Welcome to Hope Travel. We know that you have the choice to book with anyone and really appreciate your business to help give back to our communities.
The story begins in 2005, when Carine & Ryan went on a cruise to the ‘exotic Western Caribbean’ which was a new itinerary to the cruise industry. One of the stops was Roatan, Honduras, in fact it was the first year cruise ships started traveling to this destination. Ryan was a huge fan of cruise critic and was very active in the past on the boards. Ryan started talking with others that were going on a cruise and have discovered a way to give back to the community. The local orphanage which is located on the island was in desperate need of daily survival supplies such as clothing, shoes, toothbrushes, diapers, wipes, school supplies and more. Together with the use of the Internet, a group of us have committed to bringing at least 1 or 2 extra luggage bags per person filled with said supplies to deliver to this cause. Ryan & Carine not only gathered their own supplies, there were also supplies donated by their local church. In total, there was a large over-sized bag filled with anything that could fit. Delivery of these supplies were done by the group when we stopped at the island. The children, the staff, and everyone else were smiling from cheek to cheek. Although Carine & Ryan have cruised and travelled in the past, this really started the mark of what would be next.
Ryan and Carine opened their first travel agency as a franchise back in 2008. In 2009. they started Central Florida Cruises LLC in the state of Florida and served many clients in Central Florida, the Gulf coast (Sarasota area), and Pennsylvania. The business grew significantly over the years and both Ryan & Carine have been very busy as travel agents with bookings, getting familiar with all the cruise lines, education with suppliers, and more. Over the years, donations back to non-profit organizations, additional supply relief efforts, and other volunteer opportunities were completed. Fast forward through the very difficult COVID-19 times (yes, we had clients on ships and had to coordinate with them), and here we are celebrating our 15 year anniversary in 2024!
To celebrate our anniversary, we wanted something big and bold. Ryan had an idea first in 2022 about giving back more to the community. A lot of research efforts were put in place so that we would not duplicate, rather provide support for existing organizations and continuing to give back to our local and distant communities. In 2023, the final decision was made to turn Central Florida Cruises LLC into a fully non-profit organization, Hope Travel. We also have made some partnerships with local non-profits in our community, have partnerships in progress with distant communities, and will be announcing more as they come. Our main goal is to share the proceeds with many organizations including cancer research institutions, Veterans organizations, animal/marine/pet foundations, churches, and much more! By booking your travel with us, you can help us provide back to these organizations, provide supplies as Ryan & Carine started doing back in 2005 for distant communities, help your local organization with fundraising trips, and more!
We do appreciate your business as it supports the agents who work for us, along with helping local and distant organizations. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
