NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — July 17, 2026

By the Thomas Beach Vacations Editorial Team

Travel expert Emily Kaufman, known nationally as The Travel Mom, closed her South Carolina coastal road trip series on the Grand Strand — and surprised two studio audience members with a $10,000 Myrtle Beach getaway.

Myrtle Beach reached millions of television viewers nationwide on June 9, when The Kelly Clarkson Show aired a destination feature spotlighting the area’s family-friendly attractions, oceanfront atmosphere, and affordability as the finale of a South Carolina coastal road trip series hosted by travel expert Emily Kaufman, widely known as The Travel Mom.

The segment showcased several of the Grand Strand’s signature draws — the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, the SkyWheel, Broadway at the Beach, and Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — before Kaufman returned to the studio to surprise two audience members with a $10,000 Myrtle Beach vacation, provided by segment sponsor Take 5.

Visit Myrtle Beach, the region’s destination marketing organization, supported the production with destination coordination, local logistics assistance, and video assets that helped present the area to a national audience.

A Trusted Voice in Family Travel

Kaufman brings roughly three decades of national broadcast experience to the family travel beat and currently serves as the travel correspondent for The Kelly Clarkson Show. She appears regularly on programs including Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NBC Nightly News, where she guides households toward accessible, affordable, and memorable vacation destinations — an audience profile that aligns closely with the travelers the Grand Strand has welcomed for generations.

Tourism officials view placements of this kind as third-party validation that keeps the destination top-of-mind among travelers actively planning future trips. According to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, features on nationally syndicated programs introduce the area to new audiences, reinforce awareness among past visitors, and support the hotels, attractions, restaurants, retailers, and other tourism-related businesses that anchor the regional economy.

Second National Placement of 2026

The appearance marks the destination’s second major network moment of the year. Wheel of Fortune aired Myrtle Beach Family Week from May 4–8, 2026, with family teams competing for prizes that included Myrtle Beach trips and a companion sweepstakes awarding five viewers five-night Grand Strand vacations for four. The tie-in carried a hometown thread: longtime co-host Vanna White grew up in North Myrtle Beach.

Together, the back-to-back placements strengthen Myrtle Beach’s visibility in a competitive national tourism marketplace at a moment when travelers continue to seek out affordable, family-friendly beach vacations. The full Kelly Clarkson Show segment details are available through the show’s official site, and destination information can be found at VisitMyrtleBeach.com.

Travelers inspired to see the featured attractions in person can base their trip in North Myrtle Beach, about 15 miles up the coast, where Thomas Beach Vacations offers oceanfront homes and condos across the Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill sections. Availability is online at www.northmyrtlebeachvacations.com or by phone at (843) 273-3001.

Sources: Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce / Visit Myrtle Beach; The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC, aired June 9, 2026); Wheel of Fortune Myrtle Beach Family Week promotion (May 2026).