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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! 🌍✈️
What if travel isn't about seeing more places, but about becoming more yourself along the way? For so many people, especially in midlife and beyond, travel becomes part of a second act, a chance to slow down, get intentional and design a life that feels aligned instead of rushed. Today's guest describes himself as a continental drifter, not because he's lost, but because he's chosen curiosity over convention. I'm thrilled to welcome Ralph Velasco. Author, speaker and longtime traveler whose work focuses on mindful travel, bucket lists with purpose and designing a life that supports exploration at any age. Ralph, welcome to Cheryl's Travel Blueprint. Thank you so much for having me, Cheryl. I appreciate it. Glad to. Glad to. So you describe yourself as a continental drifter, and I love that phrase. It feels intentional. What does that identity mean to you and how did it evolve over time? It's funny. So for 17 years, 18 years now, I've been a a professional travel photographer and international tour organizer. And in the beginning, my trips were mainly based around photography. So I would teach photography on these trips. And so I always loved the earth sciences in high school. So of course, we're talking about plate tectonics and continental drift and things like that. So I thought, you know, Hey, I'm the Continental Drifter. I'm drifting from continent to continent all the time. And I actually had a TV show idea that is still in the back burner, but, you know, we started calling it the Continental Drifter. So it's kind of a little second persona I've taken on and a way to share the world, because that's what I love to do is go to these amazing places, share it with friends and family or whoever wants to listen. Post pictures, we all love to do that. And so it's been, it's been really fun. That's beautiful. So. there a moment when travel shifted? from something you did to something you designed your life around? I know the answer, but I'm going to ask anyway. Yes. So back in around 2001 to 2004, I had my second restaurant in Chicago, downtown Chicago, and I opened it up just four or five months before 9 -11. I was in the city. So you can imagine when 9 -11 happened that September, All the big cities shut down. Everyone thought that Chicago was going to be next. And so it was really bad for business. And so I ran the business for three years, but this was at what I would call the dawn of digital photography. So I saw these digital cameras starting to appear and I had the idea of always wanted to be somehow figure out how to get into travel and photography and get paid for it. But. You know, there was this perfect storm with digital photography, the internet, email, social media that allowed us all to become even more, you know, better small business people, more successful. We have all these incredible tools. And so I thought that I knew fairly early on, probably a year and a half into my initial three -year lease on the restaurant that I probably wasn't going to want to extend my lease after the three years. So I started to figure out how I could sell the business. And then I was going to create walking tours where I could teach people how to use their new digital devices. And so just to expand a little bit, I decided that Chicago probably wasn't the best place to do that just because of the weather, which does get a bad rap. It's pretty cold today, but Chicago is a great place and absolutely fantastic, but not the best place to do an outdoor business. Three hundred sixty five degrees. a year. So I decided to move back to Southern California where I'd lived before, and I became a financial advisor just to have some income. But at the same time, I was teaching travel photography and how to use these new digital devices at the local city of Newport Beach, city of Orange, you know, different Saddleback College, UC Irvine extension program. And that's how I built up my following. And we could talk about that path as well, if you like. Mm -hmm. Okay. Very cool. Solid background. And so I'm going to ask also, how has aging changed the way you drift or what you value when you travel? It really has, big time. I'm currently 62 years old and I I am very much moving towards the slow travel. A young 62. A young 62. That's right. And I decided that, especially as a photographer, we're all some sort of a photographer. We all take pictures. But as a professional photographer, someone that was leading photo tours, photo workshops, where it's all about photography. I started to realize that those weren't the kind of trips I wanted to lead at least 10, 12 times a year, because those kinds of trips, everyone wants to be up for sunrise out till sunset, talking photography 24 seven. And that's maybe fine if you're doing a week or two trip one time a year. But if you're the leader and you have to lead 10 or 12, two week trips that are that intensive, I realized very quickly that that was not sustainable. So I backed away from that and I made my trips more about the culture and people, less about photography. because as photographers, we spend the whole trip with our eye to the viewfinder of the camera. And as I got older, I started to realize, am I really, you know, yes, I've got the, the receipts. I've got the passport stamps, which are going away, unfortunately. Uh, you know, I've got all the proof that I