June 3, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode, Jessica DeMelo shares her journey from being a nurse to becoming a Disney travel agent, emphasizing the importance of pursuing one's dreams while balancing motherhood. She discusses the intricacies of planning Disney vacations, the changes in the Disney experience, and the benefits of working with a travel agent. Jessica also highlights the magic of Disney for families, the importance of budgeting, and the joy of creating memories with children. The conversation inspires listeners to embrace their passions and fill their own cups while navigating the challenges of motherhood.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:35):
Welcome to the Portuguese Collective podcast Jessica
Domello. I'm so happy that you invited me
to be here. Thank you Long.
Time coming at least, like I feel like a year we've been
talking about you, getting you on the podcast.
Yes, yeah, it's been a while. Jessica and I didn't physically
meet in person, but we were in the same place at the same time.
(00:56):
Yep. And some of you may know her
husband is Derek Domello of the Portuguese Kids.
And so, luckily for him, we intertwined worlds.
And I actually learned about your love for Disney at that
premiere because I was talking to your husband in the bar and I
(01:17):
was telling him about how I juststarted in this band and I'm mom
and I'm trying to balance and doall the singing 'cause I know my
wife, too. She's trying to, you know,
follow her Disney dreams and herthings.
And so he was somewhat telling me about what you do.
And then I followed you on social media and I learned that
you're always seems like you're always at Disney World,
(01:37):
Disneyland, Disney something. I'm sure the content, you know,
gets stretched, stretched out. But we'll be talking Disney
dreams with Jessica D'mello today.
Jessica Disney D'mello, that's what he calls me, yes.
So tell me about how this all started.
So right after 2020 when the whole world went crazy, unlike
(02:02):
everybody else, kept working because I'm also an RN, I do
home care. So like visiting nurse and it
picked up like crazy. I was working sometimes like
seven days a week. So I did that all through 2020,
2021, and I burnt out so bad. And I really just like had a
(02:27):
moment where I'm like, life is too short for me to continue on
this path of like just being miserable in my job.
And meanwhile, we had been goingto Disney every year as a
family, like since my oldest wasa baby, since he was 11 months
old. And it's always been my thing.
And I've always been the person in my family or in my group of
(02:51):
friends that knows everything about Disney just because I love
it so much. So I had said it so many times,
I'm like, wow, I really would love to just do like the travel
agent thing. So during that whole meltdown I
was having, I said, you know what, I'm going to take a break
from my work. I'm not going to work seven days
a week anymore. I'm going to go on a path to
(03:14):
figure out if I can do this, andI did.
I started doing research. I ended up finding an amazing
agency. I love my agency so, so much.
I met an amazing community, an amazing group of women who are
just as crazy about traveling toDisney as me.
And I started doing that. And it literally just brought so
much joy into my life. Like that that piece that was
(03:37):
missing. So yeah, that was kind of how I
got started on that journey. And that was into 2022 and I've
been doing it ever since. Obviously I'm still a nurse.
I would love to do the Disney thing full time, but
realistically I can't. So still doing nursing and doing
(03:58):
the Disney on the side. And don't ask me how I do it.
I have no idea how I juggle it all.
But. I, I know how hard it is to be a
mom, be a wife, do all those things and then fill your own
cup. Like I have my own, you know, 9
to 5 and do the, the podcast andsinging all that stuff.
(04:18):
But if you don't fill your own cup, you cannot fill everybody
else's and you have to have yourown thing.
So I, I know how hard it is to do that.
And I hope that we can like be an inspiration for moms to know
that no matter what, just because your mom doesn't mean
you have to lose your full identity.
(04:38):
Like whether it's pottery or painting, like do something to
fill your. Cup 110% you on.
Pursuing this, you know it's noteasy.
Dreams in this house. I told my kids that all the
time, like, we're going to, if you have a dream, we're going to
make it happen. Like you have to believe that
whatever it is. Like, you know, some people
probably think it's so silly, like, oh, that was your dream.
(05:00):
It doesn't matter. It can be whatever it is.
But yeah, so now you. Help people plan their Disney
vacations or experiences. I do I have booked so many
vacations or helped people plan vacations Friends to Disney,
Disney Cruise yeah Disneyland, Disney World's we I do whatever
(05:22):
it is you want to do I. Am if ever in the world.
Yeah, but ventures by Disney too, which is amazing for like
people who don't want to do the theme parks.
They have amazing like tour so you can go all over the world,
including Portugal, which is so cool.
Their Portugal tour is amazing. My Ross actually did it and it's
(05:45):
incredible. They are actually known to be
able to access locations unlike the normal tour companies,
right? Like you go to these places,
like you go to Rome, right? You want to go to the Coliseum
and you see all the tour groups rolling in.
Disney usually has like special access or you know, special
tours that they do that you can only do through them.
(06:07):
So it's really, really cool. And I'm talking Portugal,
Morocco, Japan, California. Like you can do it, you know,
you can do any of those places. So it's not just like theme
parks. How many Disney locations have
you checked off the list? Goodness, not enough.
Yeah. Is that in the cars?
(06:28):
Like do you want to try to visit?
Yeah, yeah. And they just they just
announced that they're opening apark in Abu Dhabi.
I'm like, am I going to Abu Dhabi?
I don't know, but maybe we can add it to the list.
But yeah, I would love to do Aulani in Hawaii There there is
were there that's like really big on the top of all of our
lists, like the kids too. But I've just done Disney.
(06:51):
Disney World basically is like my home.
It's a 2 1/2 hour flight. I feel like we've we have
literally gone for a day and come home like we're crazy.
But I've done Disneyland, which absolutely love, and I've done
Disney Cruise Line, which is probably my favorite form of
vacation. The cruise line, that's good to
know. How do you feel about the
(07:12):
cruises? For little guys like my have a
three-year old are the perfect cake.
Perfect. I don't know why I feel.
So. Like, I want to hyperventilate
just thinking about taking thesekids out of vacation.
The money that goes into it, thehuffing and puffing.
I'm like, I know that when we gowith the kids, it's not a
vacation, it's a trip. But you it's like so hard to
(07:36):
spend so much money. I'm like, are these guys going
to appreciate this? Maybe not.
It's so crazy. So I love that you just said
that like it's not a vacation, it's a trip or what?
But it's that's why I like the the, the options that Disney
gives you, right? So if you're going to the theme
parks like that, there is nothing relaxing about that.
It's going to be so honest with you.
(07:57):
It is not vacation. You're probably going to need a
vacation from that vacation. It's very go, go, go, go, go.
And for people who are like, absolutely not, I am not doing
that. Then that's where I'm like, you
should really try the cruise line.
And it's great for all ages, butespecially for kids that are
like 3-4, five and older becausethey have these kids clubs,
(08:18):
right? So I was super nervous when I
took the boys the first time. I think my youngest was 4 and I
was super, super nervous. I was nervous about leaving them
at the kids clubs. I'm like, I don't know, like who
are the people that are in there?
Is it going to be safe? Yes.
So we went on the cruise and I dropped the kids off at the kids
club and literally sat at a lounge with Derek.
(08:41):
Like what time is it? We should go back and get them.
They're probably wondering wherewe are like that Agnia, right
that Oh my God, went back to go get them.
They were so upset. Why are you here?
We don't want to go back to the room with you.
We don't we don't want to go. We want to play here.
And they had made friends. They were only there for a
couple hours and that was it. The entirety of the vacation
(09:02):
they wanted to be there. And that was the first time, the
first, like, Disney vacation that we had ever taken where I
was able to have me time. Like, I sat outside in the
adults only section and read my book.
I went in the hot tub. I played trivia.
And even Derek. Derek went and did his thing,
(09:24):
you know, like, he enjoyed the veranda that we had in the room.
So, yeah, it is expensive. And there's always ways to break
down. Another reason why I like the
cruise too, is like, you're spending all of that money.
But that includes all of your meals.
Like you're there, you're not really spending extra unless you
want to. And the Aloni's like that too,
right? Isn't it?
(09:44):
Yeah. Like once you go, I think
Lonnie, you still are going to be paying for like the dining
and things that they have there.Yeah.
But the cruise really gives it an all inclusive feel.
And then you're going to these beautiful tropical islands that
are, you know, like Castaway, a key is owned by Disney.
So you're going there and the food that they have on the
(10:05):
island is included. So.
So you're not spending extra money when you're on that
island. But yeah, there's so many
destinations. It's so broad, like there's
something for everybody. I'll have to look into the
cruise line for sure. I I think because we're so close
to Disneyland, we just always think Disneyland, but.
Yeah, it. Kind of evens out at the end of
the day. A Disney trip is a Disney trip.
(10:27):
Yeah, you get the character meals like it's incredible.
The food is so good. We took my my mom and my
mother-in-law. My mom, we kind of grew up going
to Disney. My mom is into it, but my
mother-in-law, no, she has no idea.
She just wanted to go along for the ride and she loved it.
I'm pretty sure weekly she's like vom Jothravage, like let's
(10:48):
go again because she loved the characters, she loved all of it.
She had such a good time. That's the thing about Disney,
like you can't deny the magic that happens the second you step
foot until any Disney anything. It's just like you become a kid
again. And it it does have that feeling
like of the happiest place on earth.
It really does. I mean some parents might
(11:10):
disagree with The Walking and the complaining of the kids, but
I'm I think it's more of the kids problem than the park
problem. It's not for everybody, you
know, like I'll be the first oneto admit like it's, it's not for
everybody, but I think that everyone should at least try it
once. Like I'm sure that most kids are
going to absolutely love it. And like, that's one of the
(11:30):
benefits too, of working with anagent is having somebody help
you plan so that you go and havea good time.
I can't tell you how many times I have a conversation with
someone who's like, oh, we went,it was the worst.
I hated it. We waited in lines.
It was hot. It's like boy, like you had 0
guidance. You just kind of went without a
(11:51):
plan. And unfortunately, if you want
to have a good successful trip, you need to have a plan.
Yeah. So like the first time I went to
Disney, I was probably like 6 years old.
