Guest: Megan Kudla, Producer & Travel Writer

Rome is iconic, but it can also feel like a lot, especially when you’re trying to pick the right neighborhood, book tickets, and squeeze the “big stuff” into a short stay. We wanted a plan that feels chic, simple, and actually doable, so I brought on my producer Megan Kudla to break down her Rome girls trip and the exact choices that made two nights feel full without feeling frantic.

We talk through the Chic in Italy Set Jet Stays package from Minor Hotels Collection, including what you get, how customizable it is, and why built-in breakfast matters more than people think when you’re sightseeing all day. Megan shares what it’s like staying at NOW Roma after its renovation, how walkable the area is for Rome first-timers, and the kind of modern comfort that makes it easy to recharge before heading back out to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the city’s endless layers of history.

Then we get practical: how long to stay in Rome, how to think about a short Rome itinerary, and why Vatican tickets and Colosseum tickets should be booked online ahead of time. Megan also shares the standout experience from her trip, a custom Fiat 500 tour with a local guide who tailored the route to what she’d already seen, turning Rome travel tips into something you can actually feel in real time. We also touch the Venice and Milan legs of the Italy itinerary, with add-ons like Murano glass, mask-making, and a Milan cosmetics workshop.

If you’re planning travel to Rome and want fewer decisions with better results, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend who loves Italy, and leave a review with your best Rome question so we can answer it next.

Chapters:

• 0:00 Meet Megan And The Rome Plan
• 1:08 Why Rome Works For Friends
• 3:02 Chic In Italy Package Breakdown
• 5:18 First Impressions Of Rome
• 6:49 NOW Roma Style And Rooms
• 8:56 Walking Rome From A Smart Base
• 10:32 Breakfast Perks And Ludo Dinner
• 12:52 How Long To Stay In Rome
• 14:40 Vatican And Colosseum Ticket Tips
• 16:18 The Fiat 500 Tour Finale
• 20:18 Venice And Milan Extras Plus How To Book

For more information:

minor-hotels.com

► IG: @minorhotels | @avani_hotels | @nhcollection | @nhow | @nhowroma | @avanivenice | @nhcollectionmilanocitylife

Email: reservations@minor-hotels.com

Mention «CHIC IN ITALY» in the subject line when making your enquiry

with preferred dates of travel, number of guests and full booking details

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#roundtrip #roundtripcolleenkelly #travelpodcast #italy #rome #girlstrip #italytravel #chicinitaly #minorhotels #nhow #fiat500 #travelexpert

Guest: Audrey Huttert, General Manager of The St. Regis Venice

Water taxis, soft pastels, and a view that steals your breath—our Venice journey starts inside the St. Regis Venice, a historic palazzo reimagined with contemporary art and quiet, personal service. We sit down with General Manager Audrey to trace the hotel’s path from Europa Regina and Britannia days to its 2019 rebirth, and we unpack how design choices—Scarpa-inspired lines, Monet-hued rooms, and curated installations—turn a storied address into a living gallery on the Grand Canal.

Food lovers get their moment on the heated terrace at Gio’s, where Venetian ingredients meet a Puglian soul, while night owls follow us to the St. Regis Bar for the signature Bloody Mary and then to the Arts Bar for bespoke cocktails served in hand-blown Murano glass. We talk location strategy too: steps to Piazza San Marco, a stroll over the wooden Accademia Bridge to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and evenings at La Fenice. If you’re timing a trip, we weigh the case for winter’s hush, October’s golden calm, and the high-energy pulses of the Biennale and the Film Festival.

To deepen the craft story, we ferry to Murano and bypass the tourist shows for the oldest working glass factory, Barovier & Toso. Watching masters shape molten color reframes every glass on your table, and a night at NH Collection Murano Villa—tucked behind historic doors with modern lofted rooms—lets the island’s rhythm slow you down. By the end, you’ll know how to choose a suite with the right view, where to book, when to come, and how to explore Venice with intention so the city gives more back.

Love travel stories that double as a guide? Follow, subscribe, and leave a quick review to help others find the show—and tell us your perfect Venice month so we can tailor future tips.

