Making Room by Gather
Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear that word?
For some it's old school 'stuffy' entertaining for others it's something to do with the hotel industry. One thing is for sure, as a culture we're not talking about it much.
Food * Design * Relationships have seemed to have taken a back seat to what our culture focuses on and values yet...we find ourselves in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. Something has to change, it's time to get back to our tables, and we're making room for it!
Making Room by Gather invites you into a new conversation on everyday hospitality. One that rewrites the way we approach opening your doors and filling your tables. Shifting the narrative from 'how does this make me look' to 'how does this make you feel' these buildable conversations aspire to inspire connection through everyday gathering.
Kayty's chic and a little quirky interview style will make you feel like you're sitting with a friend talking about how to grow in confidence as an everyday host. You can expect conversations from navigating challenging relationship dynamics to foundational cooking techniques and everything in between.
Whether you are a seasoned host or looking to develop new friendships and grow in your skills for the first time, there is a seat at the table. Join us weekly for new conversations with expert guests and with Kayty in her beloved Date with Kayt episodes. Continue the conversation @gatheritentionalliving
Making Room by Gather
You're Already Paying for a Travel Agent—Why Not Actually Use One? w/ Stephani Izzo
I don't know about you, but when I hear about travel agents I quickly think about My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Chances are, you do too.
Whatever happened to travel agents? They're not just still around but what they offer is changing with the times and helping plan stress free vacations without spending a penny more than DIY bookings. Shocking right?
Stephani Izzo, a travel expert specializing in Sandals, Beaches and Disney, breaks down the modern travel agent experience, dispelling myths along the way. The biggest revelation? Using an agent typically costs exactly the same as booking yourself!
"When you have an issue, you don't have to call an 800 number and press two to talk to someone. You just call us," Stephani explains. Travel agents often know about flight delays before their clients do, allowing them to solve problems proactively. This level of service becomes invaluable because let's be real- we go on vacation to take a break for managing lists of details.
Ready to experience the difference? Stephani and Kayty are leading a girls' getaway to Sandals Royal Caribbean this September—a perfect opportunity to try the all-inclusive experience with a friendly group. Whether you join organized activities or simply relax poolside, this trip offers the perfect introduction to stress-free travel planning.
Isn't it time your vacations felt like actual vacations? Reach out to learn how a travel agent can transform your next getaway without adding a penny to your budget @travelwithstephani
Katie, a hospitality educator and the host of Making Room by Gather podcast. I am set to see our communities get back to the table through hospitality, but it wasn't always this way. My husband and I moved to Thailand and through it I experienced some loneliness and with it I was given a choice to sit back and accept it or to do something about it, and for me that meant two things that I needed the healing to learn how to accept an invitation and the confidence to know how to extend one. Through this process, I developed some of the richest and deepest relationships of my life. Through Making Room by Gather, you will hear conversations from myself and experts in the areas of food, design and relationships. You see there are countless things trying to keep us from the table, but can I tell you something? Take a seat because you are ready, you are capable, you are a good host.
Speaker 2:Okay, hi Hi, stephanie and I were talking before we hit record. We are like in a crazy heat wave in Connecticut, which we get probably once a year, but it's early this year, right? I?
Speaker 3:feel like it's early, but also I feel like summer started a little bit late for us.
Speaker 2:So it's early for summer, but we started summer late, so yeah, I've been telling everyone, though, like this is normal Thailand it's like 100 year round, and so we've just gotten. I don't know, we're like not as used to it anymore.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because you're now back to accustomed to this weather.
Speaker 2:So if anyone's listening and you hear a hum that you're not used to hearing in the background, it's my air blasting on me so I don't melt away. But so this conversation is kind of different for listeners. Stephanie is a sponsor of the show and a friend a business friend and I want to talk more about what she offers. A trip that we're going on together, that you guys are invited on, and kind of like, what is a travel agent? 101? Because I'm sure you hear this a lot, maybe not.
Speaker 2:When I think of travel agent, my first thought goes to my big fat Greek wedding. Have you ever heard that example? Because you know, in that movie they're all travel agents. But I don't have like a modern day example which you and I have talked about. Like a lot of people don't know what they do modern day, but it's so valuable Like I've sent a few of my friends your way and they've just like been so thankful, and so we're going to go way back to the start. Talk about actually let's just start right there what is a travel agent? So people that have that kind of like more dated view?
Speaker 3:right. I feel like people just don't realize. So back in the day people were like, oh, it was, you know somewhere where you go and you are like to a brick and mortar, and yes, there are plenty that still you can go in and you could sit face to face. I mean, even myself, I can meet you for coffee, anything but it's so nice that now we're kind of all like on the move and could work from home and could work from Starbucks and could work from anywhere. Um, but we do exactly, plus so much more, what people that are like online shopping for vacations do. So, instead of being just are you okay? Oh, I can't hear you. I can't hear you. I think you're muted though. Nope, can't hear you. Nope, it says you're muted, my whole screen just went black.
Speaker 2:I saw.
Speaker 3:I like. What the heck.
Speaker 2:I could see you still but it just, like you, got really dark. I've never, I've never. I'm so sorry. I've never had that happen, it's okay, okay, well, here's to hoping that doesn't happen again. That's okay. I don't know why that happened. Okay, if you remember where you left off, you could pick up and I'll edit it.
Speaker 3:If not, feel free to start over whatever you prefer um, I don't remember where I left off, because I was like staring at you and I know that was awful and I was like panicking, I was like colby just left okay, so you want me to start over. Do you want to start?
Speaker 2:that part. If you think that there's a point you could pick up, feel free to do that, if not start over.
