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The
Ridgards pose in front of Sleeping Beauty's
Castle at Disneyland after we dropped
them off.
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| Client Name: |
Paul and Gina Ridgard |
| Group Size: |
2 adults, 2 children |
| Group Make-up: |
Paul and Gina and their son (13) and daughter
(8) |
| Home: |
Ireland |
| Interests: |
For Paul: nature, the outdoors, classic
cars, bargain shopping, fishing
For Gina: the beach, fashion shopping, seeing
the major sights
For the kids: fishing, the beach, Disneyland,
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Paul and Gina were looking for something different.
Having done the requisite trips to Spain and the Canary
Islands for many summers, they wanted to see something
totally new, and expose their 2 kids to something
beyond the beach resort experience before they became
too old to be interested in family holidays. They
had a couple of weeks to spend, of which they wanted
to spend the last few days at Disneyland. They wanted
to see natural beauty, and visit places that were
well off the beaten track, as well as some of the
requisite highlights.
Paul also wanted to do a little fishing with Simon;
neither had fished before, and the whole group wanted
to get some serious shopping in, to take advantage
of the bargain prices to be found in the States (particularly
given the strength of the Euro at the time of their
trip).
Challenges:
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Create an itinerary that had something
of interest for everyone in the group. |
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Cover some of the more remote areas of California
without exhausting the group. |
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Help out a bit with some of the nuanced differences
between Irish and American culture. |
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Probably the biggest challenge for the Ridgards'
trip was to make sure that there was something for
everyone. Paul and Simon were very excited to get
out into the wilderness and see the outdoors. On the
other hand, Gina and Chloe were a bit nervous about
the whole wilderness thing, and had their desires
set on more "civilised" pursuits, with shopping
being a primary motivator.
So, we created a diverse itinerary that sought to
include a bit of everything for the group. The Trinity
Alps and the volcanos of Northern California were
specifically included to appeal to the boys' interests,
with specific activities like fishing on Trinity Lake
incorporated for maximum experience. Lake Tahoe and
Monterey were of particular enjoyment to the girls,
for whom a stop at the Gilroy Outlets near Monterey
was a highlight.
Ultimately, there was a bit of something for everyone
in the group, and a few surprises as well. The one
that stands out the most is the universal approval
for the Bodie Ghost Town, which is well off the beaten
track, and is neither an "outdoorsy" adventure,
nor a taste of modern civilization. Nevertheless,
the group loved the experience of one of the "Wild
West's" most notorious mining towns.
Here's the trip we put
together for the Ridgards
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