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Welcome to Nostalgic Travel Talks! I’m a former Spanish teacher turned travel advisor, passionate about curating unforgettable experiences. My expertise lies in European adventures (with a special love for Spain), cruising, and all-inclusive Caribbean getaways. I specialize in creating tailored trips for families, multi-generational groups, and teachers—whether they’re traveling solo, with colleagues, or leading student groups.
In this podcast, we celebrate the joy of travel, uncover hidden gems, share practical tips and tricks, and embrace the spirit of adventure. Each episode features inspiring conversations with fascinating guests from all walks of life as they share their unique travel stories, lessons, and favorite destinations. Whether you're planning your next getaway or simply love to dream about the possibilities, this is your place to explore the world from wherever you are.
Let’s embark on this journey together! 🌍✈️
Imagine a world where every high school student, not just those with means, has the chance to step outside their neighborhood, their country, and truly see a world through a new lens. What if life -changing travel experiences were accessible to all, sparking curiosity, empathy, and confidence? Welcome to Nostalgic Travel Talks. I'm Alexander Johnson. And I'm Cheryl Johnson. Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to Youth Exchange Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking down financial and social barriers to international youth exchange programs. Together, we're going to dive into why cultural exchange changes lives and how this organization is making it possible for every motivated student. Awesome. Well, so nice to be interviewing you, Ms. Sheryl. I think to start, right, I think it'd be really great for the audience to get an idea of really what your connection to Youth Exchange is and really just kind of understand what inspired and motivated you to start this organization. Okay. Well, I'm glad you asked. To start off, I was a Spanish teacher for many years, and one of the things that gave me the most joy during my career was taking kids on exchange programs, like an extended field trip. We had a connection with a group of people from Spain, and so we decided to start the exchange from there. And one of the things that I noticed when we were arranging these trips and inviting students that we thought were good candidates for it, there were always some kids that really, really wanted to go, but they couldn't. And their finances were the barrier. And I think every student should have the privilege of getting to go on one of these trips if they truly want to, because they are life -changing, in my opinion. And so, as a teacher, there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it at the time, but it was just kind of heartbreaking to see that kids couldn't actually go on these trips. And the kids that did get to go, their faces just lit up when they came back and they talked about it with their other classmates. Those kids, not everybody was interested in going, the kids that wanted to, they just kind of felt left out. And I just didn't like that. And I didn't know what to do about it. And, you know, now that I'm retired, I've had time to think about it. I became a travel advisor after all those years in education. And I thought, you know, this is my opportunity to do something about this. I've always wanted to, because I've always said to myself, hey, if I had a million dollars, I would definitely, like if I won the lottery or something, I would use that money and I would, I would donate it to different schools and help kids. you know, be able to do this. So that's what got me on this path. I love it. I love it. Um, I think that kind of answers kind of the next thing, you know, I was curious about in terms of challenges. I mean, I think you, you hit kind of the nail on the head, right? The biggest barrier being financial. Um, is there anything else that you can tell us that, um, like maybe you were there, could you talk about maybe the, some of the challenges that you might've faced or the group might've faced while you were there that also have kind of fed into, um, you know, you ultimately putting together this collective. It can be cultural, anything. Oh, absolutely. I think one of the things that kids don't realize when, you know, when you're in a teaching situation, I don't think it's just kids, it's just people in general, what you don't realize is that when you are learning something in a classroom, it's just very abstract. And when you actually get a chance to go out and in the world and see things, you were like, I remember, for example, we were talking to kids about, you know, in Spain, they have a siesta in the afternoon, right? And, you know, we would talk about it in class. And I remember this girl, we were We were on a trip and we were in, I don't even know what city we were in, some city in Spain. It was probably a small town. And all the stores were closed in the afternoon. And I just will never forget, she said, I know you talked about this in class, but I didn't think it was real. Because we had to wait for, we had to wait. And being Americans, we're used to just doing stuff. We're very, Impatient. And that's not something you can teach people, like what it's like to be in a different culture and how you do definitely have to slow down. For example, we were, you know, when you go and I'm guilty of it, too. You go to a restaurant and, you know, you eat and you're waiting for, you know, in here, you know, the waiter or waitress is always coming to the table, making sure you're OK and checking on you and everything. But when when you're in Spain, It's, you're going to, they like to give you time. Of course. So you can just have your conversation. They don't want to rush you. And it's very, it's very difficult for people sometimes to adjust to something like that. Sure. You know, I mean, you're in and out maybe within an hour. Yeah. And this is how, you know, it's a good restaurant when you're in Spain and you got people waiting outside, like it's like it's the club trying to get in, you know? Yeah, exactly. And that's how, you know, it's a good restaurant. I love it. So it's things like that. That's definitely one of the things that, you know, when you asked that question came to mind, how the textbook is just very static. And when you actually get a chance to take kids places, it just brings it to life. Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. I know I've done my fair share of trips with you. I always I know, right. quick before we go on, I know that's, when people ask me where I get my travel bug from, I was like, definitely my mom, because, and it's just, it is, travel does something to the psyche, something that's completely irreversible, so I love that, yes. Can you tell us about, well, what, Okay, so let's back up a little bit. What does a typical exchange program look like for like an individual? For the individual student? Okay, well generally we have our group, we get our group together, we find out who's going to go on the trip, and then What we do is we coordinate with the teacher from the other school because we have to match the kids because they're going to stay with their host families when they get there, at least for part of the trip. And so we talk, we get, you know, if it's a student that I don't necessarily have in class, I learn about that student. I have to find out about him or her. And the teachers, our counterparts on the other side of the ocean, are doing the same thing. And we have a lot of discussions. We find out who we think is going to match personality -wise. And I think we've done a pretty good job of that. And then once we get there, we go through all of the normal things that you do when you plan a trip. Once we get there, they meet their host families, and it's like, we say goodbye to them for at least a day so they can adapt. And they're in safe hands. They've got their host parents and their new sibling, so to speak. And they just spend some time with each other. And then we see them the next day at school. So we get there, we arrive, whatever day, we let them go off and find their way. And it's really important to us not to have roommates that are Americans. We want them to be immersed in the language. Most of the kids have had at least some background in learning Spanish. So we give them that chance. And then once they They've had that overnight. They come back to school. We talk about it. They're so excited to talk about what happened. And they spend a little bit of time in school so they can see. And that's another thing. They get a chance to compare and contrast what school is like. It's so different than what they're used to in the United States. And so they do that. We don't have them in school all day because you get kind of bored because you're not getting a grade. So we just want them to have the experience just so they can understand what it's like. And then we take them on field trips during the day when the kids are at school. And we try to avoid going places that we think that the families are going to take them. So we go on field trips, and we get back in time for the end of the school day. And then, again, we just send them off to be with their families. They know where we are. If they ever need anything, there's always that. At the end of that portion of the trip, we go to another city so they can get a little bit of an understanding of different parts of Spain. So every group is different. So some groups get a chance to go to Barcelona. It depends. We talk to the kids about where they want to go, aside from Madrid. And we customize every trip that way. And there are teachers all over the country that are doing this kind of thing. And we just want to help them make it easier. if they have students that are in the same situation that our students were in. I love that. I love that. So piggybacking off of that, right? Unexpected moments, right? I know I've done my fair share of. Like exchange like programs. Mm -hmm. Talk about I mean, obviously you probably can't talk about everything Did you share with the audience? Maybe just a couple of things that have really stood out and like your students have told you that like Oh, you know, mrs. Johnson, this was so great or even you as the educated the one driving have been able to be like wow That was a really cool moment for us unexpected, huh Well, I think a couple of things that have happened. I would say there have been times when we've gone places and I've gotten lost and didn't want to admit it. So I play it off and make it a teachable moment. So what do you do when you get lost, guys? And they have to, it's like, who are we going to ask for help? How are we going to, how are we going to find our way? Yeah. And So I'm like, you know, if I were you, I'd probably look for a woman because you can always trust women with children. Yeah, for sure. You know, and I remember we were going somewhere. I don't know if we were necessarily lost. I might have just wanted to, you know, get them to talk to somebody. And so there happened to be a nun walking around. And so I was like, that's a really good person to ask. And it was just, you know, It was fun and I remember that and it happened again another time. We were in Barcelona. The time with the nun was in, that was in Madrid, but we were in Barcelona and one of my, one of the things that my students will tell you is that I love to walk. And so we were walking and For those of you, for people that haven't been to Barcelona, it's a really long walk from Park Güell to Sagrada Familia. And the thing about Park Güell is it's way up on a hill and getting there and it's, you know, obviously a steep incline. So getting, we walked all the way up. that hill to get to Sagrada Familia. And I was just like, I hope we're going the right way. I think we are, but I really didn't know. I mean, I kind of had a feeling, but I was just unsure. So again, I just was like, hey, maybe you guys want to ask somebody. So I did the same thing that I did in the other city. And they did, they asked someone and they had a good conversation with that person. Those are the kinds of, you know, fun, unexpected things that come up. I know that's right. So I think we kind of touched on this in the last question, but immersive experiences, right? Something you and I have talked about ad nauseum over many years. But can you maybe tell the