEERING
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/11/07
If you're a single person who wants to take a vacation, Suzy Davis,
founder of Adventures for Singles Inc., has three tips for you: Go for
the destination, not hopes of romance; stretch yourself; and travel with
a group.
That third one is a given – what else would the owner of a group travel
company say? But she points out that group travel can save money and
anxiety as well as improve one's social prospects.
"The No. 1 thing about going with a group is, you're going to meet new
friends," she said. "It's guaranteed."
Don't count on more than that, though.
"Some of our singles will book thinking they're going to meet the love
of their life," said Davis, who met her husband on one of her outings —
after years of travel.
"We just celebrated our 15th marriage within Adventures for Singles, so
it can happen, but destination is vital. If a single person loves
museums and cathedrals, walking up and down cobbled streets of old towns
in Europe, they should book that, and they'll meet like-minded people."
Davis, whose company is based in Smyrna, specializes in more exotic
trips, such as African safaris or her new offering, a trip to Singapore
and then Borneo to see the orangutans. Her philosophy is why go
somewhere ordinary when -you can go to a place that makes your heart
leap?
"Tuscany, it's cute. But my passion goes much further than that, and
that's the seed I'm trying to plant — it's not life-changing," she said.
"If you're going to spend $2,000 on a trip and you can spend it to go to
Borneo and have this etched in your mind for life, I think it's the best
value for the money."
Of course, there's nothing wrong with a cruise, if that's what you like.
Cruises can offer the magic formula for singles, according to Ann
Thomas, director of Singles Travel Co. in Los Gatos, Calif. "Singles
like the combination of nightlife and something to do during the day,"
she said.
Thomas, who like Davis has been organizing vacations for singles for 16
years, tries to book trips that feature cultural or adventure activities
in the morning, access to a nearby town for independent exploration in
the afternoon and clubs and shows at night. Hot destinations, she said,
include Costa Rica, Brazil and other parts of South America, and the
ever-popular standbys: cruises and all-inclusive resorts.
Davis leans more toward a camelcaravan through
Morocco, a search for the gorillas of East Africa, a last chance to see
the soon-to-flooded villages along China's Yangtze River or an
exploration of Finnish Lapland — all including a day of community
volunteerism.
"Singles want to learn, they want to connect with the world, investigate
new cultures; they want to mix with the locals," she said. "I don't like
to give cookie-cutter tours. I try to think, 'What can we do to mutate
this and make it a mind-blowing vacation?' "
Dream Weaver Suzy Davis takes her clients on journeys of a lifetime.
By Janice McDonald
NEWSMAKERS
ATLANTA STYLE AND DESIGN | SPRING 06
Please scroll down past the photo to
read the article
Reprinted below...
Suzy Davis lives a life that most
people only dream of, and she knows her own good fortune all too
well. “My real life exceeds my greatest dreams,” she says,
to her own amazement.
While her well-worn passport
labels her a Smyrna resident, the truth is she’s truly a citizen
of the world. It’s a far cry from her Wisconsin roots.
Back when she was a child and her friends were collecting dolls,
Davis was collecting globes and dreaming of the places she could
go. She never fathomed that one day she could say she’d been
around the world several times over, having visited more than
140 countries. Or that she would be making her living helping
others’ own dreams come true.
Now in its 16th year, her
Adventures for Singles (AFS) travel company is the effusive
brunette’s way of showing others the world she loves so much.
Having been on a few of her trips, I’ve witnessed how she still
lights up on foreign soil, no matter how often she’s visited
that location.
“How do I keep it fresh?”
she asks. “By seeing it through the eyes of my newbies, my first
timers. They will point out things I never saw.”
As a child, her parents
regularly hosted foreign missionaries. Davis decided to
become a flight attendant and see the world they spoke of. Being
a bit impatient, she first set out from home at the ripe old age
of four, but was found at the zoo and quickly
returned home.
When she got older, she joined
Eastern Airlines, taking full advantage of their perks of free
and discounted travel.
“I’d ride jump seats on
carriers and do volunteer work around the world. That would pay
for my lodging,” she recounts. “I used my wings more than any of
the thousands of other employees. I’d take a leave of absence,
four to six months off every year with no pay. Living on peanut
butter out of my suitcase. For 14 years.”
Her first trip abroad would not
have been a first choice for most people. “I went to
Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Congo,” she laughs, shaking her head.
“I wanted to go where the challenge was the greatest, where
there was no electricity, no plumbing and no one speaks
English.”
