#015 | Travel to Health and Wellness with Tami Hiraoka of Fresi Travels

Before the pandemic, more people were beginning to seek vacations with healthy food options, fitness, and nature experiences. In a post-COVID world, it is anticipated that health and wellness will be even more at the forefront of travel plans. In this episode, discover wellness travel to kick-start a healthy lifestyle or maintain your wellbeing, as well as tips to stay healthy while traveling with Tami Hiraoka of Fresi Travel.

EPISODE NOTES

This post may contain affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you.

Fresi Travels
https://fresitravels.com
281.336.1744
tami@fresitravels.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fresitravels/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FresiTravels/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fresi-travels/

Travaasa Wellness Resort
http://www.hana-maui-resort.connectotels.com

Roam
https://www.roam.com

Outside
https://wifitribe.com

STAY CONNECTED TO SHERI AND CANDICE 

Classes with Sheri

Yin Yoga & Meditation On-line Classes
https://linktr.ee/sheridavidson

20 Minute Interior Design Discovery Call with Candice
https://linktr.ee/candicerogersdesign

Sign-up - Health + Dwellness - Newsletter
https://linktr.ee/Healthdwellness

Sign-up - Sheri Davidson - Newsletter
https://linktr.ee/sheridavidson

Sign-up - Candice Rogers Interior Design - Newsletter
https://linktr.ee/candicerogersdesign

Contact Candice:

candice@candicerogersdesign.com
www.candicerogersdesign.com
FB/Insta: @candicerogersdesign

Contact Sheri:

