Magical Holiday Travel: From Disney World to Christmas Markets (and beyond)

In this festive episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie unwrap the magic of holiday travel destinations. Whether you're dreaming of a Disney Christmas or a European winter wonderland, we've got your seasonal getaway covered.

Key highlights:

• Walt Disney World holiday offerings: 
  • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
  • Disney's Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios
  • Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom
  • Tips for navigating Disney during the busy season
• European Christmas Market River Cruises: 
  • Spotlight on Ama Waterways' Danube cruise
  • What to expect on board and at the markets
  • Booking tips and packing advice
• U.S. Holiday Destinations: 
  • New York City's iconic Christmas experiences
  • Chicago's festive attractions
  • Nashville, Asheville, and San Francisco holiday highlights
• Expert travel tips for each destination

Whether you're planning a multi-generational Disney trip, a romantic European getaway, or a festive city break, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice to make your holiday travel truly magical.

Don't miss our insider tips on booking early, dressing for the weather, and making the most of limited-time holiday events. From Rockefeller Center to the Christmas markets of Budapest, we'll help you plan the perfect holiday vacation.

Tune in for a sleigh-full of travel ideas to make your season bright!

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Transcript

Julie: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. In today's episode, we're exploring the magic of holiday travel. We'll highlight the festive offerings at Walt Disney World, enchanting Christmas market cruises, and must see holiday destinations across the U. S. From the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York to Chicago's dazzling decorations, we've got your holiday travel plans covered. Stay tuned for tips, itineraries, and insider secrets. to make your holiday travels unforgettable. Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and I am a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel. So, Brian and I are here another Sunday night and we have not recorded together in almost a month.

Ryan: 1:06

been crazy. It's been crazy.

Julie: 1:09

we have, we have a lot to catch up on with each other but this is a really cool episode. So, I, I'm excited.

Ryan: 1:16

Hey, before we talk about that though it won't match up to when this episode is coming out, but this week was your one year anniversary with All

Julie: 1:25

It was!

Ryan: 1:26

Travel. It

Julie: 1:27

What a sweet post you made for me. That was so

Ryan: 1:30

sometimes I can, I can shed my sarcastic armor and I'm a softy, you know, I'm just a big teddy bear. No, this has been, this has been great.

Julie: 1:41

Could not believe it had been a year.

Ryan: 1:43

Yeah, yeah, it was a year on Friday, and I had, I'm going to be even sweeter, that had been in my, I put that in my personal calendar, so that I knew that day.

Julie: 1:55

I made it into the calendar. Well, now I, I expect a post every year.

Ryan: 2:00

Yeah, I have no idea when your birthday is, I sometimes remember your kids names, but I know when you first started podcasting.

Julie: 2:08

I love that. I remember I showed it to Stephen and he was like, what? How has it been a year already?

Ryan: 2:14

Yeah, yeah, well.

Julie: 2:16

year of getting away from my kids on Sunday nights.

Ryan: 2:19

know in talking to folks they really like having you on the podcast and And these are even some of my friends that I hang out with that listen, they're like julie So really, she's been a really good addition. You guys have a good time together.

Julie: 2:31

They're like, Julie can handle you.

Ryan: 2:33

Yeah So well, here's to many many more

Julie: 2:39

Yay. That was so fun.

Ryan: 2:40

We are talking about holiday travel and we're focusing on christmas kind of the The U. S. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's triumphant time, right? Have you traveled over the holidays this time before?

Julie: 2:54

I don't usually travel like on the holiday itself, but growing up, we always went to Disney the first week in December. That's still kind of my favorite time to go to Disney. So I do really love traveling around that time. It feels like a great kickoff to keep the momentum going in December.

Ryan: 3:11

yeah, I I haven't traveled much. I do remember when kids were really little it was really stressful because it was road trips to holiday get togethers and we have done some traveling over the holidays But to be honest, we're kind of at home holiday people So I I love these ideas and in fact, one of these ideas is really special to me and i'll talk about that when we get there later in the show, but not too much holiday travel.

