#4 Willard Travel Co. - Airports, Adventures & Life Lessons

Amy (00:00) Welcome to Just a Thought with Amy Keys. We are here to inspire, educate, inform, and entertain. Today's episode features a fabulous couple who travels the world, and I am so excited to welcome Christy and Richie Willard.

Amy (00:15) From Willard Travel Company.

Amy (00:17) Christy is a travel advisor, wife, mom, tiny dog lover, world explorer, lovely friend, God loving, prosecco loving woman.

Richie works in MedTech, is a travel advisor, husband, dad, storyteller, always happy, God loving, never dull moment kind of guy. So we are so excited to have you two here today.

I've been really looking forward to talking to you because it's always an adventure being with you. And I know we're gonna have some great times today talking about your own adventures. So let's jump right in. First question today. How and why did you start your travel planning business?

Christy (01:00) Well, first of all, thank you for having us. It's so sweet. We're so excited to be here. I think, you know, we both worked at FedEx years ago. That's where we met. And back in those days we you could jump seat and you could jump on an airplane and go anywhere you wanted to, basically, you know, if it was available. And so that was kind of our dating life. We would hop on an airplane for the day. We would work the night before, we would jump on an airplane, go to Orlando, go to New York, California, whatever, and then

come back and work that night. And so that I think that just kinda like started our love for travel, just being able to go to new places and experience new new things. So as time went on, we had kids. It was just kind of we just kinda settled into life and then it was more baseball tournaments and basketball tournaments. And that's where we were every weekend. So then it was just going to the beach and going to Disney. But recently we're

We've become empty nesters and so we've just I was laid off at FedEx and so we just thought this was gonna be the retirement plan, so we just kinda jumped into this a little bit earlier than expected.

Richie (02:11) And then we were on our first Virgin Voyages cruise, which is that's one of our favorite cruise lines, and we were sitting next to an older couple that was that seemingly was there with a larger group of people and we started talking to I was talking to the man and I said, Man, you're on you're here with this large group of your friends, that's really awesome. He said, Actually, we're travel advisors and we have put together this trip and all of these people are from all over the the country and we just met to take this trip. And I thought, How cool is that?

maybe w that's something that we should do as we think about it, you know, getting later in our our my career at you know in the med tech world and she's finished up her time at FedEx, maybe we should do something like this. She's always wanted to be a travel advisor. and maybe we could help share our love of travel with all of our family, friends, and the rest of the world. And so that's what we did.

Amy (03:00) Yeah, and I I believe I remember when you were like, I think we're gonna try to start, you know, you were kinda dibbing and dabbing in it and then it was like then you kicked it up a notch and you keep kicking it up a notch. Like it's fun to watch you grow and see the enthusiasm about it when y'all are telling us about trips, when we get together, you tell us these stories and I'm like, I wanna go there now. So, well, what role do each of you have

Kind of the same role or does one of you do the bookings and one of you does the searching?

Richie (03:30) I like to tell everybody that I'm the president of the board of directors and stuff. Christy is the expert when it comes to travel. she has the relationships. I'm typically the one that will help on when we're really working with somebody trying to figure out where they want to go and what they want to do. My job is to try and kind of pull that out of people because a lot of times people have an idea of what they want to do, but they really don't know what they want to do. So we've got to we've got to bring that out.

Christy (03:58) Sure. Yeah. So I'm gonna be going in and doing the research and the logistics and you know, finding the location and the right place for the right person as well. So just you know, doing the supplier trainings and and reaching out to the the contacts that I have in in the industry and just trying to figure out that right exact place for you and then doing the you know, all the dirty work behind the scenes.

saving the the the clients the time of doing the research themselves because on average it takes someone twenty to thirty hours to find a vacation on their yeah so instead of you know sitting there in front of your computer researching it trying to to you know have you know have what's it analysis paralysis is that what it's called you know where do I go? What do I do? You know, that's kind of what I would take over and do that part for you, you know, once we've had that initial call.

Amy (04:53) Well, like example, I don't I I like the beach, but I don't want I wouldn't want a tropical vacation that required me to sit on the beach the whole trip. Right. I mean, that sounds great, but I know I will get bored. A little in the morning's great or the afternoon, but I want activities or want to go tour and see stuff. That's where you come in because I mean I could Google that and find a thousand places, but I'm not gonna really know what I'm doing. Right. So that is something like

I could come to you and give you that information. We want to go to somewhere tropical, but we don't want to sit on the beach all day. Where do you suggest?

Richie (05:27) It's one of the questions we're going to ask you when you when you come to us is we're going to say, at the end of this vacation, describe what your perfect experience would have been like. Yeah. And and and through telling us that, you're going to tell us, do you want to go to an island? Do you want to go to Europe? Do you want to is it a book boutique hotel experience or is it an all inclusive, like do you wanna get out in the water and play? We're gonna learn those things through a really a couple of questions.

Amy (05:50) That's awesome.

Christy (05:51) Because not all not all resorts are the same. They're all inclusive. There's adults only. They're you know, if you don't want to have kids in your at your resort, then you would want to go to an adult only. Some resorts are quiet and secluded, some are some are party atmospheres. So some people if you're on your honeymoon, you might not want kids running around. You might not want that party atmosphere where they're having phone parties in pools. Right. You know, you want to be secluded and away on your own but still have the

option to do the excursions and things like that and the water sports. So that's just kind of what we do is kind of narrow that down, find out what you want and then narrow it down from there.

Amy (06:28) So let's discuss, I'm really curious about this, your favorite destinations that you would go to over and over again. And I don't say one, I don't say just one destination because there's no way you could have one. There's got to be multiple places that you want to go back to. So what which do y'all have a mutual one or?

Christy (06:49) I don't know if it's mutual, probably not. maybe one. I love France. and I probably because I love the food and the wine and the culture. I even love the smell of it, as odd as that sounds, but it's mostly like when you s like a woman who's well dressed walks by and you just smell the French perfume, you know, and it's just I don't know, the whole romance of it all. I love France.

And I probably my other was Disney. I've I've been to Disney more times than I can count, probably care to count and but that's just my nostalgia place. It's my little happy place. It's where the kids grew up and I feel like in every little place, every time we go, we can we have a memory that is in this location and in this location. And you know, my daughter fell and skinned her knee right there and we got a picture of her where my son is laughing at her, you know, there.

And so it's that's the nostalgia part of me. But I would say if there's just one location it would probably be be France.

Richie (07:58) For me, it's probably I know you don't like Caribbean Islands, but I do. I like

Amy (08:02) Do, I do like.

Richie (08:03) them. But having having my feet in the sand, crystal clear blue water, snorkeling, just the whole vibe and you know, I think it because in in the rest of my life, time is such a a key factor. So when you go to one of those islands you realize that their culture is time does not exist. And turn

Amy (08:24) Turn everything off.

Richie (08:25) it all off and you and you're and you're just there.

and th you know, and probably one of my favorite places I've ever been, we went with some really good friends of ours, and to Yosh Van Dyke and we sat on that beach for a solid six hours with my feet in the water and just looking out at the b blue water is the most relaxed I've ever been. Wow.

Amy (08:45) Wow. I am actually very relaxed when we've gone snorkeling. Really?

Richie (08:49) Eleven.

Amy (08:50) huh. That's I really well, you know, depends on the kind of snorkeling trip it is or where but some of the best snorkeling I've ever done, I think, is Key West with my family. Yeah. And Isla Marata area in the Keys, which is nice awesome. But I would say that a place I could go back to over and over again is Estes Park, Colorado. Okay.

