March 21, 2026 • 54 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean and Harry Reif explore why hitting the road is one of the healthiest choices you can make.
This episode dives into the mental, emotional, and even neurological benefits of exploring new places—from boosting creativity and reducing stress to strengthening resilience and expanding your sense of self. We unpack the science behind why travel shifts your mindset, improves well‑being, and helps you reconnect with what matters most. Perfect for curious travelers, wellness seekers, and anyone craving a deeper understanding of why wanderlust feels so good.
This episode dives into the mental, emotional, and even neurological benefits of exploring new places—from boosting creativity and reducing stress to strengthening resilience and expanding your sense of self. We unpack the science behind why travel shifts your mindset, improves well‑being, and helps you reconnect with what matters most. Perfect for curious travelers, wellness seekers, and anyone craving a deeper understanding of why wanderlust feels so good.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel show and podcasts
from your friends at the wishing Well, two forty three
ft Avenue in Harsmer and online at the wishing Well
dot This. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean and say.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hello, Chris, how are you this fabulous weekend? Man? It's
a nice day, man, I'm telling you you know, it's spring.
Spring is sprung.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I mean Monday, was it Monday or sometime? I guess
last week when it would go. Yeah, it was Monday cold.
It cut down to like ten degrees and I all
that I don't know. I was us up in northern
Virginia and the wind.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Was crazy, really was crazy winds.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, and the rain was sideways. And then on Tuesday
morning there was ice everywhere.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
No other nature is a little upset with somebody.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But we marched closer in the now. Spring us here.
We've got ten degreece warmer every day. Easter is just
around the Cornerbous Red Bud festivals a few weeks away.
I know this is one of my favorite times of
the year.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Month too, and I love fall, but this one has
to be right up there with one of my favorites.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
It was a cold winter. I'm ready for anything other
than something.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'd say amen to that.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And Harry, let's say how to you as well? Hey,
spring take two as well? I call this weather.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Just give it a couple of days, it'll be cool
to get I think your next week were supposed to
have some chili weather again, then it's supposed to be gorgeous. No, well, anyway,
enough about all the weather. We've We've had a busy
few weeks, lots going on, and all the more.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
World's an interesting place right now, so we'll just leave
it like that.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
All the more reason to want to get out of
Dodge and go travel the world it is, and.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Today's show is going to be, I think, especially interesting
to a lot of people. I think that there are
for more reasons than one people may have decided to
put travel on hold or on pause. And today's show
is about the really my desire to talk to people
(02:12):
about how healthy the decision to travel really is. And
there's so many things that go into that that are
actually scientifically proven to improve your good health. You know,
we were talking off air with you about good health
and you know, good numbers and doctor visits that we've
(02:34):
all had here recently. I think they all must plan
them at the same time, because we all had them
at once. Yeah, But travel is one of those things,
just like with you know, your estate planning and that
kind of thing. Financial planning, travel should be something that
you plan to do for the good of you.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We talk about our physical health, and that's what we
were talking about off air beforehand. We're talking about our
physical health, health and how we you know, all trying
to stay well, stay healthy. I think today's segment is
especially interesting because it's talking about our emotional in our
mental health and the things that go on inside of
our head. As we were saying a lot of things
(03:15):
going on in the world. We're going to talk about
how travel affects our minds, our thinking, and our feelings,
and that to me is just a really exciting idea.
When Terry talked to me about this, I couldn't have
been happier.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
You know, travel is one of those interesting things that
we do for both business and pleasure. It's true, one
of them. Not so enjoyable when you've got to travel
because you're going to a conference or some meeting you
know in La or you know somewhere on the West Coast.
You're gon be on a plane for four hours. And
then there's the type of travel I wish we were
(03:49):
more like the Europeans and we refer to it as
holiday exactly. I wish we were going on It sounds
much better. And that's what I'm excited that we're going
to be talking about today, is that rejuven rejuvenating benefit
of exactly like exercise of you know, holiday travel, getting
(04:12):
out and enjoying the world and getting your mind away
from all those things that drive us crazy, exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And you know, to really start us off here, Chris,
I've actually got a question for you, okay, and that is,
when's the last time you went somewhere where you felt
or even a situation you were in where you felt
truly present in that moment?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Oh wow?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And I mean where that moment really just surrounded you,
you were engulfed by what you felt, you saw, you smelled,
I mean all of that. Can you even think of
a moment when you.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Had probably my trip to Cancun.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
There you go. Yeah, And for a lot of people,
that particular question will conjure up a lot of memories
of trips that people have had. It's a time when
you weren't rushing, you weren't multitasking, you weren't thinking about
what's next, but still completely in the moment, completely still,
(05:16):
and in a moment that made you pause and say this,
this is special, This is really special. And for a
lot of people, those moments don't happen in the middle
of a busy Tuesday, you know, they just don't. It's
they happen when they travel. And I know, for me,
I've had That's why I love this business so so much.
(05:39):
Travel spoke to me and enlivened me in a way
that few things ever have in my life. And it
was like another me. When I traveled, I became the
person I always wanted to be, you know. And maybe
it's the first breath of ocean air when you step
(06:00):
out into a beach after a really long winter. I
can only imagine what that's going to feel. Like this summer,
you know, or the sound of church bells you might
hear if you're in a small European village. And I
just that statement reminded me of my visit to Strasburg, France,
when we went on our river cruise Viking River Crews
(06:21):
with our group and we were in the middle of Strasburg, France,
and I heard these church bells ringing. Every time I
hear church bells now I think of that moment. I'm
back there. I'm back there, present in that moment where
I heard that, and I remember all kinds of things
about being in that square in Strasburg, France where those
(06:44):
church bells were. I smell gingerbread, you know, instantly smell
that because I remember being in a gingerbread store there
and it was just just wonderful memories. The stillness of
a mountain morning just makes the whole world feel a
little bit bigger than you are. And that's perfectly okay.
And those are the moments that stay with us. They
(07:05):
remind us, They even call us back to a time
and a place and a destination. And today today on
this show, on a lifeless Ordinary, we're so happy you're
joining us. We're going to tell you about why that happens.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Our show today is entitled The Psyche of Travel as
we delve into this conversation. If if you've got questions
for Terry or Harry, you can give them a call
five four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three.
The Wishing Well is located on neth Avenue in Harrisonburg.
Also online at the wishing Well dot biz. The Psyche
(07:43):
of Travel. I'm excited to dig into this and find
out how travel affects our inner being.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah. So, because travel is often seen as something extra,
something we do when time's and budget allow us to
do it. We kind of think of it as as
a purchase. You know. It's almost like a purchase. You
either need it or you don't need it, you know,
But for most of us, we need it more than
we think. It's something about it that's really so much
(08:13):
more essential. But what if travel wasn't just something we enjoyed,
but something that actually, as Harry pointed out a while ago,
supports our mental health, our relationships, our overall well being.
What if we thought of it like that, What if
we didn't just think of it as a purchase, something
to do a retail position on it didn't People used to.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Treat their downtime like that. You'd go to you know,
white sulfur springs or somewhere you go to a spa
and soak in the water and take in the air.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, it was a calendar item for many people. Every summer,
at a certain time you went here, and the fall
you went there, and the family went together. And I
think you mentioned earlier about some of the people in
other parts of the world, particularly Europeans, they don't leave
vacation lying on the table as we do in the
United States. It doesn't hurt.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
They get the entire month of August off.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Right, well, you know, but they use every single day
that they can get in. And you're right, Chris, not
only do they use everything they can get, they want
more the entire month of August. In the United States,
we're one of the few countries in the world where
people leave vacation time on their tay on the table.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I've had that conversation with coworkers. They're like, oh, yeah,
I've still got a week of vacation left. And you
know here at iHeart it to use it or lose it.
And I promise you I never leave vacation time on
the table. Yeah, I don't understand how someone does that. Well,
they don't have time to take vacation. That's the problem.
There's no time to take vacation. That's the most ridiculous
(09:50):
argument I've ever heard. Yeah, well, well it's so interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
When I was preparing for today's episode, I've been doing
a lot of reading about this because it's fascinating to
me that travel is one of those purchases that we
kind of do in stages, and we're going to talk
about that today. One is what I call the anticipation effect. Okay,
(10:17):
So one of the most beautiful things about travel, Chris,
is that it begins long before that suitcase is ever packed.
You know, it's there's something quietly magical about looking forward
to a trip, Like you get that in your mind,
and you've probably had that happen, maybe you and your spouse.
You know, you start talking about a trip, all of
(10:37):
a sudden, there's an adrenaline factor. You start to get
excited about it. You anticipate we're going to go somewhere together,
and it's not going to be to work. You know,
it's going to be someplace fun and exciting, and you're
at a family reunion, you're at a dinner party, your
kid's soccer match, you're talking with other parents, and the
(11:00):
conversation starts, you know, it's where should we go? Where
do you think it's going to be like? And all
of a sudden, your mind starts to drift and you're
like the Cowgon commercial. You're swept away, you know. And
that is what we call the anticipation quotient to buying travel.
What other things can you imagine that we purchase that
(11:25):
are like that? I mean just a few, yeah, but
not a lot. There aren't a lot. And travel is
one of those that can be a lot of different
things to a lot of different people. But I love
that about it. Let me prove it to you. I'm
going to start telling you that I'm going to talk
to you about Tuscany.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
You know that beautiful area of Italy. Oh, it looks
more like a romantic movie set than reality. You know,
it's got those tall Italian cypress trees, endless acres of vineyards,
both lemon, wine and olive, and all of a sudden,
all of a sudden, Chris, I'll bet you began to
picture that didn't you I did. Yep, you got the
(12:03):
rolling hills. You've got those brushed colors of shades of
green and gold down over the hillsides. Warm breeze kind
of carries the scent of rosemary and sun warmed earth.
You've got this rustic table that you can kind of
see in your mind, a bowl of fresh pasta glass
of wine, and just for a minute, you let your
(12:26):
shoulders relax, you take a deep breath. But you haven't
even left home. Something inside you all ready happened. It
already became magic. And that's what travel does. So now
we work into the immersive industry of travel and how
(12:49):
that affects you. Let me take you a step further
into that feeling. It's the evening now before your actual
departure to Italy. Your suitcase is open on the bed.
