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EP 148: Summer Travel with Uncle Rob Rob
1.4k Plays8 days ago
Summer travel season is officially here, and this week we're bringing in a very special guest: our brother, travel advisor, Disney expert, and favorite vacation planner, Uncle Rob Rob.
We're talking all things summer travel, from surviving flights with toddlers to planning family vacations that don't leave moms carrying the entire mental load. Rob shares his best travel tips, Disney advice, destination recommendations, and the biggest mistakes families make when planning trips.
We also dive into why so many people misunderstand what a travel advisor actually does, how they can save families time, stress, and decision fatigue, and why using one often doesn't cost anything extra.
Plus, we put Rob through a round of rapid-fire travel and Disney questions and answer your audience-submitted vacation dilemmas.
In this episode, we chat about:
- Traveling with kids and making family vacations less stressful
- The hidden mental load of vacation planning
- What travel advisors actually do (and why they often cost nothing extra)
- Disney tips for families, including resorts, dining, and park strategy
- Common travel and Disney mistakes to avoid
- Rob's favorite family, couples, and bucket-list destinations
- Rapid-fire travel and Disney questions
- Your audience-submitted travel questions
Whether you're planning a Disney trip, a beach vacation, or just dreaming about your next getaway, this episode is packed with practical tips to help you travel with a little less stress and a lot more fun.
Keep up with the Moms and join the conversation on our socials:
📸 Instagram: @momgroupchat
🎵 TikTok: @momgroupchat
Questions/comments/need to vent? Email us at momgroupchat@gmail.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Family Dynamics
00:00:07
Speaker
There's no right way to do it.
00:00:12
Speaker
Oh, we're going to get into it. What up, moms? My name is Candice. I'm here with my best friend, Whitney, and a very special guest. Keeping it in the fam today, we've got my little brother, Robert, better known as Uncle Rob Rob, here on the pod. Welcome,
00:00:29
Speaker
Welcome, Rob. Hello. I'm so excited. i'm excited. I'm like, ooh, it's all in the fam today. getting to talk to the Coles. Candace Cole was her old name reference. RIP. RIP. you that your middle name?
00:00:46
Speaker
Yes. I'm now Candice Cole Donnelly. Okay. Solid. How does it feel being one of the only males that we have ever interviewed? Like we, when we started the show, we really had a goal to keep Most of our guests, like mom, focus and into only interview moms. And really the only males that we have interviewed are our husbands. Which you were there. and I was there.
00:01:12
Speaker
Yes, you were there. was behind the scenes. Heard more
Childhood Stories and Career
00:01:16
Speaker
than I wanted to probably, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So true. Yeah. Yeah. And then Dr. Stephen Gowdy, Dr. Nosebot.
00:01:26
Speaker
And that's it. that Those are our only male guests. So welcome. I feel honored. And I mean, and i I am very appreciative of that because I don't pretend to be a mom, nor do I pretend to understand moms. And I don't want that to be like, I mean, like, I understand obviously through you and through like watching Grammy, ah you know, take care of the kids and what that entails. But like,
00:01:48
Speaker
i am I do not experience what y'all experience. And I'm very thankful to be on this podcast because I do listen to you quite frequently. And i know and know what it takes. so Yeah.
00:02:00
Speaker
But I also don't. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you are Uncle Rob Rob and you do such a good job. You love my girls so fiercely and are such, I mean...
00:02:12
Speaker
I think it's safe to say, i don't think Ryan listens to this podcast, so I think it's safe to say this, but you're the favorite uncle, like i for sure. I would say that and I don't want to, like I would toot my own horn for that because I really do think so. Y'all are going to like cause rift. Listen, one thing about me and this podcast, I love to cause family drama. Okay. Candice really lays it out. I'm like, are you scared? She's never scared. I'm not. but ah What are you going to do?
00:02:40
Speaker
you know? well now you have a few more uncles in the mix, like by marriage. I know. Our family is growing. Yeah. I know. true Who's the favorite aunt?
00:02:52
Speaker
Oh, that's so tough. They love them. They truly love them both, like kind of equally, honestly. oh Candace got scared. She got scared. I did. There's three now.
00:03:02
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Because there's Caitlin, Marin, and Olivia. I mean, you saw at the Rays game on Sunday, like they love Caitlin. They do. They really do. Yeah. They love them all. Honestly, like I'm hashtag blessed. We have such a good family. This Ryan's left out. Yikes. I got it. Sorry.
00:03:22
Speaker
I think it's just he doesn't spend enough time with them, honestly. They love him for sure, but it's just like he's not around as much as I am. And you will never get rid of me. Yeah. You're stuck with me. This is so juicy already in the beginning. I know. Actually, this episode is not about travel. It's just going to be airing out all of our family secrets and drama. You know, there's a few. I was telling, was telling this story last night just quickly that about the time that I was like probably like five years old and backed the van out of the driveway on my own. you remember that?
00:03:56
Speaker
Yes. oh my God. Wow. I, that was one of those stories that erased from my memory until right now you s saying it. And then I have vision. Was I in the van?
00:04:06
Speaker
I think you you might have been. Yeah. I don't know. it's It's like blurry now because it's been so long. But like it you i you might have been in the van. And I remember you screaming at me to be like, stop.
00:04:18
Speaker
Like that'd be great in backing that ass up out of the driveway right now. And I can't imagine. How'd you do that? I don't – to this day, don't know. Like – I don't know. because i don't How did I reach the pedals? I'm so confused. right Back in 1998, we have to remember that like cars didn't have as many like fancy safety features, I think. I think it was as simple as like him moving the thing into reverse, and it just yeah drifted.
00:04:49
Speaker
Tokyo drifted out of the driveway. How lucky you are that you did not press the gas and go through my drive through the garage.
00:05:00
Speaker
I don't actually, i have heart palpitations. talking out there Your dad must have like been teaching you or something. i don't, I don't, I think I just, I don't know. i mean, i would love to know how old I actually was. i mean, I would guess they're like five or six, but I, I don't know. Scary man.
00:05:16
Speaker
Scary. Oh, I love childhood stories. This is great. Yeah. All right. Well, the real reason we are here today and why we are having Rob on is he is our family, tra like our go-to family travel guy. And he has now taken that...
00:05:35
Speaker
into his own travel planning, travel advisor business. And
Benefits of a Travel Advisor
00:05:41
Speaker
we're here to talk all things travel. We're talking summer travel, fall travel, traveling with little ones, traveling with family. We are going to talk to Disney. You guys know, or we are going to talk about Disney. You guys know that Rob Rob is our Disney spirit guide.
00:05:58
Speaker
certified Disney adult, Disney expert. So we're going to talk about Disney, of course. um But yeah, Rob, tell us a little bit about how you got into travel advisory and just what you do as a travel advisor. We'll start there.
00:06:16
Speaker
Yeah. So like it it really did start with Disney. Like it that's just how it how it became to be, like how it came to be. um Like it just – So I realized I was going on all these Disney trips, both with my adult friends, and then it started to go with my I really started to go with my best friend, Matt, and his at the time, two year old, two or three year old. And we kind of, you know, i was booking the lightning lanes for him. i was booking dining reservations. I went with him on the trip to like.
