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There are so many fun things to do when you visit Washington, DC that the options can feel overwhelming. You might wonder: are free tours any good? Is it worth it to splurge on a private tour experience? Is the best mode of transportation to see the monuments by foot, bike, Segway, or bus? In this episode we tackle all of these questions so you can pick out the best Washington DC tours when you visit. Travel industry veteran and world traveler Shane Whaley joins Rob for this conversation. Shane hosts Tourpreneur, a podcast that deep dives into the journey of the tour business owner. He also hosts Spybrary, a Spy Podcast for fans of spy books and movies; as well as Radio GDR, a podcast in English all about the life and times of East Germany. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

  In this podcast episode you'll learn about a great areas to stay (and avoid) on your Washington DC trip. Plus what amenities to look for in a hotel, how to do your research, and a few tips for finding the best deals.   Chris Raney from Yellow Productions joins Rob for this conversation. On Chris's YouTube channel, he produces travel videos that are fun, informative and entertaining. You can also keep up with Yellow Productions on Instagram and Facebook.   Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Covid-19 has significantly disrupted the 2021 inauguration. Unfortunately that means the excited crowds, the parade and parties from past inaugurations won't really happen this year. Instead, we rounded up some of our favorite stories from past presidential inaugurations to give you a sense of what a more typical inauguration is like. Some of these stories are pretty wild! In this episode Rob is joined by Aaron Killian from Historic America. Check out the Historic America website and see the multi-sensory DC tours that they offer. Aaron also hosts Dead, White and Blue, a YouTube show about the final resting places of prominent Americans. And he is the host of A Place in Time, a podcast which places you in a historic American location at a remarkable moment in time and brings it all together with a compelling true story. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

After months of closures and travel restrictions, some are starting to get back out and explore. Washington, DC is slowly but surely reopening tourist sites and attractions. However, it's extremely important to set realistic expectations and research every detail of your trip. You don't want to be disappointed or caught of guard once you arrive the nation's capital. In this episode Rob is joined by Mark and Jocelyn Wolters. They are half of the Wolters World traveling family. Keep up with their travels on YouTube, Facebook and their website. Or follow Jocelyn and Mark on Instagram. Pick up some cool merch (including face masks) at the Wolters World store.

2020 is a rough year for the Washington, DC travel industry. Halfway through the year, it's clear that tourism is not going to be the same because of Covid-19. As a result, it's time to discuss the future of Trip Hacks DC. In this episode Rob takes the mic for a solo podcast. He takes a behind-the-scenes look at what the decline in tour revenue has meant for the company. And what the future holds for the Trip Hacks DC podcast, YouTube channel, and tour company. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Whether you're looking for something to watch during the 2020 quarantine or trying to get inspired for an upcoming trip, these Washington, DC movies will provide hours of entertainment. Washington, DC doesn't have nearly as many movies set here as New York or Los Angeles, but there are still plenty of gems. In this episode Rob is joined by Ronald Young Jr. He is the owner of OhitsBigRon Studios and the host of the Leaving the Theater and Time Well Spent podcasts. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

What is Washington, DC tourism going to look like post COVID-19? We don’t know! No one does. Rather than guess wildly about the future we thought it would be more useful to look back for lessons from how things changed over the past few decades. How did 9/11, government shutdowns, new sports venues and Uber change the way that visitors experience Washington, DC? In this episode Rob is joined by Tim Krepp. He is the author of Capitol Hill Haunts and Ghosts of Georgetown as well as a veteran DC tour guide. Pick up one of Tim’s books online today or visit East City Bookshop to support a local business when you visit. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

The Washington, DC tourism industry is upended because of Coronavirus. In fact, that's true every where in the world as there is currently nowhere that safe for travel. There were many hints that a crisis was coming, but the damage happened quickly and painfully. In this episode Rob takes the mic for a solo podcast. He describes the first three months of 2020 from the perspective of a small tour company owner. He also talks about what happens next and what COVID-19 means for your own trip to Washington, DC. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Accommodations is one of the most important decisions that travelers make. Airbnb and other home rental websites like Vrbo offer an alternative to standard hotel stays. Are they better? What do travelers need to know before they book one? We've got a few Airbnb tips to share. In this episode Rob is joined by Jocelyn Wolters. She is a member of the Wolters World traveling family. Keep up with their travels on YouTube, Facebook and their website. Or follow Jocelyn and husband Mark on Instagram. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Washington, DC visitors spend a lot of time on the National Mall, a National Park Service unit that gets more yearly visitors than Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, combined! Park enthusiasts won't have to spend all of their time on the Mall. There are plenty of other great National Parks near DC. In this episode Rob is joined by Danielle Jacobs-Erwin. She is the host of Everybody’s National Parks, a podcast dedicated to family adventure in our national parks. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Washington is the capital of the United States and the seat of federal government. But it’s also DC, a city where lots of regular people live and work. In this episode Rob is joined by Alex Baca to breakdown what it's like to live in “DC” and how visitors can experience it when they come to visit “Washington”.  Alex is the Housing Program Organizer at GGWash. She previously worked in journalism, bike advocacy, architecture, construction, and transportation. After growing up in Maryland she lived in San Francisco and Cleveland before returning home to DC. Check out her article It's Not Cool to Argue About Whether D.C. Is Cool which inspired the topic for this episode. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