One adventure led to another
another. She traveled to India to work with Mother Theresa. She
helped shuttle orphans back to
the US for adoption, even having one sick child die in her arms
while in flight. And just when she felt she was living the life
she’d always dreamed of, Eastern closed down.
“I tell people it was like I
was a butterfly, and cruel boys had pulled my wings off. And
left my little body on the ground to
shrivel and die,” she recalls, sadly. “Without wings, I had
nothing left. I had to travel. So I dreamed of Adventures for
Singles.”
At the time, she was married,
but her single friends asked her to help them to arrange some
travel. Knowing Davis, they knew better than to expect an easy
jaunt to Paris or London.
“The first trip was Jordan to
play polo with King Hussein’s
brother Prince Hassan and the Royal Jordanian Polo Team,” she
says. “That was couples. That was my first Suzy trip. We did
so many things you couldn’t afford to do today.”
That adventure was quickly
followed by other so-called “Suzy
trips” as she transformed her travel hobby into a business
focusing on an underserved niche market: singles. Recalling her
childhood wishes, Davis sees her mission as something beyond
just business.
“What I’m doing is selling
dreams,” she says. “I had better give you what I promised,
because I am literally taking your dreams in my hands and you
are paying me to fulfill them. I run this business on two words
that are taped at the top of our computer: ‘Excellence and
Integrity.’”
Indeed, there is generally a
waiting list to get on one of her trips. Many clients are repeat
customers; some even coming from other countries. They range
from seasoned travelers, to groups of friends, to first timers
with no one to travel with them. Most enjoy the buying
power and convenience that comes with group travel.
AFS has taken groups to
traditional destinations like London, Paris, Athens and Rome,
but also to Kenya, India, Thailand, Peru, Iceland, the
Galapagos. This year Davis will lead a trip to
Uganda to view the mountain gorillas. Davis tries to add some
new adventure each year, as much for herself as for her
customers.
“My passion is the Third
World,” she says, her eyes lighting up, “But sometimes that’s a
hard sell. There are shots and visas. Luckily over the
years I’ve found several people who enjoy it as much as I.”
Often on those trips, she will
find a charity to visit and help out—a school or an orphanage,
for example. While at India’s Pushkar Camel Fair last fall, she
even visited an animal hospital.
Part of her joy is seeing
others experience things for the first time through her trips.
Having spent hours on the phone getting many of them ready for
their adventure, she often refers to groups as “her children.”
“They are precious to me,” she
demurs, adding matter-offactly, “Things go right, things go
wrong, you deal with it. Lost
passport, someone gets lost, someone gets arrested, someone
hates their roommate, someone gets sick. Name it, I’ve seen it
all.”
And seen it she has. She has as
many stories as she does air miles.
Like the dreamers who call
every year to hear about trips, pick their choices and
ultimately never book. Like the man who has paid for five trips
but has never showed because business always interrupts. Like
the man who disappeared in Brazil only to turn up months later
married to a local girl he’d met.
Or like the time she got banned
from a chocolate factory. “I told the group to stay on the
bus while I went to get tickets.
Ten minutes later, I come back, the bus is empty, and they are
at the chocolate fountain basically bathing in it. They are
drinking it and splashing it and out comes an elderly couple
cursing at me, screaming, ‘They have contaminated the
chocolate!’ We were basically never allowed to go back again.”
Dealing with the human dynamic
means life is never dull. Teaching people geography is
often her greatest challenge. “Do you know that 50% of
Americans don’t know that Africa is
a continent, they think it is a country?” she asks shaking her
head. “Three people cancelled the Madrid trip last year because
of the tsunami. They thought it was next door. A woman cancelled
Thailand because someone told her the flight was longer than
four hours and that’s as long as she said she could fly!”
Life-long friendships have been
forged from people who met
on her trips. In some cases, even more significant relationships
have blossomed. Davis discounts that she tries to play
matchmaker. But she does boast eight marriages from couples who
have met on her trips. The now single Davis herself will
soon be the ninth.
A few years back on a trip to
South Africa, she met Terry Pawelko, a Chicago native who swept
her off her feet. He is now not just her fiancé, but her
partner. It’s been a love match in more ways than one. “I
can’t turn on a computer,” she laughs. “So it’s perfect. He’s a
genius in computers.” He’s helped her build a website and
grow her business further. She points out having two
people work on itineraries and keeping track of who’s going on
what trip has helped immensely.
