That insightful quote comes from Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-founder of Apple. But as a relative newcomer to Collette Vacations, I can tell you it accurately describes the Collette team.

Pick any department (air, marketing, business development, customer service) and you’ll run into people not only passionate about travel but also passionate about delivering first class escorted tours.

That might sound like marketing speak. And believe me I am right there with you. I consider myself a pretty hardcore cynic. When I sat down for my first Collette training session, I had a hard time believing that the person in front of me (who shall remain nameless) could be so fired up about what they do.

But it was the same with the next person, and the person after that – part of Collette’s training involves sitting down with other departments and learning what they do. That way we are all on the same page, all with the same focus.

Throughout the company I’ve found the same enthusiasm no matter if it’s the CEO, Dan Sullivan or a brand new employee. And everyday I come to work I feel like I am able to contribute to something “greater than the sum of the parts.”

Dan Sullivan in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics

I recently sat down with Dan Sullivan, Collette’s traveling CEO (and, incidentally, my dad) –  to give you insight into his travel wishes, favorites and philosophies. Here’s a glimpse of what he talked about:

Most Interesting  Recent Travel Experience: I recently went to Vancouver during the Olympics (pictured, above).  It was such a cool experience – the energy there was infectious. But beyond that, seeing travelers from all over the world devouring the sights and beauty of Vancouver was just great; it’s an amazing city, and definitely a favorite.

All-Time Favorite Destination: That is a tough question; I love them all! I love the turn of the century charm of the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island. I love the scenic train journey through the Alps of Switzerland and the Southern Alps of New Zealand and I love the rugged coast of Newfoundland where you can see icebergs from shore and whales breeching.

Favorite Pastime: Baseball, basketball, football… any sport really. And of course music, all kinds… but Springsteen is my favorite. I’ve seen the boss in concert as far away as Barcelona!

Favorite food experience while traveling? Food is such a big part of travel. I guess I’d say the pasta in Italy is always a favorite. I love the food in China, too -  I can’t have enough dumpling dinners and Peking duck. I’ve also enjoyed the great cuisine of Southern France.

Best adventure? In February 2008, my wife Kathy and I embarked on a trip to Antarctica that marked our 7th continent! The sights on the White Continent are unimaginable—snow covered mountains, glacial bays, massive icebergs and seeing wildlife like penguins, seals and breeching whales was an adventure I won’t soon forget.

Best View? There are so many it is tough to decide but standing in front of the Kremlin in Moscow has to be right up there along with sipping tea at the Chateau Lake Louise while overlooking the lake and Victoria Glacier.

What’s on your bucket list? Right now, Cambodia and Vietnam are on my bucket list as well as spending a week in Napa Valley to enjoy the wine country. Okay – actually I will be in Napa Valley in about five days with my whole family, so that dream is almost a reality!

Why do I love my job? When you find a job you love, you never have to work the rest of your life. I get to work with some truly amazing people; I get to experience the world. I consider our partners and customers as friends, each one part of Collette’s extended family. This job IS the dream job. I’m a lucky, lucky man.

Meet more members of the executive team.

Paula Twidale with her husband in Venice

Paula Twidale is the Executive Vice President of Collette Vacations. She serves on the board for United States Tour Operators Association, The Canadian Tourism Commission for U.S. Leisure Travel and is an active member of the Wings Club in New York.

Travel Agent Magazine has nominated her five times as one of the most powerful women in travel.

I recently spoke with Paula about some of her favorite travel experiences.

All-Time Favorite Destination: Italy! The culture, the food and the scenery are spectacular. Experiencing the freshness, simplicity and authenticity of the food was a real treat as my husband and I celebrated our anniversary in style. We travelled to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Capri, Florence, Sorrento, and Venice and to the lakes of Stresa.  The history, amazing sites, fabulous shopping, tasty lemoncello and a romantic gondola ride are all memories that we will cherish forever.

