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“You can’t really sell travel from a book — you have to sell it from experience.” — Mark Hale
Welcome to Cheryl's Travel Blueprint! 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! 🌍✈️
Behind every seamless vacation is a travel advisor who's navigated storms, both literal and metaphorical. And today we're pulling back the curtain on a profession that's part detective, part Dreamweaver. Well, hello, everybody, and thank you all for joining us here today. I'm joined by my co -host, Miss Brittany Johnson. It's me. And also Mark and Lisa Hale. Hello. Thank you. Hello. Thanks for having us. Oh, I'm happy that we're both happy to have you. And we brought Mark and Lisa here because they are both involved in travel. Lisa in corporate travel until just recently and Mark in, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you, what you do? Well, I actually do a little bit of corporate and I actually do a lot, a lot more leisure, leisure travel. I've been doing that for about 35 years. And, uh, It's always just been in my blood from when I was a little kid. Me and my best friend used to always go to the airport in Milwaukee and watch the planes take off and stuff like that. And after that, I think I just got the travel bug. And after I got out, well, I was in the process of getting out of the military and didn't really know what I was going to do. And one of the girls that I was stationed with said, I'm thinking about going to travel school. after I get out and because I wanted to be a travel agent station where my boyfriend is in Pensacola. So I said, well, let me kick that around and see how that turns out. So I did some research and I said, well, you know, this this may be a plan, you know, because I always had to travel bug. And let me try it. And I went into school and finished that. And as soon as I finished that, I moved up to Milwaukee. You met me in travel school. Yes. I met my wife in travel school. And I started working for an airline in Milwaukee. And for a little while... From Midwest Express, right? From Midwest Express Airlines, the best care in the air. And after I worked there for a little while, I moved down to Atlanta, Georgia. I got a job there. a Fortune 500 travel company. And 35 years later, I'm still here. All right. That's amazing. So you must obviously enjoy it. I enjoy it. I enjoy the travel part more. Yes, indeed. Understandably so. So what was your favorite thing, Lisa, about corporate travel? Corporate travel is a different beast within itself. I don't even know if I had a favorite part, but what it entailed was I had different accounts. You work with different corporate people, AT &T and all other type of major companies. And just building some relationships during that time, it was more interesting to me than anything. A lot of networking involved, I'm sure. A lot of networking involved in that. And it was interesting. You work with a lot of people, but you build your own clientele. So you work with certain people all the time. So that was interesting because you got to know them a little bit better. Know them, know their families, know what they like, know what they didn't like, those type of things. Oh, very cool. Do you think there are any things that people believe about the profession that are just myths? Can you think of something? That they believe that's a myth? Things that they believe are true, but it's just ridiculous. Well, sometimes they think that that you can do everything. That sometimes they're thinking that you want to charge more and I can get it better myself and stuff like that. And they're thinking, or you guys are holding out, you're working with the airlines and stuff like that to boost the rates on plane tickets and stuff like that. So you have to let them know, hey, we're selling from the airlines itself. We don't actually own the airline. True, true. And I think one thing that people should know, and you can weigh in on this and tell me what you think, is that a lot of times, well, people will look things up and say, oh, I can get this at such a good price, can't you? And I think that's what you're talking about. Right, exactly. And then I don't think they realize that a lot of times, they're not looking at, it's not apples to apples. Especially like when you look at a cruise, for example, I don't know if you, everybody's probably encountered this. When you look at a cruise, they always give you the best price, but they're not necessarily giving you you know, all the information. Drink packages and all those add -ons. Wi -Fi, extra for Wi -Fi. It's just the basics is what they're giving you. It's an enticement. And then when you add it all up, it's just like, oh my goodness. How do we get to this price? We started at $800, but now it's like $15 ,000. Exactly. And so that's why I think a lot of times people don't realize the value of a travel advisor. They don't