Optimize Your Travel: Plan Less, Experience More | Ft Ashley Negron

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Welcome to the Optimizing Beyond podcast. I'm
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Josh Negron, and this show is all about sharing
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lessons, ideas, and strategies that sharpen your
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thinking, strengthen your habits, and push you
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to grow beyond comfort zones. Let's dive in.
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Welcome back to the show. Today we want to talk
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about how to start optimizing your travel. If
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it's anything that we get asked most often, it's
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about our travel, where we go, how we choose
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to do it, where we choose to go, and so much
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more. So I have my better half here, my co -host
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Ashley, my wife, back on the show to help me
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discuss this because don't get me wrong, she's
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the one who plans it all. She's the planner.
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She loves it. So welcome back, Miss Ashley. Hello.
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I'm excited. This is definitely one of my favorite
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topics. Yeah, I'm just excited to share with
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everybody about how to share a lot of the lessons
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that we've learned over the years and some of
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the ways in which we've figured out how to optimize
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our travel. Yeah, it wasn't always very smooth.
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I think that's why so many of you will ask us
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now, because they've seen us have the rough trips
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and the awesome ones. So that's why we wanted
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to do this. We'll cover a couple things today.
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So from planning and the kind of mindset that
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you may be looking for, because there's different
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types of trips, whether that's cold weather,
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hot weather, whether that's a super busy trip
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or one that is relaxing. The money side. Growing
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up, I didn't go on any vacations, and I know
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a lot of people who also didn't. And so how do
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you do it without break? the bank or putting
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yourself in a tough spot. And then logistics,
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planning. A lot of people aren't into that. So
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how do they do that? Or how do you keep it more
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spontaneous? Where's that line? And especially
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if a couple has two different sides of that spectrum.
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And then what if you have different travel styles?
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And then some different Q &As about travel in
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general. So let's get into it. So starting out
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with planning and mindset, this is a big one
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where how do you decide? between a relaxing trip,
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so chilling on the beach for a long time, or
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one that's like full of hiking or full of touring
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an old city like Rome or London. Ashley, tell
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us some of how you gauge this, how you balance
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it. Maybe is, do you have one vacation that does
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both or do you really fine tune it in one? What's
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your recipe? Yeah, I feel like so far our recipe
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has really been like trying to alternate. that
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kind of like one year we're gonna go really intense
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and we're gonna maybe take a longer vacation
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and we're gonna go somewhere bigger and then
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the next year we're gonna go do a little more
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chill or we're gonna go do maybe one that's a
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little more like maybe we're talking about the
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beach or maybe we go get a cabin in the mountains
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or you know whatever that that looks like we
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kind of try to alternate because we do genuinely
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enjoy both of them I do think the thing that
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we've learned with experienced trips is making
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sure that you still plan downtime. We'll talk
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some more about this later, but we took a particular
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trip that did not plan enough downtime. And by
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the time we got home, we both felt that so much.
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And so I think there's a balance for both of
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those things. You know, and we even have friends
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and family who one person is very much a beach
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person and could lay in a chair all the time
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for a week. And one person is not even a little
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bit. And that sounds like the most... most miserable,
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horrible thing for them. So they kind of have
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to find that compromise in there. And there's
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just so many ways in which that you can do that
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and actually be able to accomplish both of those
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goals in the same trip. No, absolutely. Maybe
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that's the definition of like learning how to
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travel with intention. So from the very beginning,
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trying to identify what's the purpose of this
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trip. So some are going to be, hey, work's been
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crazy, so let's schedule a vacation or a trip
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where we really do nothing. And you can do that
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in, like you said, a cabin in the woods, on the
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beach, and a lot of other places where maybe
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the hotel and the accommodations are so nice
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that you don't really want to go anywhere. You
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want to enjoy that area, that scenery, maybe
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those accommodations. Whereas in other locations,
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you're like, I don't care what the hotel's like
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because I'm only here to sleep and then I'll
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be hiking. walking through the city, touring
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museums, whatever. So we think it's helpful to
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identify what is the purpose of your trip first
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so that you can plan around it and have it make
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sense. And that doesn't mean that you can't plan
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downtime like we talked about, but it's important
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to know what the focus of that individual trip
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is, obviously. absolutely the other thing that
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you have to decide too is you know are you the
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kind of person that needs to have a complete
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and full itinerary or are you more the person
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who like is like we're going to this city and
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then we're going to just wing it and figure it
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out right i tend to be a little more structured
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in that like i have a plan and i have a spreadsheet
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going and if you can't see josh right now he's
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shaking his head yes because he's lived this
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but i'm also that like on some level that can
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actually produce and induce a decent amount of
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anxiety in me because if the plan if it doesn't
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go to plan then what do we do right and I have
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a harder time pivoting because it's so planned
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out so after you know a trip where that happened
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and it kind of everything towards the end kind
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of just fell apart I've kind of figured out how
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to find the best of both worlds going okay this
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is a real like skeleton of a structure of what
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we're going to do today or like I'm only saying
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we're doing this one thing and then we can pivot.
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We can figure out what's going on around it.
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I have ideas. I've researched. I know. But it's
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like we're going to just kind of go with the
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flow. Also like it allows you as you're really
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tired to just kind of be right like take the
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time to sleep in or oh we're gonna go to dinner
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early tonight or we're gonna skip this thing
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because you know what we both really don't want
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to care we don't want to walk to wherever whatever
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right so i think that's one of the things that
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we've kind of figured out is having done the
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overly planned thing i can't be fully spontaneous
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it's really not in my nature it stresses me out
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more than having to figure out how to deviate
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from a plan, but finding a decent middle ground.
