January 29, 2025 • 47 mins
Ready to stop waiting and start wandering? In this episode of Goal Slayer, Kaitlin sits down with travel expert and host extraordinaire, Lindsay Mukaddam of One Girl Wandering, to dive into the transformative power of travel—especially for women. Whether you’ve been dreaming of your first solo trip, a group adventure, or simply finding the courage to book that bucket list destination, this conversation will inspire you to pack your bags and prioritize yourself.
Lindsay shares her journey from a nine-to-five theater production job to creating a thriving travel brand, hosting trips around the globe. Together, Kaitlin and Lindsay explore why women often feel held back from traveling, how group trips can be the perfect stepping stone to solo travel, and the life-changing connections formed when we step outside of our comfort zones.
This episode isn’t just about destinations; it’s about the mindset shifts and bold moves that make travel one of the most empowering experiences you can give yourself. Tune in for tips, stories, and a little magic to inspire your next adventure—whether it’s across the world or simply taking the first step toward a long-held dream.
Key Highlights:
- Why group travel is the perfect launchpad for solo adventures.
- The unique challenges (and joys) women face when prioritizing travel.
- How Lindsay creates safe, welcoming spaces for women to connect and explore.
- Packing tips to stay organized and stress-free while on the move.
- The unexpected friendships and bonds formed through travel.
- Dream destinations, underrated spots, and must-know travel advice for beginners.
Hit play and let this episode be the spark that gets you one step closer to the adventure of a lifetime!
Stay Connected with Lindsay:
-
Follow her on instagram and check out her upcoming adventures @onegirlwandering
Ready to take the trip of a lifetime? JOIN THE BEAM LIFE IN GREECE THIS SUMMER [CLICK HERE] to get the deets and save your spot!
If you enjoyed this week’s episode, I’d so appreciate you doing a few things for me:
- Please subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen
- Rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts
- Tag me @thebeamlife on your IG stories and I’ll be sure to share your post!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hey girl, how are you doing today?
I'm doing so good, how are you?
So good.
know we were chatting right before this with everything going on here in LA.
So I'm just really grateful for you being a bright light in my week and talking about oneof my favorite things in the world, which is travel.
(00:21):
So for those of you that maybe skipped the introduction or don't know, Lindsay and I met
in Columbia, this would be like three years ago, we were both travelers, so neither one ofus were hosting.
And it was like instant I was like, Yes, this is my people.
(00:42):
I love her vibe.
And then I find out that she actually hosts these amazing things and has one girlwondering.
So I want to know before we dive into all the travel stuff, tell me a little bit aboutlike where one girl wondering came from, why that name I
I personally love it only because the beam life is all about women wandering and doingamazing things.
(01:09):
tell us the little backstory on that.
my gosh.
So I started my blog, One Girl Wandering, after I'd taken my first solo trip.
I was just kind of posting on my personal Instagram, like what I was doing and myadventures.
And I had like friends and family who were like, you should start a blog.
None of which had a blog and didn't understand that that's actually really hard and takesa lot of work.
(01:31):
So I just kind of like brainstormed a bunch of names and kind of was like, what'savailable.
And luckily, One Girl Wandering was.
such a great name.
love it so much and I love my brand to bits.
So I started my blog and I started like kind of my online presence.
And then in 2020, my normal regular nine to five job or nine to like a million job wasworking in theater.
(01:56):
I was in production management, which is very, very long hours.
But in 2020 with the pandemic, theater was hit fast and hard and I was laid off.
And so then I decided to go.
hole into my wonderful side project of One Girl Wandering and it has been an incredibleadventure and has exceeded my wildest dreams.
(02:17):
And I've been doing this now full time for almost five years.
yeah.
so awesome.
also, really, I know inspiring story to a lot of listeners, because a lot of the women wholisten to this are working those nine to five or nine to five million, as you might say.
And I think that there's two things.
(02:38):
One, they have dreams of travel, and they've allowed their roles that they play or theirresponsibilities, which are important as a reason why they can't.
Or.
And or they are working these jobs and have a desire to start a business and feel likethey let that also get in the way.
(02:59):
So I feel like our conversation today will not only talk about travel, but there'll be alittle undercurrent of how it feels to trust yourself intuitively and make the jump.
And I'm sure that was scary for you not to immediately retract and be like, let me go lookfor another job.
and like go all in on yourself, which I feel like is very relatable to travel.
(03:23):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest things that kind of helped that with making me have totrust myself is that like there were no theater jobs to go get.
yeah, there wasn't anything that was there.
So yeah, I was like, I kind of had an abundance of time to kind of work on my onlinepresence and to work on my blog and to like really kind of plan out where I wanted to come
(03:47):
out on the end of that.
And a big part of that was ended up being group trips in 2021.
is when I launched my first group trap.
That's so awesome.
Were you traveling a lot before?
Is that what inspired this?
You were going a lot of places on your own.
Had you gone on other group trips?
How did that come to be?
(04:10):
I had gone on a couple group trips.
But honestly, like my like one girl wandering is mostly focused on solo travel.
So when I was originally like thinking about group trips, I, I really didn't know ifanyone was going to want to travel with me because I was like, Oh, like the people that
are like following like my platform and are in my community, like, they're probablyinterested in just like traveling by themselves.
(04:37):
And when I when I
come to realize is that one, group travel is a great, stepping stone to solo travel in alot of ways.
One, it gives you the ability to travel without having to wait on anybody, because you cansign up for a group trip and you don't have to wait for your friend, your bestie, your
sister, your mom to check their calendar or anything else.
(05:00):
You can just sign up and go.
you can also extend your trip beyond the group trip and kind of have some solo time andafter you've been acclimated to like that destination to go back and see things that maybe
weren't on the itinerary that are of interest to you.
so I, I really kind of was able to roll that into my message of like solo travel.
(05:21):
And really what I've discovered is my message is just stop waiting on other people.
and group travel is just perfectly plays into that.
Yeah, I love that thought.
And I want to build on that and ask you why specifically as women is it important toprioritize travel and these experiences, do you think?
(05:45):
100 % because we're caretakers.
That's the biggest thing.
Like, I we we I mean, it's we prioritize other people in our lives, whether we mean to ornot.
And even like I have a I'm married, I have a wonderful relationship with my husband.
But even in like my day to day life, I am checking in with him to be like, Hey,
(06:09):
What are we gonna have for dinner?
What are we doing this weekend?
Hey, should we buy this new couch?
Like, are we gonna paint this room?
What color should we paint this?
I'm constantly getting buy-in from my partner.
And when I get to solo travel especially, the only person I consult on what I want to dois myself, which is lovely because I get to get just in touch with my own wants and my own
(06:31):
needs that you don't get to have that when you're on a trip with.
your bestie boo, your significant other, your mom or whomever.
So that's a big thing.
And it's the same with like group trips.
One of the things that women that have been on my group trips have really said that theylove is they just get to sign up and just go and not think about anything.
(06:54):
Girl, literally my favorite part, literally, except I don't just go and show up withnothing.
I come with my five bags, but I'm just going to come.
OK?
But yes, I agree.
I think that's probably one of the most fun parts is it's like, you mean I don't have tofigure out where I'm going for dinner or getting reservations or what time?
(07:17):
Yes.
No, and especially for like my ladies who are planners and like they're used to having tobe the friend in the group who's the one who's making the the binder full of like the tabs
and everything is color coded for their friends and stuff to like be able to just sign upfor a group trip and just be like taken care of and have a proper vacation.
(07:41):
where everything is already planned.
And if any problem arises, like you have your host or your local guide to take care ofthat for you.
So you can focus on just like having the best time.
Like that's, that's why I love group travel.
That's why I not only host group trips, but I go on them myself because I truly enjoythem.
So yeah, it's great.
(08:03):
Yeah, it is a really life changing experience and it can also be quite intimidating.
And I want to talk about that for a second because like, why do you feel when women arelooking at these trips and it doesn't just have to be women.
mean, specifically that would be like a majority of your audience, a majority of myaudience.