was there, the pictures and video, but was I there mentally? You know, to me, as I get older, it's much more important to be there, be here, wherever you are, more intentionally. Absolutely. And as I get older, that has become so clear to me. You know, I think as younger people, we're go, go, go. We've got the energy. We want to see as much of everything as possible. And I was like that. But I've shifted to the other end where now I'm like, OK, I want to see less things, but more intensely. Travel deep, not wide. That's my new mantra. Yes, indeed. You are speaking my language. And that evolution shows up clearly in your writing, especially around bucket lists, I would say. So speaking of that, your book Bucket List for Travel, please Places to go before your knees give out has one of the most honest titles I've seen. It's funny, but it's also real. How do you think bucket lists should change as we move into new life stages? Yeah, it's a it's a great question. I've always, you know, had a an informal bucket list places that I wanted to go. I don't think I ever really wrote anything down. I guess I used to be a country counter when I was younger, but I really don't know how many countries I've been to now because The counting is not the important thing. It's the experiences and the people that you meet when you're there. I created bucket lists for travel because I hadn't seen anything out there in the market like that. where you could actually tick off all the countries, states, continents, oceans, hikes, drives, UNESCO sites. Those are just some of the lists that I've put in there. I've got over 80 lists, gastronomic experiences, foods, you know, all kinds of really some obscure. some less obscure, but a place where you can physically tick off the ones that you've been to. And so it's kind of fun, but there's also mixed in, there's adult coloring pages, inspirational quotes, mandalas for coloring. I imagine people using all my books when they want to just unplug, go analog, sitting on an airplane, waiting for a bus at a bus stop, you can't plug in, your phone's out of juice, and you just want to keep in that travel mind. And so this was another way to do that. That is brilliant. Yeah, thanks. Just brilliant. So how do you balance physical ability, curiosity, and meaning when you choose destinations? Yeah, really good question. It is a balance, you know, life is a balance. I think we're all coming to realize that, especially as you grow older, it's all about balance. And we know that we've only got so much time left and how are we going to use it and how are we going to use it best? Oh, you know what? To me, it's about quality over quantity. I would rather live a few years very quality than, you know, 20 years and I've got no quality of life. And I think anyone probably would feel that way. Yeah. But we don't think about it. You know, we don't think about what might happen. You know, I'm at that age where I'm starting to hear about friends and family, you know, passing away at younger ages. younger than me, or people having physical issues that keep them from traveling or moving around too much. Walking is something that we almost all take advantage of. for granted, is just being able to walk. And another kind of interesting story that was a kick in the pants for kind of moving in this direction was about six, seven years ago, believe it or not, I got gout. And I thought that was only medieval kings got gout or something. I actually got it. And if you don't know what it is, it's, I think it's a calcium buildup in the joints. And this happened in one of my toes. And it was so painful and I couldn't walk around for three days. And it, I came to the realization how important walking is to my job. You know, we all know, you know, traveling, just getting to an airport, through the airport, on the airplane, off the airplane, to your hotel. You know, that's a huge endeavor. And when you can't walk, it's really, you know, very, very, Difficult to do. Anyway, to make a long story longer, that's when I started to decide that, OK, I really need to think about these this limited amount of years that I hope I have left and how am I going to make the best use of it? Mm hmm. Perfect. Perfect. So if someone listening is in their second act and feels like now is finally their time to travel, what would you tell them? Do it. Don't even think about it. Yeah, I've been lucky. I've been traveling since I was 15. And in high school, I mentioned it earlier, I studied in Spain for a summer. When I was 16, I was a volunteer in Peru. The next year I was a volunteer in Venezuela. The next year I was studied in Mexico City. So since a very young age, I've been traveling. And I always had it in my mind that I never wanted to regret not having done anything but specifically travel. tried to travel throughout my life instead of waiting till when the time is right or I've got enough money or this or that, you know, so many excuses, some of which are, you know, family. These are very important. These aren't excuses, but they're reasons. And I've never been married. I don't have children. So I'm very free in that sense. But other people, everyone has their own priorities. For me, it was, I didn't want to regret if I got hit by a bus or God forbid, cancer or something that kept me from traveling and I didn't travel all those years behind me, then I got nothing in front of me really. I'm starting to hear about friends or people that