Wanderlust & Wheelchairs: Making Travel Possible with Laura Ishmael

Today I’m chatting with my friend Laura Ishmael, special needs mom, travel advisor, and all-around travel pro. Laura shares how travel became part of her family’s life, even after her daughter Sophie’s rare brain malformation diagnosis. From navigating accessibility challenges to embracing flexibility, Laura’s story is all about keeping dreams alive, even when the path looks different than expected.

We talk about:
🌍 How Laura’s family adapted their travel style after Sophie’s diagnosis.
🛫 Practical tips for overcoming common travel fears (accessibility, medical needs, disrupted routines).
🏨 The magic of staycations and why even small getaways can be life-giving.
💡 How a travel advisor (like Laura!) can help make travel feel possible again.

If you’ve ever felt like travel just isn’t in the cards for your family anymore, this episode might just change your mind!

Get to Know Our Guest, Laura Ishmael:

• Website: Our Next Adventure
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• Email: laura.ishmael@fora.travel

Connect with Kara, host of The Special Needs Mom Podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespecialneedsmompodcast/
Website: https://www.kararyska.com/

Join the Community:
Pathway to Peace Coaching Community is currently open for enrollment. Instantly get access to authentic community and weekly coaching! Give yourself the gift of growing alongside moms who deeply understand you and will be with you in your joys and sorrows. --------> Learn More HERE

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:05

Hi, I'm Kara, life coach, wife and mom to four incredible and unique children. It wasn't all that long ago that my son received a diagnosis that had my world come crashing down. I lacked the ability to see past the circumstances, which felt impossible and the dreams I once had for my life and family felt destroyed. Fast forward past many years of surviving and not at all thriving, and you'll see a mom who trusts that she can handle anything that comes her way and has access to the power and confidence that once felt so lacking. I created the Special Needs Mom podcast to create connection and community with moms who find themselves feeling trapped and with no one who really understands. My intention is to spark the flair of possibility. In your own life and rekindle your ability to dream. This isn't a podcast about your special needs child. This is a podcast about you. If you are a mom who feels anxious, alone, or stuck, then you are in the right place. Welcome.

Speaker: 1:14

Hello, and welcome to the Special Needs Mom podcast. Today we have an interview style episode, and our guest is Laura Ishmael. Laura is somebody who has become a friend of mine through this beautiful special needs community, and she's a mother to two children, to two little girls, and she'll of course tell you a little bit more about them in the episode. But I asked Laura to come on to the show because I wanted her to talk about her experience as a traveling mom. And even beyond that, she stepped into a new role for her, which is being a travel advisor. If that's not a term familiar to you, then don't you worry, we'll talk all about it in the episode. But I wanted her on here because I noticed when I was watching her share online, she shares. All the different sides of travel and what that looks like for families like ours. And it for me really had me dipping into a little bit of dreaming that maybe I had stopped doing. And that's what I hope that you take away from this episode that, you know, many of us, we don't anticipate that our life. Looks like it does now. We didn't anticipate and many of us formerly liked traveling and for a lot of good reasons. That's just not part of the picture anymore. I think Laura is perhaps a good person to help maybe kickstart some of that life coming back into the dreaming that needed to take a break, but now is ready to bloom. So we're going to talk about both practical and a little bit of tactical, but really about like her story as a mom and still challenges that they come across as they travel. But. I think you're really going to love the conversation, I know you love Laura, and my hope is that again you walk away from this episode having the same maybe dream type thoughts come into your head, things that you hope you can do or you decide that you want to do after listening to this episode. And of course, reach out to Laura as a resource. She's thrilled to be there for you. And we'll of course, put all of her information and contact information in the show notes. All right. With that welcome, Laura.

Kara: 3:42

Well, good morning Laura, and welcome the Special Needs Mom podcast.

Laura: 3:47

How are you?

Kara: 3:48

I'm good. I'm excited to hang out. I feel like, this is a twofer because, we are acquainted

Laura: 3:54

Mm-hmm.

Kara: 3:55

you know, outside of the podcast world, and so it's fun. We get to hang out and I get to dive deeper in, you know, like. All the things that I think are just really special about you and that you have to share with this community. So let's tell everybody a little bit about, more about who you are and I'll share a quick, funny, coincidence as we get started. And that is, we met originally at a retreat, right? Is

Laura: 4:19

Mm-hmm. Yeah. we are together.

Kara: 4:22

And that was the one in San Diego. Do I remember that correctly? Okay. that was fun. And so we met there and then, I don't know, like a year or so later, maybe more, my neighbor, well actually my ex neighbor, she moved away, reached out, and I was like, oh my gosh. You know, Laura and I was like, yeah. And it was like this random like connection because her husband works with your husband. And so I was like, this is a now a really good little trio. And so we've since hung out as a, as a trio and we're gonna get another in the books. And so that's a really fun, like evolution of a friendship kind of story. So.

Laura: 4:59

Special needs world is small.

Kara: 5:01

It is. Right? Yeah, that's, I guess that's another way of putting it. So that is a fun, how, I know you a little behind the scenes. So, when I first met you, I think you had pretty recently moved from Nebraska,

Laura: 5:14

Yes. Yep.

