Ever fantasized about strolling through the historical streets of London or witnessing the mesmerizing savannahs of South Africa without breaking the bank? Well, strap in as we, Sam and Tayla, your favorite travel-savvy couple, unlock the secrets of budget-friendly globe-trotting and reveal our most cherished travel experiences. From unearthing cheap flights and accommodations to sharing our foolproof packing strategies, we've got you covered. Plus, brace yourself for enchanting tales and tips from our recent sojourns.
Curious about how off-season travel can lead to cost savings and even richer experiences? We'll share our first-hand experiences, including our trip planning adventure to Portugal, and how we grabbed the best deals. But wait, there's more! We also step into the compelling world of rewards cards, focusing on the practicality of the Amex card with Bonvoy from Marriott. Get ready to learn how you can maximize your benefits, score free accommodation, and collect points for hotels worldwide. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or preparing for your maiden voyage, we promise to equip you with invaluable insights for an extraordinary journey.
Connect with us at @babewhatpodcast for updates, interactions, and polls.
If you want to help financially support the show, keep our mics on, and help us to continue creating high quality content, you can become a supporter of our show here and contribute as little or as much as you'd like.
Please remember to rate, subscribe, and review!
Ever fantasized about strolling through the historical streets of London or witnessing the mesmerizing savannahs of South Africa without breaking the bank? Well, strap in as we, Sam and Tayla, your favorite travel-savvy couple, unlock the secrets of budget-friendly globe-trotting and reveal our most cherished travel experiences. From unearthing cheap flights and accommodations to sharing our foolproof packing strategies, we've got you covered. Plus, brace yourself for enchanting tales and tips from our recent sojourns.
Curious about how off-season travel can lead to cost savings and even richer experiences? We'll share our first-hand experiences, including our trip planning adventure to Portugal, and how we grabbed the best deals. But wait, there's more! We also step into the compelling world of rewards cards, focusing on the practicality of the Amex card with Bonvoy from Marriott. Get ready to learn how you can maximize your benefits, score free accommodation, and collect points for hotels worldwide. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or preparing for your maiden voyage, we promise to equip you with invaluable insights for an extraordinary journey.
Connect with us at @babewhatpodcast for updates, interactions, and polls.
If you want to help financially support the show, keep our mics on, and help us to continue creating high quality content, you can become a supporter of our show here and contribute as little or as much as you'd like.
Please remember to rate, subscribe, and review!
Welcome to Bay. What do you know about? The podcast with your favorite husband and wife duo. Sam
Tayla:and Tayla. Each week, we dive deep into a new subject blending fun and seriousness to push boundaries. And buttons.
Sam:Gear ready to expand your knowledge, challenge your perspectives, and have it blast along the way.
Tayla:So usually when I push record, I, like, stop things out and say something. That's how I thought I'd pray. Exam and be like, I, like, pushed record and pointed at him and still nothing.
Sam:I've been in the business too long.
Tayla:I'm so nervous about Well, not tomorrow. I'm nervous.
Sam:Yeah. What's that?
Tayla:I think it's you know, I don't know a lot of things. I'm sure, like, once we're gone, I'll relax and be fine because there'll be nothing else I can do. Can't can't control anything right now. I'm still like, we got to sleep. We got to do all this stuff, but I'm excited. I've never been to Portugal. So
Sam:Yeah. Alright. So this has been a trip that's been a long time coming. Yeah. We tried we were we almost did this trip together in January this year and it turned into just me going.
Tayla:Max is too too little,
Sam:too little. But yeah, now we're gonna go for a whole week just me and Tayla. Portugal.
Tayla:Yeah. The last time we did a trip just to your meet, we went to Cayman Island in January twenty twenty two.
Sam:Yeah. So not too long ago, but you were, like, six months pregnant.
Tayla:Yeah. So really the trip for me was sleeping.
Sam:And it was like a weekend too.
Tayla:Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was it was and the travel was, like, pretty brutal. We got really good deal, which, you know, hugely layovers and that sort of thing is no big deal, but when you're that pregnant, it's just like everything. Just feels like horrible.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:But still, so I wouldn't call that, like, my rejuvenate relaxed, like, holiday necessarily. So it's been it's been a while, but I need it. We need
Sam:it badly. I'm excited.
Tayla:Yeah. I know. What are some things that you plan on? Because you've been you went by yourself in January, what are some things that you know we're gonna do. Okay. It's golf.
Sam:How do you know if we are gonna golf? So, I mean, that's just
Tayla:a I don't believe it,
Sam:a potential maybe. So obviously, we're going to drive down from Lisbon to the south coast to the Algarve. So, I mean, the only things I really wanna do is just kind of explore the whole south coast and kind of show you the different towns and different cities. Just I mean, just to go see it. It's just beautiful. And then all the food, you know, it's
Tayla:like gosh.
Sam:Seafood there and all the fresh food, it's just unbelievable. So those two things.
Tayla:I can't wait I am particularly well, particularly excited for reading
Sam:Mhmm.
Tayla:On the beach. What is better. And then I think we should do some like kayaking or stand up paddle boarding in like the caves on Yeah. A lot of
Sam:What if I'm so hilarious is that it's winter date. No one's gonna be on the beach. It's gonna be
Tayla:We're gonna be Yeah. Living it up on the beach. Because
Sam:you know, so it I looked up the temperature or be, like, mid to high seventies for the most or sixties for the most part and then some low seventies states. And that's winter. So dope.
Tayla:Yeah. I mean, I'll take it I'll take it happily. So we're excited. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day. It's gonna be a long time. But my mom, Angel, that she is gonna stay at our house with our kids, and they will probably have a fantastic time. With her. So she's the best. Speaking of which, our topic for the day, is on travel hacks and best trip. So let me do my intro. We are gonna dive into not only the World of Travel hacks as I said, but also the best trips in our opinion based on what we've done in research that you could embark on yourself. Travel hacking has become a global phenomenon according to recent surveys. An astounding eighty percent of the travelers surveyed actively seek out hacks to enhance their journeys from scoring cheap flights and accommodations to mastering the art of packing efficiently. We are gonna go right into the inside scoop of everything you might need to know. And we'll also talk about those best trips that will leave you with unforgettable memories from the histories of London to the Savannah's off South Africa. We will take you through our favorites and most recommended trips, including how to do it in a way that's affordable and life changing so vape. What do you know about travel hacks and best trips?
Sam:A little bit. So I I just assumed, like, I'm gonna be fully transparent. My travel hacks and tips are gonna be probably unconventional, not organized, like like tips because I like to travel a little bit differently than, you know, I think typical. So
Tayla:And I'm very organized.
Sam:You're very Yeah. You're very tells like, what are we gonna do on this trip? I'm like, no. No.
Tayla:No. What do you mean you don't know?
