Oh, the Parks You’ll Roam!

Welcome back Travel Bugs! Hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. I had a great time with Travel Puppie as we started our first travel series.  In the Travel Puppies series, we will be looking for and experiencing pup-friendly places and activities.  For our first post, how could we not go to some of the best dog parks around Kansas City? Three days of means three parks to visit!

On Saturday, we experienced Bar K Dog Bar for the first time.  I was very impressed!  Having heard a lot about this particular dog park and their pet-watcher, I was a little skeptical, to begin with.  The park itself is open every day from 9am to 10pm and has at least one event scheduled for each day.  The only downfall is it does cost you dog to get in.  Their pricing is $10 for the first dog and $5 for any dog with you after that.  For those who are not used to paying for a dog park, it might seem like a little much, but I believe it is well worth it.  Once you are inside, there are so many fun things for your pup to do! The first thing you see is their large playground and tennis ball bowl.  Not only does the playground have steps and platforms for your pup to climb on, but it also has various funny signs and tug toys for both humans and pups to enjoy.  The tennis ball bowl is full of tennis balls to throw for your pup. There is also a climbing wall for the pups who love to climb. For the humans, there are many places in the off-leash area to sit and enjoy a drink.

There are also multiple yard games to play and a stage for the performers.  If you want some food while you are at Bar K, they have both a leashed area to enjoy with your pups and a "Humans Only" area to eat inside.  The leaded area is two levels that look out onto the off-leash area.  We did take a look at their menu, and they have some great choices for both humans and pups!  While Travel Puppie had a great time roaming around and playing with the tennis balls, there were two things I was impressed with the most.  The first was the fact they regulate how many dogs are in the park. While there is a lot to do, the area is not that spacious.  I appreciate that they understand this and want to make sure all dogs and humans are comfortable.  The second thing, and the thing that impressed me the most is their pet-watchers. Being an over proactive dog mom, I was uneasy with the idea that people would just leave their dogs to sit inside and eat.  I am a firm believer that you need to be paying attention to your dog in a park to help mitigate any issues that can arise.  With that being said, I think Bar K does a great job keeping your pets safe, even when you are there to watch them.  By regulating how many dogs are in the park, they can keep the ratio of dogs to pet-watchers at a level everyone is comfortable with.  When you check-in, the person who lets you in the gate also lets the pet-watchers know your dog is entering, their name, and their breed. In the park, the pet-watchers actually watch the dogs and keep track of body language.  This means they can head off most issues before they get out of hand. We personally saw this last one in action.  While exploring the leashed area, we saw one dog go after another. In a blink of an eye, the pet-watchers were on top of the situation and had it handled.  One pet-watcher went over to the dog (and parents) that was getting bullied, to make sure that they were OK. While another had a firm talking to with the dog that went after the other.  I was very impressed with the way the situation was handled and honestly believe they actually use their "Time-Out" area. Travel Puppie and I will definitely be back! 

Sunday brought us to Travel Puppie’s favorite play to play tennis ball, Leawoof Dog Park! I personally love this park the most.  It is such a large amount of space, but you are still able to see the whole area. While some parks have more room, I do enjoy being able to see Travel Puppie where ever he decides to roam. However, at this park, he only has eyes for the tennis balls.  While I do try to get him to socialize when we first arrive, he immediately is trying to find a tennis ball for me to throw to him.  While the park does not supply tennis balls, there is typically always some laying around to use.  During our time there, you will see Travel Puppie find two tennis balls, one for him to hold and one for me to throw.  I bring our Chuck-It ball launcher to give the ball and Travel Puppie more distance to cover.  We will go back and forth all morning without getting in anyone's way.  The park does have its busy times, but I have never seen it over crowed.  We had a great time, and Travel Puppie was exhausted by the end. 