CHAPTERS:

• 0:00 Welcome And Venice Tease
• 0:49 Meeting The St. Regis GM
• 2:32 Hotel History And Rebirth
• 5:55 Arrival By Water And First Impressions
• 8:50 Dining At Gio’s And Bars
• 12:45 Suites, Views, And Design
• 16:40 Venice Then And Now
• 19:10 Neighborhood, Museums, And Access
• 21:06 How To Book And When To Visit
• 25:10 Collaborations, Art, And The Garden

For more information:

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/vcexr-the-st-regis-

venice/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

► IG: @stregisvenice

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#roundtrip #roundtripcolleenkelly #travelpodcast #stregis #venicetravel #venice #venicehotel #hotel #marriott #hoteltips #italytravel #italytips #suite

Want New York City without the New York price tag? We brought in Pauline Frommer to show exactly how to make it happen, with practical strategies that stretch your budget while keeping the magic intact. From rush seats on Broadway to off-season hotel wins, this conversation is a masterclass in traveling well without overspending—or getting fooled by AI-driven pricing.

We dig into the Frommer legacy and why real, on-the-ground reporting still matters in a web full of influencer hype and fake reviews. Pauline lays out a clear playbook: visit January through March for hotel deals that drop by hundreds, lean on rush tickets and TodayTix for theater savings, and time your attraction visits at mid-day to avoid AI’s hourly price surges. She also shares a crucial tactic for fair pricing everywhere: use a VPN. By switching your search location, you can sidestep geographic price profiling and reveal fees upfront like EU shoppers see.

There is fresh excitement in the city too. Times Square is adding a new observation deck with a quirky “ball experience,” complete with crystal wishes woven into New Year’s lore, plus LAVS—yes, a floor of paid bathrooms designed for real convenience. The Studio Museum in Harlem unveils its striking new home, the Jewish Museum’s reimagined core exhibit spotlights artifacts with powerful stories, and the Frick’s reopened second floor reframes Gilded Age life with intimacy. We round it out with dining trends—like Korean-forward wine bars on the Lower East Side—that locals love and visitors rarely find without a guide.

If you value honest recommendations over algorithmic guesswork, this one is for you. We talk tools that actually find cheaper flights (hello, Momondo), how to avoid AI-generated guidebook spam, and why turning off ad blockers helps keep real travel journalism alive. Subscribe, share with a friend planning a trip, and leave a review with your favorite NYC money-saving tip—we might feature it next time.

CHAPTERS:

• 0:00 Introducing Pauline Frommer
• 1:33 The Frommer Story And Mission
• 5:15 Why Trusted Guidebooks Still Matter
• 9:05 New York On A Middle-Class Budget
• 13:15 How To Score Discount Broadway Tickets
• 16:50 Hotel Strategy And Off-Season Wins
• 21:00 What’s New In New York Culture
• 27:10 Times Square Deck, Ball Experience, And LAVS
• 31:00 Museum Revivals And Hidden Stories
• 35:20 Dining Trends And Secret Finds

Guest: Jenny Gowan, Special Events Manager at Wilderness Travel

Looking for travel that does more than check boxes? We sit down with Wilderness Travel’s special events manager, Jenny Gowen, to unpack how truly adventurous journeys are built: small groups, local leadership, and a guiding principle that we’re not spectators. From the company’s pioneering roots in 1978 to today’s topic-driven itineraries, Jenny shares how curiosity and humility turn a trip into a deeper experience.

We dive into eclipse travel that sells out in hours, including why 2027 Egypt is a standout with six minutes and twenty-two seconds of totality over Luxor. Jenny reveals how they balance maximum totality, historic cloud cover, and the cultural story of a place while partnering with expert astronomers like UC Berkeley’s Alex Filippenko. You’ll hear the strategy behind short, flexible event trips in Europe with smart add-ons, plus longer, immersive routes in destinations like Egypt, Patagonia, and Mongolia.

If you’ve wondered how to pick the right adventure, we break down Wilderness Travel’s trip rating system, the benefits of small groups capped at 15, and why even level-one journeys involve authentic walking and real access. We talk logistics in remote regions such as Namibia, included meals and scheduling that reduce friction, and the upside of traveling with an outfitter that keeps funds local and opens doors independent travelers rarely reach. Jenny also shares practical booking advice: use the website’s search bar, join interest lists, act early, and flip to the back of their stunning annual catalog to spot new itineraries. With generous cancellation policies on most small-group trips, you can plan ahead with confidence.

Ready to chase totality, reconnect with family, or revisit a place with new eyes and expert context? Hit follow, share this episode with your favorite travel buddy, and leave a review to help more curious travelers find us. Safe travels!

