Embracing the Wanderlust: A Digital Nomad's Journey - Alise Saunders : 131

Alise Saunders is a digital nomad/travel blogger, entrepreneur and life coach who has cast aside the anchors of traditional life for the freedom of the open road. Alongside her partner, Greg, and their two cat travellers, she shares their story of transformation from a Dallas apartment to the warmth of the Strawberry Festival in Humboldt to the unexpected generosity of strangers in Greece, a life of globetrotting adventure.

Alise's tale is a captivating mosaic of the highs and lows of full-time travel. Discover how they tackle everyday challenges, including pet nutrition on the go and the complexities of navigating foreign landscapes, all while collecting moments of human connection that surpass language and borders. Her meticulous planning goes into a lifestyle many only dream of. Alise's story isn't just about travel—it's an open invitation to reconsider what we hold dear and to envision a life where work and wanderlust coexist in a harmonious dance of endless exploration.

Let's enjoy her story!

To connect with Alise: https://talesfromanuntamedsoul.com/e-book/ 

Transcript

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Daniela SM 0:04

Hi , I'm Daniela . Welcome to my podcast . Because Everyone has a Story , the place to give ordinary people's stories the chance to be shared and preserved . Our stories become the language of connections . Let's enjoy it , connect and relate , because everyone has a story .

Daniela SM 0:34

Alise is a digital nomad , travel blogger , entrepreneur and life coach who is living the dream life on the open road . We recorded this episode through her phone all the way from Greece , along with her partner , Greg and their two cats; yes, cats , you heard that well , Two cats . They have travelled for over a thousand days . Many people say life is too short not to do what makes you happy , but very few actually take action . Alise and her husband are amongst those who did . They are living a life of adventure , and Alice is certain that anyone can do the same . According to her , it is not difficult once you set your mind to it , and nothing can stop you . So Alise's story here is not just about trouble . It is a reminder for all of us to reconsider what truly matters in life . She invites us to envision a life where work and wanderlust can coexist in perfect harmony and we can explore the world endlessly , so let's enjoy her story . So welcome Alice to the show .

Alise Saunders 1:39

Thank you so much for having me .

Daniela SM 1:42

Alise , I know that you are a traveler , a nomad , a digital nomad , I guess . Yes , I'm super excited that you're here . Can you tell me why you want to share your story ?

Alise Saunders 1:52

Well , I think it's so important for people to understand and know that there's another way to live right . We don't have to just work our 50 years and then be able to start living when we have the least money and our health is probably declining . There is a way to have an amazing life and live and work in the prime of our life .

Daniela SM 2:21

Yes , I believe in that too . Have you met people on your travels that when you tell them what you do , they think that , oh my God , that's wild . I would never do something like that .

Alise Saunders 2:30

Yes , we actually hear that quite a bit , but mostly people are intrigued . They oftentimes will say , oh my gosh , I want to do that , I want to have that life Great .

Daniela SM 2:42

Okay , and so when did your story starts ?

Alise Saunders 2:46

April 2021 , greg and I let go of the lease to our apartment . That was at the point that we had donated most of our belongings . We packed what was left into our car , along with our two cats , and set out on the road , and we've been traveling ever since , which is over a thousand days ago .

Daniela SM 3:04

Oh , wow , over a thousand . Wow , amazing , you're counting them . Huh , yes , is there a goal ? For how many days ? No , not anymore . But was there a goal ? Nope , not at all . Okay , great , and so you started where traveling .

Alise Saunders 3:17

Yeah . So our first destination out of our hometown of Dallas , texas , in the United States , was Humboldt , tennessee . It is a small map dot of a town in Tennessee . We arrived just in time for the annual and infamous Strawberry Festival , which Greg and I just loved , and we had a great time . We met the mayor and the town just welcomed us with open arms .

Daniela SM 3:44

That's wonderful . So then you continue . Was there any point where you were like , okay , this is really hard , or you regret it , or you found it difficult ?

Alise Saunders 3:54

I think coming to Greece has been difficult , and hard only because I grew up in the United States . It's the only way of life that I know . Coming here to Greece , where the roads are extremely small , the driving is completely different . It's like driving in a hurricane every single day . It was really difficult , scary at times .

