Broadcats Around the World: Steal Our Favorite Vacations

Happy holidays, team Broadcat!

You know how it goes around mid-December: You’re circling back later, touching base next year, or adding it to the calendar in January. 📆 We’re all ready for a vacation! That’s why, instead of our normal year-end recap, we’re sharing some of our favorite itineraries to hopefully inspire you to take a bit more time off and focus on personal well-being in 2026. (It’s good for compliance, after all!)

Whether you’re seeking some R&R or craving a bit of adventure, our tried-and-true itineraries have you covered.

If you want to travel to a different country…

Jaycee recommends PERU! 🦙

Jaycee’s Peru trip was actually her husband’s Peru trip… She planned a surprise 40th birthday trip for him and their friends to travel to one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world. Here’s the itinerario.

Days 1-3, Lima:

• Sightseeing: Stop at Circuito Magico del Agua and the catacombs at the Catedral de Lima.
• Dinner: Eat at Central, a top five restaurant in the world and one of the featured restaurants on Top Chef. 🥩

Days 3-5, Ollantaytambo:

• Tour the local fortress and ruins.
• Outdoors, but make it luxury? Skip the 4-day hike and take the Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, and tour the ancient ruins when you arrive. 🚂
• After your return trip, hire a round-trip car to take you to Pisac Market and Maras Salt Mines.

Days 5-8, Cusco:

• Sightseeing: Stop at the Plaza de Armas, Koricancha temple, Sacsayhuaman fortress, and Puka Pukara.

Days 8-10, Amazon/Iquitos:

• Stay for two nights at the Treehouse Lodge in the middle of the rainforest!
• During the day, venture out on a rainforest trek and jungle cruise, and do some piranha fishing. Then have the chef fry ‘em up for you dinner (#Instaworthy). 🐟

Days 10-12, Back to Lima:

• Wrap up your Lima sightseeing with stops at the Larco Herrera Museum, the Monastery of San Francisco, and the Plaza de Armas.
• And hey, might as well try Central again. It’s your last night in Lima, after all. 🥩🥩

Pro tip: Don’t struggle with deciphering the rules of the road in a foreign country. Instead, travel with a transportation service like Taxidatum.

If you forgot to renew your passport…

Brianna recommends HAWAII! 🌺 

If you want to travel to a different country, but Peru (or anywhere else outside the U.S.) isn’t in the cards for you right now, say “mahalo” to the 50th state, Hawaii. The Aloha State feels like a different world—and for good reason: It’s the only tropical state in the U.S. 

Brianna and her husband traveled to the Island of Hawaii (aka, The Big Island) for vacation a few years ago, and they loved it so much, they decided to stay. When you visit, she recommends splitting your trip into two home bases, Kona and Hilo, to save on drive time.

Home Base #1: Kona

West Side, Day 1:

• Kick off your vacation at the beach, of course! Check out Hapuna Beach.
• Keep those toes in the sand at the Lava Lava Beach Club for happy hour and dinner.
• Watch the sunset at A-Bay beach. 🌅

Southwest Side, Day 2:

• Rent a kayak, and paddle to Captain Cook Monument to snorkel and see the dolphins.
• Stop for lunch at the Coffee Shack. ☕ 
• Watch the surfers at Pine Trees Beach on the way back to Hilo. 

South Side, Day 3:

• You’ve heard of black sand beaches, you’ve heard of pink sand beaches, but have you heard of green sand beaches? You have now! Hitch a ride with the locals (you’ll see when you get there) and snap some photos at Green Sand Beach.
• End your day at sunset at South Point, literally the southernmost point in the U.S., then grab dinner at On the Rocks or Sushi Sam. 🍣

North Side, Day 4:

• Work up an appetite with a hike in the Pololū Valley, then have lunch at Gill's Lanai.
• Walk around historic Hawi Town, and end the day with dinner at Seafood Bar and Grill and a show at Blue Dragon. 🐲

Home Base #2: Hilo

East Side, Day 5:

• Start your day early at Hawaiian Style Café. You’ll need the fuel.
• Drive to Volcanoes National Park for a day of scenic hiking (and at the right time, an actual lava flow, not the drink). 🌋
• Head back to Hilo and close out the day at The Hidden Nēnē for drinks and Café Pesto for dinner.