Speaker 3:Okay, so a travel agent is exactly what it sounds like really. So we do everything. We plan your whole, your whole trip, your whole travel. What's different about using me as your travel agent versus using websites which I'm not going to name but versus using websites is that when we were the professionals, really we've been to the destinations not all of them, obviously some some of us more places than others but we have experience in the destinations. We have sent clients there which have also given us feedback. Some of the other travel agents in our agency have been to different places than we've been, but what's nice about using an actual travel agent versus a website or a, you know, an online agent is that we do it all.
Speaker 3:So when you have an issue, you don't have to call an 800 number and press two to talk to someone. You just call us. When there's a flight delay, most times, if we booked your flights for you, we know before you, so we're on top of it before you even get a notification. Um, we literally everything. You don't you even get a notification. We literally everything. You don't you. You just call my cell phone. You just email me. If it's, you know, non urgent, if it's in the moment. You just call me, text me and I take care of it. That's really what we are. We do it all, we plan it all, the good, the bad. The ugly is what I like to say. We hope that everyone's trips are wonderful, but the reality is that sometimes people just don't have good experiences. They have flight delays, they don't like something about a resort, they have a different experience than maybe I had, and we just try to do whatever we can really to make it better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was actually thinking so. When you and I first met, we were doing very different things in business, and so we both have had quite a few pivots. What led you to this?
Speaker 3:So I've, even when I was, when I first met you, what I, when I was doing what I was doing I was also doing travel, but I wasn't doing it so full time and I think that once I started really like diving into the industry and like traveling more on my own and hearing other people's travel stories that's kind of when I was like, okay, this is really what I want to do. I love to help people, I like to be able to go to different destinations because I love to be able to tell people about different places and I really just love to experience the world. So you know, places like somewhere so simple, like, say, florida Well, yes, it's the United States and you know we live in America and we know the most ways people live. People, even in Florida, live differently than we do. Their school schedules are different, their heat, their weather is different, all of that. So like it's nice to just experience what other people and other places experience.
Speaker 3:I'm a big lover of the Caribbean, so I just love to experience all things Caribbean. But some people, you know, have never, have never done those things. So once people started asking me about my trips and asking me things, I was like, okay, this is really what I want to do.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow, it's so good. I was thinking just like, leading up to this conversation, colby and I honeymooned in Italy and we were like, at the same time we had just obviously got married, honeymoon, getting ready to move to Thailand, and we like books, our flights, we booked our Airbnb and we were like, oh, we'll just wing it when we get there. It's our biggest regret to this date to not have like reached out to someone or booked some kind of tour or something. Because, again, like Colby and I are very familiar, like living cross-culturally, but we did no research on the culture and we felt like, like people are like what was your favorite meal?
Speaker 2:I was like we couldn't figure out the eating time, like the eating times there were so like I ate like happy hour apps every day on my honeymoon, like that's all we could figure out, and um, and and just like opportunities. People were like, oh, did you go to like a cooking thing? And I'm like, oh, we didn't drive by any and see any signs. Like I, all of that to say I wish we had worked with someone. Um, it makes a huge difference and, like I said, colby and I are this type of people. We're great with research, we're good with like online, whatever deal finding all of that, but there is more available past that. And so I guess, what would you say to the person that's like no, no, no, I'm well-versed on the internet. I'm a millennial. I know how to look for stuff, like, like, what would you say? Like, maybe, what do you have access to that? They wouldn't. You could take it any direction.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, so I really, what I would say is the internet can't help you when there's a problem. And that's really what it is. Because, yes, some people will say to me oh, um, well, thank you, but I found a price and it's better. And I say all the time number one, we can price match. That's number one. Number two the internet cannot help you when you have a problem. So you have an issue and you have to again call an 800 number. You have to wait until, who knows, maybe you're first in line, maybe you're number 11 in the queue, and sometimes you don't have that time. You don't have you know, you just don't.
Speaker 3:What we can do, that the internet cannot do, is that we, the suppliers that we use, we have a more direct access. So, like, when we call in, it'll say are you, um, you know a travel agent? Whatever? Are you a? You know? Uh, are you in destination? Um, so for us, we have a more direct line to wherever you know you may be. I guess a travel agent is not for everyone, and I know that. I do know that there are some people I'm never going to make believe that using a travel agent is great because they've been doing their own things forever. The other thing is I like to tell people is that when you use a travel agent or you don't use a travel agent, that price that you're paying you're still paying somebody, but sometimes it's going back to the hotels. So when you use a, my dog is barking in the background. Sorry, oh, I can't hear it.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's okay. I feel like every guest has their dog show up, Okay well.
Speaker 3:You're fitting right in, okay, good, so if you book say you book the Hilton down the street or you book Disney or you book a Sandals and Beaches the price that you see online is the same price that I get, right, but the commission is what pays us. That commission is still in that price, whether you use me or you go and you book directly on the website. So if it's not going to me, where do you think it's going?
Speaker 2:Did I say this already, that working with you is no cost? Did we mention?
Speaker 3:that you did not, but I do like to remind people that there is no cost to use me, so as you're talking about commission and everything.
Speaker 2:I think sometimes people hear that word and it sounds like oh, like higher price, or blah, blah, blah. And what you're saying right now summarizes like no, no, no, you're already paying it.
Speaker 3:So you're already paying it.
Speaker 2:So you could pay the rates that you would already pay with your own research. But you're getting help Like you're getting a personal touch.
