Packing 101: Tips for Summer Travel
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Get ready for your summer vacation and future travel with these expert packing tips! From carry-on to checked bags, here are some things to keep in mind when packing for your next trip. Episode Highlights: Use a packing list! It helps you not forget critical items. Start creating your packing list early in your Notes app Kim has an outfit planner that you can sign up for on Stuffed Suitcase Pay attention to your itinerary to figure out what you need to bring for each activity Also pay attention to the weather forecast for your destination Try to minimize the number of shoes that you bring on...
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Road Trip Tips (Plus Some of Our Faves!)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
It is summer road trip season so it is time to recap some of our best road trip tips from preparing, planning, packing, and more. Plus, we share some of our favorite road trips. Episode Highlights Before you head out on a road trip, make sure your car has been serviced recently and check the tires to make sure the pressure is correct. You may also want to top off your fluids and use the bug windshield washer fluid. Bring a go-to kit with wipes, sanitizer, tissues, lip balm, moisturizer, sun screen, and eye drops. Also bring a couple of extra baggies or ziploc bags. Bring a trash bag for the...
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Where to Stay in the Turks and Caicos
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Tamara recently took a travel agent FAM trip to Turks and Caicos and spent two nights at The Palms and two nights at The Shore Club. She also visited many other properties and today she shares her insights into each to help you decide where to stay in Turks and Caicos. Episode Highlights Turks and Caicos is known for its beautiful beaches and not for all-inclusives or as a party island Most of the hotels have great accommodations for families with 1, 2, 3-bedroom accommodations and up (including villa rentals) When arriving, be prepared for a long wait at passport control/immigration. Expect...
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Disneyland is Celebrating its 70th Anniversary
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Kim recently took a quick trip to her happy place, Disneyland, to attend a special media preview of its 70th anniversary celebration. This yearlong celebration features new entertainment from fireworks to parades, special celebratory food items, decorations throughout the park, and fun interactive activations. There are also promotional package deals available through Kim's partner Getaway Today. to save an additional $10 off a 2+ night vacation package. Learn more about Disneyland's 70th celebration foods here: See more of the special events and decorations on Kim’s Insta post: ...
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Food & Wine Journey Through Chilean Winelands
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
If you like culinary or wine travel, you need to put the Chilean Winelands on your travel bucket list. Tamara just came back from a two-week trip to Chile including the Atacama Desert and the Winelands. Episode Highlights: The wine regions are south and west of Santiago It is easy to drive through these regions but it is still recommended to get a driver for days when you are doing wine tasting Two hours south of Santiago is the Colchagua Region that is known for its red wine including Malbec, Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carmenere. One hour west of Santiago is the Casablanca...
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How to Plan Your First Trip to Hawaii (with an expert!)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
If Hawai'i is on your bucket list, you need to listen to this episode with Hawaii travel expert Marcie Cheung. Marcie is a family travel blogger and mom of two who's been to Hawaii more than 40 times, staying everywhere from luxury resorts to budget-friendly condos. She helps parents plan unforgettable Hawaii vacations with kids by sharing expert tips, honest reviews, and stress-free itineraries. You can learn more on her website or follow Marcie on and . You can also listen to her podcast, . Episode Highlights: The most popular tourist islands are: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii (The Big...
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Planning a College Campus Visit
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Kim just wrapped up round two of college tours and her daughter Mia has committed to UCLA's School of Engineering! We thought we would share some of our college search experience to help others that are just getting to this phase of parenting. Episode Highlights It is important to visit various college campuses before you begin the college application process to help your student understand the style and size of campus that they feel most comfortable in It helps to start early during their sophomore or junior year Before you look at a particular school, make sure it is a school that you can...
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Visiting Chile's Atacama Desert
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Tamara and her husband recently took a couple's trip to Chile and this week on the podcast she shares her impressions, experiences, and tips for Santiago and Atacama Desert. In a future episode, she will talk about her week in Chile's Winelands. Episode Highlights Tamara flew Avianca Airlines on a flight deal from Boston to Bogota and Bogota to Santiago. Avianca Airlines business class is more like premium economy and not a very impressive business class but overall the flights went smoothly. She really enjoyed her stay at the Hyatt Centric Las Condes. Las Condes is a nice area to stay in...
