Opening with a 20 min special segment on unveiling fake travel influencers. Turkey travel content can be accessed by skipping ahead to min market 20:00. For an excellent article on this episode please visit the blog at: https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/post/the-only-tourist-in-turkey-w--shebs-alom #turkey #travel

It's #momtalk about Disney cruises and the implications of current return to sail conditions. Who will cruise on Disney? Will anyone given the amount fo children on board? More on Travelradiopodcast.com

Dive in and then dive out of the way as these massive fish comb the water for food. Don't worry they won't eat you and if they did Jona survived! See you in three days!

Yes, this actually was the purpose and glory of the game played at Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico. You strive to win so that you might be sacrificed to the gods. Chichen Itza is a pre-Colombian archeological site in striking distance of many Cancun and Tulum resorts. If you see nothing else in the area, see this while on your next vacation. Katherine Parker-Magyar, travel writer, rejoins travel radio podcast to provide compelling reasons you need to go and explore this ancient wonder. Look for the episode on Thursday!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just an hour and one half drive into the Mexican border, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico's Napa Valley, awaits you.  Brendan Berkson, or Hotels Above Par, shares his insights into the region using his 1, 2, 3 signature format.

If you watched the YouTube video you know Tami Santini brought props and I loved every second of it! This is the first time a guest has brought props to a live with me. Tami Santini was a delight to interview and offered candor on the "well dones" and "needs work" on this property. However, her reflections on her stay were overall exceptional.   This is a replay from the All-Inclusive Winners series as chosen by travel professionals.  Some resorts are going above and beyond during these certain times.  Choose one that has your back.  Travel agents have sorted through the lot and given their approval on this series of Travel Radio Podcast. Want to be an expert on Travel Radio Podcast?  Apply here: https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/collaborate  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is it like to drive in Mexico?  Lori Gold starts us off with some guidelines to manage expectations and help you successfully road trip through Mexico.  After that we move onto a REALLY FANTASTIC five point round up of Yucatan State attractions.

Exploring Cork Forests in Mexico Format: Check out the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/86Ud2aFrEB8  M:Where can people find you online? L: Probably the place I am most active is my Instagram: @explorewithlor ! M: Where are we going today? L: Two hours west of the Cancun airport to a tiny town no one has heard of which has an amazing cork forest. M: Can you paint a mental picture or "a moment in time" floating through a cork forest? L: It’s magical, mystical, and peaceful. It feels like you are in a fairytale M: This blows my mind.  I didn't realize there were cork forests in Mexico.  I've seen some footage of getting to the cork forest and getting to the tour.  It looked pretty bumpy and  they advised against anyone with back problems or who is pregnant to avoid this tour.  When you visited what was this like for you? L: Yes you are on an ATV type of vehicle and you go pretty deep into the jungle. This part of Mexico is pretty flat, no mountains or anything like that so it’s not crazy wild but there are some bumps in the road M: It looks like there are walking and kayaking options available.  Can you tell us a little more about why you might choose one or the other? L: it’s not a choice-depends on the time of year and water level! M: Now can you describe what it's like to be floating through a cork forest? L: Pretty similar answer to the question above but it’s like you are in a fairytale and nothing else exists. M: Did you come across any wildlife? L: We saw some very cool birds including toucans but that was it. however we saw jaguar and puma prints… M: Was the tour in English? L: It was! Our tour had 2 others on it, and we had 2 guides-one Spanish speaking and one English speaking. They are uncle and nephew and own the property that the cork forest is located on M:It looks like the cork forest is pretty remote - was there a meal provided? L: Its totally remote. They brought us sandwiches, snacks and Jamaica water. We also brought our own snacks and water. M: Talk bugs to me.  What crawled, flew and otherwise attempted to feed on you? L: Getting to the cork forest there were some mosquitoes but once we were in there-it was insectless - something about the symbiotic relationships that go on in there, we saw a lot of dragonflies which eat the mosquitoes and nothing else bothered us! M: How accessible is this from the resort regions of the eastern coast of Mexico? L: 2 hours from Cancun, 1.5 hours from playa-pretty easy to get to! M: What are we missing?  Is there anything else you would like to include about the cork forests of Solferino, Quintana Roo? L: This place is unique and basically untouched by tourism. NO ONE knows about it. not even people who live in the Riviera maya. it’s not offered through any tour operator or DMC that I have ever seen. M: Lastly, can other travel professionals contact you about this and are you taking new clients for travelers that might be listening? L: Yes agents can feel free to get in touch about this, and yes I am taking new clients-especially ones that want to get off the beaten path and explore! M: How do you prefer people contact you? L: Email is best! M: Lori, thank you for being my guest again! L: It's been super totes amaze as I expected 😂 M: Thank you for listening everyone!  Bye! L: Bye!!!! Can't watch the entire video or want audio versions of the travel content you love.  Visit the extended catalog of episodes at https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/podcast .   Sharing is caring!  Please remember to subscribe to Travel Radio Podcast and share it with your travel companions.  Want to share feedback or ask a question?  Please email info @travelradiopodcast.com #Solferino #QuintanaRoo #yucatan #mexico #yucatanpeninsula #yucatanstate #corktrees #corkforest #lorigold #cancun See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kristi Mackedanz is the lucky, luxury travel planner to review Unico 2087!  There is something about this property because the number of agents that wanted to review it was incredible.  This property offers a unique frame work of credits for onsite options making your out of pocket spending for extras very reasonable.  That might lead to it popularity! Enjoy this Monday Replay: This is a replay from the All-Inclusive Winners series as chosen by travel professionals.  Some resorts are going above and beyond during these certain times.  Choose one that has your back.  Travel agents have sorted through the lot and given their approval on this series of Travel Radio Podcast. Want to be an expert on Travel Radio Podcast?  Apply here: https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/collaborate  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Theresa Chu-Bermudez just returned from her professional inspection and experience of Aruba.  This was a fact finding mission.  Should she present Aruba to her clients?  Is this really "One Happy Island"? Aruba won Theresa, the skeptic, over!   She would return tomorrow if she had the chance!   On this episode we talk about: Current entry and exit requirements Types of virus tests accepted Hotel options Should you go all-inclusive? Driving on Aruba, easy and manageable Impolite donkeys A locals dive bar and beer Shopping downtown Architectural Influences  Theresa Chu-Bermudez had also been a guest of Travelradiopodcast.com speaking on Japan and Scandinavia.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Gold, rock star Canadian travel professional and on site inspection maven chose Atelier Playa as her winning resort for the review series.  As someone who lives in the region and tours a million resorts a week, you can have some confidence in her selection. (Ok, I exaggerated, she probably tour about 1000 resorts a week...) This is a replay from the All-Inclusive Winners series as chosen by travel professionals.  Some resorts are going above and beyond during these certain times.  Choose one that has your back.  Travel agents have sorted through the lot and given their approval on this series of Travel Radio Podcast. Want to be an expert on Travel Radio Podcast?  Apply here: https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/collaborate  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Return guest Emma Major Schroeder recently spent time in Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is defined by very distinct geological and cultural influence.  We go into great depth on two of those regions.