Favorite Pastime:  Gourmet cooking and traveling.  I love to spend quality time with my close friends who have been both part of my life and family, but also traveled around the world with me.  pastime.

Favorite food experience while traveling:  I ate my way through Italy. The food was great because the people buy local fruits, vegetables, fish and meat daily and cook it to perfection.  The pastas are all different based on the region, north to south. Let’s not forget the smoothest wine that has been pressed from grapes basking in the Mediterranean sun. What’s not to love?  Passion goes into making every meal an experience.

Best adventure? Crossing the Andes and getting your passport stamped out in the wilderness was surreal.  It was a real treat viewing breathtaking waterfalls and the condor while experiencing the lake crossings in South America. In Peulla, the stars and the sounds of the wildlife were magnificent and etched in my memory. Similar to South America, rafting down the Corobici River in Costa Rica seeing monkeys, iguana, toucans and crocodiles was something I will never forget.

Best View? The serene view of the English Lake District and the rolling green countryside, the sprawling magnitude of the Great Wall of China and glistening peaks of the Canadian Rockies all top my list for the best awe inspiring views.

What’s on your bucket list?  Exploring the world and stepping foot on all 7 continents is on my list. I am more than half way there and hope to complete that journey with my family, my friends and others that I can inspire and encourage to travel.  

Why do I love my job? I have worked with fabulous people, made lifelong friends, traveled the world and experienced cultural diversity.

Meet more members of the executive team.

Kevin Kramich, executive vice president of international sales, has worked at Collette Vacations since 1985 where he began selling student tours and tour guiding. He now oversees our global sales force of over 60 outside sales personnel.

I’ve known Kevin since I was about four-years-old and it was my pleasure to pick his brain a little about his love for travel and 25 years of commitment to Collette!

All-Time Favorite Destination: Hawaii

Favorite Pastime: Playing Hockey and Fishing

Favorite food experience while traveling? I’d have to go with goat cheese cannolis in Italy.

Best adventure? The best adventure for me would be the Ice Safari I took in Antarctica where we traveled by Zodiac boat with landings that revealed the most amazing wildlife!

Best View? The best view is at sunrise from the top of Haleakala Crater in Maui.

What’s on your bucket list? I have a few things on my bucket list at the moment including a stay at The Tropic Star Lodge in Panama, touring Russia, seeing the Passion Play in Oberammergau, and a cruise down the Amazon.

Why do I love my job? I get to travel the world and educate customers, family and friends about different destinations and help them fulfill their dreams. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Meet more members of the executive team.

John Galvin, Chief Financial Officer for Collette Vacations, serves on the company’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He has held the position of CFO since joining Collette Vacations in 1989.

All-Time Favorite Destination: The lake crossings from Southern Chile to Argentina. It is a pristine and beautiful destination.

Favorite Pastime: In my free time I enjoy working out and reading. I also like to ski and play golf.

Favorite food experience while traveling? I went on a Collette vacation to Italy with my family and some close friends and it was the best food experience I’ve had. Every meal was terrific.

Best adventure? My wife and I have had the best adventure in raising three great kids.

Best View? There are many ‘Best Views’ that come to mind but Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, and sunset from a rooftop bar in Santorini probably top the list.

What’s on your bucket list? I haven’t been to Egypt or Machu Pichu and look forward to both.

Why do I love my job? I love my job because I work in an environment where giving back to others is very much a part of the corporate culture. Everyone in the organization gets involved at multiple levels at helping others. It makes coming to work a joy.

Meet more members of the executive team.

Meet Melissa Famiglietti Snape, Collette’s Executive Vice President of Product. Here, she discusses her favorite places in the world, thoughts about family traveling together and why she thinks her job is the dream job. 

All-Time Favorite Destination: Peru! I’m a product person, so I think every destination is amazing, but Machu Picchu, at sunrise, that is pure magic. And the food in Peru – from ceviche to the wood-fired pizza in the plaza in Cusco, was way beyond expectation!