Sam:We have a call. We have a place to stay and we have credit cards. So
Tayla:The world is
Sam:our oyster. Do you want?
Tayla:That's so funny. Yeah. Well, we kind of alluded to this in our little beginning intro But one of the travel hacks is to embrace off season travel.
Sam:Yes.
Tayla:So Let's talk about that a little.
Sam:Yeah. So I'll I'll jump right into that. I mean, that's that's literally this Portugal trip is off season. And because it's off season, it's ridiculously ridiculously cheap. So typically, you go to Portugal, and it's gonna be July and August, but all of Europe all of, like, you know, the western world has descended upon this area in Portugal by the beaches there. And I mean, compared to what we're paying now, it's it's literally like
Tayla:A third. Yeah.
Sam:At least. So
Tayla:But it's just in season enough that it's still gonna be like enjoyable. It's still like moderate, nice weather.
Sam:Yeah. Exactly. So it's not like the optimal weather for the place. But because it's not, you know, actual pure summer, but, I mean, to not deal with crowds for me is way worth it. Like, I just hate crowded places. And I hate having to deal with crowds and standing in line, and I feel like you miss, like, so much of, like, the places and the experience if you're just standing there with ten thousand other people, like, either looking at a castle or standing at at a thing.
Tayla:How optimal can it really be?
Sam:Yeah. So I'd rather deal with slightly worse weather, but so much cheaper. So I'm just gonna throw out some numbers so people know, like, our trip to Portugal, we spent a little bit more on the on the flats. But
Tayla:Even that was still pretty good.
Sam:Yeah. Because we we did a direct from Salt Lake City to France and then connecting to Lisbon. And that was, I think, six hundred dollars
Tayla:a beach in
Sam:round trip. And then our Airbnb is going to be five hundred bucks for the whole week. Probably Right there on the coast. Yeah. Literally running to the beach house.
Tayla:The town we're staying in.
Sam:And we could have gone cheaper. There was some that was gonna be, like, two fifty, three hundred bucks, but they're not as nice. So you know, but again for a whole week for five hundred bucks and then
Tayla:So how much was it during on season? Like the same
Sam:Yeah. So the numbers that are So it was a it's at least four times as much, but to kind of give you a rough estimate for a whole month's rental that you typically get in a different month, you can rent out your place for that amount for the week. So it's like a roughly a four x or four times the typical rental amount. So this place probably would have been like
Tayla:Too grand.
Sam:To to the week, to two and a half thousand dollars for the week. Wow. Yeah.
Tayla:And the flights too. Like, our flights are pretty good.
Sam:Mhmm.
Tayla:Could be better, but definitely, like, could be into the thousands. Yeah.
Sam:Yeah. And what I also found though, if your time had just arrived, and obviously, let's take some research in in specifically the place you go. So I did so much research into Portugal before going. To kind of know what the cultures like like in terms of taking a break for the holidays. And everything's still gonna be open. So pretty traditionally though, they'll shut down for at least three weeks in December. So skip that time. That's how we going in in November where I think it's off season and people are still, like, have all the restaurants open or, like, the attractions are open. So we're not missing out on that. But yeah, I'm also trying to think, oh, and our car rental is super cheap because of it too. This is just you know, everyone's just trying to get any sort of
Tayla:Yeah. Revenue.
Sam:Revenue. So, yeah, I think I car rental something like fourteen dollars a day. So it's
Tayla:That's nothing. Yeah.
Sam:That's not so bad.
Tayla:So the other thing that I always tell people is I think whether it's at the beginning of the year or towards the end of the year, you should kind of map out a couple of things you probably wanna do for the year. So whether that's like, I think we might wanna go to South Africa in this spring here, which is fall there. And then maybe go to Portugal towards the end of the year. Then what you do is you just start doing travel alerts, you know Yeah. Start going to, like, either Google flights or or to if you, like, follow a social media account that kind of talks about flight deals all the time. Like, I think it's called best cheap flights now or instead of Scott's cheap flights or whatever.
Sam:Yep.
Tayla:You set up alerts for that, and then just be ready to execute the moment you see a deal because you've already kind of been, like, within this month range, we can do it. And the moment you see, like, we bought round trip flights from Salt Lake to Hawaii for two hundred bucks.
Sam:Yeah. And
Tayla:and it wasn't even, like, long layover or anything. And it's because we were ready to execute when the deals came
Sam:Mhmm.
Tayla:That nothing will kill missing a flight deal, fostered in, a kind of humming and hawing over. Like, can we make it work? Or, like, is that even what we wanna go do? Like, just kind of decide on a range that you can do, and then keep your eye on it all the time and wait. Don't don't buy the flights until you see a deal come in that seems like, okay, that's a deal. Let's take it.
Sam:Yeah. On top of that, one of the fun ones we did before we had kids was we went to Costa Rica
Tayla:Mhmm.
Sam:And it was cumbersome thing where we wanted to go some way, but we're like, it didn't actually matter on this trip. We just said, let's just pick some dates and then for those dates. We just looked for the absolute cheapest flights anywhere in the world.
Tayla:International. Yeah.
Sam:And it just so happens to be that flights were so cheap to Costa Rica.
Tayla:Mhmm. And it was three hundred bucks round trip or something crazy like that.
Sam:Yeah. And and so right before, you know, purchasing the tickets, I just looked up to see if we had any sort of, like, hotel points through the, you know, the Bonvoy card. And we did and there was a place down there. So we're like, let's just buy super cheap tickets, use our points for a hotel, and that trip That
Tayla:was the Wireless trip.
Sam:That's still, I think, my favorite trip, like, actual vacation trip I've ever had.
Tayla:Okay. So let's talk about the points and talk about Costa Rica that trip specifically after that. So something that Sam had me do pretty quickly after we got married was to get an Amex card that does reward. So we do it through Bonvoy with Marriott. And we get just points for hotels all over the world just by using that card. And pretty much any place we've ever gone except for if we specifically wanna Airbnb it. We've stayed in a nice Marriott hotel for free minus like cleaning fees or whatever. So it's usually like twenty bucks. And it's been a really good way and a cheap way for us to travel knowing that not only will we get accommodation for free, but it'll be nice accommodation as well.
Sam:Yeah. There's a whole lot of information about this online. So I'll just direct you to go Google this, but I'm gonna give you the kind of the summary of why I chose this card and and how, you know, I kind of take advantage of it. So basically, with this card, there was at the time I mean, it was a long time ago. There were some crazy sign up bonuses. It was, like, a a whole lot of points. And if you got someone else's sign up was again there's there's a lot of these deals going around, you know, with new cards all the time. So that's how I got into this particular card, but then I've stayed on this one because I've done the ratio. So, like, you'll see how many points to, you know, how many versus just getting cash back?
Tayla:Like a status. Right? Like a gold status or an elite status?