Anywhere in Colorado, I love it's just the crisp, cool, no humidity feeling. I tend to like the off the beaten path places right that I haven't seen all the brochures for. Mm-hmm. and I felt like Estes Park felt that way. The elk are everywhere. I mean, they are like squirrels out there. And it's so cool. We my family, we went on a vacation in twenty nineteen there and of all the trips you've ever gone on, it's probably still my favorite one.

I that though. It's it's the elk. It is the climate. It is our favorite pizza, Antonio's pizza. Unbelievable. The hiking is phenomenal. Okay. I mean, it's just so doable and there's so many. There's a place called the Alluvian Fan. It is the strangest I think I think big I mean it's like where rocks blasted out. I mean I'm talking like

Billions of rocks, not just a little hole. Yeah. And you could climb the alluvian fan. I mean, that's the strangest thing. And there's like bighorn sheep signs to say, you know, crossings for them. I mean, it's really a great place. so that would be my favorite. Anything off the beaten path though, the unexpected. So that's so what about how many countries have you been to? Do you know?

Christy (10:33) I was counting it the other day and I think if you're including like the you know, the territories as far as like Aruba and like Curaçao and them being like or Martinique as being like territories of another country like Britain or France. Right. I think we said it was like twenty five. Wow. and but then next month we'll be adding Spain and Italy. Because we're going on a cruise next month. So that'll be twenty seven, I think.

Richie (11:02) Well, we can't we can't really say that we're we're gonna own a travel business and not travel.

Amy (11:07) Yeah, I mean you need to be yeah, that's true. That that's sort of the the root of your business is saying I've been here or if you haven't been there through your networking y of people you trust in the industry, you can gauge things too.

Christy (11:22) A lot

of that is through cruises. I mean that and it's just just like a one day hit an island, go to another, you know. So that is a a really good way to to see a bunch of places in one

Richie (11:33) Why we love cruises because you it's it's like you get this quick sampler. Yeah. You know, you get you get to learn a little bit about each country. and then when we we love something, we can say, okay, we're gonna go back. And and I guess for me on that when you talked about favorites, mine would probably be it would be Europe, even though I said I love the Caribbean Europe because little things like when we went to Bruges, we decided that we wanted to go eat at this there was a hole in the wall restaurant. Well, hole in the wall to us here.

is at the oldest it would be two hundred and fifty years old. Right. Right. Over there, the oldest one that in Bruges that I went to was fifteen twenties. It and it had been around and open right since the fifteen twenties. Right. there were things on the menu that had that would had always been on the menu. Right. That style of food. that you just can't get that. So be being able to kind of really dive into a culture and eat what they eat, drink what they drink, live how they live. This is just

Amy (12:30) I

like that too. I wanna be like where I wanna go to where the locals eat. I don't wanna go to a chain. That's right. I don't wanna go somewhere that, you know, is like rated the best on TripAdvisor that it just is regular. I wanna eat where the what the locals eat. So

Richie (12:46) That's

how you experience when when you experience the world, that's how you do it. Right.

Amy (12:49) And

and it's interesting that you mentioned about cruises. it reminds me of something my husband said once when we were in Key West and we weren't on a cr cruise there, but we flew to Miami and went all the way down to all the Florida Keys, stayed like made it like a stop in certain areas and then end up in Key West and drive back up. And I remember him saying on that trip, you know, it it tr this is truly a journey, not destination trip. Right. And that sounds kinda funny.

Like, everybody says that, but it really was true. Like we our our our turnaround was Key West, but all the places we stayed in between really mattered. Yeah. So much fun. And that's how a cruise is. And I do love a we've been on several cruises and what I love about a cruise is you unpack once and you go all these places.

Christy (13:36) It's like it's like a traveling hotel.

Amy (13:37) Yes, yes. So I would say of as far as I mean, I haven't traveled out of the country since I was a junior in high school. Mm-hmm. But my best memory of that trip was Lucerne, Switzerland.

Christy (13:52) nice.

Amy (13:52) And I r it's again crisp, cool mountain air. I guess there's something about crisp cool mountains for

Christy (13:58) Maybe that's why you liked Colorado.

Amy (14:01) Yes, and I distinctively remember the sound of the cowbells while I'm on the tram going up

Richie (14:07) Yeah.

Amy (14:08) t the mountain. Yeah. And how fresh it was and the giant swans in the water. Like that's been over thirty five years and it's still a really great memory. Yeah. So I can eat

Christy (14:18) That's

what it's about. I mean that's for for us that's what travel is about. It's creating those core memories that w are gonna just stay with you.

Amy (14:25) So I know that you do bookings and work for individual families and individual people. Do you guys do group travel?

Christy (14:35) We're just really starting to look at that now. So, you know, we were thinking like if you have a pickleball group or a you know, a golf group or a you know, g a group of guys that you play golf with or mahjong or something like that. there are people, there are groups that go on say cruises together or s go go to Scotland to play golf. So yes, we are starting to look at that. We haven't done one yet. I'm just kinda like getting my bearings now that we're

You know, we're two years in and now that I feel comfortable enough to do that, I think that's something that we're really gonna start looking at with doing.

Richie (15:11) Well, you know, when you're when you're traveling with your family, you're you're really doing some group travel. And then when your kids get a little bit older or maybe your interests change and and there's things that you wanna do, whether it's pickleball, golf, mahjong, whatever that might be, there are trips that are carefully curated around those experiences that you can you can plan and not even know the other people going on the trip, or you can go with a group of people that you already know to a location and do some

Pretty cool things. Golf you know, golf is included in that. You got there's some things you've got to pay for. some of those resorts have pickleball courts. on some of the cruises they do Mahjong cruises.

Christy (15:55) Rock climbing or

Richie (15:56) Sign

me up for a module. So as we started thinking about you know, the next iteration of this and and what it looks like, it's how do we get more people to go on these experiences? because as you get older, that circle of friends that you build is going to be important. And and so you start building these experiences with people and it carries on into your daily life as well as your vacation life. And I think that's important.

Christy (16:22) So it could be a neighborhood group or you know, people you church group? Yeah, church group, you me any kind of group that's your your group of friends, anybody that's that you're involved with that has a similar interest. So yeah, that's what we're looking at next.

Amy (16:35) Right. Well you always have to be in business, you always have to be thinking of the next thing. Right. You can't just do the same thing all the time. Yeah. You have to be creating and thinking of new ways and new avenues to continue the business. So that's great. Yeah. Awesome.

Amy (16:51) do you know or have a an underrated destination that you hear all about that people are like, You gotta go here, you gotta go there and then you're like you get there and you're like, Hm, I don't know about this. Not so special.

Richie (17:06) Underrate under

Amy (17:07) Over

under like like a place that you think is everybody says is so amazing and then you get there and you're like, Mm, I'm not it's not that great.

Christy (17:17) I don't think I've ever been anywhere that's that I have thought is overrated. But I think that's also like a matter of opinion. Like what I think might be overrated might not be overrated to someone else. You know, like I'm not particularly a big fan of, you know, some of the cities in like California or whatever. Like I might like one over the other. but what I think might be overrated might not be overrated to someone else. So I think it's almost kinda like

you know, it is what you make it or, you know, what your preferences are. So I I really haven't been disappointed in anywhere that I've been yet.

