Dear Fran, I wish to thank you all most sincerely for the way in which our visit to Canada was organized for World Youth Day 2002.
I write as Bishop residing at Brock University - along with other priests and lay people from four of our Dioceses in Scotland. Our visit could not have been organized better and the hospitality and kindness extended by all in St. Catharine's Parish and then at Brock University was unsurpassed. My very sincere thanks and congratulations to you all.
All at Tour Design ensured that we could relax and enjoy World Youth Day and our meeting with the Pope in a very special way. My kindest regards and my renewed good wishes, thanks and my prayers for you all."
Yours sincerely in Christ, Keith Patrick, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland
"Escort was excellent; Patricia's help at the airport was excellent - knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Bus driver was excellent, tour package was as expected and we felt we received good value for our money spent."
Marie Cooke, Aberdeen Discese, Scotland
"It was so nice to be greeted by Patricia at the airport when we arrived and cared for when we departed. Bob and Ann at Victoria College were a great couple, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The tour package was more than expected. We looked forward to breakfast each morning and our rooms were kept clean, lots of hot water, and we were very comfortable. I have nothing but praise for the service. If in fact we do attend World Youth Day 2005 in Germany, I would have no hesitation in contacting Tour Design again. So, keep us on your mailing list and you never know! Thank you for everything."
Tom Griffin, Diocese of St. George, Corner Brook, Newfoundland
"Can I just say how thankful I am that we had you and your great team to help us so much before, during and after World Youth Day. Your own personal concern and kindness for us all was very much appreciated. You all must have been exhausted after we left. Thank you most sincerely for your support, advice and all round friendliness, care and love us all. May God bless you and your team for an extraordinary job done extraordinarily well!!!"
Father Jim Hayes, Youth Officer, Diocese of Galloway Youth Office, Our Lady and St. Cuthbert's, Scotland
"Many thanks Fran for all you help in locating buses and especially for all the valuable advice you passed on. I was able to avoid many glitches along the way because of your help. One of the bonuses with this World Youth Day experience was coming in contact with many wonderful people and you are one of these!"
Father Jean-Paul Jolicoeur, Mary Mayer, Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie
"Our escort Carm was very helpful in assisting us to collect our pilgrim packs. Your airport representative helped us to resolve our difficulties with getting an accessible seat for one of our youth, a very big Thank You. We also appreciated Maggie's help in sorting out our use of the Finch bus to transport us to York University on Saturday morning. Thanks to Fran and all the team for the hard work put into making our trip so successful."
Mary McGinty, Clifton Diocese, England
"Just a note to say a very big thank you on behalf of myself and the young people from Portsmouth Diocese for all that you and others involved in Tour Design did to make our stay in Toronto for the World Youth Days so enjoyable. The accommodation at Sheridan College was wonderful - it was nice to have good, clean comfortable rooms, with all the facilities available to us. It was good to meet you and Sandra, thank you both for being on hand to answer all of our queries and questions. Please also say a big thank you to Carm and to Chas and Louise, our bus drivers for all they did for us. We had an amazing experience and will never forget our time in Canada. I am sure that the southern regions will work together again for the new World Youth Day event in 2005 and we will remember Tour Design. God bless you."
Julie Meads, Leader Portsmouth Diocese, England
"Hi Fran all at Tour Design: A big thank you for all your tremendous work that made our stay all the more fantastic. The group have been deeply touched by the whole World Youth Day experience, so be proud of your efforts. A special thank you to Joyce and Barrett Greenhow and also to Dan, our driver. I hope we can meet again some day. God Bless."
Ray Mooney, Arundel and Brighton Youth Services, England
"This comes with one huge thank you for absolutely everything all of you at Tour Design did to make our visit to Canada an experience that has changed our lives - an experience we will never forget. Your welcome, care, service, smiles and unceasing hard work on our behalf all helped to make for such a rich and beautiful time in your blessed and beautiful country. You have asked for the evaluation sheet to be filled in. I would simply like to say that everything you provided (the tour package, accommodation, coaching, etc.) and all those who worked with us (escorts, meet and greet representatives, coach drivers - I don't want to single anyone out, you were all brilliant) were excellent. Overall, I am full of appreciation and gratitude for everything you did for us, from beginning to end. Once again, thank you - and God bless you in everything you do."
Father Chris Vipers, All Saints Pastoral Centre, Westminster Group, England
World Youth Day 2005
Dear Fran, We are writing to thank you and Tour Design for your assistance in organizing our trip to Germany for World Youth Day 2005. Our trip was fantastic. . . Your knowledge of travel, service, and World Youth Day helped us to enjoy a wonderful trip at a fair price. Our pilgrimage was a huge success because of the help we received fro Tour Design. We thank you and if we could do it all over again, we really wouldn't change a thing." Read entire letter.