sheri@element5om.com
www.element5om.com
FB/Insta: @element5_wellness

Transcript

Unknown: 1:42

Welcome to the health and wellness podcast. I'm Sheri Davidson. And I'm Candace Rodgers. This is our quaint, warm space, where we will share our passion for wellbeing and explore everyday living and health, wellness and design to help you thrive in your life. Welcome to the health and wellness podcast. I'm Sheri Davidson, acupuncturist, health and wellness coach and former interior designer. And I'm Candace Rogers. I'm an interior designer and I'm also a wellness designer. And today we have Tammy here at AOPA. And she is here to talk about her company bressi travel and also wellness travel. Yes, Tammy has a travel passion and adventure soul and a foodie bug led her to seek unique experiences across the globe. Tammy is Peruvian and Japanese. She came to the US in 2003 to pursue an MBA at Rice University. She was offered a position after graduation at Ernst and Young and she could not resist. She spent the next 14 years working for an oil and gas company before fully dedicating herself to freshy travel. And a fun fact about Tammy is she lived in a Buddhist temple in Japan where when she was 15 years old, her aunt is married to a Buddhist priest, so she ended up staying with them learn basic Japanese, worked in a tea shop and assisted in the temples daily chores. Hi, Tammy. Welcome. Hi, thank you for having me. That is the coolest one tip. So that that's one tip. I was Tammy and I talk with each other not that long ago. I'm also Japanese and grew up my mom is Buddhist, my mom actually when she went to business school, she lived at a Buddhist monastery with when she was in business school with the Buddhist monks. And she used to tell me how they used to sneak out and had to sneak back in and all this kind of stuff. So when I read that about you, I was like, Oh my god, that's so funny. I love it. I love it. Um, thank you for being a part of the podcast. And we're excited to have you today to talk about your passion for traveling and wellness travel, you know, COVID really put a screeching halt to travel last year. And I guess it's starting to come back slowly. I know people are really itching to get out there ready to travel in domestically as well as internationally. But it is also you know, the pandemic has also put this spotlight on our health and it has actually put our health and well being at the top of our priority list. And people are starting to look for experiences that will actually help them in their their health and wellness and live a healthy lifestyle. That's correct. People are looking more of outdoor experiences. That's what we're seeing a lot of that, right now, Hawaii, it's a very booming destination, because it's the US and it offers a lot of that have a lot of wellness for the clients. It's very outdoorsy. And there's a lot of experiences that you can take, as well as there's local food, people are looking for more local food that the chains that we are used to. And they're also looking for farm to table restaurants recommendations. So I think there's a shift on that side of the travelers, even though they don't say I want a wellness itinerary. Everything that they ask is related to wellness. Really? That's interesting. I didn't I didn't realize that about I was thinking you know, Hawaii, yes, because it's us destination that, you know, people aren't wanting to have to deal with all the hassles of traveling out of the country. But I didn't think about all of the outdoor activities. Basically almost everything that you would do in Hawaii would be outdoor and the weather is always so nice there. So basically any any time of year that you go, the weather, the weather, it's going to be beautiful. So Exactly. So that's why it's a very hot destination right now. It has so much to offer outdoors. And of course, it's still a US territory, so it's a little bit easier to travel. And if anything happens to you, you're still in a US territory with us hospitals and pharmacies. Yeah, that's true. That's true, but there's still restrictions to go into Hawaii. So you have to follow the restrictions that that state has right now. Are they still the same as what you sent me before Because so far, it is. So far it is. So you have to be very careful where what Island you're going. And if you're jumping from island to island, if there's a restriction of island to island hopping as well, there's no like quarantine, but there will be like a PCR test requirement. I think it's interesting, too, that people don't know that they're requesting these wellness experience. You see that they are requesting them. That's interesting. They're just there's not an awareness around that. Yeah, that's interesting. So far, I don't see that. Most of our clients are asking, but they're not asking I want a wellness itinerary. They're just asking us a lot of outdoor activities. And also food wise, they're asking for restaurant recommendations that are locally sourced our local cusine or farm to table so that reflects that they're looking for more of healthy options or more local food as well. Yeah, yeah. Why he has a really beautiful resort on Maui. I'm sure you're familiar with it with travaasa. Yes, yeah, that's a wellness resort is gorgeous, where you can do yoga, and these are just absolutely gorgeous. And they have their own restaurant. Well, I know, too, that, you know, it's interesting that you say that is that I know the global wellness Institute, they were saying that global they call it global tour, I mean, a wellness tourism. And one of it was about going was this awareness of going to a place and making it better than when you've left. And part of that too, was people wanting more local experiences. So you bring more business to the people of that community, rather than chains. So I thought that was very interesting, as well. So it's interesting you say that, yeah. And Hawaii has a lot of local businesses with most of their businesses are local people that have small businesses. And so if people can try to go to those local businesses and give their business to them whenever they travel, you know, that's always great for the locals. Very cool. So what I'm so to me, so what inspired you to become a travel specialist. So travel