by Marci Narum  |  Submitted Photos

Paging through a memory book of shared photos, keepsakes, and ticket stubs from a 2013 tour of New York City, Tracy Mertz and Korrine Sailer smile and giggle.

“It was so much fun and the ladies we met were a lot of fun too,” Tracy says with a smile.

“We have stressful jobs,” Korrine adds. “It was a nice getaway and we were able to take that time off together.”

Tracy and Korrine are foster care case managers. They became office friends when they worked together for Burleigh-Morton County Social Services. Thanks to an article in Inspired Woman magazine, they discovered they had something else in common: they like to travel but prefer it most when someone else does the planning and guiding.

“Usually I would pick up the Inspired Woman magazine on a lunch break and read it,” Korrine explains. “I came across the ad for the trip and walked across to Tracy’s office and said, ‘Hey look what I found in this magazine. Would you be interested in doing this with me? It looks like fun and I‘ve always wanted to go to New York City.’”

Tracy said yes in a New York minute. The tour was beyond their expectations.

“All the tickets were purchased for us so there was no waiting in line or having to worry about renting a car, Korrine says. “And we had an awesome tour guide.”

The highlights of their trip were the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Memorial. But the lasting impression is the people they met. Tracy and Korrine have been on every tour Inspired Woman magazine has offered, seeing San Francisco and Boston together, sometimes with repeat fellow travelers.

“Some of the same people have gone on the other trips,” Tracy explains. “So it’s kind of building friendships with them too. I’ll run into some people once in awhile. We reminisce about the trip and ask, ‘Are you going on the next one?’”

“I think it’s just fun to meet the other women and get to know their backgrounds and where they’re from and what other trips they’ve done,” Korrine says.

Tracy and Korrine were among the first to sign up for the next Inspired Woman tour this fall. It will be the first time to Chicago for both of them. But with all the travel experience they have gained, The Windy City will be a breeze. And these two friends are already looking forward to reconnecting and making new memories together, especially since a hallway no longer separates their offices, the Missouri River does. The agencies they work for separated in 2015.

“I really miss working with Tracy,” Korrine says.

“The trips have helped keep us in contact and keep building our friendship,” Tracy adds.    

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