I’m sharing the filming, editing and posting strategies that helped me grow from 19K to 66K followers after leaning into travel content. From iPhone settings and CapCut tips to hooks, captions and calls to action, these are the simple things that have helped my travel Reels reach more people.

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Mentioned in this episode:
- H.O.P.E. - Help One Person Everyday
- Niche down
- iPhone Video Settings: 4K and 60 Frames Per Second (FPS)
- Video editing app: CapCut
- Hook + Keep their attention + CTA (Call to Action)
- LinkDM and ManyChat

Kelsey and Joe are back from their couples trip to France - and Joe is joining at the end for the rapid fire questions! Hear about their magical night in Paris, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle, exploring Montmartre, and squeezing as much as possible into less than 24 hours before heading into the peaceful French countryside.

Then it’s on to Chablis for vineyard views, charming villages, a dreamy château, plenty of wine tastings, and a much-needed chance to slow down together.

If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.com

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves

Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- My Capital One Venture X Referral Link: https://i.capitalone.com/JMxfRZaqs
- Chablis, France
- Chateau de la Resle
- Air France Premium Economy
- Points and Miles
- Aer Lingus
- Le Parisis Hotel
- JFK: The TWA Hotel and Lounge, Connie, The Paris Cafe, Capital One Lounge
- EU EES Entry Exit System
- Montmarte: Sacre-Coeur
- Gare de Lyon
- Joigny: La Station
- Auxerre: Le Maison Fort, Le Sub
- Chablis: William Fèvre (tasting room), Jean-Marc Brocard (vineyard), Domaine Long-Depaquit (chateau), Domaine Laroche (cave tour)
- Petite Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru, Grand Cru

The night before our France trip, unexpected travel anxiety and mom guilt hit me hard - and then our flight was canceled! I’m unpacking what it felt like to leave the kids during a very busy week, plus the much happier story of my first airport lounge experience. Spoiler: I’m officially ruined.

If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.com

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves

Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- Chablis
- Chateau de la Resle
- Capital One Lounge JFK
- Air France Lounge

- TWA Hotel and Airplane Louge

In this episode of Trip Tales, Kelsey chats with Kayla, a mom of three from the Atlanta area, about her family of five’s June 2025 adventure to Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.

With kids ages 12, 10, and 7, Kayla and her husband used points, miles, and Southwest Companion Passes to make this bucket-list national park trip more affordable. They flew into Fresno, explored Yosemite Valley by bike, hiked to waterfalls, stayed at the family-friendly Tenaya Lodge, wandered through the giant sequoias of Mariposa Grove, and then road-tripped on to Lake Tahoe for lake swims, kayaking, Monkey Rock, and even a few bear sightings.

This episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygraves

If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.com

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves

Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- Hyatt Place Fresno, CA
- YOSEMITE: South Entrance, Yosemite Valley, Curry Village, Vernal Falls, Mirror Lake, Village Grill, Lower Yosemite Falls, El Capitan Field, Glacier Point, Twala Meadows
- Mariposa Grove: The California Tunnel, the Grizzly Tree
- Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite
- 4th Grade National Park Pass
- Tenaya Lake
- Mono Lake (Alkali Flies)
- Lake Tahoe: Hotel Becket Best Western Signature, Monkey Rock, Baldwin Beach

Trip Tales is a travel podcast sharing real vacation stories and trip itineraries for family travel, couples getaways, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts. Popular episodes feature destinations like Marco Island Florida, Costa Rica with kids, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Aulani in Hawaii, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Park City ski trips, Aruba, Italy, Ireland, Portugal’s Azores, New York City, Alaska cruises, and U.S. National Parks. Listeners get real travel tips, itinerary recommendations, hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, and inspiration for planning their next vacation, especially when traveling with kids.

I love the Enneagram, I love travel, and today we’re combining the two just for fun! In this episode, I’m breaking down all nine Enneagram types and how each one shows up on vacation! From the planners and peacekeepers to the dreamers, helpers, adventurers, and everyone in between.

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

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Nikki Packer from Utah is back on Trip Tales, and this time she’s sharing her family’s spring break trip through England and Paris!

Mostly booked on points, Nikki’s family started in London with classic sightseeing, Borough Market treats, and the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour before making their way to Oxford, Bath, and the dreamy English countryside. But the true surprise of the trip? The Cotswolds.

From wandering storybook villages to hiking through meadows, exploring old churches, eating gelato on bridges, and staying in a tiny ancestral village, Nikki makes a strong case for why the Cotswolds can be a magical destination for kids — especially families who love to wander, hike, and explore without an overpacked itinerary.

