Shebby Lee

Shebby Lee is a historian, writer and tour operator specializing in the historic and cultural heritage of the Great American West. She is a presenter at numerous history conferences and trade association meetings and is a regular contributor to ABA's The Insider online magazine. Her early training was in the theater and she served a tour of duty as an entertainer with the USO. She is also an admiral in the Nebraska Navy.

Articles by Shebby Lee

• An open letter to tour company suppliers — Part 2

  Thursday, April 17, 2014

  ​At the risk of sounding like a broken record — ​I have written about this issue before — I'm addressing tour suppliers again because there is mounting evidence that the message is not getting through.

• 2 examples of why I love the hospitality business

  Thursday, March 13, 2014

  I'll admit that I have been doing this for a long time, and I sometimes grow weary of so-called professionals who do not do their homework and don't understand that we are in the hospitality business. We provide a service, not a product. We are in the business of making people happy. OK, I can get downright crotchety on the subject.

• 7 keys for tours laying out the welcome mat

  Thursday, February 13, 2014

  There is a wonderful custom in the group tour business in which someone from the hotel property or the attraction personally climbs on the bus on arrival and welcomes the group. It makes the group feel appreciated, knowing that if they need any help during their stay they have a face with a name they can go to. It's an extension of the tour director and reassuring to travelers away from home. Everybody likes to feel welcome.

• Adventure travel vs. mobility issues

  Thursday, January 30, 2014

  Every time you open a trade magazine these days, there is an article or three about adventure travel. What does that say about this segment of our industry? Yes, baby boomers who have been more independent and active throughout their lives than the previous generation are retiring and traveling in ever greater numbers. And yes, suppliers are responding to their needs with such things as adventure travel options. Yet there is a strange disconnect surrounding the trend.

• Spring training in the tour business

  Monday, December 16, 2013

  I like this time of year. Despite the weather outside, it reminds me of baseball spring training. There is no win-loss record to bring teams and owners down to earth. It is a totally level playing field, and every team is a winner. Rationality is out the door as unbridled optimism takes charge: This year we're going to go all the way. It is the ultimate state of denial. In the seasonal business of a receptive operator, this is our spring training.

• The tour planner’s challenge

  Thursday, November 14, 2013

  As a receptive operator, I have been designing custom tours for — let's just say — a number of years now, and it has occurred to me that few people comprehend just how many divergent elements go into planning such a tour.

• An open letter to tour company suppliers

  Thursday, October 17, 2013

  ​I am a writer. Not surprisingly, I like to have my work read. Mostly I write tour descriptions, ad copy, newsletters or blogs encouraging prospective customers to book tours. But there are other uses for my golden prose, and it always surprises me that more travel professionals don’t take advantage of these opportunities to get to know their current and prospective clients better.

• Irksome inns: Hotel hospitality lacking for tour groups

  Thursday, September 19, 2013

  As I am out and about across the American landscape on tours, I have plenty of opportunities to observe the hospitality (or lack thereof) that various suppliers provide to the traveling public. Here are some of my observations specific to the needs of group travelers.