Dear friends,

This is a laugh-out-loud tale about a bobblehead gone wrong and why, when it comes to travel, trusting a seasoned, family-run agency like The Joy of Travel means fewer surprises and more joyful memories.

The laugh that taught us something important:

I recently sent a favorite photo of my friend Pam Hoffee to an E*** shop to turn into a custom bobblehead. The online mock-up looked flawless — until the box arrived. Instead of Pam’s warm smile, we got “Pam or maybe Steve?” (her co-worker). We laughed so hard our sides hurt. It was one of those “expectation vs. reality” moments — funny, harmless, and oddly educational.

But it also reminded me of a bigger point: when you hand something precious to an unknown entity, you’re taking a risk. In the marketplace of travel providers, that risk is often much larger than a quirky souvenir. You want your honeymoon, your family reunion, your once-in-a-lifetime safari — not a wig-on-a-bobblehead version of what you hoped for.

🧸 The bobblehead lesson: appearances can be deceiving

The E*** shop had a gorgeous mock-up and professional photos. What could go wrong? Plenty:

The person making the final product may interpret your photo differently.
Quality control can vary when you’re dealing with an individual seller or a small production team overseas.
There’s often little recourse if the result disappoints — returns, refunds, or remakes can be slow or impossible.

🎒 Why travel is riskier than crafts

Now swap that bobblehead for a vacation:

Timing, logistics, quality of accommodations, local guides, and safety all matter.
If something goes wrong in a far-off destination, fixing it from home is complicated — and expensive.
Photos and promises online don’t always match the on-the-ground reality. Can I get an amen?

🌟 Why The Joy of Travel is different

At The Joy of Travel we take the risk out of travel. Here’s how:

Personal experience: My team and I (with over 20 years in the industry) won’t recommend places or tours we haven’t tried firsthand or vetted extensively.
Family-run care: You’re not a number. We treat every trip with the attention we’d give our own family vacations.
Private, personally escorted tours: We’re famous for them — meaning fewer surprises and more seamless experiences from arrival to departure.
Custom options: Whether it’s a safari in Kenya, a castle stay in Scotland, a river cruise in Europe, or a relaxed beach week in Jamaica, we personalize the journey so the end result actually looks like what you imagined — not Steve in a wig.

🔎 Do other agencies exist? Of course.

But here’s the honest question: do they offer the same level of first-hand knowledge, personal attention, and accountability? Maybe. Maybe not. The difference is clear with us: our promise is simple — we won't recommend anywhere we haven't tried first. That’s our quality control; that’s our mock-up that actually matches the finished product.

🤣 The fun part: Pam’s bobblehead lives on

We framed the bobblehead and put it on display — a reminder that sometimes the unexpected becomes the best part of the story. But when you’re planning a trip that matters, you probably want fewer surprises and more happy memories.

📣 Call to action: Let us help you avoid “Steve” (not the man, who's a wonderful guy and good friend)

If you want travel that looks like the photos and lives up to the promise, let’s chat. We plan escorted tours, custom FIT, safaris, river cruises, family travel, adult-only resorts, and everything in between — all with real experience behind our recommendations.

Your Globetrotting Friend,
Joy

The Bobblehead That Looked Like Steve