Mandy at Countryside Travel

06/04/2024

Just booked the beautiful Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady cruise out of Barcelona for our 20th wedding anniversary in August, and I could not be more excited!

Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line featuring 4 luxury ships in their fleet sailing the Caribbean, Europe, North America, and more. Their ships feature world-class dining experiences, fair & flexible pricing (wifi, gratuities, group fitness, soda all included), extraordinary productions & parties, and many ways to relax.

I can't wait to share our experience of the Scarlet Lady with all of you! If you have questions about Virgin Voyages or any other cruises, feel free to reach out!

05/29/2024

My husband and I have a travel goal of ! We plan to visit all 50 states 🇺🇸 by the time we turn 50 with our 2 kids included on each trip. We have this cool photo map in our kitchen where we fill in photos every time we visit a new state. We need to do some updating of our map, but we only have 14 left to visit. This year we plan to visit the following:

-Ohio (Cedar Point Amusement Park), West Virginia (white water rafting at New River Gorge NP), and Delaware (beaches) for our summer vacation
-North Dakota this summer to go fishing
-New Mexico (Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta) and Utah (Arches NP) in October

After this year our remaining states will be Wyoming, the 6 New England states, and Hawaii!

How many states have you visited?

05/12/2024

05/01/2024

🌍✈️ Happy Global Travel Advisor Day! 🎉 As a travel advisor, I'm thrilled to celebrate this day dedicated to the amazing professionals who make vacation dreams come true! From crafting personalized itineraries to sharing insider tips, it's an honor to help you explore the world and create unforgettable memories. Thank you for trusting me to be your guide on this incredible journey. Here's to many more adventures together! 🗺️🧳

04/22/2024

🏝️ RESORT SPOTLIGHT 🏝️

The Iberostar Paraiso Resort is another one of my favorites in the Mexican Riviera Maya. This all-inclusive, family-friendly beachfront resort is perfect for all ages! My family and I have stayed at this resort twice, as recently as last Thanksgiving.

This resort complex features 5 different resorts in one: Beach, Del Mar, Selection Lindo, Selection Maya, and Grand (adults only). Each resort has a distinct style and offerings. All of the resorts share a golf course, shopping center, spa, fitness center, and teen & kids clubs.

The Beach and Del Mar are the most budget friendly options. They feature 14 restaurants, 2 buffets, 11 bars/cafes, and 4 pools.

The 2 Selection resorts, Maya and Lindo, are ideal for families seeking fun and the best amenities. Staying at these allows guests access to the pools, bars, and restaurants at the Beach and Del Mar. Additionally guests have access to a water park with lazy river, wave pool, and watersides, as well as more dining and bar options.

The Grand is an adults-only luxury resort featuring suites, 5 themed restaurants plus a buffet, 3 additional pools, and free hydrotherapy at the spa. Guests at the Grand have access to all 4 of the other resorts.

If you’d like to hear more about my experience at the beautiful Iberostar Paraiso complex, feel free to reach out!

04/17/2024

One of my favorite traditions that I started several years ago with my family! Every beach we go to we write the year and the place in the sand and take a picture. I love looking back on all of our travels! Here are some of my favorites.

04/10/2024

🏖RESORT SPOTLIGHT🏖

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya is my "home away from home". It is one of my favorite places in the world. My husband and I have traveled to this resort 8 times since 2017 and will return for our 9th trip in September. It's perfect for couples, girls trips, families, and friends. We have met some of our best friends at this resort!

The adults-only, all-inclusive Valentin Imperial Maya is conveniently located 22 miles south of the Cancun Airport along the beautiful Mexican Caribbean. The resort is nestled amongst the tropical rainforest, and the grounds are absolutely stunning. It features world class amenities including:

🍽 7 a la carte restaurants, buffet, 2 food trucks, 24-hour complimentary room service (love the room service wings!) Don't forget to grab the best churros on the planet!
🍹11 bars (my favorite drinks are the Riviera Maya and mini beer shots)
🤽‍♀️ 3 pools, including the entertainment pool, which is one of the largest in the Riviera Maya. You can always find something to do in the entertainment pool with the GO! Team, including water aerobics, pool volleyball, water polo, games and contests, live music, and a foam party held once a week! There is also a quiet pool if you just want to read, relax, and soak up the sun.
⛱ 1/2 mile long white sand beach featuring hundreds of chairs and palapas. This resort also has a sea turtle conservation center on the beach.
🥁 Live band and nightly entertainment
🛏 9 all-suite room categories, including swim-up and ocean view rooms. All suites are equipped with a hydro-massage bathtub, terrace or balcony, stocked minibar, bathrobes & slippers, and so much more luxury. And my favorite beds of all time!