You've got your clothes carefully folded, a few favorite pieces
tucked in, and there is some excitement in your room
because you can't hardly wait, and you check your itinerary
(13:10):
one more time, and then you pause for just a
minute because tomorrow, you know you won't wake up to
your usual routine. Tomorrow, something else is going to begin.
And in that moment, Chris, you realize you've already started
the journey, and again you haven't even stepped foot out
(13:30):
of your house.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
I like how you're making this happen for me.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah, And so I want our listeners to kind of
put themselves in this room that I'm talking about with
us this morning, because this is where the emotional healing
begins with travel. You see, all of a sudden, with
just those few things that I said to you about
(13:54):
the preparation for this great trip to Tuscany that we described,
and you've got the suitcase packed already, your mind has
unhooked from your everyday stress and strain. You've already allowed
yourself to relax just a little bit. Tell me now
that travels not magic. It is and it has those
(14:16):
capabilities that a new car in a new house don't
afford you. I mean it might be, I mean, you
might be excited about a new house or a new car,
but there is something really magical and emotional healing about
thinking about the trip you're about to take. There's a
luxury tie in to this as well, because you know,
(14:37):
we couldn't be really a lifeless ordinary and not talk
about those luxury tie ins. Because I think they're important
and for travelers who want to really experience that feeling
at the highest level. There's some extraordinary resorts that are
designed specifically to nurture that kind of calm relaxation. We've
talked a lot about those here on a Lifeless Ordinary.
(14:59):
I would encourage you to go back and listen to
some of our luxury reports of properties and resorts and destinations.
But places like Six Senses, we've talked about that one
right here is a foundation of that. They've got fabulously
curated meals there that they tailor specifically to your own
(15:22):
dietary needs, wants, and desires. First of all, that's luxury
to me. I hate going somewhere where I can't find
anything to eat. These people know, they ask you what
you want, and that's what they fix. What could be better.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
I'm in favor of this.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You know, And to private, guided experiences that don't repeat
themselves in a bulk printed brochure. It's like, oh yeah,
I'm going to do what everybody else is doing. No,
these are curated especially for you and time itself. Once
you get there, it begins to feel different. You're going
a little bit slower it's softer, it's more intentional, and
(15:58):
that shift, you realize began long before you ever arrived.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
And for me, that kind of senses when I go
into one of these luxury properties and I don't feel
like I'm just getting up in the morning and thinking,
you know what kind of cereal am I going to fix?
You know, you know which toast am I gonna fix?
Is it the weed or the white toast? But I
go down there and there's something very special. I feel
like a king. I feel pampered. I sit down and
(16:25):
someone pours my coffee and they know which kind of
coffee blend I like, or they bring me the particular tea,
and things just start to happen, just the way that
I would feel if I were royalty. That's the luxury experience.
Is your mind starting to wander thinking about this? Can
you think about those experiences in your life where those
(16:47):
kinds of things have happened?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I can, and I am, and I am ready to go.
It didn't help that when you mentioned Tuscany that I
google pictures of Tuscany here on the computer in the
studio and I'm like, oh, yes, this, I mean you
just everything you're describing you.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Exhale right just the minute that you see them. And
it's interesting, you know. As I said, I've been doing
a lot of research on this psychology of travel, and
one thing that's very interesting and sort of parallel to this.
I have a special needs daughter, and all I have
to do is let her know that there's a special
(17:27):
date on the calendar, like an upcoming prom or a
night together with her friends. And I can tell her
a month in advance, and for an entire month, I
have an angel in my home. She's so happy, she's
looking so forward to it. She is so upbeat. And
I realize that that's exactly what happens when we do
(17:51):
have that euphoric feeling about looking forward to travel. We
have that same euphoric feeling that my daughter Morgan as
when she's looking forward to something that blows her mind,
you know, and it's a feeling that can't be denied
nor can it be replicated. You know. It's really just
(18:12):
something that happens in the mind with the preparation of this.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
So you say it's in the mind, does that mean
that we really should be tailoring this experience for the individual.
I mean, if Tuscany is what's going to bring me,
you know, my zen moment, but it's going to bore
my wife. That's really not the escape we're looking for.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, and that's a great question, Chris, because part of
I think the magic that we do at the Wishing
Well is in sitting down with our clients and developing
a relationship with them. I don't sell people travel. I
connect them to their wants and desires. That's what we do.
(19:00):
There's a very, very big difference. And if I don't
spend that time getting to know my customer, what they like,
where have they traveled to before previously that really was
the best trip of their life? And you're right, sometimes
if you ask that question of a couple, you get
two different answers. The magic is in finding that one
(19:21):
place that both of them are going to love equally.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And that's especially true for a couple, Chris, because when
we send a couple on a vacation, one of the
things that I know makes you happy because we talk
with you a lot off air, is when your wife
is happy. And that's true with anybody. If your spouse
is happy, you're going to be happy. So part of
our job as advisors is to find where those common
(19:46):
meeting points.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Are that in food.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Yeah, and I can do the same thing with a restaurant.
As we talk about which restaurant to go to, we'll
talk about what we like, what our food likes are.
And here's my challenge, Terry about Tuscany just a few
minutes ago. My guess is, because she knows you so well,
while we don't have time to do it today, my
guess is she could have named four or five other
(20:11):
destinations that you would be just as excited about and
would have fired off those same feelings in your brain
and your thoughts and your emotions. That's the talent that
a great terrible advisor has, is to know their clients.
That's what you were just talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Here, right, And so I think we've established pretty well
here in the first couple of minutes that we've been
on a lifeless ordinary today, is that something does happen
in the brain when we began to start to think
about a travel experience, one that we're going to have,
We anticipate it, we look forward to it, and then
(20:48):
we become immersed in it in our mind. I've got
my own personal deja vu moment right now about trip
to Alaska that we did a couple of years ago.
We did a group to Alaska. Great and as I
was thinking about this show today and I thought about Alaska,
here's what happened in my brain. I was analyzing myself. Actually,
(21:11):
So it was one of those moments where I held
the mirror up and I went, Okay, Terry, you know,
don't just talk to talk. So I said, Okay, here's Alaska.
What does that make you feel? Think, smell what happened
in Alaska? And so if I were telling somebody about
that trip, I wouldn't say, Chris, well, I went to Alaska, Chris. No.
(21:35):
What I would say is, I can imagine myself right
now going back to the moment where I stood on
the deck of my yacht sized cruise in Alaska. It
was fabulous. The air was crisp, it was clean, it
was breathable, it was light, and it was My breasts
were deep because it was just the purest air I've
(21:59):
ever breathed. And then a glacier came into sight. It
was surrounded by beautiful, brilliant shades of blue ocean water.
Imagine this beautiful white glacier surrounded by azure colored water.
I mean, it was incredible. And then just then, when
I'm standing on the deck, I hear this deep crack
(22:22):
that echoed across the water. It was the glaciers caving,
is what it was. And I'd never heard that before
in my life. I never had heard that sound. So
in my trip to Alaska, I heard things, smelled things,
saw things that I'd never seen before. And for a
moment after that, there was silence, and I noticed something.
(22:47):
People weren't checking their phones, they weren't thinking about anything else.
They were just there. They were simply present in the moment.
They were in Alaska, but they were in another world entirely.
It's almost like a separate yet parallel universe when you travel,
(23:08):
when you get that immersed in where you are.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Our show today is the Psyche of Travel. We're talking
about how travel becomes part of our inner being and
why it is so important that we include moments to
decompress and sync into these moments that take you away
from the craziness of our everyday life. We will talk
(23:34):
more about it here as our show continues. Take a
quick break and we'll be back for the Psyche of
travel here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Why do you recharge your cell phone, maybe because just
like you, it functions much better with a little revitalization.
The wishing Well helps people refresh and revitalize with individually designed,
customize vacation planning. We'll send you anywhere in the world,
plus offer advice on packing, navigating customs and more. Wishes
really do I'm true At the wishing Well visit us
(24:02):
at two forty three and f Avenue, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three,
or on the web at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Now, welcome back to a life less ordinary, your travel
showing podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well. Terry
Dean Harry Rife. We sit down every Saturday morning and
talk travel. If you have questions about anything we discussed
here on the show, or maybe you are instantly moved
to say yes, Terry book me. I'm ready. My Psyche
(24:31):
needs travel right now. You can call five four o
nine A twenty three thirty three on nef Avenue in Harrisonburg.
Stop by and see them. They're open Monday through Saturday.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Correct Is that correct?
Speaker 1 (24:43):
And you can also find them online at the Wishingwell
dot biz. Our show is called The Psyche of travel,
and we've talked about how how important it is to
our inner being, our inner health to experience these moments
that aren't the you know, the rat race of our life, busy,
everything that's driving us crazy. Get away from it, absorb it,
(25:08):
experience it, anticipate it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
I like this.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Yeah. And for those of you who are just joining
us here on a lifeless ordinary, first of all, welcome
to the show. We love having you here, and we're
taking a different spin on what our topic usually is. Here.
We talk about luxury travel, and those are the kind
of levels of conversations that we have, but today it's
(25:32):
really I love this particular subject because this is really
why I got into this business, because travel spoke to
me in just this way. And before we left to
go on break, Chris, I was sharing an experience that
I had in Alaska, another real standout travel adventure for
(25:53):
me and one that i'd say probably changed my life.
I think I've maybe shared this with you before, but
I traveled halfway around the globe to Japan, and interestingly enough,
Japan is one of the top destinations now for twenty
twenty six again, and this trip from me was a
once in a lifetime. Really the way I did it.
(26:15):
I used to be the corporate travel agent for General
Electric and one of their main travel corridors was to Tokyo, Japan.
So one year I was invited by on Nipon Airlines
to go to Japan and inspect several new corporate hotels
on behalf of GE, and of course I said yes,
I already had my bag pack as a matter of fact,
(26:36):
but this travel experience really exposed me to even more
brand new things. There were new cultures, traditions, cuisines that
I had never enjoyed before, like shaboo shaboo.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Oh, what's that?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Well, how that works, Chris. You're served a plate of
vegetables and a paper thin marbled wagu beef or pork.
