Carryonqueen

08/11/2024

Croatia was our last stop on a month long European trip earlier this fall, which started with cycling in Corsica, then touring in Italy through Tuscany. Since returning home I've been busy creating content for carryonqueen.com and articles for print media.

That task is far from complete, but this is the first installment of content, called "Things to do in Croatia." It's part of a four article series on my site - each piece going deeper into different regions we visited.

We didn't do the popular Split/Debrovnik circuit simply because, even in shoulder season, we found Croatia is wrestling with over tourism in many of its more popular destinations.

So, rather than going broad, we went deeper into certain areas in Northern and Central Dalmatia, with a focus on getting off the beaten path as much as possible, ever in search of active adventure. Come along for the ride as we share stories and insight from Split, Sibenik, Krka National Park, the Island of Pag, Hvar and Vis.

Croatia is a country of breathtaking natural beauty, great swimming, boating, cycling and summertime sun, plus oodles of history, interesting architecture, incredible wine and delicious seafood.

Formed from Yugoslavia following the war in 1991-95, Croatia is also a timely reminder of conflict, civil unrest and redrawn European borders within our lifetime.

Link to the article here: https://carryonqueen.com/things-to-do-in-croatia/



Have you been to Croatia? Do you have plans to go?

Things to do in Croatia takes you on a tour of Northern Dalmatia, Split and Central Dalmatia with deep dives on Pag Island and Hvar Island.

04/11/2024

New professional head shots. It was time! The Covid hair grow out was updated once in 2022, but this is where I've landed. Of course you'll likely see me looking a little less polished when out on adventures in the wild, creating content for CarryOnQueen. But I thought I would update here, just in case we meet at a conference or something!

Thanks Anita Alberto Photography for the excellent work, and to CAPS BC - Canadian Association of Professional Speakers for providing the opportunity to members at your recent local event.

21/08/2024

Here's my latest travel piece written for the Vancouver Sun titled, "Savour the flavours of Lillooet Wine Country". As the article notes, Lillooet is a perfect destination for a girl's glamping weekend.

https://lnkd.in/ghHbrkkS

While the digital article link is live right now, the printed copy of this will appear in the Saturday, August 31 Vancouver Sun travel section. For those who still like a little ink and paper in their lives!

My thanks to Kirsten Schmidt, LA based Public Relations and Marketing Consultant for roadsurfer, in helping put together the collaboration which made this piece possible.

16/08/2024

Congratulations to the winners. There was some excellent work in these campaigns. I’m honored to have been a judge.

13/08/2024

Great to hear that the road between Pemberton and Lillooet has been reopened. The mud slide that came over the highway following freakishly heavy summer rain a week agao, has now been cleared. Good thing, since this is a heavily traveled route for many local and global visitors to region.

With sunshine and lovely summer temperatures in the 25-27C range (77-80F for my American friends) over the next week, it’s a great time to visit Lillooet. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right, as Goldilocks would say.

I did a girls glamping road trip with my daughter to Lillooet in a Roadsurfer Sprinter van RV earlier this summer. It was a definite step up from our last tent camping experience together in the Dolomites - under prepared with a single sleeping bag and a thin yoga mat. For anyone who knows me well, you’ll understand this is a family lore story unlikely to be buried anytime soon!

Check out this article about what to see and do in Lillooet, including a run down on two local wineries, some amazing hikes, a new brewery, where to camp, and the regions fascinating history as a gold rush town. Yes, we even spill the dirt on where you can pan for gold.

Thanks to roadsurfer and Kirsten Schmidt Public Relations in LA, for making this adventure possible.

A separate Vancouver Sun travel section article will be coming out soon, but I wanted to share this blog post now, since I'm excited that Lillooet is accessible by road once again, and that the weather for visiting right now is amazing!

Epic Lillooet Roadsurfer Road Trip: Magic things to see https://carryonqueen.com/lillooet-rv-camping-road-trip/

09/08/2024

The motel’s website proudly states, “If U2 stayed here, why not U2?

For fans of the rock band U2 and their Joshua Tree album, this is a pretty compelling message to book accommodation, while touring Joshua Tree National Park.

But let’s face it, on first glance you dismissed the photos as a basic run of the mill motel in the desert, didn’t you?

We’re talking about the Harmony Motel in the City of 29 Palms, California. This property is celebrating 20 years of ownership in 2024, so I thought it would be interesting to look at the story behind the motel and it’s clever marketing.

