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Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Join co-hosts Denise and Cheryl as they chat about the journey of life and how travel plays an intricate role in navigating its twists and turns. Whether it's sharing travel tips, swapping stories over a glass of wine or mimosa, or welcoming special guests, there's always something new to explore! Grab your suitcase, pour a drink, and let’s dive into the adventure of life together—because travel makes everything better!
Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Forget the Kids: Embrace Your Spring Break Freedom
Ready to shake up spring break, Diva-style? Gone are the days of jam-packed family itineraries and chasing kids through theme parks. This season, it's all about us—luxurious escapes, unique adventures, and the kind of relaxation that feeds the soul.
Forget the crowded beaches and kid-friendly chaos—this is grown-up spring break! We're diving into dreamy destinations like the Maldives, where overwater bungalows set the scene for ultimate indulgence, and Napa Valley, the perfect spot for a wine-lover’s getaway. And let’s talk about the hottest trends in adult travel—wellness retreats in Portugal, chasing the Northern Lights in Iceland, and experiences designed just for you.
As we plan our perfect escapes, let’s celebrate the freedom to go wherever we want—no school calendars, no restrictions, just adventure on our terms. If you could jet off anywhere, where would you go?
Join the conversation, subscribe for more travel inspo, and let’s redefine spring break—Suitcase Divas style!
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all right, welcome back guys. Suki Siva is here and this week we are talking spring break. Yes, so usually when we think spring break, we we're thinking, you know, around Easter time, the one week that everybody can travel, but spring is actually from March 20th to June 20th in 2025. It's a whole big window to pick a big ass window. Yes, and I'm an empty nester and Denise is almost an empty nester. She's like, yes, she's right there. So spring break means something different to us. We get to still plan and do spring break if we want grown up spring break. Right, it's fabulous. We don't have to worry about school calendars and we don't have to worry about traveling during the peak season, because spring break usually falls around the same time, mid-march, closer to easter, depending on when.
Speaker 1:So it might be april, depending on when easter falls, but it falls on 4 20 this year it does something too that means right, but spring break for schools tend to be in march and then I think even the one I think they're in march this year, maybe even they are, and I think up north it tends to be in March, and then I think, even the one I think they're in March this year, maybe even yeah, and I think up north it tends to be because it's so much colder that they wait till like April-ish to do spring breaks.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think the further south you go, the earlier it is and colleges are earlier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, colleges are earlier.
Speaker 2:Notoriously northern people have later like starting of school year which pushes back spring break. Yeah, notoriously Northern people have later like starting of school year which pushes back spring break. But interesting, it is all you have to if you want to not take your children out of school, which that could be a whole topic in itself, because I'm happy to take my kids out of school depending on what their age level of, as they're in kindergarten, I get it. If you're up there in high school and you've got accountability with attendance, that's obviously a harder and a different issue. But I think we are slaves to the school calendar.
Speaker 1:Right and typically when you think travel right and when you think travel during spring break, it is one of the busiest times for families to travel, which means that spine demand that's also one of the more expensive times to travel. So now that we are grownups and trying to experience grownup spring break, we have the whole time from March 20th to June 20th to actually plan some freedom my friend freedom, so put in your time and you're now at the point where you have some a little more freedom Right.
Speaker 1:So what does spring break look like for us grownups by ourselves? Let's talk about spring break destinations for grownups.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I think topping out 2025,. Let's think luxury, let's think relaxation. If we're not toting a toddler along, um, If we're not toting a toddler along. Maldives, first and foremost, gorgeous. These are islands. For those of you that don't know geography, like me. I mean, until I became a travel agent, I really learned so much about where things are. So the Maldives are islands that are to the east of Africa and they're gorgeous. They're known for over the water bungalows. If you will, that's on my bucket list. How about that? You want to stay in a over the water bungalow, Cheryl?
Speaker 2:Yes, the other thing is that For any adult one sorry.
Speaker 2:You're like, oh wait, my mind just wandered. Well, there, that is an opportunity for you. It just saying, the other thing is Napa Valley. Uh, in California, sonoma, napa Valley, I actually am planning a trip right now with my college besties. Um, so I'm trying to decide things like uh, they all want to get this mud spa and we're looking at up in Calistoga, maybe like the Dr Wilkinson's versus the um, I think it's called Indian. There's, there's a couple of different spas and I'm kind of leaning towards the Indian retreat one because it's got. It's got a more extensive spa selection for those that don't want to wallow in the mud. I not that I have anything wrong with that, I just it's almost like a claustrophobia thing for me. I don't want to be submersed. You're supposed to be submersed up to your neck and mud, and for me, would you do that? Would?
Speaker 1:you. Would you have a problem with that? No, I would do it, Um, but I do know that would not be something you would love. So finding a place that would offer kind of like a blend.
