Talley Your Adventure – The Blog

Adventure Awaits!

At Talley Your Adventure, we don’t just plan luxury and culturally rich travel experiences—we live and breathe them. Our blog, travelingtalleys.blog, is where we share the real stories behind our adventures: kayaking alongside glaciers in Alaska, exploring temples in Japan, chasing waterfalls in Iceland, and wandering through storybook towns in Germany. If it’s unforgettable, chances are we’ve done it—or we’re planning it next.

Nicolette brings deep experience in travel and heritage. With a Master’s in Public History, she’s worked as a Supervisory Park Ranger, Revenue Manager, and Program Analyst across multiple national parks for over a decade. Her career has taken her from managing interpretive boat tours in Alaska’s wild backcountry to overseeing large-scale visitor service projects with million-dollar budgets. And yes—she’s also a licensed 100-Ton Inland Master Boat Captain who’s led cultural and ecological tours from riverboats to remote beaches.

Clinton’s travel roots run just as deep. He’s worked in logistics and operations for the National Park Service and was a key member of the hospitality team aboard National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions. From managing guest services on remote international voyages to coordinating facility software systems stateside, he knows what it takes to deliver seamless, high-end travel experiences—even in the most unpredictable places.

Together, we created Talley Your Adventure to bring our experience, passion, and attention to detail to your travel planning. Whether it’s a fully curated group trip or a personalized vacation built just for you, we combine expert-level service with insider know-how—so you can focus on the magic of the journey.

Want us to help you on your next adventure? Head over to www.talleyyouradventure.com!

@talleyyouradventure_dv
Sakura Blooms – Inuyama, Japan

  • #NAI2015 National Conference, Virginia Beach!

    20151112_141829Hello bloggers! Hopefully you enjoyed my last post about the amazing exhibit at the Clinton Library! I will shift focus a bit towards a different department: Interpretation! I love the field of interpretation, and with the help of a lovely NAI (National Association for Interpretation) scholarship, I was able to fly from Little Rock to Virginia Beach for an entire week to learn, meet new people, and explore all the wonderful ways that people use interpretation across the country!

    The sessions are the educational part of the conference, and one of my 20151114_101558favorites ones was my very first one: You are the Voice of Interpretation! We learned through an exercise the value and importance of what we say as interpreters to our audience, and how inspiring we can be to visitors. The monumental task of educating the public about history, culture, animals, or nature is our goal, but we need to understand how impressionable we can be in the field to others. Another fantastic session was analyzing how Digital Media can actually add to guided interpretation, and not completely take it over. 20151113_154639There is much fear among the museum/interpretation field that eventually standing museums or sites will become irrelevant when technology takes over. It is up to us to make sure that we remain relevant to the public, and that can be accomplished by using technology to our benefit. For example, the video I created about the Mobile gas station at Central High NHS. In addition, a related session focused exclusively on Facebook, and the algorithm that Facebook has created to determine if your post gets viewed, or, again, how relevant you remain on social media. Now that I understand more about the algorithm, and the importance of remaining relevant in the digital world, I am ready to tackle the task even more than I already am!

    The extra experience I had at NAI include an exclusive meet and greet and 20151110_183107dinner at the Virginia Beach Aquarium, the Old Coast Guard Station Museum, and an all day guided tour of First Landing State Park! All of these adventures added to my enjoyment of the conference, and I was able to meet new friends and network at the same time.

    One of the benefits of going to these conferences is the amazing opportunity to network. Right off the bat, at the first-timers meeting, I met Marie…or rather, she introduced herself to me! Later that evening, I met my room-20151114_151032mate, Laurel. Marie focuses more on the nature aspect of interpretation, while Laurel wants to work in aquariums. Holly, another scholarship recipient, and Geoff, all introduced themselves within a short period of time, and it was fantastic to be able to talk to them about their background and experience as we navigated through our first NAI conference. I’ve been to a few conferences with friends, but this is the first time I’ve gone completely solo, and I am very happy to have walked away with new friends and memories.

    Visiting the beach, learning about nature and history, and meeting new people – what better way to spend my first time experiencing the NAI National Conference? Thanks to all who I met along the way, and those that I did not mention. It was a wonderful experience because of you!

     

  • Talley Your Adventure – Kiki’s Korner – Virginia!

    Hi all! In honor of our beautiful girl, Kiraly Talley, and her legacy we are creating a monthly blog called “Kiki’s Korner” where we will give you advice about traveling with dogs and pets while visiting various American states during the 250 Anniversary of the United States (2026)!

    Kiki loved to run, play, and most important – wanted to be around her best friends – US! With this in mind, we will focus on all the places that are dog/pet friendly in this blog post so that you never have to be without your best friend by your side. Clinton and I were fortunate to experience many Adventures with our girl in tow (and the boy, Kyzer, of course!). So…let’s do it! To start with January 2026 – Virginia!

