Longtime Kenosha Company LaMacchia Travel Opens New Office

The business opened in its new location on Wednesday, April 24.

Owners and local couple Tom and Monica Karnes recently discussed the history of the nearly century-old business and the role of a local travel agency in the Internet age.

According to family lore, Eugenio LaMacchia, great-grandfather of Tom Karnes, was an Italian immigrant who came to America in the late 19th century. He would open his own grocery store in the city and on the side, help many fellow immigrants come to America by helping book transportation.

His son Edmund, Tom’s grandfather, would open LaMacchia Travel in the Columbus Park neighborhood in 1931.

Many of the area’s Italian families have roots in the LaMacchia family’s efforts, Tom said.

In the 93 years since the local travel agency opened, several LaMacchias have taken over the family business, and Tom has worked with many of them, including his grandmother and several uncles.

In 2008, he and Monica purchased the business, becoming fourth-generation owners.

“When Tom had the idea to go ahead and buy the family business, there wasn’t much to say except ‘I’m with you,’” Monica said.

Since then, the business has continued to evolve. They started a national honeymoon and destination wedding business, LovinAway, in 2017, and during the pandemic created LaMacchia Jet Stream, a host agency for travel agents that provides administrative work.

Tom and Monica have three daughters, two of whom the couple said are interested in the sector and a third who they are working to convince, they joked.

Tom said they had been at the previous location, 618 55th St., for 35 years, but it was at the “center” of future downtown developments. They “tried several options to stay downtown,” but none seemed suitable.

Rather than delay any development, Tom said they decided to start from scratch in a new location.

They spent “a good part of the year” scouting locations, settling on the 30th Avenue location. Even though it’s a new building, the couple said they hope to be part of the area community like they were in the old building.

“We feel like we can make this area home, we really hope we can make a difference here,” Tom said.

Tom has worked in the travel industry for 40 years and Monica for around 15. They recalled the rise of the internet which, at the time, was seen as the end of travel agencies like theirs.

“There is a lot of information on the Internet and a lot of people thought this would be problematic for travel agencies in the United States,” Tom said.

While that was true for some companies, LaMacchia was “able to leverage what was on the Internet, incorporate our experience and knowledge, and our real commitment to the customer,” Tom said.

The huge amount of information and services online has led some to return to local services in recent years.

“Over the last year, I’ve had more people calling and saying ‘I’ve never used an agency before. There’s so much information on the internet, I’m getting overwhelmed,’” Monica said.

There are advantages to having a travel agent, the couple said, as they can help with any emergencies that may arise and have extensive experience. While a travel agent is “not for everyone”, Tom encouraged people to get in touch and have a chat.

“We’re directly accountable to people, which most online gamers aren’t,” said Tom. “It doesn’t do us any good to just take their money and sell them an average product.”

They are proud of their services and committed staff, Monica said, and the community work the company has done over the years.

“I’m really proud of it,” Monica said. “Expedia will not return money to the Kenosha area.”

With the company just a few years away from celebrating a century of business, Tom said they are focused on today.

“There are still seven years to go, anything can happen. We don’t take any of this for granted,” said Tom. “We remain committed to our customers.”