LOTUS TRAVEL

Accommodation and Tourism > Travel Services

On October 13, 1995, Lotus Travel was founded in a 200 square foot cottage in Tacoma, Washington. My network within the adoption community originated from a visa application case. A travel agent in Seattle sought help from me for two visa applications for China. After obtaining the visas successfully, the travel agent waited until the last minute to pick them up. I felt anxious for the travelers, especially because I knew the couple was going to travel to China to adopt a Chinese orphan. Sicne I had worked in the travel industry and had traveled extensively in China for over 10 years prior to immigrating to America, I was confident that I could provide great customer service. Seeing a demand for adoption travel services, I contacted directors of adoption agencies throughout the United States. I presented myself, my travel agency and our services, hoping that adoption agencies would co-operate closely with Lotus Travel to ensure adoptive families a safe and enjoyable trip to China.

I was very fortunate to get to know a great lady who was a director of a Seattle adoption agency and had devoted herself to helping build families through adoption. After working closely with her agency, I received great compliments from many adoptive families because of my personalized services and families began calling me“Uncle Louie”. Other adoption agencies started to recommend to their clients that they use Lotus Travel for their adoption travel and we became a premier travel agency specializing in adoption travel. In 1998, we launched the Ladybug Adoption Packages, featuring premium economy class travel from Los Angeles to Guangzhou on China Southern Airlines with three night’s hotel accommodation at Guangzhou White Swan Hotel included. The package was immediately popular. Since then, with great support from adoptive families and agencies, we have become the No. 1 agency for China adoption travel and have served more than 50% of American families traveling to China for adoption each year.

In 2000, Lotus Travel started its first China Homeland Heritage Tour for families traveling back to their children’s birth country to learn its culture and seek their roots. Since that time, adoptive families think of Lotus Travel first when it comes to safe and hassle-free adoption travel as well as birth country visits.

As I continue to work with families, many of them for more than one trip, it continues to be real joy to be a part of this community. In recent years, I have been able to lead some birth country reunion tours; some of these families worked with me more than ten years ago during their adoption trip. It is a special honor for “Uncle Louie” to travel with them and it is a reunion for me as well, that after many years we meet again on the soil of their children’s motherland. As I gave my farewell toast before the trip ended I said, 'I have been serving the adoption community since I first arrived in the US on June 24, 1994. I love my job which is rewarding and I am very passionate about it because of you – my heroes.”

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