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And so you just have to figure that out. And
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for us, it's like, I'm really good at the initial
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planning. And then once we get there, it's like,
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I tell you what we want to do and where we want
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to go, and you help me execute how to get there.
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That way, I don't have to think about the transportation.
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I don't have to figure out whatever. It's like,
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okay, I'm like, hey, we're going from here to
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here. And you're like, got it. We're going to
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figure out how to get there, right? So we each
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kind of like play a different role in that trip.
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Yeah, it's true. And we keep referencing this
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trip that we made. We can talk about that a little
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bit because that trip was so scheduled out. For
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me, it didn't bother me that I've heard some
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people say like, well, when you go on a vacation
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and the itinerary is all planned out, that that's
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exhausting and those kinds of things. And while
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I get what that's saying, initially it didn't
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bother me because we were going to do so many
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things. I think where... when you described when
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it started falling apart was when it got tough
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because then you have to think of contingency
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plans. And if everything is so planned out, then
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if you miss one train, then you miss this appointment,
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which then shifts the whole day and then it's
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all gone. And so there's, you're almost, it's
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tough to pivot because you're trying to find
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ways to rescue the original plan. And you don't
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always know when to like let it die and find
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something else. And so yeah, there's this there's
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this real tension of keeping it a little bit
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light and breezy so that it's flexible. Because
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say you don't miss the train, say you execute
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everything perfectly, but there's a breakdown,
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you know, like something goes on in the city,
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the metro breaks down, something happens that's
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unexpected. then you have to pivot anyway. So
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for us, we missed the train and had some other
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issues, but it could be something completely
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outside of your control. And then again, you're
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in the same spot. So if you have everything super,
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super scheduled, it gets super tough. And I find
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that a lot of couples have two people that are,
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I mean, opposites in a lot of ways, like we are.
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And so you're going to have somebody that is
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more of the planner and then someone who's more
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like, yeah, you know, whatever happens, wherever
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you want to go, it's cool. Like, I trust you.
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It's awesome. And so that's our dynamic. And
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I love planning and strategizing and logistics.
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But on the traveling front, you enjoy it way
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more than I do as far as like structuring everything.
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And you're also better at it than me. So I'm
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like, yeah, yeah, whatever. Like wherever we're
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going to go, it's all good. It's actually more
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relaxing for me because I don't have to worry
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about that part. And then when we're there, like
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you said, then my job's like, ooh, okay, now
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how can I figure out how to get there if I'm
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driving? That's obviously another component.
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Driving in a foreign country can be interesting
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at times. I've always been on the right side
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of the road. So we'll see if we go somewhere
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where it's on the other. So yeah, I think that's
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how we've done it. And I've really come to enjoy
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realizing to pull it back a little bit so it's
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not too much so that we both can use our strengths
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rather than it all being on you. Because I think
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that trip that we talked about, one of the aspects
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for you that was stressful is because you knew
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all the details and there were so many, then
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I didn't know enough information to help you
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pivot because I didn't even know all the details
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of what was next. So I couldn't help you decide
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whether to save it or go to a new plan and all
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that. So now it's way, way more of a simple outline.
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And then we can go from there. So shifting gears
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here on the money side. So I remember our first
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vacation that we took, I believe it was to Colorado.
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We spent a year saving. We were going to drive
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all the way from Missouri to Colorado, which
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involves driving through Kansas. It's a tough
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drive, guys. So much flat earth. But I remember
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saving for an entire 12 months for that trip,
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and it felt so good to finally take it. But that
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was a tough thing. I would like to call myself
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conservative. Back then I was probably cheap.
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And so it was like, well, we could do something
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else with this. And there's that guilt that you
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feel sometimes when you have a weird relationship
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with money. And so for me, that was tough to
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do that. But then also was something, like I
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said, growing up, never did a vacation, never
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did a trip like that. And so that was a tough,
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tough thing early on. How did you manage deciding
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where to go, how to budget it? What makes sense?
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Too big, too small. Yeah, I think for that, you
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know, you think about about that trip and we
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did like we we saved our tax return. We saved
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our Christmas money. We put money away every
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single month trying to budget and pay for that.
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And, you know, for me, it was obviously like
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that was. 10, 12 years ago. So the world of the
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internet has definitely changed a lot since then.
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But we rented a cabin in the mountains and then
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I had planned out our food. And so we, you know,
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went to the grocery store and we bought our groceries
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and we did a lot of our cooking at the cabin
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to save money. We had a couple of different planned
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nice meals out, you know, and did that kind of
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thing and did a few. experience kinds of things
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but then we just spent time hanging out and being
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in the mountains of of Colorado, you know, it
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snowed like two feet while we were there. And
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so we got snowed in and, you know, there's lots
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of memories associated with that. And I think
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one of the biggest things I've learned about
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travel is I would far rather put money away every
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single month to save for a trip and go make a
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memory together. You know, I couldn't tell you
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what we bought each other for Christmas 12 years
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ago, but I have very distinct memories of that
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trip and our time together when we stopped and
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saw friends along the way. And we had friends
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that lived in Colorado. that we met up with and
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going up and riding the train up to Pikes Peak
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and it's snowing and, you know, a blizzard is
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starting. And so there's just so many memories
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that we have. And I think that that's one of
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the biggest things about planning travel is the
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memories that you make rather than the stuff.
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And so for us, travel has become a really important
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thing for us and something that we value in that
00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:24.159
time that we value together. And so we've kind
00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.259
of shifted a little more for us of like, we're
00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:28.919
not really going to buy each other like big prices.
00:12:28.940 --> 00:12:31.120
presence, we're going to save and go on a trip.
