AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018 - 23

YOUR STORY
Chris went back to see Heinisch. "They
came in and said they'd decided they
wanted to get married while they were
there!" she remembers.
"At first, I wasn't sure," Debi admits. "I'd lived alone for
a long time, and I was content. But once Chris and I
started going out, I just couldn't stop seeing him. It was
just right. He convinced me, and I'm glad he did."
Fast-forward to January. "The day after we arrived in
Hawaii - before we boarded our cruise - we got
married right there on the beach," Debi says. "We hadn't
told a soul - except for my daughter, who'd even kept it
a secret from her kids and her husband! I'd already
printed out announcement cards saying 'We did it!' so
after we got married, I dropped them in the mail to all
our family and friends."
For Debi and Chris, their Hawaii trip cemented their
desire for a life centered around travel. "The cruise took us
around to every island, and they're all different," Debi
says. She and Chris felt closest to nature in the island of
Kauai. "We loved seeing the birds, the waterfalls, the
chickens running in the street. Maui is great, but it's very
much commercialized. Kauai is still very natural."

THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES

Before they made it back to South Carolina, Debi and
Chris were already planning their next vacation. "I'd been
to all 50 states but hadn't traveled much in Europe, and
Chris had traveled more internationally. So, we made a list
that started with the places neither of us had ever been, and
then we listed all the places we'd each been previously that
we loved and wanted to share with each other," says Debi.
Most importantly, Chris and Debi knew they wanted to
travel with their three grandchildren. The following year,
they took the youngest two, then 8 and 9, to Disney World.
The year after that, they took their oldest grandson to Costa
Rica to celebrate his high-school graduation. "He and Chris
get along great. Chris is just like a teenage boy sometimes,"
Debi says. "You know men, they never grow up. We had
lots and lots of fun."
"I always had vacations with my family," Debi adds. "I
just feel like that's a good way to get the kids' attention.
They aren't going to school or going from one meeting
or activity to another. It's very important to establish
those relationships and spend time making memories
that bind you together."

CARPE DIEM

A long-time AAA Member, Debi says she and Chris got
lucky the day they walked into their local AAA office and
met Heinisch, who has now planned a total of 12 trips for
them. "But you can ask a lot of people around town how
they met her and they'll tell you we recommended her! We
tell everybody!" Debi says.
"Debi and Chris prefer all-inclusive tours and cruises,"
says Heinisch. "They want to be able to arrive in a new
place for their vacation and know they'll be taken care of
the rest of the way. And they don't want to have to worry
about how much money they're spending, because it's
already all paid for."
Once Heinisch understands where the couple wants to
go and gets a feel for their "must-see" destinations, she
looks for trips that offer a comprehensive overview of a
particular area. "We have them booked on a trip to Greece
and a river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest next year,
and I'll handle everything for them so they can just go
and enjoy it," Heinisch says.
"I'm a retired school teacher, and was always having to
make sure everybody and everything was taken care of,"
Debi says. "So, I have a lot of expectations for that, and
Tiffany is so good at taking care of every little detail
- and I mean everything. We can't say enough wonderful
things about her."
With 10 trips under their belt and two more on the
horizon, Debi says her friends ask if she's afraid to travel
with everything going on in the world. "No more than I
am going up to
the 7-Eleven
anytime," Debi
tells them. "I
think too many
people may
think they have
tomorrow, and
Chris and I
know we're not
promised that.
We need to do
what makes us
happy right
now, today."
Saying "I do' in
Hawaii

Today is the day to plan your dream vacation! Call your local AAA Travel Agent at 800-750-5386.

TRAVELER HOLIDAY 2018

AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - Holiday 2018