All Things Travel Podcast

Planning the Perfect 3-Day Getaway: Family Fun and Adults-Only Escapes on a Budget

• Ryan Hedstrom & Julie Shaffer • Season 1 • Episode 221

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In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie dive into planning the ideal 3-day vacation based on listener preferences. They explore both family-friendly and adults-only options, all within a budget of $3,000 (excluding flights).

Key Points:

  1. Listener Poll Results: 
    • 91% prefer flying over driving
    • 50/50 split between adult-only and family-friendly trips
    • 60% chose relaxation over adventure
    • 68% opted for a budget under $3,000
    • Fall was unanimously chosen as the preferred travel season
  2. Family-Friendly Options: 
    • All-inclusive stay at Barcelo Maya Palace in Cancun ($2,316 for family of four)
    • Royal Caribbean cruise on Utopia of the Seas ($2,741.68 for family of four)
    • SeaWorld and Aquatica package in Orlando ($1,463 for family of four)
  3. Adults-Only Options: 
    • Sandals Ochi in Jamaica ($2,722 for two adults)
    • Virgin Voyages cruise to Key West and Bimini ($2,688 for two adults)
    • JW Marriott Marco Island, Sirene section ($2,312 for two adults)
  4. Tips for Maximizing Your Budget: 
    • Consider all-inclusive resorts or cruises
    • Look for packages that include meals and activities
    • Utilize happy hours and local grocery stores to save on food and drinks
  5. Importance of Flexibility: 
    • Working with travel advisors can help find unexpected deals
    • Being open to different destinations can lead to better value

Whether you're looking for a family adventure or a romantic getaway, this episode provides valuable insights on how to plan an unforgettable 3-day vacation without breaking the bank.

Contact the hosts: Julie@CreatingMagicVacations.com Ryan@CreatingMagicVacations.com

Next episode: Tune in for a discussion about a recent honeymoon trip to Thailand.

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Julie:

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. A few weeks ago Julie created some really fun polls on our All Things Travel Facebook group. We asked our listeners to vote on the prompt you have three vacation days and Julie kept asking questions to narrow down the type of trip that you our listeners want to hear all about. This is going to be a fun episode because we don't even know what each of us has planned. Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel. This was a really fun idea that we came up with a while ago like this. You have three vacation days prompt and we weren't really sure how we wanted to present this episode So I thought it would just be really fun to pull in the Facebook group and kind of have the members and the listeners Direct where we had to go And really fun part is I have no idea what Ryan planned and then Ryan kind of knows what I

Ryan:

planned.

Julie:

Basically the idea and we'll share the poll results here in a second was You the listeners get to decide the the kind of the structure of the trip so Julie over the course of the week asked you this or that or this or that and it went from there and Then Julie and I had our marching orders and we went off separately and created trips based on those characteristics, but I didn't look at Julie's, Julie created the outline for today. I didn't look at her trips until after I had created mine. And luckily, and interestingly, we chose very, very different things. So this will be an interesting discussion of how to handle three vacation days. Ha

Ryan:

even better when the episode comes out, we can pull who did it better and you guys can all pick me.

Julie:

You know, we did this a few years ago with Shane and I. We did kind of the same thing. And it was always built as a competition. We spent all this time and we created, we each created these really cool trips and then nobody wanted to vote on who won. I read it as you both did well, so we both win and ultimately Julie, our listeners win because they have great vacation ideas.

Ryan:

they do. So tell us. Ryan, tell us what the four or so questions

Julie:

We asked, Are you flying or driving? We asked, Is this an adults only or a family friendly trip? We asked, relax or have adventure? We also asked questions about budget and then we asked when during the year. Do you want to travel? But before we talk about the results, I want to remind you if you did not listen back to last week's show we had a focus on 4th of july travel with patriotic us travel ideas So julie, what were our poll results?

Ryan:

Okay, and I was kind of surprised by a lot of these results, which made it even more fun. When we asked, are you flying or driving, 91 percent said flying which was cool because, again, the prompt was, you have three vacation days.

Julie:

And when I was creating my trips I really had to think about the travel to and from and how I was gonna maximize that time

Ryan:

mm hmm, absolutely, that was the fun part we also asked if clients preferred an adult only or a family friendly trip, and interestingly enough, this one ended up splitting 50 50.

Julie:

So what did we do?

Ryan:

We did both.

Julie:

We we each created trips around Adults only and family friendly so you get a bonus with that one

Ryan:

Bonus. We asked if our listeners were looking forward to relaxing on their vacation or having an adventure, and 60 percent chose relaxing over the 40 percent that chose adventure. There. So, sorry to our dear friend, Michelle, who likes to have adventure.