Sam:Yeah. So once we hit a certain status, it was just worth it to keep using this card versus just, you know, jumping to another bonus or to another bonus or doing, like, a cash back? Because I'd basically, I put together a whole Google spreadsheet and did, like, a a ratio between, like, the point versus, like, how much does it translate into a hotel stay versus just a one percent cashback? This is
Tayla:where you This
Sam:is where I say go do your own research online because it It really also depends on your spending habits because certain cards will have like, hey, you get, you know, four x points if you use it on restaurants or, you know, however Right. You do it. But, yeah, there's a there's a lot of credit card point hacks that there's a lot more experts out there than me and go visit their website. Just go Google it. You'll see, like, thirty of these things pop up and Mhmm. And new cards with new deals and just kinda get into that. It's it definitely is with your time to go do that.
Tayla:Absolutely. And the one thing we haven't got into until just recently was like like air miles or like a deal, like whatever deals with different flight companies because we were kind of, again, just taking whatever deal. It didn't seem worth it. I don't know that that was accurate. I think we still should have tried to get, like, points across maybe multiple airlines. But, yeah, that's something we're getting into now.
Sam:Yeah. So I have I've had Delta for quite some time. So I think I've I think I've got a bank's, like, fifty thousand miles right now. So whenever we so It's a bit of work, but I've got like Ryanair, I've got Frontier Spirits, Delta, a united account, and there's one other one.
Tayla:I literally didn't know any of it.
Sam:Yes. So but so when you do get one of these random flots, you can still book it into your, like, signed up app and it will like track, like, oh, you use us again. Obviously, it's taking a lot longer to bank miles to get back to certain statuses because
Tayla:we
Sam:we were kind of all over the place with whatever cheap airline we're willing to to fly with. But it it's starting to add up. I'd like to say that maybe we'd get something better if we just flow focused Mhmm. On an airline.
Tayla:So we'll probably be working on that over the next one. Yeah. But let's talk about Costa Rica. So we were there we were there March of twenty nineteen.
Sam:Sounds about right?
Tayla:Yeah. And I I only know that because we were getting ready to, like, try having a baby, and we had to wait for three months after we got back because Zika.
Sam:Zika.
Tayla:So I remember that, like, we're like, okay. I guess we're waiting. We'd rather not risk it. But, yeah, March twenty nineteen.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:So we kind of spoke already about what led us to Costa Rica randomly, but let's talk about what we did there and why we'd recommend it as like a great like, that is one of our best trips definitely.
Sam:Yeah. So, I mean, we we have some international listeners, but for the US listeners, our currency goes so far still. Like, if you go look at, you know, US dollars, euros or etcetera, it's still we're still pretty strong. So the US dollar goes pretty far in Costa Rica and that was one of the benefits. So, like Mhmm. The food end up being very cheap or the activities were very cheap.
Tayla:Mhmm.
Sam:But we decided to actually, like, go do activities. So, like we, you know, we did the center panel boarding, like, in like, this random giant's bay. Mhmm. We went on an all day adventure on You know?
Tayla:Four wheelers. Yeah. Literally literally eight hour ATV or it was, yeah, an eight hour four four wheel adventure, like, way up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere we were following this guy and had us go to, like, do we just saw a lot of stuff that we never would have seen? And it was so fun.
Sam:It was so bizarre too. So we we started, like, literally at the coast. I mean, we drove up this, like, steep across, up, you know, along the coast, and then eventually we couldn't, you know, we're up in the mountains and there's waterfalls and we got swimming in the waterfall. You remember that? Yeah. To go to the spot. And then it was just me and Tayla and a tour in, like, the tour guide. It was hilarious.
Tayla:He was great too.
Sam:Yeah. Yeah, he was super super chill. And, like, there was one point where, like, the the ATV couldn't cross a river because it it would like floats. And so he's like, hey, I think, did he take your one and then had me follow him or something?
Tayla:Something like that.
Sam:Yeah. So it was crazy. He's just, like, just gun up this direction, then do this thing. And then you're gonna float this direction, and then you're gonna as you hit this spot, you're gonna go again. I was like, oh, boy.
Tayla:It was super fun though.
Sam:It was super fun. Yeah.
Tayla:And we went to there was, like, this random like teeny tiny little restaurant in the middle of nowhere up in the mountain, that overlook like you could see into the whole valley Not where the people were though, like, into, like, where there's maybe a few houses there and the food was so good. And that's another thing that was, like, any activity you pay for in Costa Rica they will also feed you, delicious food. Like, it's just a part of every package that you have. Like, I remember we went white water rafting And we got down. And I was like, oh, there's like a spread of delicious fruit and and things like that. But, yeah, that that that that four wheeling trip was super super fun, super exhausting, but in, like, the best way. Like, we literally were four wheeling for eight hours going places we never would have seen. And I loved it. And we even, like, went to some random mouths on a way back that, like, had its own, like, special moon shine. Yep. They had people try.
Sam:That's like a sugarcane moonshine.
Tayla:That's so funny.
Sam:So and when do we say restaurants, that's a very, like, loose description because that that you was like a almost like a treehouse. It was just like a like a canopy,
Tayla:literally,
Sam:and some like wood for a deck. And I don't know where they got the food from. Yeah. Some schools. And it's like, hey, do you have some some fried rice?
Tayla:We're gonna we're gonna feed you. It's a great Costa Rican food.
Sam:Yeah. What? That was You
Tayla:would pass, like, the coffee farming up in the mountains too. Like, we just gotta see a lot of cool stuff in this one thing.
Sam:Yeah. Those was yeah. Those just were it was so remote too. Like, Everyone just Northsburg English, like, our, you know, like, another people where where we went to.
Tayla:Mine is our tour guide. Yeah.
Sam:Mine is a tour guide. And, yeah, we had taken cash with us. So everybody went and we're just like, here's some cash. What's this thing? And here's and to us, it wasn't much because it's, you
Tayla:know Yeah. And it's yeah. It makes a big difference for them. So as I mentioned, we also went white water rafting. It wasn't very intense. It's just like not an intense time. So it's more like a roughed trip.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:But they made it really fun. Same thing. I think we're the only two on that one as well. Because I think we were off season too. We're, like, not quite into spring yet. That doesn't really matter in Costa Rica. Right? That was fun.
Sam:That was so fun. And the the bus ride to get there
Tayla:too was crazy. I forgot about that. Reason.