Speaker 3:And that's it Exactly. You're paying it no matter what. So why not pay it to a person that actually can do all of the work for you, all of the planning, all of the research, all of everything? And then we do have some people and I like to stress this too is that, if you there's, I do book people that love to go to Disney, that are frequent Disney years and they like to do it themselves because they like to do their own dining reservations, they like to make their own lightning lane reservations. I tell people all the time you can still do that booking with a travel agent. You just we talk about that from the very beginning and you say to me okay, I want to be very hands-on, or I want to be very hands-off, I literally want you to do everything for me. So that's what's nice, and I feel like people just don't know that.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I would love um trying to think what direction to go. There are a few areas would you say that you specialize in. Is that how you would, yeah, explain it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and what are?
Speaker 2:they? You could tell us?
Speaker 3:So I specialize in Disney. Like I just said, I um, I specialize in Disney. I specialize in um, sandals and beaches resorts, which are I'm a big fan of. As I said, I love the Caribbean. I also do love Disney a lot, though, um, and I specialize in the Caribbean. I just recently started doing more Europe. I've only been to Greece myself, though, which was amazing and I loved it, but I definitely started diving a little bit deeper in into, but we are a full service agency, so sometimes I will, as much as I would love to keep the clients myself, if I'm not very well-versed somewhere, I will happily hand them off to somebody in our agency, that is, and then that way we're still keeping the client.
Speaker 2:Great yeah. So I'm trying to think, because they're different. Like Disney is very different from like a sandals vacation, for example. Yep, I would love. Okay, I know Disney's a big one. My sister and her husband are there. There are no kids with them, it's all adults. It's a totally different vacation. That's all I have to say, and they go like twice a year, they love it. I know that there's a lot of Disney fans probably listening Yep, you hear my daughter yelling. Oh, do you? That's great Fine.
Speaker 3:She's screaming at I because she just knows that she can't see me right at this moment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course, yeah, no.
Speaker 3:As we're talking about.
Speaker 2:Disney, it's perfect timing. Right, it's perfect timing. If you had to take a break at any point, though, feel free to do that. Okay, you need to, you want to? No, I'm good. Okay, you're good. Great, let's go's go, okay. So, disney, if someone came to you and said like I want to go, so I want to go both routes with this question, first, I want to start off. If they said full service, I want to pass this off to you. What would that look like for them?
Speaker 3:So we would have a call. We like to call it a discovery call and we talk about literally everything from and I also want to say before I even get into that people are like oh, I don't have time for a call, you okay Hold on.
Speaker 2:I have literally never had this happen, ever, and it just keeps happening. Yeah, that's okay. It says that it's still recording, so I'm just going to edit that out. Yeah, so I'll just edit those little blurbs out, okay, okay.
Speaker 3:So what was I saying? Oh, okay, so we have a discovery call and the discovery call is quick. So I like to say that right from the beginning, because some people are like I just don't have the time. A discovery call is literally 20 to 30 minutes because in that call we're talking about when you want to go, how many people are going, exactly what you're looking for. I need to know what your style of travel is. I need to understand are you doing this trip super budget friendly or do you want to go all out for this vacation?
Speaker 3:So when we do that, we literally talk about all the things. You literally just give me everything that you've been thinking of or in your head, that you've been planning or researching, and then I write it all down and then I go back to you, come back to you with an email and give you everything you asked for. Once I do give you, once I do send you that email, anything can be customized. So say we booked flights with it. If you don't like the flight times, we could change the flight times eyes. So say we booked flights with it. If you don't like the flight times, we could change the flight times If we I picked I don't know.
Speaker 3:Um say we're, cause we said we said we're doing Disney, so I picked Caribbean. Um, caribbean beach, you don't like that because you want grand for, excuse me, grand Floridian. We could change that. If, um, you know anything, we literally you want a three day hopper, you don't want a four day hopper, we could change that. If, um, you know anything, we literally you want a three day hopper, you don't want a four day hopper, we could change that. And then, once we do that and we get that all down pat, once it comes time to make your dining reservations and your lightning lanes, um, we'll usually talk again to talk about like, okay, I don't care what restaurants we go to, what days, but this is the ideal time for me, and most times I would say we get them, especially because you get a timeframe, you get a booking window. But if you don't, we just need backup times. Or, okay, I don't want anything, we're going to leave that day open, we're going to kind of just wing it. So yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's really just that's what it looks like, simple, so they're not booking their flights. They're not nothing, nope, they're telling me everything they want.
Speaker 3:They're saying you know, and the big thing is people always say I try not to ask. I hate the word budget because what's more important is what someone is looking for, not really your budget's important, of course. But if you tell me what you're looking for and what the non-negotiables are, I like to give you what I find and then say and then they come back to me and they're like, okay, well, you just gave me a price of $8,000, but my budget was really like $7,000. What can we change to still make it this wonderful, but to kind of stay closer to this budget?
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Yeah, that's great. That's great, super, super good to have options. And then maybe is there an example of someone that maybe didn't want full service with Disney, that just wanted help with like one thing or something like that, like just a few services. What does that look like?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I had someone who I just booked their flights, their hotel, and then she wanted to be super hands-on. She wanted to, you know, sit on the computer and wait the day that she could make her dining reservations, which was wonderful. She loved the thrill of it. I checked in with her after, I checked in with her afterwards and she was like it was so exciting. My husband was on one computer and I was on another and we were just making sure we got everything. Um, and then I've also just done. People say no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I had someone like get my tickets, I would have been like, oh my gosh, it's so, bougie, like expense, like thinking like they must've like paid extra and I, I don't know, I love learning that it's like no, no, no, it's just yep, you're, it's the same exact, literally with disney, it's the same exact price penny to penny.