The meat into boiling water that's in front of you
for just a few seconds until it barely changes color,
and then dip it into one of two sauces. It's
either ponzu, which is a citrus soy, or a sesame
(27:13):
goma sauce they call it. And then after the meat
and the vegetables are all gone, you've cooked all of that.
The broth, of course is full of flavor and it's
common then to add rice or oudon noodles to the
pot at the very end to soak up the remaining soup,
and there you have yet another dish to serve at
(27:34):
the table, and it's all done very family style. Sounds delicious, yeah,
and it really was. It was a new experience for me.
I'd never experienced that before. But after about a week
in Tokyo, then I traveled to Kyoto by way of
the bullet train. So I had a lot of firsts
on this trip. Talk about a mode of transportation, that's one.
It was in Kyoto, though, that I experienced the quiet
(27:58):
ritual of a tea ceremony in a century's old garden.
This is a ritual really that is about respect, humility,
and appreciation for ancients, old traditions in Asian art. And
I remember ending the day there watching an immersive drum
performance that actually felt more like a living painting than
(28:21):
a dance. It was incredible. And it's a journey that
didn't just show me the sites and the tourist areas
of Japan. I'm so thankful for that, but it was
an experience that pulled me into two entirely different versions
of time, and that is why I've always said and
(28:42):
I will always say that trip to Japan was life
changing for me. It showed me a world I'd never
seen before. Number one, but it caused me to look
at life much differently, and through the lens of travel,
I got to experienceperience that through the lens of travel.
Had I had a closed mind to going to Japan
(29:06):
or going to a different culture, I never would have
experienced such a wonderful just just had such a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
You mentioned the tea ceremony, So it's important when we
choose our destination to not just like show up, go
to stay at a hotel and do the touristy things. Yeah,
find those moments like the tea ceremony that really draw
you in and bring you down, you know, sort of
(29:37):
ground you. Because I can imagine if you go to Tokyo,
you I mean, outside of the cultural difference, it's like
going to New York City. Yeah, you know it's a
busy city and lots of craziness. Yeah, you need to
just take yourself out of the touristy area a little
bit and experience.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Yeah. And that's a great point. You know. I had
clients who came in just the other day and it's
two gals traveling to get They're there friends. They've been
friends since they were kids, and they recently connected again
on Facebook and they found one another and they said, hey,
I like to travel. The other girl said I like
to travel too. So they're going to Venice and they said,
(30:14):
you know, unlike most people, where do most people want
to stay when they go to Venice? Chris? Typically they
want to stay what on the canal? Right? Yeah? Well
not them? She said, I love this. She said, find
me an old monastery or an old hotel that maybe
(30:36):
was a nunnery or something like. That's what we want
to stay in. Wow, Okay, I found it. And I
mean those are the gyms, those are the things that
make travel such a unique, personalized, curated experience. I mean,
it really does. I mean you want to talk about immersive.
You know, there's a whole Amalfi Coast of Italy and
(31:00):
unforgettable moments when you get there, winding along the Amalfi coast.
First of all, don't try to drive that. That is
probably not a good idea, but it's beautiful. I mean,
and suddenly as you're on this coastal area of Amalfi,
which is in the boot area of Italy. You suddenly
see Positano and it appears from like out of nowhere.
(31:22):
You've got these soft pastel buildings cascading down the cliffs,
and you step out and you pause and because your
mind is trying to catch up with what your eyes
are seeing. And then that moment, there you are, and
you are there, and that is there's nothing you can
describe about something great that happened in that moment except
(31:44):
what you saw, on what you felt. And that's the
magic again, that's the magic of travel. And you know
there's luxury moments too. I remember when I was in Ireland,
I was able to and lucky enough to stay in
Dromolin case that was quite an experience. From the moment
I arrived, there was this quiet shift that sort of
(32:07):
happened to me. I was young, and I remember driving
up to the castle. It was kind of a curvy
road went up the countryside, and suddenly, lord, there it was.
I mean, boom, this big castle right in front of me,
and I'm going, that's where I'm going to stay. And
this great, big stone castle rose up from the landscape
(32:28):
there beautifully landscaped gardens around it seemed to stretch forever,
and I remember thinking to myself, this can't be real.
Somehow I felt like it was one of those very
surreal moments. You know, you just can't believe you're in
that dream. And when you walk through the doors there
(32:50):
at Dromolin Castle, you're not just checking into a hotel.
You're stepping into history. And that's the other part about
travel that it affords us the ability to being a
time capsule. You know, we get to do that. They
make that up on TV and we watch it and
we go wouldn't that be cool? Well, you can you
can do that. You stay in a place like Dromolin Castle,
(33:12):
suddenly time turns back. You're back in ancient history and
there's a there's a soft glow of those candleaberas that
are there. You've got rich fabrics, deep wood tones, the
kind of warmth there that immediately makes you feel welcome
but not intimidated. That's the great part about it, and
(33:32):
what struck me the most was that beautiful balance. It
felt elegant and refined, but it wasn't at all stiff.
And when I woke up there the next morning, I
remember thinking, this is what people are looking for, this
is what people are searching for, this is why they travel.
And you know, I remember some of the very first
(33:55):
trips that I ever booked for people. You know, they
were your typical, like you said, Chris, kind of touristy
type things. And when I experienced this, I went, this
is what people should experience. This is what it means
to travel well. And it's a place where you feel something.
(34:18):
And then there's those little moments like you said about
sitting down for an afternoon tea, pastry scones. Nobody's rushing you,
nobody's looking at the clock. And if I had to
sum it all up, Dromolin Castle wasn't just a place
I visited. I felt it. It slowed me down, It
surrounded me with beauty, and it gently reminded me that
(34:39):
life doesn't always have to move so fast, and sometimes
we have to almost make life slow down for us.
We need to take control of it just a little better.
And I know, Harry, not long ago you were able
to do something just like that with your family, and
(35:01):
I'm so glad you got to experience that. Tell us
about that well.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
We talked about a travel advisor knowing their people. I'm
going to tell this story in two parts, Terry, if
you let me do that. The first part of the
story was several years ago Terry came up to me,
and she knows me very well, of course, because we've
been in the Wishing Well for it's been eighteen years now,
and she said, hey, here's an opportunity to go visit
(35:27):
someplace that I know is very special for you. Would
you like to go and visit the place where your
father was born? And I said absolutely, So family is
very very important to me. Chris. I called my brother
and I said, hey, you want to go where dad
was born? Most people say yeah, let's you know, get
in the carnwell drive there. Well, for me, it was Romania.
(35:49):
I remember you telling me about it. Yeah, so this
was a fantastic trip took my brother went to Romania
and we experienced a really nice place to travel to.
But we instead from the perspective of wonder what Dad thought,
Wonder what his family thought. Here's where he lived, here's
where he grew up. I wonder if he ever got
to this place. I wonder if he ever got this experience.
(36:11):
We went up to Dracula's castle, That's probably the part
you remember me talking about. You know, I wonder if
he ever went here. I wonder if he was able
to travel here, wonder what it looked like then, And
talking about being immersed in a place. Boy was I
all that emotion, all that feeling. And I got to
do that with my brother.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
And I remember when you came back and you showed
me pictures of where you had been. The thing that
struck me is what probably ninety nine percent of people say,
whoever go on trips or vacations or travel experiences, it
was this terry. The pictures don't do it justice, no way.
(36:53):
That's when we know that that particular trip, that particular
experience has lodged now permanently in our psyche.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Absolutely. And the second part of the story, because family
is so important to me, and because I believe that
you got to know the people that are traveling, last year,
I decided I needed to bring my family together. My
family spread across the United States. One of them lives
literally on the West Coast and the other one lives
literally on the East Coast. My two sons and their families,
(37:26):
and I said, what can I do? So I talked
with them and we looked and talked and discussed, and
I listened to what they wanted to do. They wanted
to do diving because one of them has sons that
are about the age that they can learn to dive.
One of them is not ready to dive, just in
a Playpoolley's a couple of years old. And I thought,
(37:47):
how can I bring this all together? Well, just as
Terry was talking about, I found a place. We went
down to Turks and Cacoas, and I found a place
where I could bring all of my family and we
got to experience Turks and Caicos, a place none of
us had ever visited before, and we experienced it in
a way where everybody in the family got to do
(38:10):
something special. They had a children's play area where the
two year old thought he was in heaven. They had
a diving class where the youngest could learn how to
dive and just begin to learn how to dive, get
that experience where the older one, who is twelve, started
to work on his patty certificate. And the two boys
(38:31):
who had their diving certificates then took that older boy
out and they went for the first ocean dive. The dad,
the uncle and the son their first ocean dive together
as a family, as a group, and they got to
see and experience all the special things that tourists go to.
Sea diving is great in Turks and Caicos, but they
(38:53):
got to do that as the Rife family, you know,
generations together having that experience. We came back from that resort.
It was great. We ate different foods, we had different experiences,
we spent time together, we got to know each other,
and we had the most wonderful long weekend. It was
(39:15):
about five days that we were there, but the wonderful
time there. And we came back and as I'm talking
to my sons and grandkids today, they still talk about
what are we going to do this year? Grandpa? What
are we going to do this year? Because they so
much enjoyed that. And the third part of the conversation
is that they say, what about bringing Remember I talked
about my brother and I went to Romania. They said,
(39:38):
what about bringing Uncle Ron and his family there and
we can all get together. So that's my challenge now
is to do exactly what Terry was talking about before
getting to know your clients and figuring out the place
where there's something in it for each and every one
of them. But the big thing is that everybody's together
and they're coming home with those experience insists and the feelings.
(40:02):
They're still in these little kids' heads, and they're in
the parents' heads too, And it's been you know, several
months since the one trip and several years since that
first trip. It works.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So I think you can see from a couple of
examples that just Harry and I have had that the
magic of travel, how it lodges in our emotional wellbeing.
And the interesting thing is, you know, being a travel
advisor for forty eight going on forty nine years now,
(40:38):
it's always been something that I loved. My father used
to have a saying he said, if you enjoy what
you do for a living, you'll never work a day
in your life. And I really don't feel like I've
ever really worked because I have enjoyed this industry so much.
So I have a challenge for you, Chris, based on
what you've heard Harry and I talking about, is there
(41:00):
for you for Chris Carmichael A moment, a trip, a
tom someplace that you went even as a kid, that
while we were talking sort of you went, you know,
I remember this where I remember this trip, anything like
that come to your mind.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
So we didn't travel a lot. We always went somewhere
to stay with family for vacations. We went to Disney
when I was a kid, okay, and so at six
years old, that was going, you know, to the center
of the universe. Oh yeah, I mean I remember that vividly.
(41:42):
What do you remember Epcot had just opened, okay, and
everyone was making a big deal about Epcot. But going
and riding the roller coaster inside of Space Mountain where
it was dark inside. I still to this day remember
that ride and thought that was just the coolest thing.
And spending time with family. It was a Christmas time,
(42:05):
and so concerned Santa wouldn't find me because I was
in Florida, and that they didn't have a Christmas tree,
and they went out and bought one in Florida, a
live tree, which in Florida is you know, a trunk
with three branches.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Coming off of it, Charlie Brown tree.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
But I had a Christmas tree and Santa did find me.
As I've gotten a little bit older, the one that
keeps popping into my mind is when we went to
the Outer Banks Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk. I
went off on my own to some of the arboretums
to look at flowers and take pictures, And that kind
(42:45):
of is sticking with me as you're talking about just
places where you can remove yourself from everything else that's
going on. I mentioned can Coon earlier. That one was
the one that had all of those things you've talked about,
the end, anticipation and oh my gosh, I can't believe
we're going to go and do this. Yeah, while you're there,
(43:06):
we were at an all inclusive resort. So from that situation,
it made it really easy to do everything you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Sure, I didn't have to think about anything, which is wonderful.
They you know, they fed youa they no stress, They
made sure you were cared for for the entire week.
So from that point, I think that was the closest
I've ever had to one of these kind of experiences
where I really escaped. I'd be remiss not to mention
(43:36):
my honeymoon. My wife would be like, what do you
mean that wasn't memorable?
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Yeah, that was a really special Sure, But we went
to Vegas, which I love. It was my third or
fourth time going to Vegas. Vegas may not be the
place to go if you're trying to just escape the world.
That kind of is more like.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
But there are things that stick in your mind about that,
I'm sure that were so iconic going to the Grand Case.
It's the lights, you know, it's there you go. It's
the canyon. It's how you felt when you got to
the canyon, when you saw this massive place that exists
here on earth that very few people believe it or
not in their lifetime get to experience.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
Yeah, you put them all together. What we're talking about
this morning is it's the people, it's the places, and
it's the experiences. And you put that together and you
don't even have to have any of that Disney magic dust.
You put those three elements together, Chris, you're going to
(44:36):
have wonderful memories and you're going to have a place
in your brain that's reserved forever to hold those memories.
We're talking about the psyche of travel. On today's episode
of A Lifeless Ordinary, GI me a favor if you
if you have any questions, give.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Terry or Harry a call. The wishing Wells phone numbers
five four oh nine, oh eight, twenty three, thirty three
You can find them online at wishing Well dot biz.
They're also on ne f Avenue if you want to
stomp by and you know, shake their hand and sit
down and have a conversation. We love that they're on
ne f Avenue in Harrisonburg. We have a few more minutes.
(45:12):
We're gonna take a break. When we come back, we'll
continue this conversation about the psyche of travel on a
lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
Why do you recharge your cell phone? Maybe because, just
like you, it functions much better with a little revitalization.
The wishing Well helps people refresh and revitalize with individually designed,
customize vacation planning. We'll send you anywhere in the world,
plus offer advice on packing, navigating customs, and more. Wishes
really do come true at the wishing Well. Visit us
(45:38):
at two forty three and af Avenue, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three,
or on the web at the Wishingwell dot biz and
welcome back to a life less ordinary.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Every Saturday morning, Harry, Terry and I sit down and
we talk travel, and this is really the highlight of
the week. It is as we get to Deccus, different
topics usually luxury travel. Sometimes we talk about river cruises
and cruises. If you ount on to see how you
(46:11):
refer to that, it's a.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
Ocean cruise Ocean cruise line.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Today we are talking about the psyche behind all of it.
It's the psyche of travel, our inner being, our soul,
it's all affected by this, these moments that we can escape.
Phone number if you'd like to talk to Terry or
Harry is five four O nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. They're on nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. Also online
(46:35):
at the wishing Well dot biz and in the upper
right hand corner you'll see a I think it's called
a Hamburger menu. It's the three lines. You click on that,
it'll open a drop down menu and you'll see a
choice to listen to previous episodes of a Lifeless Ordinary.
And it's a searchable database if you have any interest
in any type of travel. I'm sure we've talked about it.
(46:57):
You just type in that search code that you want
and it will find an episode and then I encourage
you to listen to that and if you get something
from it, share it. But your friends and family, especially
if you're planning a big like Harry was talking about,
you know, his snorkeling in diving.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
With his family Turks and caicos.
Speaker 4 (47:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
I mean, if you're planning that, you need to come
and talk to your friends at the Wishing Well. Our
show is the psyche of travel. We've only got a
few more minutes left to I don't want to end
this conversation, but let's continue while we have a couple
of minutes.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Well, yeah, we've all been kind of sharing some of
our stories about travel that sort of remained with us,
if you will, and permeated our soul. As you say,
I like the way you said that, Chris. But another
trip that I was fortunate enough to enjoy was too Madrid.
And it was during that trip that I took a
day trip down to the beautiful city of Segovia. And
(47:55):
that's a quintessential Spanish fairy tale city, I think, so
our architecturally distinct. It's actually in the entire old town
now is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's located kind
of just a short high speed train ride from Madrid,
or it might be a little bit longer motor coach ride.
But it's famous for three World class landmarks that span
(48:17):
about two thousand years of history. There one is the
Roman Aqueduct. It's one of the best preserved pieces of
Roman engineering in the world. The next is the Alcazar
of Segovia, widely thought to be primarily inspired for the
Walt Disney World Cinderella Castle. And then there's the Segovia Cathedral.
(48:38):
And while all of that sounds extremely wonderful and very
much like the kind of places you'd want to visit
while you're in Spain, that, interestingly enough, was not my
fondest memory while I was in Segovia was to see
those places. My best memory was walking into a very small,
little leather good shop owned by a local, and I
(48:59):
remember it so distinctly. The smell of leather was hypnotic,
and the craftsmanship that I saw hanging on the hooks
in the store was outstanding. I immediately wanted to purchase
a purse for my mother as a souvenir from my
trip to Spain, but I couldn't find just the right one,
(49:20):
the right size, the right style. My mother's very particular.
But the shop owner walked up to me and knew
I was having difficulty, and he said, if you can't
find what you want, I'll make one for you in
an hour, in an hour, in an hour. And so
I left and I came back, and when I returned,
(49:41):
I had the most amazing gift to present to my mother,
and she was just as pleased to get it as
I was to give it to her. That was one
of my most amazing stories about that trip. I want
to say, I want to talk about the transformation that
all of this circles back around to, and that is
that travel changes us. It's in that connection. It connects
(50:04):
us to people that we love, families that travel together,
and even if they're not with us, we think about
them when we're gone, We buy things for them, we
bring them back, and that becomes part of our story.
Are knit together as a family. And even solo travelers
come back describing experiences that are deeply transformative. They say
they gain confidence, maybe a little more independence, definitely a
(50:27):
sense of perspective that's hard to find when we stay
in our familiar environments at home. And speaking of perspective,
that might be one of the greatest gifts travel offers us.
When you stand in a place that's existed for centuries,
perhaps a cathedral in Europe, ancient ruins in Greece Remote
National Park. Even here in the United States, you realize
(50:50):
something important. The world is a very big place, and
our day to day worries sometimes become a little smaller
when we see that bigger picture. Travel has the remarkable
ability to recalibrate our outlook on life, and.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
The world's so full of places to be discovered. I'm
still going down my list and trying to figure out
all the places I want to see. I was looking
at Australia last night, and hopefully I'll be there soon too.
Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for ourselves,
for our brains, for our psyche, for our minds, for
(51:29):
our families is to simply step outside that everyday routine,
step outside all the reasons why you can't take a
vacation and figure out how to find a place to
go to go through all the anticipatation that Terry was
talking about. I was thinking of Carly Simon and anticipation.
(51:50):
But go through all of that, let your brain, let
your mind, let your emotions experience all of that, Chris,
and then go out and do it. Go out and
have that trip and bring it back and see if
it doesn't extend forever, because at the end of the day,
our most meaningful lives are not measured by the things
(52:14):
we own, but by the places we've been, the experiences
in the memories we've made along the way. That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (52:25):
I mean, think about it. When people do expire and
pass from this life to the next one. How many
people do you know that have been talked about that
they say? Or do you know how much stuff they had? No?
They say they were the most interesting person to talk
to because they went so many places.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
We've got less than a minute. I was up and
I mentioned earlier in the shows in Northern Virginia on
Monday and Tuesday, helping my in laws move out of
their home and into their next phase of life. And
they have traveled the world. My father in law worked
in the State Department. So all the stories are about
(53:07):
the places they were. All the stories were sharing photos
of the places they were, the collectibles of the places
they were writing, and it was not about you know,
the couch.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Right exactly the stuff they had.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
So yes, I and I think as we get older
and we realized that, you know, our time is limited,
we start craving these moments of I want to go experience. Yeah,
we got five seconds. How do we get in touch
with you?
Speaker 2 (53:34):
Wishing Well is at two forty three f Avenue in
the Valley Center. You can call us five four oh
nine oh eight two three three three or look us up.
Speaker 1 (53:43):
On the web.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Chris, we are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:46):
This has been a life Less Ordinary, the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dopiz or five four
nine eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes are available
on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again next Saturday
(54:06):
morning at ten for a life Less Ordinary from the
wishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary, the travel show and podcasts
from your friends at the wishing Well, two forty three
ft Avenue in Harsmer and online at the wishing Well
dot This. The wishing Well is your ultimate luxury concierge,
travel agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is a travel show
and podcasts hosted by Terry Dean, bringing her over forty
years of experience in the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be
around the block, around the country, or around the world.
Let's bring in Terry Dean and say.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hello, Chris, how are you this fabulous weekend? Man? It's
a nice day, man, I'm telling you you know, it's spring.
Spring is sprung.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I mean Monday, was it Monday or sometime? I guess
last week when it would go. Yeah, it was Monday cold.
It cut down to like ten degrees and I all
that I don't know. I was us up in northern
Virginia and the wind.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Was crazy, really was crazy winds.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, and the rain was sideways. And then on Tuesday
morning there was ice everywhere.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
No other nature is a little upset with somebody.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But we marched closer in the now. Spring us here.
We've got ten degreece warmer every day. Easter is just
around the Cornerbous Red Bud festivals a few weeks away.
I know this is one of my favorite times of
the year.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Month too, and I love fall, but this one has
to be right up there with one of my favorites.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
It was a cold winter. I'm ready for anything other
than something.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'd say amen to that.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And Harry, let's say how to you as well? Hey,
spring take two as well? I call this weather.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Just give it a couple of days, it'll be cool
to get I think your next week were supposed to
have some chili weather again, then it's supposed to be gorgeous. No, well, anyway,
enough about all the weather. We've We've had a busy
few weeks, lots going on, and all the more.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
World's an interesting place right now, so we'll just leave
it like that.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
All the more reason to want to get out of
Dodge and go travel the world it is, and.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Today's show is going to be, I think, especially interesting
to a lot of people. I think that there are
for more reasons than one people may have decided to
put travel on hold or on pause. And today's show
is about the really my desire to talk to people
(02:12):
about how healthy the decision to travel really is. And
there's so many things that go into that that are
actually scientifically proven to improve your good health. You know,
we were talking off air with you about good health
and you know, good numbers and doctor visits that we've
(02:34):
all had here recently. I think they all must plan
them at the same time, because we all had them
at once. Yeah, But travel is one of those things,
just like with you know, your estate planning and that
kind of thing. Financial planning, travel should be something that
you plan to do for the good of you.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
We talk about our physical health, and that's what we
were talking about off air beforehand. We're talking about our
physical health, health and how we you know, all trying
to stay well, stay healthy. I think today's segment is
especially interesting because it's talking about our emotional in our
mental health and the things that go on inside of
our head. As we were saying a lot of things
(03:15):
going on in the world. We're going to talk about
how travel affects our minds, our thinking, and our feelings,
and that to me is just a really exciting idea.
When Terry talked to me about this, I couldn't have
been happier.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
You know, travel is one of those interesting things that
we do for both business and pleasure. It's true, one
of them. Not so enjoyable when you've got to travel
because you're going to a conference or some meeting you
know in La or you know somewhere on the West Coast.
You're gon be on a plane for four hours. And
then there's the type of travel I wish we were
(03:49):
more like the Europeans and we refer to it as
holiday exactly. I wish we were going on It sounds
much better. And that's what I'm excited that we're going
to be talking about today, is that rejuven rejuvenating benefit
of exactly like exercise of you know, holiday travel, getting
(04:12):
out and enjoying the world and getting your mind away
from all those things that drive us crazy, exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And you know, to really start us off here, Chris,
I've actually got a question for you, okay, and that is,
when's the last time you went somewhere where you felt
or even a situation you were in where you felt
truly present in that moment?
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Oh wow?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And I mean where that moment really just surrounded you,
you were engulfed by what you felt, you saw, you smelled,
I mean all of that. Can you even think of
a moment when you.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Had probably my trip to Cancun.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
There you go. Yeah, And for a lot of people,
that particular question will conjure up a lot of memories
of trips that people have had. It's a time when
you weren't rushing, you weren't multitasking, you weren't thinking about
what's next, but still completely in the moment, completely still,
(05:16):
and in a moment that made you pause and say this,
this is special, This is really special. And for a
lot of people, those moments don't happen in the middle
of a busy Tuesday, you know, they just don't. It's
they happen when they travel. And I know, for me,
I've had That's why I love this business so so much.
(05:39):
Travel spoke to me and enlivened me in a way
that few things ever have in my life. And it
was like another me. When I traveled, I became the
person I always wanted to be, you know. And maybe
it's the first breath of ocean air when you step
(06:00):
out into a beach after a really long winter. I
can only imagine what that's going to feel. Like this summer,
you know, or the sound of church bells you might
hear if you're in a small European village. And I
just that statement reminded me of my visit to Strasburg, France,
when we went on our river cruise Viking River Crews
(06:21):
with our group and we were in the middle of Strasburg, France,
and I heard these church bells ringing. Every time I
hear church bells now I think of that moment. I'm
back there. I'm back there, present in that moment where
I heard that, and I remember all kinds of things
about being in that square in Strasburg, France where those
(06:44):
church bells were. I smell gingerbread, you know, instantly smell
that because I remember being in a gingerbread store there
and it was just just wonderful memories. The stillness of
a mountain morning just makes the whole world feel a
little bit bigger than you are. And that's perfectly okay.
And those are the moments that stay with us. They
(07:05):
remind us, They even call us back to a time
and a place and a destination. And today today on
this show, on a lifeless Ordinary, we're so happy you're
joining us. We're going to tell you about why that happens.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Our show today is entitled The Psyche of Travel as
we delve into this conversation. If if you've got questions
for Terry or Harry, you can give them a call
five four oh nine oh eight twenty three thirty three.
The Wishing Well is located on neth Avenue in Harrisonburg.
Also online at the wishing Well dot biz. The Psyche
(07:43):
of Travel. I'm excited to dig into this and find
out how travel affects our inner being.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah. So, because travel is often seen as something extra,
something we do when time's and budget allow us to
do it. We kind of think of it as as
a purchase. You know. It's almost like a purchase. You
either need it or you don't need it, you know,
But for most of us, we need it more than
we think. It's something about it that's really so much
(08:13):
more essential. But what if travel wasn't just something we enjoyed,
but something that actually, as Harry pointed out a while ago,
supports our mental health, our relationships, our overall well being.
What if we thought of it like that, What if
we didn't just think of it as a purchase, something
to do a retail position on it didn't People used to.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Treat their downtime like that. You'd go to you know,
white sulfur springs or somewhere you go to a spa
and soak in the water and take in the air.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Yeah, it was a calendar item for many people. Every summer,
at a certain time you went here, and the fall
you went there, and the family went together. And I
think you mentioned earlier about some of the people in
other parts of the world, particularly Europeans, they don't leave
vacation lying on the table as we do in the
United States. It doesn't hurt.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
They get the entire month of August off.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Right, well, you know, but they use every single day
that they can get in. And you're right, Chris, not
only do they use everything they can get, they want
more the entire month of August. In the United States,
we're one of the few countries in the world where
people leave vacation time on their tay on the table.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I've had that conversation with coworkers. They're like, oh, yeah,
I've still got a week of vacation left. And you
know here at iHeart it to use it or lose it.
And I promise you I never leave vacation time on
the table. Yeah, I don't understand how someone does that. Well,
they don't have time to take vacation. That's the problem.
There's no time to take vacation. That's the most ridiculous
(09:50):
argument I've ever heard. Yeah, well, well it's so interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
When I was preparing for today's episode, I've been doing
a lot of reading about this because it's fascinating to
me that travel is one of those purchases that we
kind of do in stages, and we're going to talk
about that today. One is what I call the anticipation effect. Okay,
(10:17):
So one of the most beautiful things about travel, Chris,
is that it begins long before that suitcase is ever packed.
You know, it's there's something quietly magical about looking forward
to a trip, Like you get that in your mind,
and you've probably had that happen, maybe you and your spouse.
You know, you start talking about a trip, all of
(10:37):
a sudden, there's an adrenaline factor. You start to get
excited about it. You anticipate we're going to go somewhere together,
and it's not going to be to work. You know,
it's going to be someplace fun and exciting, and you're
at a family reunion, you're at a dinner party, your
kid's soccer match, you're talking with other parents, and the
(11:00):
conversation starts, you know, it's where should we go? Where
do you think it's going to be like? And all
of a sudden, your mind starts to drift and you're
like the Cowgon commercial. You're swept away, you know. And
that is what we call the anticipation quotient to buying travel.
What other things can you imagine that we purchase that
(11:25):
are like that? I mean just a few, yeah, but
not a lot. There aren't a lot. And travel is
one of those that can be a lot of different
things to a lot of different people. But I love
that about it. Let me prove it to you. I'm
going to start telling you that I'm going to talk
to you about Tuscany.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
You know that beautiful area of Italy. Oh, it looks
more like a romantic movie set than reality. You know,
it's got those tall Italian cypress trees, endless acres of vineyards,
both lemon, wine and olive, and all of a sudden,
all of a sudden, Chris, I'll bet you began to
picture that didn't you I did. Yep, you got the
(12:03):
rolling hills. You've got those brushed colors of shades of
green and gold down over the hillsides. Warm breeze kind
of carries the scent of rosemary and sun warmed earth.
You've got this rustic table that you can kind of
see in your mind, a bowl of fresh pasta glass
of wine, and just for a minute, you let your
(12:26):
shoulders relax, you take a deep breath. But you haven't
even left home. Something inside you all ready happened. It
already became magic. And that's what travel does. So now
we work into the immersive industry of travel and how
(12:49):
that affects you. Let me take you a step further
into that feeling. It's the evening now before your actual
departure to Italy. Your suitcase is open on the bed.
You've got your clothes carefully folded, a few favorite pieces
tucked in, and there is some excitement in your room
because you can't hardly wait, and you check your itinerary
(13:10):
one more time, and then you pause for just a
minute because tomorrow, you know you won't wake up to
your usual routine. Tomorrow, something else is going to begin.
And in that moment, Chris, you realize you've already started
the journey, and again you haven't even stepped foot out
(13:30):
of your house.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
I like how you're making this happen for me.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah, And so I want our listeners to kind of
put themselves in this room that I'm talking about with
us this morning, because this is where the emotional healing
begins with travel. You see, all of a sudden, with
just those few things that I said to you about
(13:54):
the preparation for this great trip to Tuscany that we described,
and you've got the suitcase packed already, your mind has
unhooked from your everyday stress and strain. You've already allowed
yourself to relax just a little bit. Tell me now
that travels not magic. It is and it has those
(14:16):
capabilities that a new car in a new house don't
afford you. I mean it might be, I mean, you
might be excited about a new house or a new car,
but there is something really magical and emotional healing about
thinking about the trip you're about to take. There's a
luxury tie in to this as well, because you know,
(14:37):
we couldn't be really a lifeless ordinary and not talk
about those luxury tie ins. Because I think they're important
and for travelers who want to really experience that feeling
at the highest level. There's some extraordinary resorts that are
designed specifically to nurture that kind of calm relaxation. We've
talked a lot about those here on a Lifeless Ordinary.
(14:59):
I would encourage you to go back and listen to
some of our luxury reports of properties and resorts and destinations.
But places like Six Senses, we've talked about that one
right here is a foundation of that. They've got fabulously
curated meals there that they tailor specifically to your own
(15:22):
dietary needs, wants, and desires. First of all, that's luxury
to me. I hate going somewhere where I can't find
anything to eat. These people know, they ask you what
you want, and that's what they fix. What could be better.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
I'm in favor of this.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
You know, And to private, guided experiences that don't repeat
themselves in a bulk printed brochure. It's like, oh yeah,
I'm going to do what everybody else is doing. No,
these are curated especially for you and time itself. Once
you get there, it begins to feel different. You're going
a little bit slower it's softer, it's more intentional, and
(15:58):
that shift, you realize began long before you ever arrived.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
And for me, that kind of senses when I go
into one of these luxury properties and I don't feel
like I'm just getting up in the morning and thinking,
you know what kind of cereal am I going to fix?
You know, you know which toast am I gonna fix?
Is it the weed or the white toast? But I
go down there and there's something very special. I feel
like a king. I feel pampered. I sit down and
(16:25):
someone pours my coffee and they know which kind of
coffee blend I like, or they bring me the particular tea,
and things just start to happen, just the way that
I would feel if I were royalty. That's the luxury experience.
Is your mind starting to wander thinking about this? Can
you think about those experiences in your life where those
(16:47):
kinds of things have happened?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I can, and I am, and I am ready to go.
It didn't help that when you mentioned Tuscany that I
google pictures of Tuscany here on the computer in the
studio and I'm like, oh, yes, this, I mean you
just everything you're describing you.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Exhale right just the minute that you see them. And
it's interesting, you know. As I said, I've been doing
a lot of research on this psychology of travel, and
one thing that's very interesting and sort of parallel to this.
I have a special needs daughter, and all I have
to do is let her know that there's a special
(17:27):
date on the calendar, like an upcoming prom or a
night together with her friends. And I can tell her
a month in advance, and for an entire month, I
have an angel in my home. She's so happy, she's
looking so forward to it. She is so upbeat. And
I realize that that's exactly what happens when we do
(17:51):
have that euphoric feeling about looking forward to travel. We
have that same euphoric feeling that my daughter Morgan as
when she's looking forward to something that blows her mind,
you know, and it's a feeling that can't be denied
nor can it be replicated. You know. It's really just
(18:12):
something that happens in the mind with the preparation of this.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
So you say it's in the mind, does that mean
that we really should be tailoring this experience for the individual.
I mean, if Tuscany is what's going to bring me,
you know, my zen moment, but it's going to bore
my wife. That's really not the escape we're looking for.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, and that's a great question, Chris, because part of
I think the magic that we do at the Wishing
Well is in sitting down with our clients and developing
a relationship with them. I don't sell people travel. I
connect them to their wants and desires. That's what we do.
(19:00):
There's a very, very big difference. And if I don't
spend that time getting to know my customer, what they like,
where have they traveled to before previously that really was
the best trip of their life? And you're right, sometimes
if you ask that question of a couple, you get
two different answers. The magic is in finding that one
(19:21):
place that both of them are going to love equally.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And that's especially true for a couple, Chris, because when
we send a couple on a vacation, one of the
things that I know makes you happy because we talk
with you a lot off air, is when your wife
is happy. And that's true with anybody. If your spouse
is happy, you're going to be happy. So part of
our job as advisors is to find where those common
(19:46):
meeting points.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Are that in food.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Yeah, and I can do the same thing with a restaurant.
As we talk about which restaurant to go to, we'll
talk about what we like, what our food likes are.
And here's my challenge, Terry about Tuscany just a few
minutes ago. My guess is, because she knows you so well,
while we don't have time to do it today, my
guess is she could have named four or five other
(20:11):
destinations that you would be just as excited about and
would have fired off those same feelings in your brain
and your thoughts and your emotions. That's the talent that
a great terrible advisor has, is to know their clients.
That's what you were just talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Here, right, And so I think we've established pretty well
here in the first couple of minutes that we've been
on a lifeless ordinary today, is that something does happen
in the brain when we began to start to think
about a travel experience, one that we're going to have,
We anticipate it, we look forward to it, and then
(20:48):
we become immersed in it in our mind. I've got
my own personal deja vu moment right now about trip
to Alaska that we did a couple of years ago.
We did a group to Alaska. Great and as I
was thinking about this show today and I thought about Alaska,
here's what happened in my brain. I was analyzing myself. Actually,
(21:11):
So it was one of those moments where I held
the mirror up and I went, Okay, Terry, you know,
don't just talk to talk. So I said, Okay, here's Alaska.
What does that make you feel? Think, smell what happened
in Alaska? And so if I were telling somebody about
that trip, I wouldn't say, Chris, well, I went to Alaska, Chris. No.
(21:35):
What I would say is, I can imagine myself right
now going back to the moment where I stood on
the deck of my yacht sized cruise in Alaska. It
was fabulous. The air was crisp, it was clean, it
was breathable, it was light, and it was My breasts
were deep because it was just the purest air I've
(21:59):
ever breathed. And then a glacier came into sight. It
was surrounded by beautiful, brilliant shades of blue ocean water.
Imagine this beautiful white glacier surrounded by azure colored water.
I mean, it was incredible. And then just then, when
I'm standing on the deck, I hear this deep crack
(22:22):
that echoed across the water. It was the glaciers caving,
is what it was. And I'd never heard that before
in my life. I never had heard that sound. So
in my trip to Alaska, I heard things, smelled things,
saw things that I'd never seen before. And for a
moment after that, there was silence, and I noticed something.
(22:47):
People weren't checking their phones, they weren't thinking about anything else.
They were just there. They were simply present in the moment.
They were in Alaska, but they were in another world entirely.
It's almost like a separate yet parallel universe when you travel,
(23:08):
when you get that immersed in where you are.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Our show today is the Psyche of Travel. We're talking
about how travel becomes part of our inner being and
why it is so important that we include moments to
decompress and sync into these moments that take you away
from the craziness of our everyday life. We will talk
(23:34):
more about it here as our show continues. Take a
quick break and we'll be back for the Psyche of
travel here on a life less ordinary.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Why do you recharge your cell phone, maybe because just
like you, it functions much better with a little revitalization.
The wishing Well helps people refresh and revitalize with individually designed,
customize vacation planning. We'll send you anywhere in the world,
plus offer advice on packing, navigating customs and more. Wishes
really do I'm true At the wishing Well visit us
(24:02):
at two forty three and f Avenue, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three,
or on the web at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Now, welcome back to a life less ordinary, your travel
showing podcasts from your friends at the wishing Well. Terry
Dean Harry Rife. We sit down every Saturday morning and
talk travel. If you have questions about anything we discussed
here on the show, or maybe you are instantly moved
to say yes, Terry book me. I'm ready. My Psyche
(24:31):
needs travel right now. You can call five four o
nine A twenty three thirty three on nef Avenue in Harrisonburg.
Stop by and see them. They're open Monday through Saturday.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Correct Is that correct?
Speaker 1 (24:43):
And you can also find them online at the Wishingwell
dot biz. Our show is called The Psyche of travel,
and we've talked about how how important it is to
our inner being, our inner health to experience these moments
that aren't the you know, the rat race of our life, busy,
everything that's driving us crazy. Get away from it, absorb it,
(25:08):
experience it, anticipate it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
I like this.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Yeah. And for those of you who are just joining
us here on a lifeless ordinary, first of all, welcome
to the show. We love having you here, and we're
taking a different spin on what our topic usually is. Here.
We talk about luxury travel, and those are the kind
of levels of conversations that we have, but today it's
(25:32):
really I love this particular subject because this is really
why I got into this business, because travel spoke to
me in just this way. And before we left to
go on break, Chris, I was sharing an experience that
I had in Alaska, another real standout travel adventure for
(25:53):
me and one that i'd say probably changed my life.
I think I've maybe shared this with you before, but
I traveled halfway around the globe to Japan, and interestingly enough,
Japan is one of the top destinations now for twenty
twenty six again, and this trip from me was a
once in a lifetime. Really the way I did it.
(26:15):
I used to be the corporate travel agent for General
Electric and one of their main travel corridors was to Tokyo, Japan.
So one year I was invited by on Nipon Airlines
to go to Japan and inspect several new corporate hotels
on behalf of GE, and of course I said yes,
I already had my bag pack as a matter of fact,
(26:36):
but this travel experience really exposed me to even more
brand new things. There were new cultures, traditions, cuisines that
I had never enjoyed before, like shaboo shaboo.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Oh, what's that?
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Well, how that works, Chris. You're served a plate of
vegetables and a paper thin marbled wagu beef or pork.
The meat into boiling water that's in front of you
for just a few seconds until it barely changes color,
and then dip it into one of two sauces. It's
either ponzu, which is a citrus soy, or a sesame
(27:13):
goma sauce they call it. And then after the meat
and the vegetables are all gone, you've cooked all of that.
The broth, of course is full of flavor and it's
common then to add rice or oudon noodles to the
pot at the very end to soak up the remaining soup,
and there you have yet another dish to serve at
(27:34):
the table, and it's all done very family style. Sounds delicious, yeah,
and it really was. It was a new experience for me.
