Inside Trentham Waters: The Resort-Style Holiday Park Changing Family Travel

What if caravan parks didn’t look - or feel - like caravan parks anymore?

In this episode of the Family Holiday Destinations podcast, I’m joined by Elysia Kelly from Trentham Waters - a brand-new resort-style holiday park that’s rethinking what family travel in regional Australia can look like.

From the moment you arrive, Trentham Waters is designed to feel different. Think considered design, curated experiences, and a focus on how families feel, not just where they stay.

In this conversation, we explore:

•  How caravan parks are evolving to meet modern family expectations 
•  The shift towards experience-driven travel (even in regional destinations) 
•  What inspired the Palm Springs-style design and resort feel 
•  Why families are looking for more than just a place to park 
•  What this means for the future of road trips and holiday parks in Australia 

One of the most interesting takeaways? This isn’t just about adding better facilities - it’s about completely rethinking the arrival experience, the atmosphere, and the emotional connection families have with a destination.

Whether you’re planning your next road trip or working in the travel industry, this episode offers a fascinating look at where family travel is heading next.

🎧 Listen now and discover why caravan parks might be the next big thing in family travel.

LINKS:

• Royal Caribbean's New Private Island in Vanuatu
• Yes, You Can Win Your Own Swedish Island - Here's How to Enter
• Japan Boom, US Cooling, AI Rising: The Key Australian Travel Trends for 2026
• Best Western Plus Pavilions Anaheim Review: A Budget-Friendly Stay Near Disneyland

Transcript

Jessica Palmer 0:05

Welcome to the Family Holiday Destinations Podcast, where we inspire your next family adventure and unpack the trends shaping how families travel today. I'm Jessica Palmer, mother of two and founder of Family Holiday Destinations. And today we're chatting about how family travel is evolving, from private cruise islands to resort-style caravan parks right

Introduction & welcome

Jessica Palmer 0:30

here in Australia. Because if you've been planning a trip lately, you've probably noticed things are changing. Families still want to travel, but we're looking for more value, better experiences, and something that actually feels worth it. Before we jump into today's chat, let's take a quick look at what's happening in the world of family travel right now.

News - Royal Caribbean’s New Private Island in Vanuatu: What It Means for Aussie Families

Jessica Palmer 0:59

First up, Royal Caribbean's new private island in Vanuatu. From 2027, Aussie families will be able to visit Royal Beach Club Lalipa, a brand new, all-inclusive private island experience designed specifically for cruises departing from Australia and New Zealand. Now, this isn't just another stop on a cruise itinerary. This is Royal Caribbean's first private destination in the Southern Hemisphere, and it's a pretty big shift in how cruise holidays are evolving. We're talking dedicated family beach zones, kids activities, snorkeling, kayaking, all-inclusive dining, and basically a full resort style experience without ever leaving your cruise. Why this matters? It really blurs the line between a cruise and a resort holiday. And for families, that means less planning, fewer surprise costs, and a much more seamless experience. And the second

News - Yes, You Can Win Your Own Swedish Island

Jessica Palmer 2:05

story is a bit of a fun one. Sweden is literally giving away a private island experience. Visit Sweden has launched a global competition where you can win access to your own Swedish island for a year. You don't get to keep it forever. But still, not bad. All you have to do is submit a one-minute video explaining why you deserve it. Why this is interesting, it taps into something we're seeing more and more. People are chasing unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences, not just holidays, but stories. And actually, both of these stories tie into a much bigger trend we're seeing right now. Both Australian and USA families still want to travel, but we're being a lot more intentional about how we do it, whether that's choosing better value, more meaningful experiences, or trips that just feel easier to manage.

Interview with Elysia Kelly - Trentham Waters Mildura (A New Era of Caravan Parks for Families)

Jessica Palmer 3:04

Which brings me to today's guest, Elysiate Kelly, co-founder of Trentham Waters Resort in Mildura, a project she's brought to life alongside her husband, racing car driver Rick Kelly. Instead of the traditional no-frills caravan park, they've created something that feels more like a destination in itself. Blending a Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic with a relaxed Murray River setting. So today we're chatting about how it all came together, what makes it different, and why we're starting to see a shift towards more lifestyle-led caravan parks here in Australia. Can you tell us a bit more about how Trent the Waters came about?

