Celebrating 25 Years of Travel, Connection and Life’s Special Moments

This year, Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise is proud to celebrate 25 years in business.

What began with a lifelong dream of cruising has grown into a full-service travel agency serving clients throughout Canada. Over the years, our business has changed, our team has grown, and the travel world has evolved, but the reason we do what we do has remained the same: we love helping people create meaningful experiences and memories through travel.

Travel Is a Reason to Celebrate

Travel is about more than simply where you go.

It is about stepping away from everyday life, spending time with the people who matter most, reconnecting with yourself, and celebrating the moments that deserve to be remembered. It may be a honeymoon, anniversary, family vacation, babymoon, retirement trip, milestone birthday, girls’ getaway, wedding, reunion or even a “just because” escape.

Sometimes, it is a solo trip designed to rest, reset, and simply enjoy being somewhere new. Whatever the reason, we believe every trip has the potential to become part of someone’s story.

That is why celebration travel has become the overall theme at Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise. We help clients mark life’s biggest milestones, small victories, meaningful transitions, and everything in between.

Built on a Love of Cruising

My own travel story began with a dream. I grew up watching The Love Boat TV show every Wednesday night and dreaming about taking a cruise one day. Cruising always seemed like the perfect vacation: new destinations, beautiful ships, time to relax, and something different to discover every day.

In 1999 while I was working as a hairdresser, I took my first cruise aboard Carnival Elation to the Mexican Riviera and was hooked.

The following year, I began considering a new career. Years earlier, an aptitude test in high school had suggested two possible paths for me: hairdressing or travel agent. Travel was the natural next step.

In May 2001, I opened Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise. I chose the name carefully. Every time you turn a kaleidoscope, the view changes and travel is the same. Every traveller sees the world differently, and every holiday can be designed around a person’s interests, dreams, pace, and priorities.

Cruising was such a major passion of mine that I knew it also needed to be part of the name.

From Home Office to a Growing Team

The agency started from home. I spent the summer of 2001 taking training courses and learning everything I could about the industry. My first newspaper ad ran during the week of September 11^th, 2001, certainly challenging timing for a new travel business, but we kept moving forward.

In 2003, I partnered with Val Umscheid from Milo for group tours. Val specialized in bus tours, while my focus was cruising, and together we developed a 17-day Alaska land-and-cruise tour.

The itinerary began in Whitehorse and travelled through Dawson City, Chicken, Tok, Fairbanks, and Anchorage before guests boarded a cruise to Vancouver. We promoted the tour in communities throughout the area and ultimately hosted six departures between 2003 and 2010. It became one of our signature experiences and helped build the loyal group following that has been so important to our growth.

Over the next decade, we offered a wide range of group travel experiences, including cruises and land tours, to the Maritimes, Europe, South America, Panama Canal, Ireland and Scotland, Galapagos, Africa, Caribbean and many more destinations. 

As demand grew, so did our team. I began with an assistant working from my home office two days a week. Later, we opened an office in Claresholm, then expanded to a small office in Strathmore that my daughter Alicia operated after completing the Travel and Tourism program at SAIT.

When the team continued to grow, we moved into a larger storefront office. My assistant joined me there, I began working in the office two days a week, and we continued building the business together.

Today, Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise includes four in-house travel agents, three assistants, an office manager, financial support, social media and design support, and 11 independent contractors across Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Specialists Who Know Travel

We are a full-service agency, but we believe clients receive the best guidance when they work with an advisor who genuinely knows the type of travel they are planning.

Our team members each have areas of specialization, which allows us to offer expert support across many kinds of travel, including:

• Ocean and small-ship cruising

• River cruises and cruise tours

• Escorted tours and independent travel

• Rail journeys

• Disney and family travel

• All-inclusive sun holidays

• Honeymoons and destination weddings

• Asia and long-haul travel

• Custom vacations and milestone celebrations

  
  

Having a team with varied expertise means we can match clients with an advisor who understands their style of travel and can help them choose confidently. Whether you are planning a first cruise, a multigenerational family holiday, a romantic escape, or an independent adventure, we are here to make the planning easier and the experience more meaningful.

A New Chapter for Group Travel

Group escorted tours were an important part of building Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise. They brought people together, created friendships, and gave travellers the confidence of exploring the world with the support of an experienced travel professional and a like-minded group.

After several years away from hosting escorted groups, we are thrilled to announce that group travel is returning in 2027.

In September 2026 and February 2027, Carrie will escort two supported cruise groups created for travellers with special needs, their families and caregivers. While these private groups are not open for individual bookings, they represent the care, planning, flexibility, and personal support our team brings to meaningful group travel experiences.

Our upcoming escorted departures open for the public include:

• Ireland with Larissa — May 2027

• Portuguese Camino with Anita — June 2027

• Rocky Mountaineer with Melissa — June 2027

• European Boat and Bike Tour with Kendra — July 2027

• Iceland Fjords & Scottish Highlands Cruise — July 2027

• Seine River Cruise with Melissa — August 2027

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Each journey offers something different: Ireland’s rich culture and scenery, the meaningful experience of walking the Portuguese Camino, the spectacular rail journey through the Canadian Rockies, an active and relaxed European barge-and-bike holiday, dramatic northern landscapes on an Iceland and Scottish Highlands cruise, and the romance of sailing France’s Seine River.

For us, escorted group travel has always been about more than an itinerary. It is about sharing experiences, travelling with confidence, meeting new people, and making memories together. We cannot wait to bring this important part of our business back and introduce a new generation of clients to the joy of travelling as a group.

Our Philosophy: Helping People Thrive

When I first started the agency, I did not have a large business plan or a clear picture of where it would lead. I simply wanted to stay home with my children while contributing to our household income.

Over time, that personal goal became part of our company philosophy.

Today, I am proud that Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise creates opportunities for others as well. Our independent contractors can build income in a way that works around their families and their lives. Our employees have flexibility when life happens whether that means a school event, a sick child, a unexpected appointment or a new travel experience.

We also work hard to create a strong sense of team. Travel is an exciting industry, but it is the people behind the scenes and the relationships we build with each other and our clients that make the work meaningful.

Join Our Anniversary Celebration

To celebrate 25 years, we invite our clients, friends, and community to join us for a Travel Showcase at Fieldstone Winery on September 17. Visit our website for a invitation https://www.kaleidoscopetravel.ca/celebrate-with-us

It will be an evening to connect, enjoy a glass of wine, gather travel inspiration, and start imagining your next adventure. Travel suppliers will be there to answer questions directly, share information about their products and destinations, and help you explore what may be possible for your next holiday.

We will also have some wonderful prizes to give away as a thank-you to the clients and community members who have supported us throughout the years.

Whether you are ready to book your next trip, have a future dream in mind, or simply want to enjoy an evening out and learn more about the world, we would love to see you there.

Thank You for 25 Years

From one dream cruise on the Carnival Elation to 57 cruises (and counting) plus 25years of helping clients travel the world, this journey has been far more meaningful than I ever could have imagined.

Thank you to every client who has trusted us with a honeymoon, family trip, anniversary cruise, milestone celebration, reunion, retirement vacation, or much-needed getaway. Thank you to our travel partners, our community, and every member of our past and present team.

We are so grateful to have been part of your travel memories. Here’s to the next 25years of celebrating life one unforgettable journey at a time.

Anita & The Team at Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise