Barry has been in the travel industry for the last 30 years. He has been traveling all his life to every destination, both as a traveler, a travel agent and as a group leader. He has experienced first-hand the evolution of leisure travel from the days of the pre-computer to the present.
Julie has known Barry all her life and has traveled that long, as well. She started her career as an interior designer 30 years ago, but switched to travel several years back thinking it would be fun to make her hobby her profession.
Both of them have had a very hands-on approach to servicing their clients in their respective businesses and an intuitive sense of the desires of today's travel -savvy audience. Their mission is to allow you to enhance port of call, whether you arrive by boat or plane. They have traveled to every spot they represent to bring you the best and the most unique offerings to fulfill any fantasy. They have worked hard to develop a way for you to have smaller, more personal tours and adventures and yet feel secure knowing that all of the people they represent have an understanding of your expectations.
The truth is, while they live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, their home is the world - its beauty, its people, its cultures. They believe that one day is not too short a time to be touched by it all and create a day you will never forget.
Our Tour Operators
More than 2000 tour operators throughout the world bring you over 3000 well designed day activities and sightseeing tours.
If you would like to partner with us as a Tour Operator please:
We invite you to get to know our team. They're the very best.
When we started ShoreTrips in 2001, we pledged to ourselves that our staff would be the best in the travel industry. To reach that goal, we chose only the smartest, hardest-working and pleasant people around. We sent them traveling the world so that they could experience firsthand the trips we offer. We are sure that you will find these people are both friendly and extremely competent.
ShoreTrips seeks out the very best guides and activity providers. We go directly to the source to determine who we feel are best suited to deliver a great product. We examine their equipment, hold their insurance, and build a relationship. We have met every operator we work with and, by understanding the port of call and knowing the tour, we can offer our activities with confidence. In addition, all our tour operators are professionals in the travel industry, and they guarantee to return you to your ship on time.
Will I get my money back if the ship is late getting into port?
Of course, you'll get your money back. We refund all excursions if the ship doesn't make port on time or doesn't make port at all. And we'll give your money back if the tour operator must cancel due to equipment or weather problems. You must contact ShoreTrips within 12 days after the date of your booking to tell us that your cruise ship or the tour operator prevented you from taking the excursion.
What is your cancellation policy?
You may cancel your ShoreTrips’ booking and receive a full refund up to 11 days prior to the date of your excursion (15 days for bookings in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia). At 10 days prior to the date of your excursion (14 days for bookings in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia) all bookings become non-refundable. To cancel a ShoreTrips’ booking, log into shoretrips.com with your User Id and Password. Then click on "View Bookings" and click on the garbage can icon next to the booking. This will cancel your booking and refund your charge card in full. Some tours have a special cancellation policy and this information will always be noted in the tour’s “RESTRICTIONS” section. Additionally, group bookings may be non-refundable if the tour price is based on a specific number of participants.
Travel with confidence — our "Get You Back to the Ship On-Time" Guarantee
ShoreTrips guarantees that we will always get you back to your ship on-time. If in the event you miss your ship's departure through no fault of your own, we will move you at our expense to the next port of call. We move more than 300,000 people a year and have never left anyone behind.
How far in advance must I book?
The majority of ShoreTrips tours are booked 7-21 days prior to the start of the vacation. Certain excursions sell out fast and smart shoppers buy them months in advance. You may purchase any ShoreTrips tour months or even a year in advance.
I'm leaving tomorrow. The system won't let me book. Why?
It's not because we don't want your business. We require at least 48 hours to process on-line bookings. We'll be happy to take a booking by phone or email if you're leaving home within 2 days or if you're already on vacation, although there might be an additional charged for the extra work and long-distance phone calls.
If I call, can you tell me the availability of a tour?
Because we do not have a specific allotment of spaces on tour, we do not know the availability of a particular tour. Once a booking has been made, an immediate request is sent to our tour operator. The tour operator then has 48 hours to respond to our requests, although we frequently receive an answer much sooner than that. Rest assured that your credit card will not be charged unless the tour operator confirms that space is available. And remember, you may cancel and receive a full refund up to 11 days before the date of your ShoreTrips’ booking (15 days for Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia bookings).
How do I get my Voucher?
We allow our tour operators 48 hours to confirm your booking request. Once you receive an email from our system stating that your booking has been "confirmed" and your credit card has been charged, you will need to log back into shoretrips.com with your USER ID and PASSWORD. Then click on "Print Vouchers". Click on the "paper" icon next to your booking to obtain your voucher. We recommend printing two copies of each voucher, one for your records (could be a screenshot) and the other to give to the tour operator upon arrival. If you have problems printing out your voucher, please contact ShoreTrips right away at reservations@shoretrips.com or 414-964-2100.
How do I find my guide?
All meeting instructions are located on your voucher, which you will be able to access once your booking has been confirmed. If your tour includes a pier/hotel pickup, we will include exact information regarding who to look for, details of the sign the guide will be holding, and/or the specific location of where to meet your guide If your tour does not include a pier/hotel pickup, we will provide the location of where to take a taxi, an approximate duration and cost of the taxi, along with the name and contact information of the tour operator.
What does "local time" vs. "ship time" mean?
As you travel, you will very often cross time zones. All ShoreTrips tour departure times are listed in "Local Time". This means the trip begins according to the time zone of the port you are visiting. Some cruise lines change their clocks on board ship to reflect the local time, others do not. In addition, some islands and ports observe Daylight Savings Time, while others stay on Standard Time. To help you to figure out what the local time will be compared with your port of departure, we strongly suggest you log onto worldtimeserver.com. Because we are not affiliated with any cruise line, we do not suggest you inquire about local time at your ship's excursion desk. You may, of course, call ShoreTrips with your questions at 414-964-2100. We'll be happy to help you navigate through the "time zone maze."
Should I book through my travel agent?
Although anyone can book ShoreTrips tours online, we always recommend our clients book through their travel agent. Travel agents can cross-check your ship's time vs. the local time to make sure that the duration of the tours you want to book will work with your cruise ship's itinerary. Your travel agent can assist in answering any questions you may have and will also be able to print your vouchers for you. For those of you who do not have access to the internet or an email address to set up an account, using your travel agent is the easiest way to book ShoreTrips tours.
I want to book. What do I do first?
First, go to Create an Account to get a USER ID and PASSWORD. Then sign in, add the tours you’re interested in purchasing into your shopping cart and proceed to check-out. It’s fast and easy!
ShoreTrips® GIVE
Take four hours out of your vacation to give something back to the people of the Caribbean. Help plant a garden...read a story to a children’s class...or help prepare lunch at a senior center. Here’s an easy way to make volunteer tourism an integral part of your vacation. Get involved and feel great about what you do.
ShoreTrips welcomes your interest! Thanks in advance for submitting a new tour operator proposal to us! We will review your submission and reply if we think there is a good fit. We regret we cannot respond directly to every submission we receive.
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As an independent provider of shore excursions, ShoreTrips is not affiliated with any cruise line.
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Julie Karp
Owner and President
Barry Karp
Owner and VP
Ryan Kramer
IT Director