Daniela SM 4:23

Yes , I can imagine .

Alise Saunders 4:24

But other than that , throughout all of our travels of Greece as well as the United States , we have just loved traveling and definitely not ready to give that up at all .

Daniela SM 4:36

Okay , and just going back , you were in the States for how long , traveling around different cities .

Alise Saunders 4:41

About two years and then a year here in Greece . We're almost at our three-year mark .

Daniela SM 4:47

And what made you jump from the US to Greece ?

Alise Saunders 4:51

It was our intention originally when we set out on this journey to go international . The only reason that we didn't start with international travel was because of COVID Europe really hadn't opened up . It was still very difficult to travel here with tests and papers and things like that , and so we just decided that we were going to go ahead and travel the United States . And you know , once we started getting toward the end of our um like second year , like maybe halfway through our second year , we really started to consider what are we going to do for the next year ? And so we looked at how much Europe had started to open up and travel was just a lot easier . And that was when we made the decision that we would come to Greece .

Daniela SM 5:42

That sounds great . And tell me about the cat . How has that been to go traveling with the cat ? I mean , it's just having two little kids , because it seems really difficult to be doing that .

Alise Saunders 5:52

It is really difficult . In fact , one of the things that we were considering was Argentina for this year , after our visa requires us to go back to the United States when our travel is done here in Greece , and once we arrived back in the United States when our travel is done here in Greece and once we arrived back in the United States we actually thought that we might fly to Argentina . We did all of the research as far as the Airbnbs , the visa , et cetera , and when we got to the part about making sure that there would be our cat food because they're on a specific prescription cat food , that we could get cat supplies , et cetera we were able to determine that they do not have our cat food at all . You cannot get it , cannot bring it , no way . No , how that nixed Argentina . We were no longer going there . There are so many countries that we can't bring them to . There are countries that require quarantine , which we will not do because we're not moving there right , we're just traveling and enjoying time there . So we want it to be a country that's very easy for us to get the cats in and get the cats out and get the supplies that we need for them while they're there , Much like Greece has been .

Alise Saunders 7:04

It's been amazing and so , yeah , it's very challenging . It's costly as well . You know . It can be hundreds of dollars to have the cats on a flight under the seat per cat . Documentation for each cat can cost hundreds of dollars , and you know . Then there's just the regular traveling with pets can be challenging in general . So it's very difficult . We love our cats , we're happy to have them with us . Traveling will be a lot easier , you know , once they have moved across the rainbow , but we're definitely not in a hurry for that to happen .

Daniela SM 7:45

And how old are they ?

Alise Saunders 7:47

They're going to be 14 this year .

Daniela SM 7:49

Oh , wow , okay . So yeah , pretty , pretty old . That's why they're probably on a special diet . Yes , apart from the small roads , what have you learned ? How have you changed from being a year in Greece ?

Alise Saunders 8:03

How have you changed from being a year in Greece ? I would say that I was unprepared to learn the level of kindness that humanity can possess that I have been able to learn from the Greek people . That was something that really has changed me . Something that really has changed me . It really makes me look at how I interact with people differently , especially people who are not from my country , right when I go back to the United States .

Alise Saunders 8:37

This is something that I really want to keep close to my heart to be very patient with people who may not be from the United States . Carry on the lesson of that generous humanity that we've been able to learn here . The other thing that I've been able to really learn is the confidence that I have been able to develop in myself is completely at a different level . Being able to drive in a foreign country , as chaotic as Greece can be , is a whole level of confidence . To be able to navigate a country with different cultures and language barriers at any given moment has just really helped me to develop a significant level of confidence in myself to be able to navigate the world , to be able to take up space in the world . It's just really been an incredible gift .

Daniela SM 9:56

Wonderful . That sounds amazing , so you would recommend to anyone to travel .

Alise Saunders 10:01

Oh , absolutely . I think that travel in general helps us to level up as a person . It helps to expand our mind . There's so many challenges in my own country right now politically about human rights , and so many of the challenges that people are focused on are petty and insignificant . When you start to travel , your mind opens up and you have a lot of clarity about the challenges that the world is really facing .

