The Folo by Travel Weekly

Our theme parks reporter Jamie Biesiada was at Walt Disney World twice in May, and host Rebecca Tobin cruised on Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wish -- making it the perfect time to dig in on theme park changes, additions, Cool Kid Summer and our own personal recent experiences, from rides to resort restaurants. Plus an update on Universal. 

Summer Series

This episode is part of our annual Summer Series, where we feature some of our favorite recent Folo by Travel Weekly discussions. This episode was originally published June 8 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Travel Insured International https://www.travelinsured.com

Related reports

Disney aims to simplify trip planning with tech updates https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Disney-simplifying-the-guest-experience-for-planning-trips

Dispatch, Disney World: Park offerings for preschoolers https://www.travelweekly.com/Blogs/Dispatch/Disney-World-park-offerings-for-preschoolers

Behind the magic: Maintaining Disney World's iconic landscapes https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/The-team-behind-Disney-World-maintenance-and-makeovers Something for all ages on the Disney Wish (September 2022) https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Something-for-kids-of-all-ages-on-the-Disney-Wish

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For a long time travel sites have tried to mimic how travel advisors qualify clients: How to present travel options and ideas to people who don’t know when or where they want to go -- often with varying results. But now some sites are now able to facilitate a conversation about travel inspiration thanks to generative AI. 

In this episode, Saad Saeed, the CEO of Layla, a generative AI travel search interface, talks with editor at large Robert Silk and host Rebecca Tobin about how Layla works and what Saeed's team has uncovered about consumer habits -- and how people research travel differently when using AI instead of talking to a human.

Summer Series

This episode is part of our annual Summer Series, where we feature some of our favorite recent Folo by Travel Weekly discussions. This episode was originally published April 27 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Travel Insured International https://www.travelinsured.com

Related links 

AI tools are changing how travelers research vacation options

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Technology/AI-tools-changing-how-travelers-research-vacation-options

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Europe summer travel in full swing, it’s a good time to talk about building a river cruise vacation. Whether you’re an advisor with river-bound clients, or if you’re a traveler yourself, the cruise is likely is just part of a multicomponent trip with pre- and post-cruise tours or city stays known as extensions.

The extensions business is getting more and more complex, with travelers adding on not just more extensive options from the river cruise lines but tours from third-party operators or a bespoke land trip. And while we’re at it, the in-cruise experience is getting more bespoke, too. 

In this episode tours and river cruise editor Brinley Hineman and Angela Hughes, CEO of Trips & Ships Luxury Travel in Winter Garden, Fla., talk about the options and where river-bound travelers are headed, whether it’s better to add a pre- or post-trip tour and how to position a longer European vacation.

This episode was recorded June 26 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions https://www.expeditions.com

Related reports

River cruise lines add full land tours to create longer vacations https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/River-cruise-lines-add-full-land-tours

A real win-win for river cruising: Land-based extensions https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/benefits-for-selling-pre-and-post-river-cruise-land-tours

 

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In June, Carnival Cruise Line held an event in New Orleans called The Next Course, where it introduced new restaurants and menus on its upcoming ship, the Carnival Festivale, and showcased its partnership with superstar chef Emeril Lagasse, the line’s chief culinary officer. It also served as a chance to talk about the latest in foodie trends, and how those trends are showing up on Carnival’s ships.

In this episode we take that conversation even further with Carnival’s vice president of food and beverage Juan Fernandez and cruise editor Teri West. We talk about changes in dining hours, dining styles, drinks and more and how those changes dovetail or diverge with how consumers eat and drink on land. Plus: How Carnival developed its relationship with Lagasse and the new restaurants on the Festivale. 

This conversation was recorded July 9 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions https://www.expeditions.com

Related links:

Carnival and Emeril Lagasse embrace the latest culinary trends https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-and-Emeril-embrace-the-latest-culinary-trends

Carnival introduces new culinary concepts for upcoming ships https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-and-Emeril-Lagasse-introduce-new-culinary-concepts

Reservations are open for the Carnival Festivale https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Reservations-open-for-Carnival-Festivale

How weight-loss meds are changing travel https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/weight-loss-meds-changing-travel

Focus on culinary travel: Savoring the experience https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Focus-on-culinary-travel-Savoring-the-experience

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re driving right into this one: The world of driverless cars, and how they’re already being integrated into rental car companies -- and how they might some day be integrated into rental car fleets. Host Rebecca Tobin, editor at large Robert Silk and Vik Krishnan, a senior partner at McKinsey & Co., debate: Is the era of self-driving, or autonomous, vehicles closer than we think?

In this episode: How rental car companies are servicing self-driving cars, why someone might rent an autonomous vehicle, the hurdles to adoption, timelines and more.

This episode was recorded June 29 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions https://www.expeditions.com

Related links

Driverless vehicles: Rental car companies get in the race https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Car-Rental-News/Driving-force

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Just outside of Pride month we’re bringing together two reports on the latest in LGBTQ+ travel. In this year's Focus on LGBTQ+Travel cover story, editors Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann spoke to four travel advisors who identified four key trends in this market: expeditions, traveling with family, resilience and going beyond gay-friendly destinations.

And on the hospitality side, there's been a rise in hotels that are specifically catering to the LGBTQ+ segment. 

For this episode, we welcome Tristan Schukraft, founder and CEO of Tryst Hotels, who speaks with hotels editor Christina Jelski about Tryst -- and then engages in a larger discussion with Jamie about the trends identified in the Focus story.