Bernard and Samantha Cullen, Diocese of Thunder Bay
"I met Fran through a colleague while I was searching for a tour company to use for my pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Paris. Since then I have worked with Fran to lead pilgrimages to World Youth Day in Rome, Toronto and now Germany. When I work with Fan and the Tour Design staff I do not feel like I am hiring a company. I feel like I am working with friends: friends who are interested in helping and meeting the needs of my pilgrims. I would not consider working with another tour company for World Youth Day as the rapport that I have with Fran and her staff is irreplaceable. Thank you for all your hard work and your help."
Derick Babin, Diocese of Yarmouth
"World Youth Day was fantastic. I loved the whole experience. It was my first time as a leader. I like things to run as smooth as possible. This was achieved by numerous things falling right with the tour company, the reps, and the hotel so a massive thank you for making the whole experience worthwhile and enjoyable."
Sean McMahon, Diocese of Lancaster, England
"Thanks for all of your hard work in organizing our WYD experience - the fruits of all our work are surely seen in the excellent comments and feedback that we've had from our young pilgrims. We mention looking at our website for comments - the WYD page has a diary and lots of photos from our group - I hope you'll get a chance to take a look at it all."
Jonathan Leach, Diocese of Shrewbury, England
"I want to thank you and your staff for everything you did to make our pilgrimage to Germany such a fabulous experience. I m deeply grateful for all your advice, patience and planning. All the emails and phone calls were appreciated: you/your staff were always available. I always had a sense that you were looking out for our best interests. Everything you promised, you delivered and then some. Everyone was really pleased with our accommodation, flights and coach transportation. I also mention Joyce and Barrett (Tour Design Directors in Cologne) who did everything they possibly could to make our stay as pleasant as possible. There were so friendly and helpful, and it was obvious that they were enjoying the experience as much as we were. It wasn't "work" for them. They just couldn't do enough for us. The fact that you and Rollie were there with us spoke volumes. To me it reflected the concern and interest you had in making certain that everything would be looked after."
Tom Griffin, Diocese of St. George's, Newfoundland
"Just a few words to let you know that I have spoken with most of the leaders and youth that went to Cologne for WYD. They had a wonderful experience. They especially mentioned Tour Design and the coordinators. The also mentioned how well organized the whole trip was. They appreciated the trip itself, the buses waiting for them and of course the accommodations. It made them feel very secure to know you and your staff were with them in this foreign country. Thanks again for all your help and dedication to this event. It was a blessing to have you on our path."
Helene Allain, Diosces of Moncton
"I would like to take a minute to once again thank you and your staff for the outstanding service you provided our WYD group throughout all phases of the operation - planning through execution both for the Cologne an Rome components. Everything went without a hitch. In all honesty, I haven't a single criticism. Well done. Many thanks and may God bless you for all your wonderful work with youth."
Tony Jozefowicz, St. Marks' Parish, Spencerille
"Well, what can I say - you and your staff have made World Youth Day 2005 another huge success. I cannot imagine traveling to Germany without the professional travel assistance of the Tour Design Staff. It is hard enough trying to keep a group of 52 together throughout an experience like World Youth Day but when you have staff that you can turn to for assistance and help, it makes it all so much easier. The plans and organization from your staff prior to our pilgrimage were not only helpful to a coordinator like myself but I also had the knowledge that everything that needed to be taken are of was done. The accommodations were phenomenal - truly a case of advance planning on your behalf to be able to book this incredible hostel in an ideal location.
You made a comment to me a number of weeks ago that stuck in my mind. You mentioned that you love to see the youth and their involvement and what joy it brought to you. I can see that in the service you provided and I could see that in all of your staff as well. The "service" we received was far more than just providing good customer service - it is a love of doing what you are doing - a true gift to the pilgrims of World Youth Day 2005.
On behalf of the Parish of St. John the Baptist, thank you for making our pilgrimage one with memories that will last a lifetime and forever be a part of who and what these young adults will become in the future. Your assistance has played a huge part in the success of our pilgrimage. I personally thank you as well for the assurance as a coordinator that our plans would go off without a glitch. For all considering using Tour Design - tell them to give me a call - I will tell them they would be crazy to book with any firm other than Tour Design."
Pat Delmore, St. John the Baptist, Amherstburg
"Yes, you may use my comments, even if they are very short and simple. Thank you for all that you did to make this pilgrimage so wonderful. I have only positive feedback to give about WYD2000, WYD2002 and WYD2005. I do hope to be around for WYD2008. I will quote a few of the young people: Meg: 'I have more faith than other people and in the world after this WYD experience.' Jonathan: 'As diverse as the world is, deep down an experience like WYD trip also leaves me thinking that we are all not as different as we think we are.' Amy: 'Overall the trip to Germany was a great journey. It is something I will remember the rest of my life.' "
Sister Reine Driscoll, Labrador