audience, maybe give a perspective on really just how important immersive learning is for not even just youth people, also adults, right? People trying to do things like learn languages. We always talk about how immersive experiences and doing things through conversation can be so powerful and really help to get you embedded in the community. Maybe talk about how something like that has helped you to kind of shape your ethos around your organization. Well, I can think of so many different experiences. One of the things is when you're learning a language, no matter who you are, because I'm a teacher, but I'm also a student, and you know, it's always going to be that way. Until the day I die, I'm going to be a teacher and a student forever. And so some of the things, so these are things that have happened to me too. You learn so much faster at such a, just a much faster rate when you're in the culture, because you can learn from a textbook. and that's going to get you only so far. You have to immerse yourself. So when I go to Spain and I hang out with my friends, we talk, and they do the same thing when they come to the United States and visit me. You learn all these words, and I just write them down on my phone. I just write them down. and try to refer back to them. I mean, I remember them for as long as I can. If I'm away too long, I forget. But I pick up on so many words. For example, we were, I don't know if you remember this, but because you were there on this particular trip with me, it was when I was studying for my master's. Second time? Probably. And we were at the pool. Do you remember being at the pool? Oh, yes. We burned that day. Oh, my God. Well, you guys were in the pool and I was talking to Lloyda. Yeah. And we were sitting there and we were just having a conversation. And she was just asking me. She was like, because these aren't things that are going to come up in school. Sure. We were you know, there was a pool noodle and she's like, how do you say that in English? And I said, oh, that's a noodle. And she's like, oh, we call them churros. I would never have thought of that. thought of that, that never would have come up. You don't think of words like that, like to ask your teacher, how do you say pool noodle? And so those are the kinds of things, that's just an immersive experience that you're not gonna have any other way other than to experience it. And going to the store and buying food, just things that you don't even think about in daily life. And when you actually get out there and do it, you're doing it and you know and so some of the things that we've done with the students we arranged a scavenger hunt for them oh and so they had to they had to go to these different places they had to take pictures so we knew that they actually did it and that they found the place um i don't i can't even remember some of the clues right now but but you know it was just a way for them to explore the city in a safe way. And we just stayed in a central location. We went to the Plaza Mayor. And we just had, we got something to drink. We sat down and waited for them to come back. And some kids came back faster than others. And they had a prize for winning. We just bought them some souvenirs. And I mean, those are things that, they had to interact with people to get the prize. whatever they were looking for. I love that. So those are some of the things we did. Skill building. How important. Has a student ever come back to you and said, you know, Mrs. Johnson, this experience has really completely shaped my, changed the way that I've looked at approaching my own life, right? You touched on just now the skill building. Maybe talk about, you know, times where or what travel can do for helping others to build skills that they can carry on for their life? Maybe even share examples that your own students have shared with you. You know, I was talking to, not too long ago, and I was talking to Sarah, who is probably going to be on a future episode. Nice. Because she's going to be a part of Youth Exchange Collective. She's on the board, along with Ali, my colleague. They're both on the board. And so I'm hoping that they'll be on a future episode with me. I think maybe in the next month or so, we'll see. And I remember Sarah telling me that, you know, after that, you know, whoever, I don't remember her host students, her host brother, you know, her whole sibling, I don't remember the name, but they she's gone back for weddings. And, you know, so that this carries on generations, you know, so obviously they've got family ties and not just Sarah, but there are so many others that have talked about, you know, how they've gone back to Spain, and then the Spaniards come to the United States, and they've got a family now. I consider it an extended family. They've got people that they know. that they can visit. And I even do that. If I have a question, especially when I was still teaching Spanish, if I had a question, I would just text Lloyda and say, hey, how do you say this? Because I'm having a hard time with that. We would just ask each other questions, ask for help. I mean, so these are the kinds of things. Because it doesn't just affect the students. It affects the teachers, too. It builds lifelong connections with them, too. So those are the kinds of things that we would do. that we would do. That's the first thing that came to mind when you asked that question. Love it. Love it. Love it. Well, shift gears here just a little bit. I would love to jump into your mission. You have an ethos centered around compassion, equity, empathy, curiosity. Can you tell us about how you kind of exhibit those things in your own daily life? In my daily life? Just going out and I guess building relationships with people. And are you looking for an example? You know what? Don't want to put you on the spot. If you had anything to share, great. If not, listen, I always tend to be of the sound mind that the best way to people to get a feel for you is to talk to you. you will absolutely learn about the real Sheryl Johnson. What you see is what you get. You know, and obviously I might be biased, but... Just a little bit. You know. But no, if you had something that was top of mind, for sure. Otherwise, no pressure. Let's come back to