Tom’s Trips would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hopes that you can make your dreams your reality in 2016. Below is a short story about how our founder Tom Wiseman helped keep alive the fantasy land that so many of us dream about.
The year was 2008 and the fate of January at Hedonism II was in jeopardy and nobody knew. For years Lifestyle Tour and Travel had developed the top swinger event of the year at Hedonism II – Lifestyle Month. The entire month of January was (and still is) devoted to those who accepted only the best in debauchery. Lifestyle’s partnered with the best magazines, websites and travel agencies to promote and participate in Lifestyle Month. No event at Hedonism or anywhere was it’s rival and still isn’t to this day.
This amazing event was on the verge of doom in the summer of 2008. Due to a multitude of factors including the judgmental few who control the credit card processing industry. Because of their beliefs about us they held back hundreds of thousands of dollars from Lifestyle Tour and Travel. Payments that had been made in good faith by good people were being held from Lifestyles Tour and Travel. Because of this attack on their cash flow Lifestyles was not going to be able to pay Hedonism for their Lifestyle Month reservations.
Some of you may have heard about couples showing up at Desire only to find out that there reservations were not paid for and guests were either forced to pay again or turned away. This could have happened to hundreds of couples at Hedonism II if it weren’t for Tom Wiseman.
Not only would hundreds of people have lost their vacations but a scandal like this could have caused a ripple effect that would have dismantled Lifestyle Month, and hurt the chances that Hedonism would have survived the recession. Fortunately for us all Tom Wiseman whose love and appreciation for Hedonism II was unmatched came to the rescue.
In July of 2008 Tom agreed to honor all of the deposits for the Lifestyle Month reservations and hired Sandy Jones. Sandy as many of you know is an integral part of Lifestyle Month. She is the one that so many of you know and trust, and at the time outside from the Midwest Tom’s Trips was not as well recognized.
Tom put up over $200,000 in return for transferring Lifestyle Month to Tom’s Trips. This far outweighed any commissions that he would earn in the short term. Which is noteworthy because Tom didn’t have a lot of time.
Tom Wiseman had over 100 trips to Hedonism II during the 18 years he visited the resort. He loved Jamaica and like many of us found that Hedonism II offered him the opportunity to be a part of a community like no other. Mostly he loved the people and that they had a place that allowed them to be themselves.
Not only did Tom take on this commitment because he wanted to save Lifestyle Month and his beloved Hedonism II, he did it in without thoughts for his own future. Tom was in the final months of battling Colon Cancer and knew that he would never see a financial return on his investment. He just knew he didn’t want to see something so beautiful disappear.
Tom hoped that his family would continue the business and we are proud to be a part of his legacy. Tom passed away in December of 2008 just 2 weeks before he would have experienced the first Tom’s Trips Lifestyle Month. We know that he still watches over Hedonism II from his own special place in Heaven.
We also want to thank all of you who have stuck with us since 2008, your loyalty means so much to us. We have tried to live up to Tom’s motto, “For A Good Time Call Tom” by providing you with the best host couples, entertainers and the one and only Sandy Jones.
Tom’s dream would not have been possible without a few other people that should be recognized:
- Dr. Robert McGinley who owned Lifestyle Tour and Travel – had Dr. McGinley not agreed to allow Tom’s Trips to hire Sandy and transfer the contracts to Tom’s Trips this would not have been possible.
- Sandy Jones who took a huge chance joining us when so much was uncertain. We all owe Mama Sandy a huge thank you.
- Terry and Terry, Ron and Jenn, Bob and Maureen, The Lady Suzy – Our January Host couples and advisors who helped teach us how to “Show You A Good Time.”
- Hedonism II – They stuck with us in helping to keep Lifestyle Month alive.