If you're an Abe Lincoln history buff, this is the episode for you! Rob is joined by Rebecca Grawl, a local tour guide, and history to talk all about Abe Lincoln Historic Sites in Washington, DC. Rebecca is a veteran tour guide with Free Tours by Foot and A Tour of Her Own. One of her favorite tours to lead is the Abraham Lincoln Assassination Tour in the neighborhood around Ford's Theater. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Visiting local coffee shops is a fantastic way to explore a new city. Washington, DC has a robust coffee scene and everyone can find a few shops that they enjoy. Rob is joined by Austen Brower to talk about drinking great coffee in Washington, DC. Austen is founder and host of Drip: A DC Coffee Podcast. His podcast is designed to brew community by being deliberately curious about coffee and coffee culture.  Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Professional sports are a big part of every city's identity and culture. Washington DC has professional teams in almost every major sports league. Rob is joined by Dave Murphy to give our best tips for checking out one of these games. We cover the Nationals (MLB), Wizards (NBA), Capitals (NHL), United (MLS), Redskins (NFL), Mystics (WNBA) plus a handful of others. Dave is Dave is an Army veteran, retired DoD geographic analyst, coach of a championship youth football team, contributor at Greater Greater Washington and (for better or worse) a lifelong DC sports fan. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Every visitor wants to know: what are the very best Washington, DC restaurants? It's a tough question, not because there aren't good places to eat, but because there are so many! Even if you ate at a new restaurant every single day, it would take years to sample all of the DC dining options. Rob is joined by Jessica Sidman to talk all about food and restaurants in Washington, DC. Jessica is the food editor for Washingtonian Magazine. She covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper.  Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Washington, DC is a city with four seasons. Visitors will get a different experience depending on the time of year they come. Don't let Washington, DC weather catch you off guard! Rob is joined by Jason Samenow for an in-depth weather discussion and advice for visitors. Jason is the Washington Post’s Weather Editor. In 2004 he founded CapitalWeather.com which has grown over the years from a one-man blog to a major operation with a team of writers at the Washington Post. That project is now called Capital Weather Gang. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Nobody is perfect. Even the most seasoned travelers occasionally make mistakes. Don't stress! In this episode, Rob is joined by Ali Zeller, a world traveler and Washington, DC tour guide to talk about the mistakes that they see Washington, DC travelers make. More importantly, they have some tips to help make sure you don't make these mistakes when you visit.  Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Washington, DC is a major concert destination and stop for many artists as they tour the east coast. You can find concerts large and small and the perfect venue for every act. Rob is joined by Brad Garrigues to talk tips for attending concerts in Washington, DC. Brad is an engineer in the Navy who has lived in several different U.S. and international cities and loves live music. Brad shares some of the concerts he's attended in DC and tips for going to various live music venues. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Pennsylvania Avenue is an iconic street in Washington, DC. In a few short blocks visitors can see the Capitol, White House, National Archives, U.S. Navy Memorial, and Old Post Office. However, this area wasn't always such a grand avenue. For much of the country's history it was actually a crime-ridden slum. To discuss the evolution of the street, Rob is joined by Carolyn Muraskin from DC Design Tours.  Check out DC Design Tours for information about their architecturally themed walking tours. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Taking a bike ride is a great way to see the sites in Washington, DC. The city is well suited for biking because most of the major things to see are located downtown near the National Mall. In this episode of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast, Rob is joined by Brian McEntee to talk Washington DC biking tips and some worthwhile rides outside of downtown. Brian is a bicyclist and social media bike influencer who is locally known for tweeting about the latest local bike happenings from his handle @sharrowsDC. He is also a humor columnist who has written the weekly Gear Prudence bike advice column in the Washington City Paper since 2014. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.