Kara: 5:16

So tell us a little bit about that and tell us, actually give, give us more background. So, where you live, your family dynamic, a little bit about that kind of

Laura: 5:23

sure. sure. So, yes, we lived in Omaha, Nebraska for many, many years. And, while we were living there, my husband actually got a job offer for a company in California. but The trade off was he can work from home one week and the next week he works in California. So he commuted back and forth to California for like the first four years of our first daughter's life while we lived in Omaha. and that's kind of how we got into traveling initially is. I was able to stay at home with our daughter and we started traveling with him. and then she was like five weeks old, the first trip that we went on. So, we slowly evolved, got into more travel, started writing a, a blog called Our Next Adventure, where it started as kind of just sharing with friends and family what we were doing because it was very. Unconventional at the, at this time, like people didn't work from home or work remotely, like this was brand new. And so I started that as kind of just, sharing our trips and things we were doing. And then it morphed into, as we got a little bit more, confident in traveling with a baby and then a toddler to start sharing tips. And then it became like an actual travel blog. And then we, got pregnant with our second child, Sophie, and, found out when we went in for her 20 week ultrasound, waiting to find out if we were having a boy or girl, and found out instead that she had a rare brain malformation called ho LoPro cephalic. And so, as I'm sure everybody listening can understand, our world was just completely flipped upside down. Travel had become such a big part of our lives and now it was like, felt like something that was had to just stop right then and

Kara: 7:02

it like got ripped away from you along with a dream of that you had for, you know, this unborn child. Yeah.

Laura: 7:07

Mm-hmm. And so it was obviously a very hard time. and then Sophie was born and she was. Is totally fine. Like you wouldn't even know that she had anything wrong with her brain. So it was a real mind f but,

Kara: 7:22

Can I imagine you're like, hmm. Hmm.

Laura: 7:25

but anyways, so to make a long story short, over the years we just really started like, I guess like everybody does. You just start figuring out your child and what they need and researching and, getting an MD in Dr. Google. And the same thing kind of happened with travel like. You know, I originally thought, there's no way we're gonna be able to do this. And then, you know, I just researched my way into little by little traveling more and more. And then eventually, sorry to go back to the California part, we, decided to move back to California. My husband and I had lived here before. We had kids for a little bit. Um, but we just found that it was gonna be a better long-term environment for Sophie in terms of access to different, really specialized types of therapies for her and state services that are available here. And also just so much at our doorstep for travel that we don't have to go so far get to, to unique places. so that was kind of part of what led us to California. In addition to my husband's job and no longer having to commute back and forth.

Kara: 8:25

Yeah. That's a win, I guess, right? He can spend his travel time going like fun places, although I guess going to California from Nebraska probably felt pretty fun for a

Laura: 8:33

yeah. That was pretty fun.

Kara: 8:34

for the first little bit there until it got maybe old.

Laura: 8:38

Then you wanted to see some more new.

Kara: 8:40

Yeah. Right. What do you love about travel? I.

Laura: 8:43

Oh gosh. I don't know. I've always been such a travel nerd. Like even when I was in high school, I grew up on a little farm in South Dakota and so like we never traveled anywhere, but like I would just like. Study maps and I watched Rick Steves on PBS. Like, I don't know, I've just always been so fascinated by the way people live in different places and wanting to experience that myself. And then when obviously when you have kids, it takes on a whole new meaning.'cause then you feel like you're really sharing that with them and making like a, you know, a global citizen out of, you know, your own kids. and I would say. All of our best memories as a family have always been through travel. That's the things that we remember the most. Not that it has to be traveling, of course, but for our family, that's where we really have some amazing moments together.

Kara: 9:31

Yeah. Now that you say that, I think that at least those are the moments that I think are so different than normal life. They stick out in your mind a little bit differently. Like we talk a lot about, we did a trip to Zion. it would've been maybe like, it was 2022, so what's that like three years ago now? And that particular year. We had a Disney cruise scheduled, but my son's, he at that time was undergoing cancer treatment and you can't really schedule. like, I mean, they did work with us a little bit. Like they worked with us around going out to Zion. but we had to cancel the cruise, I should say. We had to postpone it for a year. and we ended up planning this, this trip to Zion. And it's still, I think, one of the family's favorite trips. Like they, we loved it so much. It was such a special time, I think.'cause we also were in such, I don't call it hell, like right between surgery and treatment and like, it was just

Laura: 10:26

a relief.

Kara: 10:27

And to be somewhere so different, to be together as a family, like it was pretty incredible. So now that you say that, yeah, I'm like, that makes a lot of sense. And, and don't worry, we are gonna be talking about some of the travels.'cause I think, you know, everyone listening whether disabilities are more behavioral based, like kind of stemming from symptoms of autism, more medical, like we're gonna talk about it all. And I think the, talking to Laura before the show, I think her heart is to have people see the possibility.

Laura: 10:58

Mm-hmm.

Kara: 10:58

travel and to work past some of the immediate barriers that are so understandable and sometimes hard to get over. And that's why, you know, it's nice to partner with people to have help and not to, you know, be stuck inside your own head and your own limitations. So.

Laura: 11:13

Yeah, for sure. It's scary. There's so many more decisions you have to make and things you have to consider. And sometimes I think it's just so overwhelming that you don't even want to like go down that road. Like on a day-to-day basis, how many decisions are we already making and our brains are spinning constantly and then you're gonna plan a trip somewhere on top of that. Like I think for most of us, like the bandwidth is, it's hard to find.