Richie (17:54) And I think a lot of that it comes down to if and this is just Richie's perspective on it. I think a lot of times when somebody finds something to be overrated, they probably didn't use somebody to help them plan that trip. So they went somewhere in a high season where the crowds are crazy. Right. The experience is not as curated. And we'll take Santorini for example. Yeah,

Christy (18:16) Disney is a great one.

Richie (18:17) Disney the same way. there are certain months, certain days, certain weeks that you don't want to go to Disney. Right.

Some people just plan a trip and they go. And even then when they go, there are some days you don't want to go to Magic Kingdom versus going to Animal Kingdom. Right. We know those things. Right. and so a lot of times if you're going to a a country to go do something, going in the high season is gonna really determine whether or not you're happy with that or not. Whether you're curr surrounded by tens of thousands of people or whether you're only one of a hundred people in a village. Right. That changes that changes everything. So I don't like the term overrated because it I I think that it can be avoided in a lot of ways.

Amy (18:54) So

not gonna say overrated, but a place that will probably surprise you that I think is kind of built up more than it should be. I I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think it's the Grand Canyon. I'm sorry. It's beautiful.

Christy (19:10) agree with you. It's I have never I haven't been, but I I'm agreeing with you. It's it's love.

Amy (19:15) Hopefully

it's beautiful. I think everybody should go, but it you look out and it's all the s looks all the same. And there's not like a lot to do after you do that.

Richie (19:27) I think one of the reasons we haven't been it's because we've flown over it three times.

Amy (19:30) Yeah.

It looks the same.

Richie (19:34) I will say that my parents went there on a trip and they were absolutely blown away with how beautiful it was. but they had really not done a lot of traveling outside of you know, my dad was in the Navy when he was younger, but they had not done a lot of traveling interior to the United States. So they had they hadn't seen some of the other things. So one day we'll go. Yeah. But it's probably low on our list.

Amy (19:55) Include

it with something else. Go to Sedona. Yes. While you go, 'cause Sedona's awesome.

Christy (20:00) We've been to Yellowstone. Yeah. And we did Grand Tetons. Incredible. I mean, that was stunning. We loved we had a great time. And that was a family trip and we would go back there a hundred percent. and w we decided then that we wanted to do more national parks, but I don't know, for some reason that's just not been at the top of my

Richie (20:18) In these international locations we're gonna go to.

Amy (20:21) Yeah, well, Sean loves going to national parks and he even has the little national park passport that you get every park stamped. And we were at where were we? I think we were at the Arch St. Louis, which is a national park. Really? And yeah, I couldn't believe it. Yeah. It's beautiful. It's really cool. And he didn't have his passport and I felt so bad for him. I was like, You don't have your passport. Yeah. So, something that's really important with your industry is air travel. Mm-hmm.

I find that being in the airport is some of the best people watching ever.

Christy (20:57) Right.

Amy (20:58) I very much enjoy people watching at the airport. Love it. It's like the it's like a microcosm of the whole world, just is it it literally is right there. And like I love to see the way people dress to fly, the way people don't dress to fly, the way they have where they it's just where they have all their stuff or their bags or how the family travels together.

People watching, if people have ever seen my family travel, have probably noticed that I follow my husband like a lost puppy at the airport. I it is a very vulnerable place for me for some reason. I think I'm too distracted by my people watching. So I'm always like ten paces behind him. He's it's not his fault, it's mine. I have to have him handle everything. I mean, he'll he's like, Here's your boarding pass. This is what you do with it. Or

I here's a fun fact. I have never booked a plane ticket in my life. Really? I have he does it and it's not like I'm a baby. He just does our trips. He he's the one who plans all that. But I've never booked a plane ticket. That's crazy. That's wild. but I really like

Christy (22:06) Surprising about you, I think.

Amy (22:07) I'm I'm I'm a planner, so you'd think I would. Yeah. But I think when we when we travel, he tends to be I'll find the or I'll say, Let's go here and then he will like execute everything and make it happen. Yeah.

So but yeah, I'm very I'm like a little kid in the airport. I'm like looking for the candy shop. And he's like, We gotta go, we gotta go. And I'm like, but look at that lady's luggage. I mean, I'm just

Christy (22:30) I wanna watch you in the airport now.

Amy (22:32) Well we're gonna go somewhere together so you'll get to see it happen and you're gonna be like Amy, she's back there.

Christy (22:39) We're gonna get one of those like things that the kids have, you know, where they tie it on your

Amy (22:44) Right. but I'm a lot I'm a lot at the airport. I'm I'm a lot. And I had to check my bag like twenty times to make sure my wallet's in there and I'm the

Richie (22:52) With passports.

Amy (22:54) Yeah, he is. so yeah, how how what what do you what do you think about airports these days and how TSA is and all the things and any travel tips in the airports?

Richie (23:05) think you for me, I think owning and running a travel business has changed the way that we look at airports a lot because, you know, there's some people will will book a trip for somebody. Well let's say, you know, you and your family, you're going on a trip, you'll book it. and then the last thing that you think about is how do you logist logistically get through the airport? What does that look like? What are the times that I need to get like you start thinking maybe the night before

What time do I need get to the airport? It changes for us the way that we coach you before you get to the airport. You're going to land, it's probably going to have some sort of a transfer, maybe in Atlanta, Detroit, someplace like that. Understanding the logistics of getting off that airplane and getting onto the tram to get you to the next gate. Yeah,

Christy (23:53) There's a tramp.

Richie (23:54) hopefully there's okay when you're not running through it like you might in like San Francisco. but just to kind of understand it like so people watching I as a as a

is a favorite pastime of mine. I will sit and watch people I

Amy (24:05) All day.

Richie (24:05) just all day. I I love

Christy (24:06) Anywhere.

Amy (24:07) And it's not like a judgmental thing. No. It's

Richie (24:09) I

Amy (24:09) just like, wow. And there's so many people to see. eavesdropping. Yeah.

Richie (24:15) Yeah.

Just like but it's but it to me it's like you're watching interactions, you're watching how people are are talking to each other and you're s it's like you kinda can feel good about yourself because you're you're like, you know what?

Christy (24:26) Judgmental

one. Yeah.

Amy (24:27) Ha

ha ha.

Richie (24:28) Well, I treat people well, you know, like Yeah. But I'm not yelling at these people. Like so you can kinda kinda look at it like that. But and then the the other part is again, we just I think we learn a lot by watching people and and how to coach other people when they go on trips. So the you don't want your trip to start off horribly. Right. And it and that can make or break your trip, right? That miss miss your flight. Right. And all of a sudden you've you've started off on the wrong foot. That's what we're here for. And

Christy (24:52) completely oblivious to all the conversations and all I mean somebody has to be wearing something pretty, you know, out there for me to notice. I

Richie (24:59) Always pointing out for her.

Christy (25:00) am the one who is checking the time, checking the gate, you know, worried about where's is the plane here yet? And I'm on Flight Aware, which is an app you can use to like plug in your, you know, your your flight and see where's the plane? Is it gonna be late? You know, that's me. I'm the one that's like, well, you know, my my brain is running constantly.

so if I had to give some tips, I would say get there early. If it's an international flight, I mean I know it's it's not fun, but you know, three hours w we try to get there three hours early. if you travel often, get get TSA pre check. I mean it is worth it. maybe not in Memphis all the time, because we do have a little tiny airport and sometimes you show up and you feel like you're the only person in the airport.

So yeah, I would say that.

Richie (25:51) What else And both of mine are weird. so one thing that I learned is that if you get polysporin and you take a little bit of it and you rub it on the interior of your nose. Which

Christy (26:04) What is poly what is what is it?

