A Community for Travel Lovers
A circle of fellow travelers who share your love of exploration, with chapters growing across the country. Join any of us, wherever you call home.
Free to join. You only sign up for the outings you want.
Video from our day trips to Crossville, TN and Blue Ridge, GA
The Awaken Travel Club is a community for travel lovers everywhere. What started as a few friends swapping travel stories in Tennessee has grown into a family of chapters, with more taking root across the country. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or just getting started, you'll find your people here, no matter where you live.
Each chapter meets in its own corner of the country, usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month, for a casual get-together. Every gathering features a fun travel topic, insider tips from people who plan trips for a living, and the chance to connect with fellow adventurers.
Each chapter plans its own events, and each event has its own page with the details and how to sign up. Come for the conversation, the book club, the trip planning, all of it.
Where We've Been
A few of the places we've gone together this year, in photos Cindi took on the day.
October 2026 | Blue Ridge, Georgia
Day Trip: The Orchard
Apple picking and the tractor ride at Mercier Orchards, then lunch and shopping in Blue Ridge.
September 2026 | Crossville, Tennessee
Day Trip: Heartbreak Hotel in Crossville
Our first club day trip: coffee in Pikeville, a lakeside stop, then the Heartbreak Hotel matinee.
Also this year
Every trip planned by certified travel advisors who know the best-kept secrets
Access pricing and perks only available to club members traveling together
From local waterfalls to European river cruises, adventures at every level
Connect with like-minded travelers who share your curiosity and sense of adventure
The Awaken Travel Club is growing across the country. Wherever you live, you're welcome at any chapter's gatherings.
Hosted by Denise Karnes and Cindi Sanden
3rd Thursday of each month | In person
Coming up
The Escape Society
Led by Maren Rosendahl
A place to swap travel stories, dream up new destinations, and explore together through fun field trips and local adventures across Arizona.
Tap any one to see the details and add your name.
Thursday, November 19 | 2:00 PM Eastern
📍 Online, join from home
A walk-through of our fall 2027 New England trip, with time for your questions. We email you the link the week before.
The Escape Society | With Women On the Go
Saturday, November 21 | 4:30 PM Arizona time
📍 Japanese Friendship Garden, Phoenix
An evening of moon viewing, lanterns and live music in the garden. You buy your own garden ticket.
Saturday, December 5 | 10:00 AM Eastern
📍 Hixson United Methodist Church, Hixson
Carson Hobart from AmaWaterways on river cruising, and what happens when the river runs low. Free coffee, pastries and giveaways. RSVP required.
48 of 48 seats left
Friday, December 11 | 1:00 PM Eastern
📍 Cullman, Alabama, by motor coach from Hixson
A German-style Christmas market, with a stop at the Unclaimed Baggage Center on the way down.
$89 a person | 34 of 50 seats left
Thursday, December 17 | 4:30 PM Eastern
📍 Downtown Chattanooga, from the Choo Choo lobby
The Choo Choo tree, hot chocolate, our own tree in the Festive Forest and the EPB holiday windows.
Thursday, January 21, time TBD
📍 Place to come
Bring your bucket list and we will map out the trips you want to take in the next five years.
Friday, February 12, time TBD
📍 TPAC in Nashville, by motor coach from Hixson
A Friday matinee of The Phantom of the Opera at TPAC. Interest list, nothing to pay yet.
Thursday, February 18, time TBD
📍 Place to come
Sunny places to escape the winter, plus a first look at a cruise we are planning for 2028.
Save the dates
Here's everything Denise and I have planned for 2027! We meet the 3rd Thursday of every month, and we set each time and place month to month. Some details are still coming, so add your name to anything that catches your eye and we'll let you know as soon as the dates, times and prices are set.
Paint Night with Mandee from The Artsy Room
Club meeting · Evening event · Limited to 15 spots · Members first · Time and place to come
Add my name →3-day trip
Asheville and Biltmore
Monday, April 12 to Wednesday, April 14
Limited to 28 seats
Add my name →Mexico Night: Cinco de Mayo and Traveling to Mexico
Club meeting · Denise is hosting · Time and place to come
Add my name →
Tracing Your Roots: History and Ancestry Travel
Club meeting · Denise is hosting · Time and place to come
Add my name →
We had a wonderful trip traveling along the Ocoee River thru the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. More fun when we arrived at the Mercier Orchards Apple Farm. Awaken Travels is my favorite get-away choice.
I very much enjoyed the musical. ... Seating all together in the cafe allowed all of us to introduce ourselves and chat casually for a while.
Had a great outing picking apples at an Orchard!
2027 Club Tour
Here's where the club is headed next fall, with Cindi and Denise as your hosts.
Hear all about it at our online club meeting: Thursday, Nov 19 at 2:00 PM Eastern. Add your name →
Exclusive hosted departures for Travel Club members, planned by our certified advisors.
December 4 - 11, 2027 | AmaWaterways' AmaMora | Budapest to Nuremberg
Join Denise for seven nights aboard AmaWaterways' AmaMora, with time to wander Europe's most beloved Christmas markets along the way. Our group is full right now, but staterooms sometimes open up.
Join the waitlist →
Jan 8-15, 2028 | AmaWaterways' AmaMagdalena | Magdalena River Cruise
Join Cindi & Nate as we sail the intimate, 60-guest AmaMagdalena on the legendary Magdalena River, exploring Colombia's "Land of a Thousand Rhythms" together. From $5,038 per person, port charges included, when you book and deposit by Nov 30, 2026, plus optional Medellín and Panama land packages.
Book & deposit by Nov 30, 2026 to save up to $750 per person →
Oct 21-28, 2028 | AmaWaterways' AmaGaia | Douro River Cruise
Join Cindi & Denise for seven nights on the Douro River aboard AmaWaterways' brand-new AmaGaia, sailing from Porto through Portugal's terraced wine country to the Spanish border. From $4,689 per person, port charges included, when you book and deposit by Nov 30, 2026, plus optional Lisbon, Porto and Madrid land packages.
Book & deposit by Nov 30, 2026 to save $500 per person →
From scenic day trips to the waterfalls of Tennessee to European river cruises, we're building a journey together, one adventure at a time. Club members everywhere get first access to exclusive group trips with special pricing.
Local waterfalls, charming towns, and hidden gems
Multi-day guided adventures across the U.S.
River and ocean cruises with exclusive group perks
Denise Karnes and Cindi Sanden started the Awaken Travel Club, both certified advisors at Awaken Travels, around one simple idea: travel is better when you share it with people who get it. They built the first chapter right here in Tennessee, and the welcome has always been the same. No pressure, no sales pitches, just great conversations, helpful tips, and adventures worth talking about.
That idea caught on. Today the club is growing into chapters across the country, each one led by a certified Awaken Travels advisor who knows their own corner of the map by heart. Out in Arizona, Maren Rosendahl leads our newest chapter, The Escape Society, bringing the same spirit to the desert Southwest. More are on the way.
Different cities, one travel family. Wherever you live, and wherever you're dreaming of going next, there's a place for you here.
Sign up below and we'll keep you in the loop on meetings, trips, and all things travel.
Follow our Facebook page for travel inspiration and join our private group to connect with fellow club members!
It's free to join, and you only sign up for the outings you want.
Join the Club