Speaker 3:There's no difference. Yep, wild, wild. So think about that. That's something for people to think about, because you're, you're just giving it back. Really is what?
Speaker 2:you're doing just what. They need more money, right? So I don't know if sandals and beaches would be talked about the same way or differently.
Speaker 3:Um, the same way in a sense, because yeah, I mean.
Speaker 2:So let's apply those same questions to sandals and beaches.
Speaker 3:Okay, so sandals and beaches. Okay, so, sandals and beaches. So people come to me all the time and they say to me okay, I'm going to take myself, my husband and my two children and we want to go to an island We've never been. I actually love people that have never been because or have done no research, those are my favorites, because the problem is is that sometimes people think that they know better, which is fine, understand, respectful, whatever. So, sandals and beaches again, we could do as much or as little. So you want full service and you want me to book your flights, no problem. If you don't want me to book flights because you have, like, airline miles or you know, credit card credits and points, totally fine. So if we're doing just your sandals and beaches reservation, again we have a call. We talk about what dates you're looking for, you know how large your family is, the ages, all that stuff. When you want to go, what your travel style is. Sandals is adults only and beaches is for families. I think you and I have talked about that, so they're the same. But sandals is the adults only, 18 plus, and then beaches is the families part of it. So right now there's only two beaches, resorts, so it's a little bit easier. They are expanding, but it's a little bit easier because you either want to go to Jamaica or you want to go to Turks and Caicos, and so that's just. It's a little bit more simple.
Speaker 3:So when I talk about sandals and beaches and when people say you always talk about sandals and beaches, why are you so passionate about sandals and beaches? And the reason is is because the price that you see and that I give you is the price all included. And when I say all inclusive, all included, it's your airport transfers, it's your all inclusive. So all you can eat, all you can drink, it's your um, it's your tips, which that is a big one. And I feel like people don't really understand that it's your tips. You don't tip there. You tip your, your, your airport transfer drivers, which you know that's their. They don't work for sandals and beaches, so that's different.
Speaker 3:And then if you were to make um, uh, an appointment at the spa, you can, you could tip at the spa, but, like when you go to the bar, you go to eat, you anything, there's no tipping. All of your tips are included in the price that I give you. So that's huge. All your water sports, which that's like major, because people always think they're like well, what do you mean? There's no like extra costs. I'm like there's no extra costs.
Speaker 3:It's literally the place where I go and I feel like I only have to bring $50 with me or a hundred dollars, like I know in my head when I go, I'm going to go to the spa. So if I know I'm going to the spa, I bring extra cash. I know in my head okay, I'm only going for three days, I don't have time for the spa this trip, I'm not doing it. So I feel like I don't have to leave home with my credit card and with all of my money, um, so I love that. That's what I love.
Speaker 3:So, literally, the price you see is the price you get. Also, what's really nice about them and part of the reason I'm so passionate is that with some of these other resorts, when you're in like a separate club, it means that you're paying for separate service with sandals and beaches. There you don't do that. You get everything every restaurant, obviously, um, you know there's some that they they recommend or that you do have to make reservations for just because they're very popular, um, and you can do that on the app and most people have no problem doing them that themselves, because they see what's available, um, when they're going, and then that's it Like every once you get there, everything that's there. That's all for you.
Speaker 2:So two questions just thinking about my family conversations we've had I've never I've gone to all inclusive in Asia, never in the States. So probably some similarities, some different. But my husband, um, can get like bored pretty quickly and he's always like why would I go to an all inclusive? I'd feel so like stuck, whatever. What would you say to someone like that? Or maybe like a wife that's wanting to book a trip and her husband is thinking that or something?
Speaker 3:So I've never gotten bored at sandals and beaches. Others yes, and also I want to say too, with there's other really amazing destinations, that sandals and beaches don't have um a resort. At that, I've also had a great time. But specifically sandals and beaches, you can also book excursions with Island roots, and there are so many like I went to Antigua in November and I I was like no, I'm not, I'm not doing an excursion while I'm there, I don't need to, I'm only going for three days, whatever. We ended up doing a bike tour of the Island and I didn't think at all that I could do it, wanted to do it. I had the most fun. It was like we laughed, we, you know, we all got to know each other Cause I was there with a bunch of different travel agents and we had the best time. We literally had the best time. And then it was nice because it was a few hours, but it was a few hours to break up, like being at the resort.
Speaker 3:Even though there's plenty to do at the resort. I love, you know, the pool and the beaches and all that. You can book an excursion every day. You don't have to book an excursion and the excursions are an additional cost, of course, um, but you choose that. So, like you say to yourself okay, I know, I only want to spend an additional $500 on excursions over the week that I'm there. So you just you just pre-plan that and we can. That's the other thing. We can plan those for you, we book those for you, we plan those for you. But yeah, I've never. I've never gotten bored. There's so much to do. That's the other thing is their entertainment and their, their activities at Sandals and Beaches are unmatched, and I will stand my ground on that, wow, okay.
Speaker 2:Well, my other question was how about families? So beaches, if a family is thinking like, okay, what am I going to do? Are they just going to go to the pool, like what's available for families, cause obviously pool is a big draw for kids, but what else is there?