has been part of my life since I was very little. My passion started out very young age, I was lucky enough to have my mom who used to work at that point in Canadian Pacific. So it was a Canadian airline. And she received a lot of free tickets as part of their salary or compensation. So she took me everywhere with her. And so I was traveling to Canada to the US to Japan since I was think I was one year old or less. So that makes me open my eyes to other countries and also being growing up in a very multicultural home. Having two very strong cultures, the Peruvian and the Japanese as well as a casino make me be more flexible. I'm more open. Since I was little, I wasn't afraid of eating new food or different food from what I was used to. And so I think that my aha moment was when I went to Disneyland. And I took the ride the small, small world, right, and I pull my mom, oh, I was so surprised to see so many different types of culture that I told her like, I want to visit those countries mom. So I think that was my aha moment that I wanted to be different parts of the world. I went to Disneyland with my mom, we were on our way to Hawaii to visit my mom's from Hawaii, we were on our way to visit our family there. And we went to Disneyland. And that was the only ride. It's a small world that I would go on. And I made my mom literally I think go like 10 times. And that's the only one that I that's so funny that you say that. But yeah, that's my favorite, right. I think that was when I said I want to travel and learn about these different cultures. That's when I really, really started my travel blog that I had a side ride. I remember. That's how I got inspired. But that's not how I started being a traveler. No, you will. But you had a very early on experience that that guides you though. I think that's I love when I read that story. I thought that was really really really cool. So I'm glad you you brought it up. But yeah, it used to be started at a young age. It's all it's been there. You're following your your path, right? You're you're on your journey, and it seems that you're in alignment with that. So that's really awesome. So tell us about your company for se travel. So we started a company in 2017 and it was basically Because during our time in, in the oil and gas industry, we started taking a group of friends for free around the world. So we did all the itineraries, we made the reservations, the hotel reservations, we look about the experiences, the restaurants, everything for for these groups, and we were taking them. But of course, we weren't making any money, it was just a hobby sale. So we started thinking about how we can either make a little bit of money or get a discount as a travel advisor. So we started looking at how we can open a digital age. And that's how it started. It really started as a side business while we're working in oil and gas. And we were doing itineraries for friends and family only. But in 2019, I decided to dedicate myself full time in in our company. And I really enjoy it. I don't want to go back to corporate America. I think that's very common journey from you know, people that are in corporate America, they, they they make that shift a lot of them at some point. That's awesome. So you started this right before the pandemic, you guys? Yes, yes. And we were, yeah, we were focusing on really tailor itineraries around the world, especially exotic destinations. So we will sit down with a client and really get to know them. Because I think that's the gap that we were seeing when we were traveling before that nobody listened to us, when we asked for itinerary, they would just give us an itinerary without even asking us what we were looking for except the destination and the budget. So that's what we were looking for, to give that experience with the client really learn what they really want or what they're seeking. And based on their budget, and and that information that we get from our conversations, get them the best experiences we can. So every itinerary looks totally different, even if they go to the same destination. So that's what we were doing before the epidemic started. Yeah, I think that's really cool. And I've had an experience of you doing that, because I know we've talked about it, because I want to do the trip to Japan, and do the kumano kodo Trail, we talked about that. And you've asked me some very specific things. And you've given me some suggestions that were very specific to me in my life. So I've actually had some experience with that. I think that's really cool. Yeah. And it's awesome. Yeah, that's great. I don't think I made that part about your travel company, that you really try to make it very personal. Yes. So even if it's the same destination, Sherry's itinerary might look different from your itinerary, because you might not be looking for having the same type of experiences or staying in the same type of hotels, your interest might be totally different. Mm hmm. Yeah. So um, so I know, we touched a little bit about you know, what you're seeing in your industry with COVID? What other kind of travel impacts are you seeing in your industry and how you guys are, you know, able to help with that, of course, COVID hit greatly to our industry last year. But I think what it did was it made the hospitality industry, we think on how they will serve their clients and the guests. So we are seeing changes in the hotel industry in airline industry. But of course, right now, we're focusing only on destinations that are open. I know that everybody's eaching to travel and with the vaccines coming up, most of the people are getting their vaccines, they everybody wants to travel. But there's restrictions based on on each country. And it's not regarding or related to visas. It's just regarding COVID COVID situation in each country. So we need to be patient about it, even if you want to go to a country might not be open. So that's a conversation we also have with a client, they say tell me right now I want to go to Greece next month, I will have to tell them right now it's closed, even though you want to go there's restrictions in place. So that is a very shift of what he was before COVID, where we could send clients everywhere. Now we have to figure it out. Where we can