Richie (26:06) It's

kinda like it's kinda like neosporin. Okay. But it's you rub it on the interior of your nose. You know when you get off an airplane, sometimes your throat's dry. Yep. And you feel a little sick after you get off the breathing that recycled air. There's something about the polysporin being on just on the inside of your nose. It completely allev alleviates it for me. Wow. so that's one. The other one is and I hope I never need it, I take life straws with me everywhere I go. the the the kind of prepper type thing. Yeah. it's good for a thousand gallons of water.

So if I find myself somewhere in a in a country where there's an issue, I've got water. and she thin she probably thinks I'm weird for that, but that's that's something I I take one for each of us. So we

Amy (26:42) Never thought of that.

Richie (26:43) Yeah.

Christy (26:44) Wow. And then most importantly would be your passports and take a picture of it on your phone, make a hard copy of it, put it in your your hotel safe.

Richie (26:56) Yeah, I

Christy (26:57) Your hotel safe. don't take it with you when you're out. You know, when you're out trying to

Richie (27:02) If you're international there are some countries, I think in Italy they require you to have it on you at all times.

Christy (27:06) Yes,

there are certain certain countries.

Richie (27:09) The and on and on the picture, you walk you make sure you take a picture of as much of it as you can, but the one of the most important parts is on the last page there's a barcode. That's the you want to have that. And you wanna s you want to send it to yourself in email. So if somebody takes your phone, which is prevalent in Europe, y you've got it in your email and when you go to the State Department or the US Embassy, they can give you a same day passport.

Amy (27:32) Wow. Yeah. Very interesting. Yeah. That's worth you coming on the podcast if we don't learn anything else today. That's really interesting.

Richie (27:41) That's what nobody thinks about them.

Amy (27:42) Yeah. Well, when I went to Office Depot to get my TSA pre check stuff done, the lady looks at me, I have all my documents and the envelope, everything's good. And she says, Ma'am, I can't use your marriage certificate. And I'm like, So what? And I mean, we've been married 26 years, so I'm thinking we're good to go. And she says, Well, the way the clerk

dated it is incorrect. And I said, Well, i i am I really married? She says, Well, you need to get this fixed. And I thought, Wow, all these years we've been good, but now I'm learning that maybe our marriage certificate is like null and void because somebody dated it with the date of the actual wedding before the when date we signed it. It's the craziest thing. Wow.

So I guess we have to handle that in vital records or some kind of records. I don't know. Make sure you're really married. That's right. When

Richie (28:33) Yeah.

Amy (28:34) you go get your life straws. Yep.

Christy (28:36) What does that look like?

Richie (28:37) The

the only other last thing is if you're traveling it internationally you wanna make sure that your passport is that you've got valid for more than six months after you're supposed to get back.

Christy (28:48) Yes. And register for the STEP program. Yeah. which is just smart traveler enrollment program, which which will notify the government. You're just telling it where you're gonna be. So if there's something catastrophic that happens in that country, then the unit you know, the government knows where you are and so you'll receive text alerts and things like that.

Amy (29:09) And I still get a little nervous with TSA. I mean, I don't have any contraband, I had anything wrong, but I'm like, my gosh, like what if and they I always have to be the one to get patted down or ex I guess I'm looking nervous. I don't know. I maybe I'm too friendly to them. But a few years ago, our youngest son, you know, 'cause he's younger, he doesn't have a driver's license. So the TSA agent is like, Hey, what's your name? He combined his name with his brother's middle name.

And I'm like, that is not your name. He's like, I was nervous. I said, you made us look like we're crazy people. Yeah. So the guy was really nice and let him through. And that was here at the Memphis Airport. But yeah, that was that was the strangest name slip up ever. And we haven't let him forget at all. so I'd love to talk about hotels with you. Okay. Because you clearly know where to stay, what you know, I mean, a lot of people have certain

chains they like. I prefer boutique hotels because it's it's that whole like off the beaten path. not literally off the beaten path, but they're more unique. my favorite one ever is the Andrew Pinckney Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. And it is beautiful. It is so charming. It's walking to everything, but their like wine and cheese hour and their breakfast

Is amazing. Like it's all local. I think I talked to you about this one time. Like it's all local quiches and pastries made right there. It's not something that's coming out of a freezer. She's quiche. Well, you and I like quiche. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I I I view quiche is a love language. Quiche

Christy (30:51) Cheese pastries

Amy (30:53) and unique. Yeah. And they serve good wine. And good cheese. Yeah. And good grapes. And it's on the top of their

hotel. It's called the solarium. So you're up on top and you can look over the city and it's just so well done. And they have like warm chocolate chip cookies in their lobby. That's it's just I mean cookies, all the things. but I tend to gravitate towards boutiques if I can find them.

Christy (31:22) Yes. Same for us, I think. but we're also not ab you know, above not necessarily boutique. There was one that we stayed at, Elit U Tel State, where were we? In Bruges.

Richie (31:36) well in Bruges we in Bruges we stayed in what used to be we thought it was really cool 'cause it was it was used to be kind of the palace, for like the prince that lived there at the time. and this was I think during during the time of the Crusades. So that that's as long as

Amy (31:52) It's been a minute.

Richie (31:53) Yeah. and so we thought this is cool, we're staying in the palace. Well we get there and they take us out to what used to be the stables and they put us in the stables and that's where we So that's like

Christy (32:02) The

main building and then back behind is like a garden that we walk through.

Richie (32:07) And then they and the now it was it was a hotel room, but it used to be the horse stables and our bathroom had a trough that

Amy (32:14) my gosh. That's cool.

Christy (32:15) That is the sink.

Amy (32:16) And see you tr you you remember that.

Richie (32:18) Yes. Yes. And we always will.

Christy (32:19) So it was like rectangular

Amy (32:20) Tangular.

Christy (32:21) shaped room because that was the shape of you know, the old style.

Richie (32:25) And I could lay across with my feet touching one wall and my hands touching the other. so it was it was very narrow.

Amy (32:31) Yeah. 'Cause everything's smaller there, right? Especially in the gas. Especially in that, yeah. Yeah.

Richie (32:36) So we love boutique hotels. We when we go to a place, it doesn't matter if it's in Colorado or Charleston or in Europe. We want to stay in a place that reminds us of the place we're staying in. Mm-hmm. That's what that's what we're after. We feel like that that experience is is really gonna tie you and the memory to the place.

Amy (32:54) We need to go to Charleston for a weekend and I'll go there and stay at the Andrew Pinckney because that is a place that I would I would I there's lovely places in Charleston, but that's the only place I want to stay there. Yeah. now I I yeah I do have to say on hotel topic, I'm really weird about staying in hotels. Okay. Okay. I have a degree in hotel restaurant management. Mm-hmm. So I had to do internships in college and I cleaned rooms, eighteen rooms a day.

Usually two double beds of or queen beds, some kings, but it was a lot of beds, a lot of bathrooms during that internship rotation. Okay. I learned a lot about people.

People are messy. That's like a psychology. Yeah.

Christy (33:39) Yeah.

Amy (33:41) People are gross. and since then, I have never touched a remote in a hotel room. I have never sat on a cover of a bed. whether it's a coverlet or a goose down or luxury hotel. It does not matter. I will not sit on it. I will not put my things on it. I have to my family would be tickled right now because they know I'm very high maintenance about it. Like I have to inspect

The sheets before I get in the bed. It's kind of dramatic.

Christy (34:11) Yeah.

