Most retired folk put their feet up for a well-earned rest. Not Donald Colhour.
The 67-year-old set up a travel agency in March this year in Los Angeles after a career in television production, working as a senior church minister and dabbling in travel – and now has his sights set on launching a homeworking agency in Scotland.
He set up Theatours International to remember his partner of 42 years who died of prostate cancer in September 2012. Michael
Hoffer had run a private company called Theatours, specialising in taking groups of people from the entertainment industry in the US to theatre and art festivals in the UK and Ireland.
“I started this business in Michael’s memory,” says Donald. “Michael’s clients were ringing up and it seemed the natural thing to do.”
He even hopes to plough some of the profits into a deserving cause close to his and Michael’s hearts. “The money will go towards putting chimes in our church tower in LA in his honour. Michael was an organist, a volunteer chef and ran the church theatre group for years. When the chimes ring we can remember him,” says Donald.
Theatours International focuses on group travel for the “baby boomer” generation, particularly tailor-made tours to festivals and theatre shows.
“Our goal is to offer a highly personal service. We are not selling mass-market fly-and-flop holidays. One of the groups I’m doing a booking for is from my rotary club and I am organising a tour to the Edinburgh Festival next year.”
The idea to branch out into the UK came about while at The Ship restaurant in Fife, which is run by his good friend Karen Robb. Donald, who already spends six months of the year in Scotland, says: “I was talking to people in the restaurant about their holiday plans and thought we should be selling in the restaurant. It is not open all day so when it’s shut we could be talking to clients.”
He is in the process of joining Abta and looking for a consortium or franchise to join. He is already a member of Clia and has lined up staff to help him manage a US and UK-based business.
The plan will involve tapping into clients who use The Ship as a venue for their wedding, for example, to offer them honeymoons, and to sell US holidays to locals. “I just want to give people the chance to make their travel dreams come true,” he says.