Kara: 11:37

Yeah, I found that'cause I was, I was sharing with you also. We, so spring break's coming up. We're recording this now in early March. And, we really wanted to do something as a family. My husband is a school administrator, so his time off is kind of dictated, like he only has certain weeks off, you know, to the, Large degree. And so we wanted to do something, wanted to capitalize on that, especially'cause I have a 17-year-old who is very busy and it's hard to like get him, isolated enough to do something as a whole family. And, it's like I, I wanted adventure, but I also know and knew that I needed also ease in this vacation. Like I need, I knew that I couldn't add something that was going to add a lot of stress for me. For me, that meant a plane flight was probably out just because the added stress that it is for me'cause I'm not very well practiced at flying with the family. so we can talk about that. But we ended up renting a motor home and we're gonna be driving out to the Grand Canyon and doing two days there and going to Sedona. So we're all excited about it. And

Laura: 12:35

well that sounds great. Super fun. And having been to Zion, then you already know like this is something that you know, we like and enjoy and that we were able to do before. And so

Kara: 12:47

Yeah, the motor home for us is a choice out of like, it's like the accessibility of like, able, wherever we go, we'll have a home base with us where Levi can be comfortable, where we can have all the things right. And so, Yeah, it feels good. I, I, it took a while to settle into, like I just didn't have peace about any of the ideas that we were

Laura: 13:07

Mm-hmm.

Kara: 13:07

brainstorming. but this one feels good, so

Laura: 13:11

Yeah.

Kara: 13:11

I'm excited about it. Okay. But let's talk about, I would love to hear a little bit more about like, so as, so you became really good at traveling'cause you practiced a lot and when you had one child, you added a second child who did have. Additional needs on the table. So as you kind of look back, what do you observe in terms of kind of maybe the dream that you might've had kinda shifting as you knew that you're going to need to accommodate to for Sophie's needs?

Laura: 13:41

Yeah, it's been, I mean, it's still really hard for me even now, like there's, you know, we just recently went to Hawaii and you know, we checked into the hotel and Sophia was just exhausted from a day of travel and I. Evelyn really wanted to go down to the pool and it, and it just like hurt so much because it's like I want our whole family of four to be able to go down to the pool. Right now we just got to Hawaii, but I couldn't do that because Sophie needed that rest time to recharge. And so I guess that those feelings are never going to go away. It's always gonna be hard. Unfortunately, I think it's the same as just the way our daily life is where, where you have those struggles, but we find ways to adapt. We find ways to make it work. It's unconventional, but I would rather do it the unconventional way than not go at all. And so, what that means in practical terms for us has changed a lot. When Sophie was little, it was, you know, making sure that we're staying near a children's hospital or making sure, like, I even went to the steps of having like a letter from her doctor explaining her condition translated into Spanish. Like, just like anything that would give me peace of

Kara: 14:50

thought of that. Yeah.

Laura: 14:51

We would do. And then as Sophie got older, then the needs became more behavioral because she also was diagnosed with autism. So, and I don't think I mentioned she uses a wheelchair, so we've had to get into, when she was little, we could carry her. Now we need more accessible places. So, it just evolves over time. like everything with our kids, I feel like you, you get one thing figured out and then something new happens. So I, it's Not much unlike our regular day-to-day lives. But, I think being able to adapt and to also just accept that it's going to be different. It's going to be hard, but it will still 100% be worth it.

Kara: 15:29

Yeah, it's making me think of like, mm, it sounds like you can go in with maybe. Accurate expectations So you described this time where you got to Hawaii, you know, everyone's excited and I'm sure Sophie was excited too, but she was just tired. and you probably would've been able to predict that one of you was gonna need to take a break with Sophie rather than go down to the pool. Is that accurate? Yeah. Right. And so I feel like you can kind of set yourself up to expect to do that versus be surprised and then maybe resist what the reality is, the needs of your family. And, you can tell me if, if this is accurate, but it sounds like practicing a lot has helped you set up those expectations for what it will look like versus what like you might hope it would look like.

Laura: 16:19

Yeah. And yeah, like you said, setting those expectations for yourself and not holding yourself to a standard of what everybody else is doing. I real struggle with that comparison and like really wanting to get into my head of like, why does it have to be so much harder for us? Which I mean is a hundred percent true. It is harder for, for our families like ours. but it doesn't mean we can't do it, you know, we're just doing it differently.

Kara: 16:44

well, and I think one of the reasons why I wanna have this conversation is like, I think that. It's like, well we all know that there's no map for any of us, but I think especially for what travel, like more extensive travel or farther travel looks like.'cause a lot of people are traveling for medical, they're doing travel, but just not necessarily for leisure. There's no map of like, what does this look like when you have needs X, Y, and Z? Like, there's not a lot of people doing it, and so I think that's what I think I really enjoy about watching you on your Instagram stories is like you're sharing how you're doing it and you share, you know, obviously it's Instagram so you can't share every second, but like you share the times where you're taking a break and you're in the room Or vice versa. And so, and I really appreciate that.'cause I feel like it almost helps me set expectations for myself of what our divide and conquer looks like in terms of how we divide our family to accommodate the different needs of, of all of our kids. And it's really

Laura: 17:43

I think you definitely hit the nail on the head that like we, there's not a lot. Representation or like, I think sometimes it just helps to see other people doing it. So it gives you confidence that you can do it. And when you don't see anyone else doing it, it's like, well, maybe we shouldn't be, or maybe this is not worth it. so we try to share, or I try to share everything. The good, the bad maybe, I mean, not all the bad because obviously Sophia's still a kid who deserves to like have that privacy of, you know, when she's having a bad day. But, You know, if there's a time where I have to go sit in the car with her'cause she needs a time to chill out, then I'll say, well that didn't work very well. I guess we're gonna wait in the car.