We stayed at Harmony Motel in 2023. I wrote about it on my carryonqueen.com travel website in a post called “Spring in Joshua Tree National Park: a blooming good time to visit”. I’ve tucked a link to that article below this post if you're curious to read more. With last minute altered travel plans, we lucked into a cancelled booking and scored the Jack Kerouac Cabin, where Bono stayed.

I fell in love with the motel’s famed connection to the band U2, as have many others in the past, but it was the owner’s incredible entrepreneurial story, and her keen marketing instincts that really captured my interest.

I love a good marketing story and a deserving founder, don’t you?

Ash Maharaj is the owner of Harmony Motel. She is a South African with East Indian origins who emigrated to the US two decades ago when she tragically lost her mom to a brutal crime in South Africa.

Now a proud US citizen, she acquired the vintage Harmony Motel in 2004. This year marks her 20th anniversary as a single female immigrant entrepreneur.

The 8-unit rustic desert property was sustainably remodeled to embrace its 1958 heritage, but it’s the properties history with the band U2 having visited during the making of their Joshua Tree album that Ash has been able to leverage in her marketing – right down to the iconic Harmony Motel sign with music notes, that was used in a photo for the album.

Ash always had an affinity towards U2 and the numerous causes they supported in South Africa as a university student, so when she moved to the US to start life fresh again, it was pure serendipity to have the opportunity to purchase and refurbish this motel with its U2 connection. She returned it to its rustic Mojave Desert glory.

The motel is now an award-winning property, the recipient of TripAdvisor’s Travels Choice Award for the last four consecutive years, something that only 10% of the world’s hotels can claim. That’s quite an accomplishment for a small motel – literally in the middle of the desert!

Ash’s management has been key to her success. But it took the keen eye of a marketing master to harness the sustained power of leveraging the motel’s association with U2, to a receptive global audience.

If U2 stayed here, why not you too? Indeed.

Article link: https://carryonqueen.com/spring-in-joshua-tree-a-blooming-good-time-to-visit/

31/07/2024

My latest post "Gros Morne National Park: Two must do hikes" takes you on a tour of the Green Gardens Trail, leading to spectacular views out over the St Lawrence seaway, as well a second hike scaling the Tablelands to the top for a spectacular view atop this Mars like environment.

Gros Morne National Park is designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. The park contains unusual rock formations created by the earth’s tectonic plates colliding 500 million years ago. The Tablelands reveal its inner soul: the mantle, once deep beneath the planet’s crust – exposed as few have seen it.

Our TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) post conference trip was affectionately called the "Hike your arse off in Western Newfoundland" group. And that we did! It was a fabulous group of adventure seeking travel writers, hosted by Go Western Newfoundland

Link here to read the full post: https://carryonqueen.com/gros-morne-national-park-two-must-do-hikes/

31/07/2024

Damnation Creek Trail in Redwood National Park is a six-hour drive north of San Francisco if you’re arriving from the south. But it’s a twelve-hour drive if you’re approaching from the north, like we were on a road trip from Vancouver, BC Canada.

Located just south of Crescent City, Damnation Creek Trail makes a great hiking stop after clearing the Oregon/California state line. The Damnation Creek Trail in Redwood National Park was our first real glimpse at massive California Redwood trees up close. It became one of our favorite hikes along the northern California coast.

Being from the British Columbia coast, we were not strangers to insanely large trees. But the measure and magnitude of these California natural wonders left us speechless.

These towering giants are 45% of the world’s last old-growth redwoods. Many trees have been verified as well over 2,000 years old. Contemplate a sapling sprouting during the time of the Roman Empire, as you walk beneath these towering souls, harboring the history of many generations.

Read more about this beautiful area of northern California in this post, Damnation Creek Trail in Redwood National Park: Mammoth trees to the coast.

Damnation Creek Trail in Redwood National Park is a fabulous hike through first growth California Redwood, leading out to the Pacific coast.

18/07/2024

Gros Morne National Park is designated a Unesco World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The park contains the desert-like Tablelands area with unusual rock formations created by the earth’s tectonic plates colliding 500 million years ago – revealing its inner soul: the mantle, once deep beneath the planet’s crust – exposed as few have seen it. Add to the Tablelands, fjords formed by glaciers, cliffs and waterfalls, and you have the makings for a diverse panorama of hiking possibilities.