Speaker 2:Yes, put me in the hot springs.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Some like effervescence. There's one that's got like this CBD part of it. That's just like relax. Yeah, as you can hear, riley's relaxing. Yeah, a little big like calling from behind. He's already in his mud bath right now in his dreams, but yeah, so that is very exciting. So I think I'm leaning more towards Indian Springs, just because they have a huge hot mineral bath and that sounds amazing. Uh, french Riviera is another one that's like known for. You know, get to do wine tasting and cheese pairing. You can't go wrong.
Speaker 1:Right, that's right. Am I right? Am I right Am?
Speaker 2:I right, am I right? Yeah, so that's topping out the bucket list of 2025 for adults options to go for a relaxing spring break option.
Speaker 1:Nice, and then the adventure culture and you have options for that doing Portugal, food and wine, wellness and rejuvenation in Sedona and the Northern lights is a big one that a lot of people like to go towards, yeah, and Iceland, that that's very popular. And then Machu Picchu do you know where that is, Cheryl? Do you know? You know, what's so funny is we have actually had this question when we've done trivia multiple times when we get together with our travel agent buddies not many people know where it is.
Speaker 2:They just like to say Machu Picchu, it's very, it is one of those things that we all, I honestly forget every single time.
Speaker 1:Where it's at, I will tell you it is in Peru. Okay, that Peru? Okay, that was not at the top of my list. No worries, that's why we're learning. We got each other covered, yes? So then, after we have all these different things, we also have the all-inclusive style. So tell us about the all-inclusive.
Speaker 2:Well, so all-inclusive can be anywhere from. There's tons of all-inclusives. I mean, I love sandals, I love reuse, I love. But if we're talking cruises, I love the idea of Virgin voyages. It's the only adults only uh, us based cruise line that is. So if your kids are 21 or older than, or 18, actually it is 18. And in a lot of those places that we cruise to down in the Caribbean, um in in Mexico, the drinking age is honestly 18. So if you haven't, if you have a child that is 18, um, that absolutely could be part.
Speaker 1:Let's not say if you have a child. Let's say if you have a travel, an adult 18, I mean it's already, it's always going to be your child that's not.
Speaker 2:I'm not advocating for underage drinking at all our listeners that think we were pushing that, but yes, we are talking about our adult children, which we both have yes, um, my, but my 21 year old is like no, thank you to alcohol, and I'm like, yes, I don't like it. So, um, but yeah. So we're super excited to have uh to be looking more into Virgin Voyages for uh the all-inclusive, uh adults only vacation or spring break, if you will, whenever you want to have them on there, you know, and we're looking towards booking a Virgin Voyages cruise in the near future too. So maybe in the sometime in the near future you will be invited to come on a cruise with the Divas If you're an adult.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm looking forward to that, because not many offer. There's not a lot of things out there where you can go where there's no kids, and we both have kids. So we love kids. We love our kids, not so much everybody else's. So we want a break from the kid environment sometimes, exactly. So, we're excited to check out Virgin Voyage Cruises.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and Virgin Voyage. I will say, while they're not like crazy pineapple flinging anything crazy Like sometimes people they do get a bad rap sometimes and I think that is just misinformation, because that can happen on any cruise line anywhere, any country. But what I will say, they do focus on inclusive inclusiveness. You know, it was like you are going to probably see a drag show on there. There is an opportunity to get a tattoo. Maybe it's not as conservative as some people are, might be, but they're also not wild and gregarious either.
Speaker 2:They're a very, very eco-friendly cruise line. That's what I love about them too. I love the hammocks how they're sourced. I love the braces that are recyclable about them too. I love the hammocks how they're sourced. I love the braces that are recyclable. I love how there's no trash. They don't have water bottles. You have to have your own water cup. I just love how green they are. That's my jam. I am all about um, virgin voyages and I definitely want to focus on trying to get some group bookings out there, because I think that it's an amazing cruise line and we'll delve more into that in another episode, um, but yeah, I'm looking, I and speaking of all inclusive style of travel.
Speaker 1:I really like planning and being able to show up and everything be taken care of. So I also like the all inclusive resorts that you can just show up and your food and your drinks and your entertainment are all no cooking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're, it's all there for you to just come up.
Speaker 1:So where would you go or what would you do, if money and time weren't an issue for your perfect spring break grownup adventure? Okay.
