Siouxland Travel began as a one-lady operation back in 1979, and it has grown into a thriving business, offering worldwide travel with personalized customer service – all from downtown Orange City.
When Marlys Rowenhorst started Siouxland Travel – before the convenience of computers – all quotes, reservations and tickets were processed manually. Airline tickets were predominately what kept the office busy during its first few years.
Laurie works at a cardtable in Siouxland Travel’s early years.
Laurie Roesner was a senior in high school when she started helping Marlys in the Siouxland Travel office as part of a MOC work-study program. After graduating from high school, Laurie continued to work with Marlys, helping out with tickets. Halfway through her freshman year of college, Laurie quit and started working full time for Siouxland Travel.
Together, Marlys and Laurie worked to best help clients, at times working until 2 a.m. in the morning.
“We would have to sit on hold on the phone because there were no computers. Tickets were hand-written, and everything took hours to do,” describes Laurie.
After years of primarily handling airline tickets, escorted tours were introduced. This was the beginning of Siouxland Travel’s Signature Series Tours. Each tour was planned from start to finish inside the walls of Siouxland Travel without using any third-party tour companies.
“Our escorted tours are really what set us apart from other tour companies or agents, and those started with Marlys. She would pack fishing poles, rebar and frying pans, and take groups fishing up in Alaska. She was wonderwoman, and we really learned from the best,” Laurie says.
Siouxland Travel purchased the former building of the Dutch Oven Bakery, shown here in 1982.
For Laurie, her work-study experience as a teenager became an opportunity for business ownership; Laurie purchased Siouxland Travel in 2007.
Siouxland Travel and Tours has grown to eight employees and takes up to six personally planned and escorted group tours each year. This Orange City business has taken groups of all sizes – from 19 to 400 participants – all over the world.
As Siouxland Travel plans escorted tours, they still continue to sell airline tickets, vacation packages, extended family vacations, cruises and much more. Siouxland Travel & Tours offers in house, 24/7 emergency service to all clients.
Read more about this locally-owned travel agency, see their skilled travel specialists and view Siouxland Travel’s 2019 Signature Series Group Tours on their website.