Speaker 3:They have a kids club, which is amazing, and I know I feel like even myself as a mom, I was like, no, I'm never going to use the kids club, I'm not sending my kids with strangers. Once you go into the kids club yourself, you're going to be like oh my God, I can't believe I've never used a kids club. It's they've separated by ages too, which is nice, so you don't have to feel bigger than Beaches. Negril, definitely a much larger scale. The resort is huge, where Negril is a little bit smaller, but they have the water park, they have a mac and cheese food truck, they have a kid's swim up bar, which there's mixed reviews, obviously, but like how cool the kids think it is that, like they're in a pool and they can just swim up and order themselves a milkshake or a you know, a strawberry daiquiri, like they just think it's the coolest thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, then they have the pool, the beach, they have yoga with the Sesame street characters, because that is one of the things about beaches is the Sesame street characters are there. The characters walk around there. There's literally so much to do. There's so much to do. I can't wait to go back next week because I just was there with the travel agency and I feel like I, I feel like I didn't even touch the resort.
Speaker 2:Um. Are you going with your kids?
Speaker 3:or for work. You are the kids.
Speaker 2:Yeah, have they been before.
Speaker 3:They've never been.
Speaker 2:Wow, so this is going to give you like a totally new.
Speaker 3:Yep, and I've got like the all ages spectrum because my kids are two, eight and 17. So I can tell anybody after this what it's like to travel with all the age ranges.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about flights for a second Cause. I I have like a little taste of it, but like okay, so is it included for everybody across the country? How does that work? So what do you mean? Yeah, so like when you sign, when you pay for the sandals trips, like the package cost, does that include flights, no matter where you're flying from, or how does that work?
Speaker 3:So if you, if you're choosing flights, yes, we will include your flights and your package cost will give you the cost with the flights included. Not everybody wants to do the flights, like I said, because some people use their points and stuff. But, yes, we can book, I can book, yeah, anybody can go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember when we were first talking about it and I was like, well, I'm jumping ahead, but we'll talk about a trick that we're going on later this year. But you were like, yeah, yeah, tips, everything. And I'm like wait, what? Like I've never traveled that way, really, yeah, yeah, it's so refreshing Like you really get to just like turn your mind off Literally. So I'm trying to picture it like Okay, so like a restaurant, is it ever like so full that you're waiting? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:So well, there's a lot like with, with beaches, Turks specifically. There's so many dining options, like 23, 23 dining options, so there's so much. We never. We waited at one restaurant when we just went with the travel agency, but that was also because we didn't make a reservation, and it was one of them that a reservation was recommended. Um, but other than that, like we just walked up and we've got set for all of our meals breakfast, lunch and dinner, which is which is nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, cool, very, very cool. I don't know if you um watched like the behind the scenes of that crazy cruise ship that just launched like the biggest in the world. What is it called? Icon of the sea, icon of the sea.
Speaker 3:I did not watch. I saw like the stuff, but I did not watch the behind the scenes. It's huge.
Speaker 2:It's insane. And that's my only. I know that they are like very much not the same thing, but I remember they were like no, you just like literally walk through the boat and whatever you want to eat, you eat. And I'm like what is this Like? Is that basically what it's like? Like you want an ice cream, you get an ice cream.
Speaker 3:Correct, there's yo-yos at beaches actually at both beaches Turks and beaches in the grill and it's frozen yogurt and it's at beaches Turks and Caicos. It's behind the coffee shops, like you walk in the coffee shop and then you walk around and it's right there. And I'm actually highly embarrassed to say this. One day I went in three times.
Speaker 2:Hey girlfriend.
Speaker 3:I was like I'm hot, I need, I need frozen yogurt.
Speaker 3:Well, that's the like, that's the fun and the danger, I guess but we'll just call it fun, yeah, I mean, but it's so nice because you can. You don't have to wait in a line to pay, you don't have to wait for a server to come back and take your order in that set, like the ice cream sense. Obviously, when you're going to one of the sit down restaurants versus buffet, you have to wait, but like there's also buffet options, which is amazing for kids especially. As an adult, I feel like if it's just an adult vacation, I don't want buffet, obviously because it's so nice to be served. But kids, let's be realistic French fries, chicken nuggets, you know, apple slices there you go.
Speaker 2:So I know that there's not. It's not like all roses Like. I'm sure there are some like downsides. One question that I had with the unlimited alcohol is like, drunk like, is it like a big party scene? Like in a bad way, like in a negative way at all?
Speaker 3:No, there there are definitely some more part, like there's some resorts that are more party and that's not even just within, you know, that's within all brands, obviously, um, and you just kind of know that. So again in that call, when you're talking to someone and they're like, okay, I want adults, only we're big partiers or we don't party at all, like those are big, those are big questions for me all the time, like nightlife, but I'm in bed by nine o'clock Like I don't want like raging party scene, um, so yeah, so that's part of that's part of the question, but part of the questions in the discovery call. But no, I mean, there's something for everyone. Let's just put it that way. There's literally something for everyone.
Speaker 2:What I love, too, that you and I have talked about is that I don't know if it's like formally said, that they're rebranding or like how you would describe it, but you've explained it to me that they're wanting to not just appeal to couples. Correct, yeah, and so talk to us about that, because I know, like all of us listening, have seen a sandals commercial where it's like a couple in love, right yeah. So who are they wanting to appeal to more? You can talk about that wanting to appeal to more.
Speaker 3:You can talk about that. So there's, there's still, and they're always going to be the couples. Um, you know they're going to be always be big on honeymoons and destination weddings and couples. But one really awesome thing is like they're getting really big into the pickleball world, which I'm sure you've heard all about. It's everywhere like the pickleball craze. So, like right now, our agency specifically, we have a pickleball retreat where it's whoever wants to go, just kind of like grab a buddy that's going with you and it could be me and you and we can go.