00:06:44
Speaker
and you know, with my annual pass, you get a discount. Like he was like, you have saved us like thousands of dollars. And he was like, you should do this as a business. i was like, okay, well, I can't go to the park with every single person in the world. I mean, I would love to, it would be great. But I also think that like violates some policies, but the, he was like, you should like plan Disney vacations. I was like, okay. And then I came across,
00:07:07
Speaker
a host agency i also talked to our aunt who's also a travel agent and kind of just got like what do people how does this work you know and and and and a i realized that like you don't travel agents are paid by the supplier essentially so you can plan these disney vacations do exactly what i was doing for all these clients and then you're the supplier and in this case disney just pays you to bring those clients into the into those properties so um And that most of the time usually does not cost the the person who's traveling, like, you know, my best friend Matt or you guys or anyone, anything. Because at that point, I'm getting paid for my time by the person, by the where the destination is. So I realized that all that going and I was like, okay, well, let's just like...
00:07:52
Speaker
let's do this. Like, why aren't we doing it? Like, I should be just like, let's just do it. And then kind of fell into it. i loved playing. I realized I love planning all these trips. It's grown now beyond Disney and, and I'm doing some various serious, like international trips and all inclusives. And it's just, it's become like a new passion of mine. Like if you would have asked me five years ago, if I was doing this, I'd be like, what am I doing? but I really do love it. Like, I love it so much.
00:08:17
Speaker
I feel like that's such a good thing to clear up because as a mom, you're like, oh my gosh, I don't want to add to the budget when Disney's already so expensive. So just hearing you say that it doesn't take anything to have help, ah that changes everything. It really does. yeah Like, i the biggest thing I stress, I mean, there are some, you know, and I will say as you're searching for a travel agent, if if any moms out there are out there are, like, there are some people who as you get into deep planning itineraries, like, if you want to plan out, like, every ah activity specifically for, like, international trips or something, like, if you're booking out excursions and, like, down to the hour itinerary, some people will charge, like, a planning fee for that. but Okay.
00:08:58
Speaker
For the most part, if you if you need help with like finding a hotel or in this case, Disney, where it's like, how does this work? There's an app involved. There's virtual queues. What's going on? Like all that stuff is usually just part of the travel agent, you know, who is helping you book the reservations.
00:09:17
Speaker
So yeah there can be planning fees involved, but most of the time, that especially
Disney Trip Planning Essentials
00:09:21
Speaker
for advisors who like just are helping you from the beginning, if you bring an advisor in from the middle, it kind of gets iffy. But yeah.
00:09:29
Speaker
Yeah, i like my dream because I love going on vacation. I'm not a planner. I am so type B when it comes to travel. and like Chris, my husband, truly gets so frustrated with me. He's like, you wanted to do this and now you don't help me plan at all. It overwhelms me. But to hear that you would take all that pressure off, I'm coming to you from now on. I mean, like, it's just, like, I get so many, I mean, I've had i've had so many clients now that are just like, I didn't have to do a thing besides, like, tell you where we want to Like, I just had to show up.
00:10:03
Speaker
And that's what I love. Like, that's why i specialize in family travel. And, you know, Disney does... take up a part of that but like I just love family travel in general because I love the idea of helping a mom or dad who's just like I cannot deal with this right now but we want to have an amazing vacation like what do I need to do to do that and and like I'm just like tell me a destination tell me dates I got the rest you know We all know as moms, like the mental load of vacation, it sometimes doesn't even feel like a vacation, right? It's like we are packing. We're making the the lists of – packing alone is such a large mental load. If you are going on a seven-day – Oh, yeah. Even I'm thinking ahead now for us leaving for Lake Tahoe here.
00:10:48
Speaker
I my brain the past couple days has been spinning about ah packing and what we need and what ah do we have dining reservations or what are we doing while we're there? It's so overwhelming. The mental load is heavy. So to like if it doesn't cost you anything, why wouldn't you or Or honestly, even if it did cost a couple hundred dollars, like for a planning fee, if you were doing like a more intense, you know, vacation, like it would be the easiest hundred dollars, couple hundred dollars I spend because it would take the load off of my brain. And like, that's, that's like, like my threshold of what I can handle as a mom, like is low, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I think what's also interesting is there are some moms who are more type B and then there's moms who like want control over everything I feel like. And, and I, what I would stress to those moms who maybe feel like they're losing a little bit of control in this moment is that like, you're not losing control. You are involved in every decision and making every decision, but you don't have to spend time actually like talking on the phone with someone or like booking the reservation, finding the right hotel. What's the right room type for my family? Like what activities should we doing over there? Like, that's the part. that I think is so valuable in a travel advisor because like, especially if anything goes wrong, your flight gets delayed and your hotel is no, like can check in for it till like 1am. Like I will call the hotel and it. Like that's the, like you just like, you know, not to just get all like advertising it, but like it is really just like, I do, I, I am like a concierge for you in this moment. so yeah. Yeah.
00:12:26
Speaker
That's what i was going to say. it's like I know that I have tons of friends that like love that part of travel, is like is planning all that, but that gets taken away a little bit when you are packing. You're thinking of all the things you have to do on the other side as the mom. So even if you like use a travel advisor the first few years just to like help, like yeah I don't see where you could go wrong. like This is so great.
00:12:51
Speaker
And I think what you'll come to find out is that as you use one, you'll be like, i can't believe I ever didn't do this. like I can't go back. I can't go back. Like, I can't believe I just, like, have this person who's doing it for me.
00:13:02
Speaker
so Well, I mean, that's how I feel about Disney. Like, now that I now that i have you and you have – like, I can't do Disney any other way because – You have made but i I think it's a part of why I love Disney so much is because all of my experiences have been seamless because of you, honestly, like going with you, like being in like, I'll just I posted a video about this, but. literally when we were like waiting for the Nemo show to start, you were there like refreshing the, the fast passes to get us onto something that we, the flight of passage that I've never been on, never been able to ride. He got us a spot. It was just like, he's literally so amazing and makes it so seamless. I feel like I have talked with so many other families and
00:13:55
Speaker
Like our friend Hannah being one of them who was like, I don't know about Disney. Like it was so hard. it was so, and then they had Rob help them with their last trip and it was like totally changed the game. Disney, not to like fully dive into Disney right now. No, we can, we can.
00:14:11
Speaker
I love talking about Disney. It's more complicated than just booking a hotel um, like a flight to Orlando. So talk us through that Rob, like talk, talk us through why Disney sometimes feels overwhelming and like all of the ins and outs of that. Yeah. That's expensive.
00:14:31
Speaker
Oh my God. So expensive. Yeah. So like the, I think also there's a lot of people who maybe are, are all like the moms that are now our age who are like now have kids went to Disney as, as kids themselves sometimes, like maybe once, you know, when they were kids and they,
00:14:47
Speaker
at that point in the time in the 80s and 90s, like you and maybe even the early 2000s, you can just show up with a ticket and go into the park. Like that's kind of, it was a lot more loose in terms of like what you needed to do. That has severely changed over the past like 10, 15 years. Like it is a whole thing. Like there is so much to be added to your trip because if you just show up with like no idea of what you're doing, no fast passes booked, no anything like that,
00:15:15
Speaker
You are going to go in there. Your kids are going to melt down. It's going to be miserable because it's hot. There's lines. There's you didn't realize that you had to get a dining reservation 60 days. Like there's going to be so many things where you're going to be like we're burgers and fries for the whole time, which is great sometimes. But like.