Daniela SM 10:37

That's wonderful . I'm glad that that's something that you learned , because a better person in this world is now there .

Alise Saunders 10:45

Exactly .

Daniela SM 10:46

Yes , and so now you are moving around quite often , so you stay in each city about a month or longer .

Alise Saunders 10:53

Sometimes it's only a couple of weeks to a month . I don't think that we've really stayed anywhere longer than a month and a week .

Daniela SM 11:02

Okay , and that decision is based on what why do you not stay any longer than a month and a week ? Okay , and that decision is based on what why do you don't stay any longer than a month ?

Alise Saunders 11:08

Just because we have so many places that we want to go and see and enjoy and learn and experience .

Daniela SM 11:14

Oh , that sounds great . And so , based on that , what are the things that you miss from home ? Being in Greece , you mean yes , yes , I'm doing the comparison of being steady , having your house , everything is like the same , and so now you're moving around , so you obviously I'm sure you don't have a truck full of your items . You probably have two luggage each , or maybe only one , so how does that work ?

Alise Saunders 11:40

Honestly , I don't miss anything . I don't think that Greg and I really want for anything . It's one of the reasons why we originally decided to stay in an Airbnb . We have lots of space , we stay in beautiful homes . If we ever decide to settle down , we have so many ideas of how we would decorate that house or how we would build it . After seeing and staying in so many different homes around the world , you know there just really isn't anything that we miss . As far as being in Greece right now , the only thing I miss from home is tacos .

Daniela SM 12:16

Really that's funny . But how were you when you and your husband when you were younger , you know , like when you were younger , when you were kids , Were you always this curious , this adventurous , or what changed ?

Alise Saunders 12:30

Well , I would say my husband probably more so than me . Of course there's 18 years difference between the two of us . He's 18 years , my senior , but he grew up overseas . He was 25 years in Asia . He moved there when he was a small boy , leaving when he was an adult man , had extensive travel Asia , even working in Borneo , worked in Hawaii . I mean , he just had an extensive travel background . His family was able to take him all over the world . That was just wonderful for him . So he's always had that love of travel .

Creating a Life of Purpose

Alise Saunders 13:13

For me , I grew up like 180 degrees from him . Financially , travel vacations , that wasn't really a thing for us . It was something that travel only existed for me in National Geographic magazines that I looked at in school . It just was something that I would look at those images in the National Geographic magazines and think , oh my gosh , that's amazing . It's so beautiful , that's incredible .

Alise Saunders 13:40

But that's not for me . That was just never something that was even in my mind , that would ever be available to me because of the circumstances that I grew up in . As I grew up , society says okay , you have to get a job , you have to work really hard , you have to move up , you have to have a car . You have to have a car , you have to have a house , you have to have all these things that everybody else is having , and this is how we measure success . I did that , I had that , and I just really have not found the happiness in that life that I've been able to find in the life of being a entrepreneur with my own businesses and just literally deciding I want something different in my life and then putting together a plan to make that happen . And now I'm living that life .

Daniela SM 14:37

Oh wonderful , when you meet your husband was he slowly putting that seed in your brain that , okay , we're going to , or was your idea , or how did that happen ?

Alise Saunders 14:47

Yeah , actually it was totally my idea . Years before we actually got out on the road , we had looked at trying to do something similar . We put down a deposit on a sprinter van and the day that we went to pick it up , greg was like it's too small , I can't do it . Like it's just the space is too confining , I'm going to go crazy . And so we got rid of the idea , didn't really think about it again .

Alise Saunders 15:18

I started my first business , left my nine to five job , said goodbye to my six figure salary , didn't have a single client and slowly built up my business . Then it was like okay , I've done this . This is amazing , life is incredible . It's so much better , I'm happier , I am living to my own moral code . But is this it ? Like I'm just still going to do this business and these four walls every single day , like for the next 30 years , and this is as much living as there is for me .

