Around this time in 2017, I realized I had run road races in 6 different states and decided it would be pretty cool to some day complete them all. Fast forward 7 years and I have raced in 37 states with 3 more already planned for this year, and only have 7 states left to visit with 2 more scheduled. It’s crazy to think that I will enter July 2024 with 10 or less states to race and 5 or less states to visit! 😲 But the travel bug bit long before this crazy plan.
I loved every opportunity I was given to see the sights beyond the farm in our small town. I have very few solid memories of when I was very young, but definitely recall visits to Niagara Falls, on both the New York and Canada sides. Even after seeing them so many times in the 26 years I lived an hour or less away, the falls still take my breath away and I love bringing newbies to visit whenever possible! After one of my sisters moved to California, I was finally able to visit the west coast. I remember being able to lay across the seats in the middle aisle of the plane on the flight back, but also recall how badly my ears popped once we landed – ouch! Visiting San Francisco and the Napa Valley when we returned to CA in 1994 is still a vacation I want to repeat, since being 13 at the time didn’t allow for me to take full advantage of everything those locations had to offer haha. Eventually, we started the annual tradition of a family vacation for Easter break, including a few years of driving across 4+ states over two days, once visiting Las Vegas, and eventually renting a house in OBX for the entire week (for nearly two decades I think!). Flying or driving, I loved experiencing new opportunities whenever and wherever we traveled, and knew this wasn’t something that all kids were able to do.
Even before I started my ‘Running in the USA’ campaign, I was given other opportunities to travel when I started my health & fitness journey with BODi (formerly Beachbody) and became a Partner (formerly Coach). I’ve been able to visit various cities every summer for our annual Summit, including Nashville, Indianapolis, New Orleans, St. Louis, and San Antonio. I’ve also earned all-inclusive trips to both Punta Cana and Riviera Maya, plus two cruises – Bahamas & Jamaica with my hubby, and Bahamas & Haiti with mom! I’m so thankful for a side biz that allowed me to work on myself while also providing these opportunities and additional income. It’s helped us to take an amazing trip to London, Paris, and Rome in 2018, adventure on snowmobiles, dog sleds, and skis in Wyoming in 2019, become Disney World and Universal Studios Florida junkies in 2020, and have an incredibly unforgettable 10th anniversary in Hawaii in 2022.
And while I definitely enjoyed (and still enjoy) TAKING all of these trips and having all of these adventures, what I love just as much is PLANNING them! Some of you have been *lucky* enough to experience my spreadsheets, bulleted itineraries, and sometimes over-planning (subjective, I know, ha!). But most also appreciated not having to put as much thought into what to do, when to do it, and all the nitty gritty details that can cause stress and anxiety. I always said if I could be paid to take classes, rather than having to pay tuition, I would be a professional student haha. Well, I guess being a Travel Agent is kinda like that 🤣 Time to let my crazy be your guide, y’all!! I’m still continuing my health & fitness journey and supporting others with that, but might as well let my other passion be of assistance as well. Starting out, I’ll be specializing in Disney World and Universal Studios Florida vacations, but am also diving into cruise territory very quickly, plus can branch out even further based on demand. Utilizing my services costs you NOTHING, zero, zip, nada. And I hope you’ll allow me to let my experiences, both positive and negative, help you plan the vacation you want/need/deserve. Squee! Let the adventures begin (and be sure to keep an eye on my blog to see how they continue!) <3
Hi Cat! I am traveling to Orlando during Spring Brreak with the family (husband, 2 daughters). In the past I have taken my family on two trips to Disney, one included universal. Those trips were amazing and they were scheduled and organized by a friend of mine.
This time I am doing it completely different, with a stay at a hotel That is giving us a free night and good rate if we do their tour or whatever. Donnie said this one up and I have to plan all the days that we’re spending. I’m not really sure how to go about buying the tickets and planning out the trip, such as setting up, fast passes, or the new fast pass system they have.
I could really use some help just figuring out stuff about getting tickets and how to get transportation to the parks. We are driving down and staying at the SeaWorld resort I believe (I will check on this and let you know more.)
I would love some help figuring out how I can fit in at least one day at Disney, 1-2 days at Universal, and a day at Seaworld. I was also looking at discovery Cove possibly?
I know this is a lot so if you can’t help me, that’s fine but I would love some of your insight.