My latest post "Gros Morne National Park: Two must do hikes" takes you on a tour of the Green Gardens Trail, leading to spectacular views out over the St Lawrence seaway, as well a second hike scaling the Tablelands to the top for a spectacular view atop this Mars like environment. Link here to read more: https://carryonqueen.com/gros-morne-national-park-two-must-do-hikes/

This adventure was one of the TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) post conference trips last month for the "Hike your arse off in Western Newfoundland" group, which indeed we did! A fabulous group of adventure seeking travel writers, hosted by Emili Fraser and Go Western Newfoundland.

Discover top hikes in Gros Morne National Park: Green Gardens Trail and Tablelands offer unique geological wonders and breathtaking coastal views.

26/06/2024

It was my pleasure to sit down for a conversation with Nicole Mohoney, the host of "Destination on the Left" podcast, servicing the US travel industry through her company, Travel Alliance Partnership (TAP).

It's always fun when interview preparation meets the serendipity of an experienced host, who pulls summary points for listeners and strategically dives deeper, while allowing the conversation to evolve naturally into sometimes unexpected places.

I shared with Nicole the history of fiveminutemarketing.com and carryonqueen.com, and how I now work at the intersection of these two brands as a marketing consultant and speaker, plus a travel writer and content creator.

Our conversation dove into understanding target audiences, their preferred channels, and the "rule of three" for marketing with parallels to packing a bag efficiently for a trip, knowing what goes into your marketing plan, is just as important as what gets left out. We unpacked how to select and implement three primary tactics, making sure they all work together to drive sales, while walking through samples and different combinations of this at work in the travel industry.

But it was when our conversation turned to the notion of giving without expectation of return as a marketing philosophy, and the power of volunteering with purpose, where Nicole pulled out unexpected insights that I was able to articulate, following her thoughtful prompts.

Have a listen, I think you'll enjoy this episode. The interview delivers on many levels. Link here for Nicole's detailed show notes, plus options to listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or Amazon. https://travelalliancepartnership.com/podcasts/mary-charleson/

10/06/2024

Raised in Ontario with one parent a teacher, restricted to March break for sunny escapes, and the other parent with a sister just out of Tampa, the Florida holiday escape was familiar territory. Yet in all the times we had previously visited the sunshine state, I'd never ventured further south than Miami.

This past February, my husband and I decided to change that. With a one week booked layover, returning to Vancouver from the Dominican Republic via Miami, we based ourselves in Key Largo, and set off exploring the Florida Keys.

Highlights included a tour to Key West and the southern most point in the US, poking around in the hoods of creatives - Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, checking out the Green Parrot Bar (est 1890) "a sunny place for shady people", and exploring various other keys by bicycle. We ventured into Everglades National Park, with its marine estuaries, freshwater marsh and cast of wild creatures - alligators, crocodiles, panthers and tropical birds. But we also revisited cold war history there at the decommissioned Nike Missile Base, formerly housing nuclear war heads to fend off a Russian attack from Cuba. We boated on reefs, checked out how the other half lives at oceanfront estates, snorkeled, and tried to not think too hard about how threatened the area truly is by intensifying storms and rising sea levels due to climate change.

Get the full run down on exploring the area, and a suggested itinerary in this CarryOnQueen blog post "Things to do in Florida Keys." I've also summarized our take on affordable places to stay, dine and be entertained in this piece.

Curious what to see and do in the Florida Keys? This 4-5 day itinerary covers a lot of ground, will keep you active, and well fed!

28/05/2024

I had the pleasure of getting to know the state of Tennessee and its people a little better during a recent trip for business, while attending the Uprising - a retreat for marketing thought leaders hosted by Mark Schaefer. Being a travel writing and content creator for carryonqueen.com, I also made sure there was some pleasure travel "packed" into the trip. Traveling light of course! This post shares a little of what is to be discovered in this diverse and friendly state.

There are many places to visit in Tennessee, a state that keeps time in both the eastern and central zones, plus shares a border with eight states: Kentucky and Virginia in the north, North Carolina in the east, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi in the south, and Arkansas and Missouri in the west.

With a tangled historical past that involves colonization and forced removal of native Americans, the War of 1812, slavery, the Civil War, prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan, the civil rights movement, and a lesser known contribution to developing the first nuclear bomb in the hills of eastern Tennessee, the state of Tennessee has played a pivotal role in US history.