Sam:But so the way I I love to travel is basically, like I said, you have a few things kind of eye down and mattes out as you research right before you go. But the main thing is is to go in with some preparation like, hey, I've looked at a map, I've downloaded, you know, GPS whatever needs. So I can't feel safe without Internet. I can feel safe without any sort of, like, phone signal if something goes crazy. And then just have local currency. You obviously have your credit card if something can happen. And then have a call. Like for me, like, that's probably why I struggle with going on cruises is I really just hate being, like, stuck in certain areas. Like, we we got to Costa Rica. We stayed the knots in San Jose. Mhmm. I believe it's just the the big capital. Yeah. Rented a car, and then we were off. And we just kind of, like, we're independent. We, like, stopped at that giant bridge with crocodiles everywhere.
Tayla:I've never been more I mean, they're probably, what, a hundred, two hundred feet below us. Yeah. I have a bad. And yet, I still was, like, afraid for my life. I'm like, these are dinosaurs. They were literally dinosaurs.
Sam:Yeah. But that that meant the so, like, in between all these cool fun stuff, like, we'd be like, hey, we talked to someone that spoke English and they're we'd awesome, like, we'd be some good food and chat with them and then we just take the car and freaking go like we went down to some place even further south. South of Hako, like this random spot on the
Tayla:side of the road.
Sam:Yeah. That surf spot with the random good food
Tayla:Yeah. And we also went to, like, a few other like, we went out a bit and sold some some slots, chillin, some monkeys. It was just cool. We went we did a Canopy tour much to Sam's showrooms.
Sam:Z z zipponing kind of stuff.
Tayla:Yeah. Sam does not he's not a fan of heights, but he still did it. And it's a good thing because we were the only we we happen to be booked at the same time as this, like, elderly senior travel group, which was adorable. So we have people in their seventies and eighties doing the ziplining with us. And I was like, Sam, you can't you got it.
Sam:I know I was the most afraid person to give it so funny. They're just like chilling up there.
Tayla:They're so cool. Look, man, I hope that I'm this way when I'm old because they're they're old, but they're having great time. There's, like, so much you can do, and I think that is part of why. Like, it's not like we didn't just chill. They had this huge, like, maze of a swimming pool with the summit bar you could go to. We a lot of time just in the pool or in the beach, but we were busy as well. Like, we we because we were smart with the finances on everything else, knew we weren't paying for accommodation, blah blah, we could spend the money investing in, like, really good experiences that weren't like so hodgepodge put together that, like, it kind of ends up being kind of crappy at the same time.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:And it was great. Think we need to do that more.
Sam:Absolutely. That's what I'm hoping this Portugal trip is.
Tayla:Okay. Yeah. Good to know.
Sam:Not as probably not as adventurous, but the same idea. Maybe we'll go, like, see some historical slides and some other stuff.
Tayla:Yeah. Cool. So let's talk about other travel hacks and we can talk about maybe some trips as we do it. So another one is to pack light.
Sam:Oh, I pack so light.
Tayla:Yeah. So you wanna opt for, like, versatile clothing items, pack only essentials, avoid excessive baggage fees, and airport navigation, blah blah blah. And, you know, the main reason is is fees, but also like you don't you don't and I'm one of those people that's like, what if I might need this one, you don't need it? And if you do, you can just buy it, and you can buy it cheap, and it's not a big deal. And b o s seven has helped me a lot to be like, you could just get it there. Like, you're not going there's almost nowhere in the world that you couldn't get that basic thing that you need, that you think you might need to bring, but probably you don't need to bring.
Sam:Exactly. Like, I Man, I think every single time I travel now, it's I don't ever check a bag. Like, the only time we've checked bags is because we need a whole bunch of stuff for the kids. Yep. And then we only check one bag for all the kid stuff and everything. So Yeah.
Tayla:We just stick it all in the same thing.
Sam:Yeah. So yeah. So I let you just do carry on and just to your personal item. And I I packed like going out especially to leave space for buying stuff there to to bring bring stuff back. So, yeah, the the main thing is if you've checked ahead, there's usually a place to do laundry So if you're like, run out of something, you just do laundry.
Tayla:You're probably gonna buy clothes anyway. Like
Sam:I buy clothes on every single trip I I go on.
Tayla:What's the clothing you
Sam:that's actually, most of them clothing I own is from vacation. Like, because I'll be, like, oh, you know, it's I I want one additional shirt. So that means, like, most of the stuff that I wear is that isn't my, like, daily work stuff Mhmm. Has some sort of, you know, like, oh, yeah, that that trip. So
Tayla:Yeah. Yeah. So I'm gonna talk about a trip that I went on that it didn't pack like for, and that wasn't with you at all, but it is one of my best trips that I really love. And you went on this same trip at another time also alone with your friend. So maybe you can speak to kind of your experience. But when I tell everyone this, South Africa is one of the most amazing places that you can ever go on a big vacation ever. For so, so many reasons. First of all, the most expensive part of a vacation to the Africa will just be getting Yeah. The flights. And even that, you can look for deals and stuff. It's a long flight from the US and from a lot of places because it's so far south. It is worth it. And because of the exchange of most other currencies, whether it's euro, pound, dollar, everything once you get there is ridiculously deep to do. Like, I remember giving a car god, a five grand, like, coin, which to me was like what maybe thirty cents. Like and my cousin was like, oh, you're really treating this car guard. You know what I mean? And I was like, yeah. I mean, it feels of cool to be able to spend in a way that is fun for you and, like, can make a difference to servers that are helping you, but it really doesn't you that much, but it makes a big difference to people servicing you. So I didn't pack light because I was there for six weeks
Sam:So I
Tayla:was there for a long time. Gotcha. I loved it. I recommend going for at least ten days. I would say just because of the travel. That's how the minimum of, like, two weeks.
Sam:At least two weeks.
Tayla:Yeah. Yeah. So but it really is amazing. So things that I did was I went to the apartheid Museum, which is amazing amazing amazing so well done, so artistic, kinda spiritual, super good. And there's a lot of things like that there, like Nelson Mandela's home in Sueto, I did go bungee jumping in Soweto off the power towers. That was really cheap, crazy, cool, life changing. Very fun. Went all the way over to Durban. I this is the my one regret is, like, I didn't go to the Kruger National Park, specifically. I went to other parks, but you have to do that. It's amazing. I went to Shock and Marine World. Just a water park, all the beaches that are there. I went into, like, the I went to the Garden Route down to East London. I went to an elephant kind of like a like a hewing sanctuary for them and was able to, like, feed them and they weren't tamed, but they were they were, no, not wild. Like, they weren't gonna do what you said, but they weren't gonna to and just got to be with them, went all the way to Cape Town. Beaches are amazing. I to Table Mountain. I went to Robin Island, where Nelson Mandela was in prison for twenty seven years. Like, all of this, like, one of my favorite things I did was in Johannesburg. There's I think it's called the lion of rhino park. And if And this is how it was explained to me as if lionesses have cubs, they usually wait two years at least before having another cub. And with their efforts to try and repopulate, they have found that if they take the couple away for a few months until it's probably or eight months. I can't remember which they release them back out to the wild in the pride. It helps the lyanuses get pregnant sooner and help repopulate. And So for a while, they just have a little two, three, four month old, like, little lion cubs that are not tame, but you can play with them. And that cost thirty grand to do. That's, like, maybe two dollars, maybe. And it was amazing, like, really life changing, a little scary. I was like, this two month old curve can really hurt me, I think. Like, this little pause are huge. Just like all that amazing stuff you can do in South Africa for really, really cheap. And that's not even talking about the food, shopping, other stuff that you can do. So I totally recommend everyone to
Sam:go. Yeah. I'm just gonna say did it to all of that and just maybe added, like, a couple extra things that I did that I loved so much. You have to go to the Dockensberg as well. So the Dockensberg is a mountain range on the east side in Kazulu Natal. It's it's not as big as like the Rocky Mountains, but it's just in Africa. So you've got African animals, you've got African kind of like bones and birds and stuff. So it just really is it's beautiful. And then the other thing is, there's a place called the cradle of humanity. Oh, that's
Tayla:so cool.