00:15:32
Speaker
Like you will elevate your experience and then be like, oh my God, I didn't know you had to do all these things. I also feel bad sometimes for like grandparents who maybe don't know, who want to take their grandkids, who don't know how this system works. It's an app. Sometimes if they're not like super technology forward, like that gets hard to. It is techie. And their app can sometimes be tricky. So like it it is just so, it's it's it's changed so much. And I think like the the Disney plan of like,
00:16:02
Speaker
of like starting from the beginning of figuring out like what your must-dos are, but also accepting that like you may not get to all of those and that's okay. Like yeah you may miss, I don't know, like a Space Mountain Fast Pass or something.
00:16:18
Speaker
It's going to be okay. Like I think a lot of people feel like they have to go to Disney and do every single thing in the park in order to have a good time. You will not, yeah I have been to the parks recently,
00:16:29
Speaker
I can't even, I don't even know how many times. There's a little prompt in the Disney phone call that asks how many times you've been to the park just as like a survey or something. I'm always like, I don't, I never know how to answer. I'm like. The limit does not exist. 300. Like, I don't know what you mean. like I don't know what you mean. yeah Every day.
00:16:47
Speaker
And um yeah, so like I just, i i i got I go so often. There are still to this day things I've never done. And Disney is always changing. You will never get ever like all of it done. So I think when you set that expectation, when you start planning a trip and knowing that like, let's enjoy our time as a family, let's work with an advisor and like plan out what we can do and enjoy the time. Don't worry about getting everything done and everything like it's going to work out. It's going to be fine. Yeah. So when people um come to you, do you have like a form fill that says like, what are your must do's? Like, how old are your kids? Like, do they still nap? And like, how do you, I mean, you would know how to navigate. Like you need to stay close to the monorail to go to this hotel. and Like, do you have to like fill out something for that? Or is this just like, I mean, I do have intake forms. Sometimes it's better just like text or get on a call. It really depends on the client because I'll do whatever the client is comfortable with I have a lot of clients who just like can i just text you or send you a voice to voice notes or something and then there's clients like need to get on a call or zoom and tell you everything so it just like I kind of match the vibe of the client in that moment but um
00:17:57
Speaker
And most of the time I do have a like a general intake form that's just like, tell me where you're going. And then like, tell me what are some of the best thing, like what will make this trip special for you? That's always what I ask is like, I don't need to know every activity. But like, if you had to put a sentence or two into like, how this is going to be the best vacation ever, give me that sentence. Tell me how this is going to be elevated for you. And if that is as simple as like going to dinner one night or doing all these rides or, you know, making sure I don't have as many meltdowns in the middle of the day, like i have plans for all of that. So, or advice for all of that, I should say. dream.
00:18:32
Speaker
I will say like him being an uncle that has been to Disney with two toddlers multiple times with also – Without me, I need to add. It's like he has taken them with my mom without me. So like you have stepped into the parenting role, i would say. He knows. He knows what it's like to skip nap. He knows how important nap time can be. Like he I feel like that is something that is great about you, Rob, as a travel advisor. Like, you know what it's like. It's not like someone who doesn't have that much experience with kids like you really do. So to answer your question, Whitney, about like asking how old your kids are and like, do they still nap? All of that is 100% taken into consideration, right, Rob? Totally, totally. And it really will depend on like kind of the itinerary I put together for you because I'm not going to give you a bunch of like thrill rides if your kids are two and four. Like that's just like the – I can give you all the most popular – I can give you – can't create a standard sheet of like the most popular attractions and be like, here you go because that's just not –
00:19:37
Speaker
that's not going to apply to every family. Like there are, there are, there are families who want to meet characters and ride like Winnie the Pooh, but then there are going to be people with older kids who want to ride space mountain and like the guardians of the galaxy ride and all that stuff. So like it is tailored to each individual client.
00:19:56
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Earlier when I asked about like the logistics of Disney, I just want you to touch on like, be specific there. Like talk about how you need park reservations yeah and what is lightning lane? What is a fast pass? What I think i know there's like two separate things now.
00:20:16
Speaker
Yeah. I think people get confused. Yeah. So, okay. So if I had to run through the like process of Disney and, and booking Disney and like what those entail is there's obviously to me, it always starts, especially if you're not like in Orlando is to book a hotel. That'll be the first thing that kind of solidifies your trip, um, into a date range. And now you can go from there. It also kind of unlocks a ticket window for you because and and those like reservations that are around that ticket window. Disney kind of buckets things into a date range. So at least as of as of this recording, it always changes. But, you know, they they bucket things into a date range so that like if you're staying from like the 14th through the seventeenth
00:21:03
Speaker
you're your access to book things is like in that window. So it really is important to know that from the beginning, like what are your date ranges? And then once you get into hotels, you do tickets. Once you have tickets,
00:21:17
Speaker
and a this all depends on how quickly you are going. But ah the biggest thing I always tell people, because dining reservations will make or break a ah Disney trip, that is done 60 days before your check-in date. And I will tell you, if you want, like, first pick of everything, it's 7 a.m., 60 days before your check-in date. And it it is very – it is, like – I don't want to say it's, like, Taylor Swift ticket level, but it's it's it's close.
00:21:46
Speaker
And like there's there's TikToks of people like getting up at 7 a.m. being like, I'm ready to go. Let's do it. Like I'm and. OK, I think there's some wiggle room here, though. It depends on. There is. Yeah. No, Candace. Cutthroat. Well, it is a little bit. I get it. I'm hanging out a ratatouille.
00:22:04
Speaker
it also It also depends on if
Disney Park Strategies
00:22:07
Speaker
you're going on a super busy time. If you're going during spring break, yes, obviously. It is Taylor Swift's ticket level. However, if you're going on like a random middle of the week. Wednesday in January. Yeah. Right. Like you're it's you have more room here. I also want to say, obviously, you don't have to get up at 7 a.m. if you hire a travel advisor who's going to do it for you.
00:22:29
Speaker
Exactly. But yeah, but they, all of their access to things, this goes back into the lightning lanes, which are fast passes. They rebranded them and they're, they're called lightning lanes, which I still, I still say fast passes and I will say fast passes to clients and they'll be like, you mean lightning lanes? I'm like, Oh my God. I thought they were two separate things. Okay. No, you know, they're so lightning lane. They do call it like now, like multi-pass for lightning lanes. It does. So there are, ah well, before I get into that, those are booked,
00:22:57
Speaker
if you have a hotel reservation seven days before your check-in. So um that's where this gets complicated. Everything has a different like opening window. Yeah, that's hard to keep track of.
00:23:08
Speaker
Like there are some people who, and I've had found some amazing properties that are not Disney properties that are that are off property if you don't stay on property at disney then you're then your seven days becomes three days and you have you have three days before your check-in to to to book your lightning lanes so like all of that sometimes like i think moms will look at this and be like this is so overwhelming i can't do this like i don't understand where to even begin and because you don't know all these rules unless you like read the the whole web page let's be real no one's doing that You're like a lawyer. You know, like all the secrets. He's like, I've read the fine print of the lightning lane. Of the bylaws. That is so funny. Like, how would you know that?