00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:33.460
And we put money aside in our budget every single
00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:36.700
month to save for a trip. We also, and we'll
00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:38.720
talk more about this maybe in some other episodes,
00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:41.759
but we also use a lot of rewards miles, use a
00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.179
lot of points for things to help offset those
00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:47.500
costs. And we don't always just do, some years
00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:50.059
we don't do crazy big trips. We do a lot of smaller
00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:52.419
things, you know, just kind of depending on what
00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:55.120
stage of life. But there's so many memories to
00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:59.580
be made just in traveling. And so Yeah, for us,
00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.559
it's kind of almost become like this core component
00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:05.340
of our lives and of our marriage and figuring
00:13:05.340 --> 00:13:07.679
out how to make that a priority because it is
00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:10.679
to both of us. Yeah. And that trip to Colorado,
00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.639
it also makes me think of when we went to Italy
00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:16.220
for the first time and that for a lot of people.
00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:19.779
They're like, there's no way. But for us, we
00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:21.860
always wanted to go. It's something we wanted
00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.620
to do and not something that would have made
00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.000
sense on paper. But my brother was stationed
00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.360
in Italy in the Air Force, and he was there for
00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:32.200
eight years. And we always talked about going,
00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.379
but again, weren't serious about it. And then
00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:37.620
finally, he's coming up on his time of being
00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.360
there being over. And he said, hey, if you guys
00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:42.559
want to come, you guys have a year left. And
00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.679
we're like, well. Okay. And so, and for that
00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:48.279
trip, like you said, cooking saved us money on
00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:51.870
the Colorado trip. Well, if you have connections
00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:55.009
with people around the nation, around the world,
00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:58.269
where you stay is a huge part of that expense.
00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:01.289
So if you can stay with someone, such a massive
00:14:01.289 --> 00:14:04.169
savings there. And so I remember that trip being
00:14:04.169 --> 00:14:06.090
like, okay, we can wrap our heads around this.
00:14:06.169 --> 00:14:08.110
All we have to take care of is the flights. And
00:14:08.110 --> 00:14:10.710
then we have accommodations. He's going to go
00:14:10.710 --> 00:14:12.830
with us everywhere. So he's going to drive. So
00:14:12.830 --> 00:14:15.490
the expense was really the food and the flights.
00:14:15.789 --> 00:14:18.000
And that was like, okay. we can kind of wrap
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:19.779
our heads around this. We can do this. And so
00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.419
we employed the same tactic, saving for the year
00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:25.399
and then making that trip. And I remember that
00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.779
being so, again, another rewarding feeling of
00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:31.690
doing that. And then also, I want to highlight
00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:35.210
the ability to take advantage of small trips.
00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:37.549
Like you said, it doesn't have to always be a
00:14:37.549 --> 00:14:40.230
huge trip to somewhere exotic or somewhere far
00:14:40.230 --> 00:14:43.830
away. That in the same way for marriage, I think
00:14:43.830 --> 00:14:46.789
that date nights are important on a regular basis,
00:14:46.950 --> 00:14:49.710
whether that be weekly, biweekly. I definitely
00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:52.009
don't think it should be less than once a month,
00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:53.710
that's for sure. But if you're doing that on
00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:56.409
a regular basis, then you can kind of scale up
00:14:56.409 --> 00:14:59.970
like a weekend away. somewhere close, maybe an
00:14:59.970 --> 00:15:02.909
hour away. We have Branson, Missouri really close,
00:15:03.029 --> 00:15:05.210
Northwest Arkansas that has nice cabins and things
00:15:05.210 --> 00:15:07.570
like that. So it doesn't always have to be like
00:15:07.570 --> 00:15:10.830
a destination place. And so a lot of times when
00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:13.529
you're looking to especially have those break
00:15:13.529 --> 00:15:16.570
periods where you have that relaxing time when
00:15:16.570 --> 00:15:19.730
maybe work's been crazy, a weekend away can do
00:15:19.730 --> 00:15:22.289
so much. Sometimes you can both take a three
00:15:22.289 --> 00:15:25.590
-day weekend, put in for some PTO or a day of
00:15:25.590 --> 00:15:28.259
vacation and just take a Friday through. Sunday
00:15:28.259 --> 00:15:30.840
or Saturday through Monday, that can be, again,
00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:34.200
another huge, huge thing. So definitely don't
00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:35.919
always have to start with the pressure of like,
00:15:36.059 --> 00:15:40.679
well, how do we go to Bora Bora? You don't have
00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.580
to do that. So starting small and building that
00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:47.059
habit and that appreciation for saving up for
00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:49.360
that. And then rewarding yourself and feeling
00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.019
that can be massive. And then shifting to some
00:15:53.019 --> 00:15:55.360
logistics of travel. I know every time that I
00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:58.080
book a flight, I have American Airlines and everyone
00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.019
else asking me, are you sure you don't want to
00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:01.940
protect your flight? Are you sure you don't want
00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:04.659
travel insurance? Ashley, what's your philosophy
00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:06.980
on travel insurance? So I've done it a variety
00:16:06.980 --> 00:16:09.820
of different ways. There's lots of... You can
00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:12.120
buy travel insurance, like you said, when you
00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.240
go to book your flights, you can add that on.
00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:16.700
It's usually pretty affordable, but it's obviously
00:16:16.700 --> 00:16:19.320
only for your flight, depending on if you have
00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:21.299
a travel credit card. Usually if you're using
00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:24.259
that credit card to book your flights or to book
00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:26.279
your accommodations, those kinds of things, there
00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:29.659
is some travel insurance included with most travel
00:16:29.659 --> 00:16:32.179
credit cards. And then there's all kinds of third
00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.960
-party companies that you can use to purchase
00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.519
travel insurance. You know, if we are leaving
00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:41.240
the country, I go ahead and buy the travel insurance
00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:44.159
because the odds are that trip is more expensive.