Julie: 3:41

I am actually traveling over Christmas this year. Remember, I'm going on a Disney cruise

Ryan: 3:49

I do remember that that will be really special the only disney cruise that i've done is a very merry or a holiday on the high seas Cruise and it was just really really fun It's weird to see cast members walking around in christmas sweaters when you're in the caribbean, but you know You

Julie: 4:07

We will be on Castaway Key on Christmas Day. We've never traveled over Christmas before, so we'll see how we like it.

Ryan: 4:15

Before we talk about holiday travel, Julie, I want to remind folks that last week we talked about top tips for multi generational travel to Disney, and if you've listened to this show at all, be You know that this is Julie's expertise. She has a PhD in this topic. And so last week We were just given so many tips and hacks to make these types of trips really successful So go back and listen to that

Julie: 4:44

Let's start with Disney. Because this is kind of like our bread and butter, or at least my bread and butter,

Ryan: 4:51

yeah, yeah Okay. you

Julie: 5:08

start in November for Christmas down there. So decorations start going up the day after Halloween. You have a lot of chances to get down there. It's really great for those multi gen trips. it's a time that a lot of people have off work. A lot of the kids have off school. So it's a really easy time to get together and go down there. And of course, the best thing about Disney World is there's so much for your kids to do. And Ryan can tell us about some of the special events going on, some of the decorations that you can do while you're at Disney World.

Ryan: 5:44

We have the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, which fun fact, Julie, is the only Epcot festival I have not attended. Where you can celebrate the holidays around the world. I love World Showcase, so this would be awesome. You can get wrapped up in the festive sights, sounds, and flavors of the season. So, Epcot has the Candlelight Processional, which is a really special program that they put on every year with a celebrity narrator. They have a 50 piece orchestra. They have the Voices of Liberty. They have a choir. It's just really, really cool. Holiday storytellers are at various lands to talk about their holiday traditions. You have holiday kitchens where you can taste your way around Epcot. You can delight in heartwarming culinary traditions from countries near and far. You can do the holiday cookie stroll where you can collect different cookies. And then if you collect enough of the special cookies, Julie, what do they reward you with?

Julie: 6:44

Another

Ryan: 6:45

More cookies! You can bring home enough cookies for a cookie exchange

Julie: 6:51

There you go.

Ryan: 6:51

throw. And then you have Olaf's Holiday Expedition Scavenger Hunt, so the kids are going to enjoy that. EBCOT is really one of the key places in Walt Disney World to go experience the holidays,

Julie: 7:05

Disney Springs, which is a great activity for your day off, because you can do it during the day or in the evening. You walk through this collection of extravagantly decorated Christmas trees, and they all have a different Disney theme. So you'll find like a Pixar tree, a Star Wars tree a villain's tree, a superhero tree, the 101 Dalmatians tree, like, and they are just all out. So it's really fun to go through and, find your favorite or your kid's favorite movie, something like that. That's a fun little activity to do. And Santa Claus is usually over at Disney Springs. So you can kind of couple those things together.

Ryan: 7:44

For the second year Disney's Hollywood Studios is going to host Disney's Jollywood Nights, a holiday celebration at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and that's going to be November 9th through December 21st, and that's a five hour holiday party from 730 to 1230, and there are so many things that Are part of this event there's disney's holidays in hollywood with different, acts and singers It's hosted by kermit the frog and miss picky Which you know, I mean

Julie: 8:20

That sounds amazing.

Ryan: 8:21

Yeah, and there's characters like Tiana, Belle, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse. There is one of the things that people liked the most last year, which is, what's this? Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas sing along. Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't really my thing, but I know there are people that love it for the holidays that are Disney folks.

Julie: 8:42

And I think it's because it's not always available. Those characters are really only there at the holiday time. That's what makes us a big draw.

