Published March 2002

ROADTRIPPING
Edmonds business plans casual jaunts
across region, country

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

All Rosalie Fincher really wanted to do was to drive her mother and a few of her friends to scenic locations in the Pacific Northwest, just for fun.

But that idea proved to be so popular that she and her son, Scott, decided to make their sight-seeing venture a family business, buying a 13-passenger van and launching Travelin’ Northwest Style out of their Edmonds home.

Over the past 12 years, they and their 15,000 guests have traveled more than 285,000 miles, sharing experiences and scenery from Snohomish County’s Mountain Loop Highway to Leavenworth, from Mount Rainier to Vancouver, British Columbia, and beyond — to Branson, Mo., for country music and New England for fall color.

Wherever highways lead, Travelin’ Northwest Style has been there, it seems. Its 16-page newsletter outlines so many choice trips to local and regional scenic and entertainment destinations that some people get on the Finchers’ mailing list just to plan their own trips.

Although the majority of the business’ guests are retired or widowed women who want to continue an active travel and social life, the Finchers also have their share of young people and families.

“However, we know most people today have their own vehicles for traveling. But many working people call us to take their senior parents on trips because they can’t,” said Scott Fincher. “It’s a great opportunity for them, especially because in the local area, we pick them up at their home.”

Many of the guests take weekly trips throughout the year with the Finchers, while others sign up for excursions several times a year.

“There’s a lot of repeat business. Word-of-mouth promotion has been our best marketing tool,” he said. “Many of them want to see places they’ve been 30 or 40 years ago, on honeymoons or family trips. Some people have been with us on trips more than 100 times.”

What makes Travelin’ Northwest Style so popular is that people get to really travel Northwest style — dressing casually, traveling blue highways and backroads, carrying cameras, socializing as they go and enjoying leisurely visits to scenic spots and memorable entertainment venues.

“We have a very nice group of people, and they tell us a lot of their own wonderful stories as we travel, while we’re telling them about the Northwest,” said Rosalie Fincher. Taking a call from a pleased passenger on Scott’s Oregon coast trip in February, Rosalie said, “She had a wonderful time ... we love to hear that from people.”

The Finchers’ grass-roots tourism business — more local, personable and focused than larger tour groups — began growing by contacting family, friends and church groups and distributing monthly fliers.

“We started with 50 fliers, leaving them at the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, the library and other places,” she said. “Then an article in The Herald told people across the county about us. We got 75 calls from that.”

Today, Scott’s seasonal newsletter is mailed to 1,200 people, enough to keep the business active, very active, particularly being centered in Edmonds, noted for its growing population of retired people.

“We’re as busy as we want to be. We’re not like the large companies that take group tours that come to the area, although we’d like to (if they’re small enough). But mostly, we serve local people,” he said. “Now we’ve got a new mini-bus that provides much better visibility and room for luggage for our overnight trips.”

Scott has to limit the scope of the business, especially now that he and his wife, Susan, have two young children at home — Amanda, 2, and Abby, 7 months. But he still spends three to four days each week travelin’ Northwest style with his guests, with his mother taking other trips.

“Our first trip 12 years ago was to Mount Rainier, with four people in the van,” Scott said, laughing. “Now, we’re regularly filled with people, particularly since Sept. 11. People don’t want to take flying vacations right now, so they stay closer to home and call us.”

Traveling the region’s scenic routes for more than a decade has also meant finding places for hungry guests to eat.

“We’ve discovered about 250 favorite restaurants, which has been part of the fun for us, too. I’ve always thought I should write a ‘best places to eat’ type of book ... maybe I will sometime,” he said.

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