Episode 203: Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage with Holland America

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You know on this podcast we love to talk about the 49th state. It’s awe-inspiring! It’s immense! It’s enormous! By far the largest state – even bigger than Texas! So even though we’ve talked about some great things to do there, we haven’t covered them all. Recently Sandy & Lindsay boarded the Holland America Eurodam for a round trip cruise from Seattle through the inside passage. Here to talk about it with us, as well as why Holland America is uniquely suited to cruise Alaska in style, is Tara Schreiner.  As Sr. Manager, Strategic Accounts, Tara  is responsible for supporting the growth of home-based travel partners. Hailing from Los Angeles, Tara has a diverse background in the travel industry, holding positions everywhere from a motorcycle travel company to tour operators and most recently at Fathom. She has an MBA from Loyola Marymount University and her personal travels have taken her to all 7 Wonders of the World.  We can’t wait to pick her brain about Alaska!
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Episode 202: National Parks with Adventures by Disney

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Recently, Elizabeth and her daughter, Athena, experienced national parks  in Arizona and Utah and they did it without camping! In fact, they went on their trip with one of our favorite travel providers: Adventures by Disney. Their itinerary included: Sedona (Enchantment Resort); Bearizona/Williams, AZ; Grand Canyon (Thunderbird Lodge; Monument Valley (Goulding’s Lodge); and Moab/Arches National Park (Red Rock Lodge).
In this episode we talk to Elizabeth about why she chose to see the parks this way and why you should too!
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Episode 201: Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest corner of the continental USA is an area that is ever changing. As part of the Ring of Fire, there are many volcanic wonders to behold in a constant cycle of devastation and renewal. The diversity of wildlife and plant life could fascinate anyone. There are alpine wonderlands, the only rain forest in the continental USA and beautiful deserts. Outdoor activities dominate here in both summer and winter. There are lots of activities to be done for the outdoor enthusiast. On the more commercial side, craft beer scene is a booming business with so many breweries to try.  That is, of course, one reason we love this area, along with all of the great cultural areas to discover.

Episode 200: Life Changing Travel

Travel is more than the seeing of sights, it is a change that goes on deep and permanent in the ideas of living. Today is a big day in the life of our podcast -she is 200 episodes old. When we were thinking about how to celebrate such an occasion we tossed a lot of ideas around trying to find the perfect way to honor not only our podcast but you, our listeners. Sandy, of course, thought all of us running a 200-mile relay race to Pittsburg would be awesome, Lindsay thought that a marathon 200 hours at Disney World while we podcasted live would be just the ticket, Donna, and I suggested singing 200 bottles of beer on the wall during the podcast while drinking craft beer would be the absolute best way to celebrate and Laura suggested a camp out on a 200 acre farm with 200 of our listeners on the 200th day of the year to celebrate adventure travel would be hands down be the sure-fire memorable way to commemorate our 200th episode. But after much bantering and discussion, we all knew the way to honor not only the podcast but those of you who have loyally shared this podcast journey with us was to let you sit around with us as we share the reasons any of us travel….it changes us, it makes us better, it humbles us, it inspires us and hopefully in the process we make the world a better place. Because as we have discovered and reaffirmed you never really travel alone..the world is full of friends waiting to get to know you!

Episode 199: Port Canaveral, Florida

Port Canaveral is perched on the eastern seaboard midway through the state of Florida. It’s proximity to the attractions in Central Florida, as well as it’s bustling cruise port, make it an enticing option for those looking for a few days at the beach, or cruisers who don’t want to head all the way to South Florida. Royal Caribbean, Disney, Carnival, and Norwegian all have ships that call Port Canaveral their home, and since we always recommend arriving early for your cruise, we wanted to give you some tips on what to do once you’re there (or entice you to visit and stay there!)

Episode 198: Vancouver, BC

Vancouver, a bustling west coast seaport in British Columbia, is among Canada’s densest, most ethnically diverse cities. A popular filming location, it’s surrounded by mountains, and also has thriving art, theatre, and music scenes.  The city’s mild climate combined with close proximity to alpine peaks makes it the perfect destination for a winter getaway; a place that brings together the cultural and culinary highlights of the city, with easy access to snowy outdoor adventure. In spring the streets are lined with trees covered in blossoms, and the mild climate makes for perfect weather to explore the city’s gardens and parks and perhaps take in a brewery tour. When the leaves start to turn color and the weather cools down, Vancouver offers a great place to watch the season’s transition. From foodie tours through Granville Island Public Market, to the Museum of Anthropology to Historic Gas town once known as “Prohibition City” or  Stanley Park known for its dedicated bike trails and the seawall where you will find much to learn about the biodiversity of the temperate rainforest and importance to First Nations groups Vancouver is a city where everyone can find something to love in any season.  Lindsay one of our agents who lives in the Pacific Northwest recently gathered some of her friends and went to explore and sample some of the unique offerings of the is beautiful Canadian city. Her overall impression was, she can’t wait to go back!

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Episode 197: Meet New Agent Beth!

This week, we would like to take some time to introduce us to our newest addition to the Outlander Travel team, Beth Rudin. Like all of us, Beth’s love for travel began at an early age with domestic trips all over the Southeast and Florida. Her first trip abroad was in the summer of 1976 after her first year in college, when her grandparents invited her to join them on a trip to Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany and she fell in love with Europe. In 1981 she spent a summer in Scotland after she graduated from college, and shortly after, she accepted a position with Piedmont Airlines, which added fuel to the proverbial travel fire deep inside her.
In 1985 she was hired by a travel agency in Charlotte, NC where she was trained in the fields of corporate and leisure travel and her desire to travel increased. Since that time, Beth has visited much of Europe (some countries several times!) and the British Isles with her husband, Jim, including England, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Majorca, Spain and Egypt, some on land and some by sea.  Besides Europe, Beth and Jim have cruised Alaska and many of the Caribbean Islands.
Beth first visited Israel in the early 1990’s on a trip lead by her mother, and in the years to follow, she became part of the planning process.  They would lead more than 8 groups together before her mother passed the baton to her in 2012, and due to her deep faith and love for the people of Israel, Beth hopes she will continue leading groups there for many years to come. And in the meantime, she continues to focus on the corporate travel market. Welcome, Beth!

Episode 196: Adventure of the Seas

As you may have guessed from previous podcasts, we are definitely fans of Royal Caribbean’s offerings. Their ships are built with families and adventure in mind and they have itineraries all over the world. So if you are seeking adventure, Royal can help. Recently, Elizabeth was invited to explore the Adventure of the Seas, when she was repositioned to Bayonne, NJ for the summer. She was able to see all the great new updates and features to this ship, which is finishing up her summer northeast run and will be heading south again soon for longer Caribbean itineraries.
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Episode 195: Let’s Get Technical

Remember when travel meant long, transatlantic sailings on unsinkable ships with your sixteen steamer trunks and your dog? Okay, so we don’t remember those days either, but we DO know that modern technology plays a big role in modern travel. Everything from airplanes to mobile phones make our travel lives easier and easier. So what are our favorite gadgets and apps? And what are yours? This week, we are sharing all our suggestions for “must-have” travel technology.

Episode 194: Time Travel & Time to Travel!

It’s time to pull the tarp off the old Delorean and fire up the Flux Capacitor, because this week we are going to delve into the mysteries of time travel! Well, okay maybe not THAT type of time travel – but we are going to discuss a few of the biggest mysteries and misconceptions  surrounding perfectly timed travel.