Well-traveled With Aaa

December 19, 2023 ~ Especially around this time of year, everyone needs a weekend escape. What’s better than a getaway that includes lovely accommodations, a variety of dining establishments, in-house entertainers, expansive recreation facilities, and transportation to idyllic beaches? A weekend cruise is hard to beat! Join us as The Auto Club Group Product Manager Julio Soto, a seasoned expert in the travel industry, explores the weekend cruise and how it could be the perfect getaway.

November 21, 2023 ~ Way before there was a Jamestown or Plymouth colony, there was a St. Augustine, the oldest, continuously-occupied settlement in North America. Now known for an extensive historic district, teaming coastal habitats, and a unique cultural blend, the city has landed a spot on the latest season of “Samanta Brown’s Places to Love” on PBS. Join us as the Emmy Award-winning host shares some of her most fascinating experiences in this norther Floridian gem.    

October 17, 2023 ~ Exploring the beauty of our world and navigating all its corners, cultures, and cuisines, should be something accessible to anyone who is interested. There have been strides to improve accessibility for those with disabilities with accessible staterooms, autism-friendly activities, and much more. Joining us on today’s episode is Royal Caribbean Director and Head of Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Ron Pettit, who has spent nearly two decades building a team dedicated to accessible travel.

September 19, 2023 ~ In the spirit of being the change that she wanted to see in the world, frequent-traveler Haley Woods put together a group on Facebook called “GirlsLOVETravel,” a space where women around the world could share details of their traveling adventures with one another. Starting at a modest thirty members, this group has now exponentially expanded to 1.4 billion members and is used as a resource for these women to meet one another worldwide. On today’s episode we get an exclusive chat with Woods about how this happened, the journey it has been, and the role social media had in making this group such a massive success. 

August 15, 2023 ~ More and more, we desire for our travels to lead us into immersive and local experiences where we can get beneath the surface of the city. However, when we are abroad for only a short time, we do not always have the bandwidth to discover these things on our own. This is where insider intel can make all the difference, and joining us today is The Travel Corporation Sustainability Manager of Travel Experiences Lucie Dalila, who has gone deep into the cultural fabric of countless amazing places.

July 18, 2023 ~ For all the joys and wonders that travel may bring us, there is also the occasional surprise. This is where we ask the question; to insure or not to insure? Helping us answer this today is Allianz Partners Director of External Communications Dan Durazo.

July 18, 2023 ~ When you picture a traditional cruise in your mind, chances are you envision a ship surrounded by the vast ocean. In contrast to this, a river cruise can place you nearly anywhere else, ranging from bustling European capitals to ancient outposts on the Nile to the dreamy backwaters of Columbia. Here to help us navigate these ever flowing and endless possibilities is a true pioneer of the river cruising world, AmaWaterways Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Kristin Karst.

June 20, 2023 ~ When the family that’s been more or less everywhere is unanimously amazed by a place, something magical is clearly going on. That’s precisely what happens in the latest season of “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” on PBS. As Samanta says, “I’m taking a trip that’s on everyone’s must-do list … one that is so good, with so many life-changing experiences, I couldn’t possibly do it alone.”  Here to tell us of her family exploration of Alaska’s Inside Passage is Emmy Award-winning host, Samantha Brown. 

May 15, 2023 ~ For many people, Florida is practically synonyms with family travel, and the theme parks are a major factor of that. If you think however that the only kind of thrills that kids can experience in Florida are on a rollercoaster, drop tower, or simulator ride, then today’s episode is going to expand your horizons – and family photo ops – exponentially. Picture swimming with manatees, lunching with astronauts, and all sorts of memory-making experiences in between. Joining us this week to guide us through some of the best possibilities is Visit Florida Director of Global Marketing and Trade Lauren Shoaf Pace.

April 18, 2023 ~ Everyone from Euripides to Dr. Seuss has framed travel as a kind of education. Travel provides kids with a sense of connectiveness, fueling wonder, empathy, and creativity, while making memories that last longer and go a lot farther than just whatever is on the tablet. Joining us for some insight on traveling with your children are Family Travel Association Director of Research Peter Bopp, and Shannon Jones, author of the acclaimed series of children’s travel books, “KeeKee's Big Adventures.” 

MaRCH 21, 2023 ~ Adventure travel—what does it really mean? Is it more than ziplines and mountain treks? Join us for an exploratory conversation about adventure travelling with expert Steve Murphy of Club Adventures. You may discover that you too are an adventure traveler!