Ryan: 8:50

I love this next one. It's explore the swanky venues and hot spots around disney's hollywood studios So in echo lake you have a throwback bash with phineas and ferb folks from the Goofy movie and tailspin You've got holiday fiesta on la cale, which is a lively holiday street fair and animation courtyard you have You have a dance party at Pixar Place. You have a Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club. So that's a section of Hollywood Tower of Terror that they actually make into a bar. I need to go there. How exciting is that? You've got skating on Hollywood Boulevard. You've got jazzy holidays at the Hollywood Brown Derby, where you can sip special cocktails, have special food. There are photo opportunities at all of these places. There are special treats at all of these places. Like any party, to be honest, I wouldn't want to focus on any of the rides because I want to go see all these different areas.

Julie: 9:52

And this event is really geared towards, older kids and

Ryan: 9:56

Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

Julie: 9:59

going around to these different performances and seeing these different events, but it sounds perfect if you're doing an adults only trip.

Ryan: 10:05

Now, obviously the iconic holiday event at Walt Disney World is what, Julie? Yeah,

Julie: 10:39

per night. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade, which I've seen multiple times, and it's so good, and you just feel so joyful, and at the end of the parade, Snope comes down on Main Street, and it's just magical. That usually has two showings per night. Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration is the stage show that you'll want to see. I think they switched it up last year to have a new stage show. A lot of character meet and greets. I remember a couple of years ago, this was like the place to go to meet the seven dwarves all together. And that was like, we waited in line like an hour and a half for that. A lot of dance parties, which is really fun for the kids. A lot of themed snacks, a couple holiday overlays at the ride. So Space Mountain gets an overlay. Bye. Tomorrowland Speedway, the Mad Tea Party, the Jingle Cruise, and Monsters Inc Lafleur. So I don't usually love to do rides during these parties, but if I'm going to do a ride, I'm going to pick one of those. Yeah. You can also go around. There's different stations that will have complimentary cookies and usually hot cocoa included with your ticket, so it's fun to kind of go to those different spots. A lot of elaborate decor and a lot of really nice holiday themed photo ops. So I think this is an event that is a must if you've never and I've never been to it before. I don't think it's a must every year. We go all the time in December. We don't do this every year. But we do it every couple of years and two years ago we did it with, at that time we had the two older kids. I feel like Luca's eyes were just lighting up at the parade. They were just so excited. They were so excited. And he was only two. So, you know, even at that young age, you know, and he was free then. So, that's probably why we went

Ryan: 12:24

Was he free for the party as well? Oh, okay. All right,

Julie: 12:28

he was, he was two. Yep. So, you don't pay. He had a great time. The cookies and the hot cocoa, They were set for the night.

Ryan: 12:35

just like everything else with Disney, unfortunately, there's some planning that needs to happen. And we've got a couple tips here for visiting Walt Disney World during the season, book your party tickets as soon as you've decided you want to go, because they will sell out. And make sure to budget for that as part of your vacation planning. Because you do pay in full when you buy those tickets. I

Julie: 13:11

the week right before Thanksgiving. The only thing with that week right before Thanksgiving is if Thanksgiving is early, you've got to watch out for run Disney events going on, and Jersey Week is in there, it gets a little crowded,

Ryan: 13:25

also, pay attention for special holiday themed dining experiences. Places like the Hollywood and Vine will be decorated on Thanksgiving and Christmas. There'll be specialty themed menus, holiday themed dessert parties we don't have any to highlight now because really, to be honest, Disney keeps these until the very last moment. Just know, If you go during this time, most places will offer some sort of specialty treat, if not an entirely special menu. I still say, Julie, one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I've ever had was at Sanaa. It was absolutely fantastic.

Julie: 14:02

That's awesome. But you probably didn't know about it until the day before or something.

Ryan: 14:06

Correct. Yes, we knew it was going to be there, but I don't even know if I saw the menu. I wanted to go to Sanaa anyway, and it just so happened that they had the Thanksgiving menu, and it was Fantastic. Silence.