Alise Saunders 15:57

And I just wasn't going to accept that . I really wanted something more . I really wanted to feel like I was fully living . I really wanted to feel like I was fully living . And so there was just a evolution of processes that occurred , conversations that occurred , healing that occurred in my own life and I just approached Greg one day and I was like I have a crazy idea . The words that make his heart stop every time I say it . I was like you know , I've come up with this idea . I think we should sell everything , I think we should get out on the road , and I have a solution to the space issue . We're going to stay in Airbnbs , which are going to be like full , normal houses , and we're going to travel and do it that way . I already have my own business , but I have an idea . Let's create another one . Let's do it together . And here we are . So it was my idea .

Daniela SM 16:57

Wow . So you are innovative and creative and super clever . For sure , talented as well . I have to add that . Oh , thank you . So you had a business . What is that business and what is the other business that you created ?

Alise Saunders 17:11

I created Elise Saunders Financial Services . That's my bookkeeping business . I help other businesses with their financial needs cash flow , budgeting , the actual bookkeeping , business development ideas , business advisory , basically . As we started to get on the road and share this story with people , they were like oh my gosh , that's so amazing , I want to do that . And we hear that every single day , even today . Anybody that we share our story with is like that sounds amazing , but there are all these barriers for them , whether it's they don't know how to find a remote job , they don't know how to create a business that can sustain them on the road , they have limiting beliefs that say , oh my gosh , that's for somebody else kind of like I did as a kid . And so I created Tales from an Untamed Soul , which is basically a one-stop digital nomad shop right To get people on the road having the life of their dreams in a digital nomad space .

Daniela SM 18:20

So , but this is a book or this is like a coaching classes , or what is it .

Alise Saunders 18:25

All of the above . So we have a ebook how to become a digital nomad . We have coaching right . So , whether it's you want to start a business , I can help you with that , or whether you want to overcome limiting beliefs that are keeping you small in your own life , I can help you with that as well . So we even have destination guides to help you figure out exactly where you want to start and go on your digital nomad journey . Like I said , it's a one-stop shop .

Daniela SM 18:57

Oh wow , that sounds really interesting .

Alise Saunders 18:59

But so you were an accountant before for Hilton Hotel Corporation in my nine to five , and then I transitioned into human resources and revenue management at a corporate and regional level and so moving from that into my own bookkeeping business . It was a natural progression . I had been doing coaching as well for a lot of years on the side and it collaborates with the business coaching that I did even in my nine to five and then in my bookkeeping business , and so it all just kind of ties together .

Daniela SM 19:39

Yeah , so you're very good at knowing that . All your strengths , how you can put that together , that's very good , and having the background of HR , of course , is even better . Really good talents that you have acquired . All things together is like a big bomb of incredible knowledge .

Alise Saunders 19:56

Yes , Thank you so much . That's very kind Well that's awesome .

Daniela SM 19:59

Do you really think that everybody has the opportunity to find a job that not only pay the bills , but something that you will enjoy while you're traveling ? A ?

Alise Saunders 20:07

job that not only pay the bills but something that you will enjoy while you're traveling .

Alise Saunders 20:10

Absolutely , I 100% believe that , and it just becomes a process of helping the individual connect to their heart's desires . Most of us are in jobs that we kind of fell into or we felt pressured through family connections to go into a particular industry or area . There's a lot of us who , if we had to do it again , wouldn't be in the same job doing the same thing . A lot of us haven't followed our heart's desire or we never even stopped to say what do I really want to do ? What is my life purpose ? Why am I here ? What am I supposed to be doing ? And so when we connect to that , to ourselves , to our higher self , and we listen for the answer , we can oftentimes be able to have some direction on what our heart's desire is , what we want to be doing with our life and how can we turn that into a job that makes money or how can we do something in that field that might be a remote job that we can earn a great salary .

Creating Clarity and Building Community

Daniela SM 21:27

So you have a story that somebody that you have helped oh my gosh , I actually have several .

Alise Saunders 21:32

I mean , I guess the one that comes to mind is someone was in a particular industry and it was something that they had done for their entire adult life . It's what they had education for , it's what they knew right , it's all that they had known their entire adult life . And , through a job change and the desire to become a digital nomad , sat back and went . You know , I'm not sure that this is the next job that I want for myself . Is there something that I can create that is my own , that I no longer have to worry about getting laid off or anything like that ? And so , through the coaching process , we were able to identify a business that this individual had been wanting to create , but just never had the push right , never thought that that was really going to happen for them , and so we put together a plan . Within I don't know a week , the website was up . They were in business , going out , networking to establish their business and putting a plan to get on the road . It was really exciting .