00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:47.580
I've spent or I've saved and planned this one
00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:50.120
out a lot more. And so if logistics go wrong,
00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:52.740
it's going to have a bigger impact, especially
00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:56.179
on the way there. On the way home doesn't tend
00:16:56.179 --> 00:16:58.700
to bother me as much. But on the way there, like
00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:01.120
if I'm going to miss, we have some friends that
00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.299
went to Europe last year around Christmas time
00:17:03.299 --> 00:17:05.759
and got caught in a storm and missed the first
00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:08.950
two days of their trip. You know, those are the
00:17:08.950 --> 00:17:11.799
kinds of things where you want. You want that
00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:13.839
protection, you want that help, or at least some
00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.900
financial assistance in getting some money back,
00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:18.079
especially if you're having to, you know, if
00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:19.819
you miss hotels because they're not going to
00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:21.740
refund you because you're too close to your time.
00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:24.119
You know, so it just kind of depends on what
00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.240
it is that you're doing. You know, we took a
00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.640
pretty big cruise a couple summers ago and I
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:30.359
went ahead and purchased the travel insurance
00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:33.319
through the cruise line. Now, that was only good
00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:35.819
if something happened to have a credit with the
00:17:35.819 --> 00:17:38.079
cruise line. So you just have to like read the
00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:39.720
fine print and figure out what it is that's going
00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.750
to be good for you. you. You know, another thing
00:17:42.750 --> 00:17:45.210
that we've experimented with quite a bit is carry
00:17:45.210 --> 00:17:48.349
-on packing versus like bigger suitcase packing.
00:17:48.730 --> 00:17:52.069
You know, when we did this last trip to Europe,
00:17:52.150 --> 00:17:55.210
we both packed in a carry -on and a backpack
00:17:55.210 --> 00:17:58.190
for 10 days. And I've never been so glad that
00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:01.170
I was not lugging giant suitcases through all
00:18:01.170 --> 00:18:03.869
of these train terminals, all over the cobblestone
00:18:03.869 --> 00:18:06.789
streets, through all of these old cities. Like
00:18:06.789 --> 00:18:09.990
I was so glad that we had packed lightly. Now
00:18:09.990 --> 00:18:13.769
let's be honest. honest, too. We are cereal overpackers.
00:18:13.809 --> 00:18:18.670
So this was a huge, huge victory for us packing
00:18:18.670 --> 00:18:21.490
and carry -ons. Oh my gosh. And we even like
00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:24.250
test did it when we went to, on another big trip,
00:18:24.289 --> 00:18:26.349
we went to a tropical island, like right the,
00:18:26.490 --> 00:18:29.109
you know, like six months before we went to Europe.
00:18:29.190 --> 00:18:31.569
And so, you know, we tested it out even for that.
00:18:31.690 --> 00:18:33.789
However, I will tell you when we went to Alaska
00:18:33.789 --> 00:18:36.369
this last time, there was no carry -on packing
00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:38.970
happening, right? So it just depends on what
00:18:38.970 --> 00:18:40.930
the trip is, what your purpose is, how much.
00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:43.059
you're moving. I also think, you know, if you're
00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:45.299
trying to hit lots of different cities or you're
00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:48.019
going to be moving a lot, pack as light as possible.
00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:51.200
You know, capsule wardrobe it, pack super light,
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.720
figure out how to do. There's so many YouTube
00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:58.839
videos on how to carry on pack for a seven, 10
00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:00.859
day trip, whatever that that looks like. Buy
00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:04.980
packing cubes, buy a really good lifetime warrantied
00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:08.619
suitcase. Do the things, figure that out, whatever's
00:19:08.619 --> 00:19:10.359
going to be good for you. And yeah, you're right
00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:13.420
we are serial overpackers but you have to just
00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:15.579
like whittle that down and figure it out and
00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:17.640
how do i how do i do those things and there's
00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:19.339
lots of ways to learn how to do that but yeah
00:19:19.339 --> 00:19:21.079
that's been one of the biggest things for us
00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:23.059
is to kind of depending on the trip it really
00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:24.759
does depend on the trip how much you're moving
00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:27.119
where you're going what that looks like you know
00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:29.279
and and then i think we kind of hit on this a
00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:31.799
little bit earlier too like don't over plan it
00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:34.519
i've done that and in fact this vacation that
00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:35.720
we're getting ready to take at the end of may
00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.599
like scaled it back because i knew we're going
00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:42.140
to get tired also just the reality of life as
00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:45.539
we've gotten older it is far harder to go from
00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:49.210
sun up to sun down all day long and not be exhausted.
00:19:49.710 --> 00:19:53.029
Let's just be real. So, you know, we're fit,
00:19:53.109 --> 00:19:55.890
healthy people. It's just, it's just different,
00:19:55.970 --> 00:19:58.569
right? So we do have to build in more buffer
00:19:58.569 --> 00:20:01.230
time and we do have to go, you know what? We're
00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:02.970
going to do nothing today. And I'm going to put
00:20:02.970 --> 00:20:04.950
a day in the middle of the trip and maybe one
00:20:04.950 --> 00:20:08.079
towards the end. That's just. chill. Or I literally
00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:10.440
am going to say, we're doing this one thing today
00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:13.380
and maybe it's free. Maybe it includes a ticket,
00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:15.579
whatever. We're going to go do the one thing
00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:17.440
and then we're going to pivot and decide what
00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:19.720
it is that we're going to go do. And so those
00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:22.759
kinds of things have really been some logistical
00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:25.220
things that have made travel just so much easier
00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:28.259
for us. I agree. I agree. And you have done things
00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:30.680
like where you'll have a busy day and then a
00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.220
more relaxed day than a busy day, relaxed day.