Amy (34:11) I haven't gone that far because I I know what it's gonna show. And I and we did studies on that. Like we read about and learned about the ultraviolet stuff. And I just like I know how to inspect for bed bugs.

Richie (34:24) With the iron.

Amy (34:24) Well, you could just go through the cording of the bed and you there they lay their eggs, ugh, they lay their eggs there. in in in the in the

in yeah, I'll inspect and like if there's if there's a hair, it's just like traumatizing. Okay. If it's in the bed especially. And then and then the bathroom is a whole nother situation. Yeah. but I have learned like I never put my toiletry bag directly on the on the counter. It's gotta go over a towel. I mean I'm weird about it, but I know too much. Yeah. I also know that I always tip housekeepers. Okay. because

If there was a five dollar bill laying on a bed for me after I spent, you know, all this time, it's manual labor. These people work a hard job at scrubbing toilets and a lot of them. They're cleaning showers. I really am big on that. And I'm also big on making sure that my family's towels are in one big pile in the bathroom. When you lay so she's not or he's not like reaching f all over. It's just one type of

Pile, because I appreciated that. Yeah. And this past spring, I stayed in a hotel in Murfreesboro and you know, it was just Lent. It was a season of doing things for others more than usual. So I left a twenty dollar bill on the bed and said, Be blessed today. Mm-hmm. Well, the housekeeper was Spanish and I don't think she could read English. And she wrote me a letter in Spanish.

And left it on the bed. And I mean, you know, that was such a small thing to do, but I'm really big on tipping and make I inspect I mean, I get weirded out. The family, especially my husband, will be like, Here she goes. She we c we gotta make sure the room's okay before we commit to it. And he always makes sure that when we book hotels that we're not near an ice maker or or or near

you know, a lobby or we're not near the elevators because that's noise. Mm-hmm. And we need to sleep. And he's really good at helping find like the right location. Yeah. But I think that's just one preventative step for him in dealing with me in the hotels because I'm I also will admit for the public to know that I take a pair of foot plops because I will not walk barefoot in a hotel. Okay. And I will not take a shower barefoot in a hotel. Yeah.

Christy (36:48) See, so this would be something that you would need to tell me if I were booking for you.

Amy (36:52) Yeah.

So so this is this is out for everyone to know now. Yeah. I'm a normal person most of the time, except for those like first five minutes when I check in out. You're

Christy (37:02) So you're you're pretty chill at the airport.

Amy (37:04) like people watching chilling, but you get me to the hotel, we got to do some

Christy (37:09) And it's like game on.

Amy (37:10) game on. Yeah. And I don't put my finger on the elevator buttons. I use my knuckle

Christy (37:15) Do that. Yeah. I will do that. Mm-hmm.

Amy (37:17) just because you just never

Richie (37:20) But he's touching it.

Amy (37:20) I mean Yeah. Yeah.

So anyway, do you have any weird stuff like that?

Christy (37:26) Can't say that.

Amy (37:28) Ha ha.

Richie (37:29) But but it's a it I think it's important for us when we're working with somebody, when you know, to her point, if we know that about you and that's how that's how you travel. So there's a little bit there, you know, there's some work that we d we would do to kinda help you with that. The way that we travel, we get to our hotel room extremely late and we get up extremely early. So I don't it doesn't matter when

Christy (37:53) When we travel.

Richie (37:54) we travel. Yeah. Like so we we want

That room for us is not a safe haven. It is is a place to lay our h our head down for a couple of hours and then we're up and out and and seeing the city and we don't come back until it's time to go to school.

Christy (38:08) We want it to be safe and clean, but like our priority is almost more where the location is. We want it to be close to the transportation.

Amy (38:21) But if I got a hair in my bed, I fleece out, y'all. Yeah.

Christy (38:24) Yeah.

Richie (38:25) I

I don't I don't I think for me mine are always gonna be around safety, and making sure that you know, that door is not gonna open. I'll I I've I've purchased some things off of Amazon that are it's an extra locking tool that you can slide into the door and make sure that nobody can get in that door, even if they can you know, in hotels, yeah. There's plenty of videos out there of people getting a key card and being able to get into your room. This makes sure that nobody gets in your room.

Some people will bring those little door stoppers that have the siren on it. So if somebody opens the door, it makes a noise and it'll wake them up. Wow. so people d people have these different things. I personally get a towel and wrap it around the lock so the door has no place. So even if they can open the door, they c they can get into the door, they can't open it because the towel is preventing it against the lock.

Amy (39:14) Wow. Wow. We stayed in a hotel a year or so ago and we were with a traveling group of sports team and my son was with one boy hanging out in his room. Sean was in the lobby hanging out with some dads and I was in my room and there was a drug bust in the room across from me and next to me. my gosh. I was terrified.

Yes. I was super curious. Look at the my gosh, I it was and they were I knew

That peephole had more business than you even want to know that night. But it was really scary. So I see why you just never know who's there. But yeah, hotel rooms, I'm not a high maintenance person, but that j I just know too much. Yeah. I just know too much. I yeah, I I cleaned rooms and I know too much. Yeah.

Richie (40:07) Being

in the you know, I guess more the tech world, the other the other toy that I have that I take with us on vacation is it's an RF camera and microphone finder. So I can swipe it across things like the mirror and if there's if there were to be a camera in there, it would beep at me and let me know that there's a camera.

Amy (40:31) Well, if they if anybody's watching me, they're just gonna see me inspecting the room and being freakish.

Richie (40:36) They're like they're like, This lady is weird.

Amy (40:38) She's worth watching because she's walking on her tiptoes and her flip flops and arranging towels. But you know, we all have our things, I guess. Well, so speaking of things that you take along with you, like the little what is that thing called for the mirrors and all?

Richie (40:53) R F? What did you say? it's like it's an R F cool. And micro a camera and microphone finder.

Amy (40:58) What are some things that are really important to go in your suitcase that you recommend?

Christy (41:04) I have to have we've got like a travel sound machine. Have to have that. Yep. I cannot sleep at home. I have to have we have our Google Home on. I've got my travel sound machine thing on, we've got our fan on. I have to have noise. I've had that since probably I was like sixteen years old. So that has to be in my suitcase or it's there's trouble. Because I won't be sleeping for the week probably.

Amy (41:31) Well, I use a little noise machine, but Sean has a an app on his phone. Mm-hmm. And this is gonna sound crazy. people are gonna think I'm loony after this podcast. But we listen to crickets. That's that's

Christy (41:42) Okay.

Amy (41:43) a nighttime sound. Yeah. and I have very sen I can hear I I've got really good hearing. Yeah. So one thing can trigger me to be awake. And last night he said he heard what sounded at three o'clock in the morning like a really loud party in a neighborhood which South Wind.

We think we've heard that party before, at at different times of the summer and we think it just travels per sound just travels perfectly up here. And he was kind of looking around at first to see if it might be around our neighborhood and while he's looking out he saw a coyote round through the yard. So I was like, Well, that's action. I didn't hear a thing because of my crickets. Yeah. So

Christy (42:20) Yeah, or is this like an airplane almost? Yeah. Which drowns out

Amy (42:23) Yeah.

Richie (42:25) Because she can't sleep on airplanes.

Christy (42:27) That's a comfort thing though. That's because I'm sitting straight up.

Amy (42:30) Yeah, I I agree. I can't sleep in a car or airplane either.

