The Erica James Travel Show

It’s been two years since the Covid pandemic shut down the entire planet.

When you’re traveling, you need to have a Plan B. Especially during these times when everything could change in an instant and cause problems for your Plan A.

No one wants to have to think about bad stuff when traveling. We all just want to travel and have a good time and enjoy our vacations.

That’s great and all, but you also don’t want to be having a great vacation and be unprepared for that one time that something bad goes down.

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It is finally here!

Black History Month has arrived, and I am so excited!

Today’s episode is about black history and travel, and I wanted to reflect on the fact that I have the freedom to actually travel to wherever I want to spend my vacation.

So, today’s episode is celebrating black history and I’m going to give you some ways that you can add a little bit of black history into your trip, no matter where you go.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s episode is all about romance, and because this is a travel podcast, I’m talking about spicing up your travels with some romance.

There are the usual romantic trips, such as the weddings, honeymoons, babymoons, anniversaries, vow renewals, or whichever milestone you want to celebrate.

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Today, I’m talking to William Hollingworth. He is the author of All 48: Drive Your Dreams, a true story about him and his wife, Jessica, as they navigate young parenthood, William’s deployment in the army, and into the spontaneous road trip that sparked their desire to see more of the world.

In this episode, you will hear about their journey, how to plan for a road trip, how to get double the experience in one trip, and how they travel with full-time jobs (at one point they had 2 jobs each).

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Contact Erica James

• Follow me and tag me on Instagram at @EJtheTravelDiva
• Tweet me at @EJtheTravelDiva
• Follow me on TikTok at @EJtheTravelDiva
• Join my Podcast Community here

Welcome back to another episode about Costa Rica!

This time, I’ll be telling you about Planet Hollywood, the all-inclusive resort where I stayed for two whole weeks in Costa Rica.

There are many reviews online about every resort and experience, and sometimes you can’t tell if they’re reliable or not, so I went to experience Planet Hollywood and Riu Palace Costa Rica so that I could give you my recommendations as a travel agent for when you decide to visit Costa Rica.

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After the ordeal that I spoke about in the previous episode, I finally had my vacation in Costa Rica.

Despite the flight cancellation that delayed my trip by one day, I still managed to spend around 21 days in Costa Rica, and it was amazing.

If you ever get the opportunity to go to Costa Rica, there are a few things that you need to know, and a few experiences that you need to have in order to make it the most memorable vacation you could possibly take.

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Welcome to 2022!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the message of “a delay is not a denial.” Today, I’m putting it into the context of travel.

A delayed flight is not the end of a vacation. Even a cancelled flight doesn’t have to cancel your trip.

Most of you probably know that I recently travelled to Costa Rica, and on the way there, my flight was cancelled.

I could’ve cancelled my entire trip and gone home, but I decided to take it as a slight delay to the start of what ended up being a great vacation.

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Did you know that in 2018 there were 768 million days of vacation that were just not taken in the US alone? 236 million of those days didn’t carry over to 2019.

That’s $65.5 Billion in benefits just thrown away.

This is what the No Vacation Nation looks like – just giving away vacation days, and for what? Are you expecting an award for perfect attendance?

Do you live in the No Vacation Nation?

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It was my birthday recently. #VirgoFTW

For my birthday, I went to Atlanta with a few friends.

Atlanta is where I would go twice a year for my travels, before I did any of my international trips, so going back there for my birthday was pure nostalgia.

I was invited to Atlanta for a bachelorette party, and because it was my birthday, we decided to take that weekend and turn up all over Atlanta.

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Let me just ask you: are you living your best life?

It might seem like a straightforward question, but have you really thought about the answer?

Today’s episode is going to be some more travel motivation, but you can really apply these tips to any part of your life.

Whatever your best life looks like, whether it’s traveling the world, skydiving, climbing mountains, or searching for the greatest French fries in the world, you need to ask yourself the right questions to get you started on that journey, and then you need to make it happen intentionally – without excuses.

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I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

Destinations have restrictions on travel, and these restrictions are constantly changing.

If you’re expecting a smooth travel experience, now is not the time to look for it. You can, however, take whichever situation you’re in, lower your expectations, and find happiness in the parts that are going well.

Today, I have some tips on how to manage that expectation when you’re on a vacation.

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Like the last episode, today’s episode is about happiness. More specifically, it’s about being responsible for your own happiness.

Are you taking responsibility for your happiness? When was the last time someone gave you a look that you didn’t appreciate, and did you get upset about it?

If you did, you’ve given that person control over your happiness.

Today, I’m going to give you the things that you can do in order to reclaim your power over your own happiness on vacation, and in your life.

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Today, I need to talk about happiness.

I just came back from a group trip, and having to adjust to different people’s personalities, moods, needs, and wants can sometimes be a bit tiring, especially when there are people with a permanent bad vibe.

If you are a naturally happy, fun-loving person, you know that you don’t want those negative vibes to rub off on you. Neither do I. No one wants it.

So, today’s episode is going to be about finding your happiness if you’re one of those people who always find something wrong going on around you, whether it’s the weather or a waiter looked at you funny.

If you find yourself at a luxury location, and you’ve got a stank look on your face 24/7, you need help.

Contact Erica James

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I have an amazing story about one of my clients that I have to share with you all today.

She thought she couldn’t travel by herself. She was determined not to get on the plane on her own. This is the story of so many travellers who reach the gate and panic, and then decide to ditch their plans because of their fears.

In the end, she went on her trip. She got on that plane and she went on her vacation, and I could not be more proud of someone for overcoming her fears. 

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Today’s episode is all about how to work with a travel agent.

Planning a vacation can be stressful, and you shouldn’t have to try to do it on your own. Travel agents are the solution – we can ensure that you have the perfect vacation while keeping your pockets satisfied.

As a travel agent myself, there are a few pointers that I can give you to ensure that the travel planning, and eventually the traveling itself, goes as smoothly as possible, and that you end up exactly where you never knew you wanted to go.

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In today’s episode, I need to talk about vacation budgets.

If you don’t know how to budget properly, it can have serious consequences on your finances. Not everyone’s money has no limits, and the thought of a more-than-average vacation could seem out of reach for many people.

As a travel agent, I start things off by asking about my clients’ budgets. Why? So that I can make that budget work for the kind of vacation that you want to have. I’m not here to max out your budget, trust me.

But it’s also about being realistic. You need to know your money.

Today, I’m going to give you the tips and tricks that you need to implement in your vacation planning so that you can have that luxury beach hotel vacation in a room with a sea view.

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Today, I’m talking to Karen Gershowitz. She’s a recently-retired successful businesswoman, author, and mentor. Plus, while holding down a full-time job, she traveled to over 90 countries.

If you ever need an example of what is possible, Karen’s whole life is that example.

In this episode, you will get to hear about her fascinating life of travel, career, and adventure, and she will show you how you can take advantage of every opportunity to have the kinds of experiences that most will only dream of.

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Today is a bit of a different episode.

We’re going to talk about the importance of taking a vacation.

Yes, taking vacations are not just for having fun once a year. They’re also there for your health. Now, they’re only good for your health if you properly prepare yourself beforehand.

In this episode, I have Dr Leo Flanagan, psychologist and trauma expert, and he is going to tell us exactly why vacations are so important, how we can transform our vacations to get the most health benefits from our time off, and why we need to be more conscious of our work-life balance.

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Have you ever thought about renting out a villa for your vacation?

It probably sounds too expensive, so you’d rather go to an all-inclusive resort, right?

Well, Steve from Villas of Distinction is here today to talk about the benefits of staying at a vacation home rather than at a resort.

Contact Erica James

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