Speaker 2:Well, so the, the little bungalows and the Maldives sound fabulous. I'm all about a tropical Island. I also have not. I really have. I really want to get over to Europe. I really want to. Like, uncle John says we need to go to the front, the French Riviera. We need to be drinking. We need to go to uh, I forget the location. Do you remember what he said? It started with an, a something. But anyway, I want to go drink the Prosecco and have the loveliest. I also. Italy is definitely on my bucket list. As far as just going and having some amazing red wine and nibbling on cheese and bread. That sounds like my jam. I could totally be on board with that. Like, what would you say? What would you say? Hawaii? You've been to Hawaii. I still have not been to Hawaii.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do like Hawaii, but New Zealand, I would say New Zealand is absolutely number one on my book. It has been for years. I read a book series Gorgeous Over 10, 15 years ago that introduced me to the culture and the history of it and I fell in love with it and that would be probably my number one if I had no money and no issues were there and I could just, yeah, the best thing, that would be where I'd go, a hundred percent.
Speaker 2:I 100% feel that, because new New Zealand is on my bucket list as well, um it's. It doesn't have a lot as much. Much doesn't get mentioned as many times.
Speaker 2:No, it doesn't, and I appreciate that too and that is another thing that is beneficial is not going to the over highly populated places kind of like Italy. I know Italy is on. There Was there. There was a I just saw something on Reddit or something like that where this one influencer invited all these people to a ski place and the roads cannot accommodate like 2000 people just showed up at the ski resort and um, and that may have actually been in New Zealand, not even Italy, because they're not prepared for the influx of that many people.
Speaker 2:And there was an influencer on there and they're like everybody should come. They got the snow that they needed I'll have to research exactly where it was, but they were just like please don't do that, influencers, please don't don't invite 2000 people.
Speaker 1:Especially if you haven't touched.
Speaker 1:They've never been there and they didn't even yeah that's wild so yeah, I mean, that happens as well and um talking about like dream places to go, but also unique experiences like the wine tours and the spa retreats. Those tend to be typically adults only. However, even we can go to places we've gone with our kids or places where kids are going as adults, by ourselves. Don't feel locked in. That. That's a family only style thing. Which I always think of Disney. A lot of people are like you shouldn't go to Disney If you don't have kids. I say go to Disney, experience it without having kids. And there's another place that I just found recently and sent it to my grown daughter, my adult daughter, because it's the ideal place she would love and she does not have any kids. It's Safari stays and it's in Oklahoma. You can book your own, your very own Airbnb with unique exotic animal encounters. So it was absolutely gorgeous. I saw it on TikTok and I sent it right to her Cause. That would be her dream um thing to see.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is very cool. Um, well, kind of like piggybacking with that, I would say that. Um, we went to, so I rented an Airbnb. This was kind of like a out in nature type of moment. We did it for a birthday party for Reese. We rented an Airbnb out in Graceland Highland State Park, which is like Virginia, I believe it's right on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. But we stayed in this beautiful Airbnb and it was out in the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 2:And then the hike, which is a state park. You do this, I guess it's I don't remember how many miles it is, but it's not like arduous, but it's definitely not you can't. It's not for the like, it's not a walking trail. You cross over some bodies of water, you have to hike up some rocks, but you're looking for their wild ponies that live out there in the state park. So that was a really cool, kind of off the grid, unusual. That was a spring break that we did, and definitely not cookie cutter beach or Disney. We've done all that. So it was nice to kind of get out and do something different and be out in nature. So I thought that was a kind of a unique, fun experience that we had too on that trip.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:All right so let's talk about.
Speaker 1:Let's do a quick rapid fire. I have a list we had talked about this doing your this or that spring break grownup edition. Um, listing out like you have your own list and I have mine to ask you to see. I'm very curious, when it came down to this, what each of us would choose in those moments. Okay, do you want me to?
Speaker 2:read mine to you first and you rapid fire, or you want to take it. Okay, that works, I'll put it down. I'll do my five that I picked. Okay, so girls trip or romantic getaway Girls trip.
Speaker 1:That's hard to say.
Speaker 2:It's okay, you can justify why We'll go back over it.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Safari or swimming with dolphins Safari, okay. Parasailing or snorkeling.
Speaker 1:Parasailing uh, snorkeling. I want a parasail, but I watch way too many movies.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm going snorkeling, yeah sex on the beach or a lap dance in the club I'm too old for sex on the beach.
Speaker 1:I'm going, that's too dirty. I'm going lap dance in the club, okay, uh sushi or new york cheesecake sushi Okay, sushi.
Speaker 2:Or New York cheesecake Sushi. All right, I see, I picked accurately for you on every single one of these. This is how good I know you.
Speaker 1:That's so funny. We should have done that, we should have written down, and I have an idea. I picked these specifically because I think I would pick one way and you pick another, or there's some that I think we'd pick identical. All right, you ready.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm ready.
Speaker 1:Okay, stay up for sunrise after an all-nighter or wake up for a sunrise yoga session.
Speaker 2:Oh God, these are hard.
Speaker 1:I could go either way, but if quick.