Richie (42:33) I agree. I think for me I already mentioned it, but the water straw and I that's just about a being prepared. Yeah. that and and every time we travel we carry a crossbody that that I I carry with us and she's got one that she can carry also, but I tend to keep the passports in there close to my body. I am a weirdo about how many ch times I will check to make sure I can put my hands on it. but the you know and it just keeps the essentials with me and

but the I think the life straw is probably the most important thing that I that I pack. I'm I make sure to pack it every time.

Amy (43:08) I bet everybody listening's gonna go to Amazon and order one right now. You get a two pack.

Christy (43:13) website. I have it I have like a list of recommended products. I don't d I don't you know it's not like I'm an affiliate or anything like that. I just have like my personal favorites on there. But it's on there. Yeah it's on the recommended

Richie (43:24) I think the one on ours either is either a two pack or a four pack. I don't know. We've got fours. Yeah, we've got four. And like when we moved our daughter away, I sent hers with her. and you know now my son's married and I told him, I said, You need to go and make sure you've got two. Sure. Because you never know. I mean, if if if we have an issue with if there's an earthquake, we need you need to have access to water.

Amy (43:45) And I mean pool. That's right.

Richie (43:49) Yeah,

it takes care of all the the filtering for you. So you can go to a dirty pond and drink straight out of it for for a thousand up to a thousand gallons, it's it's worth

Amy (43:56) So I I would say for me a charger always. yeah. medications, of course, lip balm, gotta have my lip balm. if I'm traveling where I'm checking the baggage, gotta have an air tag in it. Mm-hmm. Okay. if if I'm not or if I'm just any luggage, you gotta take an extra pair of underwear. Yeah. You just do.

Richie (44:18) Yeah. You know, one of the things that we tell we tell people is your personal item that you can carry onto the airplane, you should have your your bag of of like your toiletries should be in that bag. A change of clothes or underwear, and your charger should be in that bag with you at all times because if you get bumped or if your plane gets delayed, your luggage is gone, you're sleeping in an an airport overnight, you have contacts.

You need medicine. That's that should all be in your personal your personal bag that you carry with you at all times.

Amy (44:51) That's fair. It makes sense. Yeah. Makes sense. And that's a little thing that people don't necessarily think about. Mm-hmm. Yeah. so what's a bucket list destination you have?

Christy (45:03) I've got, you know, I'm I'm looking at resorts and destinations all day, every day. And it's so hard for me because I feel like my list is like as small as the list is as long as you know, my arm. so I don't know that I could pinpoint one. I mean, I could spend I feel like I could spend an entire month in France and not see everything that I want to see. In Italy is the same way. but I do want to go to like the Christmas markets in Europe.

And I want to do a river cruise and maybe combine that and do Christmas markets on a river cruise. so that's probably what I would I would go with. Maybe the Christmas markets.

Richie (45:41) Mine always used to be Bora Bora. that was that was the one I always wanted to go to. as I've gotten older and I honestly I think we went to Athens one time. and when we were in Athens, we went to the Areopagus and we we went to the spot where Paul preached at the Are Areopagus. and it's you're standing in the shadow of the the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena.

and you're standing over looking down at the Temple of Zeus. Wow. And I had my family read the verses from the Bible standing in that spot. And it completely changed how I read that. So the I s I changed the way I looked at bucket list for me. Jerusalem, I think, is a major bucket list for me. but I do know that my idea of bucket list is changing because it's not as much about the location.

as it is about the experience and who I'm sharing that experience with. True. and so that's for us when we talk about doing these very curated experiences for people, it makes it really exciting for us because we're giving you a lifetime memory and we can be a part of it even though we're not there. And it's super exciting for us when we can think about those things.

Amy (46:55) Yeah. Mine is definitely Iceland. I want to go to the land of fire and ice. Yeah. And so next year we told our son who's graduating from high school because he doesn't want to party that you know he could pick a trip. We'll go wherever he wants to go. Nice. So the following year I will turn fifty five. So I said, Well, if you get a senior trip

I want a senior citizen trip. Absolutely. And I want to go to Iceland. There you go. So I've always wanted to go there. It's very mysterious to me. And it's just intriguing. And I don't know. I just think it's cool. So that's my bucket list. No, I'll have to do that. Yeah. But I I love that you brought up the memories and the experiences that people will will have because those are things that that's why you travel. The

Christy (47:38) That's a hundred percent why we

Amy (47:39) the memories and the experience is more important than a souvenir. Yeah. for me,

I would say when we went to Sedona a few years ago. Have you been to Sedona? No. It's pretty cool. they have the vortexes that you can go climb and you're supposed to have spiritual healing. I don't know about all that. I just know I enjoyed hiking up there. And on the way back down from one, I noticed a man approach my older son and I'm like, first of all, I'm getting on alert because I'm a little higher up the hike and I need to get to my son because there's a stranger talking to him. Right.

And of course my kid was in college at the time, so he's probably like, Thanks a lot, mom. You know, I'm good. He might have been a senior in I don't know, he's either senior in high school or a freshman in college. So while we're while I'm going down to him, I noticed the man reach in his backpack and I'm like, Okay, this is getting weird. And he started hand my kids stuff. Yeah. So then I'm my pace picks up a little faster and I get to him and he's handing him hand carved red rock hearts that one for each of us.

That we have to this day. He turns out to be a flute player who had been at the very top of this steeple on this vortex, really high up on the red rocks. And we had heard him playing earlier. He had come down the mountain to leave, saw my son, gifts him these hard. He didn't want anything for it. Well, I start doing research and his name is Robert and all this stuff. And he worked for the telephone company and he was a pole climber and did all the work.

That's why he's such a good climber and plays the flute hype. I learned he's like a legend in Sedona. Yeah. So I always said, if I get another male dog, he'll be named Robert after him. But that is one of the best vacation memories that is so random and unexpected that we all still remember. Yeah.

Christy (49:30) Yeah, and that's what it's about.

I mean, w at the end of our life that's what we're gonna remember is those those vacations and those times that we have with with our family, those experiences.

Amy (49:40) Yeah.

Richie (49:40) So Yeah, and we've we've talked to people before about, you know, what what we sell and what we sell are it's hopes and dreams. You know, you people people have these you asked about a bucket list. That's a hope and a dream that somebody is aiming for off in the future. And when you think about you think about every funeral you've ever been to, every rehearsal dinner you've ever been to, right? Those are two key moments in your life. Right. When they show that picture collage or you walk around that room and they got pictures everywhere, it's always families on vacation.

Right. Because that's how those families want to remember their loved one that's not there. They're not talking about, he's got so much money left in his bank account that he didn't spend on whatever. Nobody's ever gonna say a y you know, five years from now, I really wish I hadn't spent five thousand dollars on a family vacation. You're not even gonna remember you spent five thousand dollars on a family vacation to some amazing place. You're gonna remember the experience that you just talked about. True. Right. And and when you when you're telling that story, you're lighting up.

Sean's lighting up. Ever like you're 'cause you're remembering it, you're re you're replaying it and that's what it's about. For us, as soon as you come off that vacation, we want to know everything about it. Right. and we love that. We have a couple that just came back from Saint Vincent. I can't wait to get with them and and find out it was an anniversary trip and it was a way for them to connect and and just like just a beautiful place and beautiful people and like I can't wait to hear their story, you know.

Amy (51:02) And what I love about y'all is I believe this might be a couple who you were working on their flights this weekend or earlier last week and you were telling me you're trying to get somebody back.

Christy (51:12) That was that was two girls that were on a trip.

Amy (51:15) Together. Yeah. You were invested in their flight issue and getting them. You were like very invested. And that's what somebody would want from someone who does what you do. Yeah. Like I want we you there they they want you to care about what if their flight is having issues or late, you helped them and you were like going through the motions of I was like loving reading how you were you were invested.

