Shebby Lee Tours proudly presents West Dakota

Award-winning historian Shebby Lee, owner and founder of Shebby Lee Tours, Rapid City, SD, believes the powers that be erred seriously when they divided the Dakota Territory into two separate states back in 1889.

Lee sees the western halves of both North Dakota and South Dakota having a great deal more in common than with the eastern halves of their own states. To avenge the mistake she has created a new motorcoach tour itinerary to finally set the record straight.

In its bid to right this wrong Shebby Lee Tours offers an eight-day itinerary that explores the best of both Dakotas. The West Dakota Tour scheduled for July 11-18, 2009 features western wildlife, legendary characters and extraordinary national parks.

The West Dakota tour not only includes the region’s top attractions Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the Badlands, but also provides perspective into the common geographic, economic and psychological characteristics of western North and South Dakota.

In the interest of equal time, the company also offers an East Dakota program featuring the immigrant and Native American heritage of the eastern halves of the two Dakotas, and centering around the Fort Sisseton Historic Festival. Shebby Lee Tours has been operating in the western United States since 1978.

Tauck comes to the aid of solo travelers

Tauck, Norwalk, CT, is coming to the aid of solo travelers pinched by the economic slowdown and the single supplement typically levied. The company says it is expanding its annual single traveler program for 2009, and either waiving or dramatically reducing the single supplement as much as 70 percent on 106 departures of 22 land and cruise itineraries in Europe and North America, which translates into cash savings as high as $3,000.

“We have done our best to reduce the single supplement or eliminate it on selected trips and departures for a number of years,” says Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “But this year our team has gone above and beyond to make sure that solo travelers get the very best value possible.”

He says eliminating or reducing the single supplement virtually assures there will be other solo travelers on the same trip. Tauck believes having other solo travelers along provides camaraderie and companionship at meals, and eliminates any self-consciousness that a single traveler might otherwise feel.