00:23:52
Speaker
Yeah. So, I mean, like, once you have all that booked, it's it it is fairly easy from there. But, you know... There are so many layers to it because lightning lanes, everyone that you're going with needs a ticket. Everyone that you're going with needs to be in either one account or friends with each other from one account. So it's almost like a social media site where you have to kind of connect each other into the same account. Or else I'm not going to be able to book lightning lanes for Whitney, but I can book Candice because we're friends on this account. So like I have to have everyone. So do you set all that up for people? do. Now it is a little complicated because sometimes that requires me like having temporarily like your Disney login in order to do it for you. Take it. Who cares? mean, but I also like have sheets and stuff that if you're not comfortable with that, like it literally walks you through every step. Okay.
00:24:45
Speaker
But Yeah, so sometimes it does get complicated with that. I do – I have heard – I'm on the Disney, like, rumor rumor sites. i don't even know what those were called. Blogs. um They – I have heard a big update is coming to the Disney app in, like, the next couple months that's going to kind of make all of this easier. There's going to be, like, a direct link you can send to each other to, like, add – to add each other to the Disney – like, they're trying to solve it. Yeah. I feel like the app has been the same for 10 years now. So, honestly, like –
00:25:16
Speaker
Which is so interesting. It's Yeah. It's way overdue. and And like now when they do all these things, there are think there are certain rides that are high demand. I don't know if there's any going on. Oh, wait, there is one going on right now. It's the Bluey meet and greet is so in high demand that they have a virtual queue. Like you join on the app in a line and then you come back at the right time to come and meet Bluey. And jesus that's how popular Bluey is right now. But yeah.
00:25:45
Speaker
I mean, I get it. I love Bluey. I do. Bluey's so good and my kids were never into it and was mad. I'm like, that's the one cute freaking show. Yeah. We like Bluey. It's very popular. It's very popular. And now they're like putting him everywhere. Like he's the, or she, sorry, she, she is the new big thing.
00:26:01
Speaker
They're sisters. They them. but
00:26:06
Speaker
They're sisters. Sorry, I had to. Okay. um Okay, wait, hold on. i see her in my notes. Lightning Lane slash Genie Plus. What's the difference between those? So Genie Plus is what they originally started to call the whole Lightning Lane system.
00:26:20
Speaker
But I will say Genie Plus I think still exists as like a you tell it what you want to do. And it'll tell you like how to do it, but it doesn't actually book anything for you. So like, it'll go on in the app and you'd be like, hey, I'm coming on Thursday. Give me, my my family's must-dos are Aladdin, Haunted Mansion, and Seven Dwarfs, Mind Train, whatever. And it'll tell you, hey, the best wait times to come back for this is generally here. Here's the link to book a lightning lane. Like it'll kind of like loosely plan. It's like AI?
00:26:55
Speaker
Yeah, kind of. It'll like loosely plan things for you to be like, here are your activities. Here's how you can handle them. But I will say from what I've heard, not many people i think use that because they don't. I feel like I don't hear about it anymore. Yeah, like it's not something. It used to be tied directly into lightning lanes, I think. And then it was like,
00:27:14
Speaker
it would be like, oh, you want these things? Here you go, go book them. But now they're like different systems, I think. And that's that's yeah back to my point. It's like, it's so complicated now for than it used to be like 10, 15 years ago Yeah.
00:27:28
Speaker
Also interesting. I want to do, um I want to know like your favorites. I know I have our list of like rapid fire. I'm like chomping at the bit to do those. Cause I'm dying to hear. Let's do it. Let's do it. I'm, am ready. I might have some unpopular opinions though. Okay. We love that. Okay. We love that.
00:27:48
Speaker
I'm just going to start at the top. Disneyland versus Disney world. Okay. I mean, I'm flo i'm a Floridian Disney World. I don't know how any... I'm so sorry. I don't know how anyone would pick Disneyland. There diehard Disneyland people. oh Why? It's huge. I mean, it's the it's the original park, and it's like people use it as like the one Walt walked in. It's the one he designed like by... Because he passed away before Disney World was open. So like I think it's just like the original OG Disney Park, but it's smaller.
00:28:16
Speaker
So they're like going off of his spirit was there or something. Yeah, literally, literally. And like, I mean, that was the rumor for a while that like he was frozen somewhere in like the Haunted Mansion or something. Honestly, whatever. Okay. Whatever East Coast.
00:28:31
Speaker
Yeah. ah Best Disney resort for families.
00:28:40
Speaker
It really depends on your price point. But i honestly, I'm going to go more of a value resort and I'm going to go Art of Animation. It is so kid-friendly. They have suites involved with bedrooms and Murphy beds that make it really fun. i mean, it it it can get pricey for those suites, but Art of Animation is my final answer.
00:28:59
Speaker
My girls love, or it's funny, like we've stayed at the contemporary and like one of the, like more of the fancy ones. And the ones that they talk about are the art of animation and like staying in the Nemo room or. Where is that one?
00:29:13
Speaker
It's at, I mean, it's, it's like, that's the thing is it's not close. This is all depends on like what you want because it's not close really to any of the parks. Though art of animation connects now with a Skyliner, which takes you to Epcot and Hollywood studios. So there is, there is, there are benefits to art of animation. So like it just, it's so dependent on what you want to do, but art of animation is so kid friendly. The pool is amazing. It's all Finding Nemo themed. It's amazing.
00:29:39
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Most underrated Disney park.
00:29:48
Speaker
a ah No, I'm not a big animal kingdom fan, but I know, um, ah Hollywood Studios for me. It's going be Hollywood Studios. Especially now. There's so much that's changed. They have a whole like animation courtyard with like a Disney Junior or not. Is it Disney Junior? There's a whole like little kid play area now. It's just it's it's gotten so much better over the past honestly like three months.
00:30:11
Speaker
So. Wow. You have to go to that one. Isn't that Tower of Terror? yeah Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you have to go. It's iconic. It's iconic. Tower of Terror makes my belly it makes my belly hurt hurting about it. I love it. my My parents took me on that ride when I was five, and it terrified me.
00:30:30
Speaker
Tower of Terror, literally. i mean, I remember it to this day. I was like scared to go on rides. I think it scarred me to where I like wouldn't go on roller coasters until like I was in high school.
00:30:41
Speaker
Would you like it now? Yeah. Okay. My vibe. My vibe now. I have so many like fun facts about Tower of Terror that I could talk about it for days. But the the one thing I'll say is that we've seen those TikToks of people who like... They smile?
00:30:54
Speaker
yeah Well, yeah. They like... ah when you When you ride it, Disney gives you like a video of you like dropping. So people... And it's in slow motion. So people will use it as like a catwalk. What's that camera that... Oh my God. No, the glam bot. The glam bot camera. And they'll be like...
00:31:11
Speaker
And they'll like whip their hair I want to do that now. That's um like something I would become thing. I think I would have to train myself. Like I'd have to go on it a few times and be like, okay, I i think I can do it this time. you You technically fall faster. This is one of the fun facts. You fall faster than regular falling. Like it pulls you down rather than just falling. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:33
Speaker
Oh my God. I'm scared. My belly hurts talking about it. um Okay. Rope drop. Yes or no. And if yes, where are you going first?