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Tips for Fantastic Mother-Daughter Trips (Plus Destination Ideas!)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
A mother-daughter trip is an incredible way to bond in ways that you can't recreate in your home environment. This week, Kim and Tamara share their tips for mother-daughter trips and provide ideas for some of their favorite mother-daughter trip destinations (these can also be used for mother-son or father-daughter/son trips too.) Episode Highlights When kids are younger, it is fun to find a theme to base the trip around or pick a destination that is tied to their interests Get your kids involved in the planning or allow them to choose a destination. At a minimum, let them choose activities....
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A Mother-Daughter Bucket List Trip to Peru and Machu Picchu
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Tamara is just back from a bucket list trip to Peru with her daughter and she shares all about her lodge-to-lodge trek with and tips for visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: Tamara “won” this trip as part of an auction that benefits the that takes place each fall When visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley, it is best to give yourself 3-4 days to get used to the elevation prior to hiking (Cusco is at about 11,000 feet) You can take Diamox or acetazolamide (prescription) to help prevent altitude sickness Coca tea and coca candies help you with altitude but it also has...
info_outlineNot sure where to go on vacation next year? We have all kinds of ideas from new theme parks, new attractions, new hotels, cities and destinations celebrating anniversaries, destinations that are easier to access thanks to new direct flights, and more. Plus, stick around to hear where to avoid in 2025 too!
- Universal Orlando is opening Epic Universe in May of 2025 and you currently need to buy a three-day ticket, with one day to be spent in the Epic Universe Park. There are also three new hotels opening in 2025 in conjunction with the new park.
- Walt Disney World is also reopening the Test Track attraction and getting a new parade in Magic Kingdom. Disneyland will also be celebrating its 70th anniversary all year long and adding a new Walt Disney animatronic attraction. Two new attractions will also open in the Avengers land.
- Mattel Adventure Park is opening in Glendale, Arizona with a Barbie Fun House and Hot Wheels roller coaster.
- Oklahoma City is opening an Okana Resort with a hotel and waterpark right next to the new First Americans Museum near the Bricktown entertainment district.
- Santa Rosa, California is celebrating the Peanuts comic strip's 75th anniversary at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center. (Hear more about Kim and Tamara's trip to Santa Rosa.)
- Germany is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Fairy Tale Route (read more about Jade from Vagabond 3's tripwith her daughter)
- Southwest is now flying direct flights to Iceland from more cities (such as Nashville). Just know that you won't be able to use your Companion Pass for Iceland flights.
- This winter is also supposed to be another peak solar cycle to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, Alaska, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
- There are also new direct flights from Atlanta and Philadelphia to Copenhagen via a KLM code-share with Delta.
- Copenhagen is one of the oldest theme parks in the world and the city is quite family friendly.
- If you are traveling to Europe next year, at some point they will introduce the ETIAS visa and the UK is now going to introduce its own visa system in January 2025.
- 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth and cities like Bath, England will be doing a lot to celebrate. It is a great time to plan a trip for literary fans!
- Fiji now has direct flights from Dallas. Fiji is an affordable and exotic destination for families, which is easier to get to and much cheaper than places like the Maldives.
- There will also be new direct flights from Newark, NJ to Faro in the Algarve in Portugal (hear about Kim and Tamara's trip to Portugal). United also has flights to Sao Miguel in the Azores.
- Turks and Caicos has opened many new luxury hotel properties and beachfront villas and offers beautiful beaches. They are also opening a second airport.
- Indianapolis will be a great spot for a girls' trip or a mother-daughter sports-themed trip - just get your tickets to the Indiana Fever very far in advance. Seattle is also a great sports city with a women's soccer team and WNBA team.
- Italy is celebrating the Jubilee year from December 2024 through Epiphany January 6, 2026. Rome is going to be extra busy next year, especially at the Vatican (and it could be closed for events.)
In 2025, Tamara will be visiting both Peru and Chile in March and April 2025. Kim is meeting her daughter Mia in Paris in July and doing eight days in Switzerland.