that. Yeah. OK. Hey, we have a rapid fire round, so that's OK. We have a rapid fire. Yes. That's true. How can listeners get involved or support the Youth Exchange collective mission? They can go to the, we're gonna, we have a website that's coming live soon. Right now we're on Facebook and so they can reach out that way, can volunteer. spread the word you know follow me on my socials and you know take it from there I'm gonna definitely be needing some support getting it started and best part you will always be in contact with her no middlemen you will be speaking with yes Cheryl Johnson yes definitely and I think finally Why is ensuring that access to these kinds of programs, why is it important for the future communities of the world? I just think that the only way, there's so many problems in the world today, and I think a lot of it comes from people just not understanding each other. People don't know, they're afraid of people that they don't know, and especially when it comes to cultures that they're not familiar with. If you as a young person can get out there and and meet, even if it's just one other country. It's because every country is so different than every other. And if you can get out there and just see something different, see the world, you're going to find out that people live differently than you. You're going to find so many fun things. you know, make friends. And I think making, having friendships, that just goes so far. You know, I think about it with just growing up when I was in high school. I remember that. So, you know, just, just, integration, high schools and integration, it's kind of the same thing. You know, people don't know each other, like they're all in different in the silos. If you're, you know, you got kids over here, I remember when I started high school, that was the year they started the 220 program in Milwaukee. Wow. And so what that meant was, they were going to integrate these kids the suburban schools, so that they would have a mixture of students. And the thing is, I think what works better is having people live next to each other, and then you're naturally going to school together. For sure. Because one of the problems with that was everybody knew who was an outsider. But when you lived next door to somebody that was different than you, you got to know them on a personal level, and I think it's the same thing with travel. You just get out there, you, you know, and it might be a little forced when your teachers are, you know, assigning you to a host family, but I mean, it's a start, you know? No doubt. Well, that discomfort breeds character, right? I think at the end of the day. So, yeah. Awesome. Well, really appreciate your time today. Thank you for sharing your insights with us to the listeners. Definitely make sure you follow her on her socials. Make sure I get all these right. Well, I'm going to post it in the show notes. Oh, OK. Well, OK. Cool. So I don't have to know that. No pressure. No pressure. Well, before we go, let's definitely do the quickfire round. OK. Absolutely. All right. I might ask you some of these quickfire questions too. Let's do it. Let's do it. First one, coffee or tea? Coffee. How about you? I definitely got to go with tea. I can't stand the taste of coffee. Oh, you don't put enough sugar in it. That's the only way I'd be able to drink it. Beach vacation or city adventure? Oh, I guess it depends on how tired I am. Like if I'm under stress and I want a vacation, I'm going to the beach. There you go. Yeah. Very relaxing. I think I have to agree with you there. I've lived in big cities as much as I lived in the city of Milwaukee at this point. so definitely beach vacation. I think I know the answer to this. Early bird or night owl? I am a night owl. I like to stay up. Are you? Oh, you thought I was gonna say an early bird? Yeah. No, I get up early when I have to. Okay. But no, I'm a night owl. I'll stay up until two or three in the morning if I can. Okay. You learn something new every single day. How about you? Definitely early bird. Definitely early bird. I do all my best thinking in the morning. Definitely. I don't know. It's just something about getting up and getting active. I mean, I can adapt. I'm a morning person when I have to be. Once I'm awake, I'm fine. But not my thing. I didn't know that. I've known you my whole life. I didn't know that. I had a job all your life. That's true. This is true. Exploring local markets or going to a museum? I think a museum. Really? Yes. Didn't expect that either. You know, I mean, I like going to the markets, but I like I like museums. OK. Because museums, there's there's so many different types of museums. I hear you. Like I am determined to go to the Tapestry Museum in Madrid one day if they don't close it before if it doesn't go out of business before I get there I Say that because it's one of Ali's favorite things. She's been wanting to go there. No kidding. Not really. Okay, I Just wanted to add that Talking or text texting, you know, I prefer to text I didn't always feel that way, but I prefer to text. Yeah now that I've you know I gotta say, I've grown over to the FaceTime side of it. It's always nice to see people's faces. Learning languages through book or through conversation? I know the answer to this. Oh, absolutely conversation. Yeah, for sure. No brainer. For sure. This has been so much fun. I can't wait for the next episode. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Of course. I'm so glad you were able to help me out and join me on this one. Of course. So speaking of our next episode, do you know what it's going to be about? If my memory serves me right, solo travel. Absolutely. Solo travel. Especially for those that like an adventure. Actually, I'm still due to do my first solo adventure. So that'll be fun to talk about. Yeah, absolutely. Awesome. Thank you again. Thanks for talking with me. We're excited to keep growing this community and empowering youth worldwide. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any future stories or tips. And make sure to come back next week when we'll be diving into the exciting world of solo travel. sharing insights, challenges, and how to make the most of traveling on your own. Thanks for listening and we'll see you then.