The Traveler

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Here’s a quick update from your partners in travel at Sports Leisure Vacations. Work is already well underway on the 2027 Dream Book. Our tour catalogue for the coming year will be chock full of new destinations and returning favorites. It will be mailed and e-mailed to ALL active Travel Club members in late September.

As always, you’re invited to spend a few hours with us to receive tour information in advance of that mailing. Tour Preview Day is Sunday, September 27 with two sessions starting at 10 am and 1 pm.  We will return again this year to The Sophia, home of the B. Street Theatre, located in downtown Sacramento on the corner of Capitol Avenue and 27^th Street. Parking is available for a nominal fee in the garage behind the building with entrances on both 27^th and 28^th Streets. Complimentary shuttle service is also available. Your RSVP is required to attend and/or ride the shuttle. Read all the details on Pages 1 and 6.

We’re saving most of our new departures for Tour Preview Day, but included one carrot in these pages to whet your appetite: New Orleans…And All That Jazz. We’ve done this trip annually in March for the past many years, but fair warning – the trip will not be offered in 2028. You’ll find a listing of highlights on Page 8 and the full itinerary on the website. Don’t miss the exciting selection of Daycations & Theatre Outings running through the start of the new year on Pages 4-5. 

We look forward to seeing you on the road and at The Sophia soon! Until then…

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Here’s a quick in-between-publications update from your partners in travel at Sports Leisure Vacations. Work is already underway on our 2027 Dream Book. You’ll get an advanced copy by attending Vacation Preview Day on Sunday, September 27 at The Sophia in midtown Sacramento. Save the date now and watch for your invitation to RSVP in August. Our tour catalogue for the coming year will be chock full of new destinations and returning favorites. It will be mailed and e-mailed to ALL active Travel Club members in the days after the event.

In-betweeners are supposed to be short. This one not so much at only 16 pages! We have a ton of new Daycations for you, four new vacations, an invitation to meet Dusty Baker at KVIE, and a review of previously announced tours that still have space, along with the number of available seats at press time.

We look forward to seeing you on the road soon! Until then…

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

It is with great pleasure that we bring you the latest edition of The Traveler . . . just in time to make your holiday plans. Looking for a gift for a friend or loved one (or even yourself)? How about a vacation!  We have gift certificates available in any denomination. We’ll admit our bias, but this truly is a pretty cool gift! No need to drive to the mall or even our office. We can “wrap up” this gift for you in one short telephone call.

If you’re seeking the perfect way to ring in the holiday season please consider our trip to Thanksgiving in New York featuring the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. Those wishing to stay a bit closer to home are very welcome to spend Thanksgiving at The Mission Inn. There’s no need to go to Europe for Christmas Markets and homespun old-fashioned experiences. Check out our no-fly trip to Cambria. Looking for a bit more intrigue in your life? The 25th Annual Christmas Mystery Tour may be just the thing for you. We’ve also got holiday trips to Grapevine, Texas, the haute Ritz Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay and the 138th Tournament of Roses Parade!

You’ll find a number of new Daycations in these pages with a spotlight on live theatre in the region through October. (Holiday-themed daytrips will be presented in our next publication.)      

We look forward to seeing you on the road, rails and water soon. Remember, your next vacation is never more than a phone call away! 

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Here’s a quick in-between-publications update from your partners in travel at Sports Leisure Vacations. Inside you’ll find your invitation to attend our annual Spring/Holiday Preview Day scheduled for Saturday, April 4 at the PBS KVIE Studios. There are two morning sessions at 9:30 and 11:30 for you to choose from, and complimentary shuttle service is offered for those who need a ride. Your attendance and/or shuttle ride requires a reservation, so give us a call. Participation is strictly limited to 200 per session and 55 per shuttle, so don’t delay. Call Sports Leisure today.

What exactly is Spring/Holiday Preview Day you might ask? It’s held every spring and is our opportunity to roll out all Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s-themed tours for the upcoming holiday season. In addition, winter tours to Key West, Yellowstone, Alaska/Aurora Borealis, Yosemite (staying at the Ahwahnee!) and Hawaii will be introduced. Finally, we give everyone gathered a preview of what we have in the pipeline for 2027 and beyond. Read all about it on pages 1-2.

Beyond that you’ll find a selection of new Daycations and Theatre Outings on page 3, and a summary of space-available tours from our 2026 Dream Book after that. As a special bonus fast-forward to the end and find the itinerary for Donnie’s newest dream vacation to Japan! If the Far East is on your radar screen, this is one trip you will not want to miss! 

Most sincerely,
YOUR Sports Leisure Team

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Happy New Year from all your friends at Sports Leisure Vacations! We hope 2026 is filled with every good thing for you and yours. Whereas we may be a bit biased, we can think of no better thing to enjoy in the new year than TRAVEL. If you agree, then read on. This newsletter is most definitely for you!

