About Us
Next Travel is a family of travel companies based in Michigan and Indiana. With travel offerings ranging from Vacations and honeymoons to incentive groups and corporate travel, Next Travel has grown to become one of the largest travel agencies in the Midwest.
Leadership Team
Charlie O’Neill
President & CEO
Charlie began his career in travel in 2010 while attending the University of Michigan, where he founded HD Travel. Recognizing a unique opportunity to offer group Spring Break packages to fellow students, he quickly grew the business during his time at Michigan. After graduating in 2012, Charlie decided to turn his passion into a full-time career….
In 2014, Charlie met Chris Conlin, the former owner of Conlin Travel. The two quickly became friends and identified an opportunity to grow their businesses through collaboration. In 2018, they co-founded Next Travel, combining over 60 years of experience to establish Michigan’s largest leisure travel agency.
Colleen Romanauski
Vice President
Colleen graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Marketing. She began her journey at Next Travel in 2016 and currently serves as our Vice President. Colleen oversees a wide range of critical functions essential to the agency’s success. She is responsible for implementing new business acquisitions, streamlining operations, and maximizing efficiency. Additionally, she plays a key role in managing vendor relationships, negotiating contracts, and ensuring the highest standards of service delivery to all clientele. Colleen is very passionate about exploring the world and seizes every opportunity to hop on a plane and discover new destinations.
Christopher Walter
VP of Groups
Christopher joined Next Travel as Vice President of Groups in July 2024, bringing extensive experience in the travel industry. In his role, he oversees all group, meeting, and incentive business across Next Travel’s brands. Christopher is instrumental in managing customer relationships, negotiating contracts, and ensuring exceptional delivery standards for every program.
Kendal Sommers
Chief Information Officer
Kendal Sommers joined Menno Travel in 1994 as a corporate travel advisor. As Chief Information Officer, Kendal is responsible for all technology in our office including the airline reservation system, QC software, and corporate reporting. In addition, he manages staff training relating to all automation systems. Kendal’s travels have taken him to England, Hawaii, Canada, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic and India.
Nathan Troyer
Chief Financial Officer
Nate became a valued member of Conlin Travel in 2016 serving as the VP of Finance and seamlessly transitioned to Next Travel upon their acquisition of Conlin Travel Leisure in 2022. Holding a CPA designation, Nate now serves as our Chief Financial Officer, bringing expertise and strategic financial guidance to our team.
Kathy Myers
Director of Business Development
Kathy joined Next Travel with a deep-rooted passion for travel and extensive experience in the industry. Her career began in sales and marketing with leading international airlines, including Alitalia Airlines and Air France. She went on to drive corporate travel business development for 14 years. Her role focuses on accelerating our business growth with a focus on corporate, group, meeting and incentive travel.
Michelle Finch
Training & Development Manager
Michelle joined the travel industry in 1999, creating bespoke itineraries spanning the globe. Beyond crafting unforgettable experiences for her clientele, she actively fosters her love for the travel industry by sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Michelle spearheads comprehensive training programs for new hires and continuing education initiatives for our sales team, ensuring they remain at the forefront of excellence in customer service and travel expertise.
The History of Next Travel
With four office locations in Michigan, one in Indiana, and over 40 employees, Next Travel is quickly growing to be one of the largest travel agencies in the Midwest.
2018
Establishment of
Next Travel
Chris Conlin and Charlie O’Neill brought their leisure travel companies together to form one entity. They began to grow their group and leisure business, striving to be the largest leisure travel agency in Michigan.
2021
Acquisition of
Suburban Travel
Next Travel adds Suburban Travel of Rochester Hills, MI to its family of brands in January 2021.
Acquisition of
Classic Travel
Next Travel adds Classic Travel of Okemos, MI to its family of brands in January 2021, gaining Next Travel's second brick and mortar location in Okemos, MI.
2022
Acquisition of
Menno Travel
Next Travel adds Menno Travel of Goshen, IN to its family of brands in March 2022, gaining Next Travel's third brick and mortar location in Goshen, IN. With this acquisition, Next Travel expanded its reach into Indiana and added corporate travel into its business mix.
Charlie O’Neill
Majority Owner
In April 2022, Charlie O’Neill purchased Chris Conlin’s interest in Next Travel to become the majority stakeholder in the company.
2023
Colleen Romanauski
Minority Owner
In January 2023, Charlie brought Colleen Romanauski in as a minority owner. Together, they have continued to grow the business acquiring several more travel companies.
Acquisition of
Frankenmuth Travel
Next Travel adds Frankenmuth Travel of Frankenmuth, MI to it’s family of brands in March 2023, gaining Next Travel's fourth brick and mortar location in the heart of downtown Frankenmuth, MI.
Acquisition of
Grand Hill Travel
Next Travel adds Grand Hill Travel of Grand Blanc, MI to it’s family of brands in March 2023, gaining Next Travel's fifth brick and mortar location in Grand Blanc, MI.
Acquisition of
Livonia Travel
Next Travel adds Livonia Travel to it’s family of brands in January 2023.
2024
Acquisition of
Crossing Boundaries
Next Travel adds Crossing Boundaries of Traverse City, MI to it’s family of brands in July 2024, gaining Next Travel’s sixth office location in Traverse City.
Christopher Walter
Minority Owner
Along with the Acquisition of Crossing Boundaries, Christopher Walter became a minority owner of Next Travel.
Next Travel Family of Brands
