Vacation Mavens Travel Podcast

Is Antarctica on your bucket list? Everyone wants to see the penguins, but what does it take to get there and how much does it cost? These are just some of the questions we asked Shellie from KidTripster, who just returned from her trip to Antarctica with her teen son. Plus, get the scoop on Seattle Museum Month! If you are thinking about visiting Seattle and like to explore museums you should def...

Do you have a Percy Jackson fan in the family? Even if you don't, if you have been dreaming of a trip to Greece, Dawn from 5 Lost Together shares her tips on planning a family trip to Athens, Greece and the surrounding areas. Plus, find out where Kim and Tamara were hanging out together last week! ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about their time in NYC 03:25 - Kim's plans for he...

Whether you are a beginner or expert, boarder or skier, this week's podcast episode will help you plan your next family ski trip. Tamara shares her adventures in North Idaho and we chat with Amy Whitley from Pitstops for Kids and pick her brain on the best ski resorts in the U.S. for families. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking about Tamara's trip to Idaho 01:50 - Schweitzer Mountain Resort 05:40 - Lo...

Have you dreamed of taking the family on an African safari but worried that it would cost too much? This week we chat with Monet Hambrick of The Traveling Child and learn how to score great flight deals and plan an affordable and memorable African Safari. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking about Kim's safari experience 15:37 - Travel shows 16:55 - Talking with Monet 20:56 - Monet's Safari experience 2...

Does watching Crazy Rich Asians have you thinking about a trip to Singapore? This week Marianne Rogerson from Mum on the Move and author of Singapore with Kids , joins us to share her experience living in and visiting Singapore. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking about Kim's holiday travels 05:48 - Talking about Tamara's holiday travels 09:30 - Future travels 15:37 - Talking with Marianne 18:40 - Lay...

This week, Kim and Tamara catch up on recent travels including Memphis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Nashville, and the Georgia Coast. Kim also shares her recent experience on the media preview of the new Celebrity Edge cruise ship. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Presenting Sponsor 01:17 - Talking with Kim and Tamara 01:39 - Where Tamara was in November 08:55 - Kim's time in Memphis 13:01 - Civil Rights Museum...

Does the winter cold have you dreaming of an island getaway? This week Kim and Tara from Pint Size Pilot share their recent experiences on the island of Barbados. Learn everything you need to know about planning a Barbados vacation with kids. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Presenting sponsor Rosetta Stone 01:21 - Talking with Tara Cannon 03:46 - Tara's vacations to Barbados 05:33 - Best time to go to Barb...

Disneyland is decked out for the holidays. But before you grab your tickets, there are some things you should know about visiting Disneyland during the holidays. This week Leslie Harvey and Kim share their recent experience with Disneyland's holiday celebrations. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Tamara about her trip to Arkansas 09:15 - Presenting Sponsor Rosetta Stone 10:05 - Talking with Lesl...

There may not be a more family-friendly, all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean than Beaches Turks and Caicos. This week we dig into the nitty-gritty details with Sarah Pittard at Solo Mom Takes Flight. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Beaches Turks and Caicos. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking about last week's episode 02:58 - Talking with Sarah 04:33 - Sarah's visits to Turks and Caico...

Have you ever considered taking a group tour vacation with your family? Not just a city-tour or full-day tour, but a multi-day vacation with other families that has been organized and facilitated by a tour operator? Today we are chatting with Karilyn Owen from No Back Home about her experiences both on her own and with her son taking group tours. We chat about the pros and cons, as well as what to...

Winter is quickly approaching in the U.S. and that has us thinking about warm weather destinations for winter breaks. This week we are chatting with Kirsten Maxwell from Kids are a Trip about her favorite all-inclusive resorts in Cabo San Lucas and Cancun, Mexico. See why these are great for an affordable, family-friendly vacation destination.   ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking with Kim and Tamara a...

That awkward moment when the valet drops off your can and you only have a $20. Or when the bellman tries to take your bags and you wrestle it away because it has wheels and you are perfectly capable of dragging it to your room. Or at the end of the tour when you try to suavely slip the tour guide a $10 bill.   Today we deal with all of those scenarios and more. We are chatting with three experts a...

Instead of doing all the talking, this week we have invited some of our listeners to share their tips on travel based on their recent summer vacations. We get real insights from fellow travelers on visiting Montreal and many National Parks including Death Valley, Arches, Olympic, and Cascades. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking with Kim and Tamara 01:40 - Talking with Harmony Skillman from Momma to Go...