February 21, 2023 ~ Certain places are so surreal, so aw-inspiring, and so humbling, that they’re worth traveling to the ends of the world for. For some travelers, scenes of polar bear families lazing on ice floats come to mind. Others might picture rainbow-colored mega iguanas clustered on uninhabited islands. No matter what world wonder you’ve dreamt of seeing, odds are that today’s guest has reached it by sea. Listen in as Silver Sea Cruises Senior Director of Global Expedition Sales Karl Kannstadter brings you just some of the amazing possibilities.

January 17, 2023 ~ You may have the longing to venture distant destinations and visit faraway lands, but with a world that is abundant with beautiful possibilities, where do you begin? Join us as Alexander + Roberts’ President Scott Avera shares his intel on what is trending in travel now, specifically in the Middle East, North Africa, and Japan. From the expansive sand dunes of the Sahara to the Kabuki Theatre of Kyoto, Scott’s experienced insights about these regions and cultures will make you want to have your passports ready and bucket lists in-hand.

December 15, 2022 ~ There are certain things you may never have dreamed of doing, simply because you never could have imagined them in the first place. These unbelievable sights might make you doubletake, like sailing by swimming elephants who are using their trunks as snorkels, floating through produce vendors operating out of wooden canoes, or bobbing by towering pharaohs that seem to survey you from 3,000-year-old posts. In the world of river cruising, sights like these are very much a reality, and precisely the sort of things that today’s guest likes to share with others. Listen in as AmaWaterways Co-Founder and President Rudi Schreiner shares some of the most amazing river cruise experiences to be found along the waterways of Africa, Asia, and South America. 

December 15, 2022 ~ There are certain things you may never have dreamed of doing, simply because you never could have imagined them in the first place. These unbelievable sights might make you doubletake, like sailing by swimming elephants who are using their trunks as snorkels, floating through produce vendors operating out of wooden canoes, or bobbing by towering pharaohs that seem to survey you from 3,000-year-old posts. In the world of river cruising, sights like these are very much a reality, and precisely the sort of things that today’s guest likes to share with others. Listen in as AmaWaterways Co-Founder and President Rudi Schreiner shares some of the most amazing river cruise experiences to be found along the waterways of Africa, Asia, and South America. 

November 15, 2022 ~ Sampling Texas barbecue, New York delis, Puerto Rican plantains, and more, are all experiences Samantha Brown is happy to deliver to her audience. On this edition, the host of Emmy Award-winning PBS program, “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” returns to “Well-Traveled with AAA” to preview her show’s fifth season, while showcasing some of the nation’s best breweries, bakeries, restaurants, and specialty shops.

October 18, 2022 ~ When you travel, you typically have some idea of the people who will be joining you. Perhaps your family, your partner, a handful of friends … even like-minded strangers on a group tour.  Every so often however, when you get to your hotel, someone may turn up out of the blue. Or more to the point, out of another dimension. Today’s guest already knows something about that. As director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel in the storied town of Americus, Georgia, Divya Patel represents a beautiful property that’s briming with not only historical significance, but also … reportedly … turn-of-the-century ghosts.

September 20, 2022 ~ The freedom to travel and experience the world is one of life’s greatest privileges, but alongside this gift there comes a great responsibility. To truly treasure and sustain this gift, we must remain diligent to protect the world that we are so keen to explore. This episode, we are joined by guests that are major proponents of this responsibility. They are AAA - The Auto Club Group Vice-President of Travel and Tourism Cares Board Member Debbie Haas, as well as The Travel Corporation Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of TreadWright Foundation Shannon Guihan.

August 16, 2022 ~ With all due respect to the full range of travel options, there’s a singular joy to seeing Europe from a river ship.  Floating through its villages, vineyards, and valleys, voyagers get to feel as much a part of the scene as an observer of it.  Few people know the ins and outs of that experience as well as today’s guest.  Joining us with insights, tips, and stories from the Danube to the Douro is AmmaWaterways Co-Founder and President, Rudi Schreiner. 

July 19, 2022 ~ From the largest sub-tropical wilderness in the US, to the one preserve that combines two distinct American deserts, our national parks have made for some of the most stunning and fascinating backdrops of “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” on PBS. We speak with the Emmy Award-winning host of that program for a look at the seemingly endless wonders that our nation’s treasured national parks have to offer.