Flights & Fables

09/28/2026

🏆 For the second year in a row, Flights and Fables has been named a Monarch Agency of Excellence, and this fantasy travel advisor is still grinning like a hobbit who found the second breakfast pantry unlocked.

Here's the part that still makes my jaw drop. WorldVia Travel Network has about 6,500 affiliated agencies. This year, 54 of them received the Monarch Agency of Excellence. Earning these awards in just my third year of business, running this whole thing as a one-person agency, is just a dream come true.

This one belongs to you as much as me. Every Middle-earth pilgrimage, every first trip to Japan, every castle-hopping route through Europe, and every "is this a weird thing to ask a travel advisor?" message that turned into an actual trip. Thank you for trusting a guy who plans vacations around elves, wizards, and dragons.

Now back to my favorite part: planning your next quest.

If you could step into one fantasy world for real next year, which one would it be? Tell me below.

09/25/2026

Mummies get all the horror-movie treatment, but the real story is stranger and more careful than any movie version. Mummification wasn't about fear, it was an entire belief system built around making sure a soul had everything it needed for what came after: a preserved body, the right spells, the right offerings, nothing left to chance.

Walking down to see the burial chamber of King Tut, was like a dream come true. And to have his mummified body there, was just the cherry on top! It was like my childhood dreams coming true to see something like this.

If you had to bet on one mythology being scarier than anything a fantasy author has invented, is it Egypt, Norse, or something else? Tell me your pick below.

09/24/2026

Since I was young, I've had an interest in all things Myths and Legends. I was able to visit the place where many of the books I love, and you love, got their origins.

I just returned from the land of Myths and Legends and Mummies! I'll say this, when you're standing in front of something designed to survive thousands of years, the line between "history" and where many of our current fantasy stories come from, get's blurred really quick!

Anyone else find the actual mythology behind fantasy worlds more interesting than the fiction itself?

09/22/2026

Lord of the Rings fans already know what today is. September 22 is International Hobbit Day, marking the shared birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in the Shire calendar, and it might be my favorite made-up holiday that somehow feels completely real.

If you've ever stood in Hobbiton with a drink in hand, you know the day deserves a proper celebration.

How are you marking it today, a reread, a rewatch, or something baked? Tell me below.

09/22/2026

This week I'm in Cancun for WORLD26, WorldVia Travel Network's annual conference, heading in as a two-time Questy Award winner and a WorldVia Brand Ambassador makes this year all the more special.

Getting a few days with advisors who are actually reshaping how people travel, including a growing number of us building entire businesses around unique travel experiences, is the kind of thing that makes running a one-person agency feel a lot less like running it alone.

What's the last industry event or conference that reminded you why you love your work? Tell me below.

08/27/2026

Another amazing review from an amazing family and their New Zealand trip! So grateful for all the love!

08/23/2026

A lot of people think Travel Advisors are extinct, but actually, we’re thriving and showing our value to people who really want help with their travel.

AI can try, but humans still have the edge when it comes to booking holidays

08/21/2026

Just a little update for anyone interested in knowing more about Japan 2027 planning. Some of you have reached out this week after I talked about the cherry blossom hotel booking window, and I've already started drafting a couple itineraries for this.

If you're stuck on "maybe next year," that maybe could be the expensive part. The longer you wait, the harder to get you the trip you actually wanted is.

Are you ready to stop saying maybe?

08/19/2026

Hotels for the 2027 Japan Cherry Blossom season are already starting to sell out, and we're still in August. I know that sounds crazy, especially this far away. But it's the truth. Yes, there will be hotels available a few months from now, but they'll have no good views, or missing the amenities you were hoping for, or even just a really far walk to the closest train station. There's only so many rooms available in the prime viewing cities, and the people who know, are already reaching out to me to book them now.

Every year, around back to school, I get the same question, "Is it too early to start planning my trip next year?" And I always have the same answer, "Earlier is better." Now is the window to book that trip for next year that you've been thinking about. Especially if you want to make sure you get everything you want.

If Japan, and more specifically, cherry blossom season, is on your list for 2027, you need to reach out now. We're talking temples, Anime, Ryokan's with your own private onsen, the time is now to have that conversation with me, if we want to pull it off.

So, I'll ask you again, what's the one Iconic Japan experience you'd like me to build your whole trip around?

08/17/2026

I have a Japan travel planning question for those of you who follow me, if I was building your Japan trip for 2027, and it could only be around one thing, what would that be?

I'm only asking because I'm already booking a lot of Japan trips for cherry blossom season next spring, and honestly, it's a booking window that most of my clients don't find out about until it's too late.

So tell me, would you book around it around Anime? Food? Shopping? Temples? Cherry Blossoms? or Something else altogether?