Elysia 4:06

It's funny, you know, when you look at your life and your career and you go through school, and I studied media communications because I worked in media from the time from when I was four. Um there isn't really any rhyme or reason behind my life. Like it's really quite bizarre. I I have a um a philosophy where if a door opens, um you walk you walk into it because life is all about opportunities. And I've been so lucky to have so many opportunities within the media space um because that was my passion, um, presenting and and writing and doing all those bits and pieces. So um in my previous life, it was all about presenting and cameras and makeup and you know, all that kind of thing. And then um meeting Rick, he was racing cars. So I sort of I did a little bit of motorsport media for a while there and and you know, writing for different magazines. But you know, cars aren't my passion, I've got to be honest. It's not not where I where I'm but we started a race team and um Rick and I worked in the commercial department, so working uh, you know, really closely in bringing brands into that space um and looking after them because to be fair, you know, a lot of the time we didn't have the pace to be running up the front, so we needed to come up with you know different commercial options to to keep the brands interested and and you know loyal to us. So we had bringing colour to that space that wasn't necessarily car related. It was all from a commercial perspective to put our brand forward. Um and I think in doing that for gosh, it was well over 10 years, we learnt so much in that space um that we could bring to Trentham. Not only did we have you know really close relationships with different brands that are now um on board with us in a lot of different capacities, whether it was building the resort or you know, different brands that are going to be bringing their um products into the space in terms of you know, Malibu boats were a really great supporter of Rick. So, you know, we've been able to carry those relationships through because we do have such a passion for maximizing that space, not just for us, but for the people that are have come along for the ride. So, you know, Rick and I have always been caravanners. We um we started off in a combi. Yes, we did a lot of travel in the combi, which was cool with our two dogs, and then obviously things progressed when you have children and I know all about that. Um, so we did a lot of travel, particularly during COVID, because when COVID hit, um the supercars championship needed to hit the road. We had to get it across the border from Victoria into South Wales. Um, so half the field was in Queensland and half the field was in Victoria. So all the Victorian teams had to cross the border, and of course, we weren't allowed to come back down. So, you know, we it was a huge um task because we, you know, a team of sort of 25 people trying to accommodate and transport everyone around the country, you know, not knowing when we could come home. So Rick and I made the decision to to get a 13-foot caravan and just hit the road and live in that for as long as we had to stay away from home for with with our son. So we really experienced the best and the worst of Australian caravanning. And so in the background, we we had this land that we had planned to build a caravan, just a basic caravan park on with a kidney-shaped pool, no restaurant, just a caravan park. And I don't know exactly how it evolved to where it was. We we did a lot of uh travel through Palm Springs and we loved the architecture and the colour and the vibrance of that place. Yeah, you I can see that from the resort. It it's it's really stand out, it's beautiful. Yeah, there's lots of color and lots of unexpected moments in there because you know, if you have a look geographically where Mildura's located, it's not really close to anywhere. So whilst our initial um plans were just to build a caravan park, we quickly realized that it wasn't enough to get people to travel there because Muldura already has some beautiful caravan parks. Like, you know, there's so many um dotted around the town and on the river, and so we wanted to bring something different to that region. So whilst we were in Palm Springs, we started building a playlist um on Spotify, and that is really the initial building block of the entire resort was this playlist. And we stayed at a place called the Ace Hotel um in Palm Springs, and we loved it. And they're their their music, it was the music that really changed everything. So we're like, right, we'll just start with the playlist.

Jessica Palmer 9:13

Oh, I'm I'm gonna need a copy of this playlist.

