• Fleet Size – 7 motorcoaches
Personalized Tours & Coaches is located in Waldo Wisconsin , 40 miles north of Milwaukee . In April we will celebrate 34 years in the tour planning business and 22 years in the transportation industry . We are a family business that specializes in custom planned and escorted tours to both the public and pre-formed groups .
After 12 years of building up our tour business we bought our first motorcoach in 1999 . Today we transport a large number of student travelers and university athletic groups as well as provide transportation for other tour operators .
Tracy grew up in the industry with both her mother and father driving school bus routes when she was young . She would ride along with her mother on late night shuttles so her mother wouldn ’ t have to drive back alone . This was the beginning of Tracy ’ s love of the road . As her parents moved on to motorcoaches they would take their young family on the road with them , planting the seed of travel . Tracy graduated from Concordia University with a degree in Sales and Marketing and was ready to start looking for a career .
Her mother , Gloria , started Personalized Tours in 1987 and asked Tracy to help with a few office tasks and to escort a one day tour . Feeling nervous about taking care of 47 seniors , Tracy agreed , the day passed quickly and she fell in love with the family business .
For the first few years Tracy ’ s mother , Gloria , ran the office , set up the tours and did all the clerical work while Tracy and her father John , ( who drove for a local bus company ), ran the tours . After 10 years of chartering motorcoaches they decided to purchase their first Prevost H3-45 in 1999 . A year later they purchased their second coach .
For the first twenty-five years Tracy escorted 95 % of all the tours both domestic and international , and has traveled to all but one continent with her groups . Her
Tracy A . Schueller Personalized Tours & Coaches , Inc . President and CEO
tracy @ gopersonalized . com mother retired in 2013 and Tracy decided she had to spend more time managing the office and allow others to help direct tours on the road . Realizing her first love was being out with her travelers , she hired some office staff and created a wonderful team that has been with her for years .
Tracy ’ s father is still one of their full time drivers and they have grown the coach side of the company during COVID , purchasing another local company and adding to equipment and staff .
The best part of her job is that she never experiences the same day twice . Whether in the office planning or on the road touring , things are exciting and always new . Tracy ’ s motto is “ It ’ s Not the Destination But the Journey .” With being the only tour director for 25 years she has run 13 trips to Branson in one year . To keep it exciting and fun , the journey has become the best planning she does .
In her opinion , the way to survive in this industry even prior to the pandemic is to surround yourself with great people and partner with the best in the industry . So Tracy brought on her husband Jerry as Operations Manager and responsible for all accounting transactions for the tour and coach company . He does these duties after putting in full days at his “ real ” job and even taking vacation from that job to attend conventions with Tracy . She believes her staff is the best in the industry as well as those she chooses to trust and partner with , like Kris Hoff of Happy Times Tours & Experiences . The two companies aren ’ t competitors but friends helping each other fill their tours and bounce ideas off each other .
Other great partners are the two largest organizations Tracy belongs to : ABA and UMA . The contacts , support , and information these industry organizations provide are so helpful .
Thanks to our loyal customer base we will survive this pandemic and come back even stronger , providing tours and charters “ planned with you in mind .”
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