View as Webpage

Our YMCA Alumni tour to Scotland in August 2024 sold out within a few weeks of announcing it. That's why your YMCA Alumni Travel Club is very excited to be able to add a special luxury tour to Ireland Aug. 21-31, 2024 hosted by our friends and advisers at Go Travel.

Tour with C.I.E., the superb Irish tour operator, on this custom-made itinerary. Included are 11 breakfasts, 5 dinners and 5 lunches. Stay at the finest hotels along our route and ride in comfort on a CIE luxury motor coach.

Are you a college football fan? We will be in Dublin Aug. 24 and you may wish to watch Florida State University vs. George Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at nearby Aviva Stadium. 

Check out the details and sign-up right away. There is limited availability.

We're still waiting for some details for a very special deluxe motor coach tour with Globus for fall 2025. We'll have all the details in our March 15 issue. Then, sign-up quickly -- remember how fast our Scottish Dream trip sold out? Where are we going? The photos give you a clue. Think about our neighbors to the North.

Less than a century ago, ocean liners were the only way to travel between the United States and Europe. Today, you’ll relax and play your way traversing the Atlantic Ocean from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Rome, Italy on Royal Caribbean’s new Odyssey of the Seas (just launched in 2021). Get this: A private balcony cabin is only $1,604 per person.

This is a one-of-a-kind rare route with an exciting port stop in Ponta Delgado, Azores. (The Azores are actually the tops of some of the tallest mountains on the planet, as measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean.) Along our final few days enroute to The Eternal City of Rome, enjoy port stops in Malaga and Cartagena, Spain and Florence, Italy.

Add some extra days in Italy or anywhere you wish to travel. Go Travel agents will help you plan and manage your trip. Or, just relax across the seas and fly home from Rome. Your hosts are Chuck and Johnie Mae Dandridge of the Schreiner Chapter.

TRAVEL + LEISURE REPORT: Alaska Airlines plans to purchase Hawaiian Airlines in a transaction valued at about $1.9 billion and subject to government approval. It would expand Alaska Airline’s airline’s fleet to 365 narrow and wide-body aircraft. The merger would make Honolulu a “key hub” for Alaska Airlines and allow it to connect passengers to destinations in Asia and across the Pacific.

The company said it plans to maintain both the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands (named the best domestic carrier by Travel + Leisure readers) while integrating both into a “single operating platform.”

The Land of the Midnight Sun

and Summer Solstice

June 17-July 3, 2025

This is an amazing 16-day cruise in the land of the fjords from June 17 to July 3, 2025 aboard the famous Emerald Princess. A wide range of cabin choices are waiting for you at a price point to fit your wallet and desires.

The cruise embarks from and returns to Southampton, England allowing for pre- or post- extensions to London.

Have full peace of mind: Register now for the best choice of cabins and pricing. You may cancel if you must up to 75 days before departure.

We will celebrate Midsummer in Norway at sea June 23 during the Summer Solstice on St. John's Eve -- the longest day of the year when the sun and fun never set.

Your YMCA Alumni hosts are Patrick and Jan Murphy. Patrick is past chair of the YMCA Alumni Travel Club and he and Jan are members of the Schreiner Chapter.

Warm up your winter early in 2024 with an 8-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida into the Southern Caribbean. Visit different, delightful ports of call like Aruba, Curacao and more. Take in all the fun of Royal Caribbean's ultra-popular Symphony of the Seas. The ship is as much the destination as the ports she visits, and is a perfect ship for new cruisers or those looking for lots to do on board. Our Travel Club is offering significant savings off regular Royal Caribbean pricing for this trip.

Exciting Nashville, Tennessee is one of the three exciting hot spots of music genres you'll love on our America's Music Cities tour. Add in Memphis for blues and New Orleans for jazz and WOW!

An 8-day musical journey

Join us on an unforgettable musical motor coach journey to America’s Music Cities. From Nashville, the Home of Country Music, to Memphis, the Birthplace of the Blues and on to New Orleans with its deep Jazz roots, you will be entertained and energized every step of the way. Click on the video above to see what's in store when you visit Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis. Pack your blue suede shoes.

Jan. 27-Feb. 4, 2024: Winter Warm-up in Caribbean

April 21-May 5, 2024: Atlantic Crossing

August 2-8, 2024: Scottish Dream & Tattoo*

August 21-31, 2024: Discover Ireland

Sept. 27 - Oct. 4, 2024: America's Music Cities

Jan. 26-Feb. 2, 2025: Alumni Reunion at Sea Cruise

June 17-July 3, 2025: Land of the Midnight Sun Cruse

Sept. 14-24, 2025: Majestic Canadian Rockies



*Scottish Dream is sold out. Join waiting list.

Plan right NOW to be part of YMCA Alumni’s Reunion at Sea aboard the fabulous Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas for a 7-night cruise into the beautiful Western Caribbean embarking and returning to Galveston, Texas. Register now and book your stateroom for the best choices and pricing. You may cancel up until October 2024 if necessary, so no worries.

GOING PLACES is written, edited and produced by

craig altschul + associates (ca+a).

Next issue of GOING PLACES: March 15, 2024