Elysia 9:18

Played right through the resort. We have rocks that are actually speakers through all the data, and it's in the restaurant. Oh, that's amazing. Uh, we have a lot of people comment on it because it's not a playlist that um places you in a particular time or location. It's not top 40 hits, it's not something, it's it's a vibe and it makes you feel something. And and of all the things in the resort that I walk through and particularly now that we can walk through, and it's you know nearing completion, it's the music that gets me every time. And I love that because that's sort of where we where we started. I love that narrative, uh, really do.

Jessica Palmer 9:57

Yeah. My um career has been very vast as well. So when I finished school, I actually studied music at university through correspondence, and I was a singer for many years. So I just I just love that. I love that music has shaped this whole resort, absolutely.

Elysia 10:14

Yeah, I just and it doesn't matter who you are, what demographic you come from, what your life experience is, music speaks to everybody, and it's picking a style that doesn't alienate anyone, doesn't yes, it's actually not an easy thing to do, but somehow the resort has kind of grown its own playlist. Like we keep adding music to it, and it's it's very much owned by by the resort, not us. Like has a heartbeat, like it really does personality.

Jessica Palmer 10:45

Absolutely, that's amazing. So caravan parks have traditionally been pretty simple, like you mentioned before. So no frills places to stay, and what especially once you move away from the coast, there's not a whole lot of special away from the coast. So, what made you think let's do something completely different here? Was it just a way to stand out?

Elysia 11:07

I think by nature, we've always liked doing things differently. It's you know, when you look at the theory of comedians, they put forward a story in a different way so that it's funny and entertaining. And it's not dissimilar to that because when you break it down, you know, the resort when you go to any caravan park, you want it to be clean and you want to be made to feel welcome. And so you if we pair back the resort and all the colour and all the bits and pieces, that's really at the basis of what we wanted to create. Because in a lot of, I'll never forget uh there was somewhere on the coast uh in northern Queensland when we were on our COVID trip, and we stayed, it was a really great, it was a great park, it was on the water, um, it was basic, but again, clean. Yeah. Um, the two ladies who ran the caravan park was so grumpy, and we wanted to we wanted to extend our stay for one more night, and we drew straws as to who would go and ask these ladies. Oh no. It was so grumpy, and it it was it's a running joke between us because my husband and what and our friend that we were traveling with ended up parking out the front of reception playing one more night by Phil Gilles to try and soften the blow of of asking if we could extend our stay. And and that all that always stuck in my head because you know you can have the nicest place um in the best location, but if if you're made to feel a certain way when you're staying there, it is you may as well be in the middle of nowhere, you know. Absolutely.

Jessica Palmer 12:51

So you know especially when people are paying for the service, because you do straight away if someone's rude, then you're just like, well, stuff it. I don't want to stay here.

Elysia 13:00

I'm not giving you my money. That's how you feel, you know. It can be the nicest um resort or caravan pipe, but if you make it feel a certain way, you're never gonna go back. And for us, absolutely, you know, having an understanding of the cost of living and and the sacrifices that people make to be able to travel these days, what was the most important thing to us is firstly providing that experience where people feel like their their spend is worthwhile and they've they've enjoyed that small moment of their lives. Like that's if you can make somebody's day better, it doesn't matter what you're doing in life. If you can elevate somebody's day in some way, then you should absolutely do it. And so everything in the resort has has been based around that. So the facilities, you know, we had the capacity to to bring a lot of color in. And if you're building something, it doesn't cost any more to create a white space than what it does to create something that's vibrant and fun. So yeah, we took all those elements that we could create moments of surprise and and joy for people and we just went for it.

Jessica Palmer 14:08

Oh, fantastic. Do you think families are starting to expect more from their holidays now, even when it comes to caravan parks and regional stays?

