Who we are and what we believe
Our Approach
A fun and educational tour company, Are We There Yet? stands out from the crowd by focusing on the small details.
When you travel with Are We There Yet?, you always stay in the nicest places, dine in the best restaurants, and find hidden gems throughout the tour because the owner travels with you every step of the way! From stories and films about the area's you'll see to local step-on guides and iconic stops, you'll never be bored or have to play BINGO! Most tours have optionals so that you can choose the things you wish to do, and explore on your own when you want. So see the world with Dea, and let the Tour Girl be your guide.
Dea HooverAuthor, tour company operator and lifelong Missouri native Dea Hoover has spent more than 20 years exploring and sharing the world with others. Leading tours to all 6 inhabited continents and within the US from as far south as Key West, Florida to as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska, she knows a thing or two about experiencing the best of any destination. In her new book, "STL Scavenger: The Ultimate Guide to St. Louis's Hidden Treasures" (Reedy Press, 2021) she has gathered and gamified her extensive local knowledge to provide an entertaining and educational means of interacting with local sites, history and little-known facts about the area. Dea is the owner and operator of two well-known local tour companies (Discover St. Louis and Are We There Yet?). She has been featured in newspaper, radio, magazine and on television, including The History Channel’s “The States.” She is past President of the St. Louis Professional Tour Guide Association and also served on the tour guide certification committee for the PTGA. Dea is currently a board member and Vice-President of The Hill Business Association and Secretary of the County Credit Union Board. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in English from Washington University in St. Louis and completed the Dale Carnegie Public Speaking course at 16. Her childhood was spent in her parents’ Main Street Firestone Tire and Appliance business. Her pride and joy as a teenager was her 1965 Limited Edition Mustang and for Firestone fans she says she is gum-dipped. Today Dea resides in The Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, considered America’s last Little Italy, with her husband and partner in tourism and rhyme, Declan. They have visited 6 continents together with Antarctica next on the itinerary!
Maggie Rutherford is the Office Manager extrodiare, for both companies and tour guide liaison for Discover St. Louis, brings her vast organizational skills to the office, derived from her experiences working in the lockbox department for Mercantile Bank (now US Bank) and as a stay-at-home mom for the last nine years. She volunteers for the Humane Society, Girl Scouts and St. Simon’s Home and School Board. She has worked for Are We There Yet? since its founding in 2005 and is a summa cum laude graduate of Fontbonne College with a BA in English and Communication.
Declan Rutan creates the websites and brochures, writes the itineraries, and keeps the technology operational as well as leading tours with Dea. While attending the Clinton School of Public Service, Declan had a chance meeting with Dea Hoover, who asked him to help plan a tour to Ireland. The job interview became a date, and eventually lead to both a career and marriage. While not leading tours, Declan creates itineraries and designs the website, brochures and flyers like the one you are reading right now. He received a Masters of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, consulted for the Arkansas Division of Family Services, and worked for the East-West Institute in Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia. You might have seen him on the cover of Groups Today Magazine as one of the "Top 10 Next Gens in Tourism"