Serendipitous Traveler

15/08/2020

And this, ladies, is why we take girlfriend getaways.

08/08/2020

Today Serendipitous Traveler turned 2!

I think 2020 takes the cake for the craziest second year of business EVER.

Y’all, it’s tough to be in the travel industry right now. But if I’m honest there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

But if I’m being honest, some days I don't even know how we made it here.

From the bottom of my heart thank you to my incredible VIP clients- thank you for trusting me with your valuable vacation dollars. Thank you to my amazing fellow colleagues, for your value in community over competition and for being something to aspire to. Mostly, thank you to my wonderful husband friends, and family, my biggest cheerleaders, encouraging me every step of the way.

Here's to many many more years of planning getaways! Cheers!

03/08/2020

“You’re working? What do you even do? Are people even traveling right now?”

Let me tackle that one question at a time. I’m working every day.

The work is a little different. And has a few more obstacles (note those crazy kiddos in the background.) But since the start I have shown up as much as I can.

What do I do?

I’m a . That means I do all my own bookkeeping, marketing, etc. There is more to my business than booking travel. A majority is maintaining close relationships with clients, and business operations. The booking? That’s just a small part of the puzzle.

Are people traveling?

Well not any time soon. But 2021 seems incredibly likely. 2022 even more so. And my clients? They are ready to travel.

Currently I am monitoring conditions for an Italy 2021 anniversary trip, a 2021 Germany/Switzerland/Austria group rebook, a 2022 Oberammergau rebook, a Hawaii anniversary trip, Tahiti honeymoon, and possible Maldives anniversary.

Just because you can’t go tomorrow shouldn’t mean you stop planning for the future.

And then I am still working with the awesome team as a for other fabulous agents such as .travels and

So yeah. I show up. Every day. And I absolutely freaking love it. Even in the hardest season my industry has seen, I show up. Because I love my team and I love my clients.

Are you working during the ? How has it changed life for you? Drop a comment and let me know 👇

30/07/2020

You’ve got travel questions. We’ve got answers. In this weeks episode we talked about:

✨Which airlines have a new zero tolerance policy for masks
✨How is Hawaii enforcing their quarantine requirements for tourists
✨Motels are making a comeback!?
✨New delays for Global Entry and Passport processing.

Drop a comment with your travel questions and we will be back next Tuesday!

29/07/2020

At Serendipitous Traveler you know we are ALL ABOUT lifting up other women. In fact, it’s our entire mission. So here is a black and white photo for that. But also a reminder for the reason for this challenge. Thank you to for an explanation more eloquent than I could manage on my own:

“Turkey is one of the top countries when it comes to femicide. Just in 2019, there were 500 recorded femicides. Sadly, many of them remain unrecorded so we have no idea of the real number.

The government and justice system does nothing to stop these crimes. Many murderers barely get a slap on the wrist and face no charges. The government is also trying to abolish certain aspects of Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty which protects women from domestic violence. Turkish people wake up every morning to see a black and white photo of a murdered woman on their Instagram feeds, newspapers and TV screens.

The black and white photo challenge was started as a way for women to raise their voice. To stand in solidarity with the women we have lost. To show that one day, it could be their picture that is plastered across news outlets with a black and white filter on top.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We stand in solidarity with women everywhere.

When you women support each other incredible things happen.

Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

29/07/2020

Sound advice.

16/07/2020

13/07/2020

Just an FYI. Best to delay those Hawaii travel plans for now.

During a legislative briefing Monday, Ige said he would be extending the 14-day mandatory quarantine for all trans-Pacific travelers through the end of August

10/07/2020

Excited to be hanging with my girl for the Entrepreneur Experience!

07/07/2020

Excited to be featured in Voyage Houston today!

http://voyagehouston.com/interview/meet-trailblazer-krystal-eicher/

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Eicher. So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. My name is Krystal, the Girlfriend Getaway Guru. I’m a foodie, yogi (that should do more yoga), coffee addict, and tra...

