2 weeks Ago By Sara Guymon
ROCHESTER — For 50 years, the Larsen family has been helping travelers explore all over the world. Ed-Ventures is celebrating its 50th year in business. Ed-Ventures might have undergone a name change in the past, but the business model has never changed.
It began in 1974 when two German teachers gave their students a unique assignment. Each child was tasked with planning a trip to Germany as an exercise. ADVERTISEMENT “The students voted on the best one, and suddenly the students said, ‘you're taking us right?’ And what they found themselves on was a five-week bicycle trip of Germany and Austria with 50 eighth and ninth graders," said Paul Larsen, co-owner of Ed-Ventures.
Paul’s father was one of those teachers and he quickly learned that he was a better teacher outside the classroom than inside. He was a fantastic teacher but through travel, he found a connection to the culture, history and people in a whole new way. This was his passion and now Paul continues on with his legacy.
He co-owns the business with his brother and sister-in-law and they have been helping groups travel across the world for 50 years. Ed-Ventures offers customized tour itineraries for adult tour groups, student tour groups and faith-based tour groups that are fully escorted and more affordable. “One of our slogans is, ‘Life-changing travel experiences,’” said Shannon Larsen, co-owner of Ed-Ventures.
“So no matter if you've been to Italy five times, there's going to be something new for you there because groups change, sites change, even the lines change, but we're always looking at places to go and things to do.” Ed-Ventures mainly focuses on group trips to help keep costs down for participants. They have clients from all over the Midwest and have created partnerships to help ensure the best experience possible.
The main reason a group will use a travel agency is for extra support for the things travelers can’t predict. “I think it was last spring, the John Marshall Spanish students were going to Costa Rica ..
. they had some mechanical problems. Their pilots timed out and couldn't go," Paul said.
"They didn't have another plane leaving for three or four days, and they didn't have a backup crew and people were very, very upset up there at the airline that night. Behind the scenes, we got a coach, we sent them to Madison where we'd arrange airfare for them to fly from Madison, and they went off to Costa Rica the next day." ADVERTISEMENT Their connections also bleed into the local area.
Ed-Ventures helps to organize trips for the schools and churches around town, as well as some of the local businesses. Their ideal size used to be around 20, but now they are comfortable planning trips for any size larger than 12. Group size is important because the overall price for some things does not change no matter how many people there are.
Transportation is a key factor when pricing a trip and a motorcoach costs the same price whether 15 people or 30 people are on it, but the price goes down per person. Paul and Shannon have loved watching people find joy through traveling. They have had the chance to go on many life-changing journeys and have developed a passion for travel while carrying on Paul’s father’s legacy.
His dad suffered from dementia late in life but his passion for travel remained. “I walked into the Homestead special care area one evening and here's my dad walking through the hallways, leading a tour of Vienna,” Paul said. “He had four ladies behind him, believing they were in Vienna, too, and the last lady asked me, ‘have you seen my sister? She just got off the plane from London that night.
’ When I went out to my car, I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.” Paul probably cried more than he laughed that night, but now he looks back at it as a fond memory. His dad loved his career so much, he never gave it up.
Their next travel destination will be Huntsville, Alabama, for the National Tour Association’s Travel Exchange where Paul will be receiving the Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award. The Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual whose exceptional contributions to NTA have served the association and its members. Ed-Ventures 308A Elton Hills Drive NW, Rochester, MN 55901 507-289-3332 www.
ed-ventures.com.
