Meet Your Drivers: Lorraine & Mike

- How many years have you been coach driving? Seven years.
- How many years have you been driving with our company? Seven years. Part time for five years and full season for two years.
- How many years have you been driving together as a team? We have worked together part time for five years and full time for two years.
- Does your coach have a name? She is called Betty.
- What inspired you to become a coach driver? Getting my bus licence has always been something I’ve wanted to do, but work and family life always made me just too busy. Wanting a change of career eight years ago finally gave me the perfect opportunity to achieve my dream.
- When you're not on the road, how do you like to spend your time? With my children and grandchildren. I always think being away from home so much when touring only makes the time I do spend at home even more precious.
- What is your favourite country, destination, or tour you've driven to? I have many as we’re fortunate enough to get to travel to many different countries, but I especially love Austria. It’s just a beautiful country all year round and has so much to offer its visitors. I particularly love the ‘Little Trains of the Spectacular Austrian Tyrol’ tour and ‘Spectacular Austria’.
- What makes it your top choice? Austria’s scenery is just breathtaking. The contrast between the cities and towns, old and new. I love architecture and am always taken aback by all the stunning buildings, churches, cathedrals, statues and monuments. I love staying at the family-run Hotel Sonnschein and Gasthof Ascherwirt. They are so comfortable, with fabulous food set in beautiful surroundings. They’re great places to relax after a busy day out and I love the fact it’s an 8-night stay, meaning I can actually unpack my suitcase (which doesn’t happen often).
- What's your favourite memory from a past tour? Without a doubt, getting to meet and play with the huskies on the ‘Bavarian Forest Winter Wonderland’ tour. They are such beautiful animals and love cuddles. It made my whole week, despite the cold. I would definitely recommend visiting!
- If you could provide a top travel tip for our passengers, what would that be? Make photocopies of all the important documents you may need and take pictures on your phone i.e. passports/insurance documents etc. Take note of hotel addresses (there can be multiple Novotels/Ibis etc in a city) so you can confidently find your own way back if exploring independently. And most importantly, sit back, relax and enjoy!
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the tours you do? We feel very fortunate to be able to do this job we love. It’s wonderful to continually meet new people and go on different adventures. No tour is ever the same!

- How many years have you been coach driving? 24 years.
- How many years have you been driving with our company? 18 years.
- How many years have you been driving together as a team? We have worked together part time for five years and full time for two years.
- Does your coach have a name? She is called Betty.
- What inspired you to become a coach driver? When I left school, I worked in a family travel agency and stayed within that industry for ten years. I moved on and passed my PSV test before working for our local bus company in Wrexham for three years, and then I worked for a coach company that worked for a variety of tour operators. It combined my love of driving and my travel background. Perfect.
- When you're not on the road, how do you like to spend your time? My family is my main focus whilst I’m at home. I love spending time with the kids and grandchildren, along with being a devoted supporter of Wrexham FC. If we are at home and we can, we follow the team home and away.
- What is your favourite country, destination, or tour you've driven to? I have to say Austria. It has everything you could ever want: lakes, mountains, beautiful modern cities and more traditional smaller towns and villages.
- What makes it your top choice? Austria has everything you could wish for. The beautiful mountain peaks and the lakes of the Salzkammergut contrast to the big cities of the country; some wildly modern and fast-paced, and others more chilled and traditional.
- What's your favourite memory from a past tour? Some of the hotels I have been to I have been visiting for 15 or 16 years. Going to them again and being welcomed home is such a lovely feeling.
- Do you have any personal touches that make your coach feel welcoming? We have business cards we give out to all our passengers, so they can feel confident they can get in touch with us at any time if they need to whilst on their holiday. We have a small library on board as well and offer a book exchange.
- If you could provide a top travel tip for our passengers, what would that be? Travel with an open mind and do a little bit of research on the distances you will be travelling. Enjoy the journey, ‘cause it’s all part of your holiday experience.
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about the tours you do? I love the ‘Highlights of Eastern Europe’ tour. I’ve been fortunate enough to operate it for 14 years and I still find new things to see and talk about. ‘Little Trains of the Spectacular Austrian Tyrol’ brings out my hidden love of trains – don’t tell anyone. I also enjoy heading down to Italy and visiting Lake Garda or maybe Tuscany.