Tulip Travel, Inc. is owned and operated by Leo de Ruijter and John Hamel. Both have traveled extensively in the United States and abroad and combined have over 30 years of professional work experience in the developmental disability field. Over the years, they have planned and organized hundreds of trips and leisure activities for persons with developmental disabilities in Central New York.
Leo de Ruijter grew up in a small town in central Holland called Asperen. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in special Education from Delta College, The Netherlands. He has also completed course work towards a Master’s degree at Long Island University. Prior to establishing Tulip Travel, Leo managed several community residential homes in Syracuse, New York for the Onondaga County Association for Retarded Citizens.

John Hamel is a native of Syracuse, New York and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York in Recreation Management. John has developed and implemented community-based recreation and leisure programs for both the Oswego and Onondaga County Association for Retarded Citizens. He is past President of the Central New York Recreation & Park Society and in 1993 was selected by the society as a member of the New York State Fair access advisory committee and the NYS Association for Retarded Citizens recreation committee.

Where Are We?
Tulip Travel, Inc. is located in Liverpool, New York.
Our office is located just outside Syracuse in the central region of New York State. This office offers easy access from interstates 81, 690, 481 and the NYS Thruway. We are also conveniently located near Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport.

Our address is:

911 Old Liverpool Road
Liverpool, New York 13088

You may contact our office by calling: (315) 461-4852 or (800) 461-9798.
Tulip Travel welcomes Christine Kiely to our team. Chris joined Tulip Travel in April '06 and is our Travel Coordinator. She escorted numerous Tulip Travel vacations prior to taking this new position. Chris’ outgoing personality combined with her years of experience in the field makes her an asset to our team.

Our Travel Escorts
Our travel escorts are experienced teachers, residential counselors, and recreation specialists. They all have experience in working with the developmentally disabled and special needs traveler. They will assist travelers with their individual needs and provide for an enjoyable and safe vacation. Assistance includes general supervision, budgeting trip money, help with medications and guiding the tour. Generally, we provide a 1:4 escort to traveler ratio.

Vacation Packages Include
Transportation from the Central New York area, accommodations, all meals, tours, equipment rentals and escorts. Additional spending can be used for the purchase of personal items, souvenirs and postcards.
*Payment plans are also available.
Packages also include:

Tulip Travel t-shirt
Photos of your trip
Tulip Travel photo album
Luggage tags
Photo ID card
How Do I Sign Up?
Simple! Just fill out the preliminary application form and return it to us with a trip deposit, we will then send you a traveler’s profile and consent form that addresses the traveler’s needs while on vacation. You can also make a reservation by phone, fax or e-mail in which case we will hold your space for ten working days until we receive your preliminary application form and trip deposit. Spaces fill quickly so make your reservation early!

Deposits
All of the road trips such a buses and vans require a deposit of $225 and all air travel vacations have a $450 trip deposit.

Refund Policy
Cancellation by Travelers: Whether you register for a trip by phone, mail, web site or in person, such registration authorizes us to purchase any train, air, cruise or admission tickets or packages. If you decide to cancel the trip you must notify us at least 31 days prior to the trip departure date. We will refund your money less a $50.00 cancellation fee and any pre-purchased portion of the vacation package such as airline tickets, cruise packages, admission tickets hotel accommodations. Trips canceled 14 days or closer to the departure date are non-refundable. “Late shows” and “no shows” are non refundable.

Who Uses Tulip Travel?
Our trips are designed for those vacationers who have special needs and would like travel escorts. Those who benefit from our services include travelers with developmental disabilities and.

Requirements for Travel
All individuals with a developmental disability who:

Are able to travel in a small group setting within the 1:4 escort to traveler ratio provided
Are cooperative and considerate of others on the trip
Are able to provide for their personal care needs with reminders or minimal assistance
Are able to adjust to a change in the itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control
Respect the property of others during their vacation
Traveler Identification
Since we often travel outside of the country and utilize air travel it is important for all of our travelers to have proper personal identification. If a traveler does not have proper government issued identification accepted by authorities the traveler will not be allowed to travel and will not receive a refund. Other governments and authorities impose the requirements for identification and whether a traveler is allowed on a plane or into another country is not a decision made by Tulip Travel, Inc. Please keep the following in mind:

Travel to Canada: original birth certificate or certified copy and a government issued photo ID (such as Sheriffs ID with valid expiration date, NYS non-drivers ID or passport).
Travel outside of the United States and Canada: passport
Travel on airlines: a government issued photo ID (such as Sheriffs ID with valid expiration date, NYS non-drivers ID or passport).

Application forms for NYS non-drivers identification and passports can be obtained at our office or by visiting our
FAQ section on travel documentation.

Behavioral Intervention
In the event that a traveler's behavior makes him/her unacceptable in the community, disruptive on the premises, or a threat to safety or enjoyment of other travelers, then that person will be returned to his/her home program at his/her own expense without refund. Damage to property will be charged to him/her as well.

Our Medication Policies
Tulip Travel is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable vacation for our guests. Accordingly, we feel that a safe and uniform medication program is necessary to ensure the well being of our vacationers. Our policy is that we are able to hand our travelers their medications that have been pre-dispensed by their family, pharmacist or program, and that all travelers are well supervised in their administration of their own medications.
Option 1: Provider, agency or referring party packages medications as indicated in these policies.
Option 2: Ask your local pharmacy, in advance, to dispense medications in accordance with these procedures.
Option 3: Travelers who are completely independent in their own medication regime may arrive with their medications in a locked container, and the guest must be able to understand that the container must be locked at all times when not in use. In referring a traveler for this method you are specifically stating that the traveler is able to handle his/her own medication completely, without assistance or supervision, AND that they are able to keep those medications safely stored to prevent access by any other traveler.

Packaging Requirements

Medications must be pre-packaged by the traveler’s home. We ask that they be in 2x3 coin envelopes or pill boxes for travel, which clearly mark the days and times of medication. These per dose envelopes or pillboxes should be placed in a large manila envelope, with any relevant information. Each envelope needs to be marked with the traveler's name, meds and time of medications.
All meds must be checked in at the departure point. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD MEDICATIONS BE PLACED IN A TRAVELER'S LUGGAGE.
A separate medication schedule is required, even for those travelers designated as self-medicating, so that we are aware of what meds the guest is taking, in case of emergency.
Please send an extra 1 days of medications to allow for unexpected events such as spillage, transportation delays, etc. Follow the same guidelines for packaging.
Special instructions regarding medications (i.e. blood pressure readings, refrigeration, etc.) must be reviewed with Tulip Travel staff prior to arrival.
Tulip Travel keeps a record of those whose medication we monitor. That record states, by name, the individual who supervises each traveler during each of their administrations of medications on their trip. The record requires staff to sign off each time a guest takes his/her medication, and indicates that the staff has witnessed the guest taking the medication that was in their pre-dispensed container/envelope. If you have specific questions regarding this policy please contact our office.

Swimming policy
Tulip Travel will not allow their customers to utilize a hotel and/or resort pool, unless the facility has a certified lifeguard on duty during the time of the visit. In addition customers with a history of seizures need to bring their own PFD (Personal Floating Device). Tulip Travel does not allow any of their customers to swim in open bodies of water such as lakes, oceans and rivers.

back to top