This year undoubtedly required the travel industry to dig deeper than probably ever before. In many ways, 2020 has been a bully; constantly pressuring those faced with hardship to take the path of least resistance and give in. Yet through immense challenges, upheavals, and uncertainty, the people who make travel possible continue choosing to press on—thriving and adapting at every turn.
When David Cook graduated from University of British Columbia, Canada, he thought he'd go to law school. Then one day, he spotted a newspaper ad for Collette, which was hiring Tour Managers. Banking on his knowledge of Canadian history and geography, he responded, interviewed, and was hired. Cook served as a Tour Manager for roughly six years, primarily in the Canadian Rockies, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, before accepting an incredible product manager opportunity—designing and contracting all tours for the UK, Ireland, and Italy.
Terry Fischer entered the motorcoach industry in summer 1986. Following school, he remained a tour bus driver in the Canadian Rockies, based out of Banff, Alberta, working through the 1988 Olympics in Calgary before joining his father's school bus company, also in Calgary. When his father sold the company and retired, Terry moved on to a company in Vancouver and eventually bought Transportation Charter Services, in Southern California.
Peter Pantuso
American Bus Association | President & CEO
Chief Operating Officer | John Hall's Alaska