You’ve read about and seen enough pictures of Jennifer and Kristen, Beyond Imagination Vacations owners. It’s time to turn the spotlight on the heart and soul of our travel agency, our amazing agents. They are highly trained, focused on customer service and committed to crafting individualized vacations for their clients. On today’s blog, you’ll get to know the Beyond Imagination Vacations travel planners - perhaps one of them will be a great fit to plan your next vacation! Visit the Beyond Imaginations Vacation website to read their official bios and to contact them via email.
Alden
Alden and her daughter share an intergalactic laugh at Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Where did you grow up? Jackson, Mississippi
Where did you go to college? University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for undergrad and Samford University for graduate school
Do you have any kids? Fur babies count too! Two girls (plus one dog and one cat)
Worst habit: Not picking up the toys or cleaning the house after the kids go to bed
What are you obsessing over right now? Hot tea and all things plaid
Are you fluent in any languages other than English? Negative
Favorite Disney movie: Moana, Toy Story or Frozen - wouldn't dare to pick one
Favorite Disney character: Currently, Goofy. Tomorrow it will be Olaf.
When was the first time you visited a Disney Destination? Probably when I was one. I have no idea!
Favorite attraction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland: Splash Mountain because it fully immerses you in the story; the ride lasts a good while; it's a water ride; and there's a great big drop at the end!
Favorite snack/meal at a Disney Destination: Does the Grand Marnier Slush in France at the World Showcase count? If not, Dole Whip.
What’s your favorite travel memory? Traveling to Colorado in the back seat of a Suburban with my three siblings
Must-have travel item: Snacks!
When is your next vacation, and where are you going? Williamsburg, Virginia for Christmas
When you’re not planning amazing trips, what do you do in your spare time? Play outside with my kids
Any specialty within travel planning: Traveling with infants/toddlers
Anna
Rapunzel may be Anna’s favorite Disney character, but she digs Minnie’s style and sass too!
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Carrollton, GA - about 60 miles west of Atlanta on the Alabama line!
Where did you go to college? University of West Georgia
Do you have any kids? Fur babies count too! Two sweet kitties named Lucipurr and Mortimer
Any hidden talents? Special talents? I can do horror makeup/ SFX (special effects) as well as act in haunted houses. I’M THE MASTER OF FRIGHT!
Worst habit: Stressing over the little things!
What are you obsessing over right now? Waiting on the opening dates for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge so that I can book my excited friends a trip to experience it!!
Are you fluent in any languages other than English? No, but I took French in high school and retained a decent bit.
Favorite Disney movie: Why is this question so hard!? It’s a toss-up between Hocus Pocus, The Lion King and Tangled.
Favorite Disney character: Rapunzel
When was the first time you visited a Disney Destination? When I was four with my dad
Favorite attraction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland: The Haunted Mansion and Dinosaur
Favorite snack/meal at a Disney Destination: Nutella fruit waffle (Fresh Fruit Waffle) from Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom
What’s your favorite travel memory? Screaming on Space Mountain because I thought I was going to lose my Minnie ears or riding Dinosaur like six times in one day. Also, the first time I rode the Jurassic Park: River Adventure at Universal Orlando.
Must-have travel item: A small but roomy backpack for park days or any other travel day
When is your next vacation, and where are you going? No lie - probably Walt Disney World and AS SOON AS I CAN!
When you’re not planning amazing trips, what do you do in your spare time? I spend a lot of time researching different things, hanging out with my awesome family, and eating too much pasta salad.
Any specialty within travel planning: I have pretty significant anxiety, so I have to make room for down time and recollecting so I can tackle the next day.
Anything fun/interesting/unique to add? I just really like planning WDW trips. It’s a thing.
Cristy
Cristy and her daugther (and Ariel) take flight on Dumbo at Magic Kingdom and create unforgettable memories together!
Where did you grow up? Born and raised in Miami, FL
Where did you go to college? I studied business at Florida International University.
Do you have any kids? Fur babies count too! I have two gorgeous daughters - Sabrina who is four and Stella who is almost six months.
Worst habit: hmm...I would say trying to do too many things at one time.
What are you obsessing over right now? ‘Tis the season for Hallmark movies …
Are you fluent in any languages other than English? Spanish
Favorite Disney movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Disney character: Minnie Mouse
When was the first time you visited a Disney Destination? I was told I was a one-year-old when we went to Walt Disney World.
Favorite attraction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland: I can’t just pick one. I’m going with the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. You get a bird’s eye view of all of the magic, not to the mention the best views of Cinderella Castle. As many times as I go, I’m still in awe with the Magic Kingdom and the whole world Walt Disney created.
Favorite snack/meal at a Disney Destination: Snack: Beer Cheese soup from Le Cellier in the Canada Pavilion at Epcot; Drink: Mango Gingerita at Joy of Tea in the China pavilion; Meal: Dinner at California Grill
What’s your favorite travel memory? The best thing in the world is seeing the world through a child’s eye. Watching my daughter see and experience new things is the best part of being a parent and life. “Create memories not things” is the motto we live by.
Must-have travel item: A comfortable purse and shoes
When is your next vacation, and where are you going? We are thinking about a trip to Sea World for New Year’s Eve. We will be definitely going to Walt Disney World in the spring.
When you’re not planning amazing trips, what do you do in your spare time? Spend time with family and friends
Any specialty within travel planning: Cruise planning and traveling with small children
Steven
Steven and his wife were soooo close to Cuba during their Key West stop - they’ve decided the Caribbean island will be their next vacation destination!