We did the whole traditional way.
You show up at the park, you buyyour tickets there.
And then now going as an adult, there's a whole other spiel.
So for people that haven't been one to Disney at all or
(12:15):
recently, can you tell us a little bit about like the
changes in what people should just educate themselves on
before even diving in? Yes, I actually think that is a
big change. Yeah, I went through this with
my dad. We took my our debt, my dad and
my mom to Disney World in 2021. And my dad's like, what do you
(12:36):
mean? Where do I want to eat?
He's like, we'll decide when we get there, you know?
What do you mean? Like I have to do the.
He's like, no, he was so upset because we went in the 90s when
it was exactly what you said. You just went and then you just
stood in line and it was fine. Well, those days are gone.
It's very, very popular. There's so many things that they
(12:57):
have now, like lightning lanes and like passes that you can
purchase so that you can potentially skip the line.
There are dining experiences that you have to make
reservations for in order to eatat these places.
And some of these are opening uplike 60 days before your trip.
So yeah, it's, it's hard. But if you have someone who's
(13:20):
going to help you, like I send out guides to my clients to help
them, you know, figure out what they want to do, what parks they
want to go to on what days. Like I have a lot of moms or
little girls who are like, we absolutely want to do the
Princess makeover. We want to dine with the
princesses. Like all of that has to be
planned. And it has to be planned
(13:41):
sometimes rather quickly once those reservations get released
because they, they disappear. So wow.
So I, I do that for people. That's where I'm like, hey,
like, I don't want you to wake up at 6:00 AM sixty days before
your vacation. Like, let's plan what you want
to do. And I'll take care of it from
there. Like I'll go on, I'll make all
(14:02):
of their reservations. Same thing for the cruise line.
There are certain reservations that you can make to like to
meet the princesses or to have like a specialty dining and I
will go in and do all of that for them.
Like I think for the cruise line, you're waking up at
midnight. You know, like I go to bed
early. It's harder for me to wake up at
(14:22):
midnight to do this for my clients than it is for me to be
up at 6:00 AM. But you have to be on at these
like crazy hours to be able to snag what you want so that you
can know that you're going to experience it on your vacation.
Yes, to go in and like wing the Disney thing, it's not a good
idea at all anymore. Even.
(14:43):
I mean, speaking from experiencedoing it with the kids, like I
didn't even get into the cars ride because it was just too
long and the kids were just too young.
And then you miss out on something that you really,
really wanted to do. But it was my first time with
the app. Is it all the way across the
Genie? Yeah, so both parks, Disneyland
(15:05):
and Disney World, both use the app, the My Disney Experience
app. The they basically work the same
way, except for Walt Disney World, you go on seven days
before if you're a resort guest.So if you're staying on Disney
property, they'll let you selectrides.
You have to actually purchase this, right?
So it's also it becomes costly. So that's another part of the
(15:29):
planning that we go through fromthe beginning.
Like let's add in all of these expenses so you know exactly
what you're paying for. But yeah, so with Disney World,
you go in seven days before and you can pick three rides to from
each park or whichever. Like I have some people that are
like, we're only going to purchase it for like our Magic
Kingdom day. So yeah, we basically go on
before that. Like last week, I just had a
(15:50):
meeting with one of my clients where we sat.
We sat for so long or my meetings aren't usually that
long, but we were so into the like what her park day was going
to look like. And then tomorrow morning
actually I'm going to wake up at6:00 AM and I'm or seven, I'm
going to go in and schedule all of their rides for them so that
when they go next week, it's simple.
They just have to show up, open up their app, see where they're
(16:12):
going and that's that. We can get into like why I go
with an agent and why not? But first, before we get into
that, I just want to say just going into it without Someone
Like You, I felt like I was on my phone the whole time.
And because it was the first time ever doing it with the app
and, and thankfully I feel like I was like ahead a little bit
(16:32):
because I, you know, a week or so in advance, I was already
getting familiar with the app. But even I have booked some
things in advance, I still felt like a lot of my time was like,
wait, we need to book this or wait, we need to book that.
So to take that element out of it and have somebody else doing
that for you, you just enjoy your time more.
Just the knowledge that you're getting from a travel agent,
(16:54):
like someone who has experience.I'm going to say someone who has
experience and a passion for it,which I do and so many of the
people that I work with do. You're going to get the
knowledge where like I'm going to use you as an example, right?
So you had your app and you wanted to ride the racers at
DCA, Disney California Adventure, but you didn't get
(17:15):
to. So like what I do is when I'm
meeting with you, let's say you're my client and we're
talking about the rides like your must do rides for that day.
I'm going to give you park strategies where it's like, hey,
you know, maybe think about ropedropping, which is like a Disney
term, which basically means likeyou get there to the park maybe
an hour before it opens and you just kind of wait in line so
(17:37):
that you're one of the first people to arrive.
That's a big one, like a big tipthat we share.
But yeah, it's and it's just oneof the many things I could go on
and on and on and tell you, liketips that I share with my
clients to make their trip just a breeze, like places to go,
like the baby care centers. I feel like no one knows about
these things. Like people who are traveling
(17:58):
with babies, there's areas whereyou can go with your baby to
breastfeed the. Little areas are so adorable,
they're so nostalgic. Yeah, it's so hard to like
potty, like be in the middle of potty training and like having
your kid go on these like monstrous toilets compared to
them and the loud flushing, likethey have Wyatt areas with
(18:18):
little potties, like all of those things.
So basically working with an agent is going to just allow you
to just almost have more knowledge, more information that
you wouldn't get unless you werespending hours upon hours upon
hours online searching for. The other thing is there's so
much bad information out there. I get a text at least daily that
(18:40):
says, somebody on Facebook said I'm like, OK, what do they say?
And like this and this and this.And I'm like, well, that's just
absolutely not true. You know, like you're getting
the facts, you're getting somebody that's going to help
you. And not only that, but let's say
you were my client and you're atDisney California Adventure and
you're so upset because you couldn't get on the razors.
I'm there for you while you're in the park.
(19:03):
Like I tell my clients, just call me or text me.
Like, I don't want you to be on the phone.
So why don't you go enjoy your time with your family.
And I'm going to sit here and refresh the app and see if I can
get that that right for you on your lightning lane or whatever.
It's like your own Disney assistant.
Yes, it's like having a little magic in your pocket that you
(19:24):
can just anytime like let me call Jess or let me call my
agent and, and see if I can get some help with this.
Or I have people who are like, Hey, we, we want to eat
something and we're in this location.
Where do I go? Like it's disgusting.
I know where the bathrooms are. I know where everything is.
I know the parks like I like theback of my hand.
(19:44):
I will tell you. Just call me.
I'll tell you where to go. Like what are you in the mood
for? You want a really good burger?
I'll send you. I will tell you how to get
there. That's what I want.
I'm like, I want the good food and like, you know, I at this
point with kids, I don't even care what we go on.
I just want to have good food and a good drink.
Yes, Disney is for foodies like it, especially Disneyland.
(20:06):
They have the best snacks. But yeah, Disney's for food and
Disney's for adults too. People are like, oh, it's for
kids. Absolutely it's for kids.
But let me tell you, I have had so much fun.
I mean, if you follow me, you know, go on my agent trips.
We are a bunch of adults having the time of our lives.
Like it. It's made having.
A lot of fun. Yeah.
(20:28):
I feel like when you girls get together, it's like little
Princess that's hopping around. Oh.
My gosh, it just feels like it goes back to that thing where
it's like, I never imagined thatlike I would be able to do this.
It's really, really cool. Battle of the Befanish Saturday
August 23rd Portuguese band of San Jose, CA The first ever
(20:52):
competition to see who makes thebest Befan.
An all day festa with food and entertainment.
There's gonna be Ice Cold Super Box and the Hodge Dos eating
contest. Hey.
Save me some. You can have a battle without a
Wiener. The grand prize $1000.
I won $1000. Battle of the Beefanish, an all
(21:13):
day culinary and cultural festival with tons of food
vendors and entertainment like Ozaghios doing their farewell
show. Anyone can sign up.
Visit battleofthebeefanish.com between April 10th and June
20th. And then and be able to
(21:36):
experience everything yourself. I try to and that's just, it is
like when I'm going on these trips, like my agent trips or
work trips, like I'm really sitting there.
Sometimes I'll go through all ofmy client texts and just like go
through their questions and I'm like, I need to create content
that could like answer this question with a visual, whatever
(21:56):
that may be. Like that's, that's my thing.
Like I, I want to see all the resorts so that I can go back
and be like, oh, hey, you want to stay at Coronado Springs?
Well, here, look at all of thesevideos or look at these photos
and this is what you can do withyour kids or you want to get
away with your husband for the weekend.
Like this is the resort you wantand here's why and be able to
share. You know that that's, that's my
(22:18):
like, passion. For Disney World, because from
what I hear you could spend a whole week there.
Yeah, you could. I could.
I could spend more, but that yeah, you could.
And there's a lot more options, like it's bigger, there's 26
resorts to choose from. I've never been.
(22:38):
I didn't even know that. Sylvia.
I've never been to the East Coast, only in the airport.
Oh my gosh, we got to get you down the West Coast.
Please don't kill me. E coasters.
But I do love the West Coast. The first time I went to
California, I don't know, I was pregnant, so maybe that was why.
But I was like Moody and I'm like, I don't know, I just don't
(22:59):
like it here. And then we went back that time
that that we were in the same room together.
I went back for Derek's premiereand I was like, we need to move
to San Diego immediately. Like San.
Diego Everybody loves San Diego.West Coast is just amazing.
Like it's just beautiful. It's a whole other, It's a whole
other vibe. Everybody's just.
(23:20):
And that's another reason why I love going to Disneyland,
because in comparison to Disney World, it is so just like chill.
It's so very. Interesting everyone's.