Add to that its reputation as the birthplace for much of American music, and the fact that Tennessee hosts a major leg of the Appalachian Trail - a 2,140 mile hiking trek through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, and it’s easy to see how pivotal the state is to American history and geography, once you start digging deeper into its roots.

This post focuses on the Knoxville and Great Smoky Mountains region, with an emphasis on active adventure, plus Nashville – areas all accessible in a one-week visit renting a car, flying in and out of Nashville, or on a road trip in the region using your own vehicle.

Here's a link to the post: https://carryonqueen.com/places-to-visit-in-tennessee/

22/05/2024

The big wind that barrelled through North Vancouver last night got me thinking about wing foiling. That, and the carnage in my back yard that used to be the patio umbrella. Note to self, when there's a NW gale forecast out on the Strait of Georgia, and the dramatic swing goes from over 25 knots SE to gusting to 45 knots NW in less than an hour around 11pm, it might be a good idea to fold up the umbrella before going to bed! Thankfully we have a fence, or I might have been retrieving it from a couple houses down...

But back to fair winds, and warmer water than the Strait of Georgia in the Pacific North West...

In February, we visited Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Although the primary activity was learning to surf, I was determined to get some more hours in trying to master wing foiling. Cabarete is unique, in that it has predictable consistent afternoon winds, warm water, and is protected by a reef, leaving the entire massive bay the playground of wind sport enthusiasts.

Come along for the ride and learn about this fun new sport - a dash of windsurfing without the mast, using a free form light "wing" for power, fused with a mix of surfing, skateboarding, and OMG "I can fly on top of the water" carving through waves, suspended on a foil board.


Article link: https://carryonqueen.com/learning-to-wing-foil-in-cabarete/

11/04/2024

"I came from Australia to hear you speak. Do you do private consulting?" Boom.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look and sound like Martha Stewart? You have the same low velvet voice." Um, yes. More often than I care to admit, given the age difference.

Ok, so I'm not naive enough to think the first fellow didn't have a few other things on his agenda while in Vegas for the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum two weeks ago. But when someone thrusts their card in your hand immediately following a speaking engagement, and then follows up later, they get your attention.

And the Martha comments? I lost count after the presentation, speaking with people at the front of the room, walking the trade show floor, and hanging out socially at evening events with attendees. I'm hoping it has more to do with Stewart's photo being plastered all over Vegas and the Paris Hotel, than any similarities I might beg to someone who has done time! Jokes aside, these comments were given as compliments, and were accepted graciously.

In the end, my keynote "Unpacking marketing strategy for travel agents" delivered on its promise to attendees: Like packing a bag efficiently for a trip, what goes into your marketing plan is just as important as what gets left out. Using parallels between packing light for travel and creating an effective marketing strategy, as the "carry-on queen" I unpacked my top five marketing tips for travel agents, emphasizing the strategic use of social media and email marketing. The presentation was informed by travel agent research, interviews and case studies, plus my observations on five big marketing trends in 2024.

It was a pleasure to be invited back to speak for a fourth year at this conference, and to also moderate an industry panel on social media later that morning. It was an exhausting but rewarding day, with lots of learning and laughter - the way it should be!

Thanks Travel Show Marketing Group for putting on an outstanding event! A special shout out to Eric Cooper, Chief Operations Officer who remained incredibly calm yet resourceful as he sent sound technicians scrambling to resolve an unexpected last minute audio issue minutes before I took the stage.

Thanks also to Angel and Daniel, the event photographers who captured so many memorable moments for the conference recap video!

10/04/2024

What a fabulous recap video of the Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum by Travel Show Marketing Group, the conference presenter. The is one of the largest conferences for travel agents in the US, bringing agents together with their peers, host agencies, suppliers and DMOs to learn and network.

It was my pleasure to not only present my "Unpacking marketing strategies for travel agents" keynote to this group, but to also moderate a panel on social media with industry suppliers.

Well done Travel Show Marketing Group. This is a fine piece of marketing for all your future events. Who wouldn't want to attend something like this? The FOMO will be real!

It's our official Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum recap! Please enjoy a look into our flagship event. Relive it if you joined us, or get to know more about it...

22/03/2024

It's going to be a busy week in Vegas...

Moderating this panel of travel industry social media rock stars at the upcoming Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum is going to be a blast! The pre-conference call synergy was amazing, plus the stories and examples shared are going to make this a must attend session.

