Company Biographies
Tom Easthope, President
Margaret Easthope, Director
Tom Easthope
President and Founder
Tom is the president and cofounder of Generations Touring Company. His dedication to family and to global awareness has encouraged his vision of providing new and meaningful travel experiences for grandparents, grandchildren and families.
An executive in the travel industry with 20 years of progressive success, Tom has lead corporate expansions through the creation of new ventures and integration/acquisition of multiple travel companies. In his nine-year tenure as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Leisure Travel, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Tom directed the growth of the company establishing its position as the premier leader in the escorted and packaged tour segments of the industry.
For the past several years, Tom has built, and acted as consultant to, entrepreneurial travel organizations; founded the technology startup, TraveLease, and worked with tour companies as they adjusted to post 9/11 realities in the travel industry. As President of The Newton Group, the technology division of Global Leisure Travel, Tom led the collaboration among several divisions from concept to implementation of a next generation distribution platform.
In addition to his unique background in travel distribution, Tom has extensive experience in strategic planning, P & L direction and management, internal operations, call-center management, business development, vendor relations and marketing management. Tom has led teams of 7 to 200 employees and managed $110MM annual budgets.
Tom began his career in the travel industry during his college years at the University of Michigan where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He worked extensively with organizations, such as the Youth for Understanding Foreign Exchange program; he managed the staff of field coordinators, handled introductions of host families, and he also acted as a Meet and Greet in airports worldwide. He went on to achieve his MBA at George Washington University.
His international travels have taken him to Russia, as a tour escort, and throughout the Pacific, Asia, Europe, Canada, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico. Additionally, Tom has toured extensively in the United States.
To Top
Margaret Easthope
Director and Founder
Margaret has been instrumental in the conception and philosophy of Generations Touring Company. As cofounder and Director, she is heavily involved in tour and brochure design. Along with Tom, she is also the tour de force behind GTC’s mission regarding family, global awareness and GTC’s commitment to the environment.
Margaret's experience in publishing and business enables her to effectively contribute to the growth of GTC. She has worked for Geo magazine, Time-Life Books, and Science 80. She has also worked as Director of Market Research for Barnes, Morris and Pardoe, a commercial real estate brokerage firm in Washington, D.C.
Margaret holds a BA from Connecticut College in New London, Ct., where she majored in Art/Photography and minored in Cultural Anthropology. She also earned an MBA from the American University in Washington, D.C. with a concentration in Real Estate and Urban Development.
Most recently, Margaret has been raising a family, as well as volunteering at her children’s school and within her community. Therefore, she values the importance of teaching and understanding of all people. She says, “I’m the perfect example of a GTC traveling companion since I have traveled and toured parts of the world with my grandparents, parents, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, children and friends. There is no educational substitute for travel, particularly if you can see your destination through the eyes of the local people.”
A native of New Orleans, Margaret grew up in a melting pot of many rich cultures. She appreciates how different histories and backgrounds affect society, politics, music, art, food, language and literature.
Her travels have taken her throughout the United States including residency on both coasts and the Deep South. Margaret loves traveling and feels fortunate to have seen Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, England, France, Spain, Portugal, the former Soviet Union, Copenhagen, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and China.
To Top
