Who are the Sunshine Travelers anyway?

Since we are podcasters, we love getting to know people and their stories so we thought you might want to do the same.

About Us...

Scott works in cybersecurity as has for the last 25+ years (almost before it was a thing). Thankfully he can work remotely but this industry is no joke and hard work, balancing cost and risk, a lot like traveling.

I have a degree in engineering but has worked in manufacturing, taught high school math, and am a serial entrepreneur from home staging & decorating, to concrete curbing, to wellness & travel. If I can turn it into a business, I probably will.

We have two kiddos, two bonus kiddos, and two grandkids, and two pups and when our grandkids moved to Savannah a couple of years ago we took the leap and moved to North Florida to be closer to them.

About Our Travels...

We’ve always loved to travel but in very different ways. Scott grew up a Delta brat, and they would pick locations based on where they could get (first-class) flights to, although Hawaii always eluded him since there were no non-stop flights from Atlanta, and Disneyland was a consolation prize more than one. I grew up with teacher parents and so summers and breaks were spent at State and National Parks and campgrounds along the East Coast and no trip was ever long enough, she hated to come home.

Scott made multiple trips to Germany growing up since not only did they have flight benefits but his family became “family” with his brother’s German exchange family and he even traveled with his grandparents to West Berlin when the country was still divided and the wall was up. Even as a teenager he told me that he’s never been more afraid to get trapped in place and did not enjoy his visit here. My first international trip was to Germany and we took our daughter at almost 2 to visit this family. We have made multiple trips over the years and recently were able to join our grandkids on a visit, making 5 generations of Scott’s family that have been a part of this exchange family.

Working for global companies has allowed Scott to travel to countries such as Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, India, Germany, Slovakia, Portugal, and the UK on multiple occasions, and participating in related mission work took him to the Philippines and Hong Kong, some of which Melissa has tagged along on after leaving the classroom and starting her own businesses. Global employment can be a great way to be able to travel but I’ve had to teach him a thing a two about using Google Maps to see where you are and what’s nearby and save him from eating at Chipotle in New York City (no offense to Chipotle) but as you might imagine time to really see a place is limited since you’re there to work after all.

My first trip to Italy was for a mission trip. Did you even know that was a thing?

Our goal a few years back was to try and visit a new country every year and we even hit it in 2020 when we traveled to b just prior to the lockdown. In 2021 we found Belize open and welcoming to guest. Surprisingly we missed our goal in 2022 but we did travel to Scotland, back to Portugal and Germany but picked back up again in 2023 going to Ecuador (new for Melissa) and Kosice, Slovakia, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. In 2024 we’ve checked off Aruba and Curacao and Scott’s 5th continent and my 4th, Africa.

We ask all our guests their favorite place they've ever been. Scott says that Barcelona tops his list.  My top picks (as of right now) are London (I know the London Tube better than the NY Subway and used to have the map hanging in our laundry room a couple of houses ago plus according to 23 & Me I'm 98% British and Irish), Greece, and Portugal.  We usually love something about the food most places, but Portugal comes in at the top. 

Who we are NOT...

We’re not Luxury Travelers (although Scott does prefer first class and we like 4 and 5 star hotels the best) and we’re not Budget Travelers (hostels are a hard pass for us). We take advantage of every rewards program, free hotel nights and free flights (first class when it makes sense), and loyalty rewards program we can but we are willing to spend money one once in a lifetime adventures to the Galapagos Islands, an African Safari, and a 6 Week Trip to Europe. We want to authentically share our journey, how we plan trips and travel, what we love and don't love. We love finding the best places to eat and so we ask for recommendations everywhere we go!

Follow our Journey...

Follow us here, on the Sunshine Travelers Podcast, and on social media @sunshinetravlerspodcaston to help you Travel More & Better, One Bucket List Destination at a time.  We share with you travel stories, inspiration, destinations, itineraries, hidden gems, experiences, packing lists, travel tips, and more.