07/07/2020

Were you stranded when the pandemic threw travel into chaos in March because you booked your trip yourself? Tra...

04/07/2020

We are halfway through the year. It’s all downhill from here

03/07/2020

Woke up to this beautiful view post a Kansas thunderstorm while camping with family.

This is how you social distance.

26/06/2020

Now, more than ever, the value of booking with a travel advisor is clear. When borders closed, flights cancelled, and ships re-routed, travelers unfamiliar with the complicated travel ecosystem were on their own.

Those who were wise enough to book through a travel advisor left the worry and re-booking to their trusted professional. Most didn’t lose a dime or a wink of sleep.

Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) lack of action and clear communications during this critical time is slowing travel’s recovery.

25/06/2020

22/06/2020

I am feeling restless these days.

I know I’m not alone. And I also know how incredibly privileged and blessed that I am in this moment.

My family is healthy. I have the ability to work from anywhere. I am financially secure.

But still I’m restless. And I think that is because this is the longest I’ve gone without taking some me time to go somewhere.

Ever wonder why I became the Girlfriend Getaway Guru? Because in my core I think...no, I know, that women are tired.

We are tired of being the caretakers. Tired of being the people pleasers. Tired of saying “I’m sorry.” Tired of the hurdles. Tired of the mental energy it takes to take care of everyone else.

I was tired too. I still am.

So I take Girlfriend Getaways. Because it’s what is good for my soul. It’s the break I need. The restoration to my soul. That way when I come home I have something left to give.

It keeps me connected to ME. And I want other women to feel permission to do the same.

So I’ll keep shouting it over and over again. Take a vacation. Take a Girlfriend Getaway.

But, you know, soon. Once we get a better handle on this COVID nonsense.

Until then solidarity, sister! Hang in there! We will see each other again very soon!

22/06/2020

The struggle is real.

19/06/2020

Happy Juneteenth

18/06/2020

Sometimes things go wrong on vacation. And there’s just not a thing you can do about it.

Right now my kids and I are on the way to my family in Kansas. In the middle of Oklahoma I blew a tire in a most epic fashion. An hour and a half for some assistance later, we are now in a repair shop waiting for a new tire to be put on.

I am so thankful my kids travel well. And super thankful for having Zootopia downloaded on the app.

17/06/2020

Face masks are required on flights, unless you're in an exempt group.

11/06/2020

Because I think we can all agree that we need to do better.

10/06/2020

Last week, I shared several posts about the nationwide protests. I declared my solidarity with Black Lives Matter. I drew parallels between our president's response and the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe. And I solicited contributions for Lawyers and Collars, an initiative by Sojourners to protect the vote of people of color in US elections.

While the response to these posts was predominantly positive (we inspired over 1,500 people to donate more than $100,000 to that campaign), I got the usual smattering of angry people saying, "Stick to travel! Why are you injecting politics into what you do? It's bad for business!"

To these people I say: Travel and politics are related. And I've been mixing travel and politics for years.

There's something about travel that radicalizes a thoughtful person. Just as the last few weeks' events have finally opened the eyes of many privileged white Americans like me, who until now have not been fully aware of the racist inequities of our justice system, a trip to another country can be a revelation. When we travel beyond our borders, we learn that other nations hold different truths to be God-given and self-evident.

Visiting other lands, you can find completely different ways of living...and you find that you like some of them better than what you're used to. Thoughtful travelers bring these strands back home and weave them into their lives — becoming a person with a broader, global perspective.

In 2008, during the waning days of the George W. Bush Administration, I wrote the first edition of my book Travel as a Political Act. Since that time — through the Obama and Trump years — it's astonishing how much things have changed... and changed... and changed. (In fact, I am currently working on the fourth edition, updated yet again to include those changes.) But the basic message has remained the same: Travel can be a political act.

Here's an excerpt from the introduction of that book:

For the last 40 years, I’ve been teaching people how to travel. I focus mostly on the logistics: finding the right hotel, avoiding long lines, sampling local delicacies, and catching the train on time. But more important than the “how” we travel is the “why” we travel: Thoughtful travelers do it to have enlightening experiences, to meet inspirational people, to be stimulated, to learn, and to grow.