Our last day of the weekend found us at Shawnee Mission Off-Leash Dog Park.  This place is huge! Even standing at the top of the hill when you come in, you will never be able to see the boundaries of this park. Besides all of the space to play, the other two great features of this park are the pup swim beach and the hiking trail.  The main path of the park leads down to Shawnee Mission Park Lake and has a large area for dogs to go swimming or chase balls into the water.  Many owners use this area to practice water retrieval with their dogs.  However, our favorite part is the hiking trail! This trail leads around the border of the park and has many different types of terrain to cover.  They have grass, dirt, rock, and concrete at various points along the path.  Not only do we get to meet many other pups along the way, but since it is in the park, we also get to walk it off-leash.  Travel Puppie really enjoys this freedom, and I enjoying being able to practice his recall.   

Overall, we had a fantastic weekend at all three parks! With them being also so unique with different opportunities, I would not be able to choose a favorite. All three parks are definitely worth experiencing with your pup when you come to Kansas City! 

This weekend I get to take you all with me on an exhilarating trip to Lexington, KY! Lexington is my home away from home, and I love going back and visiting every year. During this trip, you all get to meet my amazing Travel Buddies and see some amazing places in Lexington.  I can't wait to bring you along! Until next time.

TTFN, ta-ta for now!

Falling Into A Fairytale at Hever Castle

Welcome back Travel Bugs!

I apologize for being a few days late.  I’m sure you all have those crazy weekends as well.

Finishing up my trip to England, I want to tell you all about the castle I was able to visit. Hever Castle is located in Kent and was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry XIII. If you ever want to feel that you have fallen into a fairytale, you must visit this castle! When you first arrive, you get to walk through the magical gardens surrounding the castle. There are so many things to see, from the statues and fountains to the sculptured hedges and colorful foliage. The natural beauty is astounding, and pictures do not do it justice. As you make your way down the path, the castle comes into view with a small village behind it. The caretakers have done an excellent job preserving the castle and history of the castle. When you first enter for the tour, you start off with the history of the castle and of the Boleyns, especially Anne Boleyn's mark on British history. The historical artifacts and the original home interior have been very well preserved, and there is so much fascinating history to take in. Progressing through the castle, you can learn about the other owners of the castle and all the famous visitors that have come through, including Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II.

Outside of history, Hever Castle has many activities for its visitors.  My favorites include the yew maze and the water maze.  The water maze overlooks the lake and leads to a wishing well! Overall I really enjoyed visiting the castle and learning more about this history of Great Britain.  

This concludes my trip to England.  I hope you all had a great time joining in on all the fun!

I am very excited to start taking you all on more current adventures. I’m even more excited to tell you all, on this international dog day, that I will have a new travel companion joining me on some of my adventures! Meet Travel Puppie!

Travel Puppie will be joining me to show pup parents great places and activities they can do with their pups.  Our first adventure starts this weekend! Until then Travel Bugs.

TTFN, ta-ta for now!

Exploring the Magic of London

Welcome back Travel Bugs! 

I want to start off with a huge thank you to you all.  I now have over 50 followers on the Facebook page, and that is amazing! You all are fantastic!

We are looking back today on a few more of the days I was in England last year.  I was super fortunate to be able to explore London on my own one day and then met up with a friend from college the next.  I will say I got turned around on the tube but was able to find my way by following the Thames. 

There are so many great things to do and see in London.  During a study abroad trip I went on in college, I was able to see Big Ben, ride the London Eye, see the Changing of the Guards, and visit Harrods.  While that trip was great, I really wanted a slower pace this time around.  I really enjoyed walking around London and absorbing the culture.  I chose two places to stop on my first day, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.  Both are free attractions but very well controlled, so the number of people inside was not overwhelming.  I had such a blast at the Natural History Museum!  All their exhibits were terrific, but I really enjoyed their dinosaur exhibit the most.  Not only did they have great information about the bones, but they also had really cool animatronics as well.  The Science Museum was a lot of fun.  The massive amount of information they have is crazy, but they present it all in such a unique way that it is so much fun to walk through.  My favorite exhibits were "The Clockmakers' Museum" on level 2, "Challenge of Materials" on level 1, and everything on level 0.  Both of the museums did take up my whole day, but it was so worthwhile and full-heartedly recommend visiting them.

