The Travel Podcast.
Arizona Fly Drive
Episode #45 – 13th November 2020
Coming up in this episode.
On this episode we will be exploring Arizona home of the world famous Grand Canyon National Park on a virtual road trip, visiting the cities & towns of Tucson -> Scottsdale -> Sedona and Flagstaff. Our special guides for this virtual road trip are joining us from Arizona and they will be sharing their first hand knowledge and recommendations.
We discover there is so much more to this vast and stunning state including:
- City of 7 Wonders
- Where to get your City Slickers experience
- The UNESCO City of Gastronomy
- Best time of day for a hot air balloon ride
- Water to Wine float trip
- Star Gazing
Key Times
[01:00] – How to get to AZ and Covid19 requirements
[04:46] – Overview of Arizona including topography, when to travel, wine regions and more
[07:39] – Tucson
[12:00] – Scottsdale
[18:10] – Sedona
[27:10] – Flagstaff
[38:34] – Phoenix
Useful Links.
Visit Arizona Links:
Museum of Northern Arizona: American Indian Culture
Sedona Links:
Sedona Sustainable Tourism Plan
Scottsdale Links:
Tuscon Links:
Flagstaff Links:
Your Hosts for Today’s Episode.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Becky Blaine
Deputy Director | Arizona Office of Tourism
About Becky
Becky Blaine is the Deputy Director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, the state agency responsible for growing Arizona’s economy through tourism promotion. She guides the agency’s international marketing efforts and is responsible for long-term strategic planning. Before joining the Office of Tourism in March 2016, Becky spearheaded marketing and public relations efforts at IKEA Tempe and the Arizona Biltmore Resort.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Jessica Mitchell Remington
Senior Travel Industry Marketing Manager | Arizona Office of Tourism
About Jessica
Jessica has been with the agency since March 2018. She oversees international travel trade efforts for European, New Zealand & Australian and Japanese travel trade markets. Prior to joining AOT, she worked as a Sales Manager for 5 years at the Phoenix Convention Center. Jessica grew up in Arizona and graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new destinations, trying new restaurants with friends, and being outdoors exploring new hikes throughout the state with her husband and two dogs. She is most looking forward to bringing her 4-month-old son along on their outdoor adventures.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Jalyssa Gasmen | Visit Tucson
About Jalyssa
Jalyssa Gasmen was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and loved having the Sonoran Desert as her playground. She enjoyed sports and dancing throughout her teenage years. She is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Parks & Recreation Management. And a Business Administration Associates degree from Pima Community College. Jalyssa has now served as tourism sales manager with Visit Tucson for over three years. Her current responsibilities include economic impact through tourism for the City of Tucson, Town of Oro Valley and Southern Arizona. She also, tracks and maintains room nights from tour groups and FIT business. She conducts fam trips and site inspections, travels to trade shows and sales missions and she also engages in development of community partnerships. Her favorite things to do on her days off are hiking, swimming and enjoying a few local beers in Downtown Tucson with her friends and family.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Emily Wininger | Experience Scottsdale
About Emily
Born into a military family, Emily moved between 10 states throughout her childhood before settling in Arizona to attend college at Arizona State University. Emily graduated with a BS in Psychology, a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, a minor in Women Studies and an honors degree from Barrett, The Honors College where she defended an original thesis on social media practices in the luxury hospitality segment. Upon graduation Emily worked in the travel and tourism public relations sector in Las Vegas for MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at R&R Partners. Emily has since relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona and currently serves as the Tourism Sales Manager for Experience Scottsdale overseeing international tourism efforts and is glad to be back in her desert home.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Sachi Sado | Visit Sedona
About Sachi
Sachi was born in Shizuoka, Japan. She started at the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau in 2002 as an intern from Northern Arizona University and has been in the destination marketing industry since then. Her main responsibilities are in international and domestic travel trade industry sales. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Parks and Recreation Management. When not at the office, she can be found hiking in the red rocks of Sedona with a camera in hand or traveling.
The Travel Podcast | Special Guest
Cherri | Discover Flagstaff
About Cherri
Cherri joined the team in January 2018, and brings years of travel industry experience to Discover Flagstaff. She started her resort career in Orlando, Florida at Vistana Resort, then accepted a promotion as Director of Travel Industry Sales with Marquis Hotels and Resorts in Ft. Myers. However, Arizona came calling, and she moved to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area working in the hotel industry for the next couple of decades, opening The Phoenician in 1988, and directing leisure sales and marketing efforts for the Pointe South Mountain Resort, Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Arizona Biltmore, and then remotely for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. After ten years with Marriott International, on-property and in regional sales, Cherri moved to the Tourism Bureau side with Visit Mesa. When not traveling, she spends time outdoors with her husband, Jim and Golden Retriever, Mickey.