Travel has taught me the fun in having my cultural furniture rearranged and my ethnocentric self-assuredness walloped. Getting out of my comfort zone through travel has humbled me, enriched my life, and tuned me in to a rapidly changing world. And for that, I am thankful.

As a travel teacher, I’ve been fortunate to draw from a variety of rich overseas experiences. And, since just after 9/11, I’ve been giving a lecture I call “Travel as a Political Act.” I enjoy giving this talk all over the USA — to peacenik environmentalists in Boulder, to high-society ladies’ clubs in Charlotte, to homemakers in Houston, to Members of Congress and their aides on Capitol Hill, and at universities across the country.

As a traveler, I’ve learned we can learn more about our home by leaving it and looking at it from afar. And we can learn more about our own country by observing other countries — and by challenging ourselves (and our neighbors) to be broad-minded. Holding our country to a high standard and searching for ways to better live up to its lofty ideals is not “America-bashing.” It’s America-loving... good citizenship.

I’m unapologetically proud of the ideals that have historically distinguished America. While we face serious challenges — especially these days — those ideals are timeless and resilient, and they still inspire people around the world. The United States has made me who I am. I spend plenty of time in other countries, but the happiest day of any trip is the day I come home. I’d never live abroad, and I’d certainly not have as much fun running my business overseas as I do here at home.

But other nations have some pretty good ideas, too. By bringing these ideas home, we can help our society confront its challenges more wisely. As a nation of immigrants, whose very origin is based on the power of diversity, this should come naturally to us…and be celebrated. After all, the motto of our country — “out of many, one” — is not just an empty slogan. In fact, today, I’d suggest that it’s the rallying cry of a true American. You can’t honestly embrace our flag without embracing this ethic.

Consider the value of travel, and relate it to the turmoil that is filling our streets and headlines in recent days. Perhaps your comments below can help us make this a teaching moment and come out of it a better nation. Thanks.

I’d love to sit down with you and personally share the most important lessons I’ve learned from my travels. If you’d enjoy that, let me literally read my Travel as a Political Act book to you. You’ll feel as if I’m telling intimate stories of how travel stretched, punched, and molded me into who I am today. Simply buy the audiobook version of Travel as a Political Act: https://bit.ly/TAPAaudio

You can also read Travel as a Political act yourself— all royalties are donated to Bread for the World. You can support small business by buying a copy at your local bookseller, or get it at my Travel Store: https://bit.ly/ShopTAPA

Or you can watch this free lecture on the same topics: https://bit.ly/WatchTAPA

10/06/2020

See you tomorrow for all things Hawaii!

10/06/2020

As products of the millennial, escapism is the only strategy that can be implemented to keep our sanity and peace of mind intact. The immediate brightening of our mood when we merely think or plan our next travel is proof enough that our brains react to this proposal with unadulterated positivity and enthusiasm.

As products of the millennial, escapism is the only strategy that can be implemented to keep our sanity and peace of mind intact. The immediate brightening of our mood when we merely think or plan our next travel is proof enough that our brains react to this proposal with unadulterated positivity an...

10/06/2020

Yay!

We are moving to Phase 1 of resuming routine passport operations at eleven passport agencies and centers on Thursday, June 11. Our staff are looking forward to safely getting back to work for you. See more information here: http://ow.ly/LiOT50A3WLr

06/06/2020

Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.

It has been 76 years since the most largest amphibious operation in the history of warfare was carried out. It was a huge turning point in our history. We all learn about it; however, the magnitude of that day was not felt until we visited these beaches for ourselves 4 years ago.

There is a price for freedom. That fight and sentiments are part of the American spirit and still felt today. That’s why I am thrilled to be speaking with Travel Unites Us along with Tasteful Voyages about traveling Normandy this morning.

03/06/2020

Our official statement from the leadership team at Kinship Vacations.