This week I'm joined by Mary Helen Law, founder of Law Luxury Travel, to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including Spirit Airlines declaring bankruptcy and Airbnb's partnership with the famous Colosseum.  Later, Law shares insights into what's trending this holiday travel season and how prices impact decision-making. We dive into how busy the travel industry is expected to be during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays; and Law offers tips for...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including top winners at the 2024 Travvy Awards, how Donald Trump's return to President could impact travel, and more.  Later in the show, I welcome three lovely guests: Melissa Cooper, Director of Marketing for Northstar Retail Travel Group, Danielle Stephens, a travel advisor with Divine Travel Design, and Jerry Estrada Jr, Director of Trade Events & Programs for Carnival Cruise Line.  Together we discuss the...

This week I welcome two guests: Christian Svoboda, owner of Beforeyoubookit.com, and Natalia Yepes, owner of Adventuresque Travel Boutique. Together we first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including the Biden Administration's new inquiry into US airlines, Venice's tourist tax extension, and more.  Later, the three of us discuss our time at the 2024 Visit Portugal Travel Trade Marketplace event. Hear what Svoboda and Yepes thought of the event, their post event FAM...

This week I welcome Vanessa McGovern, Co-Founder and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Gifted Travel Network, to the podcast to first discuss trending news in the travel industry, including Cancun's airport change, Royal Caribbean's big announcement, and more.  Later, McGovern shares top tips for travel advisors. Hear her thoughts on how to grow your business, advice for dealing with tough clients, and so much more. McGovern also shares insights from some elite-level advisors in the...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including another Hurricane set to impact travel, new fees for frequent travelers and more.  Later, I welcome Master Foodie Mara Papatheodorou, a Tastes & Traditions Expert and Culinary Historian, to talk about the latest in culinary travel trends. Papatheodorou shares her insights into what the flavors of the moment are, trending destinations in the foodie scene, and more.  The interview on culinary travel trends begins...

This week I welcome Stephen Scott, founder of Travel Hub 365 and the Odyssey Travel App, back to the podcast to discuss top trending news, including Hurricane Helene's travel impact, big changes for Southwest Airlines, and more.  Later in the show we dive into the top emerging travel destinations around the world as well as the unique vacation experiences taking shape. Scott shares his insights into what trends he's seeing rise up in the world of travel.  The discussion on emerging travel...

This week, I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including booming travel industry numbers, updated passport renewal process, and much more.  Later, I welcome Alex Pinelo, Senior Vice President of Sales at AmaWaterways. Pinelo shares insights into what trends he's seeing in the river cruise industry. From hot destinations to unique and personalized experiences, Pinelo also highlights what's new with AmaWaterways.  The river cruise discussion begins after the...

This week I welcome Shayla Northcutt, owner of Northcutt Travel Agency, to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including Cancun Airport issues arising, Boeing's latest hit, and much more.  Later, Northcutt shares insights into what she's seeing trending this fall travel season. Hear where people are planning for future trips now, why last minute travel is still hot, and more. She also gives her best advice on how fellow travel advisors can make this a great fall...

This week, I'm joined by Jason Gewirtz, Executive Editor and Publisher, Sports Travel Magazine. We first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including record setting tourism numbers, new tourist taxes and more.  Later, Gewirtz shares insights into the growth of the sports travel world, from the youth level to colleges and the NFL. We also dive into how the Olympics performed and what's in store for the North American market with future Olympics and the World Cup.  The...

This week we're on location at the 2024 Future Leaders in Travel Retreat. I'm joined by Emma Weissmann, Executive Editor for TravelAge West to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including big changes in the EU, Uber launching self-driving cars, and more.  Later, we dive into what the Future Leaders event is all about. Emma shares insights into the logistics of this event, and we both discuss how Millennials and Gen-Z are shaping the travel industry. The...

This week I welcome Mary Hanna, owner of Simply Mary’ed Travel, to the podcast first to discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry. We dive into Labor Day travel trends, Boeing's woes, and more.  Later, Hanna shares insights into the most popular and most difficult specialized travel niches out there. Additionally, Hanna offers advice to travel advisors on mastering a specific niche to grow their business.  The discussion on Specialized Travel Niches begins at the 13-minute...

We're on location at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, Nevada this week. I first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including Disney's big expansion announcements, a naughty Southwest Airlines employee, and much more.  Later, David Kolner, Executive Vice President at Virtuoso, joins the podcast to discuss the latest trends in luxury travel. Hear Kolner's thoughts on how the luxury travel sector is thriving, which destinations are hot right now, and much more.  The interview with...

