This is an intro post of sorts to introduce to you myself and my Company. My name is Chad Hart, I am the Founder and President of Inertia Tours Inc.
Our Company is based on South Padre Island, Texas. This is something that is unique in the college spring break tour operator business line -- being based at one of the destinations you bring people to. This matters as I use the comparison of a fishing trip to Alaska. If you were to book a fishing trip to Alaska, it would make alot of sense of book with the local guide that lives there, versus some travel company in New York, correct? That's how it is with Inertia Tours. We are locally engrained in the South Padre business community. Not only are we members of the South Padre Business Owners Association, we are members of the local Chamber of Commerce as well.
Personally, I have been engaged in the promotion of spring break travel packages since 1993. I started out with a Company called College Tours based in Phoenix Arizona. I was young, cocky, and thought I knew it all back then. I learned alot of great things from that Company, but also a great deal of things NOT to do. I also worked with Mazatlan Express and it's Founder, Kraig Loftquist. Kraig is my personal Mentor and one of the greatest human beings you could ever meet. It's my pleasure to tell you Inertia now runs Mazatlan Express! I also dabbled in high school graduation trips working for Student Tours (a division of College Tours), USA Student Travel, and Surf n' Sun Tours. I learned TONS working in Mazatlan, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta. I ended by "working for other student travel companies" foray with Student Express. I still speak and am friends with the Founder of this now defunct Company, Jim Moldane. Another major guy there that taught me alot was Joe Bush....lots of the creative stuff you see Inertia doing he came up with someplace else, actually.
I finished my Masters Degree in Business (MBA) and thought I should enter the Corporate world and was hired at Norwest (now Wells Fargo)..in DEX Telesales...was one of their top salespeople..then quit and started Inertia Tours. It was a struggle the first year, but consistently better.
What is unique about Inertia Tours is that by working for all these other college spring break travel agencies, I gained knowledge I do not know of one person in my business line knows. Not just from a gad of Companies, but also from working all these destinations which all had unique/cool things going on. I tried to meld the best of the best into Inertia Tours, realizing a few obstacles about South Padre Island. For one, it's wild here, but it's not Mexico. You can't do open bar all you can drink parties. You can't break the law at will to pay off a cop for $100 if you do. The drinking age is 21 not 18 or even on existent. Most people don't fly here, they drive in. That might sound like a blessing but..you have to set up obstacles / set of rules so that 25 people don't show up for a 2 bedroom condo :)
I think our student travel clients will get more than they pay for. Not only will they meet me when they arrive for check in, we underpromise and over deliver I believe. Things like the Inertia Tours Onsite Discount Program I fight HARD for those 32 discounts Island businesses give our students, they also add massive value that NO ONE ELSE can get without our travel wristband. I think there is alot of credibility that if you are to meet the President of the Company, NO ONE will pass the buck on you as a customer. I may be busy, I may ask for you to set an appointment to have a meeting, but you can and will have the chance to speak directly to me if there is an issue.
What is funny about our business is this - people either love us or hate us. 99% of our clients love us - as demonstrated by the fact that 75% of our business is straight repeat customers...1% hate us..because the $350 trips we sell are value based. This means it's not Filet Mignon for lunch...it's a grilled chicken and fries. A spring break travel package is a great fit for Greeks (sorority spring break and fraternity spring break) but not a great value for 2 loving people on a romantic beach trip - I can't provide that. Our condo complexes are loud, wild, and nuts. Does this make sense?
The one thing I hope to achieve here is to gain your trust, and ultimately the chance to earn your business for LIFE. You come with me on Spring Break - then you come back down to South Padre Island with www.SouthPadreTrips.com as an adult with your family...or you go surfing with us in Nicaragua with our www.GreenPathways.com division....I'm not here to travel you ONCE, but to travel you 25 times.
If you ever need personal, helpful advice, just pick up the phone. 800 821 2176 x 101. Leave me a message. I WILL call you back 100% or email me chad@inertiatours.com or hit me up on facebook.com/southpadreisland.
While I consider myself the Ambassador of Spring Break to South Padre Island DO NOT BE FOOLED...we travel thousands to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Panama City Beach, and ....ta da!...our Colorado Ski product is THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS thanks to my good friend Steve Smolinski's dedicated work in the Mountains...if we don't offer a destination, I don't pretend I do. I will hook you up with the best in the industry that does.
Chad Hart
President
Inertia Tours Inc.
800 821 2176 x 101
chad@inertiatours.com
twitter: inertiachad
fb: facebook.com/southpadreisland
