Making Memories with MaKayla

05/19/2026

Something I love about my email community is that they get the good stuff first.

This week’s newsletter was all about international travel prep — the things that actually matter before you ever step foot on a plane. We talked about passport timelines, navigating customs, and a couple of things that trip people up even when they’ve traveled before.

It’s the kind of information I’d tell a close friend before a big trip. And if you want that in your inbox, I’d love to have you.

Drop an emoji in the comments and I’ll send you the sign up!!

05/14/2026

Something a little different from me today, and honestly one of the most personal things I’ve ever shared here.

I wrote a book!

What Cosmo Carries is a children’s picture book about a little girl named Marigold who finds a magical talking suitcase named Cosmo in her grandmother’s attic. Cosmo doesn’t carry clothes or shoes. He carries memories. The glowing, precious memories of every person who has ever traveled with him.

If you’ve worked with me or followed along here for any amount of time, you already know that this is exactly what I believe about travel. It has never been about the stuff you bring home. It’s about what you feel, what you see, and who you’re with when it happens.

That belief is why I became a travel advisor. It’s why I plan every trip the way I do. And apparently, it’s why I wrote a children’s book. That, and apparently I’ll do anything to avoid doing laundry! 😆

What Cosmo Carries is for the little ones in your life who are just beginning to understand that the best moments can’t be packed in a suitcase. But maybe, if they’re lucky, a suitcase can help them find those moments.

Available now on Amazon. 🔗 in the comments.

And if you’ve already grabbed a copy, a review would mean the world to me right now. 🧳

05/12/2026

You planned the trip. You packed the outfits. You showed up to the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen.

And then you handed your phone to a stranger and hoped for the best.

There’s actually a better way, and I wish more of my clients knew about it before they left.

Flytographer connects travelers with hand-picked, professional local photographers in over 350 destinations worldwide. We’re talking Cancun, Punta Cana, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, plus hundreds of cities beyond.

You book a session in advance, meet your photographer at your location, and have your edited gallery delivered within five days. No awkward tourist photos. No “good enough.” Just real, beautiful images of you actually in the moment.

I’ve had colleagues use this for honeymoon shoots, family beach sessions, and anniversary trips, and the photos are genuinely stunning. The photographers are vetted, the process is simple, and sessions start around $325.

If you’re already planning a trip with me, ask me about adding this to your experience. I have an affiliate link that makes it easy to get started, and I love helping my clients come home with photos that are actually worth framing.

📸 Drop the destination you’re heading to in the comments. I’ll let you know if Flytographer has photographers there.
I’ll add the 🔗 in the comments!

04/12/2026

For those of you who don’t know, I wear two hats: registered nurse and luxury travel advisor. Most days those worlds stay separate. This post is where they meet.

This week, TWO advisors I know personally had clients air-lifted out of Mexico on emergency medical flights. Two!!! Neither had travel insurance. Both families are now facing bills well over $60,000, out of pocket.

From the nurse side of me, a few things most travelers don’t realize: Your US health insurance typically does NOT travel with you.

Tourist hospitals in resort areas often expect payment UP FRONT, in FULL.

Emergency medical coverage on its own is surprisingly super affordable. Full cancellation policies are what drive prices up, and there’s almost always a middle option.

From the advisor side of me, walking clients through this before they travel is part of what concierge-level planning actually looks like.

Every booking I handle includes a conversation about coverage, through a TRUSTED company I recommend with confidence.

If you have a trip on the horizon, please take a few minutes to look into a policy. You can view the same coverage I offer my clients if you’d like, I can put the link in the comments.

Just PLEASE please get the insurance, at bare minimum an emergency medical policy - somehow, some way. 🫶🏼

04/02/2026

Planning a big family vacation sounds incredible. Until you're in a group chat with 11 people who all have different opinions, different schedules, and somehow completely different definitions of the word "relaxing."

Sound familiar? This Friday's newsletter is basically a survival guide.
I'm sharing five things that actually make multigenerational trips work — including the one conversation most families skip that causes 90% of the problems later. Sign up for the newsletter with the link in the comments and I'll add you before it goes out Friday. 🙌

Send a message to learn more

03/27/2026

Now I can't solve every problem, but I CAN tell you that hydrotherapy at the spa will help.

03/27/2026

Now I can't solve everything, but what I CAN tell you that hydrotherapy at the spa will help

03/14/2026

Always a good reminder - WAY easier to renew than to submit a whole new application!

03/09/2026

A quick reminder when you’re planning a trip…

The internet will give you thousands of hotel options.
Thousands of reviews.
Thousands of opinions.

But what it won’t give you is clarity.

One person says a resort is amazing.
Another says it’s terrible.
Someone else loved it ten years ago.

The difference between a good trip and an unforgettable one usually comes down to fit.

Does the resort match your travel style?
Your energy level?
Your priorities for the trip?

This is the part people underestimate.

Behind the scenes, I spend a lot of time studying patterns in resorts, destinations, and traveler experiences so I can recommend places that actually match how you like to travel, not just what looks pretty online.

That’s the difference between scrolling through options…
and having a trip that feels thoughtfully planned from the beginning.

If you enjoy travel tips, honest destination insights, and seeing some of the places my clients are loving right now, I share a lot more inside my private travel community.

Find the 🔗 in the comments if you’d like to join!

It’s a fun group of travelers who love talking about where to go next.