Sunshine Travelers Podcast

Planning a Multi-Generational Trip to Paris? Here’s What We Learned What started with one question from our granddaughter: "Will you meet us in Paris before we fly home?" turned into a multi-generation trip exploring Paris, and it isn't the landmarks we'll remember the most.  We learned what's most important about traveling as a family of three generations, including  where to stay, how...

We just spent an amazing month in Italy but there were quite a few things that really surprised us, both good and bad.  Join us as we give out Italy Travel Awards for our favorite food destination, where we would return to, best experience, and more...plus the Italy tips we would give you and what we would do differently. Some links are affiliate links. See our  disclosure .   For m...

Venice had a bad reputation, at least that's what we had heard. For years we'd heard it was overcrowded, overpriced, and honestly not worth the hassle. So when we added it to the end of our month-long Italy trip, it got the least planning of any stop on our itinerary. That became obvious the moment our taxi driver dropped us off at the edge of the city, unloaded our bags, and pointed toward the wa...

Whitewashed towns, trulli houses, and incredible food, Puglia delivers on every postcard image you've seen. But after a month exploring this region, we discovered it's so much more than that. From a hidden tiki bar in Lecce to a scooter rescue mission for our laundry in Bari, from the centuries-old lime-wash tradition protecting Ostuni to an accidental focaccia-pizza discovery in Alberobello that...

Here's the thing nobody tells you before you go  to the Amalfi Coast is it requires understanding of what you actually want from the experience before you go. Because the version you've seen on Instagram and the reality of being there are two very different things. We spent several days exploring the coast and made a choice that ended up defining our entire trip. Instead of staying in Positan...

There are some cities in the world that instantly pull you in the moment you arrive. Florence wasn’t one of those cities for us. In fact, when we first arrived in Florence , we honestly wondered if we had made a mistake. Normally, when we visit an Italian city, one of our favorite things to do is wander. We’ll head down side streets, get lost a little bit, and usually discover quiet piazzas, local...

This week we are taking a break to spend some time with our kids and grandkids in Paris before they leave to return home to the US.  In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy one of our absolute favorite destinations that we will continue to visit over and over again. This is one of our earliest episodes, so audio quality may not be the same as we were learning to do a podcast. ________________...

Have you ever wondered what happens when you stop simply sightseeing and start participating in a destination?  There’s a point on many trips where you realize what you remember aren’t the famous landmarks, museums, and attractions. For us, this trip through Spain and Italy started to change when we stopped simply looking at places and started participating in them. Some of our favorite momen...

Last year, we partnered with Macs Adventure for their Umbria Short Break, a self-guided walking trip through the Italian countryside where we moved from town to town each day while our luggage was transferred ahead for us. It completely changed how we thought about adventure travel.  So this year, we decided to experience a different style of trip with Macs Adventure, the Relaxed Trails...

Bologna wasn’t on our itinerary. It was supposed to be a simple stop between Morocco and Tuscany. A place to rest, reset, and move on. Instead, it became one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable cities of our entire trip. In this episode, we share what surprised us about Bologna, what we almost skipped (but shouldn’t have), and why this underrated Italian city deserves a spot on your itinerary.&nbsp...

If you’ve started planning a trip recently, there’s a good chance you’ve opened up an AI tool and asked it to build you an itinerary. And honestly, that’s not a bad place to start. You can get ideas quickly. You can compare destinations. You can even map out a rough version of what your trip could look like. Here’s where things start to break down because AI doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. It a...

Morocco is one of those destinations that sits on a lot of bucket lists.   It had been on ours for a really long time. But for most people, it also comes with a lot of questions. How many days do you really need? Is it easy to get around? Should you try to plan it yourself… or work with someone local? And maybe the biggest one, what is Morocco actually like once you get there? What we’ve lear...

Planning a trip to London? Join us as we share insider tips from our 8th visit to London together, including our experience at Hoxton Southwark hotel, guided tours of the City of London and Changing of the Guards, the IFS Cloud Cable Car in Greenwich, and how to navigate London like a local. Learn about using AMEX Platinum credits, the Go City Pass, flying through Southend Airport, and essential L...