Fall is here and that means it is time to start thinking about holiday travel! If you have ever dreamed of visiting the European Christmas markets, then you need to hear these ideas and tips from Sarah from Family Backpack. This episode just may get even Scrooge in the holiday spirit! ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim about her recent trip to California 06:18 - Kim's next trip to Barbados 08...

Where can you find a Crazy Horse, four dead Presidents, and a whole lot of bison? The Black Hills of South Dakota of course! This week we are chatting with Jody Halsted of Camping Tips for Everyone to get her tips about visiting the Black Hills, plus Tamara shares ideas for adding on some time in the Badlands of South Dakota. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Presenting Sponsor 01:18 - Tamara's time in the B...

Welcome back! We hope you are all surviving back to school. Thank you to everyone who sent us an update on their summer travels. Now that we are back to a regular schedule, we wanted to share our two different experiences on the Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship. As you may recall, Kim and her family took a short media cruise on the Norwegian Bliss back in May and Tamara and her family recently sailed o...

It is time for another summer catch up! This week, Kim shares about her experience visiting Yellowstone and Montana with Adventures by Disney. And Tamara fills us in on her 3,600 mile mother-daughter road trip through eight states in fourteen days! ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Presenting Sponsor The Family Backpack 01:04 - Talking with Kim and Tamara 01:43 - Kim's trip to Yellowstone with Adventures by...

We are back from a summer hiatus with a new episode and an update on our family travels so far this summer! Tamara has been to Arizona, New Mexico, Maine, and Italy, while Kim and her family have been exploring the new ToyStory Land at Disney World and Northern Montana. Join us as we share our summer travels and stay tuned for another update next month! Don't worry, we will be back to a regular sc...

We both have Peru on our bucket lists so this week we are chatting with Carrick Buss from Along for the Trip about his recent family trip to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim about her recent cruise 04:20 - Tamara's trip to Kansas 12:19 - Talking with Carrick Buss 16:14 - Getting to Peru 17:19 - Booking on your own vs. through a tour operator 20:16 - Tips...

This week the Vacation Mavens are celebrating our 100th episode! That is a big milestone for podcasts. We decided to celebrate with a special episode sharing our 100 favorite travel products and experiences. Tune in and see if you agree with our picks! Have one to add? Leave a comment below. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Kim and Tamara talking about their favorite travel items and places 01:48 - Tamara's...

Have you heard of voluntourism? It is the trend toward adding a service element to your travels as a way of giving back to communities. You can even take it a step farther by planning a service trip. This week we chat with Sasha Forbes on her recent experience with her daughter on a service trip in Bangladesh. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about their upcoming 100th episode 04...

Where are you headed this summer? This week Kim and Tamara chat about their upcoming summer travel plans to California, Montana, Alaska, Disney, Arizona, New Mexico, Italy and more. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about school ending 06:22 - Tamara's travel plans for June 07:16 - Tamara's New Mexico trip 10:28 - Trip to Italy 13:30 - Kim's travel plans for June 13:35 - Cruise pl...

Summer is almost here, which means it is almost road trip season!! Tune in this week as Caroline from Y Travel Blog gives her top family road trip tips after their experience spending a couple of years on the road. Plus, Tamara fills us in on a great road trip option in Saguenay Lac St Jean in Quebec. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Tamara about her trip to Saguenay Lac St Jean in Quebec 05:35...

Kim and Tamara recently visited Lisbon and Cascais in Portugal and share their experience and tips live from the Martinhal Chiado in Lisbon.  ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara 01:03 - Live podcast video uploaded to YouTube 02:14 - Why they are in Portugal 04:16 - TAP Airlines 05:55 - Stopover app 06:22 - First hotel in Lisbon 08:25 - Fado (Portuguese music) 10:50 - Tuk Tuk tour 11...

There is so much more to see in Jordan than just Petra. This week, Keri from Our Globetrotters shares her sample itinerary for visiting Jordan with kids. ON THE PODCAST 00:32 - Talking with Kim about her Caribbean cruise on Celebrity 05:12 - Different ports 16:15 - The upside of choosing a cruise 19:09 - Talking with Keri 21:36 - Keri's experiences in Jordan 22:41 - Driving in Jordan 23:36 - Sampl...