know that we can navigate all of those things and give you a package that you can be happy with. It's a way to make, if you're the one trying to go on vacation, a travel agent just makes it infinitely easier, takes all the guesswork out of it. Someone else is doing that labor for you. Exactly. That's what you would want, to have that person that you can contact and let them handle it all. Because frankly, I wouldn't want to do all that myself. Not at all. Trying to plan a group trip, and you know, you're trying to coordinate like, okay, how many people can we get? Oh, it's just a mess. It's a mess trying to do it yourself. Right. And especially, like, say, for example, not all the members of the group are coming from the same city. Even worse. You got to work on that. There's a lot of logistics involved. And then when, you know, sometimes get delayed or canceled, if you, I feel like travel agents are really saviors when it comes to that kind of thing. They can help people navigate through all of that and, you know, cut through all the noise and, and then that's one less headache for the traveler, you know, for sure. Have you seen an evolution in the travel industry? Like, I don't know, maybe with AI or other things, have you seen any, Having been in the industry for so many years, how have you seen the changes? Well, for me, I've seen that most of the customers that I deal with are pretty much travel savvy, especially the clientele that I deal with. A lot of times they've been there multiple times, they know what they want, they know about upgrades, they know about the class of service they want to be in, they know exactly what kind of perks they want. They want to use their freaking flyer miles or they want, they just really on top of things. So a lot of times when they call, they already know what they want, you know. But then you have some clients that you got to kind of hold their hand because they're not too savvy on trying to look for things up on Google and things like that. So, you know, you just have to do a lot of hand holding on that. For the older, I say, the older customers that I deal with. Yeah, definitely. Especially with, you know, like with just the way this world works. Right, right, right, right. Because every once in a while I'll get somebody that'll call me and say, I want to go somewhere warm in December. And then they would just be so vague. And then you have to, you just got to say, okay, where have you been? And then you give them, because if you don't, if you start naming all these places, oh, I've been there. Oh, I've been there. I want to be, you know, you want to try to get them a narrow it down. So, you know, I got to do a lot of probing. So. Elimination game. Elimination. Right. Right. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Okay. Well, speaking of all things travel, I think we're going to share a few interesting deals that are available right now. So I'm going to pass it off to Brittany. Alright, so we've got a few great travel specials coming up for you guys. So the first one we're going to be talking about, World of Wonder sales event. You can save $1 ,000 per couple on select 2026 Globus tours worldwide. That means anywhere. You can go ahead and save $1 ,000 per couple on select 2026 Globus tours worldwide. With Globus, you don't just see the world. You're going to experience it in a way that turns every moment into a treasure from front row access to iconic sites to seamless, stress -free travel. We handle the details so you can focus on collecting memories, not expenses. But like all great riches, this deal will not last forever. You guys need to make sure you're booking by November 9th and travel needs to be booked between January 1st and the December 31st of 2026. So get on that. It's not going to last forever. Remember, book that by November 9th for your next year of travel. Plan out the year you wanna have. It'll be a great one full of travel experiences if you go with Globus. Another deal that we've got going on, your stay elevated at the Westin Maui Resort and Spa. Yes, Maui, the Maui. I'd love to go. I might be actually taking advantage of this deal pretty soon. So you can elevate your island getaway with unforgettable resort experiences. You can enjoy a complimentary room upgrade for added comfort. Begin each morning with an oceanfront breakfast for two at Ulu Kitchen and indulge with a $100 resort credit, all designed to make every moment of your retreat unforgettable. Travel dates are going to be from now through July 31st of 2026. You guys just need to make sure you book this one by November 11th of 2025. That's November 11th of 2025 and that's going to be good for you. dates from now through July 31st of next year. So be sure to get on that it will not last forever. And who wouldn't love to be on a sandy beach in Maui, nice weather, you're hearing the sound of the birds around, it's going to be awesome. You don't