• 0:00 Meet Jenny From Wilderness Travel
• 1:45 Origins And Ethos Of Adventure Travel
• 3:35 Travel With Purpose And Local Impact
• 5:36 Eclipse Travel And The Expert Factor
• 8:10 Why 2027 Egypt Is A Standout
• 10:30 Trip Lengths, Add-Ons, And Flexibility
• 13:20 Small Groups And Trip Ratings
• 16:15 Scheduling, Dining, And Remote Logistics
• 19:30 Value, Access, And Stress-Free Planning
• 22:45 Booking Early, Catalog Secrets, Waitlists
• 26:00 Topic-Driven Travel And Renewed Wonder
• 28:20 Family Travel And Generational Legacy
• 30:00 How To Book, Deposits, And CTA
• 32:30 Host Closing And Follow Us

For more information:

https://www.wildernesstravel.com/

2025 Eclipse trip in Northern Spain:

https://www.wildernesstravel.com/trip/total-solar-eclipse-2026-northern-spain/

2026 Eclipse trip in Luxor, Egypt:

https://www.wildernesstravel.com/trip/total-solar-eclipse-2027-luxor-egypt/

► IG: @wildernesstravel
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►YouTube: @Wildernesstravel

►LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wilderness-travel/

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Steve Guilday - Director of Travel at AARP Services Inc.

What if a $20 membership could make your bucket list trip finally happen? We sit down with Steve Guilday, Director of Travel at AARP, to reveal practical, stackable ways to cut costs on flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and cruises—without sacrificing comfort or adventure. Steve explains how AARP’s nonprofit model passes negotiated savings directly to members, why international travel intent is surging among the 50+ crowd, and how to turn once‑in‑a‑lifetime ideas into booked itineraries that fit your budget.

We dig into the biggest trends shaping smart travel right now: intergenerational getaways that build deeper bonds, Alaska cruises that put the destination center stage, and the art of choosing secondary cities for Europe to dodge crowds while keeping the culture. You’ll hear how to time trips for shoulder season, why weekday departures stretch dollars, and how to make road trips easier by renting instead of racking up miles on your own car. From British Airways flight savings to hotel deals across major brands, we outline where the real, usable discounts live and how to stack them with your credit card rewards.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to go, consider this your sign. Pick your destination, choose the smarter route, and put the savings to work so the memories last longer than the bills. For links and details on member perks and current travel offers, head to aarp.org/save. If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe, share with a travel‑loving friend, and leave a quick review—it helps more people discover the show and start planning the trip they’ll talk about for years.

For more information:

aarp.org & aarp.org/save

@aarp & @aarpmemberbenefits

https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/travel-trends-survey/

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#roundtrip #roundtripcolleenkelly #travelpodcast #aarp #travelsavings #multigentravel #traveldiscounts #membership

Suzanne Kenzer - Freelance Travel Journalist

Ready to swap your Paris-London loop for a city that blends fairy-tale grandeur with everyday ease? We head to Copenhagen with travel journalist Suzanne Kenzer to unpack a long-weekend plan that hits royal palaces, storied museums, waterfront strolls, and a dining scene that’s as welcoming as it is ambitious. Think crown jewels at Rosenborg, the lifeguard change at Amalienborg, and a canal cruise past Nyhavn’s candy-colored facades—all within walking distance and perfect for first-timers.

Food lovers get the inside track on smørrebrød done right, why reservations matter even for casual spots, and how Copenhagen’s 26 Michelin stars reflect a city obsessed with quality without the fuss. We wander Tivoli Gardens for vintage thrills, nighttime lights, and weekend fireworks, then step into day trips that elevate your itinerary: Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Shakespeare’s Elsinore, and Roskilde’s duo of the Viking Ship Museum and the royal tomb-filled cathedral.

We also tackle the practicals that make or break a short stay: the best shoulder-season windows, how layers beat forecasts, when to walk versus ride, and why the Copenhagen Card streamlines transit and admissions. Learn how to handle Danish kroner in a mostly cashless culture, what tipping really looks like, and which souvenirs travel well—Royal Copenhagen porcelain, Georg Jensen design, licorice, butter cookies, and Lego for the win. If you’ve been craving a European city that feels both grand and grounded, this guide gives you everything you need to plan with confidence.

If this helped map your next trip, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a quick review—it helps more travelers find the show and fuels future guides.