I'd never experienced that before. But after about a week
in Tokyo, then I traveled to Kyoto by way of
the bullet train. So I had a lot of firsts
on this trip. Talk about a mode of transportation, that's one.
It was in Kyoto, though, that I experienced the quiet
(27:58):
ritual of a tea ceremony in a century's old garden.
This is a ritual really that is about respect, humility,
and appreciation for ancients, old traditions in Asian art. And
I remember ending the day there watching an immersive drum
performance that actually felt more like a living painting than
(28:21):
a dance. It was incredible. And it's a journey that
didn't just show me the sites and the tourist areas
of Japan. I'm so thankful for that, but it was
an experience that pulled me into two entirely different versions
of time, and that is why I've always said and
(28:42):
I will always say that trip to Japan was life
changing for me. It showed me a world I'd never
seen before. Number one, but it caused me to look
at life much differently, and through the lens of travel,
I got to experienceperience that through the lens of travel.
Had I had a closed mind to going to Japan
(29:06):
or going to a different culture, I never would have
experienced such a wonderful just just had such a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
You mentioned the tea ceremony, So it's important when we
choose our destination to not just like show up, go
to stay at a hotel and do the touristy things. Yeah,
find those moments like the tea ceremony that really draw
you in and bring you down, you know, sort of
(29:37):
ground you. Because I can imagine if you go to Tokyo,
you I mean, outside of the cultural difference, it's like
going to New York City. Yeah, you know it's a
busy city and lots of craziness. Yeah, you need to
just take yourself out of the touristy area a little
bit and experience.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Yeah. And that's a great point. You know. I had
clients who came in just the other day and it's
two gals traveling to get They're there friends. They've been
friends since they were kids, and they recently connected again
on Facebook and they found one another and they said, hey,
I like to travel. The other girl said I like
to travel too. So they're going to Venice and they said,
(30:14):
you know, unlike most people, where do most people want
to stay when they go to Venice? Chris? Typically they
want to stay what on the canal? Right? Yeah? Well
not them? She said, I love this. She said, find
me an old monastery or an old hotel that maybe
(30:36):
was a nunnery or something like. That's what we want
to stay in. Wow, Okay, I found it. And I
mean those are the gyms, those are the things that
make travel such a unique, personalized, curated experience. I mean,
it really does. I mean you want to talk about immersive.
You know, there's a whole Amalfi Coast of Italy and
(31:00):
unforgettable moments when you get there, winding along the Amalfi coast.
First of all, don't try to drive that. That is
probably not a good idea, but it's beautiful. I mean,
and suddenly as you're on this coastal area of Amalfi,
which is in the boot area of Italy. You suddenly
see Positano and it appears from like out of nowhere.
(31:22):
You've got these soft pastel buildings cascading down the cliffs,
and you step out and you pause and because your
mind is trying to catch up with what your eyes
are seeing. And then that moment, there you are, and
you are there, and that is there's nothing you can
describe about something great that happened in that moment except
(31:44):
what you saw, on what you felt. And that's the
magic again, that's the magic of travel. And you know
there's luxury moments too. I remember when I was in Ireland,
I was able to and lucky enough to stay in
Dromolin case that was quite an experience. From the moment
I arrived, there was this quiet shift that sort of
(32:07):
happened to me. I was young, and I remember driving
up to the castle. It was kind of a curvy
road went up the countryside, and suddenly, lord, there it was.
I mean, boom, this big castle right in front of me,
and I'm going, that's where I'm going to stay. And
this great, big stone castle rose up from the landscape
(32:28):
there beautifully landscaped gardens around it seemed to stretch forever,
and I remember thinking to myself, this can't be real.
Somehow I felt like it was one of those very
surreal moments. You know, you just can't believe you're in
that dream. And when you walk through the doors there
(32:50):
at Dromolin Castle, you're not just checking into a hotel.
You're stepping into history. And that's the other part about
travel that it affords us the ability to being a
time capsule. You know, we get to do that. They
make that up on TV and we watch it and
we go wouldn't that be cool? Well, you can you
can do that. You stay in a place like Dromolin Castle,
(33:12):
suddenly time turns back. You're back in ancient history and
there's a there's a soft glow of those candleaberas that
are there. You've got rich fabrics, deep wood tones, the
kind of warmth there that immediately makes you feel welcome
but not intimidated. That's the great part about it, and
(33:32):
what struck me the most was that beautiful balance. It
felt elegant and refined, but it wasn't at all stiff.
And when I woke up there the next morning, I
remember thinking, this is what people are looking for, this
is what people are searching for, this is why they travel.
And you know, I remember some of the very first
(33:55):
trips that I ever booked for people. You know, they
were your typical, like you said, Chris, kind of touristy
type things. And when I experienced this, I went, this
is what people should experience. This is what it means
to travel well. And it's a place where you feel something.
(34:18):
And then there's those little moments like you said about
sitting down for an afternoon tea, pastry scones. Nobody's rushing you,
nobody's looking at the clock. And if I had to
sum it all up, Dromolin Castle wasn't just a place
I visited. I felt it. It slowed me down, It
surrounded me with beauty, and it gently reminded me that
(34:39):
life doesn't always have to move so fast, and sometimes
we have to almost make life slow down for us.
We need to take control of it just a little better.
And I know, Harry, not long ago you were able
to do something just like that with your family, and
(35:01):
I'm so glad you got to experience that. Tell us
about that well.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
We talked about a travel advisor knowing their people. I'm
going to tell this story in two parts, Terry, if
you let me do that. The first part of the
story was several years ago Terry came up to me,
and she knows me very well, of course, because we've
been in the Wishing Well for it's been eighteen years now,
and she said, hey, here's an opportunity to go visit
(35:27):
someplace that I know is very special for you. Would
you like to go and visit the place where your
father was born? And I said absolutely, So family is
very very important to me. Chris. I called my brother
and I said, hey, you want to go where dad
was born? Most people say yeah, let's you know, get
in the carnwell drive there. Well, for me, it was Romania.
(35:49):
I remember you telling me about it. Yeah, so this
was a fantastic trip took my brother went to Romania
and we experienced a really nice place to travel to.
But we instead from the perspective of wonder what Dad thought,
Wonder what his family thought. Here's where he lived, here's
where he grew up. I wonder if he ever got
to this place. I wonder if he ever got this experience.
(36:11):
We went up to Dracula's castle, That's probably the part
you remember me talking about. You know, I wonder if
he ever went here. I wonder if he was able
to travel here, wonder what it looked like then, And
talking about being immersed in a place. Boy was I
all that emotion, all that feeling. And I got to
do that with my brother.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
And I remember when you came back and you showed
me pictures of where you had been. The thing that
struck me is what probably ninety nine percent of people say,
whoever go on trips or vacations or travel experiences, it
was this terry. The pictures don't do it justice, no way.
(36:53):
That's when we know that that particular trip, that particular
experience has lodged now permanently in our psyche.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Absolutely. And the second part of the story, because family
is so important to me, and because I believe that
you got to know the people that are traveling, last year,
I decided I needed to bring my family together. My
family spread across the United States. One of them lives
literally on the West Coast and the other one lives
literally on the East Coast. My two sons and their families,
(37:26):
and I said, what can I do? So I talked
with them and we looked and talked and discussed, and
I listened to what they wanted to do. They wanted
to do diving because one of them has sons that
are about the age that they can learn to dive.
One of them is not ready to dive, just in
a Playpoolley's a couple of years old. And I thought,
(37:47):
how can I bring this all together? Well, just as
Terry was talking about, I found a place. We went
down to Turks and Cacoas, and I found a place
where I could bring all of my family and we
got to experience Turks and Caicos, a place none of
us had ever visited before, and we experienced it in
a way where everybody in the family got to do
(38:10):
something special. They had a children's play area where the
two year old thought he was in heaven. They had
a diving class where the youngest could learn how to
dive and just begin to learn how to dive, get
that experience where the older one, who is twelve, started
to work on his patty certificate. And the two boys
(38:31):
who had their diving certificates then took that older boy
out and they went for the first ocean dive. The dad,
the uncle and the son their first ocean dive together
as a family, as a group, and they got to
see and experience all the special things that tourists go to.
Sea diving is great in Turks and Caicos, but they
(38:53):
got to do that as the Rife family, you know,
generations together having that experience. We came back from that resort.
It was great. We ate different foods, we had different experiences,
we spent time together, we got to know each other,
and we had the most wonderful long weekend. It was
(39:15):
about five days that we were there, but the wonderful
time there. And we came back and as I'm talking
to my sons and grandkids today, they still talk about
what are we going to do this year? Grandpa? What
are we going to do this year? Because they so
much enjoyed that. And the third part of the conversation
is that they say, what about bringing Remember I talked
about my brother and I went to Romania. They said,
(39:38):
what about bringing Uncle Ron and his family there and
we can all get together. So that's my challenge now
is to do exactly what Terry was talking about before
getting to know your clients and figuring out the place
where there's something in it for each and every one
of them. But the big thing is that everybody's together
and they're coming home with those experience insists and the feelings.
(40:02):
They're still in these little kids' heads, and they're in
the parents' heads too, And it's been you know, several
months since the one trip and several years since that
first trip. It works.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So I think you can see from a couple of
examples that just Harry and I have had that the
magic of travel, how it lodges in our emotional wellbeing.
And the interesting thing is, you know, being a travel
advisor for forty eight going on forty nine years now,
(40:38):
it's always been something that I loved. My father used
to have a saying he said, if you enjoy what
you do for a living, you'll never work a day
in your life. And I really don't feel like I've
ever really worked because I have enjoyed this industry so much.
So I have a challenge for you, Chris, based on
what you've heard Harry and I talking about, is there
(41:00):
for you for Chris Carmichael A moment, a trip, a
tom someplace that you went even as a kid, that
while we were talking sort of you went, you know,
I remember this where I remember this trip, anything like
that come to your mind.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
So we didn't travel a lot. We always went somewhere
to stay with family for vacations. We went to Disney
when I was a kid, okay, and so at six
years old, that was going, you know, to the center
of the universe. Oh yeah, I mean I remember that vividly.