Sam:Yeah. So it's basically a hole in the ground. But, I mean,
Tayla:to mind?
Sam:I'm under under selling it, but basically, it's where they've have found the oldest human remains to date. And so they've called it, you know, the cradle of humanity and they've got a whole kind of like museum day and you can go down into the Mont and go go see see it. It's I don't know. It's kind of
Tayla:It's like being in space. Yeah. It's kind of how it feels.
Sam:It's kind of like being in space. It's kind of like, I don't know, like like spiritual. You know? For me, it's just it's kind of an experience just to kinda maybe connect you to the rest of humanity. I I really liked it. So So that'd be one as well as, like I said, going to the Drokensberg. There's a lot of really good beaches on the East Coast. You have the Indian ocean, so everything's warm, and they have a lot of nice cities along the East Coast too. So there's just a lot to see and do. And then on the West Coast, you got the famous Kittown. Water is colder, but you do have, like, some of the most famous surf spots in the entire world there.
Tayla:Along with all the great white sharks.
Sam:And Fair enough. Yes. With all the great white sharks. But you should go, which I didn't do. Well, I've done an alpha It's a short t h diving would be so cool.
Tayla:Yeah. We haven't even talked about Sun City.
Sam:Oh, yes. Okay. So Sun City, this giant like resort in the middle of nowhere it feels of, like, literally, you're driving on, like, roads that you're, like, are we gonna get hijacked here? This is crazy. Where are we? You just you dropped him to the middle of nowhere and they got this beautiful they called the Lost City as well. Like Mhmm. It's just it's It's beautiful. They filmed that movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barry Moore
Tayla:there. Blended.
Sam:Blended. Blended. Go see it. You'll see some of the hotel
Tayla:Harry Cruises in there too.
Sam:Yeah. They have a cool golf course there as well. I know this is so funny. But I remember the golf course there because they're crocodiles on them. Well, not on the course, but, like, that
Tayla:You're in modeling.
Sam:In pits and stuff. Yeah. So that you won't get eaten, but, yeah, remember that. And then, also, just the general food is amazing. But if you, like and so it's gonna feel exotic too because you're gonna Yeah. Eat all sorts of random, you know, buck India and, you know, like, Bison, I'm using AirPortia, Buffalo, Build ABIUST. And there also is a couple of restaurants that will serve the exotic food because they get access to this, but a lot of people don't like this. But you can eat things like Jirov and zebra and Zebra. I'm just saying it like the peoples can can understand. Crocodile ostrich. I mean, ostrich is available everywhere, but Yeah.
Tayla:Ostrich is delicious, I will say. It is. It tastes just like beef. That's much better for your cholesterol.
Sam:Really?
Tayla:I know that because we ate a lot growing up because my dad had high cholesterol and that's what my mom told us.
Sam:The one meat that stood out to me when I remember eating was crocodile, eating a little bit weird. So it's kinda like a
Tayla:I've had it. It's not good.
Sam:It it's kinda like a slawmier chicken.
Tayla:Yeah. It's not good. It's like oily.
Sam:Well, yeah. Well, yeah. So, I mean, the just if the way you cook it or what if you have with it, it was pretty, so pretty good.
Tayla:It was like home cooked when I had it. So it was, like, not I bet I would be better from a restaurant.
Sam:Interesting. Yep. I've also had hedgehog, Stew. This is
Tayla:Stew. No. Yeah. No. I think I've talked about this on our pets episode, but a lot of people will eat like tortoise stew and stuff. Why have
Sam:it done that?
Tayla:That's how we got our tortoise because my dad saves them from people about like, they he bought them from people who are about to cook them.
Sam:Well, which is so funny. So when we're in the caveman speaking of, we we tried a lot of really interesting seafood just from random places. And, anyways, we're talk us talking to the we went on like a boat cruise, whatever. Not not booked cruise, but, like, he took us to, like, senior city, and then we went to, like, this week and then the anyway, so I told him to him at some point. And and he's born and raised there. And I was like, what's the the best best food you've ever had here? And he recommended total soup. That was what he recommended.
Tayla:No. Can't do it.
Sam:So apparently, it's really
Tayla:They're too beautiful. No. But there is a lot of conch there. Like, conch everything.
Sam:Cunch everything. Yeah. Alright. So South Africa though.
Tayla:Yeah. Sun City, suburban. It's like a water park. Mhmm. And what do you call it? Where where you casino.
Sam:Casino. Yeah.
Tayla:Cool. It's got everything gambling. Yeah. Yeah. Where where do you gamble? Clearly, I haven't not done that yet. So Yeah. It's got everything. Hotel, but it is. Like, you literally drive to the middle of nowhere and then you take, like, a what do you call it? Like, a monorail, like, train above the trees, like, into the city, the valley of the waves. It's very very cool. Yeah.
Sam:It was one of the first places to get a fake wave.
Tayla:Yes. And it's huge. Like, it's really big. I remember that from childhood. It was really cool. That's one of my favorite trips ever, and I really recommend everyone anywhere to do it. Another travel hack. If you're not planning on renting a car or anything, then I people to take advantage of the public transportation. A lot of people, especially Americans are loathed to do that because it's there's not a ton of good public transportation here in the states minus a couple cities.
Sam:And
Tayla:so can make them nervous, like, how would a boy know where to get off? And how do I but there are apps for everything. Like, when I lived in London for a summer, like, took the tube everywhere and it's a maze and you have no idea but I didn't need to. I just had my location with the app that they have, and I put in where I wanted to go and it told me exactly where to go, what number, what color, what direction and I just followed it and I would always get where I need to go. Same in Belgium. Oh. There's always apps. There's always things to, like, literally tell you exactly what to do, and it's a great cheap way to get around especially in Europe.