Julie: 14:37

you get to Christmas. You want to make sure you're booking your lightning lane for all your other days. At that's seven day in advance mark. If you're staying on property, when you go to the parties, double check what's going on with some of those. Big popular attractions, is there an extra chance for a virtual queue or is it switching to a standby line? Since you can't have the lightning lane and I always say if you're going to one of the parties eat a table service meal before So a lot of the parties you can get like at the at mickey's very merry. You can get in at 4 p. m I always tell my clients have a table service reservation for 4 30. So you get in you have your full meal and then you can enjoy the rest of the party A lot of times those table service meals kind of shut down when the party starts and it switches to just a couple of quick service options. I remember a couple of years ago at the Halloween party, I was eating a Casey's Corner hot dog at like 10 p. m. because there was no other options. Poor planning.

Ryan: 15:32

and I bet Julie was hangry.

Julie: 15:35

It's fine. It's fine.

Ryan: 15:36

With everything that goes on with the parties, it's, essential to have a plan because you're not going to see everything. You can't go to these parties and see everything that goes on. So what's most important to you? Julie said you're probably not going to be doing rides. I've actually had people go to the parties and Specifically do the rides and not do anything else if the parade is most important to you Make sure that you have a good position and you take the time to get that position. If you want the photo ops, map those out ahead of time. You can't just show up and say, okay, what's this party all about?

Julie: 16:13

Yeah, and you can't think that you're gonna do everything either So that's why I I tend to tell my clients if you're going to the party to have that be time where you ride rides With a low weight focus on that, but don't be upset then that you may miss the parade or the fireworks You know kind of like commit to one or the other

Ryan: 16:31

Absolutely. So, Julie, we have many different destinations of holiday travel to talk about. I'm really excited about the second half of the show. There are some things in here that I'm going to do very soon, and there's things in here that are on my travel list. But first, I want to talk about where in the world does all things travel? So I'll give you a choice, Julie. Do you want to talk about an international destination or do you want to talk about a domestic destination?

Julie: 17:01

Let's go international.

Ryan: 17:02

International, a new place that popped up for us this week, is Dieppe, New Brunswick.

Julie: 17:11

Whoa.

Ryan: 17:12

that is a city in the Canadian Maritime Province of New Brunswick. And one of the things when I was looking at Dieppe, It's a city of about 28, 000 people. And it was really interesting because It's name has changed several times. In 1910, the area known as French Village became known as Leisure's Corner, which in turn became the Village of Dieppe in 1946. And this is why they changed the name. And I think this is really, really special. They changed the name in 1946 to commemorate the Canadian soldiers killed during the landing of Allied troops on Normandy beaches in Dieppe, France, on August 19th, 1942. Isn't that really neat?

Julie: 18:01

that is pretty cool.

Ryan: 18:03

So hey, Diep, all the way up in the Maritime Provinces, we are super excited that you're listening to All Things Travel. Please do me a favor, because I would like to give you a little thank you gift for being featured on the show today. Reach out to either Julie and I via email or Facebook. And Diep, I have actually had the New Brunswick version of poutine when I was in Halifax. I am really excited about this. This next trip has been on my bucket list before I ever really did any research about river cruising and after river cruising this year I Will do one of these trips not Soon but sometime and once I do one, I know I'm going to want to go back So a christmas market cruises are a unique and magical way to experience the holiday season These cruises take you along picturesque rivers in europe and one of the things that we always say about river cruising Julie is ocean cruising will bring you to a destination River cruising allows you to go through a destination and this allows you To go through Europe's highways, right? You're traveling along these European cities on the Danube, the Rhine, the Seine, but the key to the Christmas market cruises is to You stop at these charming towns that have traditional Christmas markets that are filled with stalls that offer handcrafted gifts, delicious holiday treats, warm drinks like mulled wine, and each of the cities, each of the regions, have kind of a different tradition, so you get this type of ornament or this type of Decoration here you know, hey when I get here, I need to get this treat i'm just so excited about this. I'm gonna i'm gonna wear i'm gonna wear christmas sweaters I'm gonna have a big giant scarf I'm gonna have a puffy hat on and i'm just gonna be loving life in the christmas markets

Julie: 20:06

They're gonna have to roll you back onto the ship.