are passing away or getting these ailments or cancers and things, and they wanted to wait until they were retired and they had the time or whatever, and now they can't do it. So don't wait. And if you are older and you haven't traveled, that's fine. Just start thinking about doing it as quickly as possible because someday never comes. That's true. Very wise words. And you're so well -rounded. That's amazing. I love that. No, thank you. One thing I deeply connect with in your work is your emphasis on intentional travel. I mean, you've talked about it, not rushing, not consuming destinations, but just taking everything in. And in How to Be a Mindful Traveler, you talk about engaging all the senses. What does traveling mindfully look like in practice, especially for people who don't have unlimited time? Yeah, I created this idea, the mindful an intentional traveler. It's a series of books that I've come out with, but How to Be a Mindful Traveler is a specific book in the series. It's like 55 pages, very short. But as you mentioned, it's about traveling using the five plus senses and we all know what they are. But What I would like people to do, and I'm working even on an app that would help people to do this, is to every now and then stop, look, listen, feel, touch, taste your surroundings. And the app would be a reminder for you to do so every couple hours, maybe whatever interval you want. And you would just stop, put the camera away, put the phone down. You know, these devices that we, these. Smartphones we have are fantastic. They're, they're absolutely wonderful for the information that they provide. I can't believe when I was 24, I sold my first restaurant and I bought around the world ticket and I traveled around the world for, for five months by myself. This is a 1988. This is long before the internet and cell phones and all that good stuff. So I, it's hard to think, but you know, I didn't know what I was missing. You know, I sent away for physical brochures. I went, visited travel agencies to get information, you know, so I cobbled it together. And, but these phones are made to take us away. So I say, put the camera down, put the device down and be in your head, you know, at least for a while. And this is not only something to do when you travel. I encourage people to do it all the time, but so that when they are traveling, they're in the habit of doing it. Especially there, because I feel like you can get so much more bang for your buck bang for your travel buck. If you are more intentional and there, and not just zipping around from places to place, scratching the surface. So doing a deeper dive really important. Yeah. Yeah. Before we keep going, I want to pause for just a second, because if you're enjoying this conversation so far, it really helps the show. If you haven't already, take a moment to like this episode, subscribe to the channel and leave a comment below. I genuinely read the comments and I love hearing what resonated with you or where you're dreaming of traveling next. And just as a reminder, I do a monthly prize giveaway for listeners as a thank you for being a part of this community. The details are always in the show notes, so make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it. All right, back to the conversation. Many of my listeners are solopreneurs, creatives or people redesigning their lives after a major transition, retirement, career change, empty nesters. How has travel influenced the way you built your work and your lifestyle? Yeah, I guess I, you know, I was kind of one of the original nomads or digital nomads that we've come to be called. So I have been living nomadically, so I don't have a permanent home for about 15 years now. And I just decided that it was about getting rid of 90 % of my stuff that was just holding me back. and being more free to travel around the world. And so as I get older, that's much more important to me, too. And I'm so much more about experiences rather than things. Mm hmm. I would much rather spend my money on experiences and things that I'll be able to remember forever than things that wear out and will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm very envious of you. I would love to be I would love to be your life. I say that because I'm sorry. Oh, go ahead. No, just the freedom. That's that's total freedom, you know, and that's something you can't put a price tag on. I always say the two most freeing days of my life were when I went fully nomadic and I just got rid of everything and I went to the digital nomad. And when I shaved my head, I don't know why, but that was just so freeing. And, you know, I got this weight literally off my shoulders. Oh my goodness. I don't recommend it for you though. I was thinking about it though. It definitely would take a lot, you know, like you say. It would definitely make life easier. So another thing for me to be envious of. Yeah. Yeah. I see so many people who want this life, but don't realize that they're allowed to design it intentionally, you know? Yeah. And certainly a lot of people look and see my life and think, wow, it's just perfect. And it's it's great. It is absolutely great. But nothing's perfect, of course. And so I need to every day have that gratitude and really think about not take it for granted. You know, I live a wonderful life. I have just been moving around the world too much and too quickly. So instead of moving around every two to four nights, as I