Vinny and Brenda Donnelly, members since 2009, enjoy a trip to Europe with their fellow members. Photo courtesy of the Donnellys
Founded in 1964, the Shillelagh Travel Club has moved around NOVA before settling in Vienna for the past 20 years. The club originally owned its own aircraft which brought members around the world on weekend trips. As time went on, scheduled flights became cheaper and many travel clubs ran out of business.
Despite this, the Shillelagh Travel Club managed to stay afloat by selling their planes and making use of the scheduled flights.
“By 1986, we sold the last plane and we morphed into a much smaller organization where we would do a little bit of everything,” travel consultant Trevor Major said.
Marilyn Panagopoulos became a member in 1965 and has been traveling with them ever since. What drew her to the club was the sense of familiarity among the travelers.
“One of my friends went and she said, ‘You're absolutely right. There's no such thing as strangers in the Shillelaghs, they just come up and welcome you.’ I don't think you would find that in a commercial aircraft organization, but we had it,” Panagopoulos said.
“Trevor is wonderful, the whole group there doesn't feel like it's a business. They become like your family and take care of you,” member Dolly Dougherty said.
In addition to the atmosphere, members value the club for its convenience. Instead of focusing on details and handling everything alone, travelers can relax and focus on their journey.
“Once you leave your house and you drive to the Shillelagh’s office, they take control of everything. You are free to just enjoy yourself from that moment on,” Dougherty said.
The decision to start trips again came with the wave of COVID-19 vaccines, creating a safer environment for traveling.
“Our clientele is mostly seniors, so they've all had their vaccinations and they're calling us and saying, ‘We want to get traveling again.’” Major said, “So the trip going out next week is a one-day visit to some wineries in Maryland plus a lunch.”
Several protocols will be kept in place to protect members, which has helped ease concerns over safety.
“Anyone who is going on trips with us from the Vienna office needs to be vaccinated. Also, when they're moving around on the motorcoach and getting on and off, they would need to wear masks,” Major said.
The Shillelagh Travel Club hopes these first trips will ease the way for bigger, overnight trips. In fact, several international and domestic trips have been planned for the coming years.
“Most of the trips for the remainder of this year will be domestic, meaning within the United States. But next year we have a lot of activities scheduled for international travel,” Major said.
Regarding the upcoming trips, the members have shown anticipation. Some, like Vinny and Brenda Donnelly, have already signed up for next year’s plans.
“Our next one is in September – a mystery trip. In January, we're going to Florida and we've signed up for a couple of things for next spring and summer so we're very happy that everything's starting up again,” the Donnellys said.