Sam:That's yeah. That sounds amazing. I just had a memory like you sparked a team think about this beforehand. Was so when I was in China, that was the same thing, was I I went to a number of different places and got around by using their rail system, their underground rail system. And it's not even in English, but, like, again, you can use the app, you kind of know the word that you need to go to. And then it literally just like
Tayla:Can I share? Then go to this platform, go to this train, and, like, it'll get you exactly where you need to go.
Sam:Which also reminds me a thing that it was I downloaded, like, a Google translator before I did that trip to China, and I used it again in Portugal. So that's coming handy. So, like, in in, like, in China, like
Tayla:Life translation? Yeah.
Sam:If I didn't if didn't know something I need to go somewhere or need a certain thing, I just pulled it out and I I would, like, just bother someone and and be, like, here's my phone, and then they'd say something back. And then they
Tayla:would translate
Sam:They would translate them. Thank you. And then Yeah.
Tayla:Like, it's life changing. Like, even just on on Apple, like, they just have a translator app like that in the phone already. Just look for it Like, I think if you search translate, it'll it'll show right up. Yeah. Translate. It's just in here with an Apple app. So, yeah, that's that's life changing. Don't be afraid to go somewhere even if, like, people don't typically speak good English there, like, you can get probably just fine. You really can. That's the other thing is we are with T Mobile, which I like specifically for international travel because they have unlimited text. Yeah. The only thing that you can't do still, like, abroad is really, like, phone minutes, but with with FaceTime and, like, or WhatsApp. Like, you don't need that. You can still call people using data and you get good data. I think it's at least two gigs of data. That's fast and then still get slow data. Like, yeah, I really you can look for deals with your own cellphone carriers or whatever you call them. But T Mobile's a good one for international travel.
Sam:Yep. And in terms of another tiny little hack, one of the things that has helped with the cost of travel. So is using your credit card as much as you can when you're spending foreign. You avoid a whole lot of currency transfer fees. So go Google this so you can
Tayla:But it still costs like a fee to use the credit every time.
Sam:Yeah. So they have a I think it's like a one percent or a point five percent or something like that. So it ends up being cheaper though because the I think on the ForEx trade, you and the losing a little bit more in terms of the percentage. But Google is, but that's that's what I've I've found.
Tayla:Yeah. I will say a lot of places like it's outside of the US, it's weird to use your credit card for, like, small purchases.
Sam:It has been a lot
Tayla:of places, like, won't have, like, cell phone things. So I think just way where you're going and also way how often am I gonna be purchasing things? It might be better to have like one lump sum to get it all the cash. I think I'll need for the whole trip at one go or to use the credit card for giving that. So I don't think you're wrong. I just think it it kinda does depend a little bit.
Sam:We also have a little bit of a fun little perk that I don't know if other banks do this, but we have our all our withdrawal fees from ATMs So not the currency fee, but the actual ATM fee
Tayla:Yeah.
Sam:Is reimbursed through USAA.
Tayla:Yeah. That's true.
Sam:Very nice.
Tayla:A lot there's a lot of things like that and it's just an awareness and it taking the time to, like, just figure it out. Just a quick Google or use AI, like, to figure out what some of his paths are and just like, I I really recommend, like, doing the work to do that. Because it does it saves you money down the line. It can feel a bit overwhelming too, so just gonna be patient. And maybe start small, pick one or two things you can change about travel hacking so that you can build on that with experience. So let's talk about Hawaii.
Sam:Oh, Hawaii. Our yearly trip?
Tayla:Yes.
Sam:Yeah. Okay. So I lived in Hawaii. That was the actual the very first time I went to Hawaii was when I went to go live there for I think it was just over a year. So not super long, but it turned into this place that I just want to always go back to. Mhmm. And Since me and TELUS are dating, we've gone back every single year, except one year, I think, it was COVID in
Tayla:twenty twenty.
Sam:And then we went twice the next year to make up for it.
Tayla:We haven't gone this year yet.
Sam:I haven't gone this year yet. Oh, we won't have to go twice next year.
Tayla:Yeah. I
Sam:know. It's so sad.
Tayla:I know.
Sam:Well, we actually were gonna go. We had to cancel the trip because of the fires.
Tayla:Yeah. We were gonna go to Kauai. Mhmm.
Sam:It
Tayla:was our first time going to a different island than Oahu. And it just didn't feel like it was pretty much like a week or two after that fire and they were still devoting resources. They just didn't feel right to go like vacation. During that. So we we had a plan to go and we didn't end. So that's a good reason to have missed this year.
Sam:The downside is because we buy such cheap tickets. We don't get that stuff reimbursed.
Tayla:Well, we have yeah. We have it in milestones. We don't, like, lose the money, but at the same time, like, we're not gonna get tickets for that. That was our two hundred bucks Right. Trip tickets. That was crazy. But we'll figure it out. Yeah. We'll we'll just find another deal again and go. So
Sam:Hawaii. Yeah. So every year we go to Oahu, go to the North Shore, and we do it for as cheap as possible. Like Ted said, we wait just for just wait for a cheap Hawaii ticket to come up and then we go and
Tayla:Just down the north shore of Oahu.
Sam:Yep. And we've done a mix between Airbnb Did we stay in the hotel list?
Tayla:Did in Marriott
Sam:twice, I think. Twice. At least once.
Tayla:At least once.
Sam:But yeah. And then we that trip, we'd take super easy. We don't make any plans and then just kind of do it as we go.
Tayla:We haven't taken MAX because the last time well, we have in fetus form. So, like, that's the last time we were there was over Ellie's birthday in twenty twenty. So in February twenty twenty two, it's the last time
Sam:So she's been twice.
Tayla:Ella's been at least twice.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:Yeah. She's been twice. No. Three times. Right?
Sam:I don't know.
Tayla:Because we went twice in twenty twenty one after she was born.
Sam:Yeah. So, yeah, she's been three times.
Tayla:She's been three times. Yeah. And she said, great, actually each time. She's been at least twice. But, yeah, like, that's the last time we went, I was five or four months pregnant
Sam:Yes.
Tayla:Still felt massive for retiring, but it was amazing, like, so good. Ellen loves the beach. We've taken Max to the beach once just now in California in June when we went to Disneyland, and he loves it. So we gotta take him soon because I don't want him to lose that. Some kids can kinda get weird about the beach and the sand and stuff. But, yeah, Hawaii, our first trip was August twenty sixteen.
Sam:Yeah. Well We
Tayla:have been dating, like, six months, and you're like, we have ago because you kind of wanted to move there at the time you wanted to make sure that I well, you actually
Sam:I'm giving you the look.
Tayla:You do it.
Sam:Okay. So I was I'd literally put my house up for sale and I had re home my dog, and I was moving to Hawaii two thousand fifteen. No.
Tayla:Sixteen?