typically am with groups, I would like to move around every two to four months, you know, and stay in one place, really learn about it, feel like, you know, you've made some real connections with the locals. That to me, that's why I travel. Just sitting on a bar stool in England that's older than the United States of America and, you know, talking to an old timer or, you know, watching the world go by sitting at a cafe. That, that's what I love about travel these days. That's beautiful. Nothing like that. There's nothing like that. So you mentioned the Gratitudes. You've created tools like the Travel Activity Book for Adults, the Gratitudes Edition, and 60 Affirmations for Travel, which feels almost like permission to slow down and reflect. Why do you think that's such an important part of meaningful travel? Because it does force you to slow down. It forces you to think about what you're grateful for, the why. We hear, what's your why? So teasing that out can happen when you do these gratitudes and affirmations. You know, they force you to physically write because these books are physical books. And so they force you to physically write these things down, take notes. But I've also got the adult coloring pages that are more mindful and mindless, you know, a little bit. So all that is meant to keep you inspired and thinking about travel, but slowing down and being more intentional about it. And what I love about it is that it doesn't require the phone. And it just takes you away from that, you know. That's great. Yeah, that's what I mean by being analog, you know, just unplugging. Do you recommend journaling? Well, obviously you do during travel. Do you find that sometimes journaling after returning home is a good idea or or I guess you can do both, right? Sure. Yeah. I often do it in bunches, so like maybe I'll wait five days and then I'll journal about those five days. And oftentimes, especially when I was, you know, more into my business, doing it really full time, I was always taking notes about places, who I met. timing, different situations that I might change on the next trip. Cause I was all, you know, always look to bring groups back to these places over and over again, if possible. And, um, but also great experiences, funny things, interesting stories. I always try to jot those down. I'll forget. So I try to jot them down when I'm thinking about them. Yeah, I love journaling. And one of the things that I love doing is going back to it like years later, because I'm reading it and thinking, wow, I do not, you know, there's no way I would have remembered it otherwise. You know, so that's powerful. Having a journal is definitely, that's a great gift to give to somebody that you know is going on a trip, too. It's just the best idea. Well, that's what I thought, that these books would make great gifts. And I really sold a lot of them around Christmastime. It was a great holiday gift, little stocking stuff for $15 or so. And, you know, what a great way for people. The other thing that, you know, someone else brought this up to me is perhaps gifting the bucket list for travel book to an older person who could give you their travel history in that book. You know, it's like leaving you a recipe book or a diary or something about their travel life. And that could be really interesting. Amazing. That's a great idea. So if you could leave our listeners with one idea about travel, aging or designing a meaningful second act, what would it be? Yeah, I go back to that travel deep, not wide. Look for more intense, meaningful experiences than the real surface ones. The surface ones are nice and you know, those come about almost always and are pretty easy to come upon. But I think that doing a deeper dive and planning your trip, not trying to do so much. Also my trips that I organize for groups and the trips that I lead. are about a half day scheduled, half day free. time. This way you're not always on the go looking for do something, you know, you got a free minute and you feel bored. Well, that's when you can be present. So sometimes it's better to just stop, slow down, and think about where you are and to be here now. Sage advice. Ralph, this has been such a thoughtful and refreshing conversation. Thank you for reminding us that travel doesn't have to be louder, faster or farther to be meaningful. It just has to be intentional. And you put it best the way you described it. To everyone listening, I'll link Ralph's books and resources in the show notes. And if this episode made you rethink not just where you travel, but why, then you're exactly where you need to be. If this episode sparked something for you, maybe a new way of thinking about travel or even a new way of thinking about this season of your life, I'd love to hear from you. Please like this episode, subscribe and leave a comment letting us know. What does intentional travel mean to you right now? And don't forget, there's a monthly prize giveaway exclusively for listeners. So be sure to check the show notes for how to enter. It's my small way of saying thank you for spending part of your day with me. As always, I will link the books and resources below. And if you're ready to start traveling deeper, not just wider, you're in the right place. Until next time, keep designing a life and a travel style that truly fits you. Thank you so much, Ralph Furr. for spending some time with me today. I appreciate you. My pleasure. That was a great conversation.