Last year, AFS had a record 14
trips. Still, there’s not enough time for Davis to go everywhere
she still wants to go and see all she still wants to see.
“I’d love to go to Burkina Faso. I want to go to Mongolia,” she
says, getting that dreamy look in her eyes again. And you
know that—one day—she will.
Janice McDonald is an
Atlanta-based writer and producer.
Davis’ personal travel journals, plus information on her
upcoming trips, are available online at
www.adventuresforsingles.com.
####
Media Contact Info:
Suzy Davis
Adventures For Singles Inc.
Phone: 770-432-8225
Fax: 770-432-7212
suzyafs@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release
“2004 Promises To Be A Banner Year For Singles Travel” Atlanta, GA-- Singles who travel are booking more group tours as a way to meet
potential partners who share a common interest. There’s power in numbers and it
has become a real “meet market.” With the economy improving, early bookings are
on the rise, particularly to exotic destinations.
Atlanta based ADVENTURES FOR SINGLES has arranged group unique itineraries,
intriguing destinations, low prices, personal service tours around the world
for professional singles for over 14 years. They now present nine exciting new
vacation options for 2004 including: Tahiti, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile,
Patagonia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, rafting in Costa Rica and elephant
trekking in Thailand. Group size averages 45 singles between the ages of 30 to
60. Many romances develop which have led to seven marriages to date.
“This is the greatest travel venue singles could hope for. They do unique
itineraries off the tourist beaten path with a lot of personal attention. I made
so many friends and it’s hassle free travel. After my 9th trip, I
will only choose my vacations with AFS,” says Jo Burns of Connecticut.
All trips are led by veteran world traveler and former Miss Wisconsin Suzy
Davis, who has acquired over 100 different countries stamped in her 3 full
passports. “Her knowledge of the world and passion for travel knows no bounds”,
says client John Wagner of Chicago.
Do the dreaded words “single supplement” offer an obstacle when you travel? AFS
takes time to match like minded travelers as roommates according to age and
personality. They provide personal service and deal directly with local
suppliers in each country to obtain the lowest price for the best guides. Trips
include daily sight seeing tours, creative optional activities, first class
accommodations, transport on reputable cruiselines, major airlines, post trip
parties and customized vacations for specific groups. There are no membership
fees and trips do fill up quickly.
For those who choose not to imbibe, AFS has now created a new division called
“SOBER TRAVEL ADVENTURES”. These are alcohol free vacations for people who are
more health conscious and who crave adventure.
Everyone should enjoy a life enhancing journey whether to meet a mate or for
personal growth. ADVENTURES FOR SINGLES INC. is a passport to discovery and new
friendships with remarkable vacations at affordable prices.
Suzy Davis is available for in-depth interviews to create a good article. Also,
she can put you in touch with hundreds of singles who have traveled with AFS
over the years to give more personal stories. For more information phone
770-432-8225 or see
www.adventuresforsingles.com
About Adventures For Singles
Inc. Founded in 1990
by current owner and president Suzy Davis, Adventures for Singles
Inc.
www.AdventuresForSingles.com is an organization dedicated to
maximizing the travel experience of individuals. The company is
primarily focused on international travel and consistently leads
journeys into Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Adventures
for Singles maintains a client database of 5,000 travelers and 70
percent of its customers return for additional trips due to the
unique, owner-led tours that are provided.
####
Media Contact Info:
Suzy Davis/Terry Pawelko
770-423-8225
ADVENTURES FOR SINGLES LAUNCHES SOBER
TRAVEL DIVISION
- Unique Program Provides Exciting
Overseas Travel for People Seeking Adventures without Alcohol -
ATLANTA –Adventures For Singles Inc., a
14-year-old specialty tour company based in Atlanta, today announced
the launch of its new division specifically designed for travelers
who enjoy trips that reflect a healthier lifestyle. The new
division, Sober Travel Adventures (STA), was created to better meet
the needs of the company’s growing client base.
“These trips will be alcohol-free
vacations for health conscious people who crave adventure, one day
at a time,” said Suzy Davis, president and owner of Adventures For
Singles. “Customers can expect the same activity-packed tours of
some of the world’s most fascinating and exotic places. Upcoming
trips include Costa Rica, Spain and Portugal, London theatre, a
Kenya safari, Swiss Alps hiking and Amazon river cruising.”