send them and make sure that the clients understand all the restrictions and requirements to go into that country or to the to that destination. Even in Hawaii, it's a US territory, but hasn't different restriction or requirement that other states in the US described as as tentative, traveling or changing. They're constantly like something maybe when you booked your travel, it could be by the time it's actually time free. Except exactly exactly. And clients need to understand that that's not us. It's also the destination mind. change their requirements or restrictions, for example, French Polynesian was open and then all of a sudden they closed a month ago, I think. And then now they're reopening even more reason to have somebody like you on board, because you can help them figure that out. Right? Yeah. Giving them updates on the destination that they are going, Yeah. And they do get stuck somewhere, they have you to help them kind of navigate through the traveling back home or, you know, traveling to a different place, you know, they have you to help them out doing that, I think it would be a big mess if I was traveling, trying to figure all that out myself. Yes. And if it's like a country, that is not the all inclusive type of countries, for example, I have a client right now in Istanbul. So we have partnerships in those countries that are a 24. Seven support for us. So if the client needs something, they can pick up the phone, or WhatsApp or email them if they need anything as well. And also they can contact us but we are in a different timezone. So we also that have that support locally with people that speak the language. And so if there's something that they need, they can contact them as well. Yeah, I think that's huge. And I think that, I mean, I personally see people wanting to use your type of service more because of that, because it would be peace of mind. But also, just like you said, not knowing you know what's going to happen from day to day with travel. And then having an expert like you that has people that we can contact locally if we need to, or you can, you know, update and say, Hey, this is what's going on right? Now, you might need to change it on an earlier flight or come back here, because this is going to happen, you know, in a week or Yeah, and traveling alone. I knew that was one of the things that stood out to me when I was you know, because as as of now, unless Kansas wants to go to the trail alone, and knowing that I would have somebody like you in my corner to call on like, you know, like, it's, it's comforting. Yeah, to know that. So very cool. So what do you see, as far as airlines and what kind of are they like, what kind of safety measures are they taking? Is there a airline that you recommend? What do you what are you seeing in that area, so the airlines step up very early in the game with COVID. So they have step up into cleaning procedures, they're very clear on what they're doing each each company, each airline has their own procedures. But in general, they're different disinfecting the complete aircraft before the other passengers comes in. They also have what they call HIPAA, which is like high efficiency, recirculating air. So filtration, filtration, air, sorry. So it removes that small particles, like 99% of other small particles out of the air. So actually, it's better filtration systems that you can find, for example, in restaurants. So there are risks, they're getting out these particles out of the aircraft, and putting new air basically, no, that reduces a lot of the exposure to those small particles that are COVID related, or even dust or mold or pollen. So that has, that has a big impact in the airline industry. The other things that have changed. It's like the boarding process their wording from back to front, and they're calling the rows, as well as when you're planning. They will also call by rows from front to back. But they aren't reserving the middle seat anymore. Most of the airlines aren't. So normally what I suggest is if you have the means and if you're traveling long haul where you will have to remove your mask, then I'll suggest to book business class if you can, because there's more social distancing, there's less point of contact. The bathroom is used by a reduced number of people, but for for short flights, you can do your traveling economy, you can keep your mask on. And so with your mask ons, and everybody wearing the masks, you should be okay. In in a fly. But that's based on everybody else also following the rules correctly, like putting your mouth correctly not as his car or on top of your head. Right. But every every airline is it's requiring there's a massive mandate for airlines right now. Do you see going away not for now? I don't see going away around for a long time. I yeah, because in general in the world, the vaccine is not going away. As good as it is in the US, so I think it's only Israel and a couple of other countries that have been vaccinated, their entire population are trying to do that for the entire population. So other countries are not at the same pace, even the European Union, if not at the same case as the US. So you cannot tell Well, these people should wear the mask these people shouldn't wear. Yeah, it's just everybody just Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, I see. Also, you know, it being a peace of mind for people that do want to travel. So I don't see that airline industry getting getting rid of that anytime soon. Until people's confidences, you know, are up with flying. I mean, the last thing I think they want to do is, you know, have some sort of a bull not wanting to travel. So I think it is a reassurance for some people, even though it it's hard to travel sometimes, I would imagine with a mask, especially if you're going on a long haul flight, people probably feel way more comfortable. It is it is a sacrifice, but it's worth it. Like I have any long hauls wearing that mask, it is not fun, but I just look at it as a small sacrifice to still be able to travel. What do you think about wearing like the eye shields like the shields whenever in addition to a mask whenever you travel. So some airlines like Qatar airlines will require both the mask and the face shield. Also, all the flights going