Adventure is Out There
Travel the World with The Sisters of Avanti Travel…
Originally from Wales, Janette Webber and her sister Sonya Bean now run a successful travel business in Redding called Avanti Travel. These sisters have been traveling their entire lives, their first trip being to Spain when they were just 3 or 4 years old. Webber remembers taking winter ski trips in Switzerland and going to the Mediterranean regularly. When asked how many countries they’ve been to, Bean replies, “Most of them.”
Thanks to their parents, travel got in their blood at a young age, and since then they’ve actively tried to share the travel culture with the rest of the world. A few decades ago, Webber married an American man from the Eastern Sierra who had brothers who lived in Redding. The Webbers then moved to the North State, Janette’s mother followed, and then Bean came over from Malta, where she had been living at the time.
“You can do everything here. There’s a city here, but it’s not too big. You can go skiing, go to the lakes, there are good schools. Everything is here and more, but it still has a small-town feel,” Bean says.
“I’ve been here for 45 years now. Time flies when you’re having fun,” Webber says. They opened Avanti Travel 42 years ago and have helped fellow travelers book hundreds of unforgettable vacations since. Their family has been involved the business, too – their kids now starting to take their own children on vacation.
“Travel gets in your blood, and it’s a huge world out there. It’s the best thing you can give children, an education they can’t get anywhere else. Exploring the backstreets of Mexico, seeing traffic and pollution in a major city in Asia, all those things are eye-opening. Travel is an amazing thing to give kids,” Bean adds.
Being from the area, the Avanti Travel founders know Europe very well, so they tend to take a lot of groups there, but they’ve booked trips in recent years to places like Egypt, Tyner, Jordan, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Not only does one tend to save money booking a group trip rather than going individually, but everything is taken care of by Avanti Travel, ensuring a stress-free, unforgettable adventure.
“These group trips are for people who want to see the world and want to travel together,” Bean says, adding that people of all ages join the Singles trips, but they are seeing a lot of interest with the 50- to 70-year-olds. Avanti Travel has an Ireland trip planned for the Singles soon.
Webber says her sister plans many of the family trips and cruises, while she books a lot of luxury travel.
“I’m planning more generational trips for people where the grandparents, parents and grandkids go, and everyone can experience a place together,” Bean says.
While so many people go online nowadays to book their trips, Bean and Webber say it helps to use an agent to get the best deals and direct one-on-one support.
“A lot of our clients are not computer-savvy, and we can be full service. We can book a high-speed train from Rome to Venice and have someone there to pick them up at the train stop. We do all the little added pieces and put them together, things that some people are not so good at doing on their own,” Bean says.
Webber says that new rules and travel issues are always popping up (like a new visa that was recently introduced to go to Europe), and it helps having an agent in your corner staying on top of it.
“Without a travel agent, you’re on your own and you don’t have any more experience than what you find online, and your research doesn’t always steer you in the right direction. We’re very experienced, always available, know what you’re doing, and it’s no more expensive booking through us than it is online,” Bean adds.
“To be able to talk directly to those customers while they are traveling is invaluable, instead of calling 1-800-I-DON’T-KNOW,” Webber adds.
“We go out of our way to help our clients; our mission is to book the world,” Bean says. •
Avanti Travel • avantitravel.com • (530) 244-1400
Adventure Meets Sisterhood
Avanti Travel introduces Avanti World of Women, a newly formed group dedicated to fun, friendship and the joy of travel. This unique community connects women who share a passion for adventure and discovery, offering organized group trips to breathtaking destinations, immersive experiences and relaxing cruises. Avanti Travel emphasizes that travel should be safe, enjoyable and truly unforgettable.