Ryan: 20:08

love it. No, seriously Ever since i've heard about these christmas market cruises It's just I have to do it. It's it's so me

Julie: 20:18

So actually, my good friend Emily, who was just on the Thailand episode, she did a river cruise last year and she said it was just so cool.

Ryan: 20:27

How magical would it be? I mean Europe is beautiful in and of itself But Europe at the holiday season, so I used to travel with University classes, when I was a professor, and we would always be there at the beginning of January before they would take down the decorations, so you would show up to these European cities, and there would still be some decorations, there would still be some Christmas markets set up, and it's just, man, it would just be amazing. The Christmas markets cruise that I'm most excited about and like I said, it's multiple rivers in Europe is with Ama waterways The Danube and so to give you an example, this is a seven night cruise It's called magical Christmas markets and it goes from Budapest hungry to Nuremberg, Germany, or obviously you can go the other way. The advantage of the river cruises is the rivers flow both ways, Julie's, if you didn't, if you didn't know that. So, so what are some of the highlights here? Budapest. So you start with the city's Christmas markets known for their beautiful lights and festive atmosphere. You go to Vienna, where you visit Vienna's famous Kris Kindle Market at the City Hall, renowned for its handcrafted gifts and holiday treats. You go to Salzburg, where you explore the Christmas Market and enjoy its charming Old Town and festive decorations. You go to Regensburg and discover the medieval charm of Regensburg and its quaint Christmas Market. And then you end your trip in Nuremberg for the iconic Kris Kindle Market, One of germany's oldest and most traditional christmas markets On board then with ama and we've talked a lot about ama because of my experience with them the ships are decorated for the holidays You have seasonal menus for the holidays that still highlight That regional local fair you have special holiday themed activities like gingerbread decorating christmas carol singing Seasonal craft workshops and you have holiday themed entertainment Julie, I want to go I want to go on this trip I

Julie: 22:36

while you're on it?

Ryan: 22:37

would I would make you a craft and I would send you back some sort of ornament from each christmas market You I would just be the mayor of this

Julie: 22:47

this sounds awesome and, and this, like Ryan mentioned, this is just one example. This is just one itinerary that we chose to highlight. These Christmas markets are all over Europe, Amsterdam, Basel, everywhere. Like Ryan said, do multiple of these and have a different experience

Ryan: 23:06

I know you have some tips for these types of cruises. Julie, what are they?

Julie: 23:10

We always have tips. That's what we're here

Ryan: 23:12

We're here for tips.

Julie: 23:14

So Christmas market cruises are very, very popular. They're also very limited because the markets are only going on for a certain amount of time. So we want to make sure that you book as early as you can

Ryan: 23:27

We're talking years early.

Julie: 23:30

yeah, two years early minimum so that you can get your preferred itinerary, your preferred cabin. I have seen it happen in the past where people book into a Christmas market cruise that takes off in November and then they're told oh, we're switching it because We found out the market won't be up yet. So that's another thing to think about. Make sure it's actually in December where you're guaranteed to see those markets. Bring some layered clothing. It's very cold. Like Ryan said, you want your puffy jacket, your scarf, your hat, comfortable walking shoes.

Ryan: 24:01

I can say you'll look at the temperatures in Europe and they're not as cold as at least the Midwest where I am, but at nighttime, when you're going to be at these markets, it is cold. So you need to dress warmly.

Julie: 24:15

Yeah. But then obviously it's not going to be like that on the ship. So that's why you wanted those

Ryan: 24:19

right. Yep. Yep

Julie: 24:22

currency, just a quick note. A lot of the vendors do accept credit cards, but it is helpful to have some local currency if you're just going to be making a smaller purchase at the market. Something I will throw in here extra that I didn't think about before is make sure you pack kind of light as well, because you're going to be bringing, apparently Brian is bringing like a whole extra suitcase home.

