On The Road Travel

We are very excited to welcome a new member to the On The Road Travel Team! Meet John Welch! John lives just North of the big apple in Valley Cottage, NY with his wife, Joanna and two boys Landon (11) and John (6). Besides his family there are two things in this world that John is most passionate about...The New York Mets and Disney! While one has brought him more than a fair share of pain and heartbreak, the other has provided countless cherished memories and unforgettable experiences. John’s first Disney visit was at 6 months old. He doesn’t remember much, but was told he slept almost the entire car ride down and was very well behaved the whole time! John grew up the same way a lot of Disney kids did during the late 80s and early 90s...wearing his Goofy ears while watching every Disney Sing-Along Song VHS tape he could get his hands on. Plus, numerous episodes of DucksTales, Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin and Adventures of the Gummi Bears. Some of John’s favorite family memo...

We are so excited to welcome a new member of the On The Road Travel team! As a self-proclaimed Dis-nerd, Tara Churney has loved all things Disney since before she can remember. Tara grew up in Southern California, which gave her the opportunity to spend summers, family time, and even her high school graduation night at Disneyland. Once Tara got older, she discovered the magic of Walt Disney World and all of the wonder the different parks had to offer. Tara even spent a day in the life of a Disney Princess by walking down the aisle with her Prince Charming at Walt Disney World in 2015. Tara and her husband, Trevor, now visit the Disney parks on a regular basis and keep up to date with the latest Disney news. Tara loves to share with her clients her favorite places to eat, her best Disney travel secrets, and any off the beaten path Disney experiences that her clients might enjoy. She brings over 30 years of Disney experience to create the most magical experience for her clients.   Wh...

We’re kicking off the summer by welcoming a new team member to the On The Road Travel family. Julie Boardman is the newest member of our team and we are excited to introduce her to you!   Julie’s love for Disney started back in 1986, when she was only 6 months old. That Christmas, her Mom took her to Walt Disney World for the very first time, and from that point on she was hooked! Julie and her family visited Disney World at least once a year up until she graduated high school. In addition to visiting Walt Disney World often, Julie and her family also visited Disneyland and sailed on Disney Cruise Line. Julie estimates her total number of Walt Disney World visits are in the hundreds and she will forever choose Disney as her #1 vacation spot! Julie has helped many friends and family members book their vacations over the years and is excited to start doing it as a career!   Julie went to college at Indiana University, majoring in Paralegal Studies, but decided after two years ...

Hints of spring have begun to pop up and what better way to embrace this new season than to add to our team! Please join us in the comments below as we welcome Lisa Myers to our On the Road Travel team as a Travel Agent Specializing in Disney Destinations! Lisa is an Iowa native and went to Iowa State University where she met her husband/Prince Charming, Larry. They now live in Kansas City and have two daughters. Lisa and Larry love to travel as often as they can, but their favorite family vacations are always centered around a Disney Destination. Even when at home, a lot of their time is spent researching and planning for their next trip to Disney! Lisa’s love for Disney started at a young age when she went to see The Little Mermaid at the movie theater. Then, as a teenager she saved her money from her summer job to help “fund” her first trip to Walt Disney World the following spring break (if you want a fun story, ask her about their flight and what happened when she arrived at...

This week’s Meet Me Monday is all about Emily Haack! Emily has been a Disney fan for as long as she can remember. Her first Disney related memory was her dad taking her to see Beauty and the Beast in the theaters, sneaking in popcorn, and singing along with the songs she already knew by heart (hello cassette tape soundtracks!). Her love for Disney grew as her parents took her whole family on trips multiple times throughout childhood. The journey to being an agent began when her parents surprised her whole family--this time adults--with a trip to Disney World in 2015. She took the reigns in learning everything she could about making the trip a success (guided by Suzanne in the background), and it was pure magic. She vividly remembers the moment the magic finally fully embraced her husband; it was movie perfect under the canopy of the fireworks. She had so much fun planning the trip for her family that she had to continue that fun by becoming an agent. Emily and her husband get the...

It’s Monday again, and this week we’re introducing you to part two of the Scharbrough Travel Agent Team! Emily's love of Disney and traveling did not develop until later in her life. In fact, as a child she was always the one who would rather stay at home. When in junior high, Emily traveled to Walt Disney World with her family for the first time. She also recalls visiting Disney World while swimming in college. During winter training trips, the team would always take one day off from the pool and drive from Ft Lauderdale to Orlando for a day of fun at Disney World. It was not until 2011, when Emily and Fred took their own children to Disney World for the first time, that she fell in love with Disney and traveling. The entire trip was so well orchestrated by their agent at the time, (now owner of On The Road Travel) Chris Cook-Leitz. The boys loved the kid-friendly resort, All Star Movies, the restaurants were delicious, the transportation was so easy, and the theme parks were e...