Julie:

We also asked what do people want to spend on this trip 68 percent chose less than three thousand 26 percent chose less than five thousand And finally, where do you want to travel? And 100 percent chose fall. I guess by fall, they're ready for a trip because they've gotten out of summer, they're kind of back in the mode with work and school maybe.

Ryan:

Those are probably the same people that chose the adults only trip because

Julie:

Yeah, right,

Ryan:

they've been with their

Julie:

Yeah, yeah, it's getting cold. I've been around my kids a lot. I'm ready to unwind so based off of these results It looks like we are planning a trip anywhere from three to five days if you include the weekend Flying to a destination adults only or family friendly and we did both relaxing Less than 3, 000. So I will say the way that Julie asked this question is the 3, 000 does not include flights It includes everything but flights and we are traveling in the fall

Ryan:

Alright, so I can't wait to hear what we came up with. And we know that we can't use Disney because it's not a relaxing vacation.

Julie:

Julie, do you want to talk about family friendly or adults only first?

Ryan:

What do you think?

Julie:

Let's do family friendly. I it's very interesting, like I said at the beginning of the show, I didn't look at yours until after I completed mine. And I would say usually I do kind of more over the top ideas, and you totally blew me away with this. I totally stand behind my ideas that I came up with and planned out. But I did not even think about international because I was literally thinking of three vacation days so you took it to the next level by including the weekend here and Maximizing that time and i'm excited to hear about this first option

Ryan:

Okay, so for family friendly, I just couldn't decide which option to go with because I really liked both of these options so much. So I came up with an all inclusive trip option and a cruise option, and they're both phenomenal options that I would absolutely book my clients into.

Julie:

These are great

Ryan:

The first one was November 2nd to the 6th. So Saturday to a Wednesday. You would be taking off that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but you would have off Saturday and Sunday. This was for a family of four, two adults and two children. And I based the children's ages on eight years and six years. And I have them going to Cancun and staying at Barcello Maya palace, which I actually have clients booked at this resort for this summer. So I know this is a good resort. They're in. A upgraded room, which is the junior suite oceanfront premium level room which will feature a living area with two daybeds, a mini bar, a coffee maker you know, a full bathroom, bathrobes, you know, plenty of space for everyone. to enjoy. This resort is all inclusive, so all your food and drinks are included, but the cool part about Barcelo Maya Palace is that it's kind of like a complex. It's connected to four other resorts, and this is the highest level of those five

Julie:

Yeah, often times when you have kind of a family of resorts, you have different levels of amenities or of service or of options.

Ryan:

Yeah, so this specific location, Barcelo Maya Palace, gives you access to everything on site. That is like the water parks that are on site there. All the restaurants, all the beach areas. It doesn't include a couple of the upgraded amenities, but it is nice to have these upgraded options. Like, I believe they have a dolphin area, and they have a couple other like waterpark upgraded options that you can also choose, but those are an added fee. However, however, the cost of this trip was 2, 316.

Julie:

I couldn't believe like i'm like when I looked at this i'm like how in the world did you do an all inclusive? here and My gosh, you have money Where if you wanted to add those extra upgraded experiences, you could totally do that Or you could do an excursion off site and you're still underneath the set budget

Ryan:

absolutely. And so basically what Ryan is saying is that when you're looking for a travel agent, choose me.

Julie:

Wow ouch ouch

Ryan:

But anyways, I, I was impressed.

Julie:

that is really, really cool.

Ryan:

The second option I found is also really cool, and like I said, I would book my clients into either of these options. So my second option was a cruise, and I went with Royal Caribbean on Utopia of the Seas, which, if you're thinking, what is the Utopia of the Seas, it's because it hasn't even sailed yet. It starts sailing this summer, like, I want to say July it starts sailing. So this is a four night cruise. Utopia is only doing four night weekend cruises. You're in an ocean view balcony room, the same family as before, two adults. two kids ages eight and six. You're departing from Miami, which is a little cheaper to fly into than Port Canaveral is, so that's helpful.

Julie:

And I think, and not that the kids are going to care about this, but you and I experienced Miami a few weeks ago. It is the most beautiful port to sail out of. It's so awesome. Wow,

Ryan:

Like I said, this is a brand new ship. It's starting to sail this summer. It has record breaking water slides and a shoreside chill area. There's private cabanas. There's 17 different water slides. There's splash away bay for the little kids. There's a lot to do on this ship. And the total price. With gratuities included was 2, 741. 68. So remember that also includes your food, unless you do an upgraded, which you wouldn't really need to on a four night cruise. It includes your kids clubs. It includes so much.