(08:27):
But, you know, they look at this thing like that sounds so awesome.
we're just talking about you're going to South Africa going to South Africa has been on mydream.
I'm going to Greece going to Greece has been on my bucket list, right.
But then they're like, I don't know.
Why do you what is like the number one reason or thing you hear of like, why group travelor solo travel, if you will is intimidating.
(08:52):
And like, what do feel like helps push past that fear?
I think a big part of it is people don't know what to expect in a group dynamic.
And they are very like, intimidated by like, who they're gonna meet, are they gonna fit inlike all those things that huge mental block that people have about like going into any
new situation that may be uncomfortable.
(09:15):
And I know that that's definitely one of the reasons why like I am
very eager to hook my community up like ahead of time to make sure that people get to meetbefore the trip.
And I also like take time to talk to some of my travelers who may have those anxieties inadvance to just kind of like reassure them about like the sort of community that I've
(09:38):
cultivated and like, and I'm also very, very quick to like stamp out any sort of meangirl.
sort of stuff.
Like I don't tolerate that on my trips.
So people know that they're walking into like a safe space.
But I feel like that's probably like one of the biggest things is just like that socialanxiety, which I have shockingly enough.
(10:01):
So I understand that I've gone on group trips have been like, what am I doing?
What am I getting myself into?
Is my roommate gonna like me?
Like, so I know that feeling.
Yeah, and to be clear, you guys, those of you that are listening, we are really talkingabout at least trips that we host.
We cannot speak for other hosts, OK?
(10:23):
So if you go on another group trip and you're like, that was not all that, sorry, you madethe wrong choice.
But just know, I can speak personally.
I just got back from Germany with Lindsay.
And like she said, I
I only host one a year.
do it more in a retreat style, a little bit different than the way Lindsay's.
Lindsay's more like, I would say, vaca- not typical, but like traditional vacation.
(10:48):
You're going and exploring the sites.
so we, we have a different style, but I will say it's like so true when you go withsomeone who you can like trust the person.
who is hosting and you feel like, okay, at least I feel, and even a lot of your travelers,when I was talking them, they met you from Instagram.
(11:12):
Like they just followed you and when I met you in person first, but I saw that that wasprobably pretty rare.
Most people are finding you on the internet.
So I think that that is important to note as well that obviously get a good feel.
for the person hosting and I can vouch obviously for us, but it's one of those thingswhere if you're feeling a little intimidated and you're worried about being liked, what
(11:42):
would you tell those women or those travelers that reach out to you that are reallywanting to go on a trip but feel scared for those exact reasons that you just noted?
It's like, am I gonna be liked or?
you know, is what do I, like, how do I deal with my roommate situation or how does thatall work?
So kind of like break that down a little bit too.
think, you know, you just don't know what you just don't know.
(12:05):
Yeah, I think it's like the biggest thing at least for me as like a host is that's like alot of that falls back onto me is to create that supportive environment and create that
community.
and that's like, I call myself the bringer of the vibes.
Like that's my goal on a trip.
So that's, that's like, that's like my, my goal is like, we have a local guide who's likegot the facts is the one who's keeping us on time.
(12:31):
Who's getting us to point A from point B.
And then you've got your host who is basically like taking care of the group and makingsure that like everyone has what they need and making sure like that, you know, is leading
with the right attitude.
And so that's kind of like what I come into each of my group trips doing and like startingfrom like the very beginning and how I interact with everybody who signs up.
(12:54):
And so...
You know, I set that tone from from the start and so when I talk to people who arethinking about signing up and may have those hesitations or reservations and like look You
know me you've been watching me you've been hanging out with me like You've been chattingwith me and I can guarantee that Everybody else who is on the trip is a very close
(13:17):
reflection of me or at least a facet of my personality And that's how I know that you guysare gonna get along
And that's been true on like every single trip, like every different trip has a differentkind of like mood and like personality for sure.
Like the groups get along in a different dynamic and like each trip is wonderfully unique.
(13:39):
But at the end of the day, like everyone does come together and get along and like formsthese wonderful connections and friendships and bonds.
So it's really a beautiful thing to see.
There was a lot of tears on our last night in Germany.
I was like, I don't want to leave.
It's really, I think that I don't want to overlook that part of travel because we'vetalked a lot about what's intimidating.
(14:05):
But then also what's so wonderful is, at least for me, the places we go are also sowonderful and so beautiful.
But I think the one thing you can't necessarily put a price on is,
when you're spending time with someone, it's really probably, actually, I'm just nowthinking about this literally in this moment on our conversation.
(14:29):
But these experiences are probably one of the few times as adults where someone is gettingthe raw, real version of us because we are the least distracted, probably, because we're
not working, we're not on emails, we're not having to be in like,
mom mode or partner mode, we can really just kind of show up.
(14:53):
And everyone is vulnerable because everyone is like in that like, my gosh, are they gonnalike me?
Am I gonna get along?
And so it's like, I don't know, I guess bonds happen faster.
Cause you've got so much, it's like high points of contact, right?
Like you're around these people, even if it's only for five to seven, sometimes maybe 10days, these, this,
(15:16):
impact is big.
I feel like, you know, I've only, I've hosted to and attended to.
And I can say that each one, like you just said, is different, but the relationships thatare built, like tell me what you've seen in terms of like, beyond the trip, what happens
(15:37):
with travelers like they never knew each other coming into this.
well, I've, I've seen people who have been in each other's weddings.
So that's lovely.
Yes.
so that's lovely.
I have seen people who've gone on to travel with each other.
I just had four travelers who, all of them had been on multiple trips with me.
(16:01):
but they, the four had most recently been on like my, one of my South Africa trips lastyear and they just went on a trip together.
so, and that's just like one group of them.
There's another, like, there's the, see mostly, I get to see people who get to traveltogether.
I see people who are like, when they are like near each other's hometowns, they'll calleach other up and be like, Hey, I'm traveling for business and I am in, in your town,
(16:29):
like, let's get ready for dinner.
Like, do you want to hang out?
And so like, that's great.
And just like,
It's really, really lovely because like I get tagged in those posts when they like postphotos, or I'll get messages that'll be like, Hey, you know, like what the kind of what
you said, it's hard to make friends as adults.
And so they're like, you know what, it's kind of incredible, like this, these women that Imet, like you said, over the course of a week, maybe a week and a half have now become
(17:00):
like lifelong friends and people that I talked to and check in on.
and then like also just seeing them support each other online because like I, I followeveryone that like goes on my trips.
So like seeing their posts and then seeing like everyone who was on their trips, like hypethem up in the comments or like, their posts or stuff like that.
(17:20):
Like that's really lovely.
So like having those connections and like now I've been doing this for a few years andI've seen it continue year after year, like
That's really wonderful.
and then of course, because I like I have hosted a ton of trips, seeing them get excitedfor future trips and being like, hey, who's signing up for this next trip?
(17:42):
Who's who's who's coming?
Like, so wanting them to like, reunite on future OJW trips is also awesome.
my gosh, I love that so much.
And I will say too, like even the women that I just met in Germany, like five of them haveeither shared or donated to my recent fundraiser for out here for the LA fires.
(18:12):
And I'm just like, that is so cool.
Like I never knew these people before, you know, November.
And then they're like contributing to helping people in my community.
And it just feels really powerful and special.
you know, when you're considering travel, also lean into that.
(18:33):
Cause I know a lot of you have travel on your bucket list, which is why I wanted to putthis episode out in January.
And you, and you're like, how can I do that?
How can I make it happen?
But also think about the impact that this decision of travel can make on your life.
beyond just the place you go.
Because that's a moment in time, but then that carries on.
(18:54):
So I'm so happy that our conversation went that way.
I wasn't necessarily intending it to, but I think that's important.
And there was something else you said, but we went on this beautiful tangent, which was sogood.
But it led me to want to ask you, because you said every trip is unique and has its ownvibe.