Elysia 14:18

Absolutely. I I think again, that the whole COVID situation changed the landscape of the way people travel, particularly domestically, you know, and there's a there's a lot of conflict going on in the world, and people are wanting to holiday in their own backyard. So, you know, expecting to have a greater experience domestically, I think is is definitely there. And there are a lot of resorts and parks popping up that that recognize that. So the space is really, you know, growing for people to have an elevated holiday experience, you know, domestically. It's particularly, you know, for caravanners. If you have a look at the cost of buying a caravan now, it's a huge investment. So I think it kind of goes hand in hand where you, you know, you're buying this amazing caravan that is a home on wheels, like they're incredible insides. So then of course people will be expecting, you know, to take this amazing home on wheels to to some incredible locations. And whilst a lot of those are free camping, and and I love that. I love that you can, you know, go and stay on the water and have all these amazing experiences as a as a free camp. I think a lot of people are also wanting a chop out from that to have all the facilities and the oh, they absolutely are.

Jessica Palmer 15:33

Yes, I'm the same. That's how I see Trenton Waters. You'll have people that are free camping for a bit, and then you get to a point where you're just like, nah, I can't do this anymore. And and then you go and stay, you know, for a week or two at the lovely resort.

Elysia 15:50

Yeah, and it's just such a fun place to be. Like every corner is has color in it. We we have a McCaw called Tango, and he free ranges around the resort, and he brings, you know, so much colour, and he's a really great representative of our whole brand ethos. He's just an amazing, amazing bird who just he's just so much fun. So it just every single little corner has got, you know, got a little splash of colour and fun, which I love. So what's his name again? His name's Tango. So he's just a he's been hand-raised. Uh, he was born on the first of November. So he's quite a big bird, but um I believe he's gonna get a fair bit bigger, but he's so friendly and cuddly and needy. He's like uh exactly like having a dog. It's crazy. He rolls around the grass and yeah, he's he's hilarious. So Trenton Waters has a mascot already. We do. He's uh we call him um so we have beautiful Pina who works in as a concierge at the resort. So Tango definitely has a place on that concierge team because he does welcome everybody.

Jessica Palmer 16:57

Oh, that's cool. So Mildura probably isn't the first place that comes to mind for families when they're planning a holiday. What drew you to Muldura and what do you see in it?

Elysia 17:08

Oh gosh, we've been well, me personally, I've been going to Muldura for over 20 years. So Rick, my husband, he was born in Muldura and his family lived there. So he has really strong ties to that location. But for him personally, when we were creating this, you know, the whole project, he really drew back to when he first started in racing. And they he and his brother um both were race car drivers, and it's a really hard space to get into. It's an expensive space to get into, and his family um didn't necessarily have the funding to kind of go up in the levels, and the town gave so much to Rick and his brother within that space. Like they really, you know, it was such a great um support for them. Yeah. Um and they of course got to the the top of Australian motorsports. So Rick, he wanted to give back to the community, and he's really very passionate about that. So, you know, whilst we we could have built it anywhere, there was never any other location that Rick considered because he really thought that there was a space that he could, you know, give back support um to the town. But Muldura itself, people don't tend to think of it as a holiday location, but if there's a really niche market for your waterskiers and your wakeboarders, the river is absolutely spectacular. Uh Achuka is um, you know, a really popular place for Melbourne people to go because it is uh get a bit closer. But Muldura is a is a really beautiful place to go. And the river, in my opinion, and not being biased, is is one of the best stretches of the Moray, particularly where we're on a couple of kilometers of riverfront. So, you know, the capacity to to look after the skiing and weight boarding community there. We've got um jetties and we're putting in a sandbar and private boat ramp, and it really does look after the the boating community, whether you're into fishing or or water sports. So obviously the culinary experience in Muldura is amazing. There's so much fresh produce and and beautiful food. It's one of those places that people will go, okay, let's try it. We'll just go and see. And then they keep coming back, you know, year on, year out.

Jessica Palmer 19:22

Because it's just mil Mildura is like a food bowl for the region, isn't it?

Elysia 19:27

It really is.

Jessica Palmer 19:28

Am I correct?

Elysia 19:28

Yeah. Yeah, it's it's got so many incredible restaurants and vineyards are amazing and the the orange orchards, and it's a really beautiful place to go from a food perspective. That's fantastic.

Jessica Palmer 19:42

So when a family arrives at Trentham Waters, what do you want their first impressions to feel like?