Christy (51:40) It's like it's like I go into mom mode almost, you know? I've

Amy (51:42) Yeah, well that yeah.

Christy (51:44) got to be sure that they get home. Right. I've got to drive this far after they land. And you know, it really is because I'm when when y my clients are on vacation, I mean he can tell you I'm like tracking their flight. I'm looking to

Amy (51:55) You're

invested.

Richie (51:57) It's like she's there with them. She can't score.

Christy (52:00) Yeah,

I'm making sure that the flight lands and that the flight before them is gonna arrive on time and that the hotel is treating them properly and you know, I just wanna make sure that everything goes well. So I wanna make sure that everything that that they hoped for and that they told me that they wanted, that that that they're getting that.

Richie (52:17) The like these trips, they don't become memories by accident. You know, they're it's carefully curated. You've got somebody that's watching you and watching your steps and checking in with you throughout while these while while our our people are are seeing the world, they're more likely than not, they're gonna get a message saying, Hey, how's everything going? Is there anything that you need? And we're not even there.

But it's it's something that she does. It's that extra touch to just say, Hey, if there's something you need l you know, let me get in touch with people at the hotel to take care of it. Let me let me talk to my contacts to make sure you're having a great time. Right. and it's just it's you know, but you're planning these trips by yourself, it's only you to blame. You don't you don't have any recourse of somebody to go to. but you know, people that use our services and hire us, we're there with you whether you see us or not.

Amy (53:07) Yeah, you're helping make the memory. You are, you are. You know, you might not be there, but you're helping make it. And one of my favorite other favorite memories of our trip one of our trips was we went to Cancun on one of our cruises and it was a family cruise. And we were coming back out of Cancun to get back on the ship. And there were these guys dressed, you know, in Mexican garb, like with the little cr hats and all the things. And they were dressed very native. So they looked like they were like in tribal swimwear type of like, you know, kinda cool, cool outfits.

And they're like, Will you take your picture? And I'm like, Yeah, sure, take my picture with my family. And so the guys all stand behind you to get in the picture with you. And one of them say, Say Chicken Taco. So almost every time my family takes a picture, one of us is going, Chicken Taco. And that's been that was like twenty seventeen. So nine years later, we're still saying chicken taco. And we we all know exactly why. And that's what that's what I

Christy (54:04) Those little moments.

Amy (54:05) Richie, you recently shared a story with me from the coffee shop. And I'm just gonna leave it at that and let you go for it because I think it's a meaningful story to share with listeners.

Richie (54:14) Yeah. So I I went to a local coffee shop and I ordered my coffee and I went and sat down b as I was waiting and and anytime I'm in a coffee shop and there's older guys there, I I'm gonna gravitate towards them just because I like hanging out with older guys and listening to their wisdom. This particular day these older men were talking about trips that they they had taken. One man said, you know, where I'd like to spend some time is the Grand Canyon. And and he started as he started talking about the Grand Canyon, his buddy said, Well, have you been to the Grand Canyon? And he said, No.

because but I've always wanted to go and I wanted to do the the rim hike. and I've always wanted to hike down to the

Richie (54:49) To the valley in the floor of the Grand Canyon.

Richie (54:51) But

I'm too old to do that. so I don't I don't think I'll be able to do that. And his buddy said, You know, I'm not but I don't think I could in in my age and I

Richie (55:01) My shape.

Richie (55:02) don't think I could do the hike, so I don't I don't know if I'll ever

And they talking about the things that they w they had done. And and in in

Richie (55:15) Internally

to me, I started thinking, Man, just go do the thing. Whatever that is. I don't care what it is. And for us in the context of travel, it's like the trend.

Richie (55:21) It's always gonna be take trip. Right.

Richie (55:25) Yeah, d go get the experience. Because at the end of the day, that experience is gonna be the thing r gonna remind you of these great times you had with your family and your friends. Right.

Richie (55:35) And you're and I said it I've said before you're you're

Richie (55:37) before your

the money will regenerate itself at some point. You're not gonna think about

Richie (55:41) The money

Richie (55:43) five years from now, but you will think about that experience and how you you made it to through this really difficult thing. Maybe you did this hike and you made it to the top of a mountain and you hugged your friends and y'all looked out over the over the horizon. You're gonna remember y the stories you told about your vacations. Right. Right. You're gonna you don't you cannot tell me right now how much you spent on that vacation. Right. But you can tell me the memories. Right. And so go do the thing.

Amy (56:05) Very poetic. Very poetic. Yep. Yep. That's a that's a great message for us all to learn. No matter what you can afford, no matter where you go. If you can't afford to go somewhere, there's always somewhere you probably can. Yeah. Awesome.

Amy (56:19) Well

So it's time to do a rapid fire. Okay. And rapid fire is quick and easy, but it does engage some conversation too. So feel free. You don't have to say one word if you if you have to expand on it spine.

Richie (56:33) You know me.

Amy (56:34) Because beach or mountains. beach.

Richie (56:39) Beach.

Amy (56:40) Window seat or aisle. that was why y'all worked so well together. Carry on or check bags.

Christy (56:47) Carry on.

Amy (56:48) Favorite airport.

Richie (56:50) Atlanta probably.

Amy (56:51) Really?

Wow, I did not expect that. Most people dread that

Christy (56:55) I think because we've traveled through it so much, because we fly Delta mostly, that we're familiar with

Amy (57:01) Sure, sure.

Christy (57:02) and there's

Richie (57:03) And it's easy to it's it's well laid out. It's it's easy to navigate. Even if you're you're pinched for time. yeah, the plane train to get you from concourse to concourse is really quick and easy. So no we don't

Amy (57:14) Well I wouldn't know because I just follow Sean. So there's a train? Terminal, what? Is that on a train side? Favorite airplane snack.

Christy (57:24) what is it called the sh wo what's that remembering called? Droop waffles? Droop waffles.

Amy (57:29) Yeah, good.

Richie (57:29) And

ginger ale. Stroop propple and ginger ale's probably that's her thing. For me it's sun chips and ginger ale.

Amy (57:34) Okay, okay. Europe or tropical islands? Ooh, I I did that one on purpose 'cause I knew it's a house divided.

Christy (57:40) It's

gonna be Europe for me all day.

Richie (57:42) Man, that's so tough. It it really, it's gonna depend. For me, January and February, I have to get out of Memphis and I've got to go somewhere warm. Okay. So it's Caribbean every time. Every every January, February, you're gonna find me somewhere down in a warm climate. Okay. once we get past that, yeah, I get depressed. once we get past that, I think it's that seasonal seasonal.

Amy (58:05) That's real. It's a real thing.

Richie (58:09) and then once I get past that, I want to go to Europe. Okay. So as as we start getting in, especially later in the year, I definitely want to go to Europe.

Amy (58:17) Okay. all inclusive? Yes or no?

Richie (58:22) I love all inclusive.

Christy (58:25) Yeah, if it's between all inclusive or not, then yes. Okay. Yes. But all inclusives are mostly in the Caribbean, so that's why I hesitate to

Amy (58:34) Right.

music or watch movies on a flight?

Richie (58:38) Movies. Yeah, movies.

Amy (58:40) Early rise or sleep in on vacation? Mm-hmm.

Richie (58:42) Early Ross. Mm-hmm.

Amy (58:44) Yes. Taxi or Uber.

Christy (58:46) Boomer.