(19:19):
trying to decide where to go.
Maybe someone has traveled before, but maybe it was just domestically, and they've onlytraveled with family.
And now they're like, this kind of sounds fun.
I've seen some people I know.
What are some things to consider when you're booking a trip to pick the right place, ifyou will?
(19:43):
I think it really just comes down to like the destination that speaks to you.
Like if it's someplace that you're just interested in and you want to go to, like go forit.
Like, yeah, I don't really think it's, I don't really think it necessarily is like there'sa correct answer to that for like when it comes to group travel.
(20:05):
Yeah, I think the thing that I think people are surprised about is maybe activity leveltoo.
I think some people probably gravitate towards.
One of the things I really liked about our last trip, which was many, but it was a veryfood and shopping and drinking focused trip.
(20:30):
And that was expected, right?
That was kind of the energy and the vibe versus, I don't know, going somewhere that'slike, don't know, Costa Rica, for example, is very active.
You're climbing, you're hiking, you're out in nature.
So I don't know.
I feel like that plays a part in a sense.
(20:51):
Because sometimes people want to go places, but it feels like, I don't know,activity-wise, it can feel intimidating.
And so getting people over that hump too.
Yeah, I will say it's I tell people this, like, you know, if if you go to Paris and youyou see like the top 10 list of like all the top 10 things to do in Paris, and you're not
a museum person, going to the Louvre isn't going to make you a museum person.
(21:18):
So yeah, definitely like look at the itinerary.
And it's like, I'm not into adrenaline things.
Right.
then maybe like an itinerary that's like we're zip lining and canyoneering and likekayaking like and whitewater rafting maybe that's not you're not going to have fun but if
you're like I love to go to wine tasting and like you know going on like a nice littleboat tour and like going on like a walking tour and watching a sunset off of like a nice
(21:46):
cliff or something like that then then yeah like go with what speaks to you
But yeah, mean, it's that's the same thing.
If there's something that you're like, I'm not going to enjoy that in my home country,chances are you're not going to enjoy that in a different country either.
really like love that advice because I and the Paris is like such a great example becauseso many people think that they like have to do certain things when they go to it's like I
(22:14):
couldn't possibly go to Paris and not visit the Louvre and it's like well you can becauseif you are only there for a short amount of time the Louvre takes a full day essentially
at least a half day unless you're just like popping in go okay I saw the Mona Lisa bye butyeah it's it's I love that advice I
want to know, is there any, when you're planning the trips for your, either yourself oryour people, is there any like non-negotiables, like a trip must have X?
(22:45):
It could be no, but I'm just curious.
can tell you my trips typically don't have which is hiking.
I don't do a lot of hiking.
Yeah, there's a couple of trips that do have like a hike or two in them.
But yeah, for the most part, I know that people if they want to go on my trips, theytypically don't want to go on a hike.
(23:10):
And I understand that.
And I appreciate that I am also a like effort to views ratio kind of gal.
So if there's a different way we can get up there, I will be taking it.
So
it, love it.
a Switzerland trip last summer and it was an itinerary that I had custom built.
our guide was like, I've never led a Switzerland group with no hiking.
(23:34):
And I was like, well, welcome to OGW group trips.
You're like where are hiking boots stay in the States.
They do not come with us on.
Yeah, they don't come with us.
I love that so much.
so that's, I don't know if I necessarily have anything that I always try to include, but.
(23:57):
I feel like I always see you eating the most interesting delicious things.
I feel like your your your itineraries always have really fun food.
I don't know if that's intentional or not.
But I am like, if there's something that I mean, even like the flaming drinks, right?
Or the whatever that was in Germany, the whatever, you know, I always feel like you havethese interesting local things, but you're like the one willing to try it.
(24:23):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I won't necessarily put that in itinerary, but if I know a place and I'm like, hey, youguys up for this?
I'll drag some willing participants along to go check it out.
So do you have any, I mean, there's so many and it's not necessarily a particularquestion, but obviously like you just told me what you're doing for like the next month
(24:47):
and a half.
And I'm blown away by this like, okay, landing, going, landing, going.
Obviously that's not the case for many of us, but packing in general can be like a littlebit of a daunting.
task and I'm sure we could have a whole podcast episode on like just packing tips.
But is there anything that if you were like this one thing or these three things when itcomes to packing or just being smarter or anything like that that would feel relevant for?
(25:19):
Cause I'm assuming most people listening to this are wanting to take a trip.
They booked their first trip and they're sort of like, what is this all about?
So they're not necessarily travel.
the experts, right?
We're in these like baby phases.
So give us some Lindsay magic.
my gosh.
So I use packing cubes for sure to keep everything organized.
(25:41):
especially a lot of times on a group trip, you are packing on unpacking.
you're moving from hotel to hotel.
And so you are essentially like living out of a suitcase.
So having to like unpack your entire suitcase as opposed to easily being able to get tolike the pieces that you need and, being able to put them easily right back into your
suitcase is huge for me.
(26:02):
So I'm, I'm a firm believer in the packing cube.
I also actually have set up a packing station in my office where I have like all of mylike little toiletries and stuff because I'm packing and I'm so much that it was like
taking over my bedroom.
and invading the space of my significant other.
(26:26):
So now I can like pull, like if I'm having like, if I'm having to like pull clothing likeout of my closet, I can bring it into my office and like be like, all right, here's like
the clothing that I have.
And I can set that out as opposed to it being all regulated to like the chair in thebedroom.
So that's been really great to have like a designated packing spot where I can like layeverything out.
(26:48):
And I feel like that's one of my big things when I'm packing.
is that I will pull everything that I think I need for a trip, lay it all out and take alook at it.
And then from there, I will start cutting items and kind of like, I'll have my itinerarysitting out of like all the things I'm doing, all the activities, and then I'll go through
and I'll kind of think about like what I'll need and then I will get rid of stuff.
(27:14):
So at first I'll give myself no limitations and I'll pull everything that I want.
And then after that, I will start getting rid of things.
And do you do that by like looking at the itinerary or how do you like make thosedecisions?
Looking at the itinerary is a big one.
I'm looking at like kind of like the activities are going to be like, oh, if I know I'mgoing to be paddle boarding and I know that I need to like bring a bathing suit and
(27:38):
probably some like board shorts and things like that.
So I'm like, okay.
I'm like, how many, what days am I going to be doing any sort of like water activities andlike all in all, I a beach cover up stuff like that.
But it's like, when I go into my closet, I may pull out all of the bathing suits.
Right, makes sense.
Yeah, that's the tip I needed because I just bring all five bathing suits.
(27:59):
And then I'm like, oh, wait, I didn't even use one bathing suit.
We're in the snow.
Why did I bring bathing suits?
I don't even know.
So yeah, I love that thought.
I'm going to try that on the next trip for sure, where it's like paring down.
I'm not sure I understand that concept yet.
(28:21):
I'm curious on, obviously like when you're going on trips that are colder weather, you'redealing with bulkier items, packing cubes, great, love that idea.
Do you bring an outfit for like every day or do you sometimes wear like you like crossover pants, you exchange sweaters?
(28:42):
Like I'm always like fascinated on and I always feel like, I'm gonna.
not have enough pants or not have enough this and I always have more than enough.
yeah, do you, how do you, how do you figure out like how much of everything?
Well, I, I agree wear stuff at home.
So I know I'm going to rewear stuff there as well.
(29:03):
So I'm not I'm not like putting on a pretenses here that like, I'm suddenly going to notrewear a pair of jeans like two or three times when I'm on a trip.
Yeah.
so much sense because it's literally, yeah, I mean, going back to your initial commentabout the lube, if you don't do this at home, you're probably not going to do it there.
(29:24):
Well, if you do do it at home, you're probably also going to do it on vacation.
So yeah, that makes sense.
Like I don't need to bring seven pairs of jeans.
I can bring one and wear them.
So yeah, for you, for you heavy packers, I see you girls.
I understand you.
You are, that's my love language.