Speaker 3:Girls trips are another really big one. Golf trips, because with some of the resorts, your green fees, the ones that have golf courses I had to think of what I was trying to say. Your green fees are included, which is huge to people. So what it really comes down to. Specifically with sandals and I say this to people all the time if you don't mind sharing a bed with someone, then that's fine. I know that it has this it's only for couples. I can't go there. They're going to think this, or they're going to think that, or people are going to be like why are you know? Why is this big group of girls there.
Speaker 3:And the truth is is when I I went to Sandals, St Vincent, recently too, and that is a beautiful resort and it was my first time there and it's also their newest resort and I was like, oh, I can't wait to see, you know, and there's definitely a ton of couples.
Speaker 3:But something that we also saw was parents, like adult parents with their adult children, so like they're 18 plus children, like we saw, specifically, a mom and a dad and their two daughters, so the mom and the dad were in one room and the two daughters were in another room. So it was kind of nice to see that too, because you're keeping it adults only, but you're, you're also including your kids, You're, you're able to include that, or, you know, we saw, we saw a group of girls and they all obviously run some sort of girls trip of some sort. So it's nice to see. We, you know, we see pickleballers, we see pickleball groups. We're also doing a marriage retreat. Our agency is yeah, so there's a marriage counselor going, so that, obviously, but you don't need to be married for that, you could be in a long-term relationship or whatever, but it's for everyone.
Speaker 2:So I want to pick up. You said, as long as you don't mind sharing a bed. So the prices that you see when you're sharing on your Instagram stories, it's the price for two people right.
Speaker 3:So sand, it's the price for two people, right, so sandals is the price for two people. Yes, beaches we try to be clear because beaches you could put more than two people in a room. Sandals is a max of two people, two adults. So, yes, when I share sandals prices, it's always based on double occupancy of two adults.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so just to make sure people know, if you are going with girlfriends, you would pay that price, you and your friend and you would be sharing a bed. Do they have any rooms with two beds? They don't. Nope, okay, yeah, that's so interesting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it's good to know, but that is also that stems back to being like the couples resort. Yeah, um, but again it's. I guess just the world in general has changed so much. And I mean personally, I don't care, I, we're going on a trip and I am totally fine, it's a king size bed also.
Speaker 2:You're not. You're not swishing into a double so yeah, well, we'll loop back around to Sandals Beaches and if anyone has questions, you could slide into Steph's DMs and ask. I'm just trying to pick up on what I think the biggest questions would be Um, but you said you're um, you have a little bit of background in Greece, a little bit in Europe. So if someone's like, eh, I'm not really feeling like the resort vibe, like I'd love to go to Europe, how could you help them with that?
Speaker 3:So same thing really. You know, we again we go back to that discovery call and you tell me exactly what you're looking for. Some people, with Europe and stuff, you're not getting all inclusive. Obviously, if you want to, you know, if you want to book a villa, we can do that. If you want to book a hotel, if you want to book multiple hotels because you want to kind of like you want to hop around to the different areas of each, you know. So some people want to go to Rome and they also want to go to Lake Como and they also, you know, they want to just hop around, we can do that. Some people also like to hop from different, so from, like, italy to Paris to Greece, so we can do that, which is really nice. But you know, the big thing with that is, I always tell people remember, in your budget, with vacations like that, specifically, air takes up a lot of budgets, your flights take up a lot of budgets. So I always I try to make people really understand that, because that will eat your budget really quickly. Um, and then you know it's, but it's so similar, it's so much the same.
Speaker 3:We can book all of your tours If you're going. You know Italy, how you said. You went to Italy and you were like, oh, there was no sign that says cooking class, we book the cooking classes. We book, um, you know, all of those really awesome things. You want to go to Paris and you want to go to the Eiffel tower, we book that for you. We booked the guided tour. You don't want to do a guided tour, you just want to go there and you, you know, we book that for you, man, so yeah, it's as little or as much as you want us to do, really man, I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it. There's really an option for everyone. And again, my I think like the easiest buy-in for me and like excitement is that you're literally not paying more.
Speaker 3:You're not, yeah, yeah, you're not paying more. And, like you know, there's the people that are always like I could do it myself. Right, I could probably dye my own hair, but I'm not a hairdresser, so, like, I leave it to the professional, and that's what I like to tell people. You're not paying any more, so why not use the professional?
Speaker 2:It's good I mean, it's as simple as that, yeah. Yeah, that's a really kind of just like bringing it way down to the start, really kind of just like bringing it way down to the start. It's such an easy way of just explaining it and pulling it all together, summarizing it Wow, wow, okay. So anything else specifically that you'd want to highlight with your services there or like these trips, before we talk about our trip?
Speaker 3:Not really. I just I love to just stress the fact that we're free. It's free to use us, it's free to use our services. We do everything for you. We're the professional in this industry, just like you're the professional in your industry or anybody. So why not use us? Why not come to us? Why not book with us? It's not costing you any more money. We're all commission based. I just like to really stress that point because I feel like people just don't understand that it does not cost more money to use a travel agent. It does not. I should probably back up a little. It doesn't cost any more money to use anybody from our agency. I can't say what other agencies do. I know some do charge fees. Um, you know, and there are times in our, within our agency. I will say like, say, you have a destination wedding and you want to do it's, it's huge, and there's all these extra things that you want to do. There are, there can sometimes be planning fees, but to book like a regular vacation is what I mean.
Speaker 3:There are no fees and most times even a destination wedding, if you're doing a place like beaches or sandals. I mean, it's pretty straightforward. We're talking about, like, when there's a ton of different things like add ons and all that, um, so, yeah, so there, that's. To me, that's the biggest thing, I mean yeah. And that's what I'm all about.
