Episode 74: What’s Hot for Summer Travel?

We’ve talked in the past about how Americans take significantly fewer vacation days than In our industry, things start picking up right after Christmas. People are done with the holiday rush, getting ready to file their taxes, and begin to look forward to the year ahead. We spoke last week about the importance of taking that time off, so this week we thought we’d help you decide where to go. We get requests for all over the world and we wanted to talk about what trends we’re seeing this year, for summer in particular, so let’s get started!
What are your summer plans? Don’t have any yet ? We can help!
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Episode 73: Vacation Shaming

We’ve talked in the past about how Americans take significantly fewer vacation days than our counterparts in other countries. There are also reports that show workers are actually leaving vacation time on the table. As vacation planners we can’t imagine how this is possible! A recent study by Alamo Rent a Car offers an explanation: “Vacation shaming”. According to their survey results, about 60% of millennials feel the pressure to not take vacations. I think we all here agree that vacations are important, so we wanted to delve a little deeper into this phenomenon and see if we can help find some solutions.
Have you experienced vacation shaming? Do you use your vacation time?

Episode 72: Star Wars at Sea

It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan! Disney has recently announced several changes coming to the parks that feature the iconic film series and its many brands. Tonight we want to focus on one of their more unique experiences – Star Wars Day at Sea on Disney Cruise Line. These special voyages were announced last year and have been taking place on certain 7 day sailings on the Disney Fantasy since January. Recently Disney confirmed that they are going to have several sailings next year as well. Last month Elizabeth and her family sailed away on one of these special itineraries and want to tell us all about it. We thought we’d switch things up a little and get things from a kid’s perspective, so for our first segment we’re going do a short interview with her kids, and then we’ll be joined by her husband Chris to talk about what the adults thought of it. 
So, are you and Chewy headed for the seven seas? Let us know!
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Episode 71: Brag-Worthy Trips

With social media taking over our lives, some travelers choose their destination for bragging as much as they do for adventure and experience. Now that ALL of our friends from grade school through to the PTA can see where we are going in real time, we want those photos to be amazing and conversation-starting. Perhaps BRAGGING is a strong word… but we know the world is watching when we travel now, so we want to give them something to see.
So what are those brag-worthy destinations that we are seeing more and more requests for? What is YOUR brag-worthy destination?

Episode 70: 500 Things to See with your Kids Before They Grow Up

Traveling with kids is sometimes challenging. Many people question whether or not you should do it at all until they reach “a certain age.” But then there are others who start traveling with their children almost from the moment they are born. Childhood is fleeting… we all hear it said in many ways. So why wait? Why not turn your children into world travelers?
There are many books on the topic. Tonight as a guide, we are using Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up as a starting point for discussion. But really, we all are passionate about traveling with children, so we offer our own thoughts on the matter as well.

Do you have something to share about your travels with children? Let us know!

Episode 69: Budgeting Your Budget List

Many months ago, Episode 50 got you all excited about tackling your travel bucket list. But there is one pesky problem… how are we going to PAY for this? Sadly, none of us have discovered a money tree growing in our backyards, so how can we make our dreams come true when it comes to travel.
We can’t hand the money to you, of course. We need our money for our own travel! But we wanted to share some tips we have all come up with over the years to feed our own travel habit. Hopefully these ideas can help you take the first steps to those destinations you have always dreamed of.

Do you have a money tree…or how do you pay for our travel? Let us know!

Episode 68: What’s New in Central Florida 2016?

We love to talk about Walt Disney World on this podcast, and some people who aren’t super fans like us sometimes wonder why we keep going back. Well, it’s because as many times as we’ve been to Central Florida, there is still a ton of stuff that we haven’t experienced. It’s not just Disney either. Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and Sea World are also adding new attractions for 2016. We wanted to take some time to highlight what’s new this year and help you decide whether the time is right to revisit the Sunshine State.
Do you LOVE Central Florida like we do? Let us know!

Episode 67: 100 Years of National Parks

Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872 “as a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”, but it wasn’t until August 25, 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the National Park Service that placed all of the parks were under one jurisdiction. Today there are over 400 National Parks and monuments, and this year the park service is celebrating its Centennial. With special free days as well as the “Every Kid In A Park” initiative there has never been a better time to visit a park near you, and we want to make sure you get the most out of your visit, so let’s get started! 

Episode 66: Current Events & Travel

Zika, Chikungunya, ISIS – oh my! We travel to experience new cultures, sights, and wonders. But we also live in a world that is not at peace and bad things happen, both natural disasters and man-made conflict. When bad things happen, does it (or should it) affect your travel plans? We thought we would share our opinions on the matter and perhaps look more closely at the realities of the situation.

Have you ever changed your travel plans due to world events? Let us know how you handled it.

Episode 65: Hawai’i – The Big Island

Hawaii is the 8th-smallest and the 11th-least populous, but the 13th-most densely populated of the fifty U.S. states. It is made up of many many islands spread over about 1500 miles. But most people know Hawaii as the eight main islands and the very southeastern end of the archipelago. In order from northern most to southernmost, those islands are  Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. Today, we want to focus on the Big Island of Hawaii. But don’t worry, we have plans to talk about other islands in future episodes. But for now…let’s talk about waterfalls, hiking, ziplining, snorkeling, coffee, and beer.

Do you love the Big Island?