This episode was recorded July 1 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions https://www.expeditions.com

Related links:

Focus on LGBTQ+ Travel https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Focus-on-LGBTQ-travel-redefining-gay-destinations

Hoteliers are forging stronger bonds in LGBTQ+ communities and markets https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Hoteliers-are-forging-stronger-bonds-LGBTQ-communities

Tryst Hotels https://trysthotels.com/

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We recently published an episode about the exciting opportunities around travel in the U.S. – travel surrounding the 250th anniversary celebrations, traveling along route 66, Americana and more. We bring that episode back to you today, but as a bonus, we’re including a discussion with two of our reporters about more recent stories about U.S. travel trends.

In this segment, our tours editor Brinley Hineman has found new interest in historical U.S. tourism. And our editor at large Robert Silk has looked at ways that indigenous organizations and native tribes are approaching the 250th milestone and bringing their perspectives to visitors. 

The new segment was recorded June 26, and then we’ll dive into the original episode, which was recorded April 29.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Brendan Vacations https://www.brendanvacations.com/traveladvisors

Related reports:

Tour companies keep America 250 celebrations going into 2027 https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Operators-keep-America-250-celebration-going-into-2027

Indigenous groups are telling their stories amid America 250 events https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Indigenous-groups-telling-their-story-amid-America-250

Special tours tap into Route 66 nostalgia https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Special-tours-Route-66-centennial

Travels with Darley: Travel information by state https://www.darley-newman.com/united-states

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This new crop of ultra luxury cruise lines is fascinating, not just because many of them are associated with well known hotel brands, but because they’re appealing to a newer, younger demographic; one that might not have cruised -- or thought about cruising. What’s the appeal for them?

In this episode, host Rebecca Tobin and cruise editor Teri West talk with Christina Schlegel, the owner of Bluetail Travel, and Paul Tumposky, the chief revenue officer of Fora Travel, a about the appeal of lines like Four Seasons Yachts, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection and Explora Journeys and the new pathways they’re opening up in cruising.

This episode was recorded May 29 and has been edited for length and clarity. 

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Brendan Vacations https://www.brendanvacations.com/traveladvisors

Stay on at the end of the luxury-cruise discussion for a sponsored interview with Brendan Vacations' North America sales manager Kevin Loftus and Mary Pat Sullivan, the executive vice president of marketing and brand partnerships for Northstar Travel Group.

Related links:

New luxury lines are connecting with a new generation of cruisers https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/New-luxury-lines-connecting-new-generation-of-cruisers

Orient Express’ first ship evokes the glamour of a bygone era https://www.travelweekly.com/Luxury-Travel/Orient-Express-Corinthian-preview Aman at Sea opens for charter and group bookings https://www.travelweekly.com/Luxury-Travel/Amangati-opens-for-charter-event-sales

On the Record: Four Seasons Yachts’ CEO Ben Trodd https://www.travelweekly.com/On-The-Record/Ben-Trodd-Four-Seasons-Yachts

Ritz-Carlton luxury with ‘less is more’ touches on its first ship https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Ritz-Carlton-luxury-with-less-is-more-touches-on-Evrima

Bluetail Travel: https://www.bluetailtravel.com

Fora Travel: https://www.foratravel.com

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You might be surprised to hear it given some of the economic and geopolitical news this year, but the big news from the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Forum was a presentation from Jan Freitag, the national director of hospitality analytics at CoStar Group, and Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, that significantly revised upward their 2026 U.S. hotel forecasts from earlier this year.

For this conversation we’re turning to Freitag and Travel Weekly hospitality editor Christina Jelski to review the new forecast and what’s driving the rosy outlook. We talk about the current shape of the economy, interest in domestic travel, the enduring stability of the upper-end and luxury segment. And as the FIFA World Cup kicks off, we take yet another look at demand around the match cities and how some industry watchers may have been missing the story.

This episode was recorded June 12 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Brendan Vacations https://www.brendanvacations/com/traveladvisors

Related links

Early numbers brighten the 2026 forecast for U.S. hotels https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Early-numbers-brighten-2026-forecast-US-hotels

 Hotel data firms deliver good news at NYU event https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Industry-groups-unveil-revised-2026-US-hotel-forecast

Hotel group says World Cup demand is below expectations https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/World-Cup-demand-is-below-expectations

Folo episode on the World Cup with U.S. Travel's Erik Hanson https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/US-travel-and-FIFA-World-Cup

The USA is on full display https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/USA-on-full-display-250th-anniversary

CoStar Group https://www.costargroup.com/

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Our theme parks reporter Jamie Biesiada was at Walt Disney World twice last month, and host Rebecca Tobin cruised on Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wish -- making it the perfect time to dig in on theme park changes, additions, Cool Kid Summer and our own personal recent experiences, from rides to resort restaurants, plus an update on Universal’s updates. 

This podcast was recorded June 4 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Brendan Vacations https://www.brendanvacations.com/traveladvisors

Related reports:

Disney aims to simplify trip planning with tech updates https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Disney-simplifying-the-guest-experience-for-planning-trips

Dispatch, Disney World: Park offerings for preschoolers https://www.travelweekly.com/Blogs/Dispatch/Disney-World-park-offerings-for-preschoolers

Behind the magic: Maintaining Disney World's iconic landscapes https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/The-team-behind-Disney-World-maintenance-and-makeovers

Something for all ages on the Disney Wish (September 2022) https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Something-for-kids-of-all-ages-on-the-Disney-Wish

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.