Kara: 18:23

Yeah, I think I'm even remembering, was it Ireland where you guys like, got to a dinner and she just wasn't, it wasn't in the space where she was gonna

Laura: 18:31

oh. Yeah, that was in Sonoma. But I mean, that happens just about every trip

Kara: 18:34

Okay,

Laura: 18:35

we have to cancel a dinner

Kara: 18:37

so you think you're going to dinner and it turns out you're not going to dinner because it's just not what you're, you find at some point that Sophie's not gonna be able to do that. How do you guys pivot? Like how, how do you do that in terms of Setting the expectations of your older daughter.

Laura: 18:51

Mm. That is really hard. she, I mean, she gets it. Obviously she's been raising Sophie with us her whole life. it is really disappointing for her, but she also knows that's where the divide and conquer comes in, where, you know, there's things that. If we know Sophie can't do something like horseback riding, Matt will stay with Sophie at the hotel and Evelyn and I go horseback riding or you know, in Hawaii they did a kayaking tour. Matt and Evelyn went, and me and Sophie stayed back. So we do have to do that a lot. it comes to pivoting and that, this just happened actually in Hawaii, we went to this tiki bar and it was right before our flight home and they had.gyoza a, which Evelyn loves, za and Edamame. And we had to leave because Sophie was so just tired. It was a really long day and we just had to call it. that's another thing is just knowing when to throw in the towel and not force something.

Kara: 19:39

Mm-hmm.

Laura: 19:40

she was really upset and it's like. It's just kind of the reality of, this life and what we have to do. We sometimes plans don't work out and we have to leave, but a lot of times we will try to just one of us stay back with Sophie and the other one, continue with Evelyn if we can, because you know, made it this far. We might as well, at least half of us see it. And my husband and I are a good team in that way of like understanding that we have to split up, like you said, divide and conquer. That's the best way to put it. You to the restaurant comment, though, we are foodies and we love food. So if we have to leave a restaurant, you better believe we are ordering it to go and we are taking it with us and we're having a picnic in our hotel room because that's what we call it. We're doing a picnic night and we do a lot of, most. When we travel internationally especially, we usually don't eat dinner out that much. just because we know it's been a busy day. It's always been out all day. Let's just get food and take it back. It doesn't mean we can't have good food or local food. It's just sometimes in the comfort of our hotel room.

Kara: 20:39

And put on softy pants. That sounds great to

Laura: 20:41

Exactly.

Kara: 20:42

I'm, I'm in. As long as somebody else is making it for me, I'm pretty happy. It doesn't sound in terms of kind of back to the sibling dynamic, it doesn't sound all that different than everyday life where we are navigating the challenges and the disappointments of the sibling experience. And I don't know, I, I find myself often telling myself to kind of soothe myself that these kids are getting to learn really good skills. in terms of learning how to have big feelings to acknowledge themselves and their needs to, you know, be sad and mad and all the different things. And so that's how I soothe myself and is thinking that my kids are learning these skills that I didn't learn until I was an adult. And, I guess it makes me feel better about doing really hard things.

Laura: 21:35

Yeah, and we have done too, like I've done solo trips where it's just Evelyn and I, and I think she really well. I know she really enjoys that time. One because it's just easier. We don't have to be on Sophie's schedule, which unfortunately we are typically on Sophie's schedule. But then it also gives her that one-on-one time, and it gives me that like desire to travel too. We all kind of get something out of it. So I think if you have a child who. You think it would be too much to take them, you know, out of their element. It's not the worst thing in the world. We always say Sophie would probably rather be at home half the time. So if you, you know, need to take a solo trip with one of your other kids, that's a great way too, to build that bond and to be able to still do the travel that you're longing to do.

Kara: 22:22

and I'm thinking of a friend that. Who I know her adult son now, stays back. because he wouldn't do well traveling. it wouldn't be a good environment for him. and so there's a lot of mixed feelings, right? Like they have mixed feelings about leaving him, but it's like, you know, Really, truly recognizing that everybody has needs and wants and desires in that we, we try to make space for them all. Is it easy? No. But will we keep trying?

Laura: 22:57

Is it that picture perfect family vacation? Maybe not, but I don't know. Half those people are probably faking it too, so.

Kara: 23:06

that's right. Probably. Okay. I wanna talk more about, so I'm gonna go ahead and say it, you're like an expert at travel because of practice, but also because it's where you put your attention and you have this incredible blog. I messaged you last time. I was like, your blog is so good. Like, it's beautiful, it's well written, it's informative, it's like very much serving like our community and it's just, it's lovely. And later on we're gonna talk about a new role you've taken on. Which is Travel Advisor. Is that the right term? Right. So we're gonna talk about that and, we're maybe even gonna do like a, a case study on air case study.'cause I, I, I pitched an idea, to Laura before we started recording about a trip that I wanna take. And, before we get there though, let's talk a little bit about. so you talk to people, you see people, people come to you about travel, and you get to hear like where they get stuck. And so my prediction is a lot of us get stuck really early on in the process. And in a way that we kind of just shut down our dream or desire that we kind of quit before we get started because we can't see ahead to see that how of how we're going to overcome whatever obstacle we have. So I don't know, maybe let's go through some common issues and I would love to just get your thoughts on how to stay connected to possibility through each of the issues. How does that sound?

