Our Tour Leaders
Lexi has traveled to 6 continents, visited 50 countries, and sailed on 36 cruises. So, it’s safe to say she has been around the world quite a bit!
She holds a master's degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University, and has over 25 years of experience in the special needs field including workshops, group homes, and sheltered living environments. The idea for Special Journeys came from a combination of Lexi’s love of serving special needs individuals and her desire to travel.
Lexi’s Favorite Cruise: The Baltic cruise where we saw Copenhagen with its famous mermaid statue, and Saint Petersburg, Russia with its amazing, historic sights and palaces.
Lexi’s Favorite Driving Trip: One of our horseback riding experiences, when I was able to assist a traveler who used a wheelchair and was unable to walk – he was able to enjoy his very first horseback ride! On this trip, everyone also enjoyed painting pumpkins for Halloween with their Travel Companions.
Lexi’s Favorite Flight Trip: Hawaii where we enjoyed a luau and swimming with dolphins.
Another of her memorable vacations was leading a cruise trip with an individual who has used a wheelchair her entire life. This traveler had always dreamed of taking a cruise, and on this one she was able to float in the air with the on‐board skydiving simulator.
Lexi also deeply enjoyed going to Branson and enjoying a private “Elvis” concert at our hotel. Just before we arrived, Branson suffered extensive damage from a tornado, so we brought the concert to our travelers! Many of the travelers from this trip still talk about how Elvis sang to them at the hotel – we all sang together, and the ladies all ended up with a scarf given to them by “the King!”
Tom has “only” traveled to 5 continents, visited 45 countries, and sailed on 24 cruises. So, he’s got some catching up to Lexi to do! He has an honors degree in Business and Computer Systems from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. Tom practiced as a litigation associate and then opened his own firm which focused on estate planning before moving to Nebraska where he is currently licensed. Tom & Lexi moved to Omaha so that he could take the position of Director of Technology for the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, a network of 1,500 estate planners, where he designed document creation systems. After that position he worked as a technology consultant for law firms and also programmed NebraskaDocs, IowaDocs and other state bar document creation systems. Tom has 20 years of experience leading Special Journeys vacations.
Tom’s Favorite Cruise: Our Greek cruise where we saw the original venue of the Olympic games. I raced down the running track pushing a wheelchair and we beat the other travelers in a little race! I also remember the incredible islands we stopped at and even a farm tour where we tasted fresh honey.
Tom’s Favorite Driving Trip: Our Arctic Circle vacation where I drove the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, Alaska to Prudhoe Bay (Deadhorse) Alaska. This 414‐mile stretch of mainly gravel road runs through some of Alaska’s most remote wilderness. It even travels over the Brooks Mountain range and crosses the Artic Circle. We saw bears, moose, and musk ox among the amazing scenery.
Because the guide book said that skunks don’t live in the Arctic Circle, I brought the official Special Journeys skunk for photos. At night when it wasn’t cloudy, we could see the Aurora Borealis. Perhaps our most scenic trip ever!
Tom’s Favorite Flight Trip: Hawaii where we enjoyed touring wonderful gardens, and I had the opportunity to drive the amazing Hana Highway with its waterfalls, ocean views, and the super twisty-turny road! I loved the fresh fruit and wonderful new tastes. Many travelers on this trip may remember that I found a huge snail on a tour and tried to convince all of the travelers that I was going to eat it.