Alise Saunders 22:56

You would think that it would take months or years , but when you have that clarity , when you connect to what you want , sometimes it usually happens faster than you think . It all comes with a decision , just like I woke up one day and said I want something different for my life . This is what I want . These are the steps that I'm going to do to create action around that , and I made it happen and Greg and I got on the road . It's very easy to take that and to apply it to many different situations , for either change that people want to see in their life , or all the way to getting someone creating a business and getting on the road as a digital nomad .

Daniela SM 23:41

Yeah , that sounds great . It's true . Everything starts with a decision . The thing that I think is harder is you can have the decision or make the decision to get the idea . I think that's what sometimes causes the issues , because people spend their life trying to know what they want to do with their life . I think it's only like 1% of the population that have the passion since they're younger . Other people just really have to work at it .

Alise Saunders 24:07

That's true in some situations , but in others , when you have a coach and you have a plan and you are actively seeking to listen to your higher self , a lot of times we get those messages but we dismiss them . We say , oh , I can't do that right . Limiting beliefs start to come in , they start to come into play . It's oh , I won't be able to make money at that . Oh , that won't work . Here's why it comes to us . But we dismiss it time and time and time again , creating an excuse or something that pushes that idea to the side . So again , coaching really is about connecting to your heart's desire , listening to what your higher self is saying and being open to different ideas . And sometimes , with clients , it really is about brainstorming some ideas or looking at what their current jobs and skills are . How can that be translated into something that could be my own business ? That really is significantly interesting to me , that I'm really going to enjoy delving into , that I'm going to fight for it really can be an exciting process . Yes .

Daniela SM 25:25

The way you said . It sounds so exciting , for sure . And so , alice , you have your work , which is one of the legs of success . You're traveling and you have a purpose . One of the most important things as well is to have community . So how do you have the community ? By traveling , for example , when you left your friends in your hometown to start traveling in the US . Have you created a new community ? Do you feel still connected ?

Alise Saunders 25:52

Oh , that's a great question . It's so funny . Sometimes people are like , oh , you're going overseas , it's going to be a year before I talk to you again and I'm like in today's day and age , no , I'm going to call you on WhatsApp next week , so nothing changes . We have technology for video calls and things , so we've been able to maintain community across the world . People that we've met while we've traveled we've been able to keep in touch with .

Alise Saunders 26:25

I actively seek out people , women , who are entrepreneurs , who are living similar or different lives . That can help lift me up having virtual coffees with other female entrepreneurs and sharing our stories , learning from other people . There's no bounds to the community in a virtual world that we can have . Last week I was talking to a new friend that I've made , who's another entrepreneur and she lives in London . We've never met . We met online , communicated , decided to have a virtual coffee , shared our stories and we're going to meet again in a couple of weeks and continue the relationship , being able to learn from each other . So it's wonderful with the technology that , despite continent differences , cultural differences , time differences , that we've been able to connect with anybody and everybody that we've wanted to stay in touch with .

Daniela SM 27:36

And how do you do that ? Like are you connecting through LinkedIn and investigating , researching for people ?

Alise Saunders 27:42

I belong to a couple of networking groups for female entrepreneurs , and so you know it's cool to like post , like hey , this is me , this is what I do , and I'm looking to connect with other female entrepreneurs that might , you know , have something to share or want to make a new friend , or you know something like that . I'm just bold about it , like I want to really meet people that are going to lift me up to that next level as an entrepreneur , as a traveler , as a soul .

Daniela SM 28:19

Well , that's a great idea . You know , I actually made a very good friend of mine now by doing that . She did a TED Talk and I complimented her . She responded , which is not usual . I invited her for coffee and we became friends since

Exploring Slow Travel and Business Opportunities

Daniela SM 28:34

then .

Alise Saunders 28:34

Oh , I love that .

Daniela SM 28:35

Yes , I think that it's wonderful that you do that exercise . That's pretty good . That's definitely how to keep community for sure .

