Katy V Travel

11/03/2025

In a nutshell:

* Southwest Airlines is doing away with its 2 free checked bags. This comes months after announcing doing away with open seating policy and reconfiguration of their aircrafts. A list and business select customers will still receive this perk, and Southwest credit card holders will be credited their baggage fee on ONE bag. Meaning you still have to pay for it you will just see the credit on your credit card statement. Note: this will only be for the card holder not the entire travel party.

* Wanna Get Away (the most popular fare) price now earns less points during travel.
* Flight credits will start expiring based on your fare purchase for any tickets purchased on or after May 28th. Anything you have currently is still valid - which can change at any given moment.
* SWA is now introducing a basic fare aka the lowest price ticket. 🙄

What are your thoughts on this? Do you still plan to fly Southwest after these changes? Will a good price have you overlook paying for bags? Tell me all the things! 👀

16/02/2025

Katy’s Costco finds is back! I absolutely love this wine/beverage carrier! It’s perfect for your upcoming Disney Cruise! 😉 They also have similar styles in Amazon for $20, but this one is so cute!

Did you know Disney Cruise Line Guests 21 years and older can bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage.

This case, not only fashionable 😎 but will also protect the precious cargo on the cruise line that does not offer drink packages.

Or just take it to your besties house for girls night! 🍷

08/02/2025

Thursday morning I lost my mom.

Growing up she would tell me two things over and over again.

1. Get a good job with insurance. “Be able to support yourself and a baby if needed”.
By the age of 20, I had a career & job security. By 28 I had residual income with the homebase business and by 38 I started my own company. ✅

2. Travel. “Travel while you are young”.
I took this one to heart. ✈️

Being a mother myself, I understand we want our kids to do the things we didn’t get to do. We want them to be more successful than we are.

Starting a business in travel goes way deeper than just liking to plan Disney vacations. I’ve always felt like my mom was giving me direction in life whether she knew it or not. Her words were powerful and she always wanted the best for me.

Go On (Goon) Travel Co. wasn’t a coincidence. The palm tree in the logo is not a coincidence. I did it for her and I will continue to make her proud.

I grew up watching the travel channel with her, fantasizing about vacationing in tropical destinations. She loved palm trees, steel drum music, gambling in Vegas, sipping champagne in the France pavilion, trips to Disney with her grandkids, dancing in the kitchen to disco & motown and seeing her kids happy.

Some of my earliest childhood memories being from our family vacation when I was 4 on the Big Red Boat (The OG Disney Cruise) Land & Sea with a stay at Caribbean Beach Resort and visit to the parks.

My parents had 4 kids in private schools until we were 18. There wasn’t much money left over to travel often. I will cherish that one family trip until the day I die and keep taking my own kids on them so that they too have those memories.

I’ve always liked to think I live my life to the fullest, but this is just a reminder that life is way too short and too precious to waste worrying about stupid s**t.

Though my mom is no longer here in the physical world, I’m at peace knowing she gets to travel with me and share those experiences in spirit. ♥️🪽

Life is short! F**k it! Travel! Take the trip! Build the memories.

03/02/2025

Let’s take a look at one of the beautiful rooms on the Disney Wish

Room: 9124 Port
Theme: Sleeping Beauty
Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Sleeps: 5
Approximately 284 sq. ft., including verandah
•1 queen bed
•single convertible sofa
•upper-berth single pull-down bed
•single wall pull-down bed
•Private verandah
•Split bathroom: tub, shower, sink & toilet sink combo

Last photo: Katy lurking in the shadows checking every inch to make sure it’s up to standards for her clients. 🙃

Reach out today to start planning your magical Disney cruise!

28/01/2025

It’s National Plan for Vacation Day!

This is one of those silly American made up holidays that is actually not so silly! This day encourages you to plan your time off for the year to come!

Did you know that almost 50% of Americans do not use their paid time off 😣 and it goes wasted!!

Please don’t be a statistic like this and use that time off. It’s yours!

Here are 10 built-in real holidays to extend your PTO in order to plan some travel!

Like & Save this post! Now let’s plan your next year of time off!

24/01/2025

I’ll be setting sail with some friends this weekend for a 3 Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Wish.

Last February the Van Akkers + Grandma Vi sailed on the Disney Fantasy for 7 nights through the Western Caribbean featuring Pixar Day at Sea. The kids were 1 & 2 at the time…

I am really REALLY looking forward to enjoying this cruise kid free and experiencing all of the amazing things offered for adults only! Because guess what? Disney cruises are great for adults only too and I’m going to show you how to do it!

Adults only fine dining
Adults only pool & deck area
Lounges and bars
Spa
Entertainment
Adults only section of their private island Castaway Cay
Bingo, hell yes I’m playing BINGO
All of the things

WiFi can be spotty 🙄 but I am going to try my best to keep you up to date - but also enjoy some much needed ME time!