The second day I met up with a friend from college, and she showed me around one of her favorite places in London.  We met up at Kings Cross, so the first stop had to be Platform 9¾! If you are a huge Harry Potter fan like me, the line to take your picture with the trolley is totally worth the wait.  However, a major hint it to get there as early as possible.  Our next stop was Camden Market, and man was it a blast! All of the food huts and the little knick-knack stores, the hustle and bustle, and the upbeat environment was so much fun to experience.  If you are looking for a great culture and people-watching experience, Camden Market is the place to go.  The stores are so unique and original that you feel drawn in to look at each of them. There are so many choices for food options, and none of them disappoint.  My personal favorite was dessert when we went to Chin Chin Labs, a Nitro Ice Cream store!  Now the ice cream was delicious, but the process of them making the ice cream was the best part, especially if you really liked science class in school. Last but certainly not least, as good Animal Science graduates, we visited the ZSL London Zoo.  The zoo is smaller than most I have visited, but that makes complete sense with it being in London.  While it was smaller, it was so well set up, and the exhibits were very impressive.  I really enjoyed getting to see all the animals, especially my favorite the giraffes. 

During my two days of exploring London, I had some wonderful experiences and made fantastic memories along the way.  I look forward to sharing my final two days in England with you all next week.  Until then!

TTFN, ta-ta for now!

Back and Ready for Adventures!

Guess who's back, back again… Buggie's back, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Hello, fellow travel bugs! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. I am so excited to announce that I am officially done with school! This means I can get back to traveling and telling you all about it. My page is going to see some changes happen within the next year, and I am so excited to have you all along for the ride. For the next few posts, I will be reviewing the awesome trip I took myself on for my birthday last year. After that, we will start on more exciting things from this year. 

To start things off, let's dive into my trip back in 2018 to England! I had such a blast going and was able to stay with my amazing and sweet friend from Brighton. After taking it easy the day I came in, we spent the next two days visiting The National Stud and all things Brighton. 

For anyone who loves horses, The National Stud was such a fun tour. Located in Newmarket, England, The National Stud is one of several horse farms in the area. Not only did we get to learn more about the Stud and its history, but we also got to see stallions, mare, and foal. Now, who doesn't love seeing baby horses?  Newmarket itself, with a told town charm and winding roads, is absolutely enchanting. I really enjoyed how the town is set up to accommodate horses going to and from their stables and the Gallops. Such a unique place and so much fun to visit.

Going from the quaint town of Newmarket to the hustle and bustle of Brighton makes for an exciting change of pace. There is so much to see and do in Brighton that we definitely did not get it all in. Of the exciting things, we did get to see I really enjoyed Choccy Woccy Doodah where all the art is made from chocolate and the Royal Pavilion. The fascinating and fantastic sculptures made out of chocolate are definitely more fun to look at than eat, but I bet they don't taste bad either. The Royal Pavilion has a distinguished history and definitely worth the cost of the tour. Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed inside, but you could spend an entire day looking at the immense amount of detail in the art, tapestry, and wood carvings. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my first few days in England. There are even more pictures to see on my Facebook and Instagram pages. You can always find me at TravelBuggie91 on all social media sites. Until next time everyone!

TTFN, ta-ta for now!