want to miss that. So I have another question for you guys. Since the pandemic, what kinds of differences have you noticed? And are there any trends that travelers are tending to or? Trends, let's see. I'm getting a lot of more requests for something outside of, I normally get a lot of Europe. But I'm getting, lately I would say within the last year and a half, I've been getting a lot of Asia. I've getting a lot of people that would like to go to Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand. And before the pandemic, It was pretty much Europe. I wonder if people are just saying, you know what, we need to get our bucket list taken care of. Another trend that I am seeing is a lot more generational. trips with families, especially during the holidays. Because before I used to see a lot of people just traveling, just mom, dad and kids. Now I'm seeing mom, dad, kids, grandparents, nieces, nephew doing that. Everybody on the plane. Yeah, everybody. Or the cruise. Yes. Yeah. Well, that's very cool. I love that about these emerging travel destinations. I don't know how much TV affects that, you know, like a lot of the reality TV, you're seeing people going to all these exotic destinations and you know, makes you just, I don't know if that plays a role in it or not. Yeah, I would think it plays some role in it because you're like... I think I want to do that. It's beautiful. It's like, is it really like that? Let's do that. For sure. Yeah, like that show Amazing Race, where they went to all these different places and stuff like that. And people, they see that on TV and say, well, you know, that's kind of outside the box. I would like to try that. Absolutely. I mean, I have definitely been... Brittany and I have both been talking about that. We want to go. We want to go on the show. I don't know. If you guys are watching, producers of The Amazing Race, if you're watching right now, cast us. We'll do great. We'll do great. Not us, but them. Get us a slot. And every destination, doesn't matter which contest it is, you're going to do something you don't like, no matter what. They make sure of it. That's really it. That's amazing. In regards to the pandemic, do you think that people have been booking? Are we back to like pre -pandemic travel in your experience? Like from what you've seen, do you think we're back at those elevated levels of travel? I know there was absolutely a dip during the pandemic as to be expected. Oh, yeah. Because when during the pandemic, you know, we would be cheering and we get one call a day, somebody booking a hotel. And these hotels were offering cheap rooms in New York City, Chicago, everywhere. So, you know, Definitely definitely is picked up is definitely picked up. I mean sometimes you can even can't even take a break You know, you're you got emails. You got phone calls. They want to go here and they want to go now They'd still wait to the last minute though They still want to deal and when I went to the last minute, but you know, uh -huh still got a lot of requests I mean, we're really busy right now, you know, cuz you got the holidays coming up you got Thanksgiving you got Christmas and then I get a lot of people that did do a lot of planning or start doing for spring break for the kids, you know, once they get the kids' schedules and stuff like that, they gotta go ahead and plan, so. Mm -hmm, makes sense, yeah, for sure, yeah. I do wonder what the future is for Las Vegas, because lately, just the situation with the prices, everybody's talking about the prices in Vegas, and you know, as locals, Yes. I don't appreciate. Right. I don't appreciate the, you know, if I want to do a staycation, I want to be able to stay without resort fees. Exactly. Exactly. And I don't want to have to pay for parking. I don't think anybody should be paying for parking. No, I don't think so either. You're paying enough for the hotel, for your dining, and if your club, if you're at that age, you like to club, you're paying enough for that. You are. And if you're locals, I think They gotta do something to entice us. And that's the thing, when tourism is down, they're looking to us, and they need to act accordingly. And this price gouging with the prices of food and drinks is insane. And recently, we went out to dinner, speaking of which, and we chose intentionally to go someplace that was off the strip, because that was something that was just, you know, we didn't have to pay for parking, and just didn't have to deal with all of that. So I think that's one of the things that a lot of people are looking at with Vegas. And I think Vegas is still doable. It's just, and if you don't want to pay those kinds of things, yeah, you got to be strategic and probably stay someplace off the strip. And it's not hard to get to the strip or anything. Not at all. What kind of advice would you give to aspiring travel professionals? Do you have any words of wisdom? That would like