to Peru and out of Peru, they require both the mask and the facial. It's it's it depends depends on the airline and also depends on the destination. But it's just an extra layer of protection. The face shield really protects you if somebody like is not wearing a mask any sneezes or coughs you then it will protect you the entire face. It's just an extra layer of protection. You can wear both of that if you want. It's you're free to do that as well, in the flat. I did here. I didn't know that about that some airlines were requiring both but I did hear that each airline is different. As far as requirements with testing, I think there were I read something about some couples that were staying in a retreat in Mexico. And then they actually tested positive whenever we're COVID whenever they were getting their tests to come back. And I think there were like some airlines that were making. I think it was I'm not sure what airlines but it was an American, US airline company. And they were saying that you had to wait like there was a certain amount of time you had to wait before you could get tested again, and then you could get on the flight. And that was a little confusing, because it was different from what the CDC was requiring. So I get it might also be the destinations requirement, the Mexican government requirement on how many days you have to stay within the country before they can let you out. Yes, yeah, they will ask you to quarantine X amount of days. Yeah. Okay. So maybe that was? Well, I just sounds like it's all over the place. So that's where we come in. Exactly. Yeah, it is a learning experience for everybody, not only for the clients, the people that are traveling, but also for us. We didn't have this before the pandemic. Now we have learned about all these requirements and restrictions. But that's why we're here to help the client understand and how to navigate through through the COVID world for Dr. COVID. world. That's a good way to say awesome, and I know that I probably will always wear face masks because I actually got sick traveling not COVID, but just pre COVID. But I was going to South Africa to do a big brace and I got sick on the plane and I spent training for that. And I was so upset. I was so upset that I think now on traveling will always be a mask for me especially if I'm going to do something like that. Yeah, yeah, it's a layer of protection and it'll be totally acceptable now like people won't be looking at you like you're crazy one on a flight wearing a mask. So like what oh my gosh, what kind of disease do they have? Because they have a half Yeah, it's more socially acceptable now socially acceptable now. Yeah. Even though in Asian countries it's normal to wear masks. Yes, there used to it. I was in China. Everybody was wearing a mask but I thought it was more not because of I thought it was more because of the pollution. Because I know my first day I was in Chengdu and my first day walking back from there was a TCM hospital there that I was doing an internship in and my first day there I walked back and I blew my nose and nothing but black came out of my nose. I mean, it was just it was bad. I think it is a lot because of the pollution, why they wear the mask. They're really, really, really intense. I was like, so um, I know we touched them on the on the wellness travel. But do you have any recommendations for places that are wellness travel that you're seeing? So in the US, we're seeing a lot of an increase in our demand for wrenches within us. We actually went to Burma Hall in New Mexico back in February, and it was an amazing experience. Why ranches because there's a lot of outdoor space, and also other activities. And some of them might include also like yoga or platypus, or meditation, but there's a lot of outdoor activities from hiking, biking, fishing, trail to the trails, so a lot of people are requesting wrenches now. And I think it's because of that and, and most of the wrenches, they offer also farm to table food or healthy food, or medical where we stay It was amazing. They had a really well first of all, they had like 550,000 acres of land. Well, social distancing wise, you can be hiking by yourself most of the time if you want. And also they combine it with, with a program that it's listed, fitness related as well as food related. So I think that's why a lot of people are turning into the ranches in the US. It's also it's a US territory. So they don't, they don't really have to deal with restrictions or requirements. And it's a lot of outdoor space. Yeah, like, awesome, it'd be really great to just for our listeners to define what we mean by 12, wellness travel. And basically it is travel associated with the pursuit of enhancing your own well being, or maintaining your your well being. And so people are seeking out these experiences locally, as well as internationally. I know there's a lot of international resorts that are focused on this. And another big one is sabbatical. wellness sabbaticals where people are actually taking a month or two months, at the least three weeks, they're going somewhere, and they're working. And they are integrating this wellness travel into their daily lives. So normally, when we would say you would go on vacation, you would leave the phone and the computers at home, right. But now they're seeing a trend where people are taking their work on these wellness sabbaticals, which I think is really, really cool. And there's actually several companies and they all differentiate a little bit in a different way. But basically, there are these companies that if you're no, Matt, because of technology, we've become these, like digital nomads. And if you can do that, then you can go to say, Peru with a company and you there are these living work in their co living and working spaces that you can run out and stay. I've actually seen advertisements for places in either in the Caribbean or somewhere like that, where they're like common work here. Because now you know, with the whole work at home, people that are still working at home, you can work anywhere, especially if it's in the same time zone as where you were, I mean, what does it matter if you're, if you're working from home, and you're going to be working, maybe for the next year or so I know