00:31:45
Speaker
What are you talking about? Okay. broke oh oh oh yeah know ok What is rope drop? Yeah. Rope drop is getting
Common Mistakes and Tips at Disney Parks
00:31:53
Speaker
to the park. I don't want, it's, it's honestly getting to the park before it's open and you are like one of the first in line and it can get crazy, but one of the first in line to get on the ride, that's usually the most demand. And that's dependent and it on every park you will see, and you will figure it out when you get there. a crowd is usually rushing to that one ride. um There are people who use rope drop to go and ride the rides that they want that, will have no wait for like an hour and those people will ride those over and over again but like it it's it's just like they call it rope drop because disney will literally have like a rope to prevent people from going forward and then they like drop it and go to where they need to go we did that for the avatar ride and there were signs of people like saying like no running no yeah so everyone was like speed walking it's like it's like this walking competitions yes it's exactly like that
00:32:48
Speaker
Oh my God. Okay. wait That's so funny. Okay. So if you, okay, let's say you're doing rope drop at magic kingdom. Where are you going? Everyone goes to seven doors, mine train or now Tron, but that's for the older people, older kids. Right. So Tron is obviously, Tron has a height limit of 50 or sorry, 48 inches. So yeah. um And yeah, mine train is usually where everyone goes because that, that ride will usually never be under,
00:33:18
Speaker
60, 70 minutes. So. Damn. I don't know if I've ever been on that. It's a good, like, kid-friendly roller coaster. It's short. and It's short, but it's, kids love it. Like, like kids about Allison. kind like, I was going to say, it's kind of like kids' first roller coaster, I would say. oh That's like, that's the vibe. Yeah. But it's cool enough that even adults usually will want to ride it, which is why it's so high demand. It really features, it really ah draws, like, every age range. Okay.
00:33:47
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Character dining. Is it worth it? I think so. I'm always going to say yes to that because, because okay, it's not worth it if you're talking about food. If you're looking for good food, it's not the character dining. like if you're There are some exceptions to that, but the character dining is so you can start your morning specifically for a character breakfast and...
00:34:10
Speaker
see a five characters before you even get into a park like you can now say you've met mickey mini donald goofy and like you're you're you know you don't have to wait in line for mickey at magic kingdom check check check yeah it also like sometimes starts the day for kids and like ah oh my god we started the day meeting mickey like it really sets the tone it sets the tone so i say do it I think also just not to give my two cents as a girl mom, the Cinderella's table in the castle breakfast is worth it. And the food is good. The breakfast is actually good. The Mickey waffles for the kids for as an, ah as a adults, they have like, you know, it's like classic yummy, like egg breakfast. If you're someone who like eggs, bacon, like me, that is like my vibe to a tea I'm a breakfast girl, but, um, It's cheaper than the lunch and dinner option because it's breakfast and yeah it's just good for the kids. And you get to literally meet like six or seven princesses all at once. And the best way to start the day, if you have girls that are princess obsessed, for sure.
00:35:18
Speaker
Well, I don't know this is a question though, but the bippity boppity boutique thing. That's its own world. Okay. So like i have some clients who like not, would who like i have no interest in that, but then there's a lot of clients like, how do we book it What is the deal with it? And like, don't know what the window is. I think it's 60 days. you it is it is cute also you know they do it for little boys too and it's like the little prince with the shield and this and the sword it's so cute to me do you have to get buy a dress with it is that part yeah i think i think it's the whole thing it's like the whole package okay um it is so cute the price they they choose character they dress Ages 3 to 12. 12 seems kind of old to me. Is it just me? I don't know. Do you get a princess bra with it? A training bra? um
00:36:12
Speaker
It's like actually the little mermaid shells. ah and Stop, that's so funny. Oh my God. Okay. um Yeah. Hold on. Let me look up the time because I want to make sure I quote it right.
00:36:26
Speaker
But I can see like some moms doing their son at 12 or something.
00:36:33
Speaker
Okay. So it is, eight this is, this, you can make reservations up to 60 days in advance. So it's the same as the dining reservation. and and it's, and well, there's, oh, this is a fun caveat for both dining and really any, anything you're doing.
00:36:50
Speaker
If you're staying at a hotel for longer than those, like if you're saying you're staying at hotel for a window, like I said, like the 14th to the 17th, for example, your 60-day window is not per day. Your day opens up for your entire stay at that first day. So you can you can then plan out your entire day at that 7 a.m. mark for those 60 days. You don't have to do like 60 days for one day, 60 days for another day. Like you don't have to repeat the process.
00:37:16
Speaker
and that And that also applies to Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boutique. Okay. Would you say that Bippity Boppity is one of the hardest like reservations to get?
00:37:26
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It usually is pretty. it's it. it Yeah, it's pretty hard. I will say I would have loved that when I was little. And I like to I'm Jones in to do that.
00:37:38
Speaker
Yeah. but me And there's packages to it. There's like a fairy tale package. There's like a kingdom package and an adventure package. I feel like I'm not promoting it. I literally feel like I have like a pit right now that I have to do it immediately. Like, you know, what you let's go right now. like And I'm like panicking all of a sudden. guy oh my god I can't wait. I mean, I, as a girl mom, like i can't, I keep saying i want Alice to be able to, like, I feel like they need to be a little bit older. Like, I feel like I'm going to do it. Maybe. I feel like Margo would be so into between three and five. Like, I feel like I have this short time where she's really going to think it's like so magical. And I'm, I'm starting to like panic. I'm like, Oh my God. Okay. Maybe I need to do it sooner. How much is it?
00:38:25
Speaker
it is. Like I said, there are packages, but get basic start at $119. Oh, so okay. That's doable. Doable. I thought it was the worst. I will say, if you have a boy and you want to do the boy version where it's like knight and sword, it's only $59. So...
00:38:43
Speaker
Oh, I'm going to do both. We need gender equality. Why is... man No, I get it. and i guess But there is... the the The, like, full kingdom package is $229. So that includes, like, a prince... There are some that include... Oh, yeah. Some don't include gowns, and it just includes the Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boutique shirt, a princess sash and bag, and, like, makeup and hairdo. And it's, like, the... the the choice of hairstyle but then if you want like the gown and the crown and ah the whole shebang it's 229 okay that's still not as bad as i thought for some reason i thought you were gonna say like 400 no no but i guess if i have two girls we're we're at 400 you are yeah you are i don't know okay that's tough yeah yeah okay um best disney restaurant
00:39:37
Speaker
Ooh, okay. I'm going to, I'm going to say for, um I'm going to split this up because for breakfast, I'm going to say Topolino's Terrace, Topolino's Terrace. It's really hard to say. um At Riviera Resort.