Alise Saunders 28:45

Absolutely . It also opens the door for the universe to bring in the people that I need , that are going to help me get to that next evolution of myself . So I'm just doing everything I can traveling around the world , but just staying open at every possible opportunity for that meeting of a new person that's going to share their story , that's going to change me , that's going to elevate me . And how can I serve other people as well ? Right , it's definitely mutual Staying open and creating those opportunities for the universe to bring someone into my life .

Daniela SM 29:25

Yes , that's true , it is mutual . Yes , you are going to benefit , but you are also contributing to that person as well , right ? Wow , that sounds really amazing . You have it all put together there . What else can you do now ? Alice , you already got everything .

Alise Saunders 29:43

I just know that I really want to continue to develop the business , create new offerings that are going to help people create the life that they're wanting to , and I just want to keep traveling .

Daniela SM 30:00

So you said you are going back to the US , to you know , because you have to . You don't have a place to stay , so you're just doing an Airbnb .

Alise Saunders 30:07

We are actually considering something brand new for 2024 2025 . Possibly we don't have any plans absolutely solidified yet . This is still , you know , percolating because I think we're on plan E , f and G at this point for 2024 . A , b , c , d , e , f have all been canceled for various reasons .

Alise Saunders 30:36

You know , I really want to focus on the traveler , who might not be making as much money as they would like for traveling . And how can that be possible ? Of course , you can go to other countries where the dollar is stronger than the local currency . You can go to countries where the cost of living is less than your own country in order to travel . But if I'm also investigating , for example in the United States , instead of staying in Airbnbs , is it possible to do short-term apartment leases , which would be sometimes one-third , one-fourth or even one-fifth of a monthly Airbnb cost . And , trust me , we take advantage of the one-month Airbnb discount all the time . A lot of Airbnb hosts will offer sometimes up to 50% or 60% off when you book the entire month . So we had definitely take advantage of that .

Alise Saunders 31:41

But still , typically , if you rent an actual , say , one-bedroom apartment , it's going to be significantly less .

Alise Saunders 31:51

You have to sign up for utilities and those sorts of things .

Alise Saunders 31:54

So stay maybe two months or three months in an apartment because we love slow travel anyway to really get to understand and immerse ourselves in the local culture , enjoy all the food , get to really see everything in that area , meet people , community , as you were just talking about , and so really we're investigating that option , looking to see if we can find , if there's a lot of places that will do a month-to-month lease or a couple of months and trying to travel the United States maybe for 2024 , utilizing apartments . Or we're also looking at doing some big trips , possibly over to Africa , to Egypt , kenya , and really doing some big travel , leaving the cats back in the United States for short periods of time while we take some larger trips to travel . So that's where we are . Nothing is solidified at the moment . We're still percolating . Like I said , we're on plan E , f and G at this point E , f and G at this point . So we are just trying to stay open and listen to the opportunities that the universe brings to us .

Daniela SM 33:21

Yes , that is funny because people always ask you what is plan B ? And you know there's no plan B . There can be any plan , it doesn't matter . So it's funny that you're saying that you are plan G and E and F .

Alise Saunders 33:32

Yeah , we really are . We originally were like , okay , we're going to Portugal . It was always the plan to go from Greece , go home and go to Portugal for a year . Well , we've been trying to get that Portugal visa and I've talked to the consulate and I'm like your link does not work . And they come back and they're like , yeah , we're aware , we're having our team look at it . Well , they've been looking at it for a year and so we're like , okay , we're not going to Portugal . Then we thought , okay , we're going to go to France . And then the whole bed bug situation in France blew up . We thought , okay , then we're going to , you know , bring in the Olympics in France , and that's probably going to make the bed bug issue worse . So we'll cross off that off of our list . I already told you about Argentina not being able to get the cat food , so literally we are like on plan F Wow .

Daniela SM 34:30

So , but do you think that you have to do a lot of research ?

