Today on The Mag we have travel advisor Kimberly Denison. I was lucky to connect with Kimberly through HeyMama earlier this fall and I’m thrilled to feature her today! Kimberly is a luxury travel advisor, founder of Denison Travel, mama of two and lover of all things travel related. Learn more about Kimberly and her business, some of her most impactful personal travel experiences, why it’s so important for children to travel, the future of the hospitality industry and much more!

We are so happy to talk with you! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you started your work as a travel advisor?

Before I had kids, I worked in social justice and advocacy. My husband and I relocated to a small town in Mississippi while I was pregnant with our first child, and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to stay home with my sons while they were little. When my youngest began creeping closer to Kindergarten, I knew that I was ready to head back to work. And Denison Travel was born!

How many kids do you have? What ages?

I have two boys, 9 and (almost) 7!

Your focus is on cultural immersion through travel. What have some of your best/most impactful personal travel experiences been?

I'm endlessly enthralled by experiencing life in new places and exploring how, as humans, we have so much more in common than not. For example, one of my favorite things is to visit a grocery or market wherever I am. It's such a mundane task for most of us to go grocery shopping, but getting a glimpse of others going about their daily lives in a place that is exotic to me is utterly fascinating. One thing we all have in common is that we need to feed our families – it's very humanizing!

I've had a number of genuinely impactful travel experiences, but two really stand out as shaping the direction of my life. The first was a trip to post-Soviet Russia in the early '90s. This was the moment in my life when I realized that despite all the rhetoric, at the most human level, we are all alike. This trip really opened my heart and broke through so much of the cultural and racial stereotypes that were ever-present in the small Texas town I grew up in.

The next trip that was really impactful was a powerful cultural exchange journey through Cuba in 2017. During this trip I realized I wanted travel to be my full-time job, and the wheels were set in motion! I knew my purpose moving forward would be to help others experience the transformative power of travel in their lives!

Two of your specialties include Multi-Generational Travel and Social Impact Travel. Can you tell us what draws you to those two specialties and can you explain what social impact travel means?

I love the challenge of planning a great multi-generational trip! It’s complicated – the logistics, the varied interests, and family dynamics – all of it comes into play. But finding the perfect balance of destination, experiences, and pacing that makes Grands, Mom & Dad, and Littles happy and fosters those precious memory-making opportunities is so fulfilling!

Social impact travel is my passion. My degree is in International Studies with a focus in Humanitarian Aid and Development. Social impact travel is where my education and obsession with travel intersect!

People may have heard the terms sustainable travel or sustainable tourism, and they are all related. Sustainable tourism often brings to mind eco-friendly travel practices and environmental responsibility, but the human component of sustainability is what drives me. Social impact travel aims to ensure that a significant portion of travel dollars stay in the community where they were spent and have positive community, social and economic impacts on the people living there. By partnering with suppliers who have a demonstrated record of keeping money in the communities where they do business to eating at locally-owned restaurants, there are a number of ways for travelers to feel confident that they are having positive impacts in the destinations they visit!

Why do you think it is so important for children to travel?

While raising my two young children in the rural South, I've seen more clearly than ever before how precious travel is and how transformative it can be. My husband and I want our boys to experience and understand the world around them and engage with different people and cultures.

It’s impossible to travel and not expand your worldview! When kids travel they learn about themselves and their place in the world. Kids who travel learn empathy and tolerance. All parents know almost instinctively that our kids learn best experientially, which holds true for travel experiences! By introducing our littles to new sights, sounds, people, and places, we help spark their curiosity and inspire a lifelong love of learning!

What are your favorite family-friendly travel destinations? Or do you feel like all destinations are family-friendly and it’s more about how you choose to spend your time?

I do think that just about any destination can be family-friendly, depending on the family, their interests and their travel styles! But I also have some go-to destinations that never disappoint.

Denmark, Portugal, and the UK are amazing international choices! Domestically, Florida for beaches, Colorado or Utah for the Great Outdoors, and Chicago, Philly, or Boston for an urban escape!

The travel industry has obviously been severely impacted by the pandemic. How do think the industry will evolve as we slowly return to something like normal? What do you think will have changed forever?

The attention paid to traveler health and well-being will be long-lasting. I think that contactless transactions will remain the norm – from in-room check-ins to QR code menus at restaurants. Not only do they reduce touchpoints, but they are often more cost-effective and efficient!

I think we will see more travelers embrace slow travel, which really allows for more immersion in or connection to the people and destination you're visiting. Folks are more comfortable moving around less right now, and I think this will persist for a while. I also believe we will continue to see travelers seek out destinations and accommodations that offer wide-open spaces and distance from others, at least in the near future.

Finally, I believe that travelers will be even savvier moving forward: from being more aware and critical of terms & conditions, making sure they always have travel insurance, and realizing the value of a strong travel advisor. Many hard lessons were learned in the industry and by travelers because of COVID-19, and these lessons won't be easily forgotten by any of us any time soon!

What are your top three tips for traveling safely right now?

Do your research on the current status of COVID and COVID-related travel restrictions in the area you are traveling to or traveling through. (Better yet, work with a well-qualified travel advisor who monitors these things continuously!)

If you stay in hotels or rentals, be sure to do your homework on the property's COVID protocols, and make sure you feel satisfied with the measures they have in place for cleaning and sanitation.

Take good care of yourself! Travel is tough on the body, and staying healthy while traveling is more important than ever. Slow your schedule down and make sure you and the kiddos have plenty of time to rest, so you don't get run down.

And finally, where can we find you?