Laura: 24:31

Yeah,

Kara: 24:32

Okay, so let's talk about accessibility issues. So you've mentioned Sophie's a wheelchair user, and now is, grown enough to where you can't necessarily her up everywhere. Levi Levi's way beyond that point, he's, almost 300 pounds. So we are not doing any, picking up and carrying of him. So how do you,

Laura: 24:51

lucky. We are lucky that she's still somewhat small enough that. If, you know, we're down in a subway and there's no elevator, we can lift your wheelchair up and out of there. So we realize that that gives us a little bit more flexibility. But yeah, accessibility issues are real, even in big cities, like we were in London last summer and I was like just so surprised for a city of that size, how many. Subway stations were inaccessible because they didn't have, elevators. otherwise London was pretty good. I will say one of the better cities that we've visited. But, definitely having accommodations that are accessible is gonna be your main, thing that's gonna hold everything together. I feel like you can always kind of figure out the transportation piece, whether it be buses or walking and that kind of stuff, but having a good hotel. that's gonna have. The space you need, be able to get to different, parts of the, if it's a resort, like getting to the different parts of the resort easily with a wheelchair, that's where having, not to like plug myself, but having a travel advisor can be a really helpful asset to you when you're planning, because those are questions that unfortunately a lot of times you have to just reach out directly to a hotel and ask, Like when we went to Hawaii, I asked them for a map and can they show us what the accessible routes are to the pool and all this stuff. so yeah, it's a big one, but, can definitely be navigated. Just requires a lot of attention and a lot of questions.

Kara: 26:14

So I think, and we're gonna plug you the whole time, so don't you be shy about plugging you. I wanna support and promote your business and, people in this community traveling and sparking that joy. So what I hear here is that for people that haven't traveled outside their immediate zone, where they're familiar as much. Perhaps not even knowing the questions to ask is where people can get stuck, right? Like, I wouldn't have thought of contacting the hotel and asking for the accessible routes ahead of time. And so for you, because you've practiced and, and kind of learned through trial and error, you are learn, you've learned the better questions or the more helpful questions to ask, or even choosing a location, right? So, and I, I had mentioned before our call, like, we were thinking about going to Mexico for spring break I wanna go somewhere warm. I don't like the cold. I know, it's very terrible saying that from San Diego as it was like

Laura: 27:07

it's raining here, so gosh.

Kara: 27:10

have a, I know we had one day of rain and now we're ready to go to Mexico. I was thinking through, I was like, okay, I can't stay at an Airbnb because everywhere we go is. Traveling outside of like a accessible place, I wanna go to a resort, right? So thinking through those kind of things, like I could get that far, but not much further. So having someone like you would kind of help close the gap there. Okay. Let's talk about medical emergency, medical needs and kind of how you would point someone to possibility in this regard.

Laura: 27:45

Yeah, so we're lucky that Sophie's Health is. Pretty stable at this point, but there was a time when it, it wasn't so much. And, I would say first and foremost, travel insurance is really important to have.'cause if you have to cancel your trip because of a, you know, an illness or something, an issue that you didn't see coming, you know, that's a real fear to put that much money into, you know, a trip that. It could possibly not happen. There are travel insurance policies that will cover preexisting conditions there. There's just a lot of red tape that you have to kind of be watching out for, but that would be for sure something I would recommend to any family. We've paid out our fair share of travel cancellation policies ourselves. and then just as far as like, making sure that you have a good supply of medication. A lot of times if you need prescriptions or you need to get it extra filled, insurance won't do it because, say you can get it somewhere else, and it's like, well, it's not that easy.

Kara: 28:44

no, actually, I'm gonna tell a quick story just because it's kind of funny. So we went up to see my brother for Christmas. He lives in Reno, Nevada. And we ended up forgetting one of Levi's medications. It's not like a life sustaining medication. It's a, it's a long story.

Laura: 28:59

Yep.

Kara: 29:00

And actually we had thought, oh, let's take a break from this see how it goes. Like when we forgot it, this will be good. Right. Well, two days into it we realized, that is a very important. Medication that we definitely didn't realize how much it was doing and we need it now. Anyhow, so, we did all the calls. I found it, I got the prescription transferred. I was rocking and rolling and, went to go pick it up at Walmart and they were very helpful and very kind, and they came back to me with the medication in their hand and said, Ooh, we're so sorry. This insurance is only accepted in California. And it was because it gets paid for through, our secondary insurance, which is Medi-Cal. And, so I thought that makes a lot of sense. I didn't think about that until right now, this moment. So thank you for your help. Okay. I guess we won't be getting that medication and so.

Laura: 29:52

lucky you're right on the border. Every kid's

Kara: 29:55

Well, we were kind of right on the border. So the next day I, at that point I was like, okay, we're gonna just have to deal. We're gonna get through it. And my husband's more like, no, I'm gonna call around. I am gonna figure this out. And so he found a town, Truckee, California, beautiful little town that was like 35 minutes from where we were staying, which would've not been a big deal except for that we had a snowstorm coming.

Laura: 30:17

Oh of.

Kara: 30:18

So it actually ended up to be really fun because me and Levi and Dan, my husband and my mom, ended up getting in the minivan, driving up to Truckee on Christmas Eve and it was really wonderful. Like we got to see the snow, but like not so much. Yeah, not so much that we were like, oh my gosh, we gotta put our chains on. Like, we were kind of trying to beat the, beat the storm a little bit. Truckee's a gorgeous little town. So we went there, I hopped out to the pharmacy, got it, and got back in the car and turned right around and drove and it, so it ended up to be quite lovely. But, that's my long story of saying yes. Make sure that you're, yeah, yeah, there you go. That's the, that's the skill

Laura: 30:58

Pivoting when necessary.

Kara: 31:01

so anyhow, that's just a story, but medical emergency. So I think, so this is where I would ask your insight. So Levi has some pretty critical, medical conditions that if they are not, like, so how do I describe this? Without going into all the detail, he's very stable until he's not. And when he is not stable, he needs medical help. And it's, you know, life critical. So. What would you suggest for somebody that has that profile?