00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.000
And so you kind of have, and sometimes you'll
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.559
pair some a string of busy days together. But
00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.799
there's that relief day. I do think the buffer
00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.500
days are super, super nice. I remember, and I
00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:46.539
think that's the juxtaposition of both of our
00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:49.420
Italy trips. The first one we went, we had no
00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:52.079
idea what we were doing. We visited my brother
00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:55.279
who had been there seven years. And so he showed
00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:57.539
us everywhere. His pace is really quick. And
00:20:57.539 --> 00:21:00.839
so we're like, okay. But we weren't responsible
00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:03.599
for logistics, planning, nothing. He's like,
00:21:03.619 --> 00:21:05.019
hey. This is what we're going to do. And we're
00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:08.000
like, okay. And so we only spent one, one part
00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.720
of the trip by ourselves in Rome and it was just
00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:13.339
one city. So it felt easier. It was definitely
00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:16.140
go, go, go that entire trip. But when we did
00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:19.089
our second one, it was just you and I. We were
00:21:19.089 --> 00:21:22.289
going all around Italy. So it's like every day
00:21:22.289 --> 00:21:25.009
to two days, you're not even unpacking the suitcase
00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:27.390
because literally tomorrow we're leaving, right?
00:21:27.490 --> 00:21:31.329
And so that got really exhausting really fast.
00:21:31.529 --> 00:21:34.769
And I remember there were a couple days in Bologna,
00:21:34.849 --> 00:21:38.910
Italy, where we did pretty much nothing. And
00:21:38.910 --> 00:21:41.589
it was my favorite part of the trip, which sounds
00:21:41.589 --> 00:21:44.089
crazy because you're like, well, but you saw
00:21:44.089 --> 00:21:46.539
all this stuff. We did. We saw all this stuff.
00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:50.559
But I remember more vividly in my memories, chilling
00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:54.160
in that hotel room, listening to the cathedral
00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:57.779
choir coming into the open window, and then just
00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:01.400
hanging out in the square, eating lunch, not
00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:04.359
having to go anywhere, not packing up, unpacking
00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:06.819
the suitcase for a couple days. It was so nice.
00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:09.200
And it's crazy that that's the number one thing
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:12.119
I remember. From that crazy trip, that was just
00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:14.640
nuts and full of memories. And so, yeah, buffer
00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:17.619
days are so important. And I think it's tough
00:22:17.619 --> 00:22:19.339
because you feel that guilt. You're like, man,
00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:21.619
I can't sleep in. I'm in a foreign country. I
00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:23.599
paid money to get here. I got to maximize it.
00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:25.319
I got to go see more stuff. There's another museum
00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:27.380
that I want to go see. And that, yeah, man, I
00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:30.980
get it. But you can also just be present in a
00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:33.480
city you're not familiar with. Even just hanging
00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.099
out in the town square in a cafe, drinking a
00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:39.619
coffee and just enjoying. The scenery and the
00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:42.839
city, it's super special. I remember eating at
00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:44.900
the cafe on the square, both of them actually,
00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:47.859
one on one end and one on the other end for lunch.
00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:50.660
It was just super nice. So good question here.
00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:54.980
Transitioning to... What was your best trip together
00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:58.160
and why did it work? Man, you know, as we were
00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:01.480
talking about these questions, it's so many different
00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:04.579
things have come into my mind because we genuinely
00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:08.460
have been so fortunate to take some incredible
00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:12.619
trips, you know, over the last, I think, I think
00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:14.660
our very first, you know, like I said, our very
00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:17.660
first trip was that about 12 years ago and we've
00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:20.809
taken some incredible. trips and we've done them
00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:22.950
by ourselves we've gone with friends you know
00:23:22.950 --> 00:23:25.529
we've we've done a variety of different things
00:23:25.529 --> 00:23:29.109
with that but honestly like it's it's so weird
00:23:29.109 --> 00:23:31.529
because it's a toss -up for me between some of
00:23:31.529 --> 00:23:33.869
the trips that we've taken to aruba and then
00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:36.769
going to italy and honestly like probably it's
00:23:36.769 --> 00:23:39.470
italy the first time that we went right like
00:23:39.470 --> 00:23:43.630
italy was always my big bucket list trip like
00:23:43.630 --> 00:23:47.029
that's the one place i had no other bucket list
00:23:47.029 --> 00:23:50.430
trips italy was it like Like I wanted to go see,
00:23:50.509 --> 00:23:53.289
I wanted to go see the Colosseum. I wanted to
00:23:53.289 --> 00:23:57.509
go to Venice and ride in a gondola. And I wanted,
00:23:57.589 --> 00:24:00.009
you know, the food, all the things. Like that
00:24:00.009 --> 00:24:02.589
was, that was my trip. That was the thing. And
00:24:02.589 --> 00:24:05.430
so, you know, to get to go do that. And honestly,
00:24:05.569 --> 00:24:08.269
genuinely, that is the trip that like. caught
00:24:08.269 --> 00:24:10.769
the travel bug for us. That was the trip that
00:24:10.769 --> 00:24:13.150
made us go, we can actually figure out how to
00:24:13.150 --> 00:24:15.950
do this financially and how to make this work.
00:24:16.509 --> 00:24:19.549
You know, that, that is the trip that solidified
00:24:19.549 --> 00:24:23.289
for us that travel is incredible and it is so
00:24:23.289 --> 00:24:26.670
fun and that it became a priority for us after,
00:24:26.710 --> 00:24:30.069
after that trip. And so, yeah, that's, that's
00:24:30.069 --> 00:24:32.660
probably my favorite, my favorite one. Yeah,
00:24:32.680 --> 00:24:36.220
it is a tough, there's so many moments that are
00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:39.140
special moments in a lot of the trips. I think
00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:42.880
that initial Colorado trip where it snowed us
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:45.819
in unexpectedly, we didn't have to go anywhere
00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:48.079
for two or three days. It was like multiple feet
00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:50.380
of snow. you know, in the hot tub while it was
00:24:50.380 --> 00:24:52.920
snowing. That was super special. The trips to
00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:55.839
Italy obviously are amazing. Aruba's awesome.