Digital Marketing: To the Future and Beyond

          Hello TravelBugs! Welcome to my final post for my digital marketing class.  This class had been my favorite so far in my MBA program.  I have learned so much about how digital marketing has been working in combination with traditional marketing to increase the amount of people reached by ads and companies.  Also finding how I can take what I am learning, how to connect it and utilize it to increase visibility of my personal blog but also for the companies I will work for.  My favorite topics were Search Marketing and Social Media Marketing because they are so applicable to the company I work for now and to the industry I want to work in.  
          For my current company, we are working to develop a digital marketing program.  The company is 20 years-old and has never done any marketing.  Instead, all of the clients were pulled in from cold calls.  My company is hoping, with digital marketing, we can pull in new clients but also keep connected with our current clients.  The Search Marketing topic will really help with generating ideas on how to increase our rank in organic search results.  While the Social Media Marketing topic will help with knowing the best ways to draw new and current clients in while keeping them interested in all of the updates and information we post.  
          For the industry I want to work in, the Thoroughbred Racing Industry, there is a need to start utilizing different marketing efforts or the sport will be lost completely.  While the industry gets good publicity and marketing during the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown races, the other eleven months of the year do not see any marketing or hype and we start losing more and more potential racing fans.  The best place to start is going to be Social Media Marketing because of the large diversity of people and generations you can reach there.  One of the farms making the most head way with this is Winstar Farms.  They have such a great marketing department, not only for their stallions but for the farm itself.  At least once a week they have video out on their Facebook page that features actives happening on the farm.  However, one of the biggest moves they have made, which I think will really pay off for them, was having an ad play during the Super Bowl of 2018.  While it was a small ad it was seen by millions of potential racing fans.  The commercial not only got people thinking about the Kentucky Derby and racing but it also drew them into to what the future could hold in racing.  More farms and racetracks need to follow in the footsteps of Winstar or this wonderful sporting event will be lost.  
         For my personal blog, all topics in this course provided great information but specially Search Marketing and Social Media Marketing will help me to market my blog and myself.  By using my blog to market myself I can show any future employers what I can do and how successful I can be.  The digital marketing space has seen so many changes in such a short amount of time and it will continue to fluctuate for some time to come.  I think the biggest change will be in how marketers access and collect user information.  There are more and more concerns coming to light about how user data is collected.  Especially with behavioral marketing, users are not happy with how the information is collected and used “against them.” I feel over the next several years there will be more strenuous regulations on how marketers can acquire and use data about users.  Do you agree?  Is there another aspect of digital marketing you think will see more change?  Let me know in the comments below.  Thank you for coming along on this journey with me.  Until next time, TTFN! Ta ta for now!

Companies Want to Know: Do you Enjoy Their Website?

           One big pull in digital marketing is the company’s website.  It is where viewers can find information on the product and on the company.  It is where they can go to get answers and write a review.  Hopefully, it is also where the company can connect with the viewers to answer their concerns and issues.  However, the most frustrating thing as a viewer, is to go to a website that you cannot work to save your life.  Those sites that are so complicated that you leave defeated and with a bad taste in your mouth about the company or product.  I am sure many of you have been to those sites.  Personally, I found many school websites were very hard to work.  While searching for a good school to complete my MBA, I started to get really frustrated with some of the sites I visited.  I concluded that those schools really did not want people to attend because of the lack of information I could find.  While DeVry’s website was about average in the amount of information I could find and the ease of use, what I really appreciated was the representatives who actively reached out to me.  

            For my current course, I chose to follow Burberry throughout the eight-week class.  Looking at their website was a lot different than most sites I have seen before.  For those who do not know, Burberry is a high-fashion clothing store with locations around the world and online.  They sell everything from outerwear to make-up to swimming suites for women, men and children.  When you first access their website, it takes you to a modified homepage with one large picture, three navigation options (women, men and children), and a search bar.  While it is nice to have the navigations available, it does take a few extra steps to get to the homepage I am more familiar with.  That is where the company name and logo are at the top, there are department options on either the side or the top (under the company name), and there is a search area at the top right corner.  When you hit the departments, they turn into drop down menus that allow you to further specify what product you are looking for.  What I like about Burberry is they do not do the normal picture slide show that you see in other clothing stores.  Their pictures are much more artistic, while still showing the item itself.  I feel that their mobile store is a bit more user friendly.  This is great for the store because it allows customers on the go to easily access, find, and purchase products.  I have no suggestions for their mobile site.  However, for their website, I would suggest a little less artistic layout.  While it was nice to have the different picture format, it was a bit of a challenge to browse through their products.  Other than that, there is not much to want for with their site.  

            These are the type of suggestions companies want to know about.  They want to see through the eyes of the customers and find ways to make our shopping experience easier and seamless.  Many times, when you shop online, there is a survey at the end.  For those who opt-in, many categories will be address, one of those being the website itself.  Companies, especially those who are experience high bounce rate and high exit rate before checking out, will want to know why the customers are leaving before checking out.  To do this they ask customers active on their site or those who have checked out to take a survey.  The survey helps them to know the likes and dislikes of customers.  While not all issues can be solved, a majority of them can.  So, by providing feedback, you allow the companies to better serve you.  With this knowledge will you be more inclined to take the surveys?  Are there some websites that you believe would benefit greatly from providing surveys?  Let me know in the comments below.  See you back next week for our last digital marketing post.  Until then, TTFN!  Ta ta for now!

