236: Plan a Swiftie Trip to NYC (at Christmas)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Release Date: 01/14/2025
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...
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Group Tours for Women: Solo Travel Doesn't Have to Mean Traveling Alone!
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
On this episode, we are joined by Susan Heinrich from . Susan is a Canadian writer living in Denver, Colorado. She is passionate about travel and supporting women in tourism. In 2020, she created Midlife Globetrotter, a website and platform that helps women over 40 follow their travel dreams to new places, with destination guides, practical tips and stories of her own adventures. Susan is passionate about reframing midlife as an opportunity, and explores themes of reinvention and self-discovery in her work. You can follow Susan on and . In this episode, we talk about group tours and...
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When Should You Work with a Travel Advisor?
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Vacation Mavens recently celebrated nine years of podcasting!! For all of you who have been with us for this journey, we thank you for your support! For those that joined us recently, welcome and we look forward to many more years of sharing our travel experiences. Tamara recently launched a new business as a travel advisor! You can learn more about her custom . Even if you aren't looking for full itinerary planning services, you can support Tamara's business by researching and booking hotels (and getting perks with preferred partner hotels) on this . Episode Highlights A travel agent and a...
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Tips for Traveling with Dogs (And For Leaving Them Home Too!)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
On this episode, we are joined by Jessica Williams. Jessica is the author of the award-winning Dachshund educational blog, . She's been traveling, hiking, and camping with her dogs for over 20 years. She's taken her dogs on many extended road trips, covering up to 5,000 miles, and she's flown with them many times. Her two biggest dog-focused travel aspirations are living in Switzerland for a month to hike in the Alps and spending a year road-tripping around the US with her dogs to hike and camp. You can follow Jessica on Instagram , , or . Episode Highlights: Most airlines have pet...
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Tips for Visiting Izmir and Ephesus, Turkey
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
This week, we are wrapping up our Turkey trip recaps and Tamara fills us in on her visit to Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the lesser-known city of Izmir. Episode Highlights Izmir sits on the Aegean Sea and Ephesus is a popular cruise port for cruises visiting Greece and Turkey. There are also a number of religious sites that attract religious travelers and pilgrimages. One site near Ephesus you can visit what is believed to be the last house that Mary, mother of Jesus, lived in before she died. Bodrum is more of a beach resort but Izmir is a city based on the...
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241: Spring Break Destination Ideas for 2025
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
On this episode, we are joined by Nedra McDaniel from , who is passionate about having attainable adventures at every stage of life. We are sharing some of our favorite places to go for Spring Break in the USA. You can follow Nedra on her blog, and on social media as @adventuremom on , , and others. Expedia recently shared some travel trends for 2024 showing that March is the most expensive month to fly, so if your spring break is in March, you may want to consider a road trip! If you are looking for a cheap airfare, use Google Flights from your airport and put "anywhere" as the...
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240: Tips for Visiting Cappadocia, Turkey
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
In November, Kim and Tamara took a trip to Turkey for a travel writer's conference. After their time in Istanbul, they jetted off to different parts of the country to see more of Turkiye. This week, Kim shares her experience in Cappadocia and offers up tips for anyone that wants to experience this magical world of fairy chimneys and sunrise hot air balloon rides. Episode Highlights Plan to stay in Cappadocia at least four days It pairs well with three to four days in Istanbul (it is about a 2 hour flight from Istanbul) Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) is the main airport for the region...
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239: How to Choose the Best Seats (for you) on an Airplane
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Airplanes are not known for their comfort or service. So if you want to have the best experience that you can while cramped inside with a bunch of strangers, here is some advice on how to choose the best seats on an airplane. We share our pros and cons of the bulkhead seats and areas of the plane to avoid. Episode Highlights Tamara doesn't like row 1 or the bulkhead row because you can't keep your personal item at your feet and often the overhead bins above that row are full you end up needing to store your valuables and even your carry on bag a few rows back. Often the first couple of rows...
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238: Mystery Weekend on Whidbey Island (A Perfect Getaway from Seattle)
Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast
Anyone looking for a weekend getaway from Seattle, or a small-town add-on to a trip to the Pacific Northwest, Whidbey Island is a great choice. Learn all about where to stay and things to do on Whidbey Island and hear about a fun time to visit during Mystery Weekend in February! Episode Highlights: Whidbey Island is one of the northern islands off of Seattle At the end of February each year the town of Langley hosts a Mystery Weekend You can get there via the Whidbey-Clinton ferry route or you can drive and take the bridge Learn more about Mystery Weekend: Kim's article on 5 Things to Know...
info_outlineKim and her daughter Amelia went to New York City in December to experience the Big Apple for the holidays. In addition to enjoying the holiday markets, ice skating, and decorations, they went on a quest to find all the of the Taylor Swift related spots in the City. If you have a Swiftie fan, give this episode a listen!
Trip Highlights:
- Kim stayed at the Grayson Hotel near Bryant Park, which has a good location but the rooms are very small and the rooftop bar is pretty loud and crowded
- They visited from Sunday - Wednesday to avoid the weekend crowds
- Earlier December is better because the crowds get heavier the closer it gets to Christmas and between Christmas and New Years
- Ice skating in Bryant Park is much cheaper than skating in Rockefeller Center and if you have your own ice skates, it is free. You need to book your time slot when it opens a week in advance. You get 20 minutes to get your skates and 50 minutes on the ice for your time slot.
- Kim and Mia used CityPASS New York to see many of the sights. The passes are available digitally and you can book reservations (when needed) from within the CityPASS app.
- They did Top of the Rock at night and then the Empire State Building during the day. During the holidays, Top of the Rock has a seasonal Christmas pop up bar.
- There are Christmas Markets at Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, Herald Square, and Union Square to visit. Bryant Park is one of the busiest markets.
- The storefronts on Fifth Avenue are decorated and Sixth Avenue has a lot of large ornaments and other holiday decorations.
- They didn't get to visit the lights in the neighborhood of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
Taylor Swift Spots in NYC:
- Housing Works - where Taylor Swift filmed part of the "All too well" video
- House on Cornelius Street
- Bus Stop Cafe near Cornelius Street
- Walk on the Highline
- Chelsea Hotel
- See more details in Kim's Instagram post