(41:42):
What do you remember Epcot had just opened, okay, and
everyone was making a big deal about Epcot. But going
and riding the roller coaster inside of Space Mountain where
it was dark inside. I still to this day remember
that ride and thought that was just the coolest thing.
And spending time with family. It was a Christmas time,
(42:05):
and so concerned Santa wouldn't find me because I was
in Florida, and that they didn't have a Christmas tree,
and they went out and bought one in Florida, a
live tree, which in Florida is you know, a trunk
with three branches.
Speaker 2 (42:18):
Coming off of it, Charlie Brown tree.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
But I had a Christmas tree and Santa did find me.
As I've gotten a little bit older, the one that
keeps popping into my mind is when we went to
the Outer Banks Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk. I
went off on my own to some of the arboretums
to look at flowers and take pictures, And that kind
(42:45):
of is sticking with me as you're talking about just
places where you can remove yourself from everything else that's
going on. I mentioned can Coon earlier. That one was
the one that had all of those things you've talked about,
the end, anticipation and oh my gosh, I can't believe
we're going to go and do this. Yeah, while you're there,
(43:06):
we were at an all inclusive resort. So from that situation,
it made it really easy to do everything you're talking about.
Speaker 4 (43:13):
Sure, I didn't have to think about anything, which is wonderful.
They you know, they fed youa they no stress, They
made sure you were cared for for the entire week.
So from that point, I think that was the closest
I've ever had to one of these kind of experiences
where I really escaped. I'd be remiss not to mention
(43:36):
my honeymoon. My wife would be like, what do you
mean that wasn't memorable?
Speaker 1 (43:39):
Yeah, that was a really special Sure, But we went
to Vegas, which I love. It was my third or
fourth time going to Vegas. Vegas may not be the
place to go if you're trying to just escape the world.
That kind of is more like.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
But there are things that stick in your mind about that,
I'm sure that were so iconic going to the Grand Case.
It's the lights, you know, it's there you go. It's
the canyon. It's how you felt when you got to
the canyon, when you saw this massive place that exists
here on earth that very few people believe it or
not in their lifetime get to experience.
Speaker 3 (44:15):
Yeah, you put them all together. What we're talking about
this morning is it's the people, it's the places, and
it's the experiences. And you put that together and you
don't even have to have any of that Disney magic dust.
You put those three elements together, Chris, you're going to
(44:36):
have wonderful memories and you're going to have a place
in your brain that's reserved forever to hold those memories.
We're talking about the psyche of travel. On today's episode
of A Lifeless Ordinary, GI me a favor if you
if you have any questions, give.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Terry or Harry a call. The wishing Wells phone numbers
five four oh nine, oh eight, twenty three, thirty three
You can find them online at wishing Well dot biz.
They're also on ne f Avenue if you want to
stomp by and you know, shake their hand and sit
down and have a conversation. We love that they're on
ne f Avenue in Harrisonburg. We have a few more minutes.
(45:12):
We're gonna take a break. When we come back, we'll
continue this conversation about the psyche of travel on a
lifeless ordinary.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
Why do you recharge your cell phone? Maybe because, just
like you, it functions much better with a little revitalization.
The wishing Well helps people refresh and revitalize with individually designed,
customize vacation planning. We'll send you anywhere in the world,
plus offer advice on packing, navigating customs, and more. Wishes
really do come true at the wishing Well. Visit us
(45:38):
at two forty three and af Avenue, call us at
five four zero nine zero eight two three three three,
or on the web at the Wishingwell dot biz and
welcome back to a life less ordinary.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Every Saturday morning, Harry, Terry and I sit down and
we talk travel, and this is really the highlight of
the week. It is as we get to Deccus, different
topics usually luxury travel. Sometimes we talk about river cruises
and cruises. If you ount on to see how you
(46:11):
refer to that, it's a.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
Ocean cruise Ocean cruise line.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Today we are talking about the psyche behind all of it.
It's the psyche of travel, our inner being, our soul,
it's all affected by this, these moments that we can escape.
Phone number if you'd like to talk to Terry or
Harry is five four O nine oh eight twenty three
thirty three. They're on nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. Also online
(46:35):
at the wishing Well dot biz and in the upper
right hand corner you'll see a I think it's called
a Hamburger menu. It's the three lines. You click on that,
it'll open a drop down menu and you'll see a
choice to listen to previous episodes of a Lifeless Ordinary.
And it's a searchable database if you have any interest
in any type of travel. I'm sure we've talked about it.
(46:57):
You just type in that search code that you want
and it will find an episode and then I encourage
you to listen to that and if you get something
from it, share it. But your friends and family, especially
if you're planning a big like Harry was talking about,
you know, his snorkeling in diving.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
With his family Turks and caicos.
Speaker 4 (47:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
I mean, if you're planning that, you need to come
and talk to your friends at the Wishing Well. Our
show is the psyche of travel. We've only got a
few more minutes left to I don't want to end
this conversation, but let's continue while we have a couple
of minutes.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Well, yeah, we've all been kind of sharing some of
our stories about travel that sort of remained with us,
if you will, and permeated our soul. As you say,
I like the way you said that, Chris. But another
trip that I was fortunate enough to enjoy was too Madrid.
And it was during that trip that I took a
day trip down to the beautiful city of Segovia. And
(47:55):
that's a quintessential Spanish fairy tale city, I think, so
our architecturally distinct. It's actually in the entire old town
now is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's located kind
of just a short high speed train ride from Madrid,
or it might be a little bit longer motor coach ride.
But it's famous for three World class landmarks that span
(48:17):
about two thousand years of history. There one is the
Roman Aqueduct. It's one of the best preserved pieces of
Roman engineering in the world. The next is the Alcazar
of Segovia, widely thought to be primarily inspired for the
Walt Disney World Cinderella Castle. And then there's the Segovia Cathedral.
(48:38):
And while all of that sounds extremely wonderful and very
much like the kind of places you'd want to visit
while you're in Spain, that, interestingly enough, was not my
fondest memory while I was in Segovia was to see
those places. My best memory was walking into a very small,
little leather good shop owned by a local, and I
(48:59):
remember it so distinctly. The smell of leather was hypnotic,
and the craftsmanship that I saw hanging on the hooks
in the store was outstanding. I immediately wanted to purchase
a purse for my mother as a souvenir from my
trip to Spain, but I couldn't find just the right one,
(49:20):
the right size, the right style. My mother's very particular.
But the shop owner walked up to me and knew
I was having difficulty, and he said, if you can't
find what you want, I'll make one for you in
an hour, in an hour, in an hour. And so
I left and I came back, and when I returned,
(49:41):
I had the most amazing gift to present to my mother,
and she was just as pleased to get it as
I was to give it to her. That was one
of my most amazing stories about that trip. I want
to say, I want to talk about the transformation that
all of this circles back around to, and that is
that travel changes us. It's in that connection. It connects
(50:04):
us to people that we love, families that travel together,
and even if they're not with us, we think about
them when we're gone, We buy things for them, we
bring them back, and that becomes part of our story.
Are knit together as a family. And even solo travelers
come back describing experiences that are deeply transformative. They say
they gain confidence, maybe a little more independence, definitely a
(50:27):
sense of perspective that's hard to find when we stay
in our familiar environments at home. And speaking of perspective,
that might be one of the greatest gifts travel offers us.
When you stand in a place that's existed for centuries,
perhaps a cathedral in Europe, ancient ruins in Greece Remote
National Park. Even here in the United States, you realize
(50:50):
something important. The world is a very big place, and
our day to day worries sometimes become a little smaller
when we see that bigger picture. Travel has the remarkable
ability to recalibrate our outlook on life, and.
Speaker 3 (51:07):
The world's so full of places to be discovered. I'm
still going down my list and trying to figure out
all the places I want to see. I was looking
at Australia last night, and hopefully I'll be there soon too.
Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for ourselves,
for our brains, for our psyche, for our minds, for
(51:29):
our families is to simply step outside that everyday routine,
step outside all the reasons why you can't take a
vacation and figure out how to find a place to
go to go through all the anticipatation that Terry was
talking about. I was thinking of Carly Simon and anticipation.
(51:50):
But go through all of that, let your brain, let
your mind, let your emotions experience all of that, Chris,
and then go out and do it. Go out and
have that trip and bring it back and see if
it doesn't extend forever, because at the end of the day,
our most meaningful lives are not measured by the things
(52:14):
we own, but by the places we've been, the experiences
in the memories we've made along the way. That's my opinion.
Speaker 2 (52:25):
I mean, think about it. When people do expire and
pass from this life to the next one. How many
people do you know that have been talked about that
they say? Or do you know how much stuff they had? No?
They say they were the most interesting person to talk
to because they went so many places.
Speaker 1 (52:45):
We've got less than a minute. I was up and
I mentioned earlier in the shows in Northern Virginia on
Monday and Tuesday, helping my in laws move out of
their home and into their next phase of life. And
they have traveled the world. My father in law worked
in the State Department. So all the stories are about
(53:07):
the places they were. All the stories were sharing photos
of the places they were, the collectibles of the places
they were writing, and it was not about you know,
the couch.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Right exactly the stuff they had.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
So yes, I and I think as we get older
and we realized that, you know, our time is limited,
we start craving these moments of I want to go experience. Yeah,
we got five seconds. How do we get in touch
with you?
Speaker 2 (53:34):
Wishing Well is at two forty three f Avenue in
the Valley Center. You can call us five four oh
nine oh eight two three three three or look us up.
Speaker 1 (53:43):
On the web.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Chris, we are at the Wishingwell dot biz.
Speaker 1 (53:46):
This has been a life Less Ordinary, the travel show
from your friends at the wishing Well at two forty
three nef Avenue in Harrisonburg. If you have any questions
on topics discussed today, please reach out to the wishing
Well online at the wishing Well dopiz or five four
nine eight twenty three thirty three. Past episodes are available
on the iHeartRadio app. And we'll see again next Saturday
(54:06):
morning at ten for a life Less Ordinary from the
wishing Well
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