Sierra is the creator of The Daily Impressions travel & lifestyle blog
We are so excited to have Sierra Redmond join us on this week’s podcast episode. Sierra Redmond is a Travel Industry Expert, Digital Content Creator and Military Spouse Entrepreneur behind The Daily Impressions Travel and Lifestyle Blog. She has spent many years in the media and travel industry and through her blog and freelance writing, has found a way to collide the two worlds.
“Travel doesn’t have to mean you go anywhere. Travel is just going outside of your norm.”
-Sierra Redmond
Sierra holds an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications Tv/Radio as well as a Masters Degree in Travel and Tourism from Temple University. As her background suggests, Travel Media is her true passion and through digital media, she strives to produce top notch content that continues to inspire audiences to travel and explore the world around them.
Aside from media, Sierra is the wife of an Active Duty Service Member and Mother to a seven year old extraordinaire. Sierra also dedicates her life’s work to the Military community in which she serves as A Military Spouse of the Year Program Alum for Armed Forces Insurance.
Sierra believes that travel with kids does not mean giving up on luxury and that you can still have an elevated lifestyle and travel experience while traveling as a family. Many luxury travel experiences have dedication to kids including food, activities and programming. Sierra likes to plan a learning element to all of her trips in order to broaden her child’s exposure to a variety of cultures.
Sierra’s Travel Tips
Let the destination choose you when traveling for leisure
Sierra and her family keep a running list of places that they would like to travel to. Then they Identify dates and a budget and see what comes up in search results. Google Flights is her go to search engine for flights. You can leave the destination blank and see results by price.
Sign up for hotel rewards
Almost all hotel reward programs are complementary to join. Typically, members of the loyalty program receive perks right away. However, the benefits really accumulate when you remain loyal to a hotel’s reward program for a period of time. There is no downside to joining more than one. However, the more you stay with the same hotel program, the more benefits you achieve with that one. Choose a hotel that you prefer or expect to stay more. Make sure to always give your rewards number when making your reservations and/or at check-in. And then verify after each stay to make sure you were given credit for your stays.
Don’t discount your drivable markets
Explore destinations that are in driving distance. Vacation does not have to be extravagant. You can explore something new, fun and different that is close to home and saves money. You can also plan a road trip that will last several days. Choose areas of interest for stopping points along the way. See what you can see on the way such as national parks or restaurants.
Look at local tourism boards
A tourist board is an official organization that encourages travelers to visit their city, country, or region. What do tourist boards do? They provide information about the area, including transportation, popular attractions, and where to stay.
Explore social media by exploring hashtags of the location
Hashtags of the area you are interested in will give you a look into what the locals are doing: where they are eating, what they are doing for fun, etc. TikTok is another great place to find what to do in an area. Not only are you seeing pictures, but you are able to see videos as well. Social media will also provide up to date information about the place you want to explore. You can also check the coordinates of photos on social media if you want to know where someone posted a cool picture of something that interests you.
Consider what discounts might you have
- Military
- AARP
- Local
- Family members who are local
- Credit card points
- Hotel points
You can find more about Sierra here:
https://www.thedailyimpressions.com/
@iamsierrared