00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.480
I highly recommend. I think Alaska, the Alaskan
00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:03.160
cruise is fresh on my mind because the trip before
00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:07.279
that was the crazy Italy one that we had no,
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.170
that went sideways, was super full. and super
00:25:11.170 --> 00:25:14.250
tough that we talked about. But in Alaska, it
00:25:14.250 --> 00:25:17.130
was our first big cruise. And for the longest
00:25:17.130 --> 00:25:18.730
time, we weren't cruise people. We're like, I
00:25:18.730 --> 00:25:21.910
don't get it. Why the ship? You're stuck on the
00:25:21.910 --> 00:25:25.309
boat and only going to where they go to port.
00:25:25.509 --> 00:25:27.789
Why wouldn't you just be in control, go where
00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:31.069
you want? And one thing that's super, super unexpectedly
00:25:31.069 --> 00:25:33.490
interesting, especially after a chaotic trip
00:25:33.490 --> 00:25:36.430
of living out of your suitcase for 10 days, is
00:25:36.430 --> 00:25:40.410
on a cruise, You unpack once. Then you let them
00:25:40.410 --> 00:25:42.849
take you places. You get off if you want. You
00:25:42.849 --> 00:25:45.829
don't have to. And then you get to see whatever
00:25:45.829 --> 00:25:47.829
you want to see. If you're done, if you're tired,
00:25:47.990 --> 00:25:50.150
cool. Go back to the boat. You can eat. You can
00:25:50.150 --> 00:25:53.670
sleep. Whatever. Even like going to a concert
00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:55.809
on the ship. Normally when you go to a concert,
00:25:55.950 --> 00:25:58.410
it's probably not in your hometown unless you're
00:25:58.410 --> 00:26:00.589
fortunate enough to live in a huge city. So then
00:26:00.589 --> 00:26:02.349
you go to the concert. You got to mess with parking.
00:26:02.490 --> 00:26:04.390
You go there. It doesn't start till whenever.
00:26:04.589 --> 00:26:06.789
And then you get done. because it lasts forever,
00:26:06.970 --> 00:26:08.630
super late at night. So what do you got to do?
00:26:08.670 --> 00:26:10.789
You're either staying at a hotel, if you can
00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:12.809
get through the traffic, or you're driving home.
00:26:13.069 --> 00:26:14.710
You're going to get home at like midnight, one,
00:26:14.869 --> 00:26:17.309
two, three, same thing with like an NFL game
00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:20.049
or something. So on a cruise, you go to the show,
00:26:20.150 --> 00:26:21.789
you go to the comedy show. And then when it's
00:26:21.789 --> 00:26:25.109
done, you have a very short walk to your bed
00:26:25.109 --> 00:26:28.309
and you go to sleep. I was like, okay, I get
00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:31.549
it. I get why people do this. And so Alaska was,
00:26:31.710 --> 00:26:34.799
we packed a lot in. But it was also really peaceful
00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.000
in certain areas because it's like, hey, we're
00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.559
going to be at sea for a day and a half. So yeah,
00:26:39.660 --> 00:26:41.339
you can do stuff on the boat. You don't have
00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:43.880
to. It's not scheduled. It's going to happen
00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:46.259
whether you want to go or not. And then you just
00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:48.279
pick what restaurants and that's all in like
00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:51.079
included. So yeah, that one's probably freshest
00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:53.480
on my mind because of the difference between
00:26:53.480 --> 00:26:56.039
the Italy trip and the cruise. That was it was
00:26:56.039 --> 00:26:59.230
definitely legit. Ashley, is there any other
00:26:59.230 --> 00:27:02.309
mistakes that we haven't talked about that you
00:27:02.309 --> 00:27:05.269
would love to warn people about? You know, that's
00:27:05.269 --> 00:27:08.369
hard because it's like one of the lessons I think
00:27:08.369 --> 00:27:12.269
I'm learning is the over -researching component.
00:27:12.970 --> 00:27:18.869
I will watch every YouTube video available. I
00:27:18.869 --> 00:27:21.509
will read all the things. I will utilize every
00:27:21.509 --> 00:27:25.890
resource at my disposal. And I go into a trip
00:27:25.890 --> 00:27:30.319
being... so prepared. The problem that I'm learning
00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:35.220
is that as a byproduct, it actually ends up creating
00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:39.039
this over anxiety in me when we actually get
00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:41.880
there. Because it's like, I have too much knowledge.
00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:45.299
I don't know how to regurgitate all the things
00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:48.240
that I've learned to you. What's relevant? What
00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.490
do you care about? Does it even matter? Like,
00:27:51.490 --> 00:27:53.549
and trying to like figure out how to do that.
00:27:53.630 --> 00:27:55.049
And then it's like, well, we could do this and
00:27:55.049 --> 00:27:58.589
we could do that. I know too much. Like I'm learning.
00:27:58.690 --> 00:28:00.799
There's a. there's a balance in there somewhere.
00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:03.279
And so I'm trying to find that, you know, this
00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:05.380
vacation that we're getting ready to take, we're
00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:06.859
taking it with some friends. And so I'm trying
00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:11.240
to also not like overdo my weird nerdy knowledge,
00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:13.299
right? Like that, I become a really big nerd
00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:15.079
when we go to take a trip, right? I can tell
00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:17.579
you all the things. So I'm trying to find that
00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:21.480
balance. And I actually saw a reel that talked,
00:28:21.539 --> 00:28:23.220
and we've talked through this and it makes sense.