They ended the trip with one whirlwind, dreamy day in Paris, complete with crepes, gardens, Montmartre, and watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle!

This episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygraves

If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.com

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- Nicki Packer: @packinpoints on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/packinpoints/
- Kelsey's Hotel Upgrade Guide https://kelsey-graves.kit.com/e1c6074077
- LONDON: Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars, Tower of London (Beefeater Tour), Borough Market (viral chocolate covered strawberries!), Padella Borough Market (Italian restaurant), Thames Path, St. Jame's Park, Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Covent Garden, Millennium Bridge, The Globe Theater
- OXFORD: Addison's Walk, Botanical Gardens, Rozana (best Mediterranean wrap of Nicki's life!)
- Blenheim Palace (Winston Churchill's childhood home)
- BATH: Abbey Hotel, The Bath Abbey Church, Bathwick Trail (The Bathwick and Claverton Down Circular, popularly known as the Bath Skyline, is a spectacular 6 to 7.5-mile loop offering sweeping views over Bath, ancient woodlands, and wildflower meadows)
- COTSWOLDS
Painswick: Painswick village, St. Mary’s Church, The 99 yew trees at St. Mary’s Church, Nikki’s family’s Airbnb was near St. Mary’s Church
Stroud: Stroud Farmers’ Market
Bourton-on-the-Water: Box Bush Gelato
Upper & Lower Slaughter: Walking path between the two villages
Other Cotswolds Villages Mentioned: Chipping Campden, Bibury, Stow-on-the-Wold
Walks, Hikes & Scenic Stops: The Cotswolds Way, Broadway Tower, Beacon Path
Gloucester: Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral Cloisters — Harry Potter filming location
- PARIS: Hyatt Paris Madeleine, Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, Eiffel Tower, Crepes, Louvre Museum, Tuileries Garden, Musée de l'Orangerie (Monet's Water Lillies), Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral, Notre Dame, Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, La Crème de Paris (crepes), Jardin du Luxembourg, Montmartre

What happens when your dreamy, romantic France trip suddenly turns into a European heat wave survival mission? In this episode of Kelsey Unpacked, I’m sharing the real-time pivots we’re making before our kid-free getaway to Paris and Chablis — from confirming air conditioning at our tiny French chateau to rethinking my cute wine country outfits, packing electrolytes, and asking ChatGPT to heat-proof our itinerary. Don’t worry, we are STILL going… but the trip may involve a little less frolicking through vineyards and a little more “where is the nearest AC?”

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

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Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- Château de la Resle
- Château de la Resle was a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property in the Hyatt Hotel portfolio, and recently changed to a Design Hotel in the Marriott portfolio
- Check your hotels for air-conditioning in Europe!
- New EU EES (EU Entry/Exit System) at airports

Amy from Colorado joins me to share all about her family of five’s multigenerational Southwest road trip with her husband, their three kids (ages 3, 7 and 9), and her parents.

They started in Northern Colorado and made their way to Moab, Utah to explore Arches National Park, then continued on to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon before ending with sunshine, pool time and spring training baseball in Scottsdale. On the way home, they looped back through Santa Fe, making this an epic road trip full of red rocks, big views, kid-friendly hikes, multigenerational memories and plenty of Southwest magic!

This episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygraves

If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: kelsey@triptalespodcast.com

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves

Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves

Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879

Mentioned in this episode:
- MOAB: The Expedition Lodge, Moab Brewery, Fiesta Mexicana
- ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Windows Arch, Turret Arch, Sand Dune Arch, Delicate Arch Viewpoint
- GRAND CANYON: Cameron Entrance, Yavapai Lodge, Maswik Lodge, The General Store, Mather Point, Geological Museum, Trail of Time, Bright Angel Trail, Arizona Steakhouse
- Rim to Rim with 3,000 Miles to a Cure https://www.3000milestoacure.com/
- SCOTTSDALE: Holiday Inn Vacation Club, Rockies Spring Training, Cien Agave restaurant, The Sugar Bowl ice cream parlor
- Santa Fe

Trip Tales is a travel podcast sharing real vacation stories and trip itineraries for family travel, couples getaways, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts. Popular episodes feature destinations like Marco Island Florida, Costa Rica with kids, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Aulani in Hawaii, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Park City ski trips, Aruba, Italy, Ireland, Portugal’s Azores, New York City, Alaska cruises, and U.S. National Parks. Listeners get real travel tips, itinerary recommendations, hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, and inspiration for planning their next vacation, especially when traveling with kids.