Elysia 19:49

We were pretty clear on that vision, actually, um, because it is a long drive to get there. And you do drive through a lot of nothingness, there's a lot of desert, and we wanted the wow factor when people drive through those gates, because obviously the kids are complaining in the car, and as parents were like, oh, when are we gonna get the and literally every single person that comes into the reception is like, oh my gosh, like wow. And I remember uh the last time over the long weekend, I was sitting at reception and I had tango on the back of my chair, and the girls were checking in this lovely family, and the lady's like, I can't, I can't believe this. And then she's seen Tango on the back of my chair. She's like, Are you kidding me? It's just a real sense of being transported somewhere else. You could be anywhere in the world when you drive through those gates, and that's really what we wanted to create that transportive kind of feeling, where you know, we have a lot of people from Mildura stay with us. So they drive 15 minutes down the road and we're like, wow, like we feel like we've gone overseas or we've gone to Queensland, or we don't actually know where we've gone, what's just happened, because it's just such an unexpected surprise when you drive to the gates.

Jessica Palmer 21:08

And that just tells us that Mildura has a lot to offer as well, that people who live there are happy to holiday there in Meldura just to especially now with the the cost of fuel and everything going through the roof.

Elysia 21:20

Um, we've had so much support from the local community, which has been amazing. Like a lot of our, we've had a lot of guests return two or three times already. We've only been open since the 15th of December. So um they've been so supportive to have something where they don't have to drive, they don't have to get on a plane. It's just uh an escape that's just down the road.

Jessica Palmer 21:42

Oh, that's amazing. It really is. Was there a moment during the build when you thought this is actually going to be something really special?

Elysia 21:51

There there were a few moments. We've had a few moments in the build. Obviously, it's it's taken so many years and it took such a long time, and we had delays because of weather. And getting materials and bits and pieces. But Rick had such a clear vision for the place, which I couldn't see from a structural point of view. I've got a video of him standing on the blank red dirt with the plans going, the breezeway's going here, and the restaurants going here, and this is what this is going to look like. And there's going to be these palm trees. And I'm like, I didn't quite see his vision. And it's funny, we've we've got river retreats which are dotted down in the bushland on the river that aren't open yet, but they should be online in a few months. But we built one of those as a prototype because you know, building something of this size, it was just a a work site. It's messy for ages, yeah. When does it start looking like a house? And and this went on for years. And so we built this river retreat and it was amazing. We we did all the interiors, and it was something for us that we could look at and have a visual representation of where we were headed. And then that was there for a couple of months, and the floods came through and took it away. Oh no. Um yeah, so they are um all of the river retreats are built to be removable, but this one, um, this one didn't get removed. So that was that was a real moment for us. And there it is, and there it goes. Yes. Uh, but really, I think when we started putting colour into the resort, so Rick did all the building, and my colleague Melanie and I were then tasked with bringing the personality in and the colour and the and the styling items and the oh so is that all yours and Melanie's doing?

Jessica Palmer 23:38

Oh yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, but you're very talented. Yeah, I I just assumed you would hire, you know, like a some kind of designer to do all that. It's so beautiful.

Elysia 23:48

We did have, we had help with the restaurants in some ways, and then we had help with the villas, but because all of that design, uh the the project really evolved a lot, particularly in the last couple of years, and we had help uh probably four years ago with some of the design. But by the time we came to you know, bringing the colour in, our in intent had changed so much. Like the project had taken on a life of its own. So Melanie and I, we had worked in interior design in the marketing space for some time. So we were really lucky to have had that experience to then be able to shift our views and the colours and the the all the items that we put in there. And you know, it's one thing to style a house, but styling a resort, it's a yes, it's all got to be commercial trade and what you like someone else might not like, and and everything we've done has been so different in terms of colour um and style. So it's actually been a really, really fun journey, but but a huge, uh huge journey. But we've really enjoyed it.

