Living Left

Don't Wait For Retirement to Travel: Live, Work, And Grow Now

• Ann-Marie Burton, Tanya Garcia • Season 1 • Episode 6

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We explore how travel shifts in midlife from family logistics to an intentional tool for creativity, focus, and joy. We map three travel modes—rest, adventure, and living—while challenging restrictive remote work rules and inviting listeners to design mini-retirements now.

• Defining travel as a design choice for a beautiful life
• Three modes of travel: restorative, adventure, living
• The three-week acclimation threshold and re-entry
• Four-trips framework: family, partner, friends, solo
• Segmenting family trips one-on-one with kids or parents
• Negotiating flexible work and mini-retirements
• Pushback on out-of-province work restrictions
• Using time zones to create deep work windows
• Accessibility of experiences vs distance and budget
• Growth from youth exchanges and adult “home base” stays

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SPEAKER_02:

This is Living Left, the raw space where we redefine success, purpose, and identity through honest, unfiltered conversation. We're navigating business, family, change, chaos, one left turn at a time. It's not about finding what's next. It's about owning what's left. Join us and let's go there. Good morning, Tanya. Or hello. Good afternoon, Tanya.

SPEAKER_01:

I was gonna respond and say, good afternoon, Anne-Marie. It's good morning for me. Yes, and it is well into the afternoon for me.

SPEAKER_02:

So which is a really good segue, as if we plan this, because we're we're gonna talk about travel today and adventure and curiosity, linking it to the other topics we've already talked about, and um and just our need for new spaces or new situations. And so why don't we just explain why it is afternoon for you?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm here in Canada and it's nine o'clock, and it's not nine o'clock for you because you are I am in Ireland currently. Um so it is two o'clock, five-hour difference. So it's two o'clock um afternoon for me in Ireland, and I've been working here uh all last week, and I'm working here for another week. And I fly back on the weekend. And I'm gonna have jaunts while you're there. Having jaunts. I'm having friends visit. So this is something um that I've been doing for a little bit, exploring in this area of working, you know, remotely, remotely extra remotely. Well, that's it, like not remotely, like from the local Starbucks, but like remotely remotely. And trying to manage kind of what that looks like, um, not only for myself, but also for the team. So I think we're gonna talk a little bit about that. But yeah, this has been something I've been doing, I think it's like now almost it's seriously a year and a half. Um and it's not yeah, it's not slowing down. Um and I very much enjoy it. But you know, yeah, it's it really just gives you different perspective. And um you're focused in a different way because maybe you're not in your, especially if you work from home.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

When you're not working from home, it's it's uh, you know, there's not necessarily laundry and stuff to do.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So we were gonna talk, we were gonna talk about travel in general because I think that again, we're coming back to we are at an interesting stage of our life, and I've been thinking a lot about this. When you are at the beginning of your life, like for myself, I did a fair amount of traveling before kids. Like I did I did the European backpacking trip. I did uh quite a bit of traveling with my spouse, and then once you're you if you choose to have a family and you have a family, sometimes that travel changes the way it feels. It's more family travel. Um and so we're gonna talk about how that changes after in this next stage. And so, and it's interesting, again, it's completely linked to the previous conversation on curiosity, the other conversations on on just your time and how you spend your time when life changes. So I feel like travel is a topic that's coming up in a lot of our circles, and there's retirement travel. People are talking about, oh, when I when I retire, I want to do all of this travel. But there's a really interesting spot I feel like where we're in, which is we're not retired. We don't plan to be retired for a long time. But you have a little bit more time and maybe not necessarily more money because you're spending it in other ways, like university or other things, but you have a freedom and flexibility to the way you have to show up at home a little bit differently. And even if you so let's talk about that because I feel like I have I spent the weekend actually with um old university friends, and I have one friend who just like zips off, zipped off to Florida for a few days last week, and next week she's off to Mexico. I have another friend in that group who travels a ton for work, so probably doesn't have the same need for travel. Like everyone's changed travel as a slightly different tool, I guess. Um so let's talk a little bit about that because I think exactly you're leveraging travel, tying it into the flexibility that we have that you can work remotely from wherever. So you're like, well, then why don't I work?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and you bring up a really good point when everyone's I think if you take a step back to, you know, this is a point in time, right? A point we're at a point where we have more time. And and in some cases, you've been planning for this moment in time, in other cases, and and I mean other humans and women in particular, um, it could creep up on you, right? So I first want to say travel has to be put into your life um in context of what a beautiful life to you looks like in this next stage, right? So like you said, so for me, and I say this out of personal um experiences, I declared my drive to build a beautiful life, you know, 10 probably 10 years ago now, eight to 10 years ago. Um, and travel was always a big part of it. Being by the ocean, the water was a big part of it. And through my journey of tools, it it doesn't have to always be Europe. We're gonna get into that. Like at one point, remember I was I have friends in, I have a friend in PI and friend in Nova Scotia. And it was like the ocean, like let's go that way. Like so, travel, I think everyone needs to think if you have this time, again, not reverting back into I'm just gonna work more or I'm gonna do all of those things, which is fine. Put it into the context of imagining what a beautiful life to you looks like now that you have more time. And if travel is a part of that, then it's okay, what role does that play in all of the things that you're gonna put into place? Um, and I just think travel naturally is there. I get so many questions from everyone about it because you've probably never had as much time as you do now to travel. Now, we have our own business. There's flexibility inherent in there. Not everyone can do it maybe as much as I do. Um, but other people would have other scenarios where they could. And if you don't have children at home, what you doing at home? That's my view. Why you know I'm going home in a week and I'm excited, but I'm going home to an empty house.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So I might as well be somewhere else. So, which is like almost like a vagabond feeling because some it's so funny because other people love their homes. Like in another in another episode, you talked about, you know, after a certain amount of days, I have to leave my home. So it's like actually opposite. You're like either love your home or you want to be away from your home. Yes. There's probably a hybrid of home.

