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This is a place where we will share travel tips, industry news, and information on some of our favorite places around the world. We’d love your feedback as we begin creating this content for you.
Wow-worthy Alternatives to Popular Destinations
Overcrowding is becoming a problem in the world's most popular destinations across southern Europe in destinations like Italy, Greece, France, and Spain. Crowds coupled with surging heat waves in recent summers can ruin a vacation, no matter how carefully you plan it. This has spawned a trend in alternative destination travel. But even the alternatives are starting to feel strained. Fortunately, Meredith has some exceptional recommendations for alternative destinations that will fill your European cup of wanderlust.
How it all started
I founded Sunkissed Bliss Travel to provide thoughtful travelers and busy families with a curated travel planning solution that prioritizes meaningful connections and core memory-making. Your time is precious. When you travel, you deserve a trip overflowing with excellence.
My name is Meredith Schnepp and I recognized the need among my family and friends for personalized and intentional travel planning steeped in first-hand experience, industry knowledge, trusted partnerships with a hyper-focus on the details.
The Inimitable Charm of Ireland
There’s a special place in my heart for Ireland. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to visit and see if what everyone says is really true. Are the hills that green? Are the cliffs that steep? Are the towns charming and the people that friendly? Does Guinness taste better over there? (Spoiler alert: yes, it does.) I didn’t have my feet on Irish soil for very long when I knew that everything I’d heard about Ireland was not hyperbole. If anything, all the praise you hear for the Emerald Isle doesn’t even scratch the surface. I’m a firm believer that Ireland should be on everyone’s destination punch card.
Virgin Voyages
From the moment I started designing travel, I knew that I wanted to try Virgin Voyages. They are racking up awards left and right, shaking up the cruise industry, and I kept hearing that they are unlike any other cruise line on the market.
So when three of my girlfriends expressed the desire to take a trip together, it wasn’t hard to convince them to try a Virgin Voyages sailing with me. We sailed out of Miami on the Scarlet Lady and went to Key West and Bimini, The Bahamas. Here are some of things that set Virgin apart from the pack, or should I say fleet?
SBT’s Spring Break Recommendations: The Expected & Unexpected
Spring Break sneaks up on families quickly. While you’re laser-focused on holiday festivities, managing children who are off their routines, and (hopefully) enjoying a few days off work, everyone gets to January and naturally looks ahead to what the new year has in store for them. Travel plans float into your mind and you ask yourself, “When is the next school break? Let’s go somewhere.” And bam! You realize that you have 8 to 10 weeks to research, plan, and book a family vacation during a peak time for travel.
This phenomenon is called “wave season” in travel. In short, you are not alone. Millions of other people (with and without children) around the world turn over the calendar page to the new year and are ready to plan their vacations for the year within the first quarter. Sunkissed Bliss Travel is here to help you plan your trip no matter when it is, but we have some tricks up our sleeve for planning spring break on a tight timeline. We’ve got the industry knowledge and insider perks to turn your “let’s take a break” vacation into an unforgettable experience that will leave lasting memories for you and your family. Whether you want to get away for the entire week or a few nights, we can help. Here are some of our favorite spring break destinations for families.
Bucket List Resorts
The term “bucket list” has been around for decades. The idea that you need to complete all the items on your list before you “kick the bucket” is a motivator for many adults past middle age. Since 2020 and the global pandemic, there’s been an even greater emphasis on travel bucket lists. Coming out of the pandemic, people were ready to make up for lost time and travel the world, take risks, and go places that they didn’t consider before. The industry affectionately coined this surge in travel, “revenge travel”.
International Travel with Children
Showing our children the world and providing them with authentic experiences is the best gift we can give them. Giving our young ones the space to explore, interact, and learn about people and places different from their own – situations that make them slightly uncomfortable – but expand their tolerance, increase their compassion, and expose them to the real-world is more important than any textbook or honors class. The earlier you can travel with your children, the better, but it can be very intimidating. Do not fear though. With the help of a trusted travel advisor, you can offload the stress of planning and managing a family vacation to us. We have the knowledge, connections, and experience to guide you down a path to joyful travel moments.
River Cruising
River Cruising is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to experience Europe, and more recently Asia, Africa, and South America. Commonly stereotyped as a vacation for retirees, river cruises are for people of all ages. Sure, there are specific cruise lines that cater to the baby boomers, but when you work with Sunkissed Bliss Travel, we can point you in the right direction based on your preferences. There are even options for river cruising with kids. Here are some benefits to river cruising:
California Wine Country
A trip to California Wine Country should be anything but ordinary, and there are hundreds of wineries located throughout several valleys for your enjoyment. Arguably the most popular, the valleys of Napa, Sonoma, and the Russian River (located within Sonoma County) have unique characteristics that distinguish themselves from one another. The undiscerning traveler might assume that “wine is wine”, but you will not have the same experience in Napa as you would in Sonoma, or in the Russian River Valley. Here’s some information about each of them.
Best Spooky Destinations for Halloween
Fall is such a mystical time with the changing of the leaves, the influx of cooler air, bluer skies, and shorter days. There are dozens of places to leaf-peep around the world, but an even more unique travel experience is one rooted in lore, mystery, and even the foundation of Halloween itself. Here are some great destinations to fill your heart for Halloween.
A Quick Guide to the Greek Isles
The Greek Isles are one of the most popular destinations in Europe right now – and for good reason. Turquoise waters, craggy coastlines, rich history, exquisitely prepared fresh food, and that European island vibe make the Greek Isles impossible to hate. But there are so many of them! Here is a quick guide to help point you to the right Isle for you.
ETIAS
Are you planning European travel in 2024? There’s been a lot of inaccurate information and unnecessary hype in the media about Europe’s new travel authorization requirement. Here’s everything you need to know to ensure smooth entry into Europe for 2024 and beyond.
The Midwest Coast
We soon discovered what thousands of people know: the eastern shores of Lake Michigan are much fairer than the western shores here in Illinois. Wide flat beaches, quaint lakeside towns, and acres of fruit orchards and vineyards spread across southwest Michigan like a patchwork quilt, and quite frankly, more accessible beaches. Our first summer in Illinois, we made the short drive to Michigan to enjoy what regulars call an “unsalted” vacation. And we visited this charming town set at the intersection of the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan: Saugatuck.
Why a Travel Advisor?
“Why would I use a travel advisor when I can go online and book it myself?” This is a common question I get, and while there are many reasons why enlisting the help of a travel advisor is better than being at the mercy of massive online booking platforms, I’m going to highlight 3 important ones here: