7 minute read
FunME Events founder encourages people to explore the globe – he’ll even lead the way
Bitten by WANDERLUST
By: Kelley White
Life’s too short not to enjoy it. Veteran Mike Embrey of FunME Events lives by this mantra, and he encourages his fellow travelers and patrons to take the sentiment to heart. Embrey was bitten by wanderlust long ago, and it is a gift he gives to anyone curious enough to share their next adventure with FunME Events, an entertainment and excursions company that specializes in tours and adventures both domestically and internationally. Embrey emphasizes the value of traveling in today’s climate and the impact of exploring new landscapes. “I’m often asked how I got involved in travel and it really, like many activities or work opportunities in life, came in the backdoor,” Embrey said. “I traveled a lot when I was younger as an entertainer and musician, and when I first came to DeKalb, I was the university marching band director. I had 260 kids in the van when traveling back then, so I had to learn a lot about the process and how to properly accommodate a group of people. I had to learn a special set of skills in order to move large groups.” After Embrey left band directing, he began planning events for large groups. Eventually, he partnered with his friend to create an adult and student tour company. “We ended up putting the two companies together because senior citizens won’t travel on weekends or holidays and school kids can only travel at those times,” Embrey said. “So, we put the two companies together and helped each other out with staff and travel. Then, we started creating our own tours and for a long time, we would do the standard tours. We still do some of that, but about 10 years ago traditional travel really started to change.” For years, traveling centered around capturing as many photos as possible with disposable Kodak cameras. Then, vacation photography evolved toward using more professional equipment and digital cameras, giving the average adventurer the ability to snap away to their heart’s content. However, the landscape of traveling has pivoted in a more meaningful direction, even with the takeover of Instagram. “Right now, we are more experiential in our tours – we want people to experience things,” Embrey said. “Now, we don’t go wine tasting, we go wine making. We’ll do a cooking school in Italy or a champagne tour in Northern France. We do a pub crawl of Scotland and Ireland. We want to get people to experience touch and feel. We also, by traveling with a group, are able to do things a little bit easier than individual travelers. With a group, we’re able to explain the landscape and still, there’s a lot of free time to do what they want. We call it ‘free spirit.’” After the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent to Embrey that traveling is more essential than ever before. “I encourage people to travel, whether with me or anyone, really. Go visit and do something to replenish your soul and your emotions,” Embrey said. “People think they’ll travel when they get older or when the kids are raised or something like that, but every day is a blessing. When you travel with us, we want you to come back full of knowledge and full of experiences and memories.” Embrey said every trip offers both experience and education. “When you go to see a different country, you see different lifestyles or different sized homes, and different foods,” he said. “I’ve been to 46 countries and all 50 states, and one of my co-workers has been to 90 countries, so we’ve kind of covered the block.” Through his many travels, Embrey has absorbed something unique from every trip and excursion. “Visiting Hong Kong, I realized how hard they work and how tirelessly they dedicate themselves to that work,” Embrey said. “I had an opportunity to go to a Hong Kong tailor and they fitted me for a new sport coat and some shirts. That was in the afternoon and when I got up the next morning, on the door at my hotel was hanging my jacket and shirts. It was astounding.” In Cuba, Embrey was reminded of the blessings and privileges so many take for granted. “I was invited to Cuba on a music exchange in 2018. Cuba really is a Third World country – it’s still in 1959 and is a communist country. We were walking down the street with my host and one of the garage doors opened up and there were people lined up. I asked what it was, and my host said it was people getting their weekly
WANDERLUST
bag of rice and beans. It makes you think.” In Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, Vietnam, Embrey was struck by the unbelievable difference between his lodgings in the city of 9 million and the lifestyles of those who live outside the city. “In 2019, I spent 15 days in Vietnam and Cambodia to understand that part of the world,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to stay in one of the nicer hotels in the city and it was one of the most opulent hotels I had ever been in, in my life. Then, I got on a boat and went up the Mekong Delta and it was 180 degrees from the hotel. Those folks live on $20 a day, the men fish every day, and men and women do the rice paddies. It’s a barter system too, seven days a week – what a contrast.” No matter where FunME takes you, there are endless avenues of exploration and wonder to behold. “Wherever you go, it’s something unique,” Embrey said. “There are a lot of things I would never have known if I hadn’t gone and experienced them. Travel has a way of bringing people together, connecting various cultures and turning strangers into friends. And not just the tentative variety either, we’re talking the more profound kind, sparked by shared adventures, great dinner conversations, and unique lifelong connections. On our tours, the travelers will return home with more than a full camera roll and an epic set of travel stories – they return home with new friends.”
FUNME EVENTS
650 Peace Road, Ste. F, DeKalb 815-756-1263 • funmeevents.com Mike Embrey has quite a few exciting itineraries on the FunME Events schedule coming up in the next year.
PARIS AND NORMANDY
Departing May 30, 2023, the FunME group will embark on an eight-day river cruise from Paris to Normandy, featuring gorgeous Paris and the breathtaking French countryside from the Seine River. Passengers will have the chance to see Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny or “Normandy’s Versailles,” Bizy Castle. “You may choose to go on an excursion to the historic Normandy Landing Beaches, including Omaha Beach, the Point du Hoc monument, and the American Cemetery,” Embrey said. “In Rouen, best known as the home of Joan of Arc, you’ll go on a guided walk through the medieval quarter and visit the gothic Rouen Cathedral — once the tallest building in the world. From Conflans, you’ll go on an excursion to the quaint and inspiring town of Auvers-SurOise — associated with several famous artists, including Vincent van Gogh — or you can visit Napoleon and Josephine’s Malmaison.” Patrons will also be able to tour Paris and absorb the many iconic sights of the City of Light.
PACIFIC COAST
From June 9-17 in 2023, Embrey invites travelers to join FunME on a Pacific Coast Adventure, experiencing the wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest. “You can set your sights higher than the Museum of Flight or the redwoods for lush green forests, cascading waterfalls, and ice-smothered volcanoes,” Embrey said. “From Seattle to Portland and all the way to the Golden Gate of San Francisco, the dramatic views of both city and seaside will astound on this nine-day Pacific Coast vacation.”
SCOTLAND
From Aug. 14-21 in 2023, FunME will hop the pond and land in Loch-rich Scotland. “Rolling hills and rugged coastlines, mythical creatures and elusive monsters, quiet fairways and boisterous bagpipes — this undiscovered tour of Scotland is a study in stark contrasts among the most beautiful of classrooms,” Embrey said. “Hitting the high points of the Highlands from Glasgow to Edinburgh, you’ll cruise on beautiful Loch Lomond, ferry to the dramatic Isle of Skye, and visit the home of golf, St. Andrews. More lush landscapes await as you search for the mysterious Nessie along the banks of Loch Ness, stand before the famous Glenfinnan viaduct featured in the Harry Potter films, and swoon over the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle nestled on a tidal island and featured in numerous films.”
Not to mention, Edinburgh is home to the biggest entertainment event in the world, the Edinburgh Music Tattoo, a once-in-a-lifetime musical spectacular.
These awe-inspiring destinations are only a few of the locations on the docket for next year, and every new season brings exhilarating possibilities and opportunities to learn more about the rock we call home.
