Daytripper Tours offers travelers the best of day trips, vacations

Travelers by the dozens came to the recent travel show held at the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center. Daytripper Tours, an El Cajon-based business and the largest tour operator of its kind in San Diego County, presented the show.

Attendees were treated to a sneak preview of the company’s tours. In addition, founder Myron Stam, a La Mesa resident, offered a little history of how he helped make Daytripper Tours a household name among travelers living in San Diego County.

Travelers by the dozens came to the recent travel show held at the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center. Daytripper Tours, an El Cajon-based business and the largest tour operator of its kind in San Diego County, presented the show.

Attendees were treated to a sneak preview of the company’s tours. In addition, founder Myron Stam, a La Mesa resident, offered a little history of how he helped make Daytripper Tours a household name among travelers living in San Diego County.

Stam was working as a tour bus driver 26 years ago. He had noticed that, at the time, all of the tour operators were competing to be the cheapest but not necessarily the best.
“I realized that there was an entire cross-section of people who were able to spend a few dollars more to get a high-quality experience,” he said. With that realization, a start-up tour company was born. Stam named it the Hollywood Connection because of their one-day excursions to the “Price Is Right” TV show and other Hollywood game show tapings. The company was originally a one-person business run out of Stam’s own home.

“We offer extra things like serving snacks on the bus, kind of what the airlines used to do,” Stam said. “We like those peanut butter and cheese crackers,” a co-worker chimed in. Everyone laughed. “Actually, one of the reasons we began offering snacks like that is to make sure the tour guides had a chance to make eye-to-eye contact with the travelers. People always have a better experience when they are able to connect with the tour guides,” he added.

Adding those special little touches are what helped put the tour agency on the map. Just two years after Stam had started the business, the company name was changed to Daytripper Tours.
The company focused on trips throughout the Southwest and Mexico. Over the next 20 years, Daytripper Tours experienced several facelifts and expansions. The company has gained a reputation of offering unique “daycations” as well as superior overnight tours.

2011 was a year of many mile markers for Daytripper Tours. It was incorporated under the parent company Daycation Getaways and moved its headquarters to the present location at 624 El Cajon Blvd. in El Cajon.
“We went from 900 square feet at our former office location on Adams Avenue to 5,800 square feet in El Cajon,” Stam said, showing pictures of the property in a PowerPoint presentation. Daytripper Tours now has two parking lots, one of which is for overnight travelers.
“And we now have a café for our clients. They can come in for free coffee and snacks while they wait for the bus to leave,” Stam said.

In the last six months alone, Stam has been able to hire six new people at the company. “We’re here for the long haul, constantly fine-tuning,” Stam added.

Much of that fine-tuning has included adding more tours to the schedule. One of the newest tours features lunch at the otherworldly Encounter restaurant overlooking LAX and an up-close look at the space shuttle Endeavour. Travelers will be able to experience and re-trace the journey that the giant made through the streets of Los Angeles to get to its new home at the California Space Center. “They had to put 2,000 steel plates on the streets to support the weight of the shuttle,” Stam said.

Another daycation popular with Daytripper travelers is the Pageant of the Masters in Long Beach. “Several of the trips to see the pageant are sold out in advance,” Stam said. “The pageant is a must-see. It’s difficult to explain what it is like so you have to see it for yourself,” he added.

The multi-day excursions offered by Daytripper Tours are also one-of-a-kind, featuring the very best selection of three- to five-star hotels. Included in the Rails and Sails series of trips is a six-day tour through the Grand Canyon area, highlighting the Old West. Travelers can also enjoy the railroad trip from Williams, Ariz., to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

For the trips to the East Coast and Europe, Daytripper Tours has partnered with Mayflower Tours. “It makes sense to work with someone who knows the area,” Stam said.
Stam credits his fine staff with developing the tours, making the reservations and, most of all, developing relationships with clients. His warm way with people has made his employees a loyal bunch. They all love to travel, such as tour guide Evie Daniels, who has been at Daytripper Tours for 15 years.

Daniels said that no matter what, “Daytripper Tours provides everything to make the experience memorable. The only thing a traveler should not leave home without is a sense of humor. But that is just the opinion of this very seasoned tour guide,” Daniels concluded, smiling.

For a schedule of tours, go to www.daytrippertours.com.