In this episode, we’re talking about one of the fastest-growing cruise lines in the industry and one that’s doing things very differently, Virgin Voyages. If you’ve cruised before, or you’re considering your next cruise, this is a brand that’s probably come up, and it’s not just because it’s new. It’s because Virgin has taken a very different approach to what a cruise experience should f...

We spent a couple of days in Buenos Aires, and it’s a city that feels a little different than what you might expect. It leans more European than Latin American — from the architecture to the café culture — but once you start exploring, you realize it has its own personality. In a short amount of time, we were able to experience quite a bit…from local markets and great food…to tango and some of the...

Episode 165 Atlas Ocean Voyages Review: Is the World Voyager Worth It for Antarctica?  We just returned from one of the most bucket-list trips on the planet, an Antarctica expedition cruise aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages World Voyager, and we're breaking down everything: the ship, the staterooms, the food, the service, the expedition experience, and whether the $10,000–$15,000 price tag is actual...

We've just returned from one of the most extraordinary trips we’ve ever taken… Antarctica. This one was especially meaningful because it wasn’t just the two of us traveling. We actually hosted this as a group trip through our travel company, Sunshine Travelers Experiences, so we had the opportunity to share this adventure with a group of our listeners and clients. It’s one thing to visit a pl...

Episode Summary: Planning a trip to Europe is exciting, but even seasoned travelers can fall into common planning traps. After years of traveling throughout Europe, and while planning our own upcoming multi-country trip, we’ve realized that the biggest mistakes usually aren’t the obvious ones. They’re the small decisions that seem harmless at first, but can turn into long lines, rushed train...

Episode Summary: If you’re planning a trip to Europe, you’ve probably seen ads for city passes promising big savings, skip-the-line access, and an easy way to see the highlights. On the surface, they sound like an obvious choice. But are they actually worth it? As we started planning our own time in London and looked at passes offered in cities across Europe, we realized the answer isn’t as simple...

 A few weeks ago we booked a weekend getaway in our home state of Florida.  Our criteria was not too busy and hidden gem.  We hit the nail on the head.  Join us as we share why this is an ideal mid winter getaway in Florida without the crowds or the high price tag.  Some links are affiliate links. See our  disclosure . Where we Stayed: Marriott Hutchinson Island Resor...

As we begin to navigate Scott's pending corporate retirement, we are currently planning our first big global trip.  We're sharing where we are going and why, the tips we've learned along the way, why this costs less than you might think, and how to begin building a travel-focused life and lifestyle of your own. Some links are affiliate links. See our  disclosure . Help Support...

In our last episode, we shared that I’ll be retiring from my corporate role at the end of March. And for us, that doesn’t mean slowing down. It means changing how we travel. For years, we’ve moved fast. We’ve packed itineraries. We’ve seen incredible places in short windows of time. But this next chapter is going to be different. We don’t just want to visit places anymore. We want to stay. To rent...

Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam Review: Alaska Cruise Highlights Some cruise lines you try once. Others you come back to because they fit the way you like to travel. That’s been our experience with Holland America Line . In this episode, we’re sharing our honest review of the Nieuw Amsterdam after sailing an Alaska itinerary that included Glacier Bay National Park . This isn’t a megaship review —...

If you’re searching for an honest Princess Cruises review , especially a real-world look at the Crown Princess , you’re in the right place. We recently sailed for 21 days in an Inside Cabin on the Crown Princess, from Hobart, Tasmania to Singapore, and in this episode, we're sharing our firsthand experience. In this episode, you'll discover what it’s really like onboard, what Princess Cruises does...

Hong Kong was the final stop on our month-long journey through Asia, following our cruise from Hobart to Singapore. For Scott, it was a return after nearly 20 years. For Melissa, it was a first visit. What we both discovered was a city that felt surprisingly familiar, efficient, and easy to navigate.  In this episode, we explore Hong Kong through its world-class public transportation sys...