Alise Saunders 34:33

Oh yeah , I do a lot of research looking at . Can we even get a visa ? How long can we stay on that visa ? Can we bring the cats into the country ? What does that look like ? Is there quarantine ? Is there not right , because we won't go to a place that requires quarantine , you know ? Can we take the cats on the plane with us to that country , in the cabin when we get there ? What are the cost of living ? What do the Airbnbs cost ? What are the places that we might want to go and see ? Can we get a rental car right , like here in Greece ? Greece , we have a rental car for the entire year that we're here , and so it's the same car . We've been driving it since last March , driving it across ferries and islands and everything else , so you know what is the rental car situation in that place . There's lots of things for us to consider to have the travel experience that we're looking for .

Daniela SM 35:35

Yes , yes , of course , Can you explain ? Because you seem busy , even though you're on permanent holiday , I will say but you have your own job and you also have to research . It doesn't seem that you have time to like walk around and leash your time at all .

Alise Saunders 35:51

I think that it's all about balance and organization , but it's also about listening to my body . You know like today I spent the whole day out other than being here talking to you . So today earlier I hiked up to a castle . I hiked to a very secluded , absolutely gorgeous , amazing beach . Then I walked along a path that was next to a whole lagoon full of flamingos and then I came home . So that was my day today . And then I came home . So that was my day today .

Alise Saunders 36:30

And after I get done talking to you , I'll do some work , probably until midnight or one o'clock in the morning my time here in Greece and tomorrow I'll get up , I'll do some work and then I'll go out , we'll come back , we'll have some dinner and I'll work again , probably until midnight , 1 am On Sunday . I'll probably work the whole day , right ? So it all is just about do I feel like I want to get out today ? Do I feel like I just have some things that I feel called and inspired to create and get done , or have I made commitments with clients and such ? So it really is just about taking everything day by day .

Daniela SM 37:18

Yeah , no routine and you make your own as it goes every day .

Alise Saunders 37:23

Absolutely . It was the routine back in Dallas that was literally killing my soul , doing the same thing every day in the same four walls , just essentially waiting to die . It felt like . So yeah , I'm not a big fan of routine .

Daniela SM 37:41

Wow , wonderful . This sounds so incredible . You keep thinking about new businesses and other ideas that you can have , and then now you are thinking about going to the States , but slow travel .

Alise Saunders 37:53

We haven't really decided yet . We're still looking to see if we can find some apartments , again just thinking of our clients who are looking to keep costs a little bit lower . We want to see if we can do it . Is it possible to travel the United States in an apartment ? Get a little travel trailer that we can pull behind the car that has some essential quote furniture right , we were Googling a blow-up bed , a luxury blow-up bed Think of luxury camping , a desk that could fold up and some things you know that we could put into a tiny trailer that we pull behind the car .

Alise Saunders 38:35

But again , you know , like I said , nothing , nothing is solidified . It's an idea that that we're thinking about and we'll see if that's the direction that we go . But I just keep thinking about we could go to Africa , we could go to India , we could go spend the summer in London . So I mean , when you're a digital nomad , you have so many choices , the world is your oyster . It's really about staying open to what the universe is going to help you create and connecting to your heart's desire about what is it that I really want ? So , because we're on plan F , we're a little bit pooped out at the moment , right . So we're just like taking a break . We're looking at these ideas , these options that are available to us of things that we could do . We'll get back to the States . We're going to get to see our brand new grandbaby that was just born a couple weeks ago . We're really excited about that . Then we'll just see where everything goes from there .

Daniela SM 39:36

Wonderful , wonderful , wow . It is inspiring . Just the energy that you are sharing here is just incredible , but also the whole story is just enthusiastic and contagious . Thank you so much , Alise , for your time and sharing your story with us .

Alise Saunders 39:52

Thank you so much for having me . It's been a pleasure .

Daniela SM 39:54

Yes , wonderful . I'm really glad that I met you . Alise Saunders: Thank you ,me too . Daniela SM: I hope you enjoyed today's episode . I am Daniela and you were listening to , because Everyone has a Story . Please take five seconds right now and think of somebody in your life that may enjoy what you just heard , or someone that has a story to be shared and preserved . When you think of that person , shoot them a text with the link of this podcast . This will allow the ordinary magic to go further . Join me next time for another story conversation . Thank you for listening . Hasta pronto