Matty K might as well live on these properties.  That is how often he is in the DR!  One time he called me so I could see it live.  Normally the sound of the blender would make me mad trying to fight over the sound to talk.  Not this time.  I just wanted whatever frozen cocktail was whipping to perfection! This is a replay from the All-Inclusive Winners series as chosen by travel professionals.  Some resorts are going above and beyond during these certain times.  Choose one that has your back.  Travel agents have sorted through the lot and given their approval on this series of Travel Radio Podcast. Want to be an expert on Travel Radio Podcast?  Apply here: https://www.travelradiopodcast.com/collaborate  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journey to Ghana Cultural and Historic Tour Priscilla, https://cillatravel.com, was always interested in her family genealogy. At family events she could be found drilling the oldest family members on the who is who of her family.  The stream of information dried up with her great-great-grandmother, Easter Roberts.   As an elementary schooler, Priscilla learned Easter Roberts was born a slave.  Records place her as a 7 year old girl and was then separated from her family.  Tragically, the paper trail history stops there.  Likely, she was from another plantation in the area.  Easter could remember a white lady bringing her to the plantation where she lived until she was emancipated.  The clear trail stops there. Ultimately she wanted to trace her lineage back to Africa. When the paper history ended Priscilla picked up with DNA tracing. She started with a general DNA test (23andMe) to find relatives in the the US. That test also had some generalized regions tracing her lineage to Africa. Those results were still very broad.   This test started the germination of an idea idea to discover, face to face, the world of her ancestors in West Africa. A second DNA test for African ancestry, narrowed her heritage to Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. She decided to start her exploration of Africa in Ghana because of the 2019 Year of Return event.  This event is where President Ado (Ghana) invited African Americans to come to visit.   Yet a third DNA test finally allowed her to narrow the results of the first two tests. Priscilla Holmes was finally able to trace her DNA straight to the tribe of her maternal lineage.    Now, she is dreaming of tourism reopening and taking a group of like-minded travelers with her.  Maybe you match her lineage?  Maybe you should consider planning a heritage tour to Ghana. Contact Priscilla Holmes: Agent@cillatravels.com https://cillatravel.com... #ghana #africa #traveltoghana #heritagetours #travel #africatravel #westafrica See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elevate your road trip this summer with one of these unique spa experiences.  My guest, Ashley Steinmetz, consults with hotels and spas on how to uniquely raise the bar for their guests.  She is the perfect expert to make recommendations on heightened spa experiences to purposely put onto your road trip itinerary this year. About Ashley: I'm proud to be the founder of Perfect Wave Marketing.  We help hotels get on the map for well-being and become a magnet for wellness seekers. I'm proud to say that my agency is an award winning marketing & PR agency. Ashley Steinmetz can be contacted at: https://perfectwavemarketing.com ashley@perfectwavemarketing.com  America's Top 5 Unique Spa Experiences according to Ashley Steinmetz, Founder of Perfect Wave Marketing, a boutique marketing and PR house catering to hotels around the world that offer wellness.  America’s Top 5 Unique Spa Experiences: 5. SpaTerre: A luxury spa on Little Torch Key Island, Florida (A Florida Key only reachable by seaplane or boat.) Located inside Little Palm Island Resort & Spa Phone: 305-422-4235 islandspa@noblehousehotels.com  https://www.littlepalmisland.com/florida-spa-resort/   4: Miraval Life in Balance Spa:  Located in Texas Hill Country tucked away and overlooking Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. Phone: 833-889-3351 https://www.miravalaustin.com/  3. Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Salon: 
Located on the 5th floor of Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Phone: 610-459-4663 https://loews.josephanthony.com/retreat-spa/  2. Ten Thousand Waves: 
Located in a Pinon Forest a few minutes from downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Phone: 505-982-9304 https://tenthousandwaves.com/spa  1. Hanalei Day Spa: A hidden gem on Kauai on the sands of a secluded beach. Located inside the Hanalei Colony Resort  Phone: (808) 826-6621 info@hanaleidayspa.com  https://hanaleidayspa.com/. #spa #spaday #travel #roadtrip #luxurylife #spalife #travelagent #travelprofessionals #travelpodcast #travelradio See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.