So nice and I mean everyone's nice at Walt Disney World too,
but I don't know, there's not like that constant anxiety like
I don't know, interesting. I know Disney people that are
(23:41):
watching will get it but. OK, so if someone were wanting
to have their trip, how far in advance do you feel like they
need to make reservations? So if you are trying to plan a
trip, I always say like, as soonas they are released, that is a
good time to book just because as as availability starts to
(24:06):
disappear, like as as people start booking those trips, the
prices do start to creep up. Like ticket prices always creep
up a little bit every year. Just yeah, the sooner you know,
the better. But let me tell you, I can also
book you an amazing vacation last minute.
I have done it so many times where people are like next week
I'm like, that's when I am like,Oh my gosh, I got to like pack
(24:29):
my travel agent pants on becauseI got work to do.
But I make it happen. I make it happen and they can
still have. Work with like people's budgets
like say OK, maybe we can't fit in one of the resorts.
Is there an option to be off andto get a hotel like off of?
Yeah, there's only. That option to do that,
(24:50):
absolutely. I prefer having them go to a on
site resort, to be honest with you, just because I know the
customer service that stands behind Disney, behind that
brand. I'm going to be able to help you
if you're staying at one of Disney's resorts if something
happens, like I can make phone calls, but if I book you like
(25:11):
through Expedia to stay at the Hilton down the street, like
you're on your own if something happens, I can't really do much
on my end from that point on. And I know that just the Disney
brand is all about like creatingmagic and customer, you know,
making sure the customer's always happy.
(25:32):
It is something that I am like so proud of to like be a travel
agent that specializes in Disneybecause of that.
Yeah. So like, you know what I mean?
Like it's almost like a securitywhere like I know that 99% of
the time they're going to go above and beyond to to take care
of you if something goes wrong. So.
(25:52):
And the other thing too is I start pricing out every time
somebody tells me they want to stay off property.
I actually just had this happen to me.
Somebody was like, we're going to stay at.
We got an amazing deal and they did, it was an amazing deal
where they were going to stay say like on iDrive and I said
say less like I they wanted to stay there and I was just like,
(26:12):
OK, they really didn't want to hear what I had to say.
And that's OK too. You don't, you don't have to.
But just what I know, like for somebody that's staying off
property on like it's a nightmare, like you are, it says
on the map like you're 10 minutes away until you're
sitting in that 45 minute traffic.
Yeah, you know what I mean. Until like your, your quick and
(26:34):
easy Uber, like a 10 minute or a$10 ride is now going to cost
you $100 when you could be on property having all of that
transportation for free. Like once you start adding it
up, like people are like, oh, we're going to rent a car too.
And I'm like, well, now you're staying off site and you have a
car. Now you're going to be paying
for parking every day, like there's another 25 to $50
(26:57):
sometimes a day. Yeah, when I went to Disneyland.
With the kids, I think my, the baby was six months old, so I
was just basically wearing him the whole time.
Yeah. And we went and it was the first
time in my life had ever stayed at a resort.
Like as a kid, you're like, maybe one day, you know, you
drive fast and you're like, well, I'll have to go to the the
(27:17):
Quality Inn. Our parents never missed on a
deal with those motels, but was like, no, we're going to do it
like kind of heal my own childhood.
And let me tell you, having a baby and having small kids and
being in the park and just beingable to have those secret
entrances that are basically land use right there.
(27:38):
Either Downtown Disney or some of the hosts resorts are
literally like right there in the park that when your child
throws up or poops up the shirt or something, you want to be
able to fix the problem and get right back to the park.
And it's almost impossible if you're not staying at the
resorts. So it's just.
(28:01):
Disneyland is like a different creature though, because it.
The way it's set up is you have all of of the non resort hotels
across like we stayed at Fairfield Inn, OK, and I mean
you can't even begin to compare it to the Disney resorts.
Like it's basic and that was fine for us.
We were like we're just going tosleep and shower and it's fine.
(28:23):
But Disneyland's a little different where they actually
have some really great off property resorts and you can
walk to them like Disney World, not so much Disney World is, you
know, you're either going to have to use hotel shuttle like
it's further away. So when it comes to Disneyland,
I may be more, you know, I guessmore into having a client's day,
(28:44):
you know, at one of the the offsite hotels.
Yeah. But yeah, it all depends which
one because some of them. When your kids are super small,
it any any type of little smidgeof like help, Yeah.
So nice something happened. I'm just gonna walk back to the
resort and it's on. You the walk at the end of the
night. It is not fun, especially if
(29:06):
you're doing more than one day. One day is one thing, but like
when you're doing multiple days,it's really, really hard.
OK, so how big is Disney World? What?
Like it's humongous. Isn't there like more than one
park in one right? Yes, there's well, no, it's so
it's Walt Disney World consists of four theme parks.
(29:28):
So you have Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood
Studios, Epcot, and then there are two water parks, which is
Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
And then there is Disney Springs.
And then in all of that, you have all of the resorts and it
is massive. For making me have so much
(29:51):
Disney fever it's not even funny.
No, I'm going to book a vacationfor you after this.
Eventually you have to. So that's definitely in the
plans because I was like, I'm not going to go again until the
little ones at least four. And he's turning 4 in July.
Because my sister kept telling me because I really thought I
was going to leave the baby at home, but he ended up just being
so terrible during the night. I'm like, I can't leave my mom
(30:13):
with this thing. So he ended up coming with us
and we're just carrying him and my remember my sister texting
me. She's like, I know you're upset
that you had to bring the baby, but he's been smiling the most
out of all of you guys in every single bitch.
You know what's so crazy is likeyou'll look back at those in a
couple of years because that's what I've been doing now.
(30:33):
Like even my last couple of posts, I really haven't been
doing so hot on socials just because I've been so busy with
my other job. But like lately it's all photos
of like the trips I took when myson one was 18 months old or
three years old. And I'm just like, I did not
know how much that trip was going to mean to me in the
(30:55):
moment. Because I look at it now and I'm
like, I want to go back to that time.
Like it's just they're getting older.
They have different interests. It's it's the trips aren't the
same. Like, and in that time I'm like,
this is crazy. This is hard.
Like I have to lug around diapers and I'm breastfeeding
and I'm doing all these crazy things.
And now I'm just like, those were the best times.
(31:15):
Now they're so opinionated. They want to plan the whole, I'm
like, they don't want to do the plans that I want to do.
You know, when they're a little like that, they just go wherever
you take them. Is it with you now in the Disney
World, like where you basically,I'm sure you get some perks of
being able to go to places and things like that.
How are the kids receiving all of this fun stuff now?
(31:37):
They love it. They absolutely they love it.
I mean like the perks are there right, but it's not like people
are like you must go to Disney for free, honey.
I wish, yeah, I wish if I could,I would be there all the time if
it was free. But they do offer, like, travel
agent perks, right? So, but it, you know, you have
to work really, really hard to get those.
(31:58):
So nothing is handed to you for free.
But it has given us opportunities to, like, stay at
resorts that I may not otherwisehave been able to afford.
I personally am a budget traveler, and I love helping
families who are also budget travelers.
And that was actually one of your questions.
Like, if someone's on a budget, can you help them?
Absolutely. Like, just because you're on a
(32:20):
budget doesn't mean that you can't get the full Disney
experience. You know there's so.
Many things. About it to do it.
And too, I feel like something that I kind of had a talk might
you have if you've been to Disney and you've had these on
your own Disney experiences. Those are the first, second,
third time that you take your kids, you want to like show them
(32:40):
everything you've seen and have these experiences.
And I remember going there in Toontown was closed and that
broke my heart because it was like when I was little.
I totally remember the little cousin is Minnie and Minnie's
little house. And like, I was so bummed out.
But then my husband was like, hedoesn't know what he's missing.
You're sad. He's not sad.
(33:00):
He's having the time of his life.
So I'm like, sometimes you have to remember, like when they're
little, they've never been thereor they've never, they don't
remember. If you don't touch something
that time it's OK because they don't know what they're missing.
And, you know, got to plan another trip usually.
People are like, oh, this is ourbig trip or one trip of a
lifetime. And then they're calling me to
go back next year. And I'm like, I already knew
(33:21):
that was going to happen when I talked when we were planning the
first one, right. It's it's just it's one of those
things where like you're not gonna ever get it all done in a
day. But going back to what you had
said about Toontown, we don't have Toontown here.
That is so special to Disneyland.
And the first time that my parents took me to Disney World,
there was Toontown. And I remember all the cousin,
(33:44):
my mom still has the pictures ofme.
And that was the first time thatI met Mickey.
Yeah. So when I went to Disneyland and
walked into Toontown, it was like I wanted to like cry, like
it was emotional. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, I am
so happy that they brought this back.
Yes. I haven't been able to bring my
kids back to Disneyland to see that, but I can completely
(34:07):
relate. And it is true.
I have like clients that will belike, we, we need to do
everything like they want to squeeze it all in.
And I'm like, you're going to beexhausted, I said your kids are
going to walk through the Orlando airport and think
they're in Disney World because it is like, really?
There's things everywhere. I have videos of my kids
(34:28):
spazzing out in the airport. Landed in Disneyland.
Like idea, but you know what I mean?
Like any little thing. And it's funny because sometimes
we see all the the posts, like we see all the reels or we see
the commercials and it makes us want to do everything.
But like, sometimes they're so happy to just be in the resort
(34:50):
pool. Like may I well, like don't
forget that. Like that resort day.
Like sometimes they just want togo swim in that cool Disney
theme pool. So yeah, that's.
Agree with you. I wish I would have stayed
another day just to enjoy the resort.
Yeah, because we did like dinnerat one of the tiki places at one
of the resorts, but we didn't even get into the pool because
(35:13):
it's just there's not enough time.
And then you when you if you leave the next day, you know,
you don't even get that, that time.
So definitely enjoy the resorts because you're paying for them.
Yes, my son for his 7th birthdayhe wanted to go to.
I said what do you want for yourbirthday?
He wanted a Disney birthday. He had never had one.
(35:33):
I said OK we'll we'll go. I said we'll do 1 park again I
was on a budget. I said we're one park, and he
chose the park that he wanted todo.
And the rest of the time he justwanted to go to all the resorts
and pin trade, which cost me absolutely nothing.