Ryan: 24:43

Oh, yeah, oh, yeah

Julie: 24:44

That is something I've heard from people that have gone on these trips is, there's so much that you want to buy, but you can't because you don't have room to bring it home. And also just embrace that feeling of that Christmas market cruise, both on the ship and off the ship, make sure you have a good camera. You're taking the time to take photos so that you remember what that scenery is like, participate on board with, different holiday activities, really immerse yourself

Ryan: 25:08

Here in the U. S. Don't forget about larger cities. Just think about the decorations in a large city. I first want to talk about New York City because there's so many iconic things in New York City that just get amped up. At christmas time. It's like let's take the Popular things the iconic things and let's just ramp it up for instance, you know, let's go to new york city and on day one. We're gonna go To rockefeller center and ice skate we're gonna arrive early to avoid large crowds Then we're gonna go to st. Patrick's gift Cathedral and see the decorated church. We may have lunch at a nearby cafe or restaurant and then because it's Christmas time What are we gonna do? We're gonna do a little shopping Maybe window shopping in New York City stroll along 5th Avenue to see the holiday window displays at stores like Macy's and Bergdorf Goodman sometime asked me about my Macy's in Manhattan story. It's pretty funny Then maybe you visit Bryant Park and you see the winter village at Bryant Park and do some more shopping and getting some seasonal treats and maybe you even ice skate again and eventually we might end that day with a Broadway show. Maybe we're doing a holiday themed Broadway show, who knows? On a second day in New York City, you could do Central Park. You could take a leisurely walk or a carriage ride to enjoy some winter scenery. You could then go to a place that I've always wanted to go that I haven't been in New York City, which is the Met Cloisters. just a very different type of atmosphere where you can see medieval art it's a place that you wouldn't expect to see in New York City, but it's very, very iconic for people visiting. Maybe you have lunch on the Upper East Side for Zabar's or someplace like that. Then, remember that New York City has their own holiday markets and places like Union Square, Columbus Circle, then, The next day, maybe you go to the American Museum of Natural History. And you can explore some of the holiday exhibits and decorations that they put up at this time. And have lunch at the museum cafe. And make sure to spend some time in one of my favorite types of shops, which is a museum shop. Because you're going to find some interesting gifts and stocking stuffers that you won't find anywhere else. I love this next idea julie the high line in chelsea market So walk the high line That's a park built on the historic freight line and lead yourself all the way to chelsea market Which has unique shops gourmet food options Or if you still need to do some shopping at more traditional stores start at chelsea market Walk the high line all the way to this new ish beautiful Shopping center that's there in New York City and then maybe you do a light tour of some different neighborhoods, That sounds like a really fun way to experience New York City. And again, you mapped out three days for us. So this is, this is essentially, A long weekend and look at everything that we got done.

Julie: 28:19

The best part is there's still so much more that

Ryan: 28:21

Yeah But you will have immersed yourself in holidays in the city and what an amazing thing to do

Julie: 28:29

Have you been to New York

Ryan: 28:30

I was in New York at the beginning of November. So some of those things were starting to pop up. There was skating at Rockefeller center. They were starting to put up holiday decorations at the department store. So it was there, but it wasn't in its full glory yet. But the good thing Julie, and I just thought of this is because of the time of year it gets darker on the East Coast so much earlier that you're having more time with those Christmas lights without having to stay up super late.

Julie: 29:01

Oh, yeah, definitely. Steven and I have done New York city. I think it was before we were married maybe at the holidays and we did, Rockefeller center. We did Broadway. We did, time square. We did all the window shopping and it was, it was so, so pretty. If you haven't done like It is definitely a must do. But there's definitely a couple of things that you need to know. And Ryan touched on this earlier, but make sure you plan ahead. A lot of people go to New York city this time of year for the shopping and all these sites. So book your accommodations early and know where you want to be staying. If you want to stay in times square, where it's easy to get to everything, make sure you pick one of those hotels. There's a ton of different areas in New York city. You don't want to be. Not where you think you are, where you can easily get to stuff. If you need tickets for anything, buy them far out in advance. They will sell out. So the Broadway shows and the Rockettes travel smart and use their public transportation. they've got the, the subways up there. I personally cannot navigate them to save my life, but my husband can, so I just follow him.