Maximize your social media and online strategies with tips from top industry partners – business development manager! From social media insights to partner platforms and tools, this session will cover actionable ways to innovate your offerings while increasing your earnings with proven tips!

Panelists include:
- Keli Washburn, Business Development Manager, the Globus family of brands & Avalon Waterways
- Luke Majewski, Regional Director Of Business Development - TX, OK, AR, LA, AIC Hotel Group
- Drew M. Santiago, ACC, Director of Business Development & CIAT Mayor of Funville, Carnival Cruise Line
- Joe Vanderhoff, Manager of Training and Development, Sandals & Beaches Resorts


Session link in comments below if you are attending. See you in Concorde A at the Paris Hotel, Tues March 26, 11:00 - 12:00

26/09/2023

Zion National Park, Oct 1, 2021. Having had my travel wings clipped for 1.5 years back then, dutifully obeying travel restrictions, and keeping limited close contact, this is the trip I broke free. The photo captures the essence of that moment perfectly.

After speaking at a travel industry event in Las Vegas at the end of September, I ventured to Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon, for some outdoor fun. I had always wanted to hike the famously challenging (and very scary) “Angel’s Landing” at Zion. Pictured here just over my shoulder, is the final terrifying stretch over a bread knife narrow landing, with sheer cliffs to either side, and the final scrambling ascent to the peak, at the very top of the photo.

To say it was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life would be an understatement. But at the time, many friends and colleagues in Canada considered my decision to travel to the US, and Vegas no less, as a cauldron of germs and non-compliance, an even more risky endeavor.

When this photo popped up in memories recently, it caused me to pause. Mostly about what we had all collectively been through at that time. But more so, the grit and determination to get out there and do something challenging again.

It was also a psychological reset. At the time I had a sense that media influence was beating me down with the same message of compliance, over and over again. While Canada certainly got many things right during the pandemic, and arguably America fell on the wrong side of history in taking care of the collective, the spirited nature of its citizens was exactly the anecdote I was seeking during this trip. I needed to step out of the bubble, in order to see what was going on inside it. The healing power in those serendipitous moments and conversations with Americans throughout the day on this hike, is etched into the grin on my face in this photo.

I wrote about hiking Angel’s Landing when I returned in several publications, and of course on my travel writing Carryonqueen.com site. And this summer, I updated the piece to reflect the lottery and ticketing system they have put in place to make scaling this incredible hike, much safer. There are also numerous other hikes at Zion covered in the article. Autumn is an amazing time to visit this magical area of the US. Temperatures for hiking are reasonable, and the destination less crowded, with kids and families having returned to school. If you’ve got a Las Vegas holiday on your horizon, and you’re seeking the healing powers of nature after being in crazy town, be sure to check out Zion National Park.

And if you really want to give yourself a fright, watch the YouTube video embedded in the article - sitting at 2.2K views!

Article link in comments: “Is Angels Landing Really That Scary?”

In addition to travel writing, I’ve been having a blast, speaking, marketing consulting and online course creation for the travel industry - at the intersection of my two brands. This trip started it all!

21/08/2023

It's hard to believe that the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America (282 feet below sea level in Death Valley, CA), is currently closed due to flooding, with Badwater Basin at risk of becoming a shallow lake, rather than a salt flat. So are the times we are now living in...

Hurricane Hilary has temporarily closed Death Valley, as well as Joshua Tree National Park, as its projected trail after hitting the south coast of California, put roads and valleys at risk of flooding. Indeed as I write this, Palm Springs is completely shut off, due to highway closures. It all seems a bit surreal. And that's before I even contemplate the forest fires currently raging in my home province of British Columbia. Without a doubt we need to do better and be willing to make big changes to preserve our future. "The water is getting hot," said the frog.

It's hard to imagine the salt flats (pictured in the distance from Zabriskie Point in this image) as a lake. But I can certainly imagine road and trail washouts, since we saw evidence of what just 2" of rain could do when we visited this past spring, the wettest on record in California. Note the washed out trail portion along the Gower Gulch Canyon hike in the second photo, and "Devil's Golf Course" in the third - expected to be a water hazard today. Not that anyone would normally play a round there, but the name evokes the harshness of the climate, with normally extreme temperatures.

Can we do better in facing the climate crisis? We must. In the mean time, we can visit and cherish these amazing places to ensure we never lose the motivation to do just that.