to get into the travel business? Oh, that is a good question. You got to love the travel for one thing. Absolutely. Yeah. You have to be creative. you have to be a people person, and you have to be able to use the tools that you've been provided. You gotta know the different airline terminals, or like Sabre and the different airline computer systems. You just have to be willing to create a vacation like you would like for yourself, and try to sell that over the phone. Because you have to be able to speak to them like, not like a cookie cutter salesman or something like that, but you have to bring an experience over the phone, and sometimes that's hard to do. So you have to create something over the phone to make memories for them, so there's everlasting, so they'll come back. So you have to be energetic when you're speaking to the customer, you have to try to turn them around, because sometimes they get really frustrated. So sometimes you have to pack a little patience with some of the customers and treat customers differently, because you're going to have some that know what they're doing and been everywhere, and then you have some that just need some hand -holding to tell them, give them some suggestions and ideas on what they can do when they get there. And you just have to have knowledge, travel knowledge, and you have to want to learn to do more for your customers. Like me and my wife, We're always watching Rick Steves on PBS. That's why we hope they don't take PBS away. Because every time that I see an episode come on, I always tape it. So we sit down and watch that. And we get a lot of ideas from there. And we went behind the scenes on how he actually does the filming of that. He puts a lot of work into that. And it looks so easy for him that some of those episodes that is for like 30 minutes, it may take them like two weeks. And I think another thing that you were talking about on what the professional coming into this business and you having to sell over the phone, you really need to humanize those conversations. You need to just humanize it. Just talk with them, learn them, and just make it a conversation. Absolutely. And I think you can get more out of it that way. That way you can, you both can come to a common ground on what, you need to book for them or what they're actually looking for. Now, my husband, he's been doing it forever. So it's just second nature to him. But for someone new coming in, it would probably be, you know, kind of a chore to kind of get to that point. Yeah, I think for me, it's a little bit easier than like a traditional travel agent, because I rarely when I'm speaking to my customers, rarely do they ask what the price is. They'll just say, book me here, here, and then send me the ticket, and what it is, it is what it is, you know. Well, it helps that you work with a special type of customer, right? Well, yeah, that's true. Yeah, that's true. I can't lie about that. And that's a good feeling. But they want what they want when they want it, you know? Because sometimes I'll be tired. I was like, oh, just book something. So I'll tell them that it's going to be for these four. Like I booked a family of five going to Singapore for Christmas. And the tickets were like $11 ,400 some dollars a piece. So she didn't even blink an eye on that. She was like, okay, go ahead and set the tickets up, you know. I was like, okay. Very nice. I want to be like that. It's a special type of customer. Yeah, I want to be like that too, Brittany. And the crazy thing about it though, tickets that I booked for were non -refundable. So it's like... Committed. You're committed, you know, and it's like December, you know, so... Yeah, absolutely. That's wonderful, though. Yeah. And like you said, you know, you're creating an experience for your customers and that's what they, you know, they trust you. And that's another important thing. feature, you know, being trustworthy, getting the best things that you can for your customers and just being there for them and being their advocate when they're on their trip as well. And making sure that if something does go wrong, you know who you can that you can call and get the help you need. Yes. Another one more thing I would say about if someone want to get into travel industry, excuse me, you got to what you got to travel. Yes, you do. I've been blessed enough to work for a company that I've got to do a lot of traveling. So You can't really sell travel from a book. You have to sell it from experience a lot. So somebody goes to Singapore, they say, well, where should I stay? I can tell them, well, stay on Orchard Road. That's where the main happenings is. You're a couple blocks away from the great restaurants. You're going a mile and a half walk. You're in Indian town. So you just gotta really be able to go to these places before you can really sell it, I think. Speaking of which, what's your favorite destination to visit? That's