We are super excited about the large number of New Vacations & Getaways presented on pages 9-14. There you’ll find the Laguna Pageant of the Masters, South Dakota, our annual trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, Ghost Towns of Nevada and the western half of Route 66 celebrating The Mother Road’s Centennial. Looking for something a little further from home that requires a passport? How about Oktoberfest in Canada (paired with spectacular Niagara Falls) or Mexico’s equally spectacular Copper Canyon?

In The Tour Calendar you’ll find vacations with space available from our 2026 Dream Book. Mark wants to be sure baseball fans don’t overlook Spring Training on page 15 which is now in final operations. Game ticket purchases must be wrapped up soon, so don’t delay.

We have an exciting selection of Daycations & Theatre Outings through July on pages 6-7 including the Phantom’s triumphal return to the Bay Area this summer.

Curious or concerned about changes at Southwest Airlines? That’s a story that is still writing itself, but you can read an update on page 5 in The Barber Pole.

We look forward to seeing you on the road again soon! Until then . . .
 

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Here’s a quick between-publications update from your partners in travel at Sports Leisure Vacations. Inside you’ll find our 2026 Giants Baseball schedule, including a special opening game weekend overnighter. Scott brings you a chance to explore nature in the Carson Valley in February with an expedition focused on Bald Eagles who migrate through the area. Finally, Mariea and May have an excellent selection of Daycations and Theatre Outings to take you into the spring. All of this is just a taste of great things to come in our first newsletter of the new year which you can expect to receive in mid-January.

As the old year winds to a close, we pause with joy, thankful for the amazing gift of travel and the family we are blessed to share it with for 47 years and counting . . .

The Sports Leisure Team

Hello Sports Leisure Travelers and Friends,

Here’s a quick between-publications update from your partners in travel at Sports Leisure Vacations. Work is already underway on the next publication which is none other than our 2026 Dream Book. The working title is BEYOND BORDERS. We live in a great big state, nation and world. How far you go is only limited by your dreams. Let us take you to the next border and beyond!  Our tour catalogue for the coming year will be chock full of new destinations and returning favorites. It will be mailed and e-mailed to ALL active Travel Club members in late September.

As always, you’re invited to spend a few hours with us to receive tour information in advance of that mailing. Tour Preview Day is Saturday, September 20 with two 2-hour sessions starting at 10am and 12:30pm. We will return this year to The Sophia, home of the B. Street Theatre, located in downtown Sacramento on the corner of Capitol Avenue and 27th Street. Parking is available for a nominal fee in the garage behind the building. Complimentary shuttle service is also available. Your RSVP is required to attend and/or ride the shuttle. Read all the details on Pages 2-3.

We’re saving most of our new departures for Tour Preview Day, but included one carrot in these pages to whet your appetite. And what a carrot it is! A $550 million renovation has just been completed on an old friend - The Hotel del Coronado. It’s been a minute and we’re eager to return. How about you? It’s all on Page 4.

Mariea and May have an exciting selection of new Daycations & Theatre Outings running through the holidays. Check them out on Pages 8-11.

We look forward to seeing you on the road and at The Sophia soon! Until then…

Dear Sports Leisure Travelers:

Below is the latest edition of our newsletter, The Traveler.  Some readers of this newsletter attended our recent Spring/Holiday Preview Day at KVIE, where many of the new trips were rolled out.  I won't lie to you, some of the tour listed in this newsletter have very limited space left, in some cases only a couple of seats.  A couple sold out and are not listed.  Our office hours are 9am - 3:30pm, M-F, if you want you jump on a tour or tours now.  There are also a couple of new baseball day trips on the schedule, as almost all of the previously announced trips are sold out.  Mariea has also added a host of new day trips.

Don't be afraid to put your name on a wait list if your requested trip is full.  History tells us about 2/3 of the people on a wait list get an opportunity to take the tour at some point.  

There will be an "in between" informal newsletter at the end of July/first part of August.  The 2026 Tour Catalog will roll out at Tour Preview Day on Saturday, September 20th.

Thank you for your support and referrals to friends and relatives.  We are extremely proud to be your hometown tour company, supporting things in the community that are important to all of us.  I was reminded, as the Loaves and Fishes man joyfully placed the donated diapers and pet food into his truck at Preview Day, that small groups of people, working together, can make a difference in the community.  Your, our travelers, have proved that over and over again.  The sales of tours are wonderful, but seeing all of you at events or on the road, watching you rise to support important causes, reminds me this company is a little different than the rest.

Hope to see you on tour or on the radio (Saturdays at 11am) soon.

Mark

Welcome to the second edition of something new from Sports Leisure Vacations, the "In Between Newsletter."  

This is our way of updating you on our offerings between publishing our full newsletter (3 times a year now) or catalog (once a year).  Our web site is updated daily, but this gives you an opportunity to see what is available in a format that is quick, easy, and informal.  It’s also very up to date, because changes can be made right up until the day it is sent to you by email or regular post.

It is with great pleasure that we wish you all a joyous start to the new year with the latest edition of The Traveler. We hope you, your families and friends enjoy a happy and prosperous 2025!