companies, a lot of companies, oil and gas companies here are not going fully back to work. And so you can't go and live and work in the Caribbean. I was like, darn, I wish I could go do that. Awesome. There's a lot of hotels offering like packages, like a month, a monthly package. What we have seen they have done is some of them, they might have spaces that were used for conferences or wedding rooms and what they have done, it's like mini offices in those rooms, like so that people that are traveling and want to work, especially if they have children, they can go to this area and be kind of left alone and have a quiet time working. So yeah, it's a role that was I guess, the silver lining of COVID we figure out that there's a lot of professions or office where that you can actually do it from home or from wherever you are. We can take advantage of that. Yeah, I was working from home and I can work. I mean, I would I would go do it. I mean, I don't have any kids or worry about people, you know, kids in school, so I would totally do it. I saw I wish I could remember what hotel or resort it was. But they were also talking about how you know, they had suites with you know, fully capable office space. And I was like, Wow, that is I mean, I just didn't think about That I mean, it makes sense. But now they're advertising for it, which I thought was also interesting. There's a couple of companies. One's called Rome. There's another one called outside, that they're co living spaces and working spaces. I said the same thing, Candace, I was like, what was I thinking like? mad? I need another question. Now. I can go live and go live on an island. Tammy, I assume is that you gave me I had a flyer up in my clinic for a while for a wellness. It was a month somewhere where it was somewhere in Mexico, I think. I think it was Cabo San Lucas. Yeah, it was a special offer with different resorts that they have wellness experience where they combine yoga experience meditation, also food they were going to take you I think it was to a special restaurant where they have like, very healthy food. And then you could combine also with some medical treatments as well. So yeah, that that offer I feel, I think it's still on, oh, I still have it up at my clinic. So it's gonna happen. But it's still up. So yeah. And then there's also you know, you just said medical, there's also this I know, I've said this on the podcast before, I think, but there is this convergence of self care and healthcare happening. And people are starting to look for, you know, I didn't know in China, there is a resort that is combining wellness is what with medical treatments, which I found pretty interesting. I mean, it's in China, so they do Chinese medicines. Why? You know, I like that. But so that's happening, too. Yeah, yes, that's happening too, as well. Don't many things to look forward to, to travel to. Exactly. There's so many destinations and places you can get. Yes. So what is what's your Where's your favorite place to travel? Oh, that's a very difficult question. Well, every country I think, has their own charm, right? It's the city I knew, for me visiting a new country. I love the challenges of new culture, new religion, new language, new food, everything. But if I have to pick a place where I always want to go back every year is Japan, and why it has so much to offer. They have so many historical sites, but also wonderful natural destinations. And in addition, it's just the people you feel very safe in that country. They're very efficient, everything is to the tee. Like if they tell you the train is arriving and 101 exactly a one on one The train will ride and they're cleaning this, it's just so clean. So for COVID related issues, you'll you'll know that everything's clean, because it has always been clean. And the customer service is just great. Like from a street vendor to the Michelin star restaurant, you'll still get the same type of high level customer service without any expectations from you to get a tip. So I just love the culture there. And then the food. Of course, the food is just wonderful. I'm a foodie at heart. So I've always looking forward see what else I can eat in Japan. So for me when I plan my trip to Japan, like what's your was talking about? I want a lot of the food incorporated into it. I want to eat my way through Japan. You can leave your way to Japan, you can eat a different dish every single day. From a different region. Going to the Japan networking meetings I do I do? like fun. Yes, I wait to practice my poor Japanese. Is it in? Are they speaking Japanese whenever? When I go to the network, they do have a day that they assign it as an English speaking day. So it's English basically English, but they know that I understand Japanese or sometimes Japanese. I just tell them to speak slowly. I will understand that. There is speaking speaking. Do you think that they're going to open back up? It will have to be after definitely after the Olympics, but we don't we don't know yet what month within should be on on the fall. But we don't know yet. And we don't know how that we open will look like if it's going to be with some type of quarantine restriction. Or maybe there will be talks about the vaccinated people we don't know yet. But definitely will be after the Olympics. Yeah, my cousin. I told you my cousin lives right. It's not a Tokyo. He lives in. I told you he lives in a house. It's a small house but he lives in a house and he was just saying he's a professor and so he's been at home this whole time teaching And he said, Oh, yeah, I've just been in these four walls this whole time because they've been really shut down. They're like, yeah, they just started the vaccination process maybe a couple months ago, but there's low flow compared to the US. So I think that needs to be done before they decide to reopen freely to everybody. Yeah, that's true. So I think it's gonna be a while, unfortunately. But unfortunately, yeah, that's on the top. I was supposed to go before I was planning on going before COVID. And then I already have my ticket. It's just the date. It'll be next year, it'll have to be next year. Yeah, unfortunately, is less than last year. So um, do you have any travel tips? I know we've talked about some but do