a tough one. I'll let my wife go first and then let's go see the degree. Well, we've traveled a lot of different places. And someone just asked me a couple of weeks ago, what's my favorite place that we've been to? And it's been so many, I don't even know if I can narrow it down to one place. But if I could, I would say it would be maybe South Africa. We went to Cape Town. And that was a wonderful experience. Just the people learning their culture, seeing the children there, and, you know, just being educated on, you know, things that were happening, you know, over there, not at that time that we were there, but in history. So I would say probably Cape Town would be number one. Okay, very nice. I would say Sydney, Australia. Well, Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. Do you have a favorite destination, Brittany? I feel like I have to default to Spain, but I do love Spain. I love visiting. It's always a great time. I do too. It's like a home, second home. And what about you, Cheryl? What would you say your favorite? You know, I kind of am leaning towards what Brittany said. just because it's so familiar and I've gone there so many times. You know what? The next time we have this conversation, I will have gone to a couple of more places and I will tell you if I've changed my mind. But I would say for now, Spain. I gotta stop being like that. Do you have a specific city? Wow. Madrid, because I know it well. But, you know, it's just like when you go to a restaurant. When I go to a restaurant, I eat the same thing all the time. I gotta get over that. I mean, I will try different things, but I gotta get past that. And the same thing with travel. You tend to go towards the same places. I mean, I go to other places, but I haven't been to any place as much as I have been to Spain. That's on my bucket list. I would love to go to Spain. Well, we should go together. My wife's been there, but I've never been there. I could plan a trip for you. That would work perfectly. You could. One of my clients actually lives in Ibiza, so I need to check on them because they've been having some flooding in Ibiza. I heard but he loves it. He said it was cheaper living there than it is in the States. So he loves he's been there for about 10 years. Nice. So and you know, a lot of popular destinations lately, Portugal, I've been seeing Portugal and Panama. As you know, places that people want to move. They want to leave. Expats, yeah. One of my colleagues moved to Panama around the same time we moved out here to Las Vegas and he came to visit back last October and he's like, he loves it. He loves it. It's a different culture, he said. Not expensive like the U . S. And his retirement goes a lot further. For sure, for sure. Yeah, those are tough things but, you know, we got to do what we got to do. Time for rapid fire. Okay. I kind of wish I had more questions for you guys, but, and we're going to get Gabe behind the controls to join us for the rapid fire questions. So, um, uh, the first question for everybody window or aisle. window. That's perfect for you too. You like the aisle? I like the aisle seat. And you like the window. That is shocking. I like the window. I love the aisle seat. It used to be vice versa. I used to like the window. But I think as I've matured, I don't feel comfortable now being in the window. I don't, I don't want to see any of that. I like the aisle, it's more comfortable for me, especially for my legs. You know, I like to have that extra room. I just feel kind of closed up on the way. So it's definitely aisle seat. I like to look out and see everything that I can see. I do too. The mountains and everything. And so, yeah. Me too. Yeah. The weather. Window. Yeah. See those wings flapping? See if they gonna stay on tack. It's okay. How about you, Gabe? For me, I think window. That's a good one too, Gabe. Yes, you can lean on that. Well, we definitely have to be on the two -seat side now. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I don't care, yeah, because I don't think there's anybody in, well, there might be some people that like the middle seat, but... An insane person. Yeah, exactly. Now, if I'm with family, if I'm with my family, then it's different, but it's still, I mean, then maybe you can switch off from time to time. We always, if we are on that three seat side, we're always praying that nobody gets the center seat. Praying, because we know if someone gets the center seat, one of us already decided we'll move to the center. Yeah, yeah. You know, but, you know, so. Not fun. It's the luck of the draw. Definitely the luck of the draw. We were coming back from San Francisco about three years ago, and we were on Southwest, and of course the plane was full, and they were getting ready to close the door, so I had a window shut, and I was like, we got it, we got it. Every single seat was full, and then a pilot He was trying to get back home from