Get Outta Here!

The internet has changed many things in travel - especially how we book flights and hotels - but for some trips a travel agent can be extremely helpful. This week, host Scott Mayerowitz chats with Wendy Perrin, a longtime travel journalist and advice columnist, who runs trip-planning site WendyPerrin.com.

It’s getting harder and harder for families to sit together on airplanes without paying an extra fee. Learn how to avoid being separated in this week’s episode of “Get Outta Here,” the AP travel podcast. Host Scott Mayerowitz chats with AP Airlines Writer David Koenig about the size of the problem and how to skip those seating fees.

Getting a free room upgrade is nice. Avoiding the room next to the ice machine might be even nicer. Learn how to get the best hotel room and how much to tip staff in this episode of “Get Outta Here,” the AP travel podcast. Host Scott Mayerowitz chats with Mark Herron, the general manager of Colorado’s Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, who also shares some crazy stories about the extravagant requests the rich and famous have made.

Monique Greenwood and her husband opened their first Akwaaba bed-and-breakfast in a black neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, back in the 1990s. Today they also have Akwaabas in Washington, D.C., Cape May, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Guests, both black and white, now come from across the U.S. and around the world. The upscale inns carry on a tradition of hospitality for everyone while celebrating black culture. In this episode of the AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here!” Greenwood talks frankly about the challenges of #travelingwhileblack, both historically because of segregation and in the contemporary world, where the travel industry has too often fallen short when it comes to making everyone feel welcome and included. She also talks about how her business got started, how it’s grown and how she has used the B&Bs to connect with visitors from many different backgrounds.

We hear a lot these days about overtourism and the problems caused by too many visitors in popular destinations. A new book called “How to Be a Better Tourist” offers offbeat ideas and inspiration for how individual travelers can help ease overtourism while at the same time improving their vacation experiences. In this episode of “Get Outta Here,” host Beth J. Harpaz chats with the book’s author, Johan Idema, about his philosophy and ideas. Johan’s suggestions include taking an “alone” day on a trip, exploring the “edges” of cities, and connecting with locals when you travel _ which Idema explains in a chapter called ”Rent a German.”

Reddit “Ask Me Anything!” sessions are a wild and crazy tradition. “Get Outta Here!” host Beth J. Harpaz recently participated in a Reddit AMA and it was so lively that she and a couple of colleagues from Associated Press decided to read the AMA transcript _ actually, act it out _ for our podcast listeners. You’ll learn everything from the name of the best dive bar in Cleveland to the weirdest advice ever given to a traveler to a strange and secret food that Harpaz always carries in her beat-up old L.L. Bean knapsack. We promise you’ll laugh with us, you’ll learn from us and you’ll have fun.

Maine is nicknamed Vacationland for a reason. In this episode of “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel Editor Beth Harpaz and Patrick Whittle, who covers Maine for The Associated Press, share their favorite Maine destinations, from Acadia National Park to Old Orchard Beach, from whitewater rafting to shopping, the arts, and of course, where to get a seafood dinner. We’ll also talk about Maine’s new national monument, Katahdin Woods and Waters _ why it’s controversial and how to experience it. This podcast originally aired July 19, 2017.

The beloved novel “Little Women" turns 150 this year, and it's a great time to plan a trip to Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, to honor this enduring literary classic. This is the house where author Louisa May Alcott lived and where tours offer insight into her life, times and the book. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz speaks with Sarah Betancourt, an AP reporter based in Boston, who recently toured Orchard House and wrote about its history for the AP. We’ll also talk about why “Little Women” still holds so much meaning for its readers, and we’ll let you know about events planned to celebrate the book’s sesquicentennial. And while you’re in the area, you might drop by nearby Walden Pond to see the cabin in the woods where one of Alcott’s famous neighbors, Henry Thoreau, famously went to live.

Every time you book a flight, cruise or sometimes even tickets to a museum, you get prompted to buy insurance. Well, the fact is that you don’t need insurance for every trip or event you buy a ticket for. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz talks with Beth Godlin, president of Aon Affinity Travel Practice, about situations where you really don’t need to buy travel insurance. Godlin also talks about how to figure out when travel insurance is probably a good hedge against unanticipated expenses or problems, and what exactly you can expect it to cover.

When you can book every aspect of your trip yourself, online, in minutes, why on earth would you ever need a travel agent? In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz attempts to answer that question with help from Erika Richter, communications director for the American Society of Travel Agents. How do travel agents earn their money? How can they save you money? And how do you find a good one? We’ll explore all these questions and more.

Did you know that the original symbolism of the Statue of Liberty had nothing to do with welcoming immigrants? And that there was barely a mention of slavery surrounding the Lincoln Memorial when it first opened? And that Mount Rushmore was basically built as a way to get road-trippers to South Dakota? You’ll hear the inside stories on these American icons and many other attractions from Geoffrey Baer, host of the PBS series “10 That Changed America,” in this week’s AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here!” Baer is back this summer with three new segments of his popular show, including one about monuments and memorials that changed America. Baer reveals little-known facts and origin stories as he chats with Associated Press Travel editor Beth Harpaz about these places, and how their symbolism has changed over time.

Packing your bag can be such a drag: the hassles, the mistakes that get you in trouble with the TSA, the impossibility of ever learning to travel light for a change. In this episode of the Associated Press travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel Editor Beth Harpaz talks with two AP journalists who’ve spent a lot of time in the air, Scott Mayerowitz and Lisa Lerer, to get their advice on how to pack the perfect bag. We’ll hear about luggage considerations, tricks like using the space inside your packed shoes to stuff in socks, and how your packing style changes once you have kids. This episode of “Get Outta Here!” first aired in 2017.

Planning a trip to New York City can seem intimidating. So many choices, such high prices and those New Yorkers have quite a reputation! In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz gets insider tips and advice about visiting New York from Pauline Frommer, who’s just come out with a new guidebook called “Frommer’s EasyGuide to New York City 2018.”

It’s not unusual to see fireflies flashing in backyards here and there this time of year. But deep in a Pennsylvania forest, synchronous fireflies blink in unison, a rhythmic display that lights up the night. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz invites her colleague Ted Anthony to describe his visit to the Allegheny National Forest, where he observed this magical phenomenon. Anthony, who is AP’s director of digital innovation, explains what we do and don’t know about how and why the fireflies engage in this behavior, and also offers advice on planning a trip to see it.

One of the most famous condiments in the world is celebrating its 150th birthday this year: Tabasco. The famous hot pepper sauce was invented in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny on Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco is still made there today, and the company is still run by McIlhenny’s descendants. Visitors can tour the Tabasco museum and factory, dine on Cajun food and even have a bloody mary (spiked with Tabasco, of course). Avery Island is also home to Jungle Gardens, a nature preserve that tells the story of how McIlhenny’s son helped save snowy egrets from being wiped out in the U.S.