Laura: 31:29

well, I mean, I'd probably say you wanna stay within the United States, so that if you did have something happen and you need to get back home, then that's an option. we've never had to visit the hospital out of the country, but I have heard that getting medical care in Europe is actually not that bad and it's pretty cheap. So like you think, worst case scenario, if we have to go to the hospital in Spain, at least we know. I do look up like, where is the best children's hospital in Barcelona or wherever we're at, you know, just so I know in the back of my mind, if we needed to go somewhere, then I would at least know where to go. But I would say that's, it's not necessarily a deal breaker, but I also don't feel like that's like such a anxiety inducing situation to be in that I would never like say, oh, just go for it. Go to Europe and you'll be fine.

Kara: 32:19

or I actually, I had this random idea when you were talking. I was like, oh, well we have a, so our tumor community has a international Facebook group and there's people from Europe and they're clearly getting medical care. So that might be like, if it was something that we wanted to do, I, it's certainly not happening soon. That we would be able to perhaps, pave the path for going somewhere and feeling like we also had the medical care backup that we needed.

Laura: 32:44

that is a good point. I totally forgot when Sophie was little. in part of my, you know, crazy brain trying to wrap my head around how we were gonna do this. I made a whole list of every family outside of the US that had Sophie's diagnosis and I was like, okay, this person's in Ireland so I can ask them and this person's in the UK so them advice. But yeah, there's, I mean, our

Kara: 33:05

Yeah, using the resources that we have, which is this wide network. that's a good idea. okay, so medical emergency, so

Laura: 33:13

But yeah, I just in general, having a an idea of like emergency numbers to call being in a hotel obviously versus an Airbnb is I think gonna help a lot. There. There is an emergency, you have people on staff that can help you right away. and yeah, just knowing where to go, knowing your surroundings, goes a long ways. But if, you know, if that's. Too much of a risk for your family or your child. Then you don't have to, in the US has so many amazing places here, you don't have to leave, you know?

Kara: 33:43

That's the wonderful thing about having a big, vast country. okay, so let's move on to the next kind of topic or, or challenge and. Disruptions to routines. So no matter the way we put it, going outside of your house is going to be a disruption to a routine. So how would you have somebody think about that? That wants some adventure, but also it doesn't know if they can add a whole lot of stress to their already stressful baseline.

Laura: 34:12

Yeah. Oh, that we struggle with this. This is probably our biggest struggle, honestly, when it comes to traveling. because Sophie is such a creature of habit. She loves being at home. you know, she loves going to school and then she has her schedule, the school, therapy home, whatever. and it really does throw her off. so we're still kind of working through that, to be honest. I will say that it usually takes her a couple days to adjust. and then after that couple days, she really starts to thrive and you can see like the wheels turning and she's observing everything and she's, like taking in, you know, the street performers or like, children's museum and like she starts to adjust. It is a challenge and It's always been worth it. Like even just in terms of like growth we've seen in Sophie, like when we come back from a trip, she'll be more verbal and sometimes she'll have little like behavioral changes or it really helps her work on her patience. And like this last time, like, gosh, she was a saint for TSA, whereas I was getting really irritated with them. So there are these little like non-measurable things that I feel like she gets out of it too, that. Makes that disruption of the routine worth it.

Kara: 35:24

Yeah, I feel like. For so many, for all the different parts of the family. Like for you to be doing the support for her, like outside of the routine. It's almost like you can see how it could reinvigorate the whole family around when you go back to normal routine, like you've gotten a break, you've gotten a break from the routine. And I think it's so like great that you can pinpoint like, oh yeah, a couple days. It is definitely harder and it settles in and it's always been worth it. Almost like a little bit of like a workout, like no pain, no gain.

Laura: 35:53

You gotta like give yourself a pep talk. Like, okay, the first day's probably gonna suck, but then everything's

Kara: 36:00

is what I tell myself about camping as well, like camping. we like camping as a family, and a lot of times we tent camp and I tell myself, first night, awful, terrible, nobody sleeps. It's terrible. But by the second night, everybody's so tired that everyone just goes right to bed. So it, it actually works out pretty great. Okay, so another common thing I think traveling, whether you're going, you know, stateside or internationally, is being exposed to different environments and that brings up potentials of being treated differently in terms of like, not everybody, treats disabled people. The same culturally. And so I would love to just hear a bit of like, what have you experienced? And then of course, how would you have people think about, or what advice do you have for people who want to kind of go into new environments but maybe have some concerns?

Laura: 36:51

Yeah. I think because I'm so motivated myself to go, maybe selfishly too, that I personally don't, I don't really think about it that much in terms of what other people are thinking or if I am, my biggest thing that I say to myself is we're showing other people what our family looks like because. Disabled people, unfortunately have been kind of put in the shadows for a long time, and I think it's important for us to be out there and, kind of push the boundaries because the world is not an accessible place right now, like, just to be frank. and the only way that that's going to change is by being there and showing up and like saying, Hey. We have a wheelchair and we can't get down the stairs to get out of this museum. You know, like, they're not gonna know that that's an issue unless we show up and are there. So that's kind of the pep talk, I guess I tell myself when, when maybe Sophie's being extra loud in a, you know, some place and it's like, well this is our life. Hi. Like, still exist whether or not us or not.

Kara: 37:58

are there any other areas that you feel like are kind of common things that come up when you talk to. Other families that you're helping travel or that you've encountered yourself, that kind of can, potentially shut down possibility.