Julie:

I absolutely love it. Both of these were really good fines for the budget.

Ryan:

Mm hmm. Thank you. Thank you.

Julie:

Good job, Julie. Well, hey, I went a very different way and I was looking for a way to maximize family fun. And so I also had a family of four, so two adults and two kids ages eight and five. And to be honest, as I was putting this together, I was thinking more long weekend.

Ryan:

hmm.

Julie:

So I have a Friday through a Monday. So you're

Ryan:

Love it.

Julie:

you can still take days off of work, but you're really maximizing that weekend time.

Ryan:

Yeah. Yeah.

Julie:

I went a little different route. I thought, what could we do here if we have theme park lovers that don't want to do Disney But want to have a similar experience, but see something unique and really maximize your time. And I will say, maybe this doesn't fall under relaxation, but it really kind of depends how your family defines relaxing, right? Maybe getting away and just having a blast is relaxing. I put together a package for this family at SeaWorld. me explain everything that's in this package.

Ryan:

Okay. All right.

Julie:

at, they're staying at the Double Tree by Hilton Orlando. That's on the SeaWorld campus. So less than a mile to the parks. And there's shuttle included with that. They have tickets to both SeaWorld and Aquatica for the entire length of stay. So they can decide how they want to use those. They have all day dining for everyone at Bowl Sea World and Aquatica. And I've done this for clients before. And Julie, basically what this means is you can eat at most quick service and snack locations every 90 minutes throughout the day.

Ryan:

Are you, like, setting an alarm for

Julie:

Well, I'm just saying, like, that's when you can eat

Ryan:

That's awesome.

Julie:

When I booked this before, it was for teenagers. Because the teenagers, obviously, are just eating like crazy. So, this also includes, at Aquatica, which we know water parks, we hate to wait in line. This includes the quick queue, unlimited, throughout the day there. So, It also includes reserve show seating for shows at SeaWorld. All of that, Julie, over the course of October 18th to the 21st, for that family of four, the total is 1, thousand 463 through Monday being able to use tickets across all those days. So think about that. You maximize your plane tickets to arrive earlier on Friday later on Monday. You've got four days at at those parks. You can mix and match however you want

Ryan:

Yeah.

Julie:

that gives you so much money Leftover with this budget to either save a lot of money because remember most of your dining is included with that price Or you can add things So for instance at SeaWorld you can do dolphin close up tours You can do dolphin encounters. You can do beluga close up tours penguin encounters you could do a sea lion close up and all of those would fit well under your budget or Yeah you could add, if you really want to maximize your time there, you could spend a day at Discovery Cove. And we've done an episode on Discovery Cove. It's basically an all inclusive pool day. It's not a water park, but there's pool and there's animal encounters. It's just a beautiful place. That would cost this family 719 for the day. With Discovery Cove, that includes your food, your drinks, and alcoholic drinks if you're over 21. That includes your towels, that includes your locker for the day, that includes your parking. So you are all set to go there. You can easily add this on to That stay at SeaWorld. it's very different than yours But I think this would be a really fun way to spend four days in Orlando

Ryan:

I'm intrigued. I'm very intrigued. So those were some really super fun family friendly options. Before we get to our adults only trips, tell us where we're going.

Julie:

right, so we are going to talk about where in the world is all things travel julie and once again I'm going to blow you away I looked at our stats this week and an international location popped up for the first time We are in Mumbai, India

Ryan:

Oh, that's so fun.

Julie:

Yeah, so Mumbai, India is the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the world with 23 million people and there is tons of things to see in Mumbai. They have beautiful temples. They have one of the most gorgeous train stations I've ever seen. They have a gorgeous English hotel. And Mahatma Gandhi also lived in Mumbai for a period of time. So there's a museum dedicated to him there's a lot to do and see in mumbai and i'm super excited that we're there I would love for our listener to reach out to us either on facebook or via email because I would send something all the way to india For being featured on the show today All right All right, so our second trip type is for adults only but with the same idea traveling in the fall focus on relaxing under three thousand dollars Julie again, you came up really strong here. I am super impressed I like mine because i've actually had this experience and i'm going to share today and I know it's top notch, but I want to hear all about yours because these are super intriguing

Ryan:

Okay, so yet again, I could not decide. Which way to go. So I did two different options. One of them is an all inclusive and one of them is a cruise. And they are both adult only experiences. So, not only are you traveling as adults only, you're going to adults only. destinations. The first one is going to be the all inclusive. So I'll talk about that one first. And this one is taking you to Jamaica. I have the same dates as before, which is November 2nd to the 6th. And this is going to Sandals Ochi, which is a really good resort option for adults only, because I think it gives a little bit of both. It gives a little bit of relaxation. It gives a of like party vibe if you want it in certain areas. It also prices really well. I was able to find a Riviera Beachfront club level room, which at Sandals, it is absolutely worth having the club level. Another reason to choose this resort is because we can get this price in the club level. So your room is a delightfully airy bedroom with well appointed marble ensuite bathroom. With an array of luxurious touches, including a mahogany four poster bed, carved mahogany furniture, an ensuite bathroom with a shower tub combo. These rooms are very sought after with the most magnificent postcard views of the Caribbean Sea. And we've talked about sandals before. Sandals pricing includes so much. It includes your transfers to and from the airport. It includes all your dining, your food and your drinks. It includes all the activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, all those fun things. And it includes gratuity. So once you get there, you really don't have to spend anything extra if you don't want So the total price for two adultus sandals, Ochi in this beachfront club level room was 2, 722.

Julie:

Love it

Ryan:

I will say there was only one of these left.

Julie:

So act now, but you know what I love about this Julie it really shows you that If you have a budget in mind, we can work with that. It doesn't mean that we may not present other options, you know, Hey, have you thought about this? Have you thought about, this type of trip that may stretch that budget or change that budget, but really you come to us with, with what you can do and we can make it work most of the time. Yeah,

Ryan:

With our price point, we were actually able to even upgrade to an extra large sea terrace room, which is a much larger style room. And just listen to this description. It's perfect for those who make getting ready, a serious art. This sensory and responsive clever cab, and has nautically inspired brass and leather furnishings. A personal tablet, intuitive mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming, one touch room service, and a supremely comfy European bed. I would like a supremely comfy European

Julie:

that I mean, that could have just been the description right there and I would have been in.

Ryan:

The room is pretty big in itself and it has a terrace an outside balcony area. This cruise and this ship's Specifically has 20 plus specialty eateries with fresh ingredients. There's a spa on board, a pool deck. And the cool thing about Virgin is, you know, if you have the app and you shake it, they bring you a drink. There's a fitness center, a jogging track, entertainment spaces, and. With our agency exclusive promotions, you also get an exclusive amenity with priority access to reserve and add on bookable experiences. You get up to 80 percent off your second guest, and you get a 100 shipboard credit per couple. So all of that, 2, 688. I

Julie:

That is awesome. I have got to go on one of these virgin voyages. I have heard nothing. But raving reviews from everyone either my clients or friends or colleagues who have gone on this this just screams me Julie

Ryan:

I forgot to mention, so it's a four night cruise. You stop at Key West and you stop at Bimini which is in the Bahamas. So, really great destinations that you don't have to book a lot of

Julie:

No, and Bimini is essentially they actually have a section of the beach that is theirs. So they have stuff going on that's specific for their sailors.

Ryan:

Yeah, absolutely.

Julie:

All right, so again, I was not thinking international. I did think about a cruise for a bit, then something, Peaked my memory and I thought back to one of the trips that I had gone on several years ago That just really felt like an adult's Getaway And julie, I took us down to marco island to the jw marriott and booked us in the sirene section of the hotel Okay

Ryan:

that the, that's the adults only

Julie:

So first of all, how are you going to get to marco island? You're going to fly into fort myers then you're going to rent a car So I do have the rental car factored into this a rental car for october 18th to the 21st from airport back to airport was only 200

Ryan:

Ooh,

Julie:

those days. So I'll take that parking at the resort was 35 a day. So I factored that in as well. And so let me remind you what the sirene section is. It is a private adult exclusive section of their resort with separate check in it has beach attendance. It has an adults only section of the hotel because basically what it is the tower is the convention center And so above the convention center is adults only so if businesses wanted to rent out that entire thing So you're away from the families, although the families are there and the other parts of the resorts are amazing, too you don't have to just stay in there, you have your own You have your own pool on the fifth floor that's just for the adult section. You have access to a private adult exclusive section on the beach. You have private attendance at the beach and pool to offer food and drinks. Your accommodations are amazing. They are Balinese inspired decor. These rooms, I will tell you, are just gorgeous. And again, it's all set in this adults only section. It also includes breakfast And it also includes a concierge to help you make different activities and things that you want to do.

Ryan:

I really love this

Julie:

Yeah, it, it

Ryan:

know, if you don't know anything about the Marco Island area, it's very, very South Florida. And the JW Marriott is the place to go.