East Side, Day 6:

• Start the day with a nature hike to ‘Akaka Falls, then double down on your relaxation by cuddling cows at the Krishna Cow Sanctuary. 🐮
• Feeling relaxed? Good! Now, drive up Mauna Kea. This one’s not for the faint of heart.

Pro tip: This vacation isn’t for the “compact” section of the rental car website. Ditch the line at the airport and scoop up a Jeep on Turo.

If you can’t decide on just one place…

Jennifer recommends EPCOT! 🏰

It’s the entire world in 300 acres! And Epcot’s World Showcase isn’t all style without substance. Each “country” is staffed by citizens of those countries, and the menu items include traditional cuisine.

Because this is a one-day activity, you don’t really need an itinerary. Instead, you need a plan. Jennifer, a proud Disney Adult, is sharing her planning tips for the time-honored Epcot tradition, Drinking Around the World, which she courageously completed with her son on his 21st birthday. (h/t to The Mammoth Club for inspiration and a great recap.)

1. Turn left. ⬅️ You’ve heard of “liquor before beer,” right? If you turn right and start the World Showcase loop in Canada, you’ll likely down a Labatt followed by a Guiness in the UK. And then you’re pretty much guaranteed a headache by the time you land in Morocco. Instead, turn left and start with tequila in Mexico. 
2. Hydrate. 💧 You’re not only hydrating to deal with walking through a literal swamp. You’re hydrating to make up for the dehydrating effects of alcohol. There are plenty of water bottle refill stations around the world—use them. Frequently.
3. Strategize. 📋 “Walk, drink, repeat” isn’t gonna cut it. Make a schedule so you have a rough idea of where in the world you should be, and when. Include meals in your schedule, and make reservations if you can. The less room for error, the better. (Read: You don’t want to check your watch at 4 and start pounding shots by Italy to hit your goal.)
4. Don’t be a jerk. 👹 This is related to the tip above—don’t be an annoying (or worse, rude) park-goer. Have a system to check yourself, and if you find you’re veering from your plan, take a seat, drink some water, and shift to sampling food instead. This is first and foremost a family place, so be respectful.

Pro tip: The World Showcase doesn’t open until 11 a.m., so this isn’t a “show up at the crack of dawn” kinda thing. Start the day with a hearty alcohol-free brunch so that you’re not drinking on an empty stomach.

If all this travel still sounds like work...

Joey recommends A MENTAL VACATION! 😌

So, maybe a big trip to Peru, island hopping in Hawaii, or a race around Epcot isn't quite the speed you need right now. That's totally fine! Joey's idea of recharging isn't about physical distance at all... it's about diving deep into creative projects and learning new skills. Sometimes, the best way to reset isn't switching off, but channeling that energy into something totally different.

He’s happy to stay home, but if adventure calls, he usually just lets his partner, Scott, handle the planning. He's perfectly content to be along for the ride and just focus on his next artistic project. Even when traveling, the mission is the same: find a way to make something!

• Route 66 Road Trip: While Scott drove, Joey practiced taking video in a variety of formats, and learning color grading for future art projects.
• Alaskan Cruise: The favorite stop was Ketchikan, where drawing was the main event—even during a pub crawl 🍻. (Now that's commitment!)

If you're looking for a creative outlet, Joey's got some great recommendations:

• Embrace a new hobby. 🎨 Art doesn't have to be intimidating! It’s as easy as picking up a pen and paper and making scribbles. Look into “Zen doodles” for inspiration or download our coloring book.
• Or, pick something you've always been curious about! Maybe it's learning another language, finally beating a video game, or mastering a complex cocktail recipe (looking at you, Ramos Gin Fizz).
• Study the masters of visual storytelling. 🎓 Watch the videos from Kurzgesagt and take in their art and style.
• Learn how stuff works. ⚙️ Let Branch Education take you on a journey into science, engineering, and technology.
• Visit a virtual art gallery. 🖼️ Go to sites like The National Gallery of Art to peruse the artwork (or collect Creative Commons references for projects).
• People watch and draw/write. 👀 This is such a cool way to absorb the world. Just pay attention to how people interact—it’s free entertainment!

Pro tip: The best tool is the one you already have. Don't wait for the perfect moment; just start creating now. It’s a great life lesson, frankly.

🗺️📍🗺️

Ready to pack your bags (or just get cozy on the couch)? We hope so! If you’re interested in trying one of these itineraries, or are building your own dream vacay, we want to hear about it. There’s a whole world out there, and our maps are still missing a few pins.