Drop me a comment below of what you want to see and follow along in stories! 🚢

19/01/2025

The illness leaves your body instantly, but then starts to set in as you get closer to that trip so make sure you always have one or three on the books! ✈️🏰🌊🚢🏝️

18/01/2025

I am all over this! 😍

A California real estate development company that owns The Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas has bought two oceanfront parcels at Ko Olina Resort and plans to move forward with long-delayed plans to develop a $2 billion Atlantis Resort on one of the properties.

Newage Ko Olina, an affiliate of Kam Sang Co. Inc., purchased the 43.55 acres fronting two of Ko Olina’s lagoons for a total of about $216 million. The seller was China Oceanwide, which paid more than $424 million for the properties in 2015 and 2016.

As part of the deal, the buyer has agreed to develop the Atlantis Resort, which has long been planned for the 26.3-acre lagoon-front parcel between Aulani, A Disney Resort and the Beach Villas at Ko Olina.

14/01/2025

I don’t like to make promises but I do promise to annoy the living hell out of you about my upcoming (last minute) Disney Cruise in 10 days!!!! I also promise to tan my legs this time around so that I do not blind you with my Washington white ass. I’ll do it! 😜

12/01/2025

I love and appreciate all of the reviews my clients leave me, but this one hit the heart strings today. 🥹

Disney is not what it used to be, in the 90s, 2000s even last year! So much changes on a monthly, weekly and I’d even argue daily basis, that unless you plan Disney vacations as your job (which I do), you are most likely out of the loop somewhere.

Planning a magical vacation shouldn’t be hard! It’s should be fun, exciting and something you look forward to doing for your family! 

I help take the stress out of all the planning and would love to help as many people as I can this year.

In 2025 I have some really big goals for myself and my agency Go On Travel Co. When you work with me or one of my vetted travel advisors, you are not only receiving top-notch, free services, you’re also helping us achieve something great!

Every single inquiry, vacation package, cruise, ticket order, resort stay, trip add on, referral, review and all of those moving parts all add up to incredible support!

Thank you for being here & I look forward to helping plan you the most epic vacations for years to come! ♥️

- Katy Van Akker

08/01/2025

Tell me I’m wrong. Epcot heals all wounds.

07/10/2024

The details are everything. 😂 My heart is so full. It’s been a crazy past few days, weeks, months, year and I always have these two to keep me sane, on track and always looking at the bigger picture. Cheers to my right hand and my right brain and to us at ! 🍾🥂

02/09/2024

So much Halloween spooky fun to be had! I am so excited for each and every one of my clients that is traveling this moth ! Cheers to an amazing September and if you don’t have a vacation listed, it’s time to plan one! Reach out today! 🤗

11/08/2024

All of the Disney Park & Cruise news that dropped last night at D23 2024! 🤯 Let’s us know below what you are most excited for!! 🤩

02/08/2024

💫 Mentally here. 🏝️ Physically behind my desk planning some EPIC (that’s my word of the year if you haven’t noticed) Disney cruises for clients & my own family in 2025! There is just something unbelievably special with what Disney can do with ships and islands!

😎 I really need to move to Florida so I can just hop on one anytime I need. Like this weekend. ✌🏼

01/07/2024

“One must travel to learn.” – Mark Twain

6 months into 2024, 14 destinations visited or revisited….some I just can’t stay away from. 🏰🇯🇲

Every single one of them an opportunity for growth.

January - Jamaica & Walt Disney World
February- Vegas, Walt Disney World
Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Carmen, Bahamas
March - Walt Disney World & Vegas
April - Universal Orlando
May - Walt Disney World & Vegas
June - Disneyland

Future plans:
July - August: stay home, rest & enjoy the Washington summer with my family 😎
Sept. - back to Cali
Nov. - Walt Disney World

Where are you off to next? Tell me in the comments. If you don’t have any trips planned, let’s do it! OR which of my trips did you enjoy following along with the most?

Cheers to the next 6 months of 2024! ✈️

25/06/2024

I recently came across a woman on Instagram, who seems extremely likable, passionate about what she does and relatable to a point. She’s been sharing about her families trips to Walt Disney World, with the tips and tricks she uses she to navigate to parks, crowds, lines, Genie+, you name it, and of course came out with a guide to sell.

I didn’t think anything of it until I started to see more and more of her videos and the false information and really bad advice that went along with her eye catching aesthetic. I’m talking really really bad advice / like day ruining type of tips. 😵‍💫

A few reminders:
*Just because someone has a large social media following does not mean they know what the f**k they’re talking about.
*Just because someone puts together and sells a guide does not mean they know what they’re talking about.
*Just because it worked for one family, does not mean it’s going to work for the next or hundreds of thousands trying to copy it!
*Not all guides you can buy are going to be accurate or up to date. Information is always changing and misinformation is overflowing.

With someone who has close to 1 million followers if even 5% of her following purchased her guide at $40 a pop - really what does she care if her tips ruined people vacations? 🤑

I by no means think this woman had any ill intentions, and from what I hear she’s being ripped apart on other platforms for ruining people’s trips.

I just want to bring it bring it to my communities attention. Work with a pro. Not all “pros” are created equal. Not all trips are created equal, not all experiences are created equal. It’s insane to think the same tips and tricks will work for every family. ❌

⬇️Continued in comments.