The Destinations International Team will be exploring the globe in 2020. Take a look at our plans below as we plan our vacations for National Plan Your Vacation Day. Let us know if you have any recommendations for us along the way!

We have not booked yet, but we typically spend a week in August in the Outer Banks of NC, specifically Kitty Hawk, with my sister and her family. Also, we plan to take the boys to Ocean City, MD in June during the Air Show Weekend. And of course, some fun “stay-cation” summer activities in DC, Baltimore and Frederick County!
Elaine Rosquist, CMP, Senior Director of Product Engagement

This year I am planning a trip to Puerto Rico. I would like to support the island by visiting and also dividing my trip with leisure time to explore and volunteer time for earthquake relief efforts. I am in the planning stages with friends and tapping into ideas from the talented team at Discover Puerto Rico. I am looking forward to opening my eyes to a new destination and my heart to a community that needs assistance.
Kate Skidmore, Senior Director of Membership Engagement

In March, I will be heading to Valencia, Spain with a group of study abroad friends for our 10-year reunion. We are going to attend the Las Fallas festival with over a million of our closest friends. We first experienced this festival in 2010 so we are excited to go back and celebrate this Valencian tradition that combines satire and art … and lighting that art on fire at the end of the week. After Spain, we heard to Porto and Lisbon for a few days!
Caitlyn Blizzard, CDME, Vice President of Communications

This June, I’m off to Belize for a diving trip with the ‘Beck cousins’ and am most looking forward to having this adventure with family.
Paula Beck, Director of Marketing

This year I am attending …

RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) – it’s the oldest, longest and largest touring bicycle event in the world. About 10,000 people gather in Iowa the last week of July each year to ride across the state, which is roughly 500 miles over 7 days. Each small town that you ride through throws a party for the riders including DJs, refreshments, fun activities and, best of all, freshly baked Iowa pies with homemade ice cream. (With 7-8 pit stops per day, that’s a lot of pie and ice cream!) It’s basically one big party across the state of Iowa where you just happen to be riding a bike. The event also functions as one giant fundraiser for hundreds of local police and fire departments, churches, community centers, school groups and youth sporting teams across the state of Iowa.

GenCon, which is North America’s largest tabletop gaming convention in Indianapolis (this year, July 30-August 2). It’s four days with a community of 70,000 attendees that gather to playtest the latest innovations in tabletop gaming. Put another way, it’s basically four straight days of playing the newest and best board games on the market. I attend the convention with my old college roommates who are GenCon exhibitors every year.
David Breisch, Director of Marketing Technology

I am taking my mother and aunt to the Kentucky Derby for my graduation present! They have done so much to support my educational pursuits, and this is how I would like to show my appreciation. My mom and her sister grew up on a farm in eastern Washington and have always loved horses. They don’t ride as much as they used to anymore but will certainly feel the pulse of the race in the second row from the track! I’ll fly to Louisville after work on May 1 and fly back on the morning of the fifth. I’m looking forward to the Derby as well as the other tourism offerings in the area such as bourbon tours, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center.
Matthew Ozuna, Advocacy and Data Manager

I will be heading to the Big Island in Hawaii with my wife Jean for a very anticipated vacation!
Don Welsh, President and CEO

I’m planning on country-hopping within the Middle East for a few weeks in late spring. After visiting some family in Dubai, UAE, I plan on going to Muscat, Oman; Doha, Qatar; Manama, Bahrain; Amman, Jordan; and Yerevan, Armenia. I’m looking forward to visiting a new part of the world that I’ve never gone before. I chose the Middle East because I have family living in the area for another 2 years and it seemed like a great place to visit to get a whole other cultural experience. My goal is to get to 40 countries by the time I turn 40 and this will get me to 30 countries with 2.5 years left to go!
Ushma J. Suvarnakar, MTA, CMP, Meetings Consultant