221: Chickasaw Country and Oklahoma City Road Trip Travel
Vacation Mavens
Tamara has finally made it to her 50th state...Oklahoma!! She took an Oklahoma road trip to visit both Oklahoma City and Chickasaw Country in south-central Oklahoma, in partnership with Chickasaw Country and the Chickasaw Nation. Oklahoma City has a lot to offer as a stand-alone destination including the First Americans Museum and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Tamara stayed at the aLoft hotel in Bricktown, which is the entertainment district with plenty of restaurants, bars, shops, and the minor league baseball stadium and water taxis. If you are interested in learning more...
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220: African Safaris
Vacation Mavens
Tamara is hosting an all-women small group trip to Portugal this fall and she would love for you to join her! . Did you know that Kim has been on safaris in four African countries? Today she shares some great tips that will help you decide where you might want to go, understand the differences between various safari experiences, and provide some advice for planning an African safari trip. You can read more about a few of Kim's safari experiences here:
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219: German Christmas Markets Trip
Vacation Mavens
Tamara is hosting an all-women small group trip to Portugal this fall and she would love for you to join her! . In this episode, Tamara talks about her two-week German Christmas Markets road trip! If you have this magical holiday trip on your radar, make sure to give this episode a close listen and check out the following articles:
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Barge and River Cruising Through France
Vacation Mavens
Before we say goodbye to summer and pull on our flannels and break out the pumpkin spice, Tamara and Kim are back with a recap of Tamara's European summer travels including a month spent exploring France by river and barge cruise! Tamara first spent two weeks in the United Kingdom, on a road trip through both Scotland and Wales with two other travel writers. She then took the Eurostar down to France and spent one week cruising through the Canal Nivernais on the Hotel Barge Elisabeth. Next, she went to Bordeaux and her husband joined her for a weeklong river cruise with AmaWaterways. Tamara...
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217: Scottsdale and Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka)
Vacation Mavens
Well it has been a minute since we had a chance to catch up and record a podcast but in this episode Tamara shares her insights and experience from her recent family trip to Japan. Kim and Tamara also share their love for Scottsdale, Arizona and some of the things they did on a girls' trip together. Read more at: Tamara also talked about her time in Paso Robles, California. You can read her to get inspired to visit this wine region. Kim attended conferences in Walt Disney World (read her tips for using DVC points to ), Disney Land, and San Antonio. She also took a family cruise to...
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216: Ireland and Northern Ireland
Vacation Mavens
Kim took a last minute spring break trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland with her younger daughter and this week on the podcast, she tells us all about it! She flew into Dublin and then stay at a country estate hotel in Northern Ireland before visiting Belfast, the Causeway Coast, Derry/Londonderry, and Galway before looping back to Dublin. See Kim's articles on: Ireland Trip Highlights: in Northern Ireland Belfast - Titanic Belfast and city architecture - Carrick-a-Rede bridge, Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle in Derry - walk the walls around the city Galway - Kim...
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215 Oceanside Disneyland California
Vacation Mavens
Spring break is almost here and on this episode Kim and Tamara share their experience on a girls' trip in Oceanside, California and then their mother-daughter trip to Disneyland with their girls. If you want some inspiration for a SoCal getaway, be sure to listen in!
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214 Northern Italy + Big Announcement
Vacation Mavens
Happy New Year! We are back and apologize for taking so long to release a new episode. Moving forward, we will strive to have one episode a month to share our travels and tips, as we continue to each put more time into our respective websites. But first, Tamara has a big announcement and that is that she is hosting a women-only small group trip to Iceland in September 2023! You can get all the information on and she really hopes that some listeners will be able to join! Note that there is a discount of 15,000 ISK if you register by January 15, 2023. Next Tamara tells us all about her...
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213: Glacier Country, Montana
Vacation Mavens
This episode is sponsored by Glacier Country Tourism. All opinions are our own. This week, Tamara shares what it is like to visit Glacier Country, Montana on a girls' trip and Kim shares her thoughts on this scenic part of Northwestern Montana. From Missoula to Whitefish, Kalispell to Glacier National Park -- if Montana is on your bucket list, give this episode a listen! Read more: Things to do in Glacier Country, Montana Glacier Country is a tourism region of Northwestern Montana that covers eight counties To get to Glacier Country you can fly into Missoula or Glacier Airport in Kalispell,...
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212: Summer Travel Catch Up
Vacation Mavens
We are back from our summer travel and packed a whole lot into a one episode recap! We apologize in advance for some audio difficulties on this one, especially after taking so long to get it live. Thanks for hanging in there with us! On this episode we cover Tamara's summer trips to: Nantucket (read her ) New Brunswick, Canada (, , and ) Prince Edward Island, Canada () Sailing on the And Kim shares about her adventures: Mediterranean cruise on Costa Cruise Lines () Gorilla trekking in Uganda Alaskan cruise on Holland America Graduation trip to Disney World and Universal Orlando ()
info_outlineThe Vacation Mavens love a fun girls' trip and what could be better than pairing up some wine tasting and adventure? This time, we head to Santa Rosa in the heart of Sonoma's wine country to learn all the things to do with friends, or with family. From zip lining to hiking to glamping within view of giraffes, listen to all we experienced during our four days in Santa Rosa, California.
ON THE PODCAST
00:30 - Sponsor - Allianz Travel
01:16 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about California
05:20 - Santa Rosa Itinerary
07:54 - Safari West
14:57 - Charles Shultz Museum
23:05 - Wine tasting
28:40 - Shout Out!!
19:05 - Redwoods
32:30 - Downtown Santa Rosa
37:45 - Grand Tasting
43:40 - Coming up
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TIPS FOR VISITING SANTA ROSA CALIFORNIA
- Santa Rosa has luxury hotels and inns for couples and girls trips, but they also have options for budget stays and families.
- Safari West may be surprising to find African mammals in Northern California, but it is a fun option for tours or overnight stays.
- At Safari West you can glamp overnight in an African bush tent, or just visit for the day and book a guided-safari tour. On the three-hour tour you will learn a lot about the animals and how they run the preserve. Safari West is AZA accredited and works on animal conservation.
- The Charles Shultz Museum is great for kids and Peanuts' fans. There are other museums and activities in the area as well so that you can make a full day in downtown Santa Rosa if you would like.
- If you are a dog owner you should make the Mutt Lynch Winery a must-visit winery. The tasting room is located in Windsor, CA and is filled with gift shop items that you will want to buy for your furry friend! It had a really down-home feel and they offer a wine club that for every wine order you make, you will also receive a dog toy with your shipment! You are more than welcome to bring your dog and they will also do a treat tasting for the dogs while you are tasting their wine. To top it all off the wine was really good!
- The Armstrong Redwood Reserve is a great little gem and is a great alternative if you can’t make it up to the Redwoods in San Francisco. There are a few easy loop hikes to take among the Redwoods.
- If you are in the area for the grand tasting at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, you should definitely check it out. They hold it every year in October and they have probably over a hundred different wineries there, along with craft beer and ciders.
- See more things to do in Sonoma with kids and Santa Rosa kid-friendly wineries.
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
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If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email or leave us a voicemail at +1.641.715.3900, ext. 926035#. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!