Sam:Yeah. And that's when Me and Tayla started dating. And so I was like, well, let me put a hold off on this move just for a little bit and see where this goes. And then we ended up getting rid
Tayla:of It went. Yeah.
Sam:And so we not didn't move to Hawaii. So that's kind of like why we, you know, we're doing this trip So anyways, when we're dating, I was like, hey, you gotta come to Hawaii because this is where I'd love to be. This is kind of like my vibe and my pace of life. So wants to know what you thought of it. So that's where we went.
Tayla:I remember my first time snorkeling ever was there in Hawaii in shock curve on the north shore, and it was wild. Like, I remember, like, okay, we're gonna go snorkel. I was swim with goggles on. Great. In the ocean. That's awesome. But I had no idea, like, I remember walking just, like, chin deep and just, like, sticking my head down for a sec to test the goggles. And there are fish right there. And I was like and I was just like, I stood up and I was like, are fish just constantly around me when I'm in the ocean and I had no idea It was wild and the fish the fish in that co are particularly vibrant, beautiful turtles all the time. Super safe regardless of what the name would indicate. And, like, it would it's an I love going back there every time. It's such an amazing place to alcohol.
Sam:Yeah. That's great because you like, if you wanna get adventurous, you can go out just outside the cove and kind of explore the reef around and It's literally a great place to take first time snorkelers, like Absolutely.
Tayla:Not really wavy. I mean, if you're going in the summer, Yeah. So we also went shock cage diving.
Sam:That was cool.
Tayla:That was so cool. They took us out a couple miles from the North Shore and remember feeling like super game. And then I saw the Dorosophins, and I had never seen a Dorosophin, like, in the wild. And I was, like, just kidding. No. And then Sam volunteered to to go first. I was like, I don't know. And same thing, I put my head with my snorkel mask underneath and kind of literally screamed. So, like, a little bubbles of scream. You know, just like as a shock thing, I'm like, oh my gosh, these huge sharks are right here. And then after a couple seconds, I was like, Hello? I'm delicious.
Sam:They don't care yet.
Tayla:Like, don't you care? Like, they're not they did not care that I was there, which was a surprise to me. They're Galapagos shark. So they're like, I don't think there's even maybe one recorded attack on it
Sam:funny enough. Okay. So there's there's a few nouns. So what happened was
Tayla:So at before that, at the time we researched and found out there had only been, I think, ever one in history all around the world. Recorded attack by a Galapagos shark specifically.
Sam:Yeah. So but funny enough, I think we went back two years later or three years later for something and your family was eight. We were gonna go, Sarkis Dobbing with your dad, I think.
Tayla:My sister? Mhmm.
Sam:Yeah. So and then they're like, oh, we have to cancel something with the cages or something in the weather, and they're like, but you can't we can't free free up with them, whatever. And we're and
Tayla:I just wasn't at that level yet.
Sam:And neither was on because I was just, like, you know, like, this it just so happens. It might not have been that day, but I've it was definitely during within that week or two because I've now gone back and looked. They were attacked by the the shops. That obviously not fatal, but there was either, like
Tayla:It's like a mistake. Like, the shark thought it was something else.
Sam:Go Google it. It was
Tayla:just like kinda tastes staying.
Sam:Yeah. No. It's pretty hilarious. Like, it's not hilarious, but it's just like, oh, shoot. That might have been us. That might have been I I didn't know the exact date because I'm trying to remember, like, what day we went but it's that same, like, two week period. Yeah. Crazy.
Tayla:I was a teenage diving though, really was an amazing experience. Like, I totally recommend it and definitely was kinda like little offended that no one wanna take a nibble at me. I'm like, I'm delicious. Hello.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:But it's so cool to see them, like, right there up close. The freaky thing was looking straight down because I did not swim that far out in the ocean ever, and there's nothing is the opus. And that's, like, kind of freaky to me. Yeah. That was maybe the freaky as part of that.
Sam:It's so deep. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. Hawaii is a good trip. I I love Hawaii. It's just very expensive once you're there. Yes.
Tayla:Top of the head to South Africa and Costa Rica.
Sam:Yeah. So you can get super cheap tickets, but be prepared to pay a lot for the food, like, sensory. Yeah. Even the Airbnb is a little pricey or or hotel, I guess.
Tayla:Yeah. Car Rental. It's all. It's not a cheap trip once you get it, but I would say it is worth it. Like, the oceans are unlike anything else
Sam:Mhmm.
Tayla:The culture I love. It's so slow. And chill, I've sleep the very best ever I've slept in my life in Hawaii. Yeah. So the the beach I remember the sand feels quite different. It feels like new sand. Like, the sand hasn't broken down as fine as it has, like, in California. That's how it feels like fake you can tell that it was, like, Shell or something before all the sand. It's, like, quite big, which is just different, cool interesting.
Sam:Yeah. That's a fish issue on the Knoll Show. Yeah. There's different parts that have, like, some different kinds of sediment from rivers and stuff, but Yeah. You know.
Tayla:It's cool. Why may it be so Oh.
Sam:Waimea Bay. And so we jump off the rock. Yeah.
Tayla:Yeah. Yeah. There's Waimea Rock to jump off of we found out. You can swim under it.
Sam:Yeah. So so so funny. I lived there a whole year and I had no clue that there's literally a tunnel underneath Waimea rock. And while that trip, like, I don't know what it was. I think it's all light. That was what it was. So, like, I we're on some angle, and I was like, I can see, like, light shining through like, is that a weird reflection or something? And so I went over there. I was like, I'm staring through. I was like, you can zoom through it and then pull this
Tayla:thing through. Yeah. Sweet. I was just kinda freaky to think back on because it's a big rock to swim through.
Sam:It's a lot longer than I realized. Yeah. But You made it.
Tayla:It's very cool. Yeah. It was amazing. And Sam body boarded.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:There's and the waves were so strong that his costume. It's not set up.
Sam:So that was the
Tayla:Oh, yeah. I know.
Sam:They all blend together in, like, one trip. Yeah. So we went one time during
Tayla:when we
Sam:took it. And and we went to Waimea Bay. The waves are crazy. Show break. Yeah. And pretty much no one else's out there on Rhine Way's as a couple.
Tayla:Minus people are, like, clearly professional. They do this all the time. Yeah.
Sam:And as we mentioned, rented a body board and some slippers, some things and I told your dad because your dad used to body surfers. I was like, hey, come on out and he's like, Mhmm.
Tayla:No. Thanks. And so
Sam:I was out there for a little bit and then I I had I had one big closeout and it just destroyed my my board shorts like literally Tormenholt.
Tayla:You assumed to have Yeah. Like, they were ripped. Yeah.
Sam:I had been something underneath.