Um, but it is hard when you are going from place to place to carry a lot of luggage.
(29:49):
And so I was like, okay, on the trips this year, I am determined to be more practical, um,in my packing.
So speaking of like destinations and places to go share with us, like your lineup for2025.
(30:09):
My gosh.
Okay, so I'm home for most of January.
Thank goodness.
I'm getting ahead on my work.
So I leave at the end of this month to go to South Africa where I'm hosting a group tripwith 19 incredible women.
So I'm excited for that.
And then I immediately depart South Africa, come home for a little less than a week.
(30:35):
And I head to Antarctica.
where me and my friend slash business partner Val from Trusted Travel Girl, we'vechartered an entire ship for Antarctica.
And so, isn't it?
I just, OK, I've known about this trip for a really long time.
By the way, there's still spots, right?
(30:57):
OK, so if you're wanting to go to Antarctica, y'all, now's the time.
But I was talking to Mallory, who's a mutual friend of ours, and she's like, no, girl,know, like, Lindsay chartered the whole ship.
I'm like, no, she didn't.
And Mallory's like, no, literally, she did.
I'm like, what?
I was like, what a bad ass.
I just love her.
(31:18):
So that's nuts.
That is so nuts.
But yeah, seriously, if y'all are interested, I would go in a heartbeat if it wasn't formy daughter's school.
OK, continue.
Then where are we going?
so then I, I'm personally heading off to India for, basically like FBM trip.
It's a familiarization trip, to go check out a group trip operator out of there, to go,see how their operations and see if I want to partner with them for future trips.
(31:51):
and if that's the case, then check out 2026 cause I'll probably running a trip with themthen.
Yes.
come home for a bit.
And I've got quite a bit of free time until May, where I will be in Japan for over amonth.
I've got two group trips there.
(32:11):
And Japan is my heart home.
It's my favorite place to visit.
This will be like my seventh time there.
So I'm excited for two awesome groups to show them around there.
It's an awesome itinerary.
I'm super excited about it.
And then I'll be home for a bit.
And then I am working on in the fall, going back to Jordan and Egypt for two group tripsthere and working with some local operators on that, hoping to launch those in the next
(32:35):
month or so.
then Val and I have decided to charter yet another ship.
Cause now we're in the boat business and we're doing a Christmas markets cruise.
And yeah, we've
Once again, we've chartered an entire river cruise up and down the Danube and we'll bevisiting four countries for nine days, eight nights on this beautiful, beautiful luxury
(33:03):
river cruise.
I saw that itinerary and I'm like, I might be going back.
I might be going back to Europe.
That looks heavenly.
It's going to be fun and we don't have to unpack and pack and there's no trains.
So I mean, what a win.
What a win.
(33:23):
What a win.
Yeah, and I'm honestly like, I am a little bit weirded out by cruises, but I'm not weirdedout by river cruises.
Like ocean cruises.
I don't know.
I just it's not even like the boat thing.
It's just like, I don't know, being on a big ship with a lot of people.
But these types of ships are, I've seen them.
(33:44):
They're so freaking beautiful.
And they feel very different than like a cruise thing.
So that is definitely on a bucket list for me.
So
I don't know guys, DM us or DM me, we going on this trip next year?
Like let's do a little mini group.
That's so, so, so fun.
And I feel like you always have like other things that like randomly pop up.
I'm like, I didn't even know she was going there.
(34:05):
Then all of sudden it's like open for whatever.
And, Australia is 2026.
That's 2026.
Yeah, I've already working on 2026 and 2027 trips.
So yeah, 2026.
I'm also working on this really, really cool polar bear trip up in Canada.
Yeah.
that too.
(34:25):
And I was like, my gosh.
Okay, so.
like this close.
my god, so fun.
So for those of you listening, I really don't know how you do it.
I literally only planned one of these a year because it gives me anxiety and the fact thatyou plan like this many.
But I'm just I'm so excited.
So if you're looking to go to all any of those like four, what four four countries is itin Europe that you're going for?
(34:54):
Yeah.
we're going to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Oh, so cool.
So cool.
Yeah.
So if you're looking to go there, what are, what trips are open?
mean, I feel like Antarctica is open for you.
You're talking about Jordan and Egypt.
I think I think there's one spot open on Japan.
(35:20):
Yeah.
And then, yeah, I've got Greece.
So we've got the world covered for you guys.
Like, we're here for you.
And all the continents, literally, which people can't actually say.
Lindsay's like, mean, Antarctica, I'm telling you.
I'm like, I know I'm going to shoot myself in the foot later for not doing this one.
(35:42):
But.
but I'll have to live vicariously and just believe that the universe will open up anotheropportunity.
It's gonna be so cool.
I do have a couple of just like random fun questions for you, because I just feel likethis travel lends itself to this.
So I'm just curious, like, what's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten on a trip?
(36:06):
I don't, I've, you know, I, I don't have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
So a lot of times I'll just, if I see a line.
You're like, I must try.
I will try.
mean, I've had insects.
I've had ants.
So that's that's that's an odd one.
(36:27):
I think not sure.
I think I've had I'm not once again, not sure there was there was some deep translationissues.
I went to a dinner that someone had recommended and they were like, watch out for thewhale sperm.
And so I think I may have had whale sperm.
I don't know.
called the 24-carat caviar, you know?
Yeah, so that's entirely possible.
(36:51):
But I honestly I don't know because once again, there was there's a language barrier.
I was just kind of like, well, I'm going to eat whatever is in front of me.
So I've had that.
mean, yeah, I think those are probably kind of like the most interesting things that I'vehad to eat like.
What would you say is the most underrated destination you've maybe been on?
(37:14):
Pakistan.
Mm.
We have a mutual friend that would probably feel the same way.
think there is such a, you're right, I've never been to that part of our world and there'sso much beauty.
mean, when she was showing me pictures, I'm like, what?
(37:35):
Where is this?
It's so amazing.
And it just feels very untouched.
I've never been there, like I said, but a lot of it just feels like such natural.
raw beauty.
So, is there a place that you wouldn't go back to?
Spain.
Okay, I'm so happy you said that because it's on my bucket list.
(37:58):
Okay, so here's the thing that I have realized also about travel and I should probablygive Spain another shot.
is very much impacted by a couple of things.
One is who you're with and the other is weather.
So if you go and it is just pouring down rain wherever you are, chances are you're notgonna have a good time.
If you go with a less than desirable travel buddy, chances are it's going to impact theway you feel about a place.
(38:24):
And I feel like I did not give Spain a fair shake because of both of those issues.
So I need to go back and actually like give it a proper shake.
But yeah, I was just nothing, nothing terrible to Spain in general.
there was just some outside influences that messed with my opinion of it.
(38:45):
you you actually like nailed that right on the it's just like you think about if I everhad an undesirable trip, it was probably because of the people or the weather.
That's 100 % true.
So yeah, interesting.
I never think about it that way.
You always just like want to blame it on the place and it's like, No, it's probably thepeople or the weather.
(39:06):
Is there a dream place that you haven't visited yet?
That's like bucket list dream destination right now for you.
Gosh, there's so many.
It's really hard to pick.
And it's kind of interesting because I'll just have things kind of like pop into themlike, oh yeah, that'd be really cool to go to.
(39:29):
It's so hard to pick.
There's, mean, I, I'm really excited to go to Australia and New Zealand because that's theone continent that I have not gone to.
So luckily I've planned a group trip around that.
gonna check.
I thought you had been there.
So you're gonna check all the continents.
That's so awesome.
I might end up going there before the group trip.
(39:52):
We'll see.
but right now, like that's, that's what's in the plan.
So I'm excited for that because we're also going to Fiji on those trips as well.
That's an add on that people can do.
And I think both trips were doing both of them.
So I'm excited for that.
but I mean, there's, there's just so much of the world that I want to explore that it'sreally kind of hard to narrow it down.
(40:13):
Like I've only, I feel like I've only scratched the surface.
