Trip Hacks DC

Sometimes it's useful to get a new or different perspective. A fresh set of eyes can highlight things that locals don't notice because we live here and see the city every day. In this episode you'll hear from Megan Marod, a licensed New York City tour guide who has visited Washington, DC several times over the past year. She shares some of the things she learned from those trips and offers tips to help you prepare for an upcoming trip.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Washington, DC is a fantastic destination for the Fourth of July. There are major events like the National Independence Day Parade, a Capitol Fourth concert and the fireworks - plus a handful of smaller events. It's a fun day but important to know what to expect so you can navigate the crowds, road closures and summer heat. In this episode Rob consolidates all of his Fourth of July advice in one place. 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

When you’re planning a trip, where to stay, which hotel, and what area, is a big decision. It’s why one of the first things I did after I started Trip Hacks DC was create a where to stay guide. In this episode you'll learn about all eleven recommend areas. What are the pros of each area? What are the cons of each area? And what are some solid hotel choices in each? Plus, what are the areas where you don't want to stay? The don'ts are podcast exclusive content so stick around until the end of the episode to hear!

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

When you visit Washington, DC you will almost certainly check out the major monuments and memorials on the National Mall. Over the past few years, several new monuments have opened around the city. These are monuments both to former presidents and to major wars. Because they opened during the pandemic, their ceremonies didn't have much fanfare. In this episode Rob is joined by guest Carolyn Muraskin to discuss these new sites, as well as a few other lesser-known memorials they think you should know about.

Carolyn is the owner of DC Design Tours, a tour company that runs historic walking tours with a focus on architecture, design and urban planning, including a few tours that cover sites discussed with Rob.

For the first time in three years National Cherry Blossom Festival events are back in person. This is an exciting development after years of missing out on one of the most anticipated events in Washington, DC. However, it's important to know what's changed and how. In this episode Rob is joined by Diana Mayhew. She is the President of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the nonprofit organization that organizes and implements festival events each spring. Diana has some important tips if you're planning to visit for the cherry blossoms in 2022 and beyond.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

When is the best time of year to travel? What's the best process to choose a hotel? How do you find the best tours and experiences in a destination? In this episode Rob takes the mic to tackle all of these questions and more. He brings his decade of experience as a tour guide and applies it to how he travels. It's a different perspective than you'll hear from a frequent or professional traveler, but hopefully valuable nonetheless! 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Are travelers coming back to Washington, DC? Is the tourism industry recovering? The answer is yes. But also no. It's complicated. The only way to properly explain it is to walk through what 2021 was like month by month.  In this episode Rob takes the mic for a solo podcast. He talks about how Trip Hacks DC tour business fared in 2021 and what the experience was like to own a Washington DC tour business and try to come back from a devastating 2020.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

How do you book your airfare, hotels, and tours? What websites do you use? What would you think if I told you that the websites you use to book your trip could make or break your travel experience? This is an important topic whether you're traveling to Washington, DC or elsewhere! In this episode Rob takes the mic for a solo podcast. He covers a topic that very few tour industry insiders will publicly discuss - why booking direct is a superior option to booking travel on a third party website. 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Trip Hacks DC is primarily a source of travel content for Washington, DC visitors. But once visitors get here, especially when they sign up for a Trip Hacks DC tour, they have a lot of questions and curiosities about what it's like to live in DC. If you're planning to move here, hopefully you'll find plenty of useful information in this episode. If you're just visiting, hopefully this episode helps satisfy some of your curiosity.

Rob welcomes John Coleman to the podcast. John is a real estate agent who has dedicated much of his time to perfecting the home buying process. He’s also the host of Coffee with Coleman, a YouTube channel where he loves to discuss Washington DC, real estate, business, and all that good stuff. Make sure to follow along with him on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Full show notes are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

At the time of recording there are nearly 200 Trip Hacks DC YouTube videos and dozens of podcast episodes with travel tips galore! But how do you tie all of those tips together into a tip itinerary? This episode's guest walks you through how he took the tips he learned from Trip Hacks DC and designed an itinerary around them.

Rob welcomes Doug McKnight to the podcast. Doug is a fellow podcaster and co-host of Rope Drop Radio, a podcast by two dads who love Disney. He is an expert on Disney parks and Disney cruises but is also a great travel planner no matter the destination.

Episode sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Rope Drop Radio. Listen on all the podcast apps and follow along with them on Twitter and Facebook. And by travel agent Michelle McKnight, a Destination Specialist with TouringPlans. Whether you want to travel to Disney World or Washington, DC or anywhere in between, Michelle has you covered.