The new division will provide affordable, all-inclusive touring
packages for both singles and couples that choose to abstain from
alcohol. The company provides an intimate group environment where
many people establish or enhance lifelong relationships with family
and friends. This fellowship is fostered through participation in
stimulating cultural activities and witnessing natural beauty unique
to the regions being explored.
“Upon sobriety, I found I still
loved the excitement travel brings, but wanted to see the world with
a clear head along with the comradery of like-minded people,” said
Terry Pawelko, director of Sober Travel Adventures. “For me life
began when I put down my last drink and these life-enhancing
journeys are for those who wish to continue sobriety with laughter
and joy.”
From the rooms of AA, NA, CA,
Al-Anon to over 850 treatment centers nationwide, there are millions
of Americans in recovery. This new travel niche provides a safe and
supportive environment for all when they are far from home.
“Last year I completed nine months
at an alcohol treatment facility. Sober Travel Adventures is the
exact organization I’ve been waiting for as I seek new enjoyable
outlets,” said one of STA’s new clients. “I know I couldn’t vacation
abroad with a group of people who want to party hard each night.
There would be far less temptation and more comfort in a group
traveling with sober vision.”
This client is one of the 20 guests who have pre-registered for
STA’s “Best of Costa Rica” trip scheduled for November 4-11.
Highlights of the trip include a lava hike up a volcano, rainforest
canopy tour, whitewater rafting, outriggers canoe adventure, Tabacon
Hot Springs and a farewell lobster fest. The accommodations are
deluxe and a professional geologist guide leads each daily tour.
Open 12-Step meetings are included nightly for those interested. STA
is providing the Costa Rica trip to new and existing clients for
$1698, which includes roundtrip airfare from Atlanta.
About Adventures For Singles
Inc. Founded in 1990
by current owner and president Suzy Davis, Adventures for Singles
Inc.
www.AdventuresForSingles.com is an organization dedicated to
maximizing the travel experience of individuals. The company is
primarily focused on international travel and consistently leads
journeys into Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Adventures
for Singles maintains a client database of 5,000 travelers and 70
percent of its customers return for additional trips due to the
unique, owner-led tours that are provided.
####
From Playboy November 2001
Click to enlarge
See our article in the
Atlanta Journal Constitution
SINGLES: 8 days, 3 European
capitals, 1 great time
By PAULA CROUCH THRASHER
COX NEWS SERVICE
The Adventures for Singles brochure seductively promised "Wine, Roses
& Waltzes in Vienna, Budapest & Prague."
Tantalizing images of Eastern Europe filled our heads: Gothic
cathedrals. Strauss' blue Danube. Sidewalk cafes. City markets.
Hungarian goulash. Viennese Sacher tortes. Sprightly tunes of gypsy
violinists. Lush strains of symphony orchestras. World-class museums.
Shimmering crystal. Hand-painted porcelain. Fiery red garnets...read
further -->The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In
the good old summertime, get in step with real pleasuresGOING PLACES
By PAULA CROUCH THRASHER Published
on: 07/15/04 Atlanta Journal Constitution
Pack for
Patagonia
Atlanta-based Adventures for Singles still has openings for its
"Peaks of Patagonia & Chilean Vineyards" trip Nov. 24-Dec. 5.
Patagonia — with its dramatic, snow-covered peaks towering over
crystal glacier lakes — has become a top tourist destination.
Trip highlights in this natural playground include Zodiac boating,
white-water rafting, horse riding, glacier hiking, sea kayaking and
visits to thermal hot springs and the Cavos del Maipo Winery.
Participants will tour the booming capital city of Santiago, Punta
Arenas (southernmost city in the world), Puerto Varas and Torres del
Paine National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Read more about "Red
Hot Chile" in the July/August National Geographic Traveler magazine,
reviewed on K2.)
"Escape the familiar to the most unspoiled corner of the world where
the wonders of nature will provide a true Kodak moment," says tour
leader Suzy Davis.
The price of $2,397 (plus $111 air tax and government fees) includes
round-trip airfare from Miami, four internal domestic flights, many
meals and first-class hotels throughout.
Adventures for Singles is the original singles travel company for the
international group traveler. We specialize in travel for singles,
post to travel blogs or singles travel blogs regularly with Suzy's trip
journals. Though Adventures For Singles is not primarily about
dating, it does happen and we've have had 12 marriages directly related
to our single vacations. Our goal is to provide an
affordable, quality vacations for adult singles. Singles travel
packages, single travel, adventure travel destinations for singles
describes what we do. We always are looking to add single male
travelers to our groups and singles cruises