Especially when it comes to like continents like Africa, like I've only been to like twocountries in Africa and there's so much to explore.
So yeah, it's really hard to just narrow it down to just a couple of places.
(40:35):
Well, I'm just so excited for you and all that you have planned.
And I will definitely be on many more OGW trips.
I'm a huge fan.
And I just love you to pieces.
And you're the real deal.
And I'm just so happy we have this conversation, because I know that, again, travel is ahuge, huge desire.
(40:57):
But very few actually, you know,
take the jump to do it.
And I want to encourage you, don't wait.
Don't let time pass by.
These are opportunities.
Again, like Lindsay said at the start of our conversation is you don't have to, on thesetypes of trips, wait to see if someone else's schedule aligns or if you can make it work
(41:22):
with whoever, your best friend.
You also don't have to plan it.
pick, you know, choose the dates and, go.
So again, Lindsay, thank you so much for your time.
I just adore you and I cannot wait for the next travel adventure.
Thank you so much.
This was lovely.
Hey girl, how are you doing today?
I'm doing so good, how are you?
So good.
know we were chatting right before this with everything going on here in LA.
So I'm just really grateful for you being a bright light in my week and talking about oneof my favorite things in the world, which is travel.
(00:21):
So for those of you that maybe skipped the introduction or don't know, Lindsay and I met
in Columbia, this would be like three years ago, we were both travelers, so neither one ofus were hosting.
And it was like instant I was like, Yes, this is my people.
(00:42):
I love her vibe.
And then I find out that she actually hosts these amazing things and has one girlwondering.
So I want to know before we dive into all the travel stuff, tell me a little bit aboutlike where one girl wondering came from, why that name I
I personally love it only because the beam life is all about women wandering and doingamazing things.
(01:09):
tell us the little backstory on that.
my gosh.
So I started my blog, One Girl Wandering, after I'd taken my first solo trip.
I was just kind of posting on my personal Instagram, like what I was doing and myadventures.
And I had like friends and family who were like, you should start a blog.
None of which had a blog and didn't understand that that's actually really hard and takesa lot of work.
(01:31):
So I just kind of like brainstormed a bunch of names and kind of was like, what'savailable.
And luckily, One Girl Wandering was.
such a great name.
love it so much and I love my brand to bits.
So I started my blog and I started like kind of my online presence.
And then in 2020, my normal regular nine to five job or nine to like a million job wasworking in theater.
(01:56):
I was in production management, which is very, very long hours.
But in 2020 with the pandemic, theater was hit fast and hard and I was laid off.
And so then I decided to go.
hole into my wonderful side project of One Girl Wandering and it has been an incredibleadventure and has exceeded my wildest dreams.
(02:17):
And I've been doing this now full time for almost five years.
yeah.
so awesome.
also, really, I know inspiring story to a lot of listeners, because a lot of the women wholisten to this are working those nine to five or nine to five million, as you might say.
And I think that there's two things.
(02:38):
One, they have dreams of travel, and they've allowed their roles that they play or theirresponsibilities, which are important as a reason why they can't.
Or.
And or they are working these jobs and have a desire to start a business and feel likethey let that also get in the way.
(02:59):
So I feel like our conversation today will not only talk about travel, but there'll be alittle undercurrent of how it feels to trust yourself intuitively and make the jump.
And I'm sure that was scary for you not to immediately retract and be like, let me go lookfor another job.
and like go all in on yourself, which I feel like is very relatable to travel.
(03:23):
Yeah, I think one of the biggest things that kind of helped that with making me have totrust myself is that like there were no theater jobs to go get.
yeah, there wasn't anything that was there.
So yeah, I was like, I kind of had an abundance of time to kind of work on my onlinepresence and to work on my blog and to like really kind of plan out where I wanted to come
(03:47):
out on the end of that.
And a big part of that was ended up being group trips in 2021.
is when I launched my first group trap.
That's so awesome.
Were you traveling a lot before?
Is that what inspired this?
You were going a lot of places on your own.
Had you gone on other group trips?
How did that come to be?
(04:10):
I had gone on a couple group trips.
But honestly, like my like one girl wandering is mostly focused on solo travel.
So when I was originally like thinking about group trips, I, I really didn't know ifanyone was going to want to travel with me because I was like, Oh, like the people that
are like following like my platform and are in my community, like, they're probablyinterested in just like traveling by themselves.
(04:37):
And when I when I
come to realize is that one, group travel is a great, stepping stone to solo travel in alot of ways.
One, it gives you the ability to travel without having to wait on anybody, because you cansign up for a group trip and you don't have to wait for your friend, your bestie, your
sister, your mom to check their calendar or anything else.
(05:00):
You can just sign up and go.
you can also extend your trip beyond the group trip and kind of have some solo time andafter you've been acclimated to like that destination to go back and see things that maybe
weren't on the itinerary that are of interest to you.
so I, I really kind of was able to roll that into my message of like solo travel.
(05:21):
And really what I've discovered is my message is just stop waiting on other people.
and group travel is just perfectly plays into that.
Yeah, I love that thought.
And I want to build on that and ask you why specifically as women is it important toprioritize travel and these experiences, do you think?
(05:45):
100 % because we're caretakers.
That's the biggest thing.
Like, I we we I mean, it's we prioritize other people in our lives, whether we mean to ornot.
And even like I have a I'm married, I have a wonderful relationship with my husband.
But even in like my day to day life, I am checking in with him to be like, Hey,
(06:09):
What are we gonna have for dinner?
What are we doing this weekend?
Hey, should we buy this new couch?
Like, are we gonna paint this room?
What color should we paint this?
I'm constantly getting buy-in from my partner.
And when I get to solo travel especially, the only person I consult on what I want to dois myself, which is lovely because I get to get just in touch with my own wants and my own
(06:31):
needs that you don't get to have that when you're on a trip with.
your bestie boo, your significant other, your mom or whomever.
So that's a big thing.
And it's the same with like group trips.
One of the things that women that have been on my group trips have really said that theylove is they just get to sign up and just go and not think about anything.
(06:54):
Girl, literally my favorite part, literally, except I don't just go and show up withnothing.
I come with my five bags, but I'm just going to come.
OK?
But yes, I agree.
I think that's probably one of the most fun parts is it's like, you mean I don't have tofigure out where I'm going for dinner or getting reservations or what time?
(07:17):
Yes.
No, and especially for like my ladies who are planners and like they're used to having tobe the friend in the group who's the one who's making the the binder full of like the tabs
and everything is color coded for their friends and stuff to like be able to just sign upfor a group trip and just be like taken care of and have a proper vacation.
(07:41):
where everything is already planned.
And if any problem arises, like you have your host or your local guide to take care ofthat for you.
So you can focus on just like having the best time.
Like that's, that's why I love group travel.
That's why I not only host group trips, but I go on them myself because I truly enjoythem.
So yeah, it's great.
(08:03):
Yeah, it is a really life changing experience and it can also be quite intimidating.
And I want to talk about that for a second because like, why do you feel when women arelooking at these trips and it doesn't just have to be women.
mean, specifically that would be like a majority of your audience, a majority of myaudience.
(08:27):
But, you know, they look at this thing like that sounds so awesome.
we're just talking about you're going to South Africa going to South Africa has been on mydream.
I'm going to Greece going to Greece has been on my bucket list, right.
But then they're like, I don't know.
Why do you what is like the number one reason or thing you hear of like, why group travelor solo travel, if you will is intimidating.
(08:52):
And like, what do feel like helps push past that fear?
I think a big part of it is people don't know what to expect in a group dynamic.
And they are very like, intimidated by like, who they're gonna meet, are they gonna fit inlike all those things that huge mental block that people have about like going into any
new situation that may be uncomfortable.
(09:15):
And I know that that's definitely one of the reasons why like I am
very eager to hook my community up like ahead of time to make sure that people get to meetbefore the trip.
And I also like take time to talk to some of my travelers who may have those anxieties inadvance to just kind of like reassure them about like the sort of community that I've
(09:38):
cultivated and like, and I'm also very, very quick to like stamp out any sort of meangirl.
sort of stuff.