00:39:47
Speaker
Best character breakfast, best food you'll get at a character breakfast. Wow. And it, you can, anyone not, you can get these not staying at these resorts. Like you can go and have a dining reservation and park at these resorts. Or, you know, make your way to take a bus to those resorts. But,
00:40:01
Speaker
it is That is a very sought-after breakfast reservation. and Because it's just – the food is usually – they have kid options, and it's not a buffet because some people don't love buffets. But it's it's like an actual sit-down restaurant. But they will – from what I've heard, i haven't tried this myself, but from what I've heard, they will give you multiple of like entrees. Like if you want – if I want the French toast and the omelet or whatever, like they will give you both. So – Okay, cool.
00:40:29
Speaker
Anyways, that's my favorite. Okay, good to know. Best rest day strategy or activity?
00:40:38
Speaker
Don't do a park. Don't even step into a park is what I would say. And I would say, yeah, well, I know, but I'm saying like, I think this is like stay at your, stay within your resort. Don't branch out from that. So like stay within your resort and do a pool day, but everything needs to just be like loose, loosey goosey is what I would say. It's just like go to a pool day get breakfast at the, at the little market downstairs, get what you need to get. And then just enjoy the day by the pool with your kids. Maybe the adults have a little drink if that's your vibe and, and take a nap enjoy the room you've paid for this room so many people think I'm not gonna spend time in the room gonna be at the parks I'm like you're gonna want to spend time in the room like especially if you have little ones like you're gonna want to be in that room and just take a second to breathe yeah being at Disney is overstimulating and I can attest to just taking even if it's a half day inside and like just we're all gonna take a breath and like it
00:41:39
Speaker
it does reset everyone. it really does. I feel like Disney, you have these expectations because of the memories you had as a kid going and you want everything to be perfect and you just have to remember that you're still, i don't know, with your kids just on vacation. So you gotta like keep some sort form of familiarity, even if it's now. Okay.
00:42:03
Speaker
Yeah. Biggest Disney mistake families make? trying i've said this already but trying to do everything don't try to do everything you're never going to do it you'll always fail and like you i can you can yeah you just don't try to do everything you're going to set yourself up for disappointment and your kids will have a meltdown okay what is the most overrated disney thing and the most underrated overrated would say don't know if i have a don't know if have bought uh
00:42:37
Speaker
Oh, i don't know if I have an answer off the top of my head for this. I do. What is it? What is it? Chef Mickey's. Don't do it. Well, I mean, but that goes back to the character breakfast. There's only a few character breakfasts that have the original gang. And Chef Mickey's is one of them. It is very chaotic. you want to feel the most overstimulated you've ever felt in your life, go to Chef Mickey's. Okay? Yep. There's like dance parties happening every five minutes. The buffet is overwhelming. I, Chef Mickey's in the contemporary for me is a hard skip.
00:43:10
Speaker
Yeah. I, I, I, my best friend Matt would say the same thing. He, he, he also like the dance party was happening. His, his kid freaked out. The kid dropped the plate, all the food in the buffet. Like it's like that the entire time. For me, it's a small world. Shoot me. Oh, ah yeah. Yeah.
00:43:25
Speaker
That's a good one. It's a classic. Okay. i bear i don't care. her i can't do it again. can't. Do you have a... Okay, what about underrated? Most underrated? Honestly, think...
00:43:37
Speaker
i think I think to me, and this does have a little bit of a cult following, but I think people skip it because it's like a it's like a similar boat ride style thing. It's not a boat, but I am a diehard Haunted Mansion fan, and I feel like, i don't know, I feel like it is a great it is a great reset, and people think it's scary for their little ones. It's not. It's it's like the most peaceful, dark ride you will be on If you really pay attention to the details, it can get scary, but it's mostly just a way to like sit in air conditioning and just...
00:44:07
Speaker
reset for a good long ride and it kind of like soothes you in my mind that in pirates of the caribbean i'm like i love that f freaking ride yeah yeah okay we're gonna do these are funny and these could be a little bit longer but um most unhinged thing you've seen at disney and like i to me it's always like it's always like the people in like full high heels and jeans walking around Disney it happens so frequently it'll be like there'll be people being like long sleeve jeans and high heels like high high heels and honestly you know what if you looking cute at Disney is ah is a vibe if that's your vibe go for it but I don't know how you're making it through and I'm I mean you guys maybe can attest this more I'm not I don't wear high heels often but I don't think I would walk around a theme park without I'm more so distraught by the jeans. Like I'm swamp ass. All of it. i'm i'm I'm distressed by all of it, honestly. who
00:45:06
Speaker
like I feel like the number one most important thing about Disney is comfortable shoes. I would agree for all for everyone all around. Okay, what's your most controversial Disney opinion?
00:45:21
Speaker
Okay, I, a lot of people disagree with this. I love the re-theme they did for Splash Mountain. I'm sorry, people like get all hyped about that. i love Tiana's redo. Don't get me wrong, I love Splash Mountain. It was nostalgic. It was great. I think it was time for a refresh and I think she was a great addition. She has some, I mean, the bug the ride has some bugs, but she was like she needed to be represented in the parks. And I yeah think- I agree.
00:45:47
Speaker
I think it's well done. i do. Right. We listened to Tiana this morning. Literally. I love her.
Beyond Disney: Travel Options and Personalization
00:45:51
Speaker
Like that's my favorite Disney movie. But that if you say that to some Disney people, you will get in fights. I'm not even joking.
00:45:58
Speaker
Yeah. Listen, I'm not giving anyone who's going to fight me about a Disney movie any time of day. Okay. Like, please get a life. um Okay. A little deeper. ah Favorite Disney snack.
00:46:12
Speaker
oh i have i have a I have no, no, no, no. no That it turkey leg is like that. I have a friend who gets turkey leg every time. It grosses me out so much time because he's he like gnaws on it the entire time. And then he won't want to throw it away, but he can't eat the whole thing at once. So he'll take napkins. This may be the most unhitched thing I've seen. He'll take napkins and wrap his turkey leg in napkins and then put it in a backpack.
00:46:39
Speaker
And I'm like, what are you doing? it
00:46:45
Speaker
That is grease. It sucks through. He's eating napkin. Oh, I'm so stressed. I'm going to throw that out. That is the most unhistoric thing I've ever seen. Also, I cannot even imagine the way your backpack smells when you unzip it. I can't. That can make me gag. Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:01
Speaker
No. Yeah. Big no. Okay. Okay. That honestly is most is more unhinged to me than the high heels. It is. It really is. That is the most and that happens quite frequently. But the um to answer the question of um best Disney snack to me it is it's a Mickey bar. It's like a classic Mickey ice cream bar. I am not a churro fan. Churro people love churros. Their churros to me are like dry and not great. They're not great. They're not great.
00:47:29
Speaker
Wow. Okay. I got one. Best drink at Epcot. Ooh. Okay. There is this like, um it's I think it's i think it's a seasonal or it's like in a festival, but China does this like coffee style drink that to me is so good. It's like alcoholic coffee drink thing. i have to, I don't know the exact name of it, but it does exist. If we're talking like that's there all the time,
00:47:55
Speaker
I would say the, this is classic. Everyone's going to agree with this probably, but like, and so it's not unique, but the France slushy thing, the like vodka slushy. I like the lemon one more than the orange one. Lemon one. It's just like a, it's like a frozen lemonade, but it's going to get you tipsy fast. So I love that.