Ryan: 30:06

It's a, it's a pretty easy system. if you're comfortable on public transportation, you can figure out the subway system pretty easily. And Google maps can help you do that

Julie: 30:16

There you go. Google Maps it is. This is another one that you're going to want a lot of layers for because when you walk in those stores, you're going to be warm. It's going to be crowded, but if you're outside walking around, it is very cold. Make sure you're checking event schedules, the weather, verify that certain events are still going to happen depending on what's going on. if a snowstorm is coming in, you want to know that you want to know if the shows are canceled or anything like that. Ryan mentioned this briefly, use apps to help you navigate that may tell you the quickest route and of course, you're in a big city, just be mindful of your own safety.

Ryan: 30:49

Yep. Good tips, good tips. I've got some other notable destinations, and this first one, Julie, is near and dear to my heart, and that's Chicago. So you've got your Kris Kindle Market there in Chicago, you've got the Millennium Park Ice Skating Rink, Lincoln Park Zoo has lights. You can also do shopping or window shopping all along the Magnificent Mile. I love Chicago and in fact my girlfriend and I she's already said we are going up for the holidays in Chicago So we can check out the lights and be in the city this time of year, so i've brought it up a couple times So what if we do she goes? No, we're doing it at the holidays. I've already said I said, okay That's when we're doing it because we're going to enjoy everything that we've been talking about tonight

Julie: 31:32

I love that so much.

Ryan: 31:33

Nashville, Tennessee. So you've got Opryland with their country Christmas programs. You've got lights at the Cheekwood Estates and Gardens. You have festive events at the Grand Ole Opry. Love it. Asheville, North Carolina. You've got Christmas tours at the Biltmore Estate. Downtown Asheville's holiday decorations. Winter lights at the North Carolina Arboretum, and I have not been to Asheville, but I have heard it is a foodie destination. So I really need to put that on my list. And then a place you might not think about for the holidays, San Francisco, California. So you've got Union Square Holiday Tree, ice skating at Union Square, holiday lights in the city neighborhoods, San Francisco Ballet's The Nutcracker, and I'm going to throw in an audible here, Julie, I'm going to go to Ghirardelli and get some hot chocolate for the holidays when I'm in

Julie: 32:29

Perfect. Yeah. Love it.

Ryan: 32:32

This is so fun to talk about these different trips. Do you plan to travel this holiday season, Julie?

Julie: 32:40

Yeah, I'm gonna be on that Disney cruise

Ryan: 32:42

are going to be on that Disney cruise. That's right. And like I said, I'm heading up to Chicago for a nice long weekend, going to experience that. Of all the things that we've talked about tonight, Julie, what would you recommend to clients? Which one speaks to you?

Julie: 32:57

if they have the time a Christmas market cruise,

Ryan: 33:01

100%. I would say for me, the types of clients that I have, it would either be the Christmas markets, cruise or New York City. Going to Walt Disney World is magical, but it's always magical going to these places during the holidays is special, magical, right?

Julie: 33:17

absolutely Absolutely. You want to plan a trip to an amazing destination this holiday season? 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.

Ryan: 33:40

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 talk about a very special way to see the Canadian Rockies and the American West, and that's with Rocky Mountaineer Train Trips. Okay,

Julie: 34:01

yeah candlelight processional is like It is a must do

Ryan: 34:05

Have you been?

Julie: 34:07

Oh yeah, we've been a couple times.

Ryan: 34:09

Who has been your favorite celebrity narrator?

Julie: 34:13

Oh gosh I don't know. They've all been good. I haven't seen I haven't

Ryan: 34:21

man.

Julie: 34:21

seen anyone, any of like the really

Ryan: 34:23

That, that face would have been perfect for a video podcast. All right.