He had the best time. So on his birthday, we got on
(35:56):
the monorail that goes like it goes around to the resorts.
It kind of like loops around Magic Kingdom.
Yeah. And that's what we did.
We went to all of the resorts until he was completely
exhausted and we just stopped atevery pin trading post and
traded pins and his little 7 year old heart was so happy.
And like these are the little things too that I try to tell
(36:16):
people, especially when they're going on a budget.
Like you have to remember that there's magic everywhere.
There's things that enjoy and dowithout spending a small
fortune. So.
What are some of those magic tips that we have?
The pin trading? Can you explain what that is?
Yes, so trading is so much fun. Disney has boards.
(36:37):
They're usually like Mickey shaped.
They're these big like cork boards and they you'll once you
see one, you'll know they usually have them like in the
gift shops. Now I see them on the trash
cans. They'll have them like on the
bin so that you can trade there.And then there are people who
will also trade with each other.So like you'll see lanyard
sometimes when you see people with all of their pins.
(36:59):
If you're a pin trader, you can say, hey, I like your pin.
Do you want to trade? A lot of the cast members will
be standing around the parks andthe resorts also with like
aprons sometimes with pins on them and you can pin trade with
them. So basically how this started
was I was in Disney World with my kids and needed something new
(37:21):
to do with them because we go a lot and they were at the perfect
age. So I bought a pin pack.
They sell pins at every store, every resort, gift shop,
everywhere has them. So they found one like a theme
that they like, like Avengers orMickey Mouse or Chippendale, and
we got it. They opened it up and they
started like trading with each other.
(37:42):
There was actually one year thatwe went with a cousin of mine
and like the little ones were trading back and forth.
And then that's how it all started.
And then they realized like I can go and trade pins with other
kids. So like if they're at the pool
or they're, you know, around other children, they do it
there. And it's just been something
that they've absolutely become obsessed with.
(38:02):
And the pins can get expensive, but there's tricks around it.
Like I ended up getting a bunch from like Amazon, just I don't
even know if they're Disney approved.
Disney people do not come for me, but.
We'll have to edit that out. And some of them are not Disney
authentic. Actually, most of them aren't.
But whatever, it's fine, Yeah. It's for them.
(38:23):
Yeah. And they, well, some people take
it really, really serious. Like there's some adults that,
like, have binders. It's so cool.
It is the coolest thing. It's so fun to watch.
And it's. Yeah, it's just like another
Disney hobby still. Do autographs with the
characters. As you remember that yes, we
book every single time. I have so many funny autograph
(38:46):
OK. See, I didn't do that.
I didn't. I think I was just so holding a
baby that I was just like just go with him on things.
I'm fine. And we switched the baby back
and forth. But I'm excited to like, I think
the genie thing was so new when I had gone.
And so I, we were figuring out and it wasn't too bad, but I
couldn't imagine like my parentsfiguring that out or anything
(39:10):
like that. So I think that's when you would
come in handy when some of theseolder generations are trying to
go because it's so hard. 2 two women who are travelling.
They're actually Portuguese. I love them so much.
They're my favorite. It was so funny.
This one, this one client of mine, she called me I was at
(39:31):
Trader Joe's shopping and I get a phone call from a Portuguese
lady and I and she was like, youknow, 2 as your her buddy go
like a vendor Disney. I'm like, yes, I'm like get my
phone number. And she's like, I know so and so
who booked a trip with you And like and I ended up talking to
her inside of Trader Joe's for like 45 minutes and literally
(39:52):
came home and we booked her vacation.
And so she's traveling with a friend, but she does not have
any social media. She does not use her telephone
for anything but making phone calls.
So luckily she lives local to me.
We are gonna actually be meetingup in a couple of weeks so that
we can sit and practice on the phone together and just so that
(40:13):
I can everything up for her and just show her what to do.
But she knows that when she's there, I'm just a phone call
away. So she's like, I need you to set
up my magic bands I need. And I'm like, yes, bring it
whatever you need. Because you know, now all the
snotas are going to come to you.That's fine because I actually
(40:34):
love that. Like that's why I do this.
It brings me. Kind of like the nursing in you,
right? The caring for.
Right. The nurture, yeah, I don't know.
It's just like, I think it's just knowing, like imagining my
clients there, like making memories or just like knowing
what it feels like for me, knowing that like I help
(40:55):
somebody get to, you know, have that experience.
I don't know, it just like literally makes my heart
explode. You love it so much and you're
like, I can plan people's like dream vacation and I'm sure you
get people that don't have budgets too, and you get to
really plan some. Whole trips, those are my
favorite where I'm like, you do this, like that single mom, I'm
(41:17):
like, no, no, no, you can do this.
You're going to do this, you're going to go and we're going to
make it happen and there's ways about it and let's go.
So if you have not followed Jessica on social media, it's
such a delight. You're such a breath of fresh
air because all my stuff is likevery, very Portuguese and then I
get burst of Disney food and I love it.
(41:39):
I will throw in Portuguese things every so often, you know
like I do have some like obviously friends and just
people sometimes I forget. Got a couple of followers from
from that time that I tagged my little batata Frita.
I'm like, oh, some of her followers came along.
Hi Alex, you're watching this welove.
Our batata frita so much. Yeah, I mean, like I do, I, I
(42:02):
have some some things and I posta couple of Portuguese things
here and there. But yeah, I try to post as much
as I can. Creating content, Disney content
is might be like one of my favorite things in the world to
do. I wish I could do it all the
time, but it's as you know, right.
Being like a content creator yourself, it is so extremely
time consuming. Yeah, but if you need just like
(42:23):
a break from reality and you just want to hop on the Disney
and stuff, yeah, come on. Can you?
What if somebody wants to be an agent?
Like what can they do to do that?
This could be someone's dream job just like yours.
So many people. I had a random stranger, I have
no idea who this girl is, who messaged me on Instagram just a
couple of days ago and said I really want to be a Disney
(42:46):
travel agent. Can you help me?
I have no idea where to begin. Girl.
I have been there and I you knowwhat's funny is I use the travel
agent before I started this and I absolutely love them.
I still will tell people about them.
It's a couple and they are amazing.
But I reached out to them and they were so helpful and guiding
(43:07):
me on what to do. But I did like a YouTube search
actually on, you know, like, youknow, travel agent and Disney.
And I got so much information off of that.
And that was actually how I found my boss.
And I cannot tell you how much Ilove that woman.
Like, she was like an Angel thatcame into my life.
So yeah, do your research if youwant to become a travel agent.
(43:30):
There are so many like host agencies out there and every
single one of them works different.
You really need to like look into it, talk to the people that
are there. Message me.
I would love to help you and yeah, follow that dream.
Do it if you're passionate aboutit.
Do it if it doesn't work. I'm.
Happy to see you doing that because I I relate to it.
(43:53):
Obviously not doing the same things, but when you have when
you have kids, it's just gets somuch harder to do the things
that you love. So it's like for again, all the
moms that are listening, do yourthing.
Do your kids hold you down? No, no, if anything, just think
like you're doing it for them. Like absolutely.
(44:14):
My kids. So like, and I'm sure you said
think the same thing. Like you want your kids to look
back one day and be like wow, mymom really loved that so much
and she went and did it on top of taking me to soccer practice
and soccer games and working herfull time job and all of the
things. Well, I don't think we come from
that. I don't think that we come from
women that fill their own cup. They feel everybody else's.
(44:38):
And then the women in our culture don't.
I mean, not now. I think we're doing a lot better
now. But I think speaking from my own
experience, my mom, I don't think she did a lot to fill her
own cup. And then I agree.
So I'm yeah, we're changing that, you know.
Are the change and we are also the change for our mothers too.
Because I know I'm always telling my mom, like mom, you
(45:00):
need to work less, travel more like you need to take care of
you. So like we are the change, we
have to change it around somewhere and sometimes.
We have to drag them out of the house because they won't go
unless you force them. And be like, come on, let's go.
Absolutely. All right, Jessica will tell
everybody where they can follow you and support you.
Yes I am on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok under friendlike
(45:25):
Jess. Very easy to remember.
Yes, I will of course tag and post everything soon.
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Still in the collective? I love this collective.
I am obsessed with your whole Instagram.
I'm always like, I'm like, who else can she find that is
Portuguese incredible and everyone that you post, I'm
(45:49):
following all of them. I'm like, this is great.
I'm so excited. I just recorded with a
concertina group from Massachusetts and it was three
of them. And I was like, this is my first
group interview. But it was so cool because
they're all super early 20s and they're playing the concertina,
which is like kind of a old school thing.
And I'm like, this is cool that these younger generations.
(46:09):
Are using it is that though, Sylvia like that in our culture
that I feel like sometimes feelslike it's going to die after us
like that there are a whole other generation that is so
proud to be Portuguese and doingPortuguese things like it's
incredible and they're so much talent out there like I want
everyone to shine. So that's what this is all
(46:32):
about. And Jessica speaks Portuguese,
so if you do not speak, if you don't speak English and you want
to go to Disneyland, she can help you with your treat as well
in English and Portuguese. I don't know if he speaks
Spanish, French. No, I wouldn't go that far.
No, I don't. I can like understand Spanish,
you know, but or like I could speak it, but it's like, you
know, have Portuguese, have Spanish as a friend, but
(46:54):
Portuguese, I speak it fluently.I write it.
I I speak it. Perfect.
Well, I'll talk to you soon, butthanks again for coming on the
podcast and I can't wait to bookmy Disney dream.
Now you have me all wrong. I'm going to go home and I'm
going to be like, we have to plan this now.
Now I'm like, I don't know if I want to do Disneyland, maybe I
want to do a cruise. Yeah, there's cruises out of
(47:14):
California that look incredible.Like if you do a maybe I need to
come with you. Yeah, and if you do, we.
Can get I'll watch the kids one night.
Well, there's not going to be any kids.
They're going to want to be in the kids club.
So just we'll we'll get into that.
That's a whole other. Dads watch the kids.