you have any like travel tips for people right now that are wanting to travel Oh, one, they have to be like open minded, flexible, because there's a lot of changes, cancellations that happen. So you have to be aware that that might happen in your trip, as well as the service might not be exactly the same as what you're expecting, because maybe that a site might be close, or the procedures that they're taking are different from what it was before the COVID COVID head. So flexibility, you have to be very flexible when you're traveling, especially if you're traveling outside of the US. Then another tip that we give the clients when you're talking to us, it's focused on one or two destinations, specially if it's country related. Why because there might be restrictions to jump from one country to the other one. And there's most likely testing COVID testing requirements, you must have enough days if you're jumping from one country to the other one to get tested. So we try to focus only on one right now and one destination or two max. Then another one I'll say is search for off the beaten path. Try not to go to like two big cities where there's a lot of people for outdoor activities, especially if you're concerned about getting COVID that will that will help you a lot always lie now, especially now, travel insurance. I think it's a must right now with everything that is happening. And there's some travel insurance that will cover if you get tested positive outside of the country. Some will cover for that quarantine that might be a requirement from the airline or from from the particular country. And make sure you're up to date with all the changes and the restrictions. If you're not working with a travel advisor, make sure you know exactly what's happening to your destination. Because you might get surprised when you go to checking into the airport and they might say that you missed a B or C right so so those are like general is not related to safety but it's in general, safety wise, like safety tips that I can give you based on my my experiences traveling through COVID was first of all a boost your immune system, make sure you're exercising, eating healthy, getting good night's sleep because your immune system is now you, you can get COVID but you can get something else as well not only COVID take vitamin D helps a lot with COVID. And if you can get outside and get that sun right now it's really beautiful outside so you can go outside and get some sun self quarantine. I know that people are itching to travel. But it's important to you self quarantine before going on a trip one you don't if that destination requires a PCR test before you travel. You don't want to get a positive results just before you're traveling and have to cancel your trip and two you don't want to get sick while you're on that destination. So self quarantine before a trip. It's really really important right now I'm traveling in two days and I haven't socializing two weeks without a mask I have been. I have been to the supermarket but also always wearing a mask and not without a mask because even though I'm not fully vaccinated, I can still test positive. So that's that's very, very important for me and then also bring your own hand sanitizers wipes even though they are lying will tell you that they will give you they will give you just one pack and it's not enough to clean up everything is not enough to clean your hands while you go to the restroom or you're eating. So make sure you bring your own as well. Some people have some preferences for brand so I'm always carrying hand sanitizers. Always Yeah, even before COVID I have like a little travel. Yeah. I always had wipes I had hand sanitizer. And I also carry. When I go to another country, I also carry like over the counter medications for like allergy like flu, because I've actually gotten sick in another country not like sick, sick where I had to go to the hospital, but enough where I had to go to the pharmacy. And you know, especially if you don't speak the language, and you're trying to explain to them, you know, what is wrong with you. And what you need was challenging, I was able to do it, but I had a couple times I had some stomach issues. And then I actually caught a cold while I was in France. And so they did give me like vitamin C, and they gave me some kind of like, herbal nasal spray. But now I always carry flow days I carry my flu medication, I carry allergy medication, anything, you know, you don't think about that, but they don't have the same medications. And you also might not be able to get it so just to just to have it i think is good, but and also the that travel insurance. When you told me that before I was like, you know, I'm one of those that never bought travel insurance. But now it's almost like you have to you have to get travel insurance if you're going to be traveling out of the country. Yes, that's what I will suggest some countries like Costa Rica requires probably insurance so so it depends on also the destination, but most of the countries are not requiring the travel insurance. It's just an advice. But it's a it's something important now, especially with COVID. Well, I like like Candace, I take herbs though, I take all my herbs for colds and flus and I might need sleep sometimes. But, Tammy, I like all your safety tips on immune health, of course pastic to what do you think about the passports? What do you think about like in the future? You see those being required? Or is that going to be country? Yes. So regarding I'm guessing the COVID vaccine passport. They're testing on how they're going to monitor that. They're looking into different apps, but some countries are already giving some directions on on the back vaccine. So for example, beliefs. If you have a vaccine, you skip the PCR test, Iceland is receiving travelers if you're vaccinated, if you're not, they're not allowing you to come in. So more, more, more and more countries are either bypassing the test or are welcoming vaccinated people first. So it will depend on country to country how how how they feel, and how their COVID numbers look like, if there will open up for travelers or not. But I think in the future, it will be part of your passport or part of your passport holder or your one of your