Speaker 2:Like just wanting more peace in life, living intentionally, and it's just like it's so hard when you're on vacation and you're just like a frazzled basket case. Yeah, it's like take that, I mean sure there's always going to be something to think about, but like take the bulk of it Like you don't have to worry about flights and delays and all that stuff, you know.
Speaker 3:Right and like I think I had said this to you and like one of your big things is obviously like hospitality and being served. It's so nice to be served sometimes when you're the one that's like you know, gathering everybody and serving everyone. It's so nice, like to have a vacation where it's actually a vacation. Earlier this morning we were just talking about that. How I remember growing up and we took wonderful vacations and they were so simple. And you know, we went to New Hampshire growing up. But now, as an adult and as a mom myself, I realized that my stepmom, my mom, my aunt, my grandmother all they did was do the same things they do at home and another destination, because they had to cook still, they had to clean, still, they had to make sure. You know that we had everything with an all inclusive. It's so nice Everyone gets to enjoy a vacation.
Speaker 2:Wow, so good. Yeah, that's a really healthy perspective shifter for people. Exactly, even even on our honeymoon we did an Airbnb and I'm like dang it. I have to think about breakfast, you know. Think about everything everything, everything and it was gorgeous and all that stuff. But, yeah, it's good, it's good to, yeah, throw in the mix and try, if nothing else, to just try it.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Okay, so if someone's like I do want to try it, how Talk to them about the upcoming trip Unless you want? Me to but you start.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so in September, september 10th to the 14th, are my dates correct? Yeah, cause we just changed the date and the location. So the 10th to the 14th we're doing a girl's trip, um, so kind of grab a girlfriend and come, um, it is to Sandals, royal Caribbean. Um, I like keep getting messed up cause I'm still back in the Antigua world and so, yeah, so it's from September 10th to the 14th, sandals, royal Caribbean. What's so nice about this resort is that it's very close to the airport, so there's not long transfers afterwards. And the prices I actually looked again this morning and the prices for two, I think, started at like $2,800 for and that's all inclusive. So that's four 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th that's four nights, um, the only thing it doesn't include are your flights. Um, and obviously I could book everyone's, you know whoever wanted to come their flights. But again I go back to so many people now have like travel points for credit cards, um, credit card travel points, and like to book their flights with that Um, so yeah, so super fun.
Speaker 3:It's going to be a bunch of just random girls which at first I sometimes I'm I'm like a little bit nervous about girls trips when I don't know people. But when I went to Sandals, antigua for um a back to the beach through with a bunch of travel advisors, I was so nervous Cause I was like I'm not going to know anybody. When I tell you that some of these agents that I met and even you know um the BDMs they're some of the people that I talk to all the time now Like I really made great friends and relationships and so that's really what I'm looking forward to the most about September is just all the new relationships and really just to unplug. I feel like I I'm big on like mom's trips, but you don't have to be a mom, but, as a mom, like to just be able to be served for a few days and not have to worry about anybody else and not have to worry about what someone wants for breakfast, and to sit on the beach and read a book and not be interrupted while reading a book.
Speaker 3:And we want everyone to come really. So if you're interested, the prices obviously change, so it's not guaranteed until the deposit is made. The deposit with with sandals and beaches is $400. You could deposit initially for $98. And then, three weeks later, the remainder of that 400, so $302 is due and then you can make no payments, weekly payments, whatever you want to do up until the day the final payment is due.
Speaker 2:Wild. I want to make sure that people are tracking with us, and when Steph says the 2,800, that's for two people.
Speaker 3:For two people, correct. So you've got to grab a girlfriend.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so if you're like I want to go, I bet my friend would come with me. It's half of that for your portion.
Speaker 3:Yeah, For four nights all inclusive, all your tips, your airport transfers.
Speaker 2:I mean it's insane, yeah, yeah, um. One thing I wanted to bring up um, I know some people that listen to the show, or international travelers or travel a lot. Um, they might know like, okay, like it's hurricane season or the start of hurricane season. What you told me was really important, so could you share with that with them too.
Speaker 3:So hurricane season we're never going to do anything about, it's always going to be there. We could get 15 hurricanes, we could get none. I mean we don't. You know what I mean. Travel protection is huge. I tell everybody all the time get travel protection. It's only until you have an issue that you, you realize how important travel protection is. And when you're spending for this, you know, trip specifically is $2,800 or when you're spending $9,000, at that point what's $250 more to protect that whole trip? That's, that's your flights, that's your, you know. And obviously travel protection is different prices for different destinations and different, um, different uh brands. Sorry, I couldn't like think of what.
Speaker 1:I was trying to say.
Speaker 3:Um, but in the big picture it's so important because you're protecting that flight If there's an issue with your flight and there's a delay, if your bags go missing, if you're stuck at a resort because it is hurricane season. Some of the people in our agency got stuck in during hurricane barrel last year and the resort was awesome. They said that, aside from the weather outside, first of all, the resort and the staff were incredible. Um, at, I think they were at sandals Dunn's river. Um, they it, it was incredible. They said you wouldn't even have known there was a hurricane because they had so much fun inside. And then, once the hurricane cleared, yes, they were stuck for a few more days and they had to stay there a little bit longer, but they had travel protection. So at the end you know you're paying a little bit more money, but then you submit everything to your the travel protection and you go from there. Wow, but it's super important. I can't stress that part enough Travel protection, travel protection, really good Yep and some people.
Speaker 3:I will say some credit cards offer travel protection. So there are people that are like oh, I have, you know, travel protection on my credit card. You just have to know your. You know what your credit card offers, but always travel protection.