We can just go to Disneyland by herself.
They don't want to go anyway. I am all about that life.
(47:37):
Let's go. All right.
Hi, Jessica. Happy Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day. Thank you so much for having me,
having me on. I appreciate it.
Thanks for coming on. Bye.
Welcome to the Portuguese Collective podcast Jessica
Domello. I'm so happy that you invited me
to be here. Thank you Long.
Time coming at least, like I feel like a year we've been
talking about you, getting you on the podcast.
Yes, yeah, it's been a while. Jessica and I didn't physically
meet in person, but we were in the same place at the same time.
(00:56):
Yep. And some of you may know her
husband is Derek Domello of the Portuguese Kids.
And so, luckily for him, we intertwined worlds.
And I actually learned about your love for Disney at that
premiere because I was talking to your husband in the bar and I
(01:17):
was telling him about how I juststarted in this band and I'm mom
and I'm trying to balance and doall the singing 'cause I know my
wife, too. She's trying to, you know,
follow her Disney dreams and herthings.
And so he was somewhat telling me about what you do.
And then I followed you on social media and I learned that
you're always seems like you're always at Disney World,
(01:37):
Disneyland, Disney something. I'm sure the content, you know,
gets stretched, stretched out. But we'll be talking Disney
dreams with Jessica D'mello today.
Jessica Disney D'mello, that's what he calls me, yes.
So tell me about how this all started.
So right after 2020 when the whole world went crazy, unlike
(02:02):
everybody else, kept working because I'm also an RN, I do
home care. So like visiting nurse and it
picked up like crazy. I was working sometimes like
seven days a week. So I did that all through 2020,
2021, and I burnt out so bad. And I really just like had a
(02:27):
moment where I'm like, life is too short for me to continue on
this path of like just being miserable in my job.
And meanwhile, we had been goingto Disney every year as a
family, like since my oldest wasa baby, since he was 11 months
old. And it's always been my thing.
And I've always been the person in my family or in my group of
(02:51):
friends that knows everything about Disney just because I love
it so much. So I had said it so many times,
I'm like, wow, I really would love to just do like the travel
agent thing. So during that whole meltdown I
was having, I said, you know what, I'm going to take a break
from my work. I'm not going to work seven days
a week anymore. I'm going to go on a path to
(03:14):
figure out if I can do this, andI did.
I started doing research. I ended up finding an amazing
agency. I love my agency so, so much.
I met an amazing community, an amazing group of women who are
just as crazy about traveling toDisney as me.
And I started doing that. And it literally just brought so
much joy into my life. Like that that piece that was
(03:37):
missing. So yeah, that was kind of how I
got started on that journey. And that was into 2022 and I've
been doing it ever since. Obviously I'm still a nurse.
I would love to do the Disney thing full time, but
realistically I can't. So still doing nursing and doing
(03:58):
the Disney on the side. And don't ask me how I do it.
I have no idea how I juggle it all.
But. I, I know how hard it is to be a
mom, be a wife, do all those things and then fill your own
cup. Like I have my own, you know, 9
to 5 and do the, the podcast andsinging all that stuff.
(04:18):
But if you don't fill your own cup, you cannot fill everybody
else's and you have to have yourown thing.
So I, I know how hard it is to do that.
And I hope that we can like be an inspiration for moms to know
that no matter what, just because your mom doesn't mean
you have to lose your full identity.
(04:38):
Like whether it's pottery or painting, like do something to
fill your. Cup 110% you on.
Pursuing this, you know it's noteasy.
Dreams in this house. I told my kids that all the
time, like, we're going to, if you have a dream, we're going to
make it happen. Like you have to believe that
whatever it is. Like, you know, some people
probably think it's so silly, like, oh, that was your dream.
(05:00):
It doesn't matter. It can be whatever it is.
But yeah, so now you. Help people plan their Disney
vacations or experiences. I do I have booked so many
vacations or helped people plan vacations Friends to Disney,
Disney Cruise yeah Disneyland, Disney World's we I do whatever
(05:22):
it is you want to do I. Am if ever in the world.
Yeah, but ventures by Disney too, which is amazing for like
people who don't want to do the theme parks.
They have amazing like tour so you can go all over the world,
including Portugal, which is so cool.
Their Portugal tour is amazing. My Ross actually did it and it's
(05:45):
incredible. They are actually known to be
able to access locations unlike the normal tour companies,
right? Like you go to these places,
like you go to Rome, right? You want to go to the Coliseum
and you see all the tour groups rolling in.
Disney usually has like special access or you know, special
tours that they do that you can only do through them.
(06:07):
So it's really, really cool. And I'm talking Portugal,
Morocco, Japan, California. Like you can do it, you know,
you can do any of those places. So it's not just like theme
parks. How many Disney locations have
you checked off the list? Goodness, not enough.
Yeah. Is that in the cars?
(06:28):
Like do you want to try to visit?
Yeah, yeah. And they just they just
announced that they're opening apark in Abu Dhabi.
I'm like, am I going to Abu Dhabi?
I don't know, but maybe we can add it to the list.
But yeah, I would love to do Aulani in Hawaii There there is
were there that's like really big on the top of all of our
lists, like the kids too. But I've just done Disney.
(06:51):
Disney World basically is like my home.
It's a 2 1/2 hour flight. I feel like we've we have
literally gone for a day and come home like we're crazy.
But I've done Disneyland, which absolutely love, and I've done
Disney Cruise Line, which is probably my favorite form of
vacation. The cruise line, that's good to
know. How do you feel about the
(07:12):
cruises? For little guys like my have a
three-year old are the perfect cake.
Perfect. I don't know why I feel.
So. Like, I want to hyperventilate
just thinking about taking thesekids out of vacation.
The money that goes into it, thehuffing and puffing.
I'm like, I know that when we gowith the kids, it's not a
vacation, it's a trip. But you it's like so hard to
(07:36):
spend so much money. I'm like, are these guys going
to appreciate this? Maybe not.
It's so crazy. So I love that you just said
that like it's not a vacation, it's a trip or what?
But it's that's why I like the the, the options that Disney
gives you, right? So if you're going to the theme
parks like that, there is nothing relaxing about that.
It's going to be so honest with you.
(07:57):
It is not vacation. You're probably going to need a
vacation from that vacation. It's very go, go, go, go, go.
And for people who are like, absolutely not, I am not doing
that. Then that's where I'm like, you
should really try the cruise line.
And it's great for all ages, butespecially for kids that are
like 3-4, five and older becausethey have these kids clubs,
(08:18):
right? So I was super nervous when I
took the boys the first time. I think my youngest was 4 and I
was super, super nervous. I was nervous about leaving them
at the kids clubs. I'm like, I don't know, like who
are the people that are in there?
Is it going to be safe? Yes.
So we went on the cruise and I dropped the kids off at the kids
club and literally sat at a lounge with Derek.
(08:41):
Like what time is it? We should go back and get them.
They're probably wondering wherewe are like that Agnia, right
that Oh my God, went back to go get them.
They were so upset. Why are you here?
We don't want to go back to the room with you.
We don't we don't want to go. We want to play here.
And they had made friends. They were only there for a
couple hours and that was it. The entirety of the vacation
(09:02):
they wanted to be there. And that was the first time, the
first, like, Disney vacation that we had ever taken where I
was able to have me time. Like, I sat outside in the
adults only section and read my book.
I went in the hot tub. I played trivia.
And even Derek. Derek went and did his thing,
(09:24):
you know, like, he enjoyed the veranda that we had in the room.
So, yeah, it is expensive. And there's always ways to break
down. Another reason why I like the
cruise too, is like, you're spending all of that money.
But that includes all of your meals.
Like you're there, you're not really spending extra unless you
want to. And the Aloni's like that too,
right? Isn't it?
(09:44):
Yeah. Like once you go, I think
Lonnie, you still are going to be paying for like the dining
and things that they have there.Yeah.
But the cruise really gives it an all inclusive feel.
And then you're going to these beautiful tropical islands that
are, you know, like Castaway, a key is owned by Disney.
So you're going there and the food that they have on the
(10:05):
island is included. So.
So you're not spending extra money when you're on that
island. But yeah, there's so many
destinations. It's so broad, like there's
something for everybody. I'll have to look into the
cruise line for sure. I I think because we're so close
to Disneyland, we just always think Disneyland, but.
Yeah, it. Kind of evens out at the end of
the day. A Disney trip is a Disney trip.
(10:27):
Yeah, you get the character meals like it's incredible.
The food is so good. We took my my mom and my
mother-in-law. My mom, we kind of grew up going
to Disney. My mom is into it, but my
mother-in-law, no, she has no idea.
She just wanted to go along for the ride and she loved it.
I'm pretty sure weekly she's like vom Jothravage, like let's
(10:48):
go again because she loved the characters, she loved all of it.
She had such a good time. That's the thing about Disney,
like you can't deny the magic that happens the second you step
foot until any Disney anything. It's just like you become a kid
again. And it it does have that feeling
like of the happiest place on earth.
It really does. I mean some parents might
(11:10):
disagree with The Walking and the complaining of the kids, but
I'm I think it's more of the kids problem than the park
problem. It's not for everybody, you
know, like I'll be the first oneto admit like it's, it's not for
everybody, but I think that everyone should at least try it
once. Like I'm sure that most kids are
going to absolutely love it. And like, that's one of the
(11:30):
benefits too, of working with anagent is having somebody help
you plan so that you go and havea good time.
I can't tell you how many times I have a conversation with
someone who's like, oh, we went,it was the worst.
I hated it. We waited in lines.
It was hot. It's like boy, like you had 0
guidance. You just kind of went without a
(11:51):
plan. And unfortunately, if you want
to have a good successful trip, you need to have a plan.
Yeah. So like the first time I went to
Disney, I was probably like 6 years old.
We did the whole traditional way.
You show up at the park, you buyyour tickets there.
And then now going as an adult, there's a whole other spiel.