Favorite Pastime: Seriously? I’m a travel junkie so definitely traveling with my family! I have two young children and my son still loves trains, so we have been on many trains. From the Essex steam train in Connecticut to the absolutely spectacular trip on Via Rail through the Canadian Rockies, we try to do at least one a year. They are always an experience and traveling with your children and your parents, having the whole family together, nothing is better than that for me!

Favorite food experience while traveling? Now THAT is a tough one. It is about a 200-way tie, but I’ll try to pick my top 3. Indulging in a multi course dinner I helped prepare after a cooking lesson in a private villa in the hills of Tuscany. The amazing sushi you can get everywhere – even department stores – in Japan. A burger with an egg on top and acapirina at sunset on Copacabana Beach in Rio is pretty divine. And absolutely every curry I ate in India – I love the food in India! Wait – did I say I would limit it to 3?

Best adventure? Diving in Belize. Driving in the UK (and no, I don’t mean golfing, those roundabouts are tough!) Dining in Provence (where every meal is an adventure waiting to unfold). Hiking up Machu Picchu. Every aspect of fabulous Marrakesh, Morocco…bargaining in the night markets of Malaysia…shall I go on?

Best View? Again, hard to name just one best view but I’d have to say the perfectly pristine lakes and meadows of Montana’s Glacier National Park ranks up there. The pyramids of Giza at sunrise; the Taj Mahal at sunset; Nantucket harbor, day or night; my children’s smiles, anytime—these are all great views, too.

What’s on your bucket list? Africa – I want to see the big 5 in Tanzania, stay in a tented camp in the Masa Mara, witness every drop of Victoria Falls and drink my way along the wine route of South Africa. I want to visit the school the Collette Foundation is helping to build in Kenya. I want to see it all.

Why do I love my job? I can’t imagine doing anything else. I practiced corporate law for 2 years before I came here. Now I get to travel around the world, and spend every day making sure that world comes alive for tens of thousands of people. I get to help make their dreams come true. Wouldn’t you love that job? It doesn’t get much better than this. This is my 13th year with Collette – and every adventure still feels as exciting as the first.

Check out Melissa’s blog entry about a Collette family trip to the Canadian Rockies.

Meet more members of Collette’s Executive Team!

Bill Dziura in Africa

 Here are some of his “favorites”.   

All-Time Favorite Destination: 

I have too many destinations that I love to choose just one.  Many destinations offer such unique experiences that it is impossible to pick just one.  For example, you have the great nature experiences such as the majestic views of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, to the breathtaking views from the cliffs at Mykonos, Greece, to the great adventures of doing a Kenya safari and seeing amazing wildlife up close and personal.  Then you have the great history and cultural destinations like Paris, France and Prague in the Czech Republic, Beijing, China or Hong Kong.  This is a tough one to answer.

Favorite food experience while traveling? 

I was in Paris, France, when I first joined Collette back in 1992.  I went to dinner with a vendor and good friend of Collette to a very small and quaint restaurant on a back street of Paris.  We were very jet lagged and tired from a couple of long days but we had the most spectacular meal at this restaurant and were personally visited by the chef to ask us how we would like our meal prepared.  I will never forget the experience.   

Best adventure? 

My best adventure was a challenge issued by Dan Sullivan [Collette President and CEO] when we were in Amsterdam at a manager’s meeting.  We were handed a map with the destination of Bruges, Belgium.  He split us into teams and said “meet me there as soon as you can”.  We got to experience what it is like to find your way around a country without a bus driver and Tour Manager to guide you.  Basically, it was an “amazing race” to find our way and see who truly was an experienced travel professional.

 Best View? 

The best view that comes to mine from a more recent trip is the beautiful island of Maui.  I was up high on a ridge overlooking the volcanic mountain, the high surf and surfers riding the  waves up and down the beach, and whales breaching in the distance off the shore.  It was absolutely amazing.

What’s on your bucket list? 

Places I still want to visit are Egypt, Vietnam,  and Machu Picchu, Peru.

Why do I love my job? 