Tayla:Yeah. Fortunately. You would have been Yeah. Providing the entertainment. Yeah. We recommend Hawaii definitely Yeah. Delicious food. Everything's just beautiful and you're kind of unplay not on not on the south part by, like, Waikiki and stuff. It's just very steady e e, which is great as well. Different vibe. But if you wanna, like, really unplug and get away, the North Shore of Oahu is amazing.
Sam:Yeah. Absolutely.
Tayla:Alright. I think we're kind of winding down here. So let's do one more travel hack and one more favorite trip. So you think of another favorite trip? Could be any trip. Okay. I guess I should briefly speak about London because I did
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:Include that in our in our introduction. But another travel hack is to which one do I wanna do? Look for all inclusive packages if that's something that you can afford to pay for, like it's often worth it to do. Just depending on where you're traveling, if if you have a package that can include accommodations, meals, activities, and provide like great value. I think this is specifically helpful with like family, trips with kids, like a whole family, it can be a lot more cost effective that way. But if you want more of the freedom to explore and stuff, then maybe air on the side of giving yourself the freedom to not feel tired or beholden to the package to get your money's worth out of it.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:Just a bit of a balance. Any any other comments on that?
Sam:No. Do you have anything more from London?
Tayla:Yeah. So London, I lived there for a couple months as well. I lived in Belgium for a couple months as well. And there's similar and different. I pretty much just love Europe. London definitely felt more like home and that's probably because we're, like, South Africa is a former British colony, so a lot of the cultural nuances and the food was very similar. I was there for a study abroad focused on human rights. I was there in the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta being sign, which is the first human rights document that we know of. And I loved like, there's just you can literally go, like, backpacking in Wales You can go to different, like, graveyards in Scotland. You can go to, like, every every his historical. You everything is so old and beautiful. You just feel so attached to everything. A lot of things are free. A lot of the museums are free. You can take the tube anywhere. People are polite, but also not like weird to you. So I just love, like, the plays, the the west end with the musicals. I saw miss Saigon there and I just still think about it. At least we it's it's my Roman empire. It's Miss Saigon in the musical. But yeah. Like, just there isn't anything that I didn't like, honestly, besides maybe and this was worse in Belgium. There's that, like, people don't always pick up after their ethanol go on the sidewalk, so you kind of have to keep an eye out. I loved everything. Every the culture, the history, the convenience, the city, feels like a big city without feeling like a big city. I just love all of it and Belgium was similar. It just it was pretty much like being in France where everyone's super nice and polite and patient. Which they're not. And at least in Paris where I've been. I haven't been, like, outside of Paris, but Parisians are, you know, prickly. So they're not in Belgium. Like, they're super they're French speaking, a lot of French culture, French food. But like, you know, Scandinavian manners and Scandinavian influence like that Dutch side. So I just I love Belgium. Again, a ton of really cool stuff to go, see and do too. Mhmm.
Sam:So
Tayla:that's a couple of my favorite. I I think it's absolutely worth it to go. What's your last best
Sam:trip? Trip. So it I would be I have to mention so we've done a lot of, like, exotic international islands and all sorts of illegal I'm gonna have to say one of my favorite vacations has to be going to seaside in Florida. So it's on the Panhandle in Florida. It's the Seagrove. I'm trying to think of the bigger cities there. A Destin, descends of a big city.
Tayla:For those of you who listened to our substance use episode that came on a couple weeks ago, this is where the place where I accidentally got I'm drunk.
Sam:So, yeah, I I really like the trip the the reason I didn't say trucks, you've been there a number of times. I like it because it has, I think, the best sand in the world. So step one. The sand is, like, super soft, super gentle, bright, white.
Tayla:Stunning.
Sam:And the water on good weather days is actually some of the best water I've ever seen too. We've got some awesome pictures, I think, maybe we will post. Yeah.
Tayla:I'll post pictures from a few of these trips.
Sam:And the water is just this beautiful blue talk turquoise, it's like clear to it's like almost doesn't seem real because of the the colors. The waters are perfect temperature and they've got a lot of fresh seafood there. It's a bit pricey. That's the downside of doing this trip. Also, depending on the time of year, this gets really crowded. Especially now. So everyone comes down from, like, Texas and surrounding areas to this area, but it's beautiful. The homes are are those, like, beautiful, like, beachy kind of white looking homes? I mean, it's just it's really cool. Like, if you have ever seen the Truman Show, that movie with
Tayla:Yes. Okay.
Sam:Jim Carey. It's filmed in that in that area. So it's kinda like this very quaint Mhmm. Old American kind of
Tayla:step birdie.
Sam:Yeah.
Tayla:It's like in a good way.
Sam:Yeah. It's it's just so cool. You can get around with, like, a beach bicycle and, you know, or a golf cart or or something. It's it's just really nice, really laid back.
Tayla:That was our first place. I think we took Ella, like, on a flight too. And she was only, like, five, six, seven months old, and she loved it.
Sam:Yeah. She loved it. So we, you know, we got some great friends that, you know, provided a place to stay. I was just one of those perfect little trips you know, we like, cooked pretty much most of our meals.
Tayla:This is spicy food.
Sam:Yeah. So cool. Yeah. Those that fish market. Right? So we go there, get suffstrate from there like we get shrimp or whatever from from the catch that day and then it fried up. It was just, you know, I could see myself living a life like that. That's
Tayla:Absolutely. Absolutely. That was such a good one. I had I'm glad you brought that up. I had forgotten about it. All in all, Travel's dope. You should do it more, and it's super affordable. You just gotta you just gotta kind of plan ahead and then be like flexible within your framework and your budget. But, like, if there's one thing I've learned about travel as well is that, like, if you can't afford to, like, really enjoy your time and have, like, excursions and stuff, like, you can't afford to go. And that's what like, in my mind, it's not worth it to go all the way to wherever you're going and not, like, truly enjoy the food and truly have experiences that, like, really integrate you with that time. Like, it's not worth it for me to cut corners so deeply that you miss out on the real experience.
Sam:Yeah, that's one of the things I just I didn't ever wanna do without travel, which is basically, oh, cool. We're just gonna be taking care of the kids in a different a city or a different country. We're just, you know, we really don't get to take advantage of the uniqueness of the place you go if you don't you know, prepare and plan for it.
Tayla:Yeah. So make sure that, like, it's go for quality over quantity, but, of course, if you can do both do both travel a lot, and it's all doable. Maybe we'll do another episode on, like, traveling with kids specifically. That's something figuring out.
Sam:Whole not a ball game.
Tayla:Whole not a ball game, but we'll ask you guys on social media like your favorite trips, places you've been. And we'll post some pictures as well. Either way, thanks for being here. Literally, it's so fun to watch our little dedicated community grow. It's best. So thanks for being here. Thanks for listening to the bev. What do you know about podcast?
Sam:Remember to rate, subscribe, and review. Three, two, one.