Tailor Travel Agency

06/02/2026

I am working on developing some travel tools (summer hobby or potential business, we shall see) to help make traveling and visiting theme parks easier. One idea I have is for a dietary search tool. Right now, if you go do the WDW app, you have to scroll though many menu's and then see what their (maybe) options are for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, allergies, etc... When we went to WDW a few years ago, it was so hard for me to find food I could eat and I spent too much time looking at my phone.

My idea is for a tool that already has each menu item tagged (a process I do in the backend) and you (front end) then select the dietary restriction(s), park you are in, and area you are in, and you can see what meals / menu items are available to you in 30 seconds. Screen time done, go eat / order (you would have to transfer to the WDW app for the actual mobile ordering or to make a reservation, which is a down side).

I would charge a modest monthly subscription ($4.95) for the service and would have (starting with Orlando parks) and eventually every theme park in America.

What are your thoughts on such a tool / app? Would you find it helpful and be worth the cost? Do you have any suggestions for other approaches to solving the issue of finding foods for people with dietary restrictions (which a lot of us have)?

Do you have any suggestions of travel pain points that you would love to see be solved with technology?

03/31/2026

4 Nights in Edinburgh Scotland - for free! Or 4 Nights in Orlando. How about Idaho Falls (Yellowstone)? Or Anaheim?

Yes, using CC's to earn points is real and exciting. Just be sure you are paying off your CC each month. And just use it for your normal, monthly expenses, just like I do.

You too can get yourself 4 nights at a location of your choice. Plus, there are many benefits to having the card including Travel Insurance!!!

We would be grateful if you used our referral link to get your own IHG Card (we have the basic Traveler card):

Earn 140,000 bonus points with the IHG One Rewards Premier credit card. Earn 80,000 bonus points with the IHG One Rewards Traveler credit card. Earn 140,000 bonus points with the IHG One Rewards Premier Business credit card. We can be awarded if you apply here and are approved for the card.

This product is available to you if you do not have a current IHG One Rewards Credit Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Business Card Credit Card products.

12/11/2025

One reason I have hesitated to go back into being a TA (besides focusing on my children this season) is that it is so smart, easy, and cheap to use travel credit cards to rack up points and get freebies and deep discounts.

Even with our family's humble income and credit score, I was able to qualify for a Delta Skymiles AMEX and I will earn 80,000 bonus miles + 1 to 4 miles per $ spent. Pair that w/ my Wyndham card that currently has 80,000+ miles and I have almost a free trip for my family.

I do have a few rules for using CCs:
1 - I pay off my full balance every month.
2 - I try to balance using the cards w/ using cash for local small businesses as I know they have to pay fees for CCs.
3 - I try to book during windows of time where bonuses/offers are being added.
4 - I try to add on miles through other means - for example, I go to the Delta shopping site before doing my Walmart PU order.
5 - Even if I don't have enough miles for a free flight / stay, I look to see if the card + miles / points membership might get me a deeper discount than through other means.

If you want to get some free flights and throw a little love our way too, please use my referral link for a Delta Skymiles AMEX.

Enjoy the benefits of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. Apply now. With your new Card, you could earn a welcome bonus and your friend could earn a referral bonus. Terms Apply.

08/26/2025

I am still going back and forth between re-starting as a Travel Agent or starting an automation, data, and tech solutions business for the Travel Industry. I may not decide in this calendar year.

However, I still love to help people with their travel. If you are planning on a trip to Walt Disney World in the next year, I would love some feedback on what kind of help, tools, etc... would help you plan the trip. And I will provide some help if wanted.

I am also looking for feedback on my 1st of a series of data & automation projects that I am doing in conjunction with my Data Analyst Certification / Bachelor's Equivalent program.

The project is a starter sample of a Walt Disney World crowd calendar and wait times Google Sheets project that I will be continuing to expand upon after each of my next few classes.

08/05/2025

I'm also considering (per my previous post) starting a part-time freelance business doing technical and data analysis work for travel companies. I'd either do just this or in conjunction with being a travel agent.

Trying to find out where to best put my skills, invest my time as I'm only available part-time still, and being helpful and purposeful to others.

07/22/2025

I am considering reopening my Travel Agency. I would have an emphasis on helping disabled folks navigate theme parks and the world. But I would still be available to all.

This is come about since Disney World has basically shut down the DAS program to only be available to about 1% of the population. It is left tens of thousands of people without very good accommodations. I want to help people navigate and make decisions on the available accommodations that are there and also help and encourage them with other parks.

I would love feedback.

04/22/2025

While I continue to ponder the value of writing a book to help people travel, I would like to share a newsletter that I currently get that helps me keep updated on all the things going on in the world of rewards programs and rewards cards.

I want to interject that I only support people getting rewards credit cards IF they plan on paying off their balance every month. Getting into debt is not worth it for any type of travel reward.

As for rewards programs, you should always sign up for the program of your airline, hotel, etc...

Join 1,400,000+ adventurers and learn how to travel hack your way around the world in under 5 minutes a day (witty commentary, gifs and memes included 😉)

03/27/2025

Please read:

I am considering writing an ebook about all the tricks, tips, sites, travel providers, tools, etc... that I have learned about in my travels and as a travel agent.

The goal of the book would be to help people find the best resources quickly to find the best value for when and where they want to travel.

Would you find something like this interesting?

Would you pay $5.99, $6.99 or such for it?

What would you want to see in such a book?

03/18/2023

You know those great photos of the water & beaches you see in Travel Brochures & sites for Cancun & surrounding areas? Well, for the most part those photos are not taken during the spring season... because during this time of year, the beaches are continually fighting a battle w/ giant blobs of seaweed.

Since 2011, a fleet of seaweed patches double the size of the contiguous U.S. has cycled from West Africa to Florida, threatening beaches from Martinique to Miami. This year, it could grow bigger.

02/23/2023

In some cities, AirB&B's are being shut down (or at least making it very difficult to rent) and in other cities, there is a glut of AirB&B's, causing folks to sell off their rentals (but for a moment, renting at lower prices).

Hotel owners and unions wants to squash competition from the average Joes and Janes trying to drum up a bit of cash.