00:48:14
Speaker
ah Do you know that Whitney because I don't think you've been to Epcot in a while but we used to get the margaritas with the floater. They don't do the floater anymore. They don't they don't offer it. I was going to say the margarita is mine just because it's that first.
00:48:29
Speaker
Yeah it is first. So you're going to get like excited. I have chills. Like I wish you guys could see my arms. I have chills because I thought of being in Disney World with a Mexico margarita and a nachos.
00:48:43
Speaker
ah so fun there there is an entire debate about starting in mexico versus canada i'm sorry wrong there's no there is only one place to start and it is it is mexico sorry yeah i 100 agree yeah okay uh matching family shirts yes or no For me, it's a no.
00:49:04
Speaker
think cute. But there I think if you do it right, i don't like the ones that just have, like, Mickey hands that say, like, Mom, Dad, blah. Yeah. like I feel like there's a way to do it cute. and i Yeah. There is a way to do it cute for sure. You can do that, and that's your vibe, cool. I don't know if and when I have kids.
00:49:22
Speaker
If I will do that, maybe. don't know. We'll see. know. it's like a strategy because then you can spot them really easily. they're all in the same color. So it's like if you have a runner a track star, like you need it. Yeah. That is true. That is true.
00:49:37
Speaker
Disney is such a beast and we could talk, we could do probably three whole episodes on Disney, but I want to talk about other types of travel because you do so much other travel advisory work. I mean, he's literally working on...
00:49:53
Speaker
a whole wedding that's in India right now, which is so cool. Oh my God. I know. and And will say it's been challenging, but it honestly, it's like, all this is so fun to me. Like, it's like a pro it's like a puzzle. It's like a problem I have to solve. Like you need, I have to negotiate this rate for this wedding block. And it's like totally in a different time zone. And I'm like trying to convert like, uh, currencies. And it's just, it's, it's fun for me, which I think is funny. Cause I think a lot of people be like, I hate every second of this. so Yeah.
00:50:24
Speaker
Yeah. um Okay. so tell us about some other like family friendly travel places. Like obviously Disney's great. It's very family friendly. But I think there are a lot of non Disney people who are like, I don't really want to do that. that's um my So yeah. Tell us about some other like family friendly destinations that you're super into right now.
00:50:46
Speaker
Yeah, I get a lot of requests for that like thirty a Panama City area on in in the Panhandle. It's like very hot, hot and popping right now. I'm one of them. oh How was it? Did you like it?
00:50:59
Speaker
Yeah, so I've been a few times. That's like where everyone in Tennessee goes. It's like 30A is like the place to go. And for the first time, um I stayed in Watercolor, which is like...
00:51:11
Speaker
a little spot there it was so clutch family friendly because they have like camp watercolor that's free if you stay near it they have like a free resort where you can use their pool and facilities so like that was really good like yeah yeah i would say that i also would just like A lot of people also feel very strongly about this. I would say there are a lot of great family options for cruises to get you to destinations. There are a people who hate cruising. So I understand if you're one of those people, but there are really great options. Also, if we're if we're going back to Disney for a second, a lot of people hate Disney theme parks, but want the Disney magic. A Disney cruise is like the middle ground for that. yeah That usually takes you to Caribbean islands, which also on their own, even without a cruise, can be great family options depending on the island. um Trying to think of what else. What are your thoughts on traveling to Europe with kids? i Because you've done it. I have done it. um
00:52:12
Speaker
Three-month-old? Is that how old Evie was at the time? Yeah. Yeah. yeah We know how canis feels about it. Yeah, I do. mean, i I still had fun on that trip, though. I really did. No, um i I look back on it with rose-colored glasses now, but yeah at the time, it was hard.
00:52:28
Speaker
Yeah. um I think... It is possible, but you're not – a lot of people view certain cities, like let's take Paris, for example, as like the city of romance and the city of love and like all this stuff and like romantic dates. And like if you're with little ones, just know that it may not – it's not going to be that vibe for you. And it will not – like you can maybe have a date night if you can somehow finagle like like in your case when me and Grammy ended up watching – the girls while you guys went on a date in Paris. That's great. you can figure that out, that's great. But like, that's not your whole entire trip and it never will be. Is it shocking that that was obviously our best night there? Winnie and I were like, wait, maybe we actually do like Paris. Yeah.
00:53:08
Speaker
So i think I think, and this goes to any family vacation, go in with somewhat low expectations of like everything's going to work out because there are going to be things that don't work out. And a travel advisor will elevate that to another level. we will We will take things that maybe wouldn't have worked out and they will. But...
00:53:29
Speaker
there are going to be hiccups and the more you can accept and move on from that and just create new memories with your kids, the better. And I think Europe is a good example of that. It's going to be hard, long flights from at least the U.S. s to to Europe. And that's going to be stressful for certain kids. It's going to be it's there are great activities, though, especially like I think around the Mediterranean as well. Like there are good options that can be planned for families in Europe.
00:53:56
Speaker
I think it's also every country is different. Like, for example, I felt like London, going to London was so much more family friendly and like better for little ones than Paris was. So i think, like, is that something you look into with your, if it, let's say you have someone come to you and they're like, I, we want to travel with our two year olds. Like we want to go to Europe, but we were open to where we go. Is that something you would help them? Like,
00:54:25
Speaker
figure out. Yeah, totally. Totally. That's like all part of the original like process that I start with is like kind of figuring if, cause I think in my intake form, it says like, do you have a destination in mind? Cool. Let's build off of that. But if you're like, we just want to take a great vacation, kind of leaning towards Europe, what do you have in mind? I will come back with like at least options at least three options. You know, I always give three options. Sometimes I don't want to give more than like four options. Because you don't need to, like, I feel like it's just an overwhelming thing, especially if we go back and forth and you're like, all of a sudden now we have like six, seven options. It's just, it's not going to, like, trust your advisor, whether that's me or anyone else, and they will know, they will do the research.
00:55:06
Speaker
and figure out what is best for your family and your situation because that's their job. Like they're not, a lot of them will, most advisors will never give you a stock answer. They're going to tailor it to what you need. So trust that they're, trust that they put a lot of time and effort into their research for your family and you will have an amazing time.
00:55:26
Speaker
yeah In your experience, like maybe this is like bringing it back to us soil, but like are people leaning more to like that Airbnb vibe or are people looking for all inclusives? Yeah. So all-inclusives are... ah See, to me, all-inclusives still, in my opinion, lean towards adults and like the whole alcohol packages and maybe couples. And there are family-friendly all-inclusives, for sure. I'm working on one right now, actually, in Cabo. But the... They...
00:55:58
Speaker
They tend to favor adults and couples. um But I will say I will always, depending on the size of your family, will pick a hotel over an Airbnb. I'm sorry. That's just me. That's probably an unpopular opinion. I want to be able, if we run out of towels or something, I want to be able to just like call a friend desk and get what I need. Like, I don't want to like have to go to the store and buy extra toilet paper. Like i I don't know, but there are, but I will say there are people who love to have everyone in one place and you,
00:56:25
Speaker
In order to do that at a hotel, you're going to probably spend more money, unfortunately. So yeah if you can have if you have like multiple families going, you can split an Airbnb or a Vrbo or something. And most travel advisors will do that as well um and work with you on a rental property. But but i favor hotels, and but there are situations where I think ah ah an Airbnb is is the right move. yeah I think there's so many errors that can happen with an Airbnb. Yeah. Yeah, there's there's a little more risk involved. Yes.
