Annual Women’s Luncheon honoring Administrative Professionals

Cutline: Travel Agent, Patsy Peck, gives presentation at Women’s Luncheon

The Lamar State College – Orange 9th April 23rd had a great turn out on a beautiful day. Ladies from all around strolled in to the Brown Estate welcoming a break from the ordinary and looking forward to special treatment. Which is exactly what they got.

Shopping was right at everyone’s fingertips with tempting bling and charming items for the home. T-shirts & quilts by Tina Wise, jewelry by John Scofield, Mary Kay from Lisa Bland, cards and gifts by Sue Ferguson, Luvs Lingerie from Pam Vincent, purses from Carol Willis, Avon by Aimee Tait, plants by JoAnn’s Nursery and Debbie & Patrick’s Cottage Cuttings, Silpada Jewelry from Ann Holtmeyer, floral arrangements by Angie Trevino and furnishings from Mom and Daughter’s Repurposed Furnishings were available.

Massage therapist, Brooklyn Richardson was on hand with free fifteen minutes massages. Her massage chair was never empty.

Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch. The service was great and so was the coffee. After lunch speaker, Patsy Peck, owner of Peck Travel Agency, offered tips on making travel less stressful in her “Keep Calm Travel On” presentation.

Patsy believes, “Travel is the best education and the best way to escape everyday routines, refresh ourselves and gain new perspectives.”

She says over packing is usually the biggest mistake travelers tend to make. She had some good suggestions on traveling lighter like buying a lightweight pull along. She also recommended customizing your bag so you can recognize it quickly, by marking it in some way to make it stand out from the other luggage. Other suggestions were putting identification inside luggage, as well as outside, in case the outside tag comes off. Taking advantage of travel insurance and leaving valuables at home were tips shared for happy trails while traveling, also.

Patsy answered several questions on the benefits of having a travel agent. She said, “A travel agent will spend a lot of time finding the best prices on airfares and hotel rates, free of charge.”

She also added a travel agent will be there to back you up if something goes wrong, whereas an online booking service might not. When the topic of how to get through customs quickly came up, someone said putting smelly, dirty clothing on top in your suitcase will speed it up every time. Imagine that.

Lots of door prizes were given out and everyone got a gift bag with nifty stuff in it. It’s hard to beat being treated to a scrumptious lunch, an informative presentation and neat surprises. It’s always a pleasure to visit the Brown Estate. You just don’t walk into a home like it every day.