Hi, and welcome to our web site! My name is Dave Votaw, and my wife Karen and I came up with the idea for this tour of Switzerland and Italy back in the summer of 2014. We’ve been blessed to find seven people who want to go with us:

Joyce Gleason: a friend of ours from Salem Alliance Church (we used to sing in choir together). Joyce is the most experienced world traveller in our group. She has children and grandchildren in Paris – so she goes there a lot!

Linda Jacobson: a friend of Joyce, Linda is a professional artist – she has works in a public show on the day after we get back! Linda has traveled extensively in the U.S., but never before in Europe. She has hosted two dinners for our group in her home, and is quickly becoming friends with all of us.

Steve Wollenburg: I got to know Steve at work, where we have been friends for some time. Steve and I attended a presentation about travel in Switzerland, and he fell in love with that country at first sight. He has threatened to stay there and not come back.

Jean Wollenburg: Jean is Steve’s mom. She’s never been to Europe – except for a short stay in Spain when Steve was born! That was a while back, so she’s pretty excited to go back. She’s going to room with…

Doree Votaw: my mom. She went with Karen and me on our last trip, three years ago, and we had a great time together. She’s been asking to go on another trip with us ever since!

Karen Votaw: has been my travel partner for 42 years, including seven previous trips to Europe. She’s the ideal travel companion – she likes to go anywhere as long as we’re together! Like Linda, Karen loves art and is looking forward to some great museums in Florence.

Dave Votaw: I got the travel bug early – I went on a seven-week tour of Europe at the age of 15, and loved it! For me, planning the trip is almost as much fun as going on it. This trip has a little bit of everything: lakes, mountains, beaches, cities, art, and history. We’ll travel by train, boat, gondola, and bus.