00:56:56
Speaker
But I will say, like, I think it depends, at least from a traveling with kids perspective, like the age really matters there. Like if I have a baby who's like drinking formula or like is breastfeeding, like i almost always I'm going to lean towards somewhere where we have a kitchen and like, you know, something like that. Um, but now like my kids now being more independent and being two and four and like, honestly love a hotel. I love that. We can be like, I can be like, dad, take them to the lobby.
00:57:27
Speaker
Let's go run around or let's, you know, go to the pool and I'm going to stay back or vice versa. And exactly what you said. There's some, there's lots of stuff that's like off your plate on a, like when staying at a hotel. so yeah. Yeah.
00:57:42
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. We are big on girls trips here. Whitney and I, like, I feel like we have given lots of lectures on this show. Like take the girls trip. Okay. Yeah.
00:57:53
Speaker
What are some destinations you love for girls trips? um Slash. Do you plan group girls trips? Oh yeah. I'm planning it. I'm planning a bachelorette party right now, actually. So which is different different than just like a typical girls trip. That's like a different, sometimes a different vibe. But I mean, it's funny because I don't want to say that this specific bachelorette trip is she's going to 30A and that's what she wants to do. But yeah, but like, so I guess that's one destination, but like this.
00:58:22
Speaker
So like I haven't done many girls trips just because I'm so specialized in that family area. area Yeah. Area. um I almost said era um in that family area. And um but that being said, the best thing ah about my ah just a little side tangent, the best thing about my host agency, they are they all specialize in a different area. So like all I have to do is put in a group chat.
00:58:46
Speaker
like a mom group chat and um and be like, Hey, any recommendations for a girl's trip, maybe in the West coast or something like, you know, I will say like, but but the typical, the typical answers would be like sort of like winery type vibes, Napa Valley shit, you know, but there is, um every advisor specifically at my host agency is like specializes in all these things all i have to do is just chat with people and get like five destinations and then i go research those individually for every single trip so it's not like i'm just asking someone else for recommendations and then giving them to you like i use that as a starting point to then be like oh this vibe has five girls and they're all are kind of adventurous and want to go hiking cool i know i can eliminate one two and three five four five six are perfect like I'm tailoring this to you. i don't have destinations off the top of my head for all this, but like yeah there is so much research involved with the travel advisor that I think really just, just make you get to the perfect end destination is what I would say.
00:59:48
Speaker
Yeah. And you like nailed it. it's Everyone is custom in what they want to do with their vacation and their money. So I think if they just give you what they're looking for, like you will handle it, which is the overarching theme here. Yeah. The more details you give your advisor, the better your trip is going to be. like Tell them about every single person's personality. like get all Have you guys seen those TikToks of people who get on phone calls and it's like, My name is Carol and I'm spina bifida. You know what I'm talking about?
01:00:19
Speaker
No. but No? You know
Travel Philosophy and Podcast Conclusion
01:00:21
Speaker
what I'm talking about? I'm intrigued. It's like when you get on the call with someone and they just start ranting about their lives and everything, every little detail that like has no relation. Look it up. yeah Okay. look Look up a TikTok. What am I looking up exactly? What am I taking into this earth floor? I think it's spina bifida.
01:00:39
Speaker
I mean, like, it's like, it would it starts with the name. it starts with a woman saying, hi, my name is Carol. There's someone out there who knows what I'm talking about. I know there is. probably And, and it's they, the whole point is like, a lot of people in that mind, in that mindset, don't give me what I need to know and move on.
01:00:58
Speaker
i think advisors might be the opposite of that. Give me everything. details. Tell me about your spina bifida because now I know that you don't need to you can't do certain activities. You you can't use stairs. You need one floor. You got to have an elevator. like oh That's so funny. I'm crying. is One thing about Candice, she never gets the TikTok references. Oh my God.
01:01:21
Speaker
And you're online all the time. ah Yeah, but i i am I have strayed away from... I'm not on TikTok pretty much anymore all. have taken a TikTok break too, I will say. Honestly, I'm sorry. Not to like take a side tangent. It was feeding me too much depressing shit. I literally, for some reason, like I always end up in like...
01:01:41
Speaker
dying child tick tock and i'm like why am i here why am i here and so i just don't look at it anymore i need to get on there and start training my algorithm again i've never been there ah t oh my god i always end up a there on instagram specifically i haven't tried this on tick tock you can remove topics from your algorithm i've done that yeah yeah and i've also added topics i want to see more of yes yeah yeah Mine knows me well now. I'm just like antiques, clothes, home. It's just like constant. I'm always buying.
01:02:15
Speaker
Mine's all travel now. It's all travel, which I love. So it's great. Yeah. Okay. I think we're going to wrap this up. Honestly, I feel like we could do a part two at some point. we didn't even get I could talk to you for three hours. I would. Yeah. We didn't even get to any of the audience questions. So honestly, we may have to do a part two, but we're already at a minute or an hour over an hour, hour and four minutes. So we got to wrap this up. This is our longest ep ever.
01:02:39
Speaker
Honestly, this may be our longest episode. Okay. Sorry. No, that's okay. um We're going to end this with just one last question of like, what's one thing you wish every family remembered about vacations and travel and planning travel?
01:02:56
Speaker
think – i thank do your trip in a way that feels genuine to you like i like don't go into a trip and ex and think about the expectations of what other people are doing or what that you need to do this because you saw it on tick tock or you need to do this because this is what everyone does in the situation like you work with your with work with your family but also work with your advisor to be like I know these are the popular things in this destination. i My family's not that vibe. like Be authentic to your own like family and vacation and then express that to an advisor and then like enjoy those memories. And that's what this is about. It's not about the logistics. It's not about how much of a headache or how everything is going to turn out
01:03:45
Speaker
exactly how you planned. It is about the memories you make with your, with your children and your you know spouse and everyone involved in your vacation. That is what this matter. Like, that is why i do what I do and why I find passion in it is because i i like to think I'm creating unforgettable moments with moms and their kids. Like that is why I do family travel because I don't,
01:04:07
Speaker
i I like I can I mean, i'll I'll do I'll do all these other trips. I will help you with it all. But like something about family travel and the way that it really like just makes a difference for a mom's life really just like really helps my soul. so tired I know. I love it.
01:04:27
Speaker
All right. Tell everyone where they can find you, where they can follow you. If they are interested in having you help them book a trip, where do they go? Okay, you can find me on Instagram, tripswithrob, at tripswithrob. There is an intake form in my bio or just DM me, honestly, is the easiest way. And we can get started. Like, cool. Amazing. All right. Well, thank you so much. I honestly feel like we could have you on for a second episode because there were so many things we didn't get to. um But thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge and wealth with us. And we love you, Uncle Rob. Rob. I love you guys too. Thank you for having me. Okay.
01:05:08
Speaker
Bye. Thank you so much for being a part of our mom group chat. New episodes drop every Tuesday. And don't forget the group chat is blowing up on our Instagram page. So make sure you're following along over there. All right. Gotta go. My toddler just put something in her mouth.