Billy Canavan of Las Vegas, Nevada, became a tour host for Sports Travel and Tours 20 years ago, and he says that the trips are more about the traveling experience in general than they are about specific moments.
“I make these relationships with people, and that’s a big deal,” Billy says. “I take their pleasure personally because people are spending their hard-earned money, and this is their vacation. This is their summer vacation, their Disney Land, their cruise, and so I develop my trips as if I was the traveler myself.”
Billy says that, with this mindset, he’s been able to make his trips most enjoyable for the participants. For example, when he goes to the Hall of Fame Induction weekend events, he knows how to get people closest to the things they want to see.
“I’ve always used that point of reference: if you will enjoy it, they will enjoy it,” Billy says. “If you have fun with it, they will have fun with it, and that’s always worked.”
Canavan has been to over a dozen Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies, making him the perfect tour host for this year’s East Coast Classic, one of the four Sports Travel and Tours trips that will converge on Cooperstown, New York, for the induction ceremony.
The Induction Plus trip will be held July 22-28 and will feature three games at three different stadiums in New York and Boston. Of course, travelers will be allowed access to all of the Hall of Fame Induction weekend events, which includes the awards ceremony at Doubleday Field and the “Parade of Legends” on Saturday, and the formal induction ceremony on Sunday.
The East Coast Classic offers everything that the Induction Plus trip does, with a little extra. During two extra days of travel, participants will watch two extra games in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
Billy Canavan with travelers.
Billy loves watching families who use Sports Travel and Tours trips as ways to spend time together and bond. He recounts the story of when he was joined on a trip by a soldier on leave from his tour in Afghanistan.
“It blew my mind,” Billy says. “This is the highlight of this guy’s life before he goes back to war. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to help make that special experience happen.”
He notes that he tries to make connections with the travelers himself, saying that for him, the traveling experience is more about the connections he makes and the people he gets to meet than it is about the trip itself.
“I make a point of trying to sit with everybody on the trip and make connections,” Billy says. “The trip is going to sell itself, but other than being at the games and having the moment, we’ll have the relationships. There are little things we can do to make the experience more fulfilling.”
As a very outgoing person who loves to laugh and tell stories, Billy has formed many relationships with travelers over the years. They love to tease him over his love for the New York Mets, and together they all have a lot of fun.
“I’m so lucky to have this job,” Billy says. “But I take my responsibilities seriously. It’s about the travelers, and it’s about them having a good time.
Learn more about the Induction Plus trip or about the East Coast Classic.