Burberry. (2018). Women | Burberry® (United States). Retrieved February 05, 2018, from https://us.burberry.com/women/

Are These Ads Stocking Me?

Welcome back everyone!  This week, we will be talking about target marketing with Ads and the type of Ads that come up on personal webpages.  To start, let me give a few definitions so we are all on the same page.  First target marketing, as some might know, is when a company chooses a group of people they think will want their product and then use Ads to market to that group of people.  The group can be anything from women, ages 25 to 50 to families with more than two children.  To find their target market, companies will use Ad serving networks.  Ad serving networks are the people who collect information on everyone, things like what brands you buy the most to the next most check pages when you leave Facebook.  Gathering this information helps the Ad serving networks to know who is in certain target markets and the best places to put Ads for those people to see.  For example, when I was looking to purchase a car and was looking information up about the cars I had in mind on the brand’s websites, I was followed by those cars everywhere.  If I went to a clothing website, there would be Ads for the cars to the side of the screen.  When I got on Facebook, Ads for the cars would be in the news feed. I could not get away from them.  Ads are regulated by the IAB or the Interactive Advertising Bureau and they have guidelines for both Ads seen on desktops and Ads see on mobile devices.  For those who are interested about those guidelines, you can find the desktop guidelines here and the mobile guidelines here.  For this post, I looked at a few different sites to see what Ads might come up and how they differ between the desktop and my phone.  When I was on the desktop looking at Amazon.com, I saw two slideshow type Ads, one for Progressive and one for Comcast Business.  However, when looking at Amazon.com from my phone I did not see any Ads.  From the desktop, Walmart.com had an AAA slideshow type Ad; but on my phone, there was a static AIG Direct Ad.  On my brother’s suggestion, I looked at UltimateGuitar.com and found that the desktop showed two slideshow type Ads for Overstock.com; but on my phone, I saw two static Ads for Chewy.com.  I was a little disappointed in my search so I will be referencing some Ads I have also seen on Facebook.  The biggest different I noticed between the desktop sites and my phone sites were the different in the brands advertised.  However, I chalk this one up to the fact that the desktop is a shared computer and my phone is only my personal searches.  The other difference I noticed was the type of Ads.  All the Ads I saw via the desktop were slideshow type Ads.  Where the all the ones I saw via my phone were static.  I think there is a difference between the desktop content and the phone content because of the type of device it is and how advanced the site is.  Not to say that Amazon and Walmart are not advanced sites, but maybe they do not want to put in the effort of have active Ads on their mobile sites and save that technology for the desktop users.   Now, the place I see the most advertisements is Facebook.  They have everything from static Ads to video Ads to slideshow type Ads.  As I very rarely access Facebook from anything but my phone, I know the Ads on that device the best.  With a few scrolls in my news feed and I see a video Ad for Sustain, Dick’s Sporting Goods, a movie called Winchester, and BodyBoss.  These Ads are considered Filmstrips by IAB Mobile Rising Stars and are seen more and more on Facebook Ads.  I think that the Filmstrips and the slideshows type Ads are the best way to grab customers attention while they are online.  It is so easy to glance over and scroll by static Ads.  It is the movement and not the Ad itself that really captures the attention.  We, as humans, are naturally curious and when something moves we want to check it out and know what it is; I think this is why the Filmstrip Ads work the best.  Do you agree?  Are there other types of Ads that catch your attention more?  Let me know if the comments below.  Until next time, TTFN, ta ta for now!

IAB. (2018). Mobile Rising Stars Ad Units. Retrieved January 30, 2018, from https://www.iab.com/guidelines/mobile-rising-stars-ad-units/

IAB. (July 2017). IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio. Retrieved January 30, 2018, from https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IABNewAdPortfolio_FINAL_2017.pdf