Laura: 38:11

yeah, so I would say, I think most people's fear is that they're gonna be looked at as different, but honestly, I. we get a lot of Compliments. Like, it's so good to see you doing this. Or like, you know, they love to see Sophie at the pool. They can see how happy she is. It again, it just increases your visibility in the world, which is a great thing I think in general for kind of moving towards a more inclusive society. but We always get lots of, offers to help with things. You know, when we're carrying Sophie's wheelchair up the, stairs in the subway, there's like 10 people who are like, can we help you? Can we help you? Like, I think people generally are more wanting to help and caring and happy to see you out and about than they are judging you,

Kara: 38:52

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. yeah. I feel like as you're describing this, I can't put my finger on it, but I'm thinking of an experience that we have with Levi that I think it's like, it's moving when you step outside your own typical environment and you see the nature of people and the nature of people being beautiful and welcoming and generous, that just feels good, you know? And, and that's just, I think one of the perks of traveling is you get to expose yourself to different things that like stick out to you differently. So much good stuff. So I wanna talk about your role as a travel advisor. I don't know that it was a term that's like, I know exactly what it was. I know a little bit more now cause like I've, you know, studied a website, but, we're gonna save people that time. So why don't we start with like, what does a travel advisor do?

Laura: 39:37

Yeah, so I think most people, when they hear the term travel advisor, they're more so thinking of like a travel agent, like an lady behind a desk, you you to some Cancun Resort. Yeah. Smoking a cigarette, send you some, you know, cookie cutter. Resort in Cancun, but a modern travel advisor is very different. And it is kind of has evolved over the last, I would say, like 10 years or so, I think, to where my goal is to really be more of a guide and a mentor through the whole process. Like not just booking you a hotel, but also like. Planning your entire itinerary. So, you know, everything from where you're gonna stay to, how you're gonna get there, what activities you're gonna do, you know, how you're gonna make it work, especially for special needs families with, you know, maybe there's something one child wants to do, but your special needs child can't do that. Or maybe there's something that your special needs child really wants to do that. You know, finding a balance and something that everybody can enjoy, I think, like you had mentioned. and so, putting it all together then in an itinerary that's seamless. So it takes all the guesswork out of it for you, and you don't have to do hours and hours of research and ask all the questions because I'll do that for you. and really just give you the confidence that like, okay, here's a full package itinerary day by day. And you can have the confidence to go out and know that like, okay, this is gonna be an accessible place to go and this isn't gonna be too loud. Or, you know, this place is gonna have a kids' menu. Just all those, all those little details that become overwhelming. I can handle those for you. I.

Kara: 41:13

Well, I think that's the thing. Yes. I think it becomes overwhelming so quickly, and for most people, this is certainly not all, but I think most people, the women or wives take on the role of, travel planner, in addition to everything else they're doing. And I think also, like they're the ones that need the rest the most. And so giving yourself, like support is something I'm always after. And this It feels like a, why not? I mean, obviously there's some expense involved, so why don't you share with people the different levels of support that you provide, just so people can kind of get their brains going and how they might consider working with you.

Laura: 41:49

Yeah, so it really depends on like how much help you want or how confident you feel.'cause if you feel like you can do part of the pieces yourself and you just need help, like finding a destination or finding a hotel, then it can be as simple as me doing that legwork for you. Or if, like I said, if you just want somebody to do all of it because you're already making a million decisions every day, then even better we can do that too. So there's three different levels. There's basically, like a full service VIP where we just do everything from start to finish. There's kind of an intermediate level where, you know, I'll handle the bones of the trip, like, you know, where you're gonna stay and any like. Formal tours that we wanna book or things like that. And then there's just booking your hotels, which for booking hotels, it doesn't cost anymore to work with a travel advisor. And actually it's great for you because, hotels want to really Wow. Clients that come through with travel agents. So they will give extra little perks, like free breakfast and room upgrades and resort credits, things like that to travel advisor clients, so it doesn't cost you anymore to work with a travel advisor. And then you get some free stuff out of the deal. And I'll also handle the logistics of making sure that you have an accessible room and that you know how to navigate the property. all that fun stuff. And did you know that just because you book an accessible room does not mean you necessarily are guaranteed one. I found that out recently.

Kara: 43:17

You're like, I found that out the hard way. I did not know that

Laura: 43:20

So yeah, a trouble advisor too, confirm all of those details for you can be helpful.

Kara: 43:26

And to be the louder person that gets the accessible room. okay, so this is where I alluded to earlier. I was like, we're gonna do a real case study right before your eyes, ladies and gentlemen. because I was telling Laura, this morning, so Levi, leaves for school late on Tuesdays, the bus comes late, and we were having a very leisurely morning drinking our coffee together. we missed the bus. that was unfortunate, because we were so relaxed. but we were talking about his birthday, his birthday's coming up in May, so it's still a little bit off, but, it's his 16th birthday. And Dan, my husband and I were talking about. How we wanna honor him for his 16th birthday. Because it's funny, even every time I talk about it, like I just feel that well of emotion because I'm seeing all of his peers, you know, that he's grown up with, get their permit and their license. And I think 16 is a really pivotal, birthday that a lot of people are launching into more independence and that is not Levi's. Experience, if anything, he's, being more constricted by, not having, the support that he needs to have any, any independence. So I'm expecting it to have a lot of thoughts and feelings. So we wanted to plan something for him, and we had a couple ideas that he shut down. He did not like them, but we did come up with the idea of a staycation and so. What I know so far is that I would want an extraordinary pool, and it's also Mother's Day weekend. His birthday is the day after Mother's Day this year. So what, what more like would you want from me so that you could then go plan an extraordinary weekend?