Jessica Palmer 24:53

It absolutely looks like you've hit the nail on the head too. Like when I first saw the pictures, the first thought that came to mind was palm springs before I had read it. And so I just think it's amazing that you've managed to achieve that.

Elysia 25:08

Yeah, and it's interesting because the the compulsion to go for the predictable palm springs, which can be quite tacky, you know, it can down that road and and bring in all the colours and really make a mess of it. We've been pretty cautious in sort of staying as true as we can to you know the mid-century modern style rather than the yeah, yeah, you have to do what the Australian audience would like, as opposed to the American version of Palm Springs. So you know, it sits in you know a lot of red dirt and there's so much natural bushland on site. So it needed to have that palm springs vibe, but didn't uh we didn't want it to stick out like a sore thumb. Like what what are they actually doing? So we've worked quite hard to to draw in the the colours and the textures in in the environment that we were in, yeah. Um, but but slanting it a different way so that we could still have that palm springs flavor.

Jessica Palmer 26:06

It's amazing. How do you think a development like this changes a place like Mildura, not just for visitors, but for the local community as well?

Elysia 26:16

Oh gosh, like I'd I'd hate to speak for the local community because I don't I don't live there. I do love being there and I do spend a lot of time there. But from talking to the many guests that have stayed locally, I feel like they're really proud to have this in their region. And we've had so much interest from all around Australia, different media outlets and people wanting to know more about it. And I think from what the guests have said, they're really proud to have this that they can tell their friends to come and stay. Because I suppose, you know, living in in Muldura, the, you know, the natural thing is to, if you're going to catch up with family interstate, you go to Sydney or Melbourne, you'll catch up with, you know, somewhere that's a a little more convenient or has something to offer the kids and all the bits and pieces. But I think now a lot of the families that I've spoken to, their families are now traveling from interstate to Muldura their home. And they have somewhere for us to stay that is show off the area.

Jessica Palmer 27:14

Yeah.

Elysia 27:15

And it's an experience staying at Trentham Waters. It's not just um, you know, a roof over your head and a pool to swim in. Like the whole thing is an experience that you, in my opinion, you can't get anywhere else in Australia. I really think we have created something that it's it's not just about the resort, but the people within the resort that are working on our team, they are the most phenomenal group of men and women who are so committed to delivering an elevated holiday experience to every single guest. And if you have a look at you know, our Google reviews, um, which I'm incredibly proud of, every single one of them brings up how welcome they felt and how amazing the team are. And that really is the jewel in our crown, um, is the team that we have at the resort. Yeah, absolutely.

Jessica Palmer 28:07

Do you think this is where holiday parks in Australia are heading? Like more comfort, more experience, and more destination-led stays?

Elysia 28:16

I think so to a certain degree. I like I do believe that it will grow in that space. But, you know, for me, I do still love going around, you know, Australia and staying in the, you know, the traditional caravan parks. If they're clean and they're and it's friendly, I love staying in a in a place that is really true to its location and its heritage. And you know, I don't, I don't really think that they're all, you know, every caravan park is going to, you know, change and grow. And, you know, they might not have the capacity to do that anyway. I I still think that there is a space for every caravanning experience. I but I do think that, you know, the expectation of somewhere clean, safe, you know, and enjoyable for a family, like I think that that will definitely be elevated as time goes on.

Jessica Palmer 29:04

Yeah, I agree. And I think especially as housing affordability gets worse and more and more people make the shift to say, well, stuff that I can't afford a million-dollar house, but I can't afford a caravan. And I absolutely agree.

Elysia 29:18

And the life experience that comes with that, the amount of families that are doing laps and homeschooling their children, and it actually gives me goosebumps um talking about it because it's it's such a fantastic experience. You have your children in that space for sh for such a short period of time and being able to now have the capacity to just do it, and there's so many families doing it. It I I just love it. I if if I could, and I and I would like to think we will be able to at least do a year doing a lap before our son's too old. I just think there is so much more to before they don't want to. Yeah, I know, right? Before they don't sit in the bunks anymore. Yeah. But yeah, the the capacity to learn about life is there outside the classroom. You can still do your homeschooling and just learn so much more about living and and our beautiful country. I'm really passionate about it. Oh, excellent.

