Diamond Bar Resident "Aches to Travel"

For Mary Jeanne “M.J.” Bryant, traveling is more than a hobby; it’s a passion. In fact, her license plate reads AK2TRVL.

The Diamond Bar resident and her husband, Terry, started AK2TRVL (Ache to Travel) Vacations out of their home in 1999. Before that, she worked out of agencies in San Dimas and Diamond Bar.

“With the advances of the Internet and cell phones, I decided that planning travel would be a way for me to work from home while my children were growing up and still be available when they would have a field trip or need help in the classroom, and be home for them after school,” Bryant said. “I’m proud to say that all three have now graduated college and are in career employment.”

The travel bug bit Bryant when she was young, and she still tries to check out two new or different products each year, working around her client’s needs.

“I grew up in a family that loved to travel, as my dad was a pilot during World War II and had learned the value of experiencing other places and cultures,” she said. “That's really the fun of being in the travel/hospitality business; there are lots of unusual places to visit for work.”

So far, Bryant has found New Zealand to be the most spectacular destination she’s ever visited.

“There are not enough superlatives to describe the scenery, the people, and the culture,” she said. “It was unusual because I was able to celebrate two Easter Sundays in April 2009 because of crossing the International Date Line on the return. I left there at 11 p.m. Easter Sunday and arrived in Los Angeles on the morning of the same Easter Sunday.”

AK2TRVL specializes in all-inclusive vacations, both land and cruise, as well as the destinations of Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean, and the South Pacific. Bryant has also put together some out-of-the-box vacations.

“I have a good niche in group travel, primarily with quilt stores wanting to take their customers onboard a ship for classes and travel,” she said. “We set them up with one of the meeting rooms as a ‘sewing salon’ and they do not have to stow away their projects for the entire length of the cruise.”  

Because she has been based in Diamond Bar for so long, Bryant has been able to forge close bonds, and work with multiple generations. 

“Years ago, I was fortunate to network here in Diamond Bar with the families of my children's schoolmates and sports activities,” she said. “Happily, as those families have grown up, I now handle the grown adult family reunions, getaways, and honeymoons of those families.”