About Us

We are Celebrating our 50th year of serving the travel needs for Waco and all the surrounding communities and clients all over the world! Without, you, our valued clients this would not be possible, so “Thank you” for your support and we look forward to helping you, your friends and family, and new clients to find your perfect vacations! Allen Samuels House of Travel is a full service travel agency that has been locally owned and operated for 50 years with over 135+ years of combined travel experience, so why go anywhere else to book your next trip? We opened our door in Jan 1974 and have been growing our company ever since. We currently have a staff of 5 full time travel consultants here to help you plan your perfect vacation. We’ll save your time and money and we’ll help make your trip a hassle-free, one stop shop for all your travel needs! Give us a call at (254) 776-2560 and let us get started planning either a trip for leisure, business or both! Bambi, Linda, Cheri, Connie and Carol all look forward to hearing from you soon!

Bambi Eskew

Bambi is married to Kevin for the past 37 years. They have 2 children, Dustin and wife Mallory and grandson Major and Lindsey and husband Jeremy, who have grandson Rowan 5 and granddaughter Renley 4! . They live in the Waco/China Spring area with their 4 dogs. Bambi serves on the board of directors for Fuzzy Friend Rescue and is volunteer with the Heart o Texas Fair and Rodeo organization. Being in the travel business for over 40 years, Bambi has the expertise to help anyone with their travel needs! People always ask her favorite places to travel and she replies, “ask me where I didn’t like as that would be a much shorter list!”

Bambi Eskew
General Manager
Groups, Special Events
Land and Cruise Packages
bambi@houseoftravelwaco.com

Cheri Thigpen

Cheri is married to Davis Thigpen for 24 yrs. They have three children -Kaci, who is a school teacher in Austin, Bric who works for State Farm as a catastrophic loss adjuster in Dallas and Alex, who is a pediatric ICU travel nurse. Cheri has worked in the travel industry for 11 yrs, 7 of which has been as a travel consultant for Allen Samuel’s House of Travel. She has traveled all over Mexico and the Caribbean. Her top 3 destinations are New Zealand, Spain and Hawaii.

Cheri Thigpen

Travel Consultant
Leisure and Group Travel
Cruise and Land Vacations
cheri@houseoftravelwaco.com

Carol Cunningham

Carol and her husband Benny will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2023! Their son Brian and his Wife Tammie live in Waco. They have 2 grandson’s Miller who attends Texas A&M and Bryce who is a junior in high school in Waco. Carol has been in the travel industry since 1971. Her first travel related job was at the ticket counter at Love Field. She has been at House of Travel since 1998. Carol specializes in groups, international and domestic flights at Allen Samuel’s House of Travel.

Carol Cunningham

Travel Consultant
International, Missionary Travel
Leisure and Group Travel
carol@houseoftravelwaco.com

Megan Ed

Passionate about travel and adventure, Megan always has a trip on the horizon. She has been to all seven continents, traveling to Antarctica in 2018, achieving a lifelong bucket list goal. She lives in Dallas with her husband and independent toddler where she teaches at a public Montessori program. She hopes to one day fly for Southwest as a pilot and finally publish some children’s books! Megan has continued working as a travel agent part time because she loves planning trips so much and is happy to help with anything from unique customized trips to relaxing beach resorts. Text her at 915-526-0165 and she would be happy to schedule a call with you.

Megan Ed

Travel Consultant
Outside Sales
megan@houseoftravelwaco.com

Linda Key

Linda has been in travel for over 29 years helping with both corporate and individual leisure vacations. Linda has 3 grown children & 12 grandchildren who keep her very busy all the time. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her grandkids play sports and goes to every one of their games she possible can. Linda has 2 dogs, Dixie and Roscoe. Linda also loves to travel whenever possible. She enjoys cruises, Mexico and the Caribbean to name a few!

Linda Key

Travel Consultant
Leisure, Corporate, and Group Travel
Cruise and Land Vacations
linda@houseoftravelwaco.com

Connie Koenig

Connie and her husband Melvin have been married for 38 years and lives in Temple, Tx. They have 3 grown children and 3 precious grandsons. She has been in the travel business for 35 years and recently joined Allen Samuels House of Travel after MegaTravel in Temple’s owners retired and closed the office. Connie has traveled Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 of The United States. In addition to traveling, Connie enjoys the outdoors working with flowers/plants and spending time with family and friends.

Connie Koenig

Travel Consultant
Group Travel
Cruise, Land & Tour Vacations
connie@houseoftravelwaco.com

Jeff Grieder

With over 20 years in the travel industry and more than 45 cruises under his belt, Jeff has explored countries all around the world. Originally a Houstonian, he moved to the Waco area 10 years ago and now proudly calls McGregor home. When he isn’t traveling the globe, Jeff enjoys life with his best friend, Dale, and their two fur babies, Chelsea and Boaz. Guided by his faith, Jeff serves as the Lay Leader at McGregor First United Methodist Church. While he can help you plan any type of getaway, his true passion and specialty is cruise vacations. Now working in outside sales, Jeff is ready to help you design your next ultimate journey. Give him a call at 832-875-4800 to start planning today!

Jeff Grieder

Cruise Consultant, Amazon Affiliate
Wedding Officiant, Private Driver
jeff@jeffgriederenterprises.com

Alma

Hi! I’m Alma, a travel consultant with Allen Samuels House of Travel. I’ve been in the industry since 1973, starting with American Airlines, where I spent 31 years in roles like International Reservations, Tours, and the Platinum Desk—traveling extensively along the way. I’ve experienced destinations across the globe—from Germany (before and after the Wall) to the Great Wall of China, the UK, France, Cambodia, Italy, and beyond. Simply put, I’ve been there. That firsthand experience helps me guide your trips with confidence—whether it’s a honeymoon, family vacation, or quick getaway. I’d love to help you create something memorable.

Alma

Travel Consultant
Group Travel
Cruise, Land & Tour Vacations
alma@houseoftravelwaco.com
469-358-6837