Where did you grow up? In a small town in Southeast Georgia called Jesup
Where did you go to college? Well, when I graduated from high school, I ran off to college at Georgia Southern University. However, I was young and not focused on my education, so I quit. I’ve recently learned the errors of my ways, and have started school again. I just completed an Associate’s Degree in Logistics Management from Savannah Technical College, and will be starting in January at Clayton State University to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management.
Do you have any kids? Fur babies count too! I have one son, Malcolm, who will be turning two-years-old soon!
Any hidden talents? Special talents? I dabble in graphic and web page design, creative writing, and lots of other things that spark my interest. I was in the band growing up, so I guess you could say my musical ability is a bit of a hidden talent!
Worst habit: My wife could probably rattle off a long list of things for this question! I can’t really think of anything off the top of my head.
What are you obsessing over right now? Audiobooks! I’ve been listening to all kinds of books on Audible lately. In the past four weeks, I think I’ve completely listened to about 10 or 11 books. Currently 132 hours of listening time in December according to my Audible stats!
Are you fluent in any languages other than English? Unfortunately, no. I took two years of French in high school and all I can remember is “Je suis une pomme de terre”.
Favorite Disney movie: I really love Atlantis: The Lost Empire and The Emperor’s New Groove. Atlantis has the best and most underrated film score of any Disney movie.
Favorite Disney character: Hard to say. I don’t really have a favorite. Of the main classic characters, it’s sort of a tie between Goofy and Donald. I think Goofy has the slight edge though.
When was the first time you visited a Disney Destination? I was five when I first visited Walt Disney World.
Favorite attraction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland: Spaceship Earth! I really enjoy history, and I love the feeling that I’m witnessing it happen.
Favorite snack/meal at a Disney Destination: I think one of my favorite snacks is the caramel popcorn from the Germany Pavilion in Epcot.
What’s your favorite travel memory? There are so many! This isn’t really a ‘favorite’ in that I liked what happened, but this is a funny story that I will never forget and I think you’ll enjoy. So, my wife and I spent our first anniversary at Walt Disney World. We stayed at Port Orleans – Riverside. Even though we were away from home on our anniversary, we wanted to keep the tradition of having a piece of the top layer from your wedding cake at your first anniversary, so we brought it with us. So, I drove around to where the room was while my wife just walked from the lobby to the room. When I got there, I figured I was going to be the big strong husband that could bring in all of our things in one trip by myself. I had on a backpack, was carrying two bags, trying to roll a suitcase, and carry this cake box while also trying to fumble with my keys. I was unsuccessful to say the least. Not only did I drop the cake box, the lid managed to open and the cake landed top-side down on the asphalt parking lot. I stood there in utter shock as a golf cart carrying housekeeping cast members rode by. They stopped to ask if I was okay, and all I could remember is very quietly saying “my wife is going to KILL me”. I carefully lifted the cake back into the box and managed to get to the room without further incident. When I told my wife, she was indeed very upset with me. But, we scraped off the gravel, ate a few bites of some clean looking parts, realized that year-old cake is gross and wondered why that was even a tradition, and threw away the rest. It was a very traumatic experience at the time, but now we look back and laugh. And we’ll be celebrating six years next year!
Must-have travel item: Cell-phone chargers! I don’t know what we ever did without these things!
When is your next vacation, and where are you going? Our next scheduled vacation is a cruise to Cuba on Norwegian Cruise Line. But I’m sure we’ll sneak in a trip or two to Walt Disney World before then.
When you’re not planning amazing trips, what do you do in your spare time? What is this ‘spare time’ you speak of? Haha. Generally, I work full-time at my day job, work on school work, and travel work. When I’m not doing that, we’re usually going somewhere or visiting someone with my son. I do enjoy squeezing in some video game time when I can.
Any specialty within travel planning: I don’t know if it’s really a specialty, but I have some pretty good experience with travelling with infants.
Anything fun/interesting/unique to add? I am a huge football fan, and my favorite team is the Georgia Southern Eagles! We recently just went to Montgomery, AL to witness them pull off an amazing win against Eastern Michigan University in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
Vicky
In addition to travel planning, Vicky has a special place in her heart for rescue doggies. Wonder what they asked Santa Paws for?
Where did you grow up? Flint, MI
Where did you go to college? Graduated from Strayer University, BSIS
Do you have any kids? Fur babies count too! Three four-legged rescues: Remy, Lulu and Sophie
Any hidden talents? Special talents? I enjoy baking. I make a lot of the recipes that my mom and grandmothers made, and when I taste them it reminds me of them!
What are you obsessing over right now? Getting everything done before Christmas!
Favorite Disney movie: Currently, it is Coco.
Favorite Disney character: Tigger
When was the first time you visited a Disney Destination? 1971! Walt Disney World. I was 10, and my neighbor was going to bring their daughter and they wanted her to have a friend. That was me!
Favorite attraction at Walt Disney World or Disneyland: Flight of Passage. I love the way you feel as if you are riding on a banshee!
Favorite snack/meal at a Disney Destination: Tonga Toast at the Polynesian Resort
What’s your favorite travel memory? For my 21st birthday I went to Walt Disney World, ordered a cake from the bakery on Main Street and shared it with the employees at the Contemporary Resort. Fun times!
Must-have travel item: Hand lotion
When is your next vacation, and where are you going? Well I am going home for Christmas in a few days but after that, it is back to Walt Disney World with eight family members. My two great nephews (twin boys, age three) will be going for their first time!
When you’re not planning amazing trips, what do you do in your spare time? I volunteer with local animal rescue groups and help coordinate fundraisers for them. I also enjoy spending time with my friends, dining out, attending Broadway shows and spending time with my pups!
Any specialty within travel planning: There are vegetarians and vegans in my family, so I am conscious of restaurants and how they can accommodate special needs. I also specialize in multi-generational family vacations.