So for people that haven't been one to Disney at all or
(12:15):
recently, can you tell us a little bit about like the
changes in what people should just educate themselves on
before even diving in? Yes, I actually think that is a
big change. Yeah, I went through this with
my dad. We took my our debt, my dad and
my mom to Disney World in 2021. And my dad's like, what do you
(12:36):
mean? Where do I want to eat?
He's like, we'll decide when we get there, you know?
What do you mean? Like I have to do the.
He's like, no, he was so upset because we went in the 90s when
it was exactly what you said. You just went and then you just
stood in line and it was fine. Well, those days are gone.
It's very, very popular. There's so many things that they
(12:57):
have now, like lightning lanes and like passes that you can
purchase so that you can potentially skip the line.
There are dining experiences that you have to make
reservations for in order to eatat these places.
And some of these are opening uplike 60 days before your trip.
So yeah, it's, it's hard. But if you have someone who's
(13:20):
going to help you, like I send out guides to my clients to help
them, you know, figure out what they want to do, what parks they
want to go to on what days. Like I have a lot of moms or
little girls who are like, we absolutely want to do the
Princess makeover. We want to dine with the
princesses. Like all of that has to be
planned. And it has to be planned
(13:41):
sometimes rather quickly once those reservations get released
because they, they disappear. So wow.
So I, I do that for people. That's where I'm like, hey,
like, I don't want you to wake up at 6:00 AM sixty days before
your vacation. Like, let's plan what you want
to do. And I'll take care of it from
there. Like I'll go on, I'll make all
(14:02):
of their reservations. Same thing for the cruise line.
There are certain reservations that you can make to like to
meet the princesses or to have like a specialty dining and I
will go in and do all of that for them.
Like I think for the cruise line, you're waking up at
midnight. You know, like I go to bed
early. It's harder for me to wake up at
(14:22):
midnight to do this for my clients than it is for me to be
up at 6:00 AM. But you have to be on at these
like crazy hours to be able to snag what you want so that you
can know that you're going to experience it on your vacation.
Yes, to go in and like wing the Disney thing, it's not a good
idea at all anymore. Even.
(14:43):
I mean, speaking from experiencedoing it with the kids, like I
didn't even get into the cars ride because it was just too
long and the kids were just too young.
And then you miss out on something that you really,
really wanted to do. But it was my first time with
the app. Is it all the way across the
Genie? Yeah, so both parks, Disneyland
(15:05):
and Disney World, both use the app, the My Disney Experience
app. The they basically work the same
way, except for Walt Disney World, you go on seven days
before if you're a resort guest.So if you're staying on Disney
property, they'll let you selectrides.
You have to actually purchase this, right?
So it's also it becomes costly. So that's another part of the
(15:29):
planning that we go through fromthe beginning.
Like let's add in all of these expenses so you know exactly
what you're paying for. But yeah, so with Disney World,
you go in seven days before and you can pick three rides to from
each park or whichever. Like I have some people that are
like, we're only going to purchase it for like our Magic
Kingdom day. So yeah, we basically go on
before that. Like last week, I just had a
(15:50):
meeting with one of my clients where we sat.
We sat for so long or my meetings aren't usually that
long, but we were so into the like what her park day was going
to look like. And then tomorrow morning
actually I'm going to wake up at6:00 AM and I'm or seven, I'm
going to go in and schedule all of their rides for them so that
when they go next week, it's simple.
They just have to show up, open up their app, see where they're
(16:12):
going and that's that. We can get into like why I go
with an agent and why not? But first, before we get into
that, I just want to say just going into it without Someone
Like You, I felt like I was on my phone the whole time.
And because it was the first time ever doing it with the app
and, and thankfully I feel like I was like ahead a little bit
(16:32):
because I, you know, a week or so in advance, I was already
getting familiar with the app. But even I have booked some
things in advance, I still felt like a lot of my time was like,
wait, we need to book this or wait, we need to book that.
So to take that element out of it and have somebody else doing
that for you, you just enjoy your time more.
Just the knowledge that you're getting from a travel agent,
(16:54):
like someone who has experience.I'm going to say someone who has
experience and a passion for it,which I do and so many of the
people that I work with do. You're going to get the
knowledge where like I'm going to use you as an example, right?
So you had your app and you wanted to ride the racers at
DCA, Disney California Adventure, but you didn't get
(17:15):
to. So like what I do is when I'm
meeting with you, let's say you're my client and we're
talking about the rides like your must do rides for that day.
I'm going to give you park strategies where it's like, hey,
you know, maybe think about ropedropping, which is like a Disney
term, which basically means likeyou get there to the park maybe
an hour before it opens and you just kind of wait in line so
(17:37):
that you're one of the first people to arrive.
That's a big one, like a big tipthat we share.
But yeah, it's and it's just oneof the many things I could go on
and on and on and tell you, liketips that I share with my
clients to make their trip just a breeze, like places to go,
like the baby care centers. I feel like no one knows about
these things. Like people who are traveling
(17:58):
with babies, there's areas whereyou can go with your baby to
breastfeed the. Little areas are so adorable,
they're so nostalgic. Yeah, it's so hard to like
potty, like be in the middle of potty training and like having
your kid go on these like monstrous toilets compared to
them and the loud flushing, likethey have Wyatt areas with
(18:18):
little potties, like all of those things.
So basically working with an agent is going to just allow you
to just almost have more knowledge, more information that
you wouldn't get unless you werespending hours upon hours upon
hours online searching for. The other thing is there's so
much bad information out there. I get a text at least daily that
(18:40):
says, somebody on Facebook said I'm like, OK, what do they say?
And like this and this and this.And I'm like, well, that's just
absolutely not true. You know, like you're getting
the facts, you're getting somebody that's going to help
you. And not only that, but let's say
you were my client and you're atDisney California Adventure and
you're so upset because you couldn't get on the razors.
I'm there for you while you're in the park.
(19:03):
Like I tell my clients, just call me or text me.
Like, I don't want you to be on the phone.
So why don't you go enjoy your time with your family.
And I'm going to sit here and refresh the app and see if I can
get that that right for you on your lightning lane or whatever.
It's like your own Disney assistant.
Yes, it's like having a little magic in your pocket that you
(19:24):
can just anytime like let me call Jess or let me call my
agent and, and see if I can get some help with this.
Or I have people who are like, Hey, we, we want to eat
something and we're in this location.
Where do I go? Like it's disgusting.
I know where the bathrooms are. I know where everything is.
I know the parks like I like theback of my hand.
(19:44):
I will tell you. Just call me.
I'll tell you where to go. Like what are you in the mood
for? You want a really good burger?
I'll send you. I will tell you how to get
there. That's what I want.
I'm like, I want the good food and like, you know, I at this
point with kids, I don't even care what we go on.
I just want to have good food and a good drink.
Yes, Disney is for foodies like it, especially Disneyland.
(20:06):
They have the best snacks. But yeah, Disney's for food and
Disney's for adults too. People are like, oh, it's for
kids. Absolutely it's for kids.
But let me tell you, I have had so much fun.
I mean, if you follow me, you know, go on my agent trips.
We are a bunch of adults having the time of our lives.
Like it. It's made having.
A lot of fun. Yeah.
(20:28):
I feel like when you girls get together, it's like little
Princess that's hopping around. Oh.
My gosh, it just feels like it goes back to that thing where
it's like, I never imagined thatlike I would be able to do this.
It's really, really cool. Battle of the Befanish Saturday
August 23rd Portuguese band of San Jose, CA The first ever
(20:52):
competition to see who makes thebest Befan.
An all day festa with food and entertainment.
There's gonna be Ice Cold Super Box and the Hodge Dos eating
contest. Hey.
Save me some. You can have a battle without a
Wiener. The grand prize $1000.
I won $1000. Battle of the Beefanish, an all
(21:13):
day culinary and cultural festival with tons of food
vendors and entertainment like Ozaghios doing their farewell
show. Anyone can sign up.
Visit battleofthebeefanish.com between April 10th and June
20th. And then and be able to
(21:36):
experience everything yourself. I try to and that's just, it is
like when I'm going on these trips, like my agent trips or
work trips, like I'm really sitting there.
Sometimes I'll go through all ofmy client texts and just like go
through their questions and I'm like, I need to create content
that could like answer this question with a visual, whatever
(21:56):
that may be. Like that's, that's my thing.
Like I, I want to see all the resorts so that I can go back
and be like, oh, hey, you want to stay at Coronado Springs?
Well, here, look at all of thesevideos or look at these photos
and this is what you can do withyour kids or you want to get
away with your husband for the weekend.
Like this is the resort you wantand here's why and be able to
share. You know that that's, that's my
(22:18):
like, passion. For Disney World, because from
what I hear you could spend a whole week there.
Yeah, you could. I could.
I could spend more, but that yeah, you could.
And there's a lot more options, like it's bigger, there's 26
resorts to choose from. I've never been.
(22:38):
I didn't even know that. Sylvia.
I've never been to the East Coast, only in the airport.
Oh my gosh, we got to get you down the West Coast.
Please don't kill me. E coasters.
But I do love the West Coast. The first time I went to
California, I don't know, I was pregnant, so maybe that was why.
But I was like Moody and I'm like, I don't know, I just don't
(22:59):
like it here. And then we went back that time
that that we were in the same room together.
I went back for Derek's premiereand I was like, we need to move
to San Diego immediately. Like San.
Diego Everybody loves San Diego.West Coast is just amazing.
Like it's just beautiful. It's a whole other, It's a whole
other vibe. Everybody's just.
(23:20):
And that's another reason why I love going to Disneyland,
because in comparison to Disney World, it is so just like chill.
It's so very. Interesting everyone's.
So nice and I mean everyone's nice at Walt Disney World too,
but I don't know, there's not like that constant anxiety like
I don't know, interesting. I know Disney people that are
(23:41):
watching will get it but. OK, so if someone were wanting
to have their trip, how far in advance do you feel like they
need to make reservations? So if you are trying to plan a
trip, I always say like, as soonas they are released, that is a
good time to book just because as as availability starts to
(24:06):
disappear, like as as people start booking those trips, the
prices do start to creep up. Like ticket prices always creep
up a little bit every year. Just yeah, the sooner you know,
the better. But let me tell you, I can also
book you an amazing vacation last minute.
