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:
info_outline 219: German Christmas Markets TripVacation 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:
info_outline Barge and River Cruising Through FranceVacation 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...
info_outline 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...
info_outline 216: Ireland and Northern IrelandVacation 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...
info_outline 215 Oceanside Disneyland CaliforniaVacation 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!
info_outline 214 Northern Italy + Big AnnouncementVacation 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...
info_outline 213: Glacier Country, MontanaVacation 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,...
info_outline 212: Summer Travel Catch UpVacation 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_outline 211: NYC to Bahamas CruiseVacation Mavens
We are still catching up about our spring break trips and this time Kim shares the ups and downs from a Norwegian Cruise Lines voyage from New York City to the Bahamas with stops in "Orlando" and Norwegian's private island. Listen in and see if you are ready to set sail. In NYC, Kim stayed in the Hyatt Centric in Times Square for 2 nights before her cruise. The hotel was part of the American Express Fine Hotels Collection and she was able to get a $200 statement credits on her Amex Platinum Card. The hotel has a good location, but slow elevators and the rooftop bar is not open to minors....
info_outlineThis week we are chatting with Lee Huffman from the We Travel There podcast about his recent father-son trip to Amsterdam and Billund, Denmark. Learn about everything LEGO including LEGOLAND Denmark, LEGO House, and the LEGO Hotel.
ON THE PODCAST
00:30 - Allianz Travel
02:19 - Talking with Kim and Tamara
06:58 - Talking with Lee Huffman
10:10 - Break down of trip
14:45 - LEGO
26:27 - Final tips
32:09 - Lee’s favorite travel gear
ABOUT ALLIANZ TRAVEL
We all travel for different reasons. Some to get closer as a family and some to get away from it all. Some to discover new sounds, new tastes, and others to discover themselves. No matter your reason, Allianz Travel Insurance is the ultimate wingman—having your back while helping you make the most of every moment. True experts providing protection for all the reasons you travel.
Visit allianztravelinsurance.com, and see what award-winning travel insurance can do for your next trip.
Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Plan(s) underwritten by Jefferson Insurance Company or BCS Insurance Company. AGA Service Company is the licensed producer and administrator of these plans.
ABOUT LEE HUFFMAN
Lee Huffman spent 18 years in banking and investments and now uses that insider knowledge to write about credit cards, travel, and other personal finance topics. Lee enjoys showing people how to travel more, spend less, and live better through the power of travel rewards. You can connect with him at BaldThoughts.com. Follow Lee Huffman on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
You can also listen to him at We Travel There.
TIPS TO AMSTERDAM AND LEGOLAND DENMARK
- Don’t be scared to take a solo trip with your kid, even if you are trying to squeak it into a week break that they have in school. Taking those solo trips with your kids and centering it around something they really enjoy or have wanted to do will create some great bonding opportunities.
- If you visit Amsterdam, you should think about getting the Amsterdam Pass. With the pass you can get free entry into over 50 attractions plus free bus and boat tours. Getting the pass will save you a good amount of money if you are planning to do a lot of sightseeing while you are there.
- If you plan on visiting the Anne Frank House, you will need to make sure that you book your tickets in advance, because they do sell out pretty quickly. You should also know that when you are booking your tickets you can only book them 60 days in advance!
- LEGO House is a really fun and interactive place to visit. Just ordering your food, you will get a pack of LEGOs, which is how you pick what you want to order according to the color and shape. You will stack what you want together and then put them into a machine that has a screen. The screen with then play a little video that makes it looks like little robots are making your food. They when your food is ready there are animatronic robots that are there to ‘serve’ you the food.
- You should reach out to the hotel you are staying in. They may be able to give a LEGO card which can get you some discounts or even something free at some of the local businesses.
- If you do go to LEGO House you should make sure that you go up the outside of the building to these little terraces that each have an activity center with different themes. Your kids will love to explore these before you leave.
- There are three properties that are part of the LEGOland property. The LEGOland Castle Hotel is a happy medium. You will get good accommodations without paying too much. The Wilderness Barrels and Cabins is comparable to camping, including having to walk to the bathroom. Than there is the Hotel LEGOland that is attached to the park and also the most expensive.
- A good thing to keep in mind when you are traveling with younger kids is that uou should run through what to expect with your kids before hand, that way they can be a little more understanding of what is going on each day. This may also get the kids excited and looking forward to the trip.
- If they are a little older, make sure that you are giving them a chance to pick out some activities or sights that they want to do/see. Try to involve them in the planning process a bit.
- If you are taking a solo trip with you kid, you should think about scheduling times in each day when you can call or Skype with mom/dad maybe even siblings.
- Always have your kids use the restroom before boarding!!
FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR
Lee loves to wear a hoodie when he travels, especially on a plane so that he has a pillow/eye mask/blanket!
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
Annual Travel Insurance Plan - We3Travel
LEGO Inside Tour - Travel Babbo
Episode 93: Visiting Amsterdam with kids
FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD!
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 at [email protected]. You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!