By Nancy Bennison, 14-time traveler and 20-time Vacation Ambassador from Amherst, NH
Any salesman will tell you that having a great product makes selling it easy. O.A.T. is a great company. The fact that I leave tomorrow on my tenth trip and have paid for #11 and #12 speaks volumes to the people I approach to join us on trips.
I have used the Vacation Ambassador Program to connect with old friends. We have invited friends from our small town, college friends, friends from grad school, family members, former colleagues, and neighbors from 40 years ago! We love reconnecting with old friends on these trips and sharing our love of travel with them.
Most of my referrals have gone on their first trip with us and several have joined us again. A college classmate bravely went to Japan without me. I had told her about our wonderful experience in Japan and she signed up. On my recommendation, she asked her guide if the group could walk a short stretch of the old Tokaido Road. Very little of the road still exists, but this stretch is very atmospheric lined with ancient cedars. She agrees with me that it should be a regular addition to the program in Hakone. She will be joining our group traveling to Egypt next year.
I carry referral cards in my wallet and I keep them in the pockets of O.A.T. fleeces and jackets so if the opportunity to talk travel arises, I’m ready.
People always ask what our favorite trip is. That’s like asking which of my daughters I love more. We’ve never had a bad trip and we love that there are always surprises beyond the printed itinerary. One of our favorite things is crashing weddings. In much of the world, not having an invitation does not preclude joining wedding festivities. Our first wedding was in the Day in the Life village in China. We were mortified when our guide took us right up front and had our picture taken with the bride and groom.
Last year we crashed a wedding in Yangon, Burma. We were on our way to the river when our guide stopped the bus and within a couple of minutes, we were seated at the reception eating ice cream (at 9:30 in the morning). Nothing compares with our experience crashing three weddings during our Heart of India trip. The first was an extraordinary affair for 22 dowry-less couples. There were 10,000 guests, but we didn’t blend in. We were escorted to the front to bless the brides and grooms. Then we were seated on an adjacent empty stage where we became the focus of numerous photos by guests wielding cell phones. Talk about upstaging the brides! We were invited to stay and eat, but we were off to Khajuraho.
Our last night in Varanasi, we dressed in beautiful silk saris for our farewell dinner. We were properly attired to crash not one, but two, upscale weddings, taking place at our hotel. We joined the parade with bands, fireworks, and dancing to escort the grooms to the wedding. One groom’s sister asked a few of us to come to the wedding. The bride and groom looked magnificent in their wedding finery and appeared to be much happier than our dowry-less couples. I have wonderful pictures of each of these weddings. We didn’t overstay our welcome at any of the weddings, but what memorable experiences these were.