I have done it so many times where people are like next week
I'm like, that's when I am like,Oh my gosh, I got to like pack
(24:29):
my travel agent pants on becauseI got work to do.
But I make it happen. I make it happen and they can
still have. Work with like people's budgets
like say OK, maybe we can't fit in one of the resorts.
Is there an option to be off andto get a hotel like off of?
Yeah, there's only. That option to do that,
(24:50):
absolutely. I prefer having them go to a on
site resort, to be honest with you, just because I know the
customer service that stands behind Disney, behind that
brand. I'm going to be able to help you
if you're staying at one of Disney's resorts if something
happens, like I can make phone calls, but if I book you like
(25:11):
through Expedia to stay at the Hilton down the street, like
you're on your own if something happens, I can't really do much
on my end from that point on. And I know that just the Disney
brand is all about like creatingmagic and customer, you know,
making sure the customer's always happy.
(25:32):
It is something that I am like so proud of to like be a travel
agent that specializes in Disneybecause of that.
Yeah. So like, you know what I mean?
Like it's almost like a securitywhere like I know that 99% of
the time they're going to go above and beyond to to take care
of you if something goes wrong. So.
(25:52):
And the other thing too is I start pricing out every time
somebody tells me they want to stay off property.
I actually just had this happen to me.
Somebody was like, we're going to stay at.
We got an amazing deal and they did, it was an amazing deal
where they were going to stay say like on iDrive and I said
say less like I they wanted to stay there and I was just like,
(26:12):
OK, they really didn't want to hear what I had to say.
And that's OK too. You don't, you don't have to.
But just what I know, like for somebody that's staying off
property on like it's a nightmare, like you are, it says
on the map like you're 10 minutes away until you're
sitting in that 45 minute traffic.
Yeah, you know what I mean. Until like your, your quick and
(26:34):
easy Uber, like a 10 minute or a$10 ride is now going to cost
you $100 when you could be on property having all of that
transportation for free. Like once you start adding it
up, like people are like, oh, we're going to rent a car too.
And I'm like, well, now you're staying off site and you have a
car. Now you're going to be paying
for parking every day, like there's another 25 to $50
(26:57):
sometimes a day. Yeah, when I went to Disneyland.
With the kids, I think my, the baby was six months old, so I
was just basically wearing him the whole time.
Yeah. And we went and it was the first
time in my life had ever stayed at a resort.
Like as a kid, you're like, maybe one day, you know, you
drive fast and you're like, well, I'll have to go to the the
(27:17):
Quality Inn. Our parents never missed on a
deal with those motels, but was like, no, we're going to do it
like kind of heal my own childhood.
And let me tell you, having a baby and having small kids and
being in the park and just beingable to have those secret
entrances that are basically land use right there.
(27:38):
Either Downtown Disney or some of the hosts resorts are
literally like right there in the park that when your child
throws up or poops up the shirt or something, you want to be
able to fix the problem and get right back to the park.
And it's almost impossible if you're not staying at the
resorts. So it's just.
(28:01):
Disneyland is like a different creature though, because it.
The way it's set up is you have all of of the non resort hotels
across like we stayed at Fairfield Inn, OK, and I mean
you can't even begin to compare it to the Disney resorts.
Like it's basic and that was fine for us.
We were like we're just going tosleep and shower and it's fine.
(28:23):
But Disneyland's a little different where they actually
have some really great off property resorts and you can
walk to them like Disney World, not so much Disney World is, you
know, you're either going to have to use hotel shuttle like
it's further away. So when it comes to Disneyland,
I may be more, you know, I guessmore into having a client's day,
(28:44):
you know, at one of the the offsite hotels.
Yeah. But yeah, it all depends which
one because some of them. When your kids are super small,
it any any type of little smidgeof like help, Yeah.
So nice something happened. I'm just gonna walk back to the
resort and it's on. You the walk at the end of the
night. It is not fun, especially if
(29:06):
you're doing more than one day. One day is one thing, but like
when you're doing multiple days,it's really, really hard.
OK, so how big is Disney World? What?
Like it's humongous. Isn't there like more than one
park in one right? Yes, there's well, no, it's so
it's Walt Disney World consists of four theme parks.
(29:28):
So you have Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood
Studios, Epcot, and then there are two water parks, which is
Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
And then there is Disney Springs.
And then in all of that, you have all of the resorts and it
is massive. For making me have so much
(29:51):
Disney fever it's not even funny.
No, I'm going to book a vacationfor you after this.
Eventually you have to. So that's definitely in the
plans because I was like, I'm not going to go again until the
little ones at least four. And he's turning 4 in July.
Because my sister kept telling me because I really thought I
was going to leave the baby at home, but he ended up just being
so terrible during the night. I'm like, I can't leave my mom
(30:13):
with this thing. So he ended up coming with us
and we're just carrying him and my remember my sister texting
me. She's like, I know you're upset
that you had to bring the baby, but he's been smiling the most
out of all of you guys in every single bitch.
You know what's so crazy is likeyou'll look back at those in a
couple of years because that's what I've been doing now.
(30:33):
Like even my last couple of posts, I really haven't been
doing so hot on socials just because I've been so busy with
my other job. But like lately it's all photos
of like the trips I took when myson one was 18 months old or
three years old. And I'm just like, I did not
know how much that trip was going to mean to me in the
(30:55):
moment. Because I look at it now and I'm
like, I want to go back to that time.
Like it's just they're getting older.
They have different interests. It's it's the trips aren't the
same. Like, and in that time I'm like,
this is crazy. This is hard.
Like I have to lug around diapers and I'm breastfeeding
and I'm doing all these crazy things.
And now I'm just like, those were the best times.
(31:15):
Now they're so opinionated. They want to plan the whole, I'm
like, they don't want to do the plans that I want to do.
You know, when they're a little like that, they just go wherever
you take them. Is it with you now in the Disney
World, like where you basically,I'm sure you get some perks of
being able to go to places and things like that.
How are the kids receiving all of this fun stuff now?
(31:37):
They love it. They absolutely they love it.
I mean like the perks are there right, but it's not like people
are like you must go to Disney for free, honey.
I wish, yeah, I wish if I could,I would be there all the time if
it was free. But they do offer, like, travel
agent perks, right? So, but it, you know, you have
to work really, really hard to get those.
(31:58):
So nothing is handed to you for free.
But it has given us opportunities to, like, stay at
resorts that I may not otherwisehave been able to afford.
I personally am a budget traveler, and I love helping
families who are also budget travelers.
And that was actually one of your questions.
Like, if someone's on a budget, can you help them?
Absolutely. Like, just because you're on a
(32:20):
budget doesn't mean that you can't get the full Disney
experience. You know there's so.
Many things. About it to do it.
And too, I feel like something that I kind of had a talk might
you have if you've been to Disney and you've had these on
your own Disney experiences. Those are the first, second,
third time that you take your kids, you want to like show them
(32:40):
everything you've seen and have these experiences.
And I remember going there in Toontown was closed and that
broke my heart because it was like when I was little.
I totally remember the little cousin is Minnie and Minnie's
little house. And like, I was so bummed out.
But then my husband was like, hedoesn't know what he's missing.
You're sad. He's not sad.
(33:00):
He's having the time of his life.
So I'm like, sometimes you have to remember, like when they're
little, they've never been thereor they've never, they don't
remember. If you don't touch something
that time it's OK because they don't know what they're missing.
And, you know, got to plan another trip usually.
People are like, oh, this is ourbig trip or one trip of a
lifetime. And then they're calling me to
go back next year. And I'm like, I already knew
(33:21):
that was going to happen when I talked when we were planning the
first one, right. It's it's just it's one of those
things where like you're not gonna ever get it all done in a
day. But going back to what you had
said about Toontown, we don't have Toontown here.
That is so special to Disneyland.
And the first time that my parents took me to Disney World,
there was Toontown. And I remember all the cousin,
(33:44):
my mom still has the pictures ofme.
And that was the first time thatI met Mickey.
Yeah. So when I went to Disneyland and
walked into Toontown, it was like I wanted to like cry, like
it was emotional. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, I am
so happy that they brought this back.
Yes. I haven't been able to bring my
kids back to Disneyland to see that, but I can completely
(34:07):
relate. And it is true.
I have like clients that will belike, we, we need to do
everything like they want to squeeze it all in.
And I'm like, you're going to beexhausted, I said your kids are
going to walk through the Orlando airport and think
they're in Disney World because it is like, really?
There's things everywhere. I have videos of my kids
(34:28):
spazzing out in the airport. Landed in Disneyland.
Like idea, but you know what I mean?
Like any little thing. And it's funny because sometimes
we see all the the posts, like we see all the reels or we see
the commercials and it makes us want to do everything.
But like, sometimes they're so happy to just be in the resort
(34:50):
pool. Like may I well, like don't
forget that. Like that resort day.
Like sometimes they just want togo swim in that cool Disney
theme pool. So yeah, that's.
Agree with you. I wish I would have stayed
another day just to enjoy the resort.
Yeah, because we did like dinnerat one of the tiki places at one
of the resorts, but we didn't even get into the pool because
(35:13):
it's just there's not enough time.
And then you when you if you leave the next day, you know,
you don't even get that, that time.
So definitely enjoy the resorts because you're paying for them.
Yes, my son for his 7th birthdayhe wanted to go to.
I said what do you want for yourbirthday?
He wanted a Disney birthday. He had never had one.
(35:33):
I said OK we'll we'll go. I said we'll do 1 park again I
was on a budget. I said we're one park, and he
chose the park that he wanted todo.
And the rest of the time he justwanted to go to all the resorts
and pin trade, which cost me absolutely nothing.
He had the best time. So on his birthday, we got on
(35:56):
the monorail that goes like it goes around to the resorts.
It kind of like loops around Magic Kingdom.
Yeah. And that's what we did.