This week, I'm joined by Jenn Lee, President of Vacation Planners, to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including Hurricane Debby's travel impact, the aftermath of the global IT outage that disrupted travel, and so much more.  Later, Lee shares some hard truths for travel advisors and the tough choices they need to make. From charging fees to planning for the future and working with AI, Lee provides insights for travel advisors to improve.  The discussion on...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including travel prices dropping, a scary moment onboard an American Airlines flight, and much more.  Later, I interview Finn Ackermann, Chief Commercial Officer with Iberostar Hotels & Resorts. Ackermann shares what's new with the hotel brand, including insights into why Aruba was picked for the newest hotel JOIA Aruba by Iberostar. He also shares the details of Iberostar's new hotel branding segments and closes...

This week I'm joined by two guests: Sharon Campbell, owner of Bespoke Travel Group, and Scott Hartbeck, European travel writer and podcaster. Together we first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including air travel improvements, Barcelona's resident spraying tourists with water, and more.  Later, the three of us dive into what else is hot in European travel right now, from lesser known destinations to Taylor Swift concerts and more. Plus, hear why Campbell and Hartbeck...

This week, I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including Hurricane Beryl, Boeing being sanctioned, a new bill to regenerate tourism in Hawaii, and more.  Later, I welcome Steve Solomon, Chief Commercial Officer at Airlines Reporting Corporation, to discuss the latest in the air travel industry. Solomon shares his thoughts on the current state of the industry, what recent changes in air travel have stood out to him the most, what air travel changes we'd like to...

This week I'm joined by Adam Duckworth, President and Founder of Travelmation, to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including Barcelona's plan to ban short-term rentals, Netflix's new entertainment venues, and much more.  Later, Duckworth and I dive into the top travel trends for this summer season. Duckworth shares which destinations have been booking hot, what's impacting travelers' decision-making, and how to navigate last-minute summer travel trips.  The...

This week I'm joined by Becky Lukovic, owner of Bella Travel Planning, to first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including big theme park updates, the FAA's new investigation, and much more.  Later, Lukovic and I chat on the issue of overtourism and the top destinations facing these problems. Lukovic provides insights on how it is impacting her job as a travel advisor and offers advice for her peers.  The discussion on overtourism begins before the 20-minute mark.  ...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including a wild week for American Airlines, the latest in Disney-DeSantis headlines, and much more.  Later, hear my interview with Zane Kerby, President and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors. I caught up with Kerby at the 2024 Travel Advisor conference. Tune in to hear where he was at when he found out ASTA's grassroots efforts had paid off with American Airlines' big decision, how ASTA changed up their...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in the travel industry, including the State Department's recent worldwide travel warning, projections for Memorial Day weekend, and much more.  Later, I welcome two guests: Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Executive Vice President, Events at Northstar Travel Group, and Christen Perry, owner of Classic Travel Connection.  Together we discuss the events space in the travel industry. Evanko-Lewis provides insights into how the events space is doing in...

This week I welcome Tyson Wharton, owner of Sioux Empire Travel, back to the podcast. We first discuss top trending travel news, including top U.S. airlines suing the Biden Administration, Boeing's continued woes, summer travel pricing, and more.  Later, we answer the question: who are the MVPs of the travel industry? Listen to hear what travel advisors can offer their clients, a special shoutout to Moms, as well as Wharton's advice for having an MVP-like summer travel season.  The...

Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast! This week I first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including the U.S. Travel Association's statement that Congress could create chaos for air travel this summer, big news in Hawaii, and much more.  Later, I welcome Alex Fiz, Area Vice President for the Caribbean and Managing Director All-Inclusive at Marriott to the show. Fiz provides updates on what's new with All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy, from renovating Marriott...

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including big brands partnering together, the government's new rules for airlines, and so much more.  Later, I'm joined by two guests: Cat Brask, Marketing Director at Northstar Travel Group and LaTasha Henderson, travel advisor with 2B1 Travel by Dream Vacations.  We talk about the CruiseWorld event - how it goes beyond cruising, how travel advisors can benefit, the epic lineup for ship inspections this year, and much more....

This week I first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including big cruise news, new rules from the FAA for air traffic controllers, Amsterdam's big changes and more.  Later, I interview Barbra Merwin, President of Travel Insured. Merwin talks about how the travel insurance sector has changed following the pandemic and common misconceptions about travel insurance. Additionally, she shares advice and insights for travel advisors in handling travel insurance with their clients.  The...