S3E6: Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingalls Wilder Tourism with Wendy McClure, Author of the Wilder Life

Wendy McClure has visited nearly every Laura Ingalls Wilder-related site in the US as part of her research for her book, The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. From Pepin, Wisconsin (the Big Woods) to Walnut Grove (the setting of the Little House TV series) to Burr Oak, Iowa (a lost chapter in Ingalls family history), Wendy has seen it all. She’s visited dugouts and lean-tos and even Almanzo Wilder’s boyhood home in upstate New York. Kathy also discusses her recent literary tourism pilgrimage to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri, the home of Laura, Almanzo and Rose and the place where the books were written. Kathy and Ines were thrilled to expound upon their love of the Little House books with a kindred spirit. They also discuss their love for the Little House on the Prairie TV show, including the more over-the-top episodes (anyone else remember the mime rapist?). Listen as Wendy busts some myths and shares some laughs and helps you decide once and for all: are you an Almanzonian or a non-Almanzonian?

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Meet Wendy McClure, Writer and Laura Ingalls Wilder Tourism Expert

This week’s guest is Wendy McClure, author of The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie. As part of her research, Wendy traced the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family and learned a lot of important things along the way, including how to churn butter like a champion. Wendy stopped by to chat with us about Laura Ingalls Wilder landmarks across the country and to compare notes with Kathy, who recently returned from her own Laura-centric adventure to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.

Learn more about Wendy after the jump.

S3E5: How to Plan a Trip from Scratch: Dealing with the Post-Vacation Blues and Other Travel Anxieties with Kristen Brendel of Per La Vita Wellness

 

Sometimes the worst part of planning a trip happens after the trip. Coming back to reality can be tough, but we have a few good ways to cope. In our final installment of our How to Plan a Trip from Scratch series, we sit down with mindfulness expert Kristen Brendel of Per la Vita Wellness. We discuss what we can do before a trip to make our return easier, how to relax in a new setting, what to do if we fear flying, how to deal with a stressful travel partner, and more.

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S2E4: Traveling in Baja California, Mexico with Jen Kramer of Baja Test Kitchen

Jennifer Kramer is one of the founders of Baja Test Kitchen, as well the author of the Moon Baja Travel Guide. In this episode, Jen shares her favorite spots to eat, drink and soak up the Mexican culture, with a special emphasis on Valle de Guadalupe. Over the last several years, Valle de Guadalupe has exploded in terms of amazing wines and creative culinary offerings. Jen also gives us the scoop on the women winemakers who are taking Valle de Guadalupe by storm. Also discussed: how to pick the food and wine tour that’s right for you, winetasting etiquette 101, and the truth about all those state department issued travel warnings for Mexico. Mexico’s Baja California region is an easy day trip from San Diego, but you’ll definitely need more than one day to eat and drink your way through all the deliciousness.

Listen and subscribe on Podbean and Apple Podcasts.

Show notes (including winery and restaurant recs for Valle de Guadalupe) after the jump.

Let’s Talk About Cats

When I was a little girl growing up in rural South Carolina, two things were on my bucket list:

• Live somewhere where Chinese restaurants existed and get food delivered so I could eat right out of take-out boxes with chopsticks, just like the families on my favorite Friday night sitcoms.
• Visit New York to see Cats on Broadway. Just who was this Andrew Lloyd Weber fellow and why were all the 80s morning talk shows abuzz about these live-action, dancing tabbies?

With regards to eating from Chinese take-out containers, I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams – seven-year-old Kathy would be pleased to know that I now own several sets of chopsticks. But my goal of seeing Cats on Broadway has proved to be, much like actual felines, elusive.

S3E2: Oneika the Traveller, Travel Journalist and Travel Channel Host

Oneika Raymond has traveled to 100+ countries and has documented everything along the way on her wildly successful blog, Oneika the Traveller. In this episode, Oneika shares the details of her journey as a blogger as well as what’s next, including her new Travel Channel Show, Big City, Little Budget. We examine social media’s increasing role in the blogosphere, our feelings on why Instagram might not be so insta-great (do we really need more pics of boho girls in floppy hats looking out over exotic locales?), and why maybe it’s better just not to care. As strong advocates of travel for everyone, we also discuss the significance of travel for women and people of color and why it’s so important.

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Meet Travel Personality and Writer Oneika Raymond of Oneika the Traveller

Oneika Raymond, a.k.a Oneika the Traveller

 

We are thrilled to have as this week’s guest travel personality and writer Oneika Raymond.

Oneika is the voice behind Oneika the Traveller, an award-winning travel blog dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and empowering women and people of color to see the world. An international educator, writer, serial expat, and travel junkie, Oneika’s passion for discovery is boundless and her adventures abroad have taken her to over 100 countries on six continents. Oneika has written for and been featured in major publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, the BBC, The Huffington Post, Essence, Ebony, National Geographic Traveler, Buzzfeed, and CNN.

She’s also a host for HGTV and the Travel Channel, with whom she has recently launched her series Big City, Little Budget.

Want to learn more about Oneika? Be one of the first to know when our episode drops by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Podbean.

You can also visit Oneika’s blog, and find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

We’re still looking for spooky travel stories for our Halloween episode! Send them to XXWillTravel[at]gmail[dot]com. You can write them or attach an MP3. You can also leave us a message (along with your name) at 872-228-5596 or give us a shout on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

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Three Tips to Get Started in Travel Writing

We were fortunate to have travel journalist Gabi Logan as our guest last week and were blown away by her extensive knowledge of the travel writing industry.  Follow the jump for three key takeaways for aspiring travel writers. These are just a taste of all the things we learned. For the full scoop on travel writing, check out the episode on Podbean or Apple Podcasts.

A Call for Travel Ghost Stories, New Podcast Episodes & Our Season 3 Launch Party

We’re getting ready for season three! Here’s what you can expect:

• New episodes! From women winemakers in Baja Mexico to how to handle the post-vacay blues, we’ve got you covered.
• We’re searching for listener stories of ghostly hauntings, supernatural encounters and other creepy travel tales for our Halloween episode. Send your stories to xxwilltravel[at]gmail[dot]com, leave us a message & your name at 872-228-5596 or give us a shout on social media. You can also record an MP3 voice memo on your phone and submit your story that way.
• A party! Our annual launch party is going to be epic. Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know.

 

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Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

This is the time of year when we make like the French and take off the month of August. But don’t worry! We’ll be back for Season Three with more tales of adventure, as well as amazing guests!

In the mean time, catch up on some of our past episodes – we’ll be sharing some of our favorites during the month of August.

If you haven’t already, subscribe to our newsletter to be entered in a raffle to win a copy of past guest Jennifer Poe’s new book, Hola, Morocha! You should also give Jen’s episode a listen!

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