Speaker 2:Wow, man, we like covered all the bases, okay. So if someone wants to move forward, the best way is just to reach out to you, right, yep, reach out to me.
Speaker 3:If you you know on social media, you could send me a message um my email address, my phone number, you could call me, you could text me. It's pretty simple. They could message you, you could direct them to me if they can't find me. So yeah, so good.
Speaker 2:What I like to emphasize about this trip to you, like if you've heard ads in the last few episodes with just me talking about it is you could participate in what we have planned, or sit by the pool and like, just take advantage of the amazing deal and just be there, like with us, right. And so whatever you want it to be, even if you're like, even if now you're like, no, I don't want to do yoga, and you change your mind, you could do that, like right. Whenever you need it to be, it can be. It's just available to you.
Speaker 3:And that's why I was saying, like, even when I went to Antigua, I was like, no, I don't want to do an e-bike tour. And then once I did, I was like, oh my God, I'm so happy I did that.
Speaker 3:That was the best thing ever. So sometimes you think you don't want to. And then you make friends really, and you're like, yeah, I want to do everything you're doing. So, totally, you either can sit by the beach the whole time or the pool, or you can do, you know, things like yoga or reading, road trip with. With us you could do anything, as little as you want or as much as you want, whatever you want.
Speaker 2:That's the best. How far out is that now we're what. June 25th June.
Speaker 3:July.
Speaker 2:August, like two and a half months. Two and a half months, wow. Okay, I was going to break it down like how much you'd have to save a month, but I won't do that. People could figure it out. Right, it's not a ton of time, but it's also not a ton of money.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Exactly Right, yep, perfect, oh man, okay, anything else we're missing. Before I ask you the three questions we ask every guest? I don't think so. I think we covered everything. Yeah, yeah, that was really good. Um, what's the name of the agency actually, if so?
Speaker 3:adventure. So people get a little confused. It is adventure us travel. So how it's spelled is exactly how it's spelled. There's no mistake made. It is adventurous travel. Um, people like stutter. When I say it, they're like adventure us travel. And I'm like exactly how it's spelled.
Speaker 2:Yes, that is correct uh, okay, but they could. I'll put all of your links in the show notes and socials and they can follow you there. Perfect, okay. Three questions we ask every guest before we sign off. The first one is something you've eaten recently and loved Guacamole.
Speaker 3:Oh, homemade or store-bought Homemade. My son makes really good guacamole. Actually, he makes really good everything but guacamole. I feel like guac is really refreshing in this heat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, anything specific he does to it that you think makes it. No, it's just good. Yeah, it's just good. Yeah, I don't know if you ever went to Roberts, the grocery store in Madison. In Madison, yes, they've closed since and it was just kind of like an old mom-and-pop store. They had the best guacamole shop like store they had the best guacamole did they um?
Speaker 2:I've never had guac well, unfortunately you'll never be able to try it. And then they. They did homemade, like mango salsa, which I also make, but theirs was just good, really good. Yeah, um, that's a good answer. How about? Uh, what was our second question lately? Um, um, I think I've done two different ones, something you found to be beautiful.
Speaker 3:Sandals St Vincent. Like really beautiful, really beautiful that one blew me away. Wow, it's different Caribbean vibe, like it's sunny over here but there's a rainstorm back here, and then, after the rainstorm, there's two mountains and the rainbow connects to the two mountains. But it's still sunny over here, but there's a rainstorm back here, and then after the rainstorm, there's two mountains and the rainbow connects to the two mountains, but it's still sunny over here.
Speaker 2:Wow yeah, really beautiful.
Speaker 3:Change of scenery is so important it's so good for your mental health and everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:So good. Last but not least, something you've found or no, no, no, something you've discovered recently that you think everyone should know about Amazon. Find Netflix show.
Speaker 3:Um, I watched on um, yeah, on Netflix ransom Canyon, love it Really, like a little bit, like it was like a mix between, like chick flick and Yellowstone I can't really explain it, but I really I got hooked. Actually, I hate when that happens on Netflix, cause I binge and then I'm like I have to wait a year for this to come back.
Speaker 2:But yes, no one has said that one yet, and I haven't even heard of it. That's good, look it up really good how about um. I'll ask that another time. But travel specific any travel specific finds or gadgets or anything.
Speaker 3:I love my wireless microphone and I got it on TikTok for $4 and it works really really good Like $4 and I was like, oh, whatever, If it's not good, it's $4. It's like the best thing, and $4. It's like the best thing.
Speaker 2:And and my gimbal. Okay, Do you have a gimbal?
Speaker 3:No, it keeps if you don't have a steady hand while recording video. It's amazing Again, both on Amazon too, but this one was on TikTok.
Speaker 2:Send me the link to the gimbal Incredible. I will. I'll send it to you when we're done. You know what I've noticed recently? I never felt like I had a shaky hand and all of a sudden I do and I'm like I'm such a hypochondriac, I'm like I have Parkinson's.
Speaker 3:It's like I have a headache and I have brain cancer.
Speaker 2:No, probably just too much coffee, yep A hundred percent. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, but no those are definitely my my travel finds.
Speaker 3:Those are awesome. I bring these on every trip that I go on to get content.
Speaker 2:That's great, very, very smart. Well, guys, thanks for hanging out. I hope everyone stays cool and that you are excited about upcoming trips, whether it's the summer or the fall. Um, actually, our sandals and beaches year round. Yes, yeah, okay, Plan your winter trip If you're already booked for the summer. My goodness, you can find all those links right in the show notes and reach out to either of us with questions, and we will see you next week. Thanks so much.