a different airline. He said, sorry, you're probably not glad to see me. We weren't. But you know the great thing about it, we talked to him the whole way. Because I had questions about turbulence and I needed him to calm me about that. It seems like we flipped. Yeah, a little bit, right? Yes, because I used to really be very nervous about flying, and I don't know when, but a light bulb switched, and I'm good. Yeah, yeah. If the flight is smooth, I'm okay, but any little bump, it's like, okay, what's happening? I think you feel a little bit more reassured if the captain comes on and tells you it's going to be a little turbulence. Well, if they tell us in advance, that way I can prepare my mind. But then I've flown different places, and I know when it's going to happen. a turbulence, like when I used to come out to Vegas and stuff like that in the summertime. Oh, you know it's going to happen. You know once you get into the area it's going to be, or you know if you're going over Colorado, Denver, the mountain, it's going to be rocky. Flying into Mexico City. And Gabe, you know what that's like, right? Yes, it was kind of horrifying. Yes, those mountains, just not fun. Yeah, not fun. I'm used to turbines coming in and out of Vegas. It's like no big deal now. And just knowing, like you said, knowing the reason and that goes a long way. Yeah. Next question, carry on or checked bag? Carry on. If you're checking a bag, you need to stop packing so much. Unless you're gonna be there for an extended period of time. Watch it Britney. Watch it Britney. The only reason I hate a check bag so much. is because, you know, there's already, you know, the plane lands, everyone's standing up for some reason, even though we're not going anywhere. So you're already, like, stuck waiting, and now I have to go downstairs and wait some more with these impatient people. Like, I just, I hate waiting for the bag. I'm wondering, is that an age thing, you think? Maybe. Because me, I have to have a checked bag, and I'm sure my husband is going to share with you all in the universe that my bag is always at the maximum capacity. Oh, see, yes. I'm constantly taking a little bit. You're going to have to take a little bit of this out. But this is the thing. I need to be prepared. This is me. I need to be prepared at all times. I get it. I don't know what's happening. And the thing about it is, mine is normally half the weight than hers is. And she'll say, well, you got any room in your bag? Any room in my bag? But I can never do just a carry -on, that little bitty, I just. I got a question for you. I can do it. Do you wear all the stuff that's in your bag? Okay, now this is a question. This is a question and I'll answer it. say before we go on a trip, am I gonna wear all this stuff in my bag? Because normally, I do not. And you try to justify it, right? I do, I try to justify it. And get mad if she has to take something out. But this is the thing, I'm gonna do better. Okay world, I'm gonna do better. But no, I don't wear everything in my bag, but I take it just because you just never, No. It is good to have options. It is good to have options. Thank you, Brittany. It is good to have options. It is. You know what I do, though? What? Because I'm a carry -on girl. Okay, yeah. If I have a problem, I'll just go to the store and buy something. But you know what? I've thought about that many times, and American Express would love for me to do that because they love when I use my car, but I don't think my husband would like it. I've thought about that many times. It's like, you know what? If I just take a carry -on, there is going to be something I need. And then, you know what? What's gonna be the point? Because I'm gonna have to buy another suitcase. And the crazy thing about it is, she'll bring a suitcase if we're doing a staycation here in Las Vegas. Seriously? You can't do a carry -on for Vegas? Carry -on, she'll need that for her makeup and everything. Let's be clear. It is not my normal travel baggage if we're going back east. Oh, but it's still... It's like a little suitcase. It's like a little carry -on. bag. It's not the bill. Check in Saturday, check out Sunday. But again, you just never know. Okay, fair enough. I get it. I get it. I get it. In my case though, I just hate waiting. Me too. But here's the funny thing is, now that we go back east and go to North Carolina to visit my mom for Christmas, we keep clothes there. Also, you really don't have to pack. Okay, so you know what? I feel like I'm being ganged up on. Babe, you know what? It depends. It depends. I get it. I get it. You have no excuse. But she still packs a lot. I feel like I'm being ganged up on, but no. you're right. I have no excuse, but we don't leave a lot of clothes at Nana's. We do leave some clothes there. However, when we're going to Nana's, like when we go, we're going over the Christmas holidays and we're staying over a week, over