Like I don't tolerate that on my trips.
So people know that they're walking into like a safe space.
But I feel like that's probably like one of the biggest things is just like that socialanxiety, which I have shockingly enough.
(10:01):
So I understand that I've gone on group trips have been like, what am I doing?
What am I getting myself into?
Is my roommate gonna like me?
Like, so I know that feeling.
Yeah, and to be clear, you guys, those of you that are listening, we are really talkingabout at least trips that we host.
We cannot speak for other hosts, OK?
(10:23):
So if you go on another group trip and you're like, that was not all that, sorry, you madethe wrong choice.
But just know, I can speak personally.
I just got back from Germany with Lindsay.
And like she said, I
I only host one a year.
do it more in a retreat style, a little bit different than the way Lindsay's.
Lindsay's more like, I would say, vaca- not typical, but like traditional vacation.
(10:48):
You're going and exploring the sites.
so we, we have a different style, but I will say it's like so true when you go withsomeone who you can like trust the person.
who is hosting and you feel like, okay, at least I feel, and even a lot of your travelers,when I was talking them, they met you from Instagram.
(11:12):
Like they just followed you and when I met you in person first, but I saw that that wasprobably pretty rare.
Most people are finding you on the internet.
So I think that that is important to note as well that obviously get a good feel.
for the person hosting and I can vouch obviously for us, but it's one of those thingswhere if you're feeling a little intimidated and you're worried about being liked, what
(11:42):
would you tell those women or those travelers that reach out to you that are reallywanting to go on a trip but feel scared for those exact reasons that you just noted?
It's like, am I gonna be liked or?
you know, is what do I, like, how do I deal with my roommate situation or how does thatall work?
So kind of like break that down a little bit too.
think, you know, you just don't know what you just don't know.
(12:05):
Yeah, I think it's like the biggest thing at least for me as like a host is that's like alot of that falls back onto me is to create that supportive environment and create that
community.
and that's like, I call myself the bringer of the vibes.
Like that's my goal on a trip.
So that's, that's like, that's like my, my goal is like, we have a local guide who's likegot the facts is the one who's keeping us on time.
(12:31):
Who's getting us to point A from point B.
And then you've got your host who is basically like taking care of the group and makingsure that like everyone has what they need and making sure like that, you know, is leading
with the right attitude.
And so that's kind of like what I come into each of my group trips doing and like startingfrom like the very beginning and how I interact with everybody who signs up.
(12:54):
And so...
You know, I set that tone from from the start and so when I talk to people who arethinking about signing up and may have those hesitations or reservations and like look You
know me you've been watching me you've been hanging out with me like You've been chattingwith me and I can guarantee that Everybody else who is on the trip is a very close
(13:17):
reflection of me or at least a facet of my personality And that's how I know that you guysare gonna get along
And that's been true on like every single trip, like every different trip has a differentkind of like mood and like personality for sure.
Like the groups get along in a different dynamic and like each trip is wonderfully unique.
(13:39):
But at the end of the day, like everyone does come together and get along and like formsthese wonderful connections and friendships and bonds.
So it's really a beautiful thing to see.
There was a lot of tears on our last night in Germany.
I was like, I don't want to leave.
It's really, I think that I don't want to overlook that part of travel because we'vetalked a lot about what's intimidating.
(14:05):
But then also what's so wonderful is, at least for me, the places we go are also sowonderful and so beautiful.
But I think the one thing you can't necessarily put a price on is,
when you're spending time with someone, it's really probably, actually, I'm just nowthinking about this literally in this moment on our conversation.
(14:29):
But these experiences are probably one of the few times as adults where someone is gettingthe raw, real version of us because we are the least distracted, probably, because we're
not working, we're not on emails, we're not having to be in like,
mom mode or partner mode, we can really just kind of show up.
(14:53):
And everyone is vulnerable because everyone is like in that like, my gosh, are they gonnalike me?
Am I gonna get along?
And so it's like, I don't know, I guess bonds happen faster.
Cause you've got so much, it's like high points of contact, right?
Like you're around these people, even if it's only for five to seven, sometimes maybe 10days, these, this,
(15:16):
impact is big.
I feel like, you know, I've only, I've hosted to and attended to.
And I can say that each one, like you just said, is different, but the relationships thatare built, like tell me what you've seen in terms of like, beyond the trip, what happens
(15:37):
with travelers like they never knew each other coming into this.
well, I've, I've seen people who have been in each other's weddings.
So that's lovely.
Yes.
so that's lovely.
I have seen people who've gone on to travel with each other.
I just had four travelers who, all of them had been on multiple trips with me.
(16:01):
but they, the four had most recently been on like my, one of my South Africa trips lastyear and they just went on a trip together.
so, and that's just like one group of them.
There's another, like, there's the, see mostly, I get to see people who get to traveltogether.
I see people who are like, when they are like near each other's hometowns, they'll calleach other up and be like, Hey, I'm traveling for business and I am in, in your town,
(16:29):
like, let's get ready for dinner.
Like, do you want to hang out?
And so like, that's great.
And just like,
It's really, really lovely because like I get tagged in those posts when they like postphotos, or I'll get messages that'll be like, Hey, you know, like what the kind of what
you said, it's hard to make friends as adults.
And so they're like, you know what, it's kind of incredible, like this, these women that Imet, like you said, over the course of a week, maybe a week and a half have now become
(17:00):
like lifelong friends and people that I talked to and check in on.
and then like also just seeing them support each other online because like I, I followeveryone that like goes on my trips.
So like seeing their posts and then seeing like everyone who was on their trips, like hypethem up in the comments or like, their posts or stuff like that.
(17:20):
Like that's really lovely.
So like having those connections and like now I've been doing this for a few years andI've seen it continue year after year, like
That's really wonderful.
and then of course, because I like I have hosted a ton of trips, seeing them get excitedfor future trips and being like, hey, who's signing up for this next trip?
(17:42):
Who's who's who's coming?
Like, so wanting them to like, reunite on future OJW trips is also awesome.
my gosh, I love that so much.
And I will say too, like even the women that I just met in Germany, like five of them haveeither shared or donated to my recent fundraiser for out here for the LA fires.
(18:12):
And I'm just like, that is so cool.
Like I never knew these people before, you know, November.
And then they're like contributing to helping people in my community.
And it just feels really powerful and special.
you know, when you're considering travel, also lean into that.
(18:33):
Cause I know a lot of you have travel on your bucket list, which is why I wanted to putthis episode out in January.
And you, and you're like, how can I do that?
How can I make it happen?
But also think about the impact that this decision of travel can make on your life.
beyond just the place you go.
Because that's a moment in time, but then that carries on.
(18:54):
So I'm so happy that our conversation went that way.
I wasn't necessarily intending it to, but I think that's important.
And there was something else you said, but we went on this beautiful tangent, which was sogood.
But it led me to want to ask you, because you said every trip is unique and has its ownvibe.
(19:19):
trying to decide where to go.
Maybe someone has traveled before, but maybe it was just domestically, and they've onlytraveled with family.
And now they're like, this kind of sounds fun.
I've seen some people I know.
What are some things to consider when you're booking a trip to pick the right place, ifyou will?
(19:43):
I think it really just comes down to like the destination that speaks to you.
Like if it's someplace that you're just interested in and you want to go to, like go forit.
Like, yeah, I don't really think it's, I don't really think it necessarily is like there'sa correct answer to that for like when it comes to group travel.
(20:05):
Yeah, I think the thing that I think people are surprised about is maybe activity leveltoo.
I think some people probably gravitate towards.
One of the things I really liked about our last trip, which was many, but it was a veryfood and shopping and drinking focused trip.
(20:30):
And that was expected, right?
That was kind of the energy and the vibe versus, I don't know, going somewhere that'slike, don't know, Costa Rica, for example, is very active.
You're climbing, you're hiking, you're out in nature.