Speaker 2:it's supposed to be rapid, I know but those are so similar, like I did night or day, like there was no sunrise either way, like you can't go wrong with a sunrise and a yoga or partying all night in a sunrise, I guess you're going to stay up and party and do yoga after the sun rises.
Speaker 1:I have no problem with that. The reason why I picked that was because we've actually had that dilemma on a cruise, where you're like, let's stay up for sun. That's a whole other story, but we have actually had this dilemma because I am not a late night person, so this is that. That just made me giggle.
Speaker 2:You're typically not, but for the record on the MSC cruise, I was all about let's just stay up all night and not go to sleep. And Cheryl's like, get your ass in the bedroom.
Speaker 1:We were a few hours from sunrise and had to be up at like it was just like it may be.
Speaker 2:tomorrow we're going to bed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you doing um all inclusive with endless cocktails or curated food and wine experience?
Speaker 2:Oh, definitely all-inclusive, with endless cocktails.
Speaker 1:Okay, throwback 90s party or an elegant cocktail soiree in the speakeasy.
Speaker 2:Listen. I love the 90s so I'm going with a throwback 90s party. If there's listen, if there's 90eties rap, and we can be dancing and having fun.
Speaker 1:Oh something Okay.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Chasing waterfalls and nature hikes or the VIP beach club experience.
Speaker 2:Although I love some waterfall hikes, I would want to go with a VIP beach experience, because those are two of your favorite things.
Speaker 1:That's why I put those together. All right, I'll do one more. Um, let's see, cause I had a whole list. This list was so good. Let's see. Oh, this, this is interesting. Well, okay, this one's an easy pick, I think mimosas and brunch with a view, or beachside tacos and margaritas.
Speaker 2:Why are yours all so like? It's like there's no good answer? Because they're all good Like I gave you choices, I gave you sushi, I gave you cheese.
Speaker 1:Supposed to be right, like what would you choose?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I want everything. I'll take it all. I guess I'm not as good at this game as I thought. I'm better at asking the questions than deciding, because you had succinct, you had definite answers to everything, but I feel like I made mine like kind of this or that you did, but yours were kind of like would you rather a sunrise with mimosa or would you rather a sunrise with yoga?
Speaker 1:and I'm like I would fucking rather both like I thought it was supposed to be challenging, like you really had to choose between things you would really do, but you did make it easy on me. I will say that you're welcome. You did, okay. So we talked a lot about amazing um spring break, just being adults on spring break. We get to be grownups on spring break. We don't have to let that vibe in just because our kids are grown. We get to go out there and do it and have fun. So we encourage you guys to plan your spring break. Where would you go? That's our question to our listeners. Where would you go for your grownup spring break? To our listeners where would you go for your grownup spring break? Yeah, are you going early March? Are you going towards June? That's a good question, right?
Speaker 2:And and there is no right or wrong answer that's the what, the lovely thing about having that freedom and not and it's an adult spring break, so we're not really basing it around when the kids can go.
Speaker 2:We're we're really basing it on when we want to go, and do what we want to do and that is that freedom and like it is a blessing. It is a blessing to have your kids and I know when I had my kids, my world revolved around my children. I was excited to plan their spring break and I was excited to get their little Disney necklaces with the little pins and all that stuff. And or the cruises like I, I took a 10 day cruise when my children were two years old and six years old. So when I say I was chasing them around the cruise ship the whole time and it wasn't really a spring break for me, everybody's like this was so relaxing, so lovely and I'm like I don't know.
Speaker 2:It wasn't for me, I had fun and I made experiences and um. But it's a different ballpark and I think that any mom can relate that it's different when you have smaller children and you are planning a spring break around. What would they enjoy? What can we make this trip about them versus your spring break or your adults only? Trips are going to revolve around like what makes me happy now, like I've raised my children and I just want to.
Speaker 1:it's our time to have fun and experience spring break and go, do all the things that we would have or wouldn't have done with our kids. If I want to go to Disney without kids, I'm going, but I personally am choosing that all-inclusive or that adults only cruise.
Speaker 2:And I'm getting on that Virgin voyage cruise. I'm going to be there. You can find me there. I'll let you know the date and time that you guys, if you want to join, you can join. We're going to be on a Virgin Voyage cruise in the very near future, hopefully soon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so let us know in, let us know what you think, where you would go on your adults only or grown up it doesn't have your grown up spring break and I want to avoid saying adults only.
Speaker 2:Gives it that bad. Maybe I want to avoid saying adults only gives it that bad twist.
Speaker 1:Maybe we should just say sans children. Yeah, the grownup trips that you guys take, where are you going If money wasn't an issue? If time was an issue, where would you? Where would your dream grownup spring break be? Let us know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think that's going to wrap it up for today, but thank you for being with us and we hope to see you on a spring break in the near future.
