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 travel planning services here . Even...

On this episode, we are joined by Jessica Williams. Jessica is the author of the award-winning Dachshund educational blog,  YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner.com . 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 liv...

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...

On this episode, we are joined by Nedra McDaniel from Adventure Mom , 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  Instagram , Facebook , and others. Expedia recently shared some travel trends for 2024 showing that...

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...

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...

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 to...

Kim and Tamara recently visited Istanbul, Türkiye for the first time to attend the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) Annual Conference. In this episode, they share their insights and tips for others planning a trip to Istanbul including where to stay, top sights to visit, safety, and other travel tips. Show Highlights: Turkish Airlines has a lot of direct flights from the USA (including Bo...

Kim 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...

On this episode, we recap our favorite hotel stays from 2024, with picks that are great for international and domestic travel for couples, friends, or family trips. Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht - part of Hyatt Hotels, this hotel has a fabulous location on one of the main canals in a great area. The staff was helpful and the room was stylish. The only thing to keep in mind is that it has an open b...

Tamara is just back from a festive trip to Nova Scotia, Canada where she was able to experience small town holiday celebrations, the Halifax Evergreen Festival, and the Christmas Tree Capital of the World! Her trip was sponsored by Tourism Nova Scotia. All opinions are her own. We are looking for feedback for 2025! Do you want weekly episodes? More interviews? Short episodes? Video? Drop us a line...

Not 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 thr...

Imagine taking a weekend getaway to another country without needing a car or getting on a plane! Kim recently took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is on the tip of Vancouver Island and is actually closer to the U.S. than Vancouver. You can take a high-speed ferry on the Victoria Clipper directly from Seattle. Another option is to take a seaplane from Kenmore Air or Harbour Air from...

Tamara recently took a press trip to San Antonio, Texas, hosted by Visit San Antonio, to see what there was to do in San Antonio for families. She found that San Antonio has a lot of history and culture, great food, fun theme parks, and plenty of free or affordable attractions. San Antonio could make a great winter or spring break family vacation (when the weather is cooler). The city is also idea...

Kim recently took her two girls to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando for a mother-daughter getaway. Hear more about her trip, learn some strategies for using Lightning Lane, new rides, new theme parks coming, and comparisons between the parks. It was hot, humid, and rainy in the afternoons, but they still had a fun time exploring all the parks. Luckily, Universal Orlando has more indoor ride...

If you love Italy and Greece, you are going to love today's destination! Tamara shares her two-week trip with her husband to Croatia. They visited Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Split, Zadar, and Istria for a mix of relaxation, food, wine, history, and cultural exploration. Croatia is a lovely country to visit because it is very clean and one of the safest countries to visit in the world. Unfortunately...

Tamara heads to Tucson, Arizona frequently since her daughter Hannah is now a junior at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Kim and Tamara first experienced Tucson together at a Family Travel Association Conference, but since Hannah started school Tamara has visited a number of times. While many of her activities are centered around the University of Arizona, she has taken time to explore more of...

Kim just came back from her third cruise of the year and her first small-ship cruise on Windstar Cruises . TL;DR, she loved Windstar and small ship cruising! In this week's episode Kim dishes on everything you need to know about small ship cruising on Windstar. Plus, hear about her pre-cruise excursions from Reykjavik including a small group Golden Circle tour with Hidden Iceland and hot springs e...

Are you ready to go leaf peeping in New England this fall? Tamara shares some great destinations and road trips on where to go to northern New England including Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. New England covers Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island If you are visiting in the fall, you will want to keep an eye on the fall foliage trackers and...

Kim is back from her 7th Alaska cruise! This one was on Princess Cruise visiting the Inside Passage that cruises from Seattle and visits Victoria, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagaway and sails through Glacier Bay.  Note: Kim was hosted by Princess Cruises for her trip. This cruise visits Victoria very briefly at night so not a good choice if you really want to visit Victoria When evaluating cruises, y...

Summer vacation is almost here and we are getting ready for the busiest summer travel season ever! Be sure to pack your patience, your travel insurance, and these travel apps. In this episode we talk about some of our favorite travel apps that we are using lately for road trips, plane travel, and international travel. Travel Apps to Download this Summer: Flight Aware - helps you track to see where...

St. Maarten is a popular destination in the Caribbean, but many people only visit as a brief cruise port destination. However, getting there is pretty easy with direct flights from the USA and there is plenty to do and see on this Dutch and French Island. Tamara recently visited St. Maarten to stay at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort as part of a press trip. This is the largest all-inclusive resort o...

Kim took her oldest daughter on a Caribbean Cruise for her college spring break this past March. After sailing Holland America in Alaska in the past, she was excited to try the Holland America Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Statendam. This was a unique itinerary that left from Fort Lauderdale and visited Nassau, Bahamas, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos, along...

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 t...

Tamara is hosting an all-women small group trip to Portugal this fall and she would love for you to join her! Find out all the details and sign up here . 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...