So I don't know.
I feel like that plays a part in a sense.
(20:51):
Because sometimes people want to go places, but it feels like, I don't know,activity-wise, it can feel intimidating.
And so getting people over that hump too.
Yeah, I will say it's I tell people this, like, you know, if if you go to Paris and youyou see like the top 10 list of like all the top 10 things to do in Paris, and you're not
a museum person, going to the Louvre isn't going to make you a museum person.
(21:18):
So yeah, definitely like look at the itinerary.
And it's like, I'm not into adrenaline things.
Right.
then maybe like an itinerary that's like we're zip lining and canyoneering and likekayaking like and whitewater rafting maybe that's not you're not going to have fun but if
you're like I love to go to wine tasting and like you know going on like a nice littleboat tour and like going on like a walking tour and watching a sunset off of like a nice
(21:46):
cliff or something like that then then yeah like go with what speaks to you
But yeah, mean, it's that's the same thing.
If there's something that you're like, I'm not going to enjoy that in my home country,chances are you're not going to enjoy that in a different country either.
really like love that advice because I and the Paris is like such a great example becauseso many people think that they like have to do certain things when they go to it's like I
(22:14):
couldn't possibly go to Paris and not visit the Louvre and it's like well you can becauseif you are only there for a short amount of time the Louvre takes a full day essentially
at least a half day unless you're just like popping in go okay I saw the Mona Lisa bye butyeah it's it's I love that advice I
want to know, is there any, when you're planning the trips for your, either yourself oryour people, is there any like non-negotiables, like a trip must have X?
(22:45):
It could be no, but I'm just curious.
can tell you my trips typically don't have which is hiking.
I don't do a lot of hiking.
Yeah, there's a couple of trips that do have like a hike or two in them.
But yeah, for the most part, I know that people if they want to go on my trips, theytypically don't want to go on a hike.
(23:10):
And I understand that.
And I appreciate that I am also a like effort to views ratio kind of gal.
So if there's a different way we can get up there, I will be taking it.
So
it, love it.
a Switzerland trip last summer and it was an itinerary that I had custom built.
our guide was like, I've never led a Switzerland group with no hiking.
(23:34):
And I was like, well, welcome to OGW group trips.
You're like where are hiking boots stay in the States.
They do not come with us on.
Yeah, they don't come with us.
I love that so much.
so that's, I don't know if I necessarily have anything that I always try to include, but.
(23:57):
I feel like I always see you eating the most interesting delicious things.
I feel like your your your itineraries always have really fun food.
I don't know if that's intentional or not.
But I am like, if there's something that I mean, even like the flaming drinks, right?
Or the whatever that was in Germany, the whatever, you know, I always feel like you havethese interesting local things, but you're like the one willing to try it.
(24:23):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I won't necessarily put that in itinerary, but if I know a place and I'm like, hey, youguys up for this?
I'll drag some willing participants along to go check it out.
So do you have any, I mean, there's so many and it's not necessarily a particularquestion, but obviously like you just told me what you're doing for like the next month
(24:47):
and a half.
And I'm blown away by this like, okay, landing, going, landing, going.
Obviously that's not the case for many of us, but packing in general can be like a littlebit of a daunting.
task and I'm sure we could have a whole podcast episode on like just packing tips.
But is there anything that if you were like this one thing or these three things when itcomes to packing or just being smarter or anything like that that would feel relevant for?
(25:19):
Cause I'm assuming most people listening to this are wanting to take a trip.
They booked their first trip and they're sort of like, what is this all about?
So they're not necessarily travel.
the experts, right?
We're in these like baby phases.
So give us some Lindsay magic.
my gosh.
So I use packing cubes for sure to keep everything organized.
(25:41):
especially a lot of times on a group trip, you are packing on unpacking.
you're moving from hotel to hotel.
And so you are essentially like living out of a suitcase.
So having to like unpack your entire suitcase as opposed to easily being able to get tolike the pieces that you need and, being able to put them easily right back into your
suitcase is huge for me.
(26:02):
So I'm, I'm a firm believer in the packing cube.
I also actually have set up a packing station in my office where I have like all of mylike little toiletries and stuff because I'm packing and I'm so much that it was like
taking over my bedroom.
and invading the space of my significant other.
(26:26):
So now I can like pull, like if I'm having like, if I'm having to like pull clothing likeout of my closet, I can bring it into my office and like be like, all right, here's like
the clothing that I have.
And I can set that out as opposed to it being all regulated to like the chair in thebedroom.
So that's been really great to have like a designated packing spot where I can like layeverything out.
(26:48):
And I feel like that's one of my big things when I'm packing.
is that I will pull everything that I think I need for a trip, lay it all out and take alook at it.
And then from there, I will start cutting items and kind of like, I'll have my itinerarysitting out of like all the things I'm doing, all the activities, and then I'll go through
and I'll kind of think about like what I'll need and then I will get rid of stuff.
(27:14):
So at first I'll give myself no limitations and I'll pull everything that I want.
And then after that, I will start getting rid of things.
And do you do that by like looking at the itinerary or how do you like make thosedecisions?
Looking at the itinerary is a big one.
I'm looking at like kind of like the activities are going to be like, oh, if I know I'mgoing to be paddle boarding and I know that I need to like bring a bathing suit and
(27:38):
probably some like board shorts and things like that.
So I'm like, okay.
I'm like, how many, what days am I going to be doing any sort of like water activities andlike all in all, I a beach cover up stuff like that.
But it's like, when I go into my closet, I may pull out all of the bathing suits.
Right, makes sense.
Yeah, that's the tip I needed because I just bring all five bathing suits.
(27:59):
And then I'm like, oh, wait, I didn't even use one bathing suit.
We're in the snow.
Why did I bring bathing suits?
I don't even know.
So yeah, I love that thought.
I'm going to try that on the next trip for sure, where it's like paring down.
I'm not sure I understand that concept yet.
(28:21):
I'm curious on, obviously like when you're going on trips that are colder weather, you'redealing with bulkier items, packing cubes, great, love that idea.
Do you bring an outfit for like every day or do you sometimes wear like you like crossover pants, you exchange sweaters?
(28:42):
Like I'm always like fascinated on and I always feel like, I'm gonna.
not have enough pants or not have enough this and I always have more than enough.
yeah, do you, how do you, how do you figure out like how much of everything?
Well, I, I agree wear stuff at home.
So I know I'm going to rewear stuff there as well.
(29:03):
So I'm not I'm not like putting on a pretenses here that like, I'm suddenly going to notrewear a pair of jeans like two or three times when I'm on a trip.
Yeah.
so much sense because it's literally, yeah, I mean, going back to your initial commentabout the lube, if you don't do this at home, you're probably not going to do it there.
(29:24):
Well, if you do do it at home, you're probably also going to do it on vacation.
So yeah, that makes sense.
Like I don't need to bring seven pairs of jeans.
I can bring one and wear them.
So yeah, for you, for you heavy packers, I see you girls.
I understand you.
You are, that's my love language.
Um, but it is hard when you are going from place to place to carry a lot of luggage.
(29:49):
And so I was like, okay, on the trips this year, I am determined to be more practical, um,in my packing.
So speaking of like destinations and places to go share with us, like your lineup for2025.
(30:09):
My gosh.
Okay, so I'm home for most of January.
Thank goodness.
I'm getting ahead on my work.
So I leave at the end of this month to go to South Africa where I'm hosting a group tripwith 19 incredible women.
So I'm excited for that.
And then I immediately depart South Africa, come home for a little less than a week.
(30:35):
And I head to Antarctica.
where me and my friend slash business partner Val from Trusted Travel Girl, we'vechartered an entire ship for Antarctica.
And so, isn't it?
I just, OK, I've known about this trip for a really long time.
By the way, there's still spots, right?
(30:57):
OK, so if you're wanting to go to Antarctica, y'all, now's the time.
But I was talking to Mallory, who's a mutual friend of ours, and she's like, no, girl,know, like, Lindsay chartered the whole ship.