We went to all of the resorts until he was completely
exhausted and we just stopped atevery pin trading post and
traded pins and his little 7 year old heart was so happy.
And like these are the little things too that I try to tell
(36:16):
people, especially when they're going on a budget.
Like you have to remember that there's magic everywhere.
There's things that enjoy and dowithout spending a small
fortune. So.
What are some of those magic tips that we have?
The pin trading? Can you explain what that is?
Yes, so trading is so much fun. Disney has boards.
(36:37):
They're usually like Mickey shaped.
They're these big like cork boards and they you'll once you
see one, you'll know they usually have them like in the
gift shops. Now I see them on the trash
cans. They'll have them like on the
bin so that you can trade there.And then there are people who
will also trade with each other.So like you'll see lanyard
sometimes when you see people with all of their pins.
(36:59):
If you're a pin trader, you can say, hey, I like your pin.
Do you want to trade? A lot of the cast members will
be standing around the parks andthe resorts also with like
aprons sometimes with pins on them and you can pin trade with
them. So basically how this started
was I was in Disney World with my kids and needed something new
(37:21):
to do with them because we go a lot and they were at the perfect
age. So I bought a pin pack.
They sell pins at every store, every resort, gift shop,
everywhere has them. So they found one like a theme
that they like, like Avengers orMickey Mouse or Chippendale, and
we got it. They opened it up and they
started like trading with each other.
(37:42):
There was actually one year thatwe went with a cousin of mine
and like the little ones were trading back and forth.
And then that's how it all started.
And then they realized like I can go and trade pins with other
kids. So like if they're at the pool
or they're, you know, around other children, they do it
there. And it's just been something
that they've absolutely become obsessed with.
(38:02):
And the pins can get expensive, but there's tricks around it.
Like I ended up getting a bunch from like Amazon, just I don't
even know if they're Disney approved.
Disney people do not come for me, but.
We'll have to edit that out. And some of them are not Disney
authentic. Actually, most of them aren't.
But whatever, it's fine, Yeah. It's for them.
(38:23):
Yeah. And they, well, some people take
it really, really serious. Like there's some adults that,
like, have binders. It's so cool.
It is the coolest thing. It's so fun to watch.
And it's. Yeah, it's just like another
Disney hobby still. Do autographs with the
characters. As you remember that yes, we
book every single time. I have so many funny autograph
(38:46):
OK. See, I didn't do that.
I didn't. I think I was just so holding a
baby that I was just like just go with him on things.
I'm fine. And we switched the baby back
and forth. But I'm excited to like, I think
the genie thing was so new when I had gone.
And so I, we were figuring out and it wasn't too bad, but I
couldn't imagine like my parentsfiguring that out or anything
(39:10):
like that. So I think that's when you would
come in handy when some of theseolder generations are trying to
go because it's so hard. 2 two women who are travelling.
They're actually Portuguese. I love them so much.
They're my favorite. It was so funny.
This one, this one client of mine, she called me I was at
(39:31):
Trader Joe's shopping and I get a phone call from a Portuguese
lady and I and she was like, youknow, 2 as your her buddy go
like a vendor Disney. I'm like, yes, I'm like get my
phone number. And she's like, I know so and so
who booked a trip with you And like and I ended up talking to
her inside of Trader Joe's for like 45 minutes and literally
(39:52):
came home and we booked her vacation.
And so she's traveling with a friend, but she does not have
any social media. She does not use her telephone
for anything but making phone calls.
So luckily she lives local to me.
We are gonna actually be meetingup in a couple of weeks so that
we can sit and practice on the phone together and just so that
(40:13):
I can everything up for her and just show her what to do.
But she knows that when she's there, I'm just a phone call
away. So she's like, I need you to set
up my magic bands I need. And I'm like, yes, bring it
whatever you need. Because you know, now all the
snotas are going to come to you.That's fine because I actually
(40:34):
love that. Like that's why I do this.
It brings me. Kind of like the nursing in you,
right? The caring for.
Right. The nurture, yeah, I don't know.
It's just like, I think it's just knowing, like imagining my
clients there, like making memories or just like knowing
what it feels like for me, knowing that like I help
(40:55):
somebody get to, you know, have that experience.
I don't know, it just like literally makes my heart
explode. You love it so much and you're
like, I can plan people's like dream vacation and I'm sure you
get people that don't have budgets too, and you get to
really plan some. Whole trips, those are my
favorite where I'm like, you do this, like that single mom, I'm
(41:17):
like, no, no, no, you can do this.
You're going to do this, you're going to go and we're going to
make it happen and there's ways about it and let's go.
So if you have not followed Jessica on social media, it's
such a delight. You're such a breath of fresh
air because all my stuff is likevery, very Portuguese and then I
get burst of Disney food and I love it.
(41:39):
I will throw in Portuguese things every so often, you know
like I do have some like obviously friends and just
people sometimes I forget. Got a couple of followers from
from that time that I tagged my little batata Frita.
I'm like, oh, some of her followers came along.
Hi Alex, you're watching this welove.
Our batata frita so much. Yeah, I mean, like I do, I, I
(42:02):
have some some things and I posta couple of Portuguese things
here and there. But yeah, I try to post as much
as I can. Creating content, Disney content
is might be like one of my favorite things in the world to
do. I wish I could do it all the
time, but it's as you know, right.
Being like a content creator yourself, it is so extremely
time consuming. Yeah, but if you need just like
(42:23):
a break from reality and you just want to hop on the Disney
and stuff, yeah, come on. Can you?
What if somebody wants to be an agent?
Like what can they do to do that?
This could be someone's dream job just like yours.
So many people. I had a random stranger, I have
no idea who this girl is, who messaged me on Instagram just a
couple of days ago and said I really want to be a Disney
(42:46):
travel agent. Can you help me?
I have no idea where to begin. Girl.
I have been there and I you knowwhat's funny is I use the travel
agent before I started this and I absolutely love them.
I still will tell people about them.
It's a couple and they are amazing.
But I reached out to them and they were so helpful and guiding
(43:07):
me on what to do. But I did like a YouTube search
actually on, you know, like, youknow, travel agent and Disney.
And I got so much information off of that.
And that was actually how I found my boss.
And I cannot tell you how much Ilove that woman.
Like, she was like an Angel thatcame into my life.
So yeah, do your research if youwant to become a travel agent.
(43:30):
There are so many like host agencies out there and every
single one of them works different.
You really need to like look into it, talk to the people that
are there. Message me.
I would love to help you and yeah, follow that dream.
Do it if you're passionate aboutit.
Do it if it doesn't work. I'm.
Happy to see you doing that because I I relate to it.
(43:53):
Obviously not doing the same things, but when you have when
you have kids, it's just gets somuch harder to do the things
that you love. So it's like for again, all the
moms that are listening, do yourthing.
Do your kids hold you down? No, no, if anything, just think
like you're doing it for them. Like absolutely.
(44:14):
My kids. So like, and I'm sure you said
think the same thing. Like you want your kids to look
back one day and be like wow, mymom really loved that so much
and she went and did it on top of taking me to soccer practice
and soccer games and working herfull time job and all of the
things. Well, I don't think we come from
that. I don't think that we come from
women that fill their own cup. They feel everybody else's.
(44:38):
And then the women in our culture don't.
I mean, not now. I think we're doing a lot better
now. But I think speaking from my own
experience, my mom, I don't think she did a lot to fill her
own cup. And then I agree.
So I'm yeah, we're changing that, you know.
Are the change and we are also the change for our mothers too.
Because I know I'm always telling my mom, like mom, you
(45:00):
need to work less, travel more like you need to take care of
you. So like we are the change, we
have to change it around somewhere and sometimes.
We have to drag them out of the house because they won't go
unless you force them. And be like, come on, let's go.
Absolutely. All right, Jessica will tell
everybody where they can follow you and support you.
Yes I am on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok under friendlike
(45:25):
Jess. Very easy to remember.
Yes, I will of course tag and post everything soon.
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Still in the collective? I love this collective.
I am obsessed with your whole Instagram.
I'm always like, I'm like, who else can she find that is
Portuguese incredible and everyone that you post, I'm
(45:49):
following all of them. I'm like, this is great.
I'm so excited. I just recorded with a
concertina group from Massachusetts and it was three
of them. And I was like, this is my first
group interview. But it was so cool because
they're all super early 20s and they're playing the concertina,
which is like kind of a old school thing.
And I'm like, this is cool that these younger generations.
(46:09):
Are using it is that though, Sylvia like that in our culture
that I feel like sometimes feelslike it's going to die after us
like that there are a whole other generation that is so
proud to be Portuguese and doingPortuguese things like it's
incredible and they're so much talent out there like I want
everyone to shine. So that's what this is all
(46:32):
about. And Jessica speaks Portuguese,
so if you do not speak, if you don't speak English and you want
to go to Disneyland, she can help you with your treat as well
in English and Portuguese. I don't know if he speaks
Spanish, French. No, I wouldn't go that far.
No, I don't. I can like understand Spanish,
you know, but or like I could speak it, but it's like, you
know, have Portuguese, have Spanish as a friend, but
(46:54):
Portuguese, I speak it fluently.I write it.
I I speak it. Perfect.
Well, I'll talk to you soon, butthanks again for coming on the
podcast and I can't wait to bookmy Disney dream.
Now you have me all wrong. I'm going to go home and I'm
going to be like, we have to plan this now.
Now I'm like, I don't know if I want to do Disneyland, maybe I
want to do a cruise. Yeah, there's cruises out of
(47:14):
California that look incredible.Like if you do a maybe I need to
come with you. Yeah, and if you do, we.
Can get I'll watch the kids one night.
Well, there's not going to be any kids.
They're going to want to be in the kids club.
So just we'll we'll get into that.
That's a whole other. Dads watch the kids.
We can just go to Disneyland by herself.
They don't want to go anyway. I am all about that life.
(47:37):
Let's go. All right.
Hi, Jessica. Happy Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day. Thank you so much for having me,
having me on. I appreciate it.
Thanks for coming on. Bye.
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