Laura: 45:10

So doing a staycation, I guess my first question would be, how far do you wanna go? Do you want it to be in San Diego or just in Southern California? What's your like max radius?

Kara: 45:22

I asked him and,'cause I was saying maybe Orange County, his answer was San Diego. But I also think he might be like answering from like what he knows. So I would say the max radius is to hour drive.

Laura: 45:38

Yeah. well, you're lucky in the fact that you live in Southern California and there's 1,000,001 beautiful hotels with amazing pools, so I don't think you have any shortage of options there.

Kara: 45:51

Well then see, then actually this is where I hit my overwhelm'cause I'm like, there's so many, how do I

Laura: 45:58

Mm-hmm.

Kara: 46:00

this, like if I was saying, okay, go book something, how does it go?

Laura: 46:03

what I do with new clients are when we're first, kind of figuring out. If you know what you might be interested in or what kind of trip you're thinking of is, we do a discovery call. So I, I kind of have a checklist. There's an intake form, sorry, going back, an intake form that you would fill out that just kind of talks about like what's your general travel style, what are kind of what you're looking for, what is your. Vision for the trip? Or what do you envision doing? and then kind of work back from there. So I. like, they call it destination matchmaking, which is like the most fun idea to me is really just like, okay, what vibe do you want? And then how can we match it? So that's kind of where I like to start. and then obviously like, you know, do you wanna do other activities in between or do you wanna just stay at a hotel and, you know, chill out there, which is totally amazing in itself. What kind of like, do you wanna be go, go, go. Do you want to be more laid back? Do you wanna add spa services at the hotel to, you know, really maximize the property there? Or does it not really matter to you? Or do you just want a nice pool and you know, that's it. So kind of just going through what your vision is, like I said, and finding a good property that would match the vibe.

Kara: 47:17

Yeah, I think this could be really fun to really, involve Levi in it, because I feel like my answers might be very different, but I love the idea of him being able to, like, I think he would do very well with a menu. Like, okay, do you want a city vibe or do you want country vibe? Or we, you know, like whatever the different would be. But, I feel like that would be a really great way of honoring him. Okay. Well, we'll have to do that discovery call,

Laura: 47:42

with Levi.

Kara: 47:43

Yeah, I was like, and and he'll be fun. He'll be fun. everyone loves him so much. Okay, so that's how it starts. So I think, yes, we are doing all the promotion to, of course promote your business, but also to promote this community traveling. And you know, I hear from so many moms who are at the point where they just feel like they've had to say no to their dreams. And I feel like this is a very small way of picking back up some of them. to your point, like maybe you don't start with traveling abroad with the whole family. Maybe you start with something close with the whole family. Maybe you travel abroad with just a portion of your family and really kind of think outside the box. And I think that's, you know, really what this special needs life, requires, whether it's travel or not.

Laura: 48:27

Well, and I like the idea of you doing the staycation'cause I think even just, just getting out of your normal day-to-day routine and just being somewhere different is enough to really give you that like. Reenergizing that we need as special needs moms.'cause it can feel so mundane having that routine over and over and over again, and it starts to feel like you're trapped. And so I, for me, travel is like a way to break out of that, even if momentarily, you know, and then we go back to the routine. But it just kind of reinvigorates

Kara: 49:01

Yeah.

Laura: 49:02

you said.

Kara: 49:03

I'm

Laura: 49:03

can start small. You don't go do something humongous, you know, get your feet wet, get your confidence, and then it kind of snowballs from there.

Kara: 49:11

That's what I was thinking about. You know, with our own, my own personal families is like, okay, we need to start practicing flying because, like starting to fly places. because I do wanna do more travel, but because I travel so infrequently, I. It's like, it's always new. It's always kind of new, right? Like, because it's like I, you know, I only fly somewhere once and every once in a while. so I wanna get better at that because also, like this summer, I'm very likely taking Levi to Georgia to a camp. And, I'm gonna stay out there because medically I, I just, I'm not leaving him there. Let's put it that way. Even though he'll be supported by medical staff there, I just, it's too much too soon. but, Yeah. So anyhow. Okay. Well I'm excited. I'm really excited and I'm so happy to have this conversation. Any last closing words that you have on your mind before we do wrap up this episode?

Laura: 50:00

I guess I would just say. it's never going to be perfect. It's always travel. That is, whether you have a special needs child or not, it's always a little messy. You're always going to have challenges and you have to pivot. And so I think just being able to really embrace that. I would say go with the flow, but that sounds a little cheesy, but just being able to embrace that it's gonna be messy and you know, there is gonna be challenges, but it's gonna be worth it. And at the same time, you know, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I've had people that say like, oh, I don't wanna waste your time. Like, you're never wasting my time. I love talking about travel. I am a complete nerd. I plan trips. I don't even take because it's just fun for me. So you're not wasting my time at all. we can always do like a quick call, just kind of tell me what you're thinking and we can see if we can make it work. And if it doesn't right now or you know, if you wanna go a different direction, that's fine too.

Kara: 50:59

Yeah, I, well, I love it. So ladies, the offer is on the table. You have this gold mind of a resource who's not just knowledgeable and brilliant, but generous and kind and, and you know, just an amazing resource. So thank you so much for sharing your life, who you are, and of course, your passion here at the Special

Laura: 51:20

you. It's been fun. Thanks.

Kara: 51:22

Yeah.