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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 9^th 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.

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Media Contact Info:

Suzy Davis/Terry Pawelko

770-423-8225

From Playboy November 2001

See our article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Adventures For Singles Inc.