Meet Fred Scharbrough! Fred works with his wife Emily as part of an On The Road Travel Agent Team! Though Fred grew up in California, he currently lives in Branson, Missouri with his family. As a child, Fred took many trips to Disneyland. Once his two boys, Kyle and Kaden, were old enough to enjoy the parks, he shared his love of Disney with them. Now the Scharbrough family travels to Orlando a few times every year to check out all of the new and exciting things there are to do and see! Fred's favorite resort at Walt Disney World is Coronado Springs, but he has many great memories of his kids excitement at the All Star Resorts as well. His favorite restaurant is Disney's Ohana but he is always willing and excited to try new table service restaurants! Fred is also a pin collector and he stays on the lookout for great souvenirs. He is a trained cruise planner for all the major cruise lines, and of course the Disney cruise line is his favorite. Plus, Fred loves helping...

It's Monday once again, so that means it's time to learn about one of our agents! This week the spotlight is on Chris Smith, one of the newest members of our team! Chris lives in Houston, Texas with his wife, Dr. Bethany D. Smith and three children, Madelyn, Addyson, and Tanner. A planner, food lover, and traveler at heart, Chris loves checking out new destinations with his family and making sure all restaurants and key attractions are covered. With that said, the magical experiences at Disney destinations continue to draw the Smith family back! Chris graduated from Texas A&M University in 1999. In addition to working at On The Road Travel, he is an analyst for a petrochemical company. When Chris isn’t singing his favorite Disney tunes in his office, he spends his free time coaching Tanner’s baseball team, watching Madelyn and Addyson play soccer and participate in cheerleading, following Texas A&M sports, hanging out by the backyard pool, and listening to inte...

It's a new year, and we're thrilled to announce that the On The Road Travel Team is growing once again! Please help us in welcoming Jen and Bill Rahn to our team! Jen is a high school English teacher and soccer coach with degrees from Metropolitan State University of Denver, Regis University, and Grand Canyon University. Bill is the manager of a nearby Dairy Queen. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. They live in Aurora, CO with their 5 year old son Eli. Well, his full name is Elias. He was, in fact, named after Walter Elias Disney! Growing up in Northern California, Jen took her first trip to Disneyland when she was only one year old. As she grew up, she took trips there once a year with her parents or her grandparents when they lived in Southern California. Even when she moved to Arkansas with her dad, they visited Disneyland on the move out there and then again on the move back to California. Bill is a native of Iowa and did not visit Disneyland unt...

Meet our Social Media Coordinator, Ali Henkle! Ali is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Performing Arts Management, as well as a minor in Marketing. In addition to working with On The Road Travel, she works as the Marketing Manager at the Des Moines Symphony and Academy. Ali has been lucky enough to visit Disney World every year since she was one, and many of her favorite childhood memories are from the family vacations spent there. She's a Disney Vacation Club Member and, at the moment, she's also an Annual Passholder. She has visited Disneyland and California adventure once, and has had the opportunity to go on a few cruises, Disney and otherwise, as well as travel through some of Europe with her family.  One of her favorite Disney memories is spending New Years Eve 2003 at Epcot with her family and some family friends. They had a blast running around and keeping in contact with their parents via walkie talkie, and it rained so hard t...

It’s week two of Meet Me Monday, and today is all about Dawn Zorilo! Dawn lives in New York with her husband, Bryan, and son, Joseph. She has loved Mickey Mouse and Disney movies since she was a child. Dawn was 11 when she first visited Disney World with her parents and brother, and that trip ignited a love for Disney that hasn’t stopped growing. Some of Dawn’s Disney favorites include: Resort: Wilderness Lodge Park: Epcot Ride: Tower of Terror Animated movie: The Lion King Live movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Character: the original black & white Mickey Mouse Reading about all things Disney and learning how to organize trips became a passion of hers. Many years and several Disney trips (including a honeymoon) later, Dawn was lucky enough to be introduced to Chris Cook-Leitz through her aunt. She got to know Chris over the years from booking trips and talking Disney with her, so Dawn was ecstatic when Chris invited her to join the team at On The...

Welcome to our first week of Meet Me Monday! For the next few weeks, we will be introducing one of our agents every Monday so you can get to know us better. That way, by the time you see their post on Friday, you'll know all about them! First on the agenda is Suzanne Clark Sprecher! Magic Planner Suzanne, at On The Road Travel, dreamt of visiting Disney World her WHOLE life! She would WISH every birthday on those candles---for a trip to see the castle! That trip FINALLY happened at the age of 20~ Yes, good things come to those who wait (and wish)! It has been a love affair ever since… Suzanne is a previous first grade teacher with a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Northern Iowa. (Go Panthers!) She substitute teaches and works her magic out of her Ankeny, Iowa home office and takes her husband and 3 daughters to experience all things Disney, as often as possible! Since she began this love affair, RunDisney has become a big part of Suzanne’s life! ...