A group of local residents saw sights ranging from New England's colorful autumn leaves to the chaos and excitement of Times Square on a recent 13-day journey with a local tour company.
About 40 people from Texarkana and other towns in Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas took the Fall Foliage Tour offered by Hooks, Texas, company Vicki's Tours.
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Snow welcomed spring in all but the central and southern parts of the state.
People taking trips with Vicki's Tours receive an itinerary ahead of time that breaks down the schedule, what hotels they will be staying at and where they will eat dinner. They travel on a large bus with a professional driver and that allows people to relax and enjoy the scenery instead of worrying about driving or directions, said tour company owner Vicki Greger.
Several couples travel on the tours but many are single women or widows.
"There are a lot of seniors on the tours and they like that fact that everything is already planned. They don't worry about where they are going to stay or anything because it's already taken care of. All they have to do is know when to be back on the bus," Greger said.
"Many of them also feel safer in groups," she said.
Greger has coordinated the tours since 1996.
"This is my second career, I worked in banking for 22 years," she said. "I had never really travelled before and this is letting me go and do and see and meet so many people. I really enjoy it because every group is different," she said.
The Fall Foliage tour, which also included stops in Washington, D.C., New York City and Canada, has been one of the most popular trips offered, Greger said.
It was recently brought back "by popular demand," she said. The group left Texarkana the morning of Sept. 30 and returned Oct. 12.
"There is so much to see on this trip. We start seeing things in D.C and the colors are usually beautiful this time of year in New Hampshire and Vermont and upstate New York," she said.
Tour highlights included a tour of The White House, a visit to New York City and even a trip across the border to Canada.
The tour included 14 states plus the District of Columbia and a quick trip into Canada.
The time in New York City included a harbor boat tour to view the Statue of Liberty and city's skyline, a visit to the 9/11 Museum at the World Trade Center site and a Broadway show. The group were also able to go inside the Empire State Building and look out over the city.
Other highlights included a tour of the White House, a visit to Kennebunkport, Maine and the viewing of Niagara Falls.
The group took a ride on the Maid of the Mist for an up-close and personal view of the Canadian Falls, American Falls and the Bridal Veil in Niagara Falls, New York.
Many of the same people take more than one trip with Vicki's Tours. Many of them take one and discover a love for travel.
"I have one woman who has made 40 trips since 2007," Greger said.
Many people travel with friends but Greger also has a knack for matching people with compatible roommates.
"I've been pretty successful at pairing people. I paired up two people about 20 years and they are still best friends," she said.
For more information or a schedule of trips, visit Vickistours.com or Vicki's Tours Facebook page.