About Jo

Go... with Jo! A little bit of history



It was 1983 and the Rio Grande Valley had just suffered a tremendous freeze over the Christmas Holidays. The world was brown and gardeners and farmers were warned to leave everything as is. No pruning, no rooting up, no plowing under – we might have another freeze. Not one to sit still for long, Jo decided to start a business.

The Beginning
Jo was not new to touring and especially not new to organizing tours in to Mexico. For almost twenty years, Jo had been supervising Junior and Senior High Girl Scouts on trips in the United States, Mexico and overseas. She had also been the token American on many tours for another tour company who sent tours into Mexico. Jo didn't need too much encouragement to begin Go...with Jo! Operating tours into Mexico was a dream she had for a very long time. What she did not realize was that a woman negotiating with Mexican men for the best prices available was going to be a bigger challenge. In 1984, women-especially American women - did not own and operate businesses into Mexico!
Very few women held managerial positions in that country. To this day, it amazes me how competitive my business is, how influenced it can be by the world situation and how so many business people can be so unscrupulous.


The First Few Years


At first, Jo did it all. I will have to admit that the first year, my husband did help me make the sack lunches for my tours. But the second year, he expected me to stand on my own two feet and so I hired one office person and one other person to help me guide the tours. Even to this day, I much prefer to be on the busses than in the office.

The second year, the company graduated from having a desk on Jo's sewing machine top to two make-shift desks - you know, a hollow core door placed over two filing cabinets!


How Times Have Changed


It's amazing how times have changed! Today the hotels and bus companies come to me wanting my business. No longer am I the step child in the tour business. But it has taken a lot of hard work, a lot of loyal customers, some great guides and drivers and wonderful dedicated employees. But you know what? I don't make a bit more money than I did when I first began. Any profit goes back into the business. On the plus side, I have a lot of fun working with my people and do I ever help the economy - both in the United States, Mexico and the world!