0:20 Welcome And Guest Intro
1:47 First Impressions Of Copenhagen
3:11 Royal Palaces And Crown Jewels
6:48 Museums And Nyhavn By Water
9:18 When To Go And What To Wear
10:26 What Copenhagen Tastes Like
12:13 Dining Culture And Reservations
13:36 How To Get Around The City
15:05 Tivoli Gardens And Lego Roots
18:06 Why It Belongs On Your List
18:46 Day Trips To Kronborg And Roskilde
23:19 Hans Christian Andersen And The Mermaid
24:26 Where To Stay And Neighborhoods
27:20 Biking Culture, Clean Harbors, Parking
30:45 Shoulder Seasons And Tivoli Tips
32:06 Copenhagen Card And Money Basics
34:11 What To Buy And Where To Shop
36:23 Resources, Articles, And What’s Next
35:40 Gratitude And Ways To Connect

For more information:
visitcopenhagen.com

*Articles coming this fall on familytravelck.com & roundtripcolleenkelly.com
**Disclaimer: King Christian visited Amsterdam. Finland is a Nordic country.

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Paul Kelly, Turkey Farmer + Managing Director of KellyBronze

Holiday travel doesn’t have to be chaos, and turkey doesn’t have to be dry. We open with hard-won airport strategy—exact arrival windows, snack planning, and the surprising magic of flying on Thanksgiving morning—then bring on Paul Kelly of KellyBronze to change how you think about the main course. Paul is a two-time Guinness World Record holder (fastest turkey plucker and carver) who beat Gordon Ramsay and revived heritage methods that transform flavor: slow-growing bronze birds, dry plucking, and hanging for tender meat and deep taste.

Paul explains why maturity matters. Most industrial turkeys are processed young and lean, so cooks chase moisture with brines, basting, and foil. KellyBronze birds reach six months, build natural fat marbling, and develop bones that make gorgeous stock. Because they’re dry plucked—no added water—the birds can be safely hung to allow collagen to break down. The result is a bird that roasts quickly, often in 90 minutes to two hours, and stays succulent without tricks. We also tour the Virginia farm at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the turkeys live free range with serious protection from predators, building the texture and flavor you notice at the table.

On the travel side, we compare packing styles and share why a true carry-on capsule beats checked-bag roulette during peak season. We talk street food, culture, and getting out of the hotel bubble to taste the places you visit. Then a final airport secret for big hubs like O’Hare or JFK: skip the crowded center lanes and look for lesser-known TSA checkpoints on the far left or right that often move faster on busy days. It’s the same theme across the board—choose quality, respect the process, and keep it simple.

Subscribe for more smart travel tactics and food stories, share this episode with the holiday chef in your life, and leave us a review with your best turkey or airport hack. Your tips might inspire an upcoming show.

For more information:
kellybronze.com

► IG: @kellybronze


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Johnny Jet - Travel Expert

Named “the original travel influencer” by Forbes

Fear at the gate. Tears, a canceled dream trip, and three years grounded. That’s where Johnny Jet started—before a last-minute call and a single turned page sent him onto a plane and into a life of travel, family memories, and quietly powerful habits that make journeys work. We sit down with Johnny to unpack how anxiety became fuel, how a first long-haul in business class reframed what’s possible, and why the best “upgrade” is often just being sincerely kind to people who help you fly.

We explore the moments that matter: flying his mom first class to the places she longed to see, logging 20-plus countries with his dad, and teaching his own kids to be calm, capable travelers. The playbook is simple and strong—build packing lists weeks out; photograph prescription labels; carry surplus meds, hearing-aid batteries, and extra glasses; and stash essentials in your personal item even if you check a bag. For families, the iPad-only-on-planes rule turns screen time into a superpower, while planned bathroom breaks and small rituals (like chocolates for crew) create a culture of gratitude your kids can carry for life.

We also get tactical: why carry-on-only unlocks rebooking flexibility, the elevator-bank trick that shaves minutes at big conference hotels, and a safety-aware approach to hotel floor selection. Through it all runs a theme that outperforms points: greet gate agents, thank flight attendants, and be the steady voice when things go sideways. The system remembers how you showed up. If you’re ready to travel smarter—and more human—this conversation delivers both heart and how-to.

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, share it with a friend who needs calmer travel, and leave a quick review so more curious travelers can find us.

For more information:
johnnyjet.com

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