Happy Leap Day! It's good to know that we have an extra day to accomplish those tasks that we seemingly never have time for. Make sure you put your "extra day" to good use!

A heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who responded to our survey regarding Leisure Group Travel's upcoming redesign. We were overwhelmed with responses, so much so that we reached our limit on the number of survey responses by the 2nd day. If you tried to respond and weren't able, please contact me directly and I can send you a copy of the survey.

In this day and age where our competition writes solely to satisfy their advertisers, I like to think of Leisure Group Travel as the people's choice magazine. Based on your feedback, we'll be rolling out enhancements to our print publication starting this June.

In the meantime, we have oodles and oodles of great features in this edition of InSite, including tips on Volunteer Vacations and features on Kentucky and Georgia.

Also, before it's too late - register to win an exciting getaway for two to Wild & Wonderful West Virginia. Request information on Leisure Group Travel advertisers and you're automatically entered.

Finally, if you're going to Travel South - look for Hutson, Anita or Randy at the PTM booth! Should be a great show, and a fantastic way to showcase the recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast!

Happy Traveling,

Jeff Gayduk
Publisher

Field Museum Becomes First Museum Offering Carbon Footprint

Brasstown Valley Resort Details New Plan for Luxury Spa

Getaway With the Girls to Lake George

The Travel Industry Association of America's surveys have identified more than 55 million Americans who indicate they have participated in volunteer vacations, mainly overseas, and some 100 million contemplating such trips in the future.

Elana points out the major benefits gained from volunteer programs and efforts.

It's known in circles that favor bourbon, basketball and barbecue that the "fun" shines bright on groups visiting the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

An uncommon wealth of tour ideas, the Bluegrass State plays host to the Ryder Cup this year, the 200th anniversary of native son Abraham Lincoln's birth in 2009 and the World Equestrian Games in 2010.

Kentucky boasts diverse and distinct regions that offer sure-to-please, itinerary-building potential.

Got a diverse group looking for travel that offers something for everyone? Georgia's got you covered.

Nature lovers flock to the Peach State for its scenic mountain views, birding trails, roaring whitewater river adventure and state parks.

Atlanta offers world-class attractions, shopping and dining. The Georgia Coast awaits with cool, blue waters and soft sand beaches.

Here we'll highlight each of Georgia's nine regions, beginning in the northwest and circling clockwise.

When most people make a goal, they state something they want to do or achieve, set a completion date, create some checkpoints for the goal, and then cross items off their list as they get done. Unfortunately, such an approach rarely leads to long-term success.

GroupTravelDirectory.com 4.0 places you in direct contact with over 6,000 group-friendly suppliers worldwide. Now you can search for the perfect group destination, too!

From Maine to Alaska and all points in between - Group Travel Directory puts you in direct contact with State Tourism Office sales managers so that you can start planning your next group trip. No more fishing around search engines and websites - find the results you need directly on GTD.

Those of us who may operate trips for seniors know that the senior market is not monolithic. We have active seniors and couch potato seniors. We have seniors who play golf and tennis and do yoga, and we have seniors for whom walking and standing for long periods of time are excruciatingly painful. Even so, there are many common denominators we need to think about when planning trips.

One example is Safety. We may get a better hotel rate in a not-so-nice part of town, but do we really want our members' safety compromised? They may not wish to be confined to their hotel grounds at night, but might like to take a small stroll to a nearby cafe or do a little bit of window shopping after dinner.

Carefully investigating your destination or tour will ensure comfortability for everyone.

Determining your destinations suitability is one of the topics covered in How to Plan, Operate and Lead Successful Group Trips.

This week, InSite E-Zine interviews Brian Harrington.

Brian Harrington is Co-Founder and President of I'm in - a rising star in the ultra-competitive online group travel arena. Prior to that, he led business development and partner management efforts on the launch teams of two high-profile startups: Connection to eBay (acquired by Marketworks) and Upromise (acquired by Sallie Mae). He has also held management positions with ITT Sheraton Hotels, Hill, Holliday Advertising and EF Education, the largest privately-held travel and educational service provider in the world. Brian received his BS from Boston College and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.