Those who regularly follow my ramblings know that I don’t do a lot of product promotions. In over three years, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve posted about my experiences with companies via MaternalMedia: Fanatics, Great Wolf Lodge, and Freshly Organized come to mind. I only agree to blog promotional stuff when I think my followers will actually be interested in reading it…plain and simple.

**Upfront Disclaimer** I also tend to want to promote companies who not only fit this criteria, but can also help me escape my off-hours job of uncompensated shuttle service for my kids, get me out of the house to reunite with friends over wine and hors d’oeuvres in a peaceful place, and offer me a chance to win roundtrip airfare tickets.

Enter Travel Design Lounge (TDL) stage left!

Frequent travelers are likely already familiar with Travel and Transport, the 5th largest travel management company in the United States. Their company has launched a new venue in Omaha, Nebraska, centered around a fresh concept when it comes to traveling – allow the destination seeker a space to become inspired.

I was lucky to attend an event with other wonderful bloggers in my city to learn more about what TDL offers.

From people who already know where they want to go and what they want to do when it comes to vacation planning, to people who want to get a taste of and feel for sample destinations before making a decision, the friendly TDL trip advisors are there to help you along the way.

I guess I represent their “non-worldly demographic profile” (a category I just made up) because the farthest I’ve ever drifted is Jamaica. In terms of continental US destinations, I’ve seen a lot of places through corporate travel and sporting tournaments. Put it this way, when my dear friend Judy Daniell posed the question, “Have you ever thought about having a book club onsite and then working with readers to plan a destination trip to the city featured in the book?” I sort of wanted to retreat back to my inferiority cave of existence.

But, instead, I just kept drinking my nice sparkly glass of wine.

Guys, their storefront is beautiful. Located in the Shops of Legacy off of 168th and Center, it is pretty easy to find…even for non-Westies like myself.

This was my initial assessment of the place within 10 minutes of arriving and hearing the event hosts talk:

I can envision my sporting family friends meeting together here to experience a night of food, drinks, and laughter while discussing destinations to hit up while on the road living vicariously through our offspring.

I can already hear the dads starting to groan, my husband leading the charge. To that initial reaction, I counter with the following…

A night of travel planning discussions with the ladies suddenly doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Within the TDL, there are several collaboration spaces where you can either talk one-on-one with a trip advisor or gather with your family and friends to share ideas. There are also in-store technology tools at your fingertips in case you want to research every step of your journey.

Here’s a pic of Judy and I planning a trip to Milan. (Who am I kidding?! We’re just goofing around.)

Whether you’re in or out of Nebraska, I encourage you to follow TDL on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share travel posts and updates from your neck of the woods.

And if you’re in or around Omaha, if for no other reason than this, you must stop by and get a picture of yourself in front of their snappy tagline #gettripsy sign.

Below is everything else you need to know. Now GO!

Travel Design Lounge
The Shops of Legacy
16950 Wright Plaza, Suite 151
Omaha, NE 68130
www.traveldesignlounge.com

Monday-Thursday: 9am-9pm
Friday-Saturday: 9am-10pm
Sunday: Closed

Written by Heidi Woodard