Johnny Quest

Website | http://www.collettevacations.travel

Bio | As a copywriter at Collette Vacations I’ve found the perfect place to put my eclectic background to use. Before Collette, I worked in the advertising and public relations biz as an art director, producing ads for motion pictures. My freelance work as a journalist has appeared in newspapers, websites, and national magazines. I have a BA in English for the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where I focused on creative writing. Some of my other interests include (not in any order) the Red Sox, golf, politics, history, and spending time with family. All-time favorite destination? Has to be San Francisco where I spent my honeymoon. It might be the most beautiful city in North America. Everything just came together on that trip, from Tony Bennett making a surprise appearance at the Giants game we attended and singing “I left My Heart in SF” to catching the perfect sunset behind the Golden Gate Bridge on our last night there.

Reality Tour 2: Day 3 is here

On day 3 of Historic Trains of California we travel east out of San Francisco and over the Bay Bridge.
Drew, our driver, calls this the “working bridge.” The orange one is nice to look at but this one handles the heavy load.
Already, just from helping him put the luggage onto the motor coach, I [...]

Reality Tour 2: San Francisco Dinner

Since I first met her, Cathy Donahue, Collette’s west coast Product Manager has been telling me that the dinner on Fisherman’s Wharf is something the passengers just love. Well, she was right. Neptune’s Palace was fantastic.
This was my first chance to get to sit down and talk with some of the other passengers. Chad [...]

Reality Tour 2: San Francisco Free Time

With our city tour complete, Chad and I took some time to gather some images and video of this wonderful city. We started with a cable car ride down to Union Square. Some of the other passengers did the same, some stayed in Sausalito to enjoy the shopping and fine restaurants.
Chad and I work right [...]

Reality Tour 2: San Francisco City Tour

It’s time for our San Francisco city tour. The passengers are starting to fill the motorcoach. They look like a good group, upbeat and ready to start the day.
David, the Tour Manager, is milling about. He’s making sure everyone is aboard and introduces us all to Jane, our step-on guide.
What an opportunity. Jane is [...]

Reality Tour 2: San Francisco Morning

This is Chad’s first time on the West Coast. He’s anxious to put his feet in the Pacific. So, early in the morning of day 2 we head down to the waterfront. The sun has just come up and now I know I am in San Francisco because fog covers the bay, obscuring the towers [...]

Reality Tour 2: North Beach

On this night, Chad and I had dinner with Dave Mitchell, the Tour Manager. I wanted to head up to North Beach, San Francisco’s “Little Italy.” After a long day in the air, I was looking for some real pasta and a chance to dine outside. This is one of my favorite places in the [...]

Reality Tour 2: Arriving in San Francisco Day 1

It is not down in any map; true places never are.
- Herman Melville
I can’t help but feel literary in San Francisco. Many of my heroes have come through here – Jack Kerouac and Mark Twain especially. It’s a great American city. The end of the line (railroad allusion intended). We are on the fringe – [...]

Reality Tour 2: Historic Trains of California

Welcome to Traveling Well’s second Reality Tour. This post comes to you almost live from 34,000 feet. I am drafting this just as our Airbus A320 has reached its cruising altitude. Sitting next to me is Chad Litchfield, a graphic designer at Collette. Together we are riding the Historic Trains of California tour.
Chad and I [...]

Coming Soon! Reality Tour 2: Historic Trains of California

In the next few days Traveling Well launches its second Reality Tour. Join us on a virtual journey as we return to a bygone era and ride four of California’s most historic trains. From San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Warf to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and beyond, adventure awaits. All aboard!
Highlights of this tour include:

Two nights in [...]

The Gulf Coast continues its comeback

To mark the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I’d like to direct Traveling Well readers to Tourism Cares. Our own Dan Sullivan is on the Board of Directors of this non-profit organization that strives to benefit society by “preserving the travel experience for future generations through awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide.”
They’ve done [...]