SPEAKER_01:

I love my home too, but not for I don't need to be there for long periods of time because we have been for, in my view, you have been home. I also have an ability to create home no matter where I am. So there is that inherently in the idea of travel. Sending my hair, Amory. It's a tag. Um, but I think it's um it it is, you know, if you can create home wherever, home doesn't necessarily like for 25 years, I was at one place raising children. And that was beautiful, and I would not replace that. But now it's like, where is home? And can home be many different places? And now, with I mean, even when I was thinking about it 10 years ago, you know, Airbnb, that was it was still, I mean, it was going, but now like you have there's so much opportunity. Yeah. House swapping, sharing, all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

For sure. And I think travel for us is also because it's and we talked last time about finding creative, interesting things to do in your life.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Travel opens up a lot of that. And travel for many people is an easier. Like, remember, we talked about, oh, I like to be guided into what I'm doing. Oh, that's what a travel agent is for, or that's what travel websites are for. So in your life, it's easy to find left turns away from home in travel. And I think I don't know how you define it, but I look at travel as kind of two different ways. Like a relaxing, like imagine like a resort or a cottage, like that kind of travel. And then I categorize the other half into adventure. So that would be like sightseeing, see different place, learning different things, moving around. That's how I, in my head, categorize it. It will not be a surprise that I prefer what I call adventure versus relaxing, like that.

SPEAKER_01:

And I'd add a third. So I agree with you. We've had this conversation, but now I would have add a third where travel is truly you live, you relocate for a period of time.

SPEAKER_02:

Living travel. That's actually a really good point.

SPEAKER_01:

Because it's a bit of your adventure, but you're not on the clock. Like it's if I'm gonna be away for a month or so, I'm doing the adventure part, and but you can also do the relaxing. So you get a combo of both. And you actually really start to. So I like, I guess, things in threes. Like the longest I was here was three weeks in Europe. And I truly, that was it was at the three-week mark that I was like, oh wow, I feel like I've finally acclimated. Is that the word? That's a perfect. Okay, thank you, thank you, to this. Whereas even two weeks still feels holiday y to me. I don't, I don't really have a chance. But three weeks, when I came back to Canada, I was like, oh, I really I get the re-entry that people will talk about who live in multiple areas. So I think there's a threat.

SPEAKER_02:

That's interesting. That's interesting. So unrelated, but kind of real. So I also look at something I was gonna say when we camped, because we loved camping, yeah. Our family, I felt like it was a hybrid, probably not as the length, but because it's not really relaxing because you have to hustle so much to just do your daily things. Yeah, but it feels adventurous because you're seeing new things, but there's something about not moving around. Yes, so it's kind of the same idea, like you're in the same place. And that, and I think what you just described is really interesting too, like the time frame of when you're away. Like I like feeling like getting into what I would call like your bubble, like uh we would call it a camping bubble or a travel, like a vacation bubble. And whenever I'm with a group of people, I'm ready to stay there, and everyone else is ready to get home.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So, which is also just an interesting, I think we're not longer. I know you were always the person getting home, but now you like this the settling.

SPEAKER_01:

Because I don't have that to-do list. I think for women, that's a big one is were they wanting to get home? Because so I, if you ask any of my friends, because I have friends all over the place, so staying over was always the best scenario. But I was up and back at the house bright and early the next morning, and travel felt that way too because all of a sudden all the to-do lists, but once you don't have small kids and you don't have to coordinate that, your life for those who are here understand it. Your life and time opens up so immensely. I don't get it, it's kind of like what they call the Sunday scaries. There's probably the travel scaries. Like I'm coming back from travel and I have to, I gotta do all the laundry because I gotta make lunches tomorrow. And then we have hockey, and then we have I have none of that. There is nothing that I'm going back to other than my job, but I'm doing it here. So it's so free. Like I love it. I'm like, there's none of that travel scaries.

SPEAKER_02:

It's a really good point. I'm not entirely there yet, but I also don't get as worked up about the things.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think it'll get done. So here's the thing, because you and I are two different people back to our last podcast about how you approach things. That doesn't surprise me because you were you are way better in the moment. Moment. Yeah. I am not an in the I have to force myself to be in the moment. Um, it's much easier now with much less responsibility. So for all of those women out there who isn't always thinking about the next thing, it does slow down when you don't have as much stuff to worry about.

SPEAKER_02:

Um here's a question because I read this years ago and I've always thought, oh, I would love this. So they and I don't know where read this, but it was they said there's recommended four different if you're gonna travel or trips, they call them trips. So it doesn't have to be like weeks at a time, it could be a weekend or an overnight or whatever. But every year you should take four trips: one with your family, yeah, one with your spouse, one with your friends, like your girlfriends or whatever, and one alone.

SPEAKER_01:

Love that.

SPEAKER_02:

So when I think about that, I have not hit all four in a year, I don't think ever. No, I would like to. Um, I think sometimes I get caught up in the economics of all of it, like versus that's a real, that's a real it doesn't have to be like, you know, a lot of those things can be a quick little weekend or whatever, like, but it's just the concept, and I think people hit the family if they have a family, they might hit the friends. I know we have not been good of just always Michael and I hitting that every year, like no, but we it depends where your friends are at because it's hard to coordinate one everyone.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I mean the spout one-on-one with your spouse.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I didn't admit that we didn't hit we would we would