Jessica Palmer 30:13

So one last question. For families listening who've never considered Mildura, what's something about the region that might genuinely surprise them?

Elysia 30:22

I mean, I can I can only talk from my experience. I just love the I love the history of the place and I love the the cultural, there's so much cultural depth there. And you know, going through the town and experiencing the different cuisines and the orange orchards and the vineyards and and you know, they've been there for such a long period of time and the passion from the community and the growers for the region, I yeah, I'm really proud of Miljura because it's it's some it's a place for me that has so many elements of surprise. And I love I love nothing more than turning up somewhere and being surprised. Because you know, travel around the world and you know when you go to Paris, you've got all there's all the expected pieces. Whereas Muldura, you turn up and you're just like, wow, there's so many wow elements to that location.

Jessica Palmer 31:19

Um and just I guess and you haven't you have not one but two of the art installations by internationally acclaimed artists, Bruce Monroe now as well. So, you know, obviously other people other people see more in the in the region as well. They see that it has something to offer.

Elysia 31:36

Yeah, absolutely. We we're so excited. So FOSO um is launching on Good Friday, so that's on the New South Wales side of the border, and we cannot wait to go and see it. Um, it's gonna be a uh an explosion of light and sound. And uh, you know, I've been to the the field of lights in in Ularu, and I just special place. So I'm really yeah really excited to see what Bruce has worked on on the New South Wales side. It's um it's gonna be really exciting. And of course, there's the installation um on the big big side, which is absolutely beautiful.

Jessica Palmer 32:12

Oh, that's amazing. You know what? That's all the questions I've got. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

Elysia 32:19

No problem.

Jessica Palmer 32:28

One of the things that really stood out to me from

Interview - Key Takeaways

Jessica Palmer 32:32

this conversation was how much of Trentham Waters is built around experience. Not just the facilities, but how people actually feel when they arrive. Alysia talked about everything from the music playing across the resort to those little design touches, all aimed at creating that wow moment after a long drive. And what I found interesting is that it's not just about making something look good. It's about responding to how families are traveling now. Families are expecting more. Not necessarily luxury in the traditional sense, but better experiences, more thoughtful design, and a feeling that the trip is actually worth it. And that really lines up with what we're seeing across the travel industry right now. Whether it's a private island in Venuatu or a resort-style caravan park in regional Victoria, the common thread is this: travel has become experience driven. It's not just about where you go anymore, it's about how it feels when you get there.

Tip - Accommodation in Anaheim for an Iconic Disney Family Holiday

Jessica Palmer 33:48

So before we wrap up, my quick practical tip this month is for those of you thinking about doing an iconic Disney California trip. As you can guess, accommodation next to the park is at a premium price, and Disney tickets are already super expensive when you're buying for a family. My tip is to consider staying at a mid-range hotel just a block or two away. We stayed at the best Western Plus pavilions in Anaheim, and the price difference between this and the more luxury resorts right next to the Disney park is staggering. There was nothing wrong with staying here. It was a perfectly comfortable, clean and spacious room that's still close enough to walk to the park. They even give you a voucher for free breakfast at the Denny's next door. If you want to learn more about this accommodation option near Disney in Anaheim, you'll find a link to our review in the show notes. Sometimes a simple priority decision, like choosing mid-range accommodation over five star, makes a huge difference to your overall budget, leaving more for those fun experiences.

Outro

Jessica Palmer 35:08

So that wraps up our chat about how family travel is evolving. From private islands to resort-style stays closer to home. I'm sure there are many other great experiences out there to be had, and we would love to hear some of yours. Thanks for joining me on this journey through family travel trends and new holiday ideas. I hope this chat has inspired you to explore them with your family. For more tips and detailed guides, head on over to the Family Holiday Destinations website at FamilyHolidaydestinations.com. And until next time, happy travels and enjoy making those family memories.