The FSB Travel Club was started in 2015 as a result of an almost "off-the-cuff" comment. Margie Zieber had known of another bank in town that halted their travel club, and was very interested in the idea. So, after having done almost every job there was to do in her nearly 30 years at Farmers State Bank, when asked what she wanted to do next, Margie responded, "Start a travel club!" She was taken seriously, and received permission to launch the club. Margie began by planning a simple trip and then accepted advice from a local retired club director. "The first year was rough,", she says. But now, she has 40 people who travel with her on day trips, and 30-40 on her overnight tours.

 

It is interesting that only about 68% of the 340 people who travel with her regularly are customers of Farmers State Bank. While she doesn't require people to be customers in order to participate with the club, she always tells them, "You don't have to be, but why would you not want to be!" Many people do end up opening an account at Farmers State Bank.

Located just an hour north of Kansas City in Cameron, Missouri, she loves to take advantage of all that the bigger city has to offer including the Royals baseball events and the many theatre venues. Her "assistant" is her husband, Mike, who accompanies her on every trip. It seems that when you start working at 18, you get to retire at 54 and spend your time traveling with your wife. Lucky Mike! As Club Director, Margie loves getting to travel to places that she'd never be able to otherwise. She delights in seeing new friendships and bonds form between the club members. She says, "I enjoy sharing the experiences and interacting with everyone in a new environment - even playing games on the bus!"

Margie just joined HCI this summer after Ted Nelson spoke at the Missouri Bank Travel conference that she attended. We are very excited that she will be attending Peer Group for the first time in March. She is looking forward to learning more about how to be better prepared for tour emergencies, how to handle issues while on tour, and how to provide insurance for tours that she plans herself. HCI is the best resource for educating club directors on these situations and much more!