While the Valentin Imperial Maya is considered a 5-star luxury resort, it is a relatively cost effective vacation. The cost, the atmosphere, the food, the beach, the pools, and the people are just some of the reasons so many travelers return to the Valentin year after year. Let me know if you'd like me to provide you a quote!

04/05/2024

Yesterday I spent some time researching holiday travel options and talking with my mentor Dimi about a trip she’s booking for a client over Christmas. The 2024 holiday travel season already looks to be on track for record setting numbers.

If you’ve been thinking about traveling over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years I highly suggest getting your plans in order sooner rather than later, as prices will continue to climb as availability becomes more scarce. I’m happy to discuss options and help make your holiday memorable!

04/02/2024

Do you have a travel bucket list? What are your favorite destinations?

I have dozens, if not hundreds, of destinations that I’d like to travel to someday. Here is a very short list of places that are highest on my travel bucket list:

🇪🇸 Spain & the Canary Islands - 2 years ago our family hosted an exchange student from Spain for the school year. I’d love to travel to Spain to visit Carlota and her family and see all of the amazing places she’s told us about in her home country.

🇪🇨 Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) - the amazing snorkeling (sea turtles for me) and wildlife encounters available here make this one of my top dream destinations.

🇮🇸 Iceland - while I typically prefer tropical destinations, there’s something about the incredible “fire and ice” landscape here that seems so surreal. I’d also love to see the northern lights.

🇿🇦 South Africa - I would love to see lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. in their natural environment on an African safari and experience the food and culture here.

🇲🇻Maldives - staying in an overwater bungalow is my idea of a dream relaxing vacation in paradise. Snorkeling with manta rays, whale sharks, and turtles would also be on the must do list for me.

Share your travel bucket list!

The photo below is from my most recent trip to the Valentin Imperial Maya Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico - my favorite and most visited destination. The photo was taken at sunrise as the sea turtle conservation team was releasing newly hatched baby sea turtles back into the Caribbean Sea. This is one of my favorite travel experiences I’ve ever had!

03/28/2024

Part 2 of why I decided to embark on this adventure:

I LOVE to travel! I LOVE researching travel! I LOVE talking about travel! I LOVE hearing other people’s experiences with travel!

6 years ago I met my friend, Dimi, through a networking group, and then a few years later we discovered that our husbands had also connected through work. Over the last year the 4 of us began hanging out more. Dimi and I would sit and chat about our travel adventures and her experience as a travel agent with Dimi at Countryside Travel. My interest in Dimi’s travel business grew, and she mentioned needing help with some of her admin work. I offered to help her so that I could learn more, while taking some things off of her plate. She became a mentor to me, and I helped her organize her processes so that she could focus on helping her clients.

After doing some research on my own and learning from Dimi, I knew I wanted to become a travel agent with Countryside Travel. Countryside is a brick and mortar travel agency in Woodbine, IA. It’s a small agency, but I have incredible support behind me, which is so great as I’m starting out and building my business. I’m excited to continue working with Dimi and Countryside Travel!

Dimi and I attended a training with AIC Hotel Group and Exoticca Travel today. I learned a ton about the Hard Rock Resorts in Mexico and Dominican Republic, Unico 20°87°, and the brand new AVA Resort in Cancun, as well as some amazing worldwide destinations. Reach out if you’d like to hear more!

03/26/2024

Thank you everyone for all of the support already! I wanted to give a little background on how I decided to embark on this adventure.

As many of you know I LOVE to travel and am fortunate to have already had some incredible travel experiences. I traveled some as a kid - Disney World, skiing in Colorado, the Black Hills, etc. But I first truly fell in love with travel in 2001 when I spent a summer studying abroad as a college student in Cuernavaca, Mexico. I earned my bachelors degree in Spanish, and I’ve always loved all things Latin American culture. As a poor college student I did not have an opportunity to travel again until my husband and I honeymooned in Cancun in 2004. From then on, together we decided that travel would be an important part of our relationship and our family. That’s where my travel journey as an adult truly began. We have since instilled this love of travel in our 2 teen daughters.

Over the next few weeks I will share some of my travel experiences with you. I will highlight my favorite resorts, cruises, and destinations. I’m happy to answer any questions at any time!

The photo below is from our most recent adventure in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica.

03/25/2024

📣 EXCITING NEWS 📣

After years of exploring the world, I’ve decided to turn my passion for travel into something even bigger - my own travel business!

Follow my page as I share travel tips, destination highlights, and more!

Are you ready to explore the world and need some guidance planning your next adventure? I’m here to help!