00:28:23.619 --> 00:28:26.099
What actually happens when you have spent so
00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:30.009
long planning and processing and thinking and
00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:33.450
researching, it actually becomes more like executing
00:28:33.450 --> 00:28:37.630
a plan rather than enjoying an experience. Right,
00:28:37.670 --> 00:28:41.509
right. And so I think that for me is the biggest
00:28:41.509 --> 00:28:43.509
lesson that I'm actually currently in the middle
00:28:43.509 --> 00:28:48.049
of learning. Are you ever disappointed? Oh, yeah.
00:28:48.609 --> 00:28:51.130
Yeah. Yeah. That can happen with anything, right?
00:28:51.930 --> 00:28:53.869
You know, you think about like prom as a kid,
00:28:53.970 --> 00:28:56.029
like the best part of prom was the picking out
00:28:56.029 --> 00:28:57.529
the dress and the getting ready and the thought
00:28:57.529 --> 00:29:00.170
of prom. Prom itself is not usually that great,
00:29:00.289 --> 00:29:03.609
right? So I don't know. I think that's the, yeah,
00:29:03.670 --> 00:29:05.609
that's the lesson I'm currently learning is figuring
00:29:05.609 --> 00:29:09.279
out how to, how do I optimize my research? When
00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:12.319
is enough enough? And then how do I take a step
00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:16.500
back and enjoy the moment and being present rather
00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:19.079
than trying to execute this plan I've put together?
00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:23.400
Yeah. I think also, I think of how, because my
00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:25.720
experience is quite a bit different because I
00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:28.980
typically don't know anything and my experience
00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:32.200
is much more novel. And we know that in neuroscience
00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:35.980
that... the brain chases novelty, things that
00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.940
are new. And so that's why it's exciting when
00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:39.640
you experience something new for the first time.
00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:43.420
There's nervous energy, but you're excited about
00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:45.440
the novelty. And so when I go to a new city,
00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:49.059
I may know what I want to go see, but I think
00:29:49.059 --> 00:29:51.480
there's a huge benefit to not knowing too much
00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:54.140
about it. Because then it's almost like, while
00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:56.039
you were talking, it made me think of when someone
00:29:56.039 --> 00:29:58.660
reads the book before watching the movie. When
00:29:58.660 --> 00:30:02.500
has anyone ever been not disappointed in that
00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:05.599
scenario, right? Very rarely. Right. So you know
00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:08.440
everything, you have all this expectation, and
00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:11.039
then you see it and you're like, huh. Well, that's
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:13.259
different than I thought, right? And so that's
00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:15.299
why I asked if you were ever disappointed. For
00:30:15.299 --> 00:30:18.099
me, I'm rarely disappointed because I know like,
00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:19.920
oh, we're going to see the Coliseum. Cool. I
00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:21.980
haven't looked at a bunch of pictures and I don't
00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:26.299
want to. Like, I don't want to see too much because
00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:28.440
I'm going there. Like, why would I want to like,
00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:30.140
you know what I mean? So that's how I've kind
00:30:30.140 --> 00:30:32.339
of approached it just from a natural perspective.
00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:36.180
And I think that helps keep it novel. So for
00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:38.740
some of you, I think this is where AI can be
00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:42.339
in a way probably more helpful. Because in the
00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:44.740
old days, you would just watch a ton of YouTube
00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:46.720
videos or read a ton of blogs, and there's a
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:49.799
bunch of information. You can't always select
00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:52.000
or curate what you're seeing or reading, right?
00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:55.880
But with AI, you can really corral it in saying,
00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:59.240
hey, what are the top five things that I should
00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:01.759
consider when I'm in Rome? And then it'll list
00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:04.240
them out. And then you're like, cool. And you
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:06.559
can keep it as surface level as you want. And
00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:07.980
then you're like, okay, cool. If I'm going to
00:31:07.980 --> 00:31:10.420
do these three, are there any tips or tricks
00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:12.319
that I need to know? Because you've picked up
00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:13.940
a ton of stuff like that. We were like, hey,
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:16.720
I learned on this video that if we buy this pass,
00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:20.039
then it lets us go on any transportation in Rome
00:31:20.039 --> 00:31:22.140
for the whole time we're here. And you're like,
00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:23.900
oh, well, that's cool. I mean, you want to know
00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:25.880
those kinds of things, right? That's not going
00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:28.660
to take away from the trip. That's a very helpful
00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:31.720
logistical tip. It doesn't ruin the experience.
00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:34.000
or disappoint you in any way. Like those are
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.059
helpful things. So using things like that to
00:31:36.059 --> 00:31:38.819
kind of curate the information flow is what makes
00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:41.359
me think of that. And I've seen you use AI in
00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:43.400
that way recently. You're like, hey, help me
00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:45.859
plan this trip. And it gives you these parameters.
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:49.240
And you're kind of more in the driver's seat
00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:51.279
of what you get to learn and the information
00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:53.819
that comes your way. Because in a certain respect,
00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:57.799
I want you to also have that wonder, excitement,
00:31:58.039 --> 00:32:01.900
first time seeing it situation that, you know,
00:32:02.269 --> 00:32:04.710
I get to experience a lot of times. So and then
00:32:04.710 --> 00:32:07.589
the last question is, what is a trip that changed
00:32:07.589 --> 00:32:09.849
you? What makes you think of that? I know we
00:32:09.849 --> 00:32:12.950
keep referencing this particular trip, but genuinely
00:32:12.950 --> 00:32:16.089
like the trip that we took to Italy just a few
00:32:16.089 --> 00:32:19.269
years ago really changed, first of all, the way
00:32:19.269 --> 00:32:21.450
that I plan our travel based upon the lessons
00:32:21.450 --> 00:32:25.730
that we learned. It made us learn like genuinely
00:32:25.730 --> 00:32:28.309
we had to learn how to communicate better in
00:32:28.309 --> 00:32:32.210
a foreign country. trying to navigate transportation
00:32:32.210 --> 00:32:35.509
in a foreign country. We missed a train. Okay,
00:32:35.609 --> 00:32:37.450
then like you said, the dominoes fell for that
00:32:37.450 --> 00:32:40.190
day, right? Or one of the days I got mixed up
00:32:40.190 --> 00:32:42.109
and we had changed our mind on what we were doing
00:32:42.109 --> 00:32:44.549
when and I booked a ticket for the wrong day.