I'm like, no, she didn't.
And Mallory's like, no, literally, she did.
I'm like, what?
I was like, what a bad ass.
I just love her.
(31:18):
So that's nuts.
That is so nuts.
But yeah, seriously, if y'all are interested, I would go in a heartbeat if it wasn't formy daughter's school.
OK, continue.
Then where are we going?
so then I, I'm personally heading off to India for, basically like FBM trip.
It's a familiarization trip, to go check out a group trip operator out of there, to go,see how their operations and see if I want to partner with them for future trips.
(31:51):
and if that's the case, then check out 2026 cause I'll probably running a trip with themthen.
Yes.
come home for a bit.
And I've got quite a bit of free time until May, where I will be in Japan for over amonth.
I've got two group trips there.
(32:11):
And Japan is my heart home.
It's my favorite place to visit.
This will be like my seventh time there.
So I'm excited for two awesome groups to show them around there.
It's an awesome itinerary.
I'm super excited about it.
And then I'll be home for a bit.
And then I am working on in the fall, going back to Jordan and Egypt for two group tripsthere and working with some local operators on that, hoping to launch those in the next
(32:35):
month or so.
then Val and I have decided to charter yet another ship.
Cause now we're in the boat business and we're doing a Christmas markets cruise.
And yeah, we've
Once again, we've chartered an entire river cruise up and down the Danube and we'll bevisiting four countries for nine days, eight nights on this beautiful, beautiful luxury
(33:03):
river cruise.
I saw that itinerary and I'm like, I might be going back.
I might be going back to Europe.
That looks heavenly.
It's going to be fun and we don't have to unpack and pack and there's no trains.
So I mean, what a win.
What a win.
(33:23):
What a win.
Yeah, and I'm honestly like, I am a little bit weirded out by cruises, but I'm not weirdedout by river cruises.
Like ocean cruises.
I don't know.
I just it's not even like the boat thing.
It's just like, I don't know, being on a big ship with a lot of people.
But these types of ships are, I've seen them.
(33:44):
They're so freaking beautiful.
And they feel very different than like a cruise thing.
So that is definitely on a bucket list for me.
So
I don't know guys, DM us or DM me, we going on this trip next year?
Like let's do a little mini group.
That's so, so, so fun.
And I feel like you always have like other things that like randomly pop up.
I'm like, I didn't even know she was going there.
(34:05):
Then all of sudden it's like open for whatever.
And, Australia is 2026.
That's 2026.
Yeah, I've already working on 2026 and 2027 trips.
So yeah, 2026.
I'm also working on this really, really cool polar bear trip up in Canada.
Yeah.
that too.
(34:25):
And I was like, my gosh.
Okay, so.
like this close.
my god, so fun.
So for those of you listening, I really don't know how you do it.
I literally only planned one of these a year because it gives me anxiety and the fact thatyou plan like this many.
But I'm just I'm so excited.
So if you're looking to go to all any of those like four, what four four countries is itin Europe that you're going for?
(34:54):
Yeah.
we're going to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Oh, so cool.
So cool.
Yeah.
So if you're looking to go there, what are, what trips are open?
mean, I feel like Antarctica is open for you.
You're talking about Jordan and Egypt.
I think I think there's one spot open on Japan.
(35:20):
Yeah.
And then, yeah, I've got Greece.
So we've got the world covered for you guys.
Like, we're here for you.
And all the continents, literally, which people can't actually say.
Lindsay's like, mean, Antarctica, I'm telling you.
I'm like, I know I'm going to shoot myself in the foot later for not doing this one.
(35:42):
But.
but I'll have to live vicariously and just believe that the universe will open up anotheropportunity.
It's gonna be so cool.
I do have a couple of just like random fun questions for you, because I just feel likethis travel lends itself to this.
So I'm just curious, like, what's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten on a trip?
(36:06):
I don't, I've, you know, I, I don't have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
So a lot of times I'll just, if I see a line.
You're like, I must try.
I will try.
mean, I've had insects.
I've had ants.
So that's that's that's an odd one.
(36:27):
I think not sure.
I think I've had I'm not once again, not sure there was there was some deep translationissues.
I went to a dinner that someone had recommended and they were like, watch out for thewhale sperm.
And so I think I may have had whale sperm.
I don't know.
called the 24-carat caviar, you know?
Yeah, so that's entirely possible.
(36:51):
But I honestly I don't know because once again, there was there's a language barrier.
I was just kind of like, well, I'm going to eat whatever is in front of me.
So I've had that.
mean, yeah, I think those are probably kind of like the most interesting things that I'vehad to eat like.
What would you say is the most underrated destination you've maybe been on?
(37:14):
Pakistan.
Mm.
We have a mutual friend that would probably feel the same way.
think there is such a, you're right, I've never been to that part of our world and there'sso much beauty.
mean, when she was showing me pictures, I'm like, what?
(37:35):
Where is this?
It's so amazing.
And it just feels very untouched.
I've never been there, like I said, but a lot of it just feels like such natural.
raw beauty.
So, is there a place that you wouldn't go back to?
Spain.
Okay, I'm so happy you said that because it's on my bucket list.
(37:58):
Okay, so here's the thing that I have realized also about travel and I should probablygive Spain another shot.
is very much impacted by a couple of things.
One is who you're with and the other is weather.
So if you go and it is just pouring down rain wherever you are, chances are you're notgonna have a good time.
If you go with a less than desirable travel buddy, chances are it's going to impact theway you feel about a place.
(38:24):
And I feel like I did not give Spain a fair shake because of both of those issues.
So I need to go back and actually like give it a proper shake.
But yeah, I was just nothing, nothing terrible to Spain in general.
there was just some outside influences that messed with my opinion of it.
(38:45):
you you actually like nailed that right on the it's just like you think about if I everhad an undesirable trip, it was probably because of the people or the weather.
That's 100 % true.
So yeah, interesting.
I never think about it that way.
You always just like want to blame it on the place and it's like, No, it's probably thepeople or the weather.
(39:06):
Is there a dream place that you haven't visited yet?
That's like bucket list dream destination right now for you.
Gosh, there's so many.
It's really hard to pick.
And it's kind of interesting because I'll just have things kind of like pop into themlike, oh yeah, that'd be really cool to go to.
(39:29):
It's so hard to pick.
There's, mean, I, I'm really excited to go to Australia and New Zealand because that's theone continent that I have not gone to.
So luckily I've planned a group trip around that.
gonna check.
I thought you had been there.
So you're gonna check all the continents.
That's so awesome.
I might end up going there before the group trip.
(39:52):
We'll see.
but right now, like that's, that's what's in the plan.
So I'm excited for that because we're also going to Fiji on those trips as well.
That's an add on that people can do.
And I think both trips were doing both of them.
So I'm excited for that.
but I mean, there's, there's just so much of the world that I want to explore that it'sreally kind of hard to narrow it down.
(40:13):
Like I've only, I feel like I've only scratched the surface.
Especially when it comes to like continents like Africa, like I've only been to like twocountries in Africa and there's so much to explore.
So yeah, it's really hard to just narrow it down to just a couple of places.
(40:35):
Well, I'm just so excited for you and all that you have planned.
And I will definitely be on many more OGW trips.
I'm a huge fan.
And I just love you to pieces.
And you're the real deal.
And I'm just so happy we have this conversation, because I know that, again, travel is ahuge, huge desire.
(40:57):
But very few actually, you know,
take the jump to do it.
And I want to encourage you, don't wait.
Don't let time pass by.
These are opportunities.
Again, like Lindsay said at the start of our conversation is you don't have to, on thesetypes of trips, wait to see if someone else's schedule aligns or if you can make it work
(41:22):
with whoever, your best friend.
You also don't have to plan it.
pick, you know, choose the dates and, go.
So again, Lindsay, thank you so much for your time.
I just adore you and I cannot wait for the next travel adventure.
Thank you so much.
This was lovely.
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