All posts filed under: featured

Dancing with the Bride

Tripadvisor Byline: Wedding Planning During Covid

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Are you planning a wedding during this Covid pandemic? I have some advice for you via Tripadvisor! Wedding planning during Covid: it’s been rough! This past weekend I saw one of my first maskless weddings come through on my Instagram stories. The wedding was in New York where we have high vaccination rates and I couldn’t help but to smile. Slowly, we can start looking forward to these things. But it was pretty risky of the bride. Who knew President Biden was going to exceed his vaccination targets within the first 100 days in office. Brides like my dear friend, Kelly King, postponed their weddings more than once another friend Camilla Lesser, after going through several plans, eloped and had a beautiful wedding in St. Lucia. I spoke to these brides and wedding planner Courtney Ajinca, who planned Cynthia Bailey and Mike Hill’s wedding for Tripadvisor.com. It’s one of the most awful things you can tell a couple in the months or weeks before their big day: “We have to cancel the wedding.” More often …

Audacity Fest Badge Nneya Richards

BIPOC Travelers + Allies See Me at Audacity Fest Sat May 1st!

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I am so appreciative of the support you perfectionists have given me over the years. I love being able to impart my experience and industry knowledge to you and here’s a fun accessible opportunity coming up for you to hear me and my colleagues speak. BIPOC Travelers + Allies See Me at Audacity Fest Sat May 1st!I’ll be speaking on a panel on Bridging the Gap from Industry to Influencer. There are a few verticals to what is known as the BIPOC travel movement. Forward facing, we have the influencers who work their magic in the social media space. Internally, we have the corporate partners that are our representations at the Board of Tourism tables. On the research side, we have the data aggregators to help create the full picture, through numbers, of our impact on the industry. On the ground, we have the vendors and suppliers who help bring our experience to life. This panel is a moment for us all to come together and see how we can advocate for one another.  I’m so excited to chat …

Image of Girl walking in Crema with Watchtower Behind her. Light blue sky, Cathedral on Right

Perfect Afternoon in Crema

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Fan of “Call Me By Your Name?” Then you might know the Italian city of Crema! Want a list of things to do in Crema? Here’s your guide to a perfect afternoon in Crema, Italy. Check this guide to a famously romantic Italian city. One morning late last summer, Michele and I waited for the sky to clear and looked at maps of the Bergamo area for an afternoon jaunt on his dad’s motorcycle. Crema was perfect. What should have been a 40 minute motorcycle ride (we got lost!) took us through small towns. Imagine lazy golden Italian piazzas and babbling brooks. It’s easy to see why Guadagnino chose the Northern Italy area and the city of Crema as a setting for his “quintessential Italy.” Crema’s landmarks aren’t on the tourists drag so while the beautiful buildings evoke Italy, it’s not the Duomo in Milan or Florence, or Piazza San Marco in Venice. Crema is along the river Serio. The center showcases charming, baroque and renaissance architecture. So, in Milan for a little? Take an …

Colorful mural in downtown Baltimore feature jazz great Billie Holiday and the Royal Theatre

U.S. Black History Destinations for Business Insider

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In honor of Black History Month, Business Insider tapped me to round up great U.S. destinations to learn about Black history. Or, as I like to make note, great U.S. destinations to visit for a well rounded view of American history. I can’t note enough that African American history is American history. I’m very proud of this story. To combat today’s racial ignorance, we need to acknowledge and remedy past mistakes in American history. Only then can we truly begin to heal. While this list highlights some places, like plantations, that can be uncomfortable reminders, it also celebrates Black joy and perseverance featuring Black owned restaurants and hotels. We hope you use this as inspiration to explore and to learn about the beautiful, and not-so-beautiful, history of our country. From colorful beach communities you didn’t know had a Black history to majority Black cities making a comeback as small businesses thrive, we’ve rounded up great destinations that highlight the historical and present-day contributions of African Americans in the US. And stay tuned because I’m going …

Bright colors with text saying Could Covid Free Flights Restart the Travel Industry and Rome airport with Covid-Tested Flights

Covid-19 Tested Flights Expand

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The CDC is expanding the range of Covid-19 tested flights. Starting on January 26th all air passengers entering the United States will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test. The test must be taken 3 days before entering the United States. With the strain that seems to originate from the UK, currently, this regulation is in place for UK departing flights. By the end of the month it will expand to all international flights. At the end of 2020, I did an IGTV video on the new regulations being imposed by airlines like Delta and Alitalia for their “Covid-Free” / “Covid-Tested” flights. In 2020 the tourism industry suffered severe losses. Even with the vaccine on the horizon, the industry is struggling with solutions to make people feel safer traveling. Airlines and tourism organizations say testing is the answer and are opening testing sites at airports — though, I found the testing site at terminal 5 JFK to be wildly expensive (over $300 for a rapid test). They are adding test results to passenger records and …