00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:47.230
Now, fortunately, we could get that figured out.
00:32:47.309 --> 00:32:49.809
We had a ticket that got canceled on us that
00:32:49.809 --> 00:32:52.269
we had to then pivot and figure out, right? It
00:32:52.269 --> 00:32:55.069
started pouring down rain, walking on the way
00:32:55.069 --> 00:32:57.809
to this other ticket for another museum. And
00:32:57.809 --> 00:33:00.089
it was one of those moments of like, had we not
00:33:00.089 --> 00:33:03.809
been doing the things and already figuring out
00:33:03.809 --> 00:33:06.420
little ways. to optimize our mindset, I could
00:33:06.420 --> 00:33:08.099
have seen how that trip could have gone even
00:33:08.099 --> 00:33:12.619
worse than it did. right? We had to learn to,
00:33:12.740 --> 00:33:15.759
one of the things we just did was we're walking
00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:17.839
through Rome and it is pouring down rain and
00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:20.079
we are soaking wet and you just have to laugh.
00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:23.420
Like you just have to find the joy in those moments.
00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:27.480
And so I think it changed me for a myriad of
00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:29.259
reasons. But one of the things that it also did
00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:31.140
was it showed me all of the things that I had
00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:33.599
been doing, the mental work that I had been doing,
00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:35.740
the work that we had been putting in on our marriage.
00:33:35.880 --> 00:33:40.799
I saw those things. pay off in front of me. And
00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:42.880
I thought about like, man, old Ashley would have
00:33:42.880 --> 00:33:46.359
responded to the, all of the compoundingness
00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.920
of all of these things in a very different way
00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:52.839
than what she did. Right. I even ended up super
00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:55.220
sick, like right before we were coming home.
00:33:55.319 --> 00:33:59.339
And so just all of the things that so many things,
00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:02.180
but had, yeah, had we not been doing the work
00:34:02.180 --> 00:34:04.660
and optimizing so many things in our lives, it
00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:06.839
could have been so much different. And so, you
00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:10.500
know, that, That trip showed me the power of...
00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:13.739
mindset and the power of choosing joy and the
00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:17.320
power of the habit of gratitude and how communication
00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:20.900
in the midst of stress and frustration, all of
00:34:20.900 --> 00:34:24.059
those things really culminated in those 10 days
00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:28.179
together. And so that is probably for me one
00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:31.920
of the largest standout trips that probably changed
00:34:31.920 --> 00:34:36.639
me the most in that way. And then in a completely
00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:40.579
different way, we got to go hike Zion. national
00:34:40.579 --> 00:34:43.920
park for not quite a week for about three to
00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:48.000
four days and just being in the majesty of of
00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:52.079
zion and getting to be in creation and uh you
00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:54.739
know sunrise hikes and being out and looking
00:34:54.739 --> 00:34:56.579
at the stars and all of the things that came
00:34:56.579 --> 00:34:59.139
with that yeah that that changed me but in a
00:34:59.139 --> 00:35:01.239
very different way yeah that one was special
00:35:01.239 --> 00:35:04.460
yeah angels landing being up there that's It's
00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:06.480
a totally different scale that you don't fully
00:35:06.480 --> 00:35:10.360
think about. I also think Antelope Canyon on
00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:13.239
the border of Arizona and Utah, that was like
00:35:13.239 --> 00:35:17.099
a whole nother universe. It was like a Mac screensaver,
00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:19.980
you know, like it was so cool. So yeah, those
00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:23.250
two definitely. definitely different. We've never
00:35:23.250 --> 00:35:25.769
done that before. So yeah, as you can see, we
00:35:25.769 --> 00:35:28.429
both love travel and we love talking about it,
00:35:28.449 --> 00:35:30.969
but we've run out of time today. So in future
00:35:30.969 --> 00:35:33.530
episodes, we're going to talk about loyalty programs,
00:35:33.889 --> 00:35:36.630
travel reward cards, how to figure out what your
00:35:36.630 --> 00:35:39.150
bucket lists are and how important it is to make
00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:42.269
those, the use of travel blogs, channels, even
00:35:42.269 --> 00:35:44.849
AI, like I just talked about. And then also these
00:35:44.849 --> 00:35:47.289
alert services that you can get messages and
00:35:47.289 --> 00:35:50.750
alerts for cheap flights or other things that
00:35:50.750 --> 00:35:53.420
you can do. that kind of led to one of our most
00:35:53.420 --> 00:35:55.960
interesting trips. So subscribe so you don't
00:35:55.960 --> 00:35:57.820
miss it. Thanks for listening to the Optimizing
00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:00.340
Beyond podcast. Remember, growth happens when
00:36:00.340 --> 00:36:02.599
you take action. So subscribe, share this with
00:36:02.599 --> 00:36:04.699
a friend, and most importantly, put what you
00:36:04.699 --> 00:36:07.139
learned into practice. Because as we know, daily
00:36:07.139 --> 00:36:09.099
anything changes everything.