    Regardless of the state, at National Parks across the Nation dogs must always remain on a leash no longer than 6ft and you must clean up after your dog! No one wants to step in dog do-do and the last thing you want to deal with is your dog running after a snake and getting bit or a skunk and getting sprayed! Virginia is full of poison ivy and other plants that could be poisonous or bad for your pet to consume. Dogs are also NOT allowed on most trails – only paved areas such as parking lots and sidewalks. Service animals are allowed into buildings but that does not include comfort animals. Be safe and follow these rules – they are there for a good reason! If you want to have your dog roam off leash, find a local community park during off hours while you walk around the field. We live in Chantilly, which has lots of neighboring parks that we are able to bring the dogs for a walk each day. We always follow their local rules and make sure that if we do bring the dogs along the trail, the remain leashed and close to us for others to pass if needed.

    Virginia has some of the best hotels for pet owners to stay – and one of the places we highly recommend is the IHG branded hotel Kimpton. They do not charge a pet fee and do not have weight or breed restrictions. This was really nice with Kiraly as she is a German Shepherd, and both our dogs are over 50 lbs. It can be difficult to find a hotel that is accommodating to a bigger dog, but Kimpton has always gone above and beyond for us! They usually give us a treat for the dogs as well as dog bowls upon request. You can sometimes even rent a dog bed! We love the customer service we get at the IHG hotels and know you will too, especially if traveling with your pet!

    One of the best things about Virginia in particular is the diversity when it comes to the different seasons, and this was very special to Kiraly. Each season seems almost perfectly spaced out between 3-4 months, allowing for you to get a little bored with the climate before it starts to turn for you – always keeping you on your toes! Snow, falling leaves, regrowth, return of squirrels…all of this and more can be found on your adventure with your pets through Virginia.

    We recommend that if you plan to do a scenic drive with your dogs, that you always buckle them up. If traveling with cats, make sure to keep them in a crate or cage! This is for their safety AND yours! Stop frequently to let them out (more than you would on your own) and do not forget to give them water. And, most importantly – have fun! These are memories you will cherish forever with your best friend.

  • Visiting Montpelier, home of James and Dolley Madison #FindYourHistoricHome

    After learning so much about the War of 1812 while working at Fort McHenry, I started to have more of an interest in the American Revolution. Many of the same people who were prevalent during the War of 1812 were usually a major political or military figure during the Revolution, so it was only a matter of time before my interest in this time period was peaked. My past studies usually revolved around the Civil War and WWII, but I’ve found that America’s early history is fascinating.

    Montpelier (5)One of the places we visited during out time showing the house in Baltimore was Montpelier, or James and Dolley Madison‘s house. James Madison‘s name may ring a bell to those of you that know a little about our Founding Fathers as the “Father of the Constitution.” He composed the first drafts of both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson and Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party, one of America’s first opposition political party of the time, which served as a platform against Alexander Hamilton and his Federalist Party. Madison served as Jefferson’s Secretary of State and later as President, from 1809 – 1817.

    How this actually relates to the War of 1812, besides the date, is that Madison was President during the War of 1812. During his first Administration, the United States prohibited trade with both Britain and Montpelier (4)France. If you read my previous post on the War of 1812, you know that both of these countries were at war with each other – known as the Napoleonic Wars. The United States attempted to remain neutral, but ultimately entered the war against England.

    Visiting Montpelier was exciting. It was a relatively easy drive from Baltimore, and the proximity to Monticello is so close that I recommend you try to visit both. Definitely plan time for both if you decide to visit them in the same day as there is an entrance fee of about $20-$25, depending on the tours you want to take, and they have scheduled times. We took the Dolley Madison tour, which still gave a great description of the house as we walked through but from a “Dolley” perspective. I highly encourage at least a house tour, and to take at least an hour and walk around the grounds. Each of these historic houses have large acres of land that you can stroll, and there is usually at least one if not multiple gardens. Beautiful!

    All of the homes we visited were homes that the founders lived in after their career was over, but they also lived with their slaves. One in particular at Montpelier, Paul Jennings, was born at Montpelier in 1799 to a white British merchant and a black woman. Jennings became Madison’s personal servant, where he learned to read and write. He was 10 when he accompanied Madison to Washington D.C. As the newly elected President. Jennings was Montpelier (3)eventually sold to an insurance agent named Pollard Webb, who allowed Jennings to purchase his own freedom at $8/month. After Jennings purchased his own freedom he continued to visit Dolley Madison as she grew older, and sometimes gave her small sums of money to get by. This paradox should not be lost to history – remember that many of our Founding Fathers owns slaves, at the same time they were advocating for “rights for all men”. Join a tour to learn more about Mr. Jennings and his remarkable life, and remember that the struggle for equality did not end with the first draft of the Constitution.

    As you walk through the Madison’s house remember that most of the item on display may be original, and do not touch! We want to preserve all of our history, the good AND the bad, for future generations to learn and enjoy on their own. Continue traveling, and we will see you here next time!

    Montpelier (2)