a week's time. And we may go out to dinner once in 10 days. But it doesn't matter. But I have to pack as if we may go out more. Because you never know. Thank you, Brittany. You just never know. Well, Gabe has the last word. True. What do you think? I vote carry on. I don't need that much stuffing, so. Yeah. Well, you know, I hope to be like you guys. It's hard. You are outnumbering us. It is hard to stop. It is. It's hard to stop. I've got two more questions. One is luxury resort or boutique hotel? I've never stayed at a luxury resort. I've never stayed at a boutique hotel, I don't believe. It's always luxury for us because of the perks that he gets with his company. Okay. So it's always going to be the high end because of the perks. So I really don't want him to retire because those perks are going to go away for those very nice hotels. So I, you know, I would Maybe stay at a boutique hotel. I haven't, but it's always the luxury resorts. But go ahead. I was going to say, I was just going to share a story since you probably never heard this. Well, we all went together to Mexico. Cancun and Cozumel. Your dad, your mom, and us. The hotel that we booked, when we got there, It was something that I wouldn't put my dog in. Right. And I agree. And we had to scramble to find another resort in Cozumel. The look on our faces, on your mom's face and my face, it was like, I know y 'all. have space to sleep. No, if push came to shove, the men could have stayed there, but if the women weren't happy, we weren't going to get any sleep. It wasn't going to be a good trip. I wouldn't have been able to sleep. I would have had to wear my clothes. And then you would have to take them off and throw them in the trash. You were going to ask what was wrong? Yeah. Okay. Where do I start? Okay. Is there a beginning? Paneling in the lobby. Paneling. panel. Have you ever seen paneling? No, I'm talking about indoor paneling, wood panels. And let me just say this, there was a water line on the paneling in everywhere just see we are one of the bathroom and it was just there was a waterline uh... you know that i've been through with that you know that that i was like but i don't think there is a little bit yeah i don't know all these old tires and i i i it was like what where did we false advertising right at this point is that the thing about it is that the first our hotel was a luxury hotel in cancun and it was beautiful and so the second stay was the last day it was the last hotels we were going to stay in And we had to move. But we made it happen. And it turned out very nice. It was so nice. Fiesta Americana I think is where we ended up. Yes, it was beautiful. And they had howler monkeys. I don't know if they were howler monkeys, but we heard monkeys in the trees. And because we were in a villa. That was very nice. Yes. Yeah. What about you? Luxury hotel or boutique? I've never stayed. I don't think I've ever stayed at a luxury hotel. Resort so boutique hotel, I guess yeah, okay, that's fair. I like boutique hotels cuz they're I don't know quirky Yeah, I like that now. I've stayed at some boutique hotels in Europe, in Paris, and then also in Nice that I thought were really nice. So those are always, always cool. How about you, Gabe? Um, whatever's cheap, Rival Hostels. I'd be looking for an Airbnb. Yeah, hostels have been super fun for me. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Now, I haven't stayed in any hostels, but I stayed in some mom and pop hotels when I was in Amsterdam. So you got a chance to meet the owner. They'll tell you, they'll fix you breakfast in the morning. And you get a little bit feel of the place that you're at and stuff like that and get to meet the locals. So there's definitely something good about that. Plus back then I was 18 years old and I was going over to Europe for a wedding and I didn't have that much money. Yeah. So you got to do what you got to do. I had to count coins back then. Yeah. OK. I have a question for Gabe because we did this question when we were talking about favorite destinations. Do you have a favorite destination? I haven't traveled as much. I've been to Spain and I've been to like states in Mexico. But just I really want to go back to Madrid. I was only there for like a week. It was amazing. So I'm gonna say Madrid for now. Okay. Yeah, that'd be nice. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you'll love it. You'll love it. There's so much there. So much there if you get the chance. Seville. Yes. Forgot about that place. Love it. I didn't forget about it. But yeah, Seville is a favorite too. Nice. Well, I want to thank you all for spending a little time with us. It's our pleasure. Thank you for having us. Absolutely. I can't wait to come back. Yes, absolutely. You're welcome back anytime. Want more insider travel secrets? Subscribe to Nostalgia Travel Talk's YouTube channel. 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