apps. It's just like the yellow cards where before you had all of your vaccines for for trips, for example, to Africa that you always have, I always carry my Yo, my yellow card. So I think this will be the same now that I'm traveling, even though it's not a requirement. I'll still travel with my COVID vaccination card, just in case that's a good idea. Yeah, when I went to India, I had to get I forgot about that I had to get all of these thoughts. Again, all of these shots and I had a piece of paper that that I kept because I couldn't keep track of everything that I got. So why don't you Why don't you tell everybody where you're about to head off to? Oh, Phil, Wednesday, I'm going to go on a two week trip to the Maldives. So I'm staying one week at the W Hotel and then another week at the St. Regis Hotel. So if you have seen those pictures overwater bungalows that look picture perfect Instagram that's where I'm heading. Oh my gosh, I'm so it is a destination that is a perfect for if you're trying to avoid COVID because it is one resort per Island. You don't stay in the capital where it's where it's the biggest city. So you arrive and then you're put in a seaplane and you're in your hotel. So there's no interaction of guests in your hotel with other hotels. So that reduces the risk of socializing with other people. Then the employees live in the island with you so they have to be tested before coming into the island. So the risk of getting sick or getting COVID within these little islands. It's it's very small because of that, and then the hotel rooms are overwater bungalows or beach bungalows. So they're very, they're separated. It's not like a building where you have a lot of rooms together. So you really don't socialize or don't get a lot of interaction with people unless you go to a restaurant which are normally open spaces. So they don't have AC, even the lobby area, it's open. So it's a very good environment to avoid COVID Wow, you guys gonna be doing what's your itinerary? So in the Maldives, it's really you need to love the beach, because what you see around it's only water. It's not even. There's no mountain surrounds or rivers because it's, it's a small island per per resort. So everything that you do, it's related to water activities, you can what I do is I wake up very early in the morning and I go snorkeling because around the resort there's also a lot of free activity because there's a role a lot of reef so most of our resorts, they have a in house reef. So you can see from small shark to fish, manta rays around. So that's what I like to do. But you can do scuba diving is Big Bear, you can do wave runners. So everything related or fishing, everything related to water sports, you'll find it there. And of course they're big in spa services treat us like the best vacation, all that. Did you see her face? I told her style. My style, like when she I'm like, Oh my gosh, like if I could just be in the water or laying on the beach or going to the spa. I'm like this sounds amazing. Yeah, if not for party people, you won't be able to party. They do have a bar at the hotel. But other than that, it's just being read in a relaxed kind of mode in your beach Villa or your overwater villa. I love and I love snorkeling. I love being on the water. I went one time. In Mexico. I went with the swimming with the snorkeling with the whale sharks. The big ones? Yes, they have that as well. And that was one of my favorite things to do. I was kind of scared at first, but they were so docile. And it was just really cool just to swim like right next to the something that big. Yes, I had that experience in the Maldives. The last time I was there. And yeah, it was an incredible experience to just see these big animal. And yeah, at first I was also scared. Why? What happens if is if it's a shark that is not really vegetarian? Right? Maybe he'll like to try them meat. Yeah, why don't I get the aggressive one or something that I'm swimming next to? Huge? I mean, they're so big. Yes. They're big. Yes. Yeah, that was fun. Well, I can't wait to hear about your trip and see all your photos. And that's gonna have to be on my list. Now. I never thought about going there. But now that you're saying that now I want to go Tammy, Do you need any employees retiring? You can come with me. There's still plenty of rooms I fake villas right now. I need to get into like hotel interior design and then go out and do and then live there for however many months while it's being finished. Exactly. Awesome. This is great. Is there anything else that Sherry that you want to talk about Tammy or Tammy? Is there anything else that you want to talk about? I know, forever. You'll have to send us some photos from your trip. And then we can post we can post them to Instagram or social media. We can let people know that that you're coming up and our surprise guest and this is where the Yeah, sure. I'll I'll take some pictures. And I'll send it to you or videos as well. Okay, that'll be great. It's gonna be how do people find you? They can find us in social media. We're on Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn as pressey travels or you can look at our website, visit our website that we do u w pracy. Travel calm. We'll put that on the show notes too for everyone. They want to they want to go check it check you out. Well, thank thank you so much for being on like you've got me like super excited now to finally get out there and start traveling again. And I'll definitely be using your services because I'm going to need it says thanks so much. Thank you for having me fun. And yeah, thank you everyone for listening and join us into Okay, bye bye. Thank you Join us every other week for a new episode, go to your favorite podcast platform and subscribe to us so you don't miss out on any new episodes. And please share our podcasts with your family and friends. If you like what you hear, please give us five stars and a positive review. It will greatly help our rating and success of the podcast. You can also keep up with us on Instagram and Facebook at health wellness. To find out more information visit our website at help. dwellest.com We welcome your input. If you have any ideas, comments or questions, you can email us at health and wellness@gmail.com