Julie:

It is a really nice hotel. It has great restaurants, great bars, and the siren section is just kind of a resort within a resort. I absolutely loved it. I, I love the room. I love the adults only pool area. I love the beach. There was a big sweeping beach Marco Island is known for shell collecting, it's just really, really cool. Yeah, it's, it's a fun place to be that room for those nights Is 2, 077,

Ryan:

Oh, that's great.

Julie:

If I include the parking, if I include the car, and that resort cost does include the resort fees. So you've got everything taken care of there. So that's a total of 2, 312, which leaves you about about 125 a day over. But, remember, your breakfast is taken care of. I would also, at least based on how I did this before, you know breakfast is taken care of, you head to Publix if you've got your car, you pick up snacks and things to have in the room, and then, Julie, Marco Island is well known for happy hours. So, you head out a little bit early, you get discounted drinks, discounted appetizers. We did the same thing. We drove to Naples one night and most of the restaurants on the main drag had happy hour options You could do this trip for under three thousand dollars and you are loving south florida

Ryan:

I love that option. That's so great.

Julie:

Well, what do you think julie? Have we done it?

Ryan:

I think we have. And honestly, going into this, I know we were both like, oh gosh, 3, 000? Like, what are we going to be finding here? And I was so impressed with what we came up

Julie:

These are good trips. And again, I think it just speaks to, having the creativity to kind of think outside the box because people may say, well, I, this is all the budget that I have. We can't go on a cruise or, you know, and all inclusive is just way out of our price range. And that's just not true. You just need to give us some flexibility And allow us to to work with our partners now Obviously the big caveat here is flights are not included so that will change the overall cost But these are some very top notch budget friendly options for both families and adults

Ryan:

exactly. Yeah. I love that. They're so different. And with yours being domestic, it also gives that great option of if you don't have passports, that's great. I do get requests for Florida beaches as opposed to all inclusives as well. So it's a great option. All right, Ryan, if you had to pick for family friendly, where are you going? And for adults only, where are you going?

Julie:

I like my trip with SeaWorld, just

Ryan:

Got it. Got it.

Julie:

One, I haven't experienced kind of the SeaWorld parks, and so I think that would just be fun to hit a really good water park, hit a really good theme park. Maybe spend the day at Discovery Cove, which I'm excited to do, and have fun. It's not as relaxing maybe as laying by the pool, but it's just a fun three days with

Ryan:

It is really fun. I think that sounds very cool. Where are you going? Oh, so for family friendly, I'm going on Utopia of the Seas. I could not believe that that priced so

Julie:

I, I think that to be honest, out of the three that we offer, that's probably the best option overall, because on that ship, you can really make it whatever you want.

Ryan:

If I had a client come to me with the like stipulations that we gave from our polls, that would be my top option for them. Utopia of the Seas. Yep. All right. What about adults

Julie:

adults only for me would be virgin voyages

Ryan:

I knew it.

Julie:

I love that price And I also know That virgin does a really good job. Even though it's not all inclusive, it is super inclusive and you can do a lot with not much as far as your bar tab, as far as your experiences there. That just sounds like a fun four days. Ha ha ha ha

Ryan:

I knew you were going to pick that option.

Julie:

How about you, Julie?

Ryan:

surprisingly, I'm going to pick Marco Island. You know I'm a beach person, and that just sounds amazing.

Julie:

You, you will head to the beach, you'll choose your spot. They'll put an umbrella in there for you. Once you pick that spot, it's yours for the day. As much as you want to use it, they'll come around with drinks. They'll come around with bottles of water. They'll come around with food menus. You can go for a stroll. it's a gorgeous beach vacation.

Ryan:

Yeah, just leave me there, especially like, like for me, for someone in my stage of life, where my children are 5, 3, and 1, yes, please just leave me on a

Julie:

Yeah, yeah, you're like I want my headphones. I want the beach. I want a book and if I move a little bit Then that's a good day.

Ryan:

Exactly,

Julie:

i'll go for a walk if I must

Ryan:

Maybe you've got like day four. I mean, maybe, maybe,

Julie:

thank you so much to our listeners and followers on facebook that helped us create the vacation and I hope that you got excited as you were answering the questions knowing that we were going to do a Show on this and you got inspired to plan a trip for either your family or your adult couple

Ryan:

Do you want to plan a trip to an amazing destination, but don't know how to get started? As your travel advisors, we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away so you can focus on the fun and creating memories. You can reach me at Julie at CreatingMagicVacations. com.

Julie:

Or you can reach me, at Ryan at CreatingMagicVacations. com. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel, when we invite our friend Emily to discuss her recent honeymoon to Thailand.

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Julie Shaffer

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Ryan Hedstrom

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