About CETA Tours

Bringing Meaningful Travel Experiences to Students and Adults

Jeff Hoag, Founder

Almost 50 years ago, when he was a German teacher in Rochester, MN, he gave his students the adventure of a lifetime. Making all of the travel arrangements himself, Jeff and a group of his students took off in the summer of 1974 for a six-week bike tour to Germany. Over the years, Jeff eventually turned his passion for travel into a business, arranging tours for other school groups and eventually expanding into the adult tour market. He retired from CETA in 2007 but continued to travel with family and friends until 2017. He passed away in 2021 but his legacy continues as CETA continues to operate on the foundation he established.

Kristen Hoag Billingsley, Owner

Prior to working in the travel industry, Kristen taught German and Spanish in Menomonie, WI. During the summers, she would often lead tours for her father’s travel company, which led to her joining him in the travel industry as Student Program Director in 1997 and then as Owner in 2007.

Our Commitment

CETA Tours continues to work with many of the same bus companies, hotels, and local tour guides with whom Jeff established relationships decades ago. We are able to keep our prices reasonable because of these relationships. CETA’s staff personally develops and refines our tour itineraries based on our years of travel experience, including living and studying abroad.

Our tours have a good balance of structured activities and individual exploration. Most include sightseeing/admission costs, two meals daily, and gratuities to local guides, restaurants, and hotel staff, providing excellent value to travelers.

All of our tours start with a sample itinerary and are tailored to each group. This flexibility allows group organizers to be as involved as they wish to be. CETA’s experience enables us to either plan an entire tour itinerary, or simply provide suggestions on an itinerary that a group organizer has developed.