Richie (58:48) And it's weird, you know, some t some places you go, they call their Ubers Taxi and Taxis Ubers. Okay. And that's weird. It's y it's it that's mostly interna an international thing, but it's

Christy (58:58) Subway or train above any of it, if if possible.

Amy (59:01) Well, I've never booked an Uber. I've ne I've been on one a few times and Sean has booked them, but I'm that is the strangest concept to me to get in a car in someone's personal car and just go. But I I I have a friend who is one in Nashville and he's fantastic. He has the whole setup and the center console for everything you need. Mints, candy, water. I mean, he's got everything in there. He's on point. But I have never booked an Uber by myself.

Christy (59:28) Well now there's my daughter and I were in Florida for my now daughter in law's bachelorette party and you can choose like it was just the two of us and so you can choose a woman driver. That's

Amy (59:41) Which was

Christy (59:41) very reassuring. I like texted him and I was like, just so you know, there's a we can choose a woman driver and he was you know, that made him feel a little bit better.

Richie (59:48) Yeah. And if you do get in an Uber, I mean obviously there's you you have to ex Yeah, you've gotta s you've gotta make sure you educate yourself on all the safeguards of getting into somebody else's car.

Amy (59:57) It's

really the person showing up to get you, the person in the app.

Richie (1:00:00) License, ch make them tell you the name, make sure that th that there's that they're using the pen. that you should have a pen. They should be asking you for a pen. The child locks on the doors aren't l aren't on. The windows can roll down before you ever shut that door. These are all like there's a lot of things you should check on a new

Amy (1:00:16) I

mean when you think about it terrifying it is so scary to think that we just open a door and get at somebody else's car.

Richie (1:00:23) And if you're especially if you're by yourself and a female, you should always sit behind the driver. So he can't reach you.

Amy (1:00:29) that is and if I have my life straw, I could use it as protection if I need to so I'm good.

Richie (1:00:36) That's right.

Amy (1:00:38) And my last rapid fire was favorite food you've had on a trip?

Christy (1:00:44) I know what yours is.

Richie (1:00:46) So in Paris, there is a a a restaurant that we've gone to every time we've gone to Paris and it's a fondue place. We love it. The the the waiter that's there, George George. George is his name. he certain I asked him, I said, We got to dessert and I was really full. We had had fondue, and I said, What's the what's good dessert? I wasn't gonna get anything. He goes, I'll bring it.

And that was it and he left. I was like, I didn't want dessert. He's gonna bring me dessert. He brings me this little chocolate cake. I don't know what it was about the chocolate cake. I started eating it. I started crying.

Amy (1:01:23) It was that

Richie (1:01:23) In the restaurant. I don't know

Christy (1:01:25) That was after you made an audible that it was like in that scene and something about Mary. yeah. Where the where the lady walks by and says, I'll have wood. She's

Richie (1:01:36) Terry.

Christy (1:01:38) We actually had somebody walk by and say that.

Richie (1:01:41) There's there was another couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant. I took a bite of it and I go, like that. And this lady goes, I'll have whatever he's having and should he get a room. I got And she said that as she walked out and I was

Christy (1:01:53) We're sitting there with our kids.

Richie (1:01:54) Yeah, our kids are right there. And I said, This is the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my life. And I'm saying it and they're looking at me, they go, my son goes, Dad, are you crying? I go, Wow, I'm crying. What am I crying for? I don't know what I connected that chocolate cake to.

But there was something in my childhood and I thought, well, maybe maybe I maybe the wine hit me a little bit. Maybe that's what it

Amy (1:02:15) Was there some wine before this?

Richie (1:02:17) was some wine. But I was like, Maybe the wine hit me and I don't know. So we went back the last time that we were there and we were sitting outside and I said, I'm gonna try this chocolate cake again. And we were sitting next to these ladies from Russia. From Russia, they were from Ukraine.

Amy (1:02:30) Yeah.

Richie (1:02:31) and one actually lived in Iceland at the time and her mother still lived in the Ukraine and we're sitting there talking to the mother did English.

Christy (1:02:37) Speaking.

Richie (1:02:38) Yes.

And I said, You you you have to try the chocolate cake. It's one of the best things I've ever had. And so he brings it out. And this time it's free. He remembered me from the last

Christy (1:02:48) Showed him the pictures of us from last time and he was like

Richie (1:02:51) And he brings it out and then he just steps back. I took a bite and I looked at her and I was like And I I looked up at her and I was crying again. Wow. And George is behind me and he's rubbing my shoulders and he was like he was like, I knew he's patting my shoulders and he's like, I knew it was gonna get you. I know and I'm like, What is it about this cake? On the video I say, What is it about this?

Amy (1:03:11) Is there could you get the recipe? I mean

Christy (1:03:14) You know, we've never even thought about it.

Richie (1:03:15) It w i I don't know what it is about that cake. It is so spectacular. It and I mean I feel like I it's tied to my mom in some way and I miss my mom all the time. Sure. So I don't know if that's what it is. If I I don't know. I don't know.

Amy (1:03:26) to honestly say I have never met a grown man who had a piece of chocolate cake that brought him to tears. Yes. Twice.

Richie (1:03:35) Or would laugh at me.

Amy (1:03:36) Well, I mean, yeah. I I I I'm the I'm the one I'm the one who is literally embarrassing myself about flip flops and bed bugs and weird things. So we're we're both right. We both we also both have the same birthday.

So maybe it's that. We don't embarrass easily. So it might be might be that whole thing.

Richie (1:03:59) And what was your favorite thing?

Christy (1:04:00) Favorite f I I the fondue there at that same restaurant was you know

Richie (1:04:05) Maybe we should give the restaurant and give them a give them some

Christy (1:04:08) Yeah, it was Vent what is it? I'd have to look it up. It's

Amy (1:04:12) Or when I share all your socials and everything. I'm gonna have to have that place.

Christy (1:04:20) Got

it. I've got video. Evidence. Yeah.

Amy (1:04:23) Well, I've loved talking to y'all today. It's been fun. Thank you. I actually really learned a lot today that I hadn't thought about about the passport email and the Libestraw and some other things here that I you know, you just never know what you're gonna learn. Your your Willard travel page is phenomenal and your community engagement is amazing and people really enjoy your page and I can't wait to share it with everybody else.

And for the world to know, now that we're, you know, Richie and I are letting all our souls out about the chocolate cakes and all the things, is I don't even know if Sean knows this, but I have asked the Willards when we are empty nesters, after our youngest son graduates in twenty twenty seven, after he goes away to college, I want them to plan a trip for all of us to go on. like with the Willards. Maybe we should go get that cake.

Christy (1:05:17) Actually, it's an opportunity to

Amy (1:05:19) So I'm gonna I'm gonna trust them to do just do the thing and make it happen and so we can all go have a great trip, whether it's a river cruise or German market. I don't even almost care. I just want it planned and go. so I'll share all the information. We're so grateful that y'all shared your fun journey together because I think it's really fun to see you do it as a couple. you you balance each other really well in life and in your business. Thank you.

as amazing Christians and good friends and just good or good old fashioned humans. So everybody, thanks for listening. If you are interested in being on the podcast or know anybody who would like to, who has a life experience, wants to help get any kind of ministries or nonprofits or just fabulous things out in the world to have a voice, I'm here for you. And you can reach me at Amy Keyspodcast at gmail.com.

That is A-M-Y-K-E-Y-S, podcast at gmail.com. And happy journeys and travels and life to the Willards. We appreciate y'all. Until next time, everybody.