Category: Vacation Creation

Why I Love What I Do

I have my dream job! What is not to love?

Well, sometimes the “dream” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Show business – in reality – is a lot of long days that are unpaid with zero recognition and lots of rejection. It’s humbling and terrifying. There’s no job security and there’s always someone prettier, funnier, wealthier, and more successful vying for your meal ticket. Traveling can also be far from glamorous. It’s a lot of wear and tear on the body, packing and unpacking, uncomfortable flights, missing friends and family, missing out on big moments, and, at the end of the day, loneliness.

BUT if you can get through the bad, there is unbelievable good. This job has been 10+ years in the making. It’s the Hail Mary pass I never thought would be caught. No one ever said I could host a travel show, and, here we are, a week away from the start of our second season.

Even with all that build up, Vacation Creation has EXCEEDED every expectation. On a working level, I couldn’t ask for a better co-host, mentor, and confidante than Tommy Davidson (and big shout out to his wife Amanda- #BossLady!). The whole team – from those on the ground shooting and producing to those back at the office putting out every fire – is supportive, kind, fun, and insanely talented! There are, of course, the destinations. I’ve been to beautiful places in the world I never thought I would go to- ummm, Bora Bora? St. Petersburg? Alaska? Norway? WHAT IS MY LIFE!!

But above all that, there are the people. The families and individuals we meet have changed my life forever. It’s easy to get caught up in what we want or what we think we deserve, but it’s impossible to do that on this show. Some of these people have been through so much and have come out the other side kinder, softer, and more giving. It’s truly inspiring. And that’s what shocked me. Vacation Creation is fulfilling on a level I never expected.

Obviously, all this couldn’t be put in a sound bite, but this is why I love my job. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and a lot of things I never thought I wanted, but absolutely needed.

Please check out the new season when it moves to ABC on Saturday Mornings starting October 7, 2017.

 

xoxo

I’M A TELLY AWARD WINNER!

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I’M OFFICIALLY AN AWARD WINNER!

Well, I’m officially an official award winner. I’ve got plenty of participation trophies – that don’t have my name on it, because they don’t do that for participation trophies – but now I have a legit trophy!

Vacation Creation won a Telly Award in the travel and tourism category!

Now, you might be asking – what? What’s a Telly Award? 
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring the best in video and TV across all screens, receiving more than 13,000 entries annually from 5 continents. And boo yah! We won. And I’m so proud. Our team put in a ton of long hours, a lot of heart, and maybe 3.5 million gallons of sweat into the first season of Vacation Creation, so it feels great to have it recognized and rewarded.

As a gracious winner, I will say congratulations to all the winners and thank YOU to all who who have been watching! 
The best news is to come- Vacation Creation will be back– and this time airing on ABC! So make sure you keep your Saturday morning open to watch on ABC starting October 7, 2017.

Now I just need to build a mantle to put this award on… Anyone know a good carpenter? 😉

Vacation Creation Season 2 Is Now Casting!

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Here we go! Vacation Creation Season 2 is officially beginning to cast!

If you haven’t seen the show (Saturday mornings on the CW), we take deserving people/families/couples on a trip of a lifetime. Throughout this season, Tommy Davidson and I have had the honor of witnessing a marriage, multiple vow renewals, help families heal from losses, and give performers a chance of a lifetime to headline a show on board a cruise.

As I’ve written before, this has been the most rewarding experience of my life and I would love to give more incredible vacations and make more once-in-a-lifetime memories with awesome people.

Call, e-mail, or submit here ASAP: https://pitmancastinginc.formstack.com/forms/vacation_show.

Hint hint: The casting process is quick!

Pago Pago, American Samoa: Not Made For Tourists, Which Is Why I Can’t Wait To Go Back

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Would I recommend someone travel all the way to Pago Pago (pronounced Pahngo Pahngo) for some R & R? Absolutely not. Why? Let me list the reasons:FullSizeRender2Border

1. There are maybe three restaurants on the island. And one of the places the hotel concierge recommended had an inside joke about diarrhea associated with it. No thank you.

2. Speaking of threes, there are only three hotels on the island and Sadie’s By The Sea, where we stayed, was the best option. It had a beach, a great restaurant, a friendly conciergIMG_1504Bordere, but the rooms reminded me of our sterile Holiday Inn hotel rooms in the bad part of Mexico City. Oh, and one of the crew members had their cell phone stolen.

3. There’s not much to do. There’s no shopping, there are barely any restaurants, and the only beach side restaurant we came across- Tisa’s Barefoot Bar- was closed. With that said, when our Crown Princess cruise ship came into port, the whole island changed: shops came out of nowhere, our hotel suddenly had stand up paddle boarding and drink specials, and there were street side vendors with fruit! Whaaaaaaa???IMG_1553Border

So, with all these reasons, why do I find myself yearning for my time in Pago Pago, American Samoa? Well, it’s a classic example of the question: is it the destination or the people that make the experience?

When it comes to American Samoa, it was a little bit of both, but mostly the latter. The people I was with were amazing. We had the island to ourselves! It was unreal. We rented a cheap car from the hotel and let the one road takes us for as long as we could explore. Every single beach was deserted with these gorgeous huts. It’s an instagrammer’s dream and truly one of the most magical places I’ve been to in this world.

I want to go back, get away from it all, and, of course, bring my DSLR.

The episode where we filmed in Pago Pago airs this Saturday on Vacation Creation (ABC).

To see more of my pictures from Pago Pago, follow my instagram @AndreaFeczko

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