I have always loved a job that is challenging.  My position is one that has new challenges every day.  There are an endless list of new projects and new technologies to explore every day.  I also work for a Company that brings peoples’ dreams to life and is full of people who are energetic and fun.  And in addition to that I get to visit and enjoy many places on this earth that I would probably never have been able to see on my own.  What’s better than that?

Meet more members of the executive team.

Kevin Kramich

Twenty five years is a long time for anything. In today’s business world, the quarter century mark is quite a feat.

Today, my colleague and friend Kevin Kramich celebrates 25 years of working at Collette Vacations. As the executive vice president of international sales, Kevin oversees our global sales force of over 60 outside sales personnel and defines the sales strategy for the company. He is frequently asked to conduct sales training seminars in the travel industry.

Kevin began at Collette in 1985 selling student tours and tour guiding. He was District Sales Manager of Boston from 1987 to 1990 and in 1995, he was National Sales Manager and a year later was named Director of Worldwide Sales after establishing sales territories in Australia and the United Kingdom. He became Vice President of Global Sales in 2003.

Outside of work, Kevin helps to raise funds for cystic fibrosis, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and the widows of firefighters lost in the 911 tragedies.

Congratulations, Kevin! The Collette Team is what makes this a great company and you’re one of the best.

You can read more about Kevin’s favorite travel experiences here.

Collette provided the funding for four sets of uniforms for the students, two for the summer and two for the winter. Collette’s 2010 project will be to build a dedicated kindergarten room for the students.

Students here are taught specific skills which provides them with greater ability to meet their own needs when they leave the school. Moreover, this special school fills a large, empty place in the children’s lives, creating one big loving family in a wonderful place in which to live. The school also provides an on-site medical clinic, as well as special machines to be used in therapy for the physically challenged students.

Brian McClatchy, our US contact responsible for marketing and development for Jatson Chumig, is visiting Tibet for 30 days.

I encourage all Traveling Well readers to follow this amazing journey at collettefoundation.org.

Budapest

 Imagine your are Retired, sitting at home and dreaming of traveling to Europe.  You fought in WORLD WAR II, or grew up during the freeze of the Cold War: East Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw – ALL OFF LIMITS. You yearn to go to all those magnificent cities that lay locked in mystery behind the Iron Curtain.

Well, today these are some of the top travel destinations in the world, and Collette Vacations will introduce them to you in style!

That was the opening of an email my Collette colleague, David Lutz, product manager, recently sent. I admit I was intrigued. Funny how words have a way of doing that.

Of course, it is David’s job to encourage our District Sales Managers to promote itineraries that he is responsible for…in this case, the Magnificent Cities of Central and Eastern Europe program.  WIth a land only price of $2199 – that’s just $150 per day - this tour unlocks those destinations and will take you from West to East – from Old Europe to New Europe.

Krakow Wawel Castle

Said David, “We have all heard of Checkpoint Charlie;  Prague Castle; Budapest, Queen of the Danube; Vienna, City of Mozart;  the Ghettos of Krakow; Auschwitz; and the bombing of Warsaw.”

On this tour, this is all included and travelers here are awed by the stunning architecture, history, culture, and delectable cuisine. “I tell people to travel to this area before it’s too late –in Eastern Europe our clients can see European culture the way it once was, before McDonald’s, before Hollywood, before consumerism,” explains David. “It’s authentic travel at its best.”

Some other points worth noting:

• Collette includes more sightseeing than anyone else.
• Our hotels are all centrally located in the cities.
• We use local cultural experts for inclusive city tours in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw.
• 2 night stays in each city = Easy Pace.
• 6 Countries – the only Collette program that visits 6 countries (including Slovakia)!

Are you intrigued yet? If not, maybe this will help…

Consider travel to Eastern and Central Europe in 2011…where family is #1, where food is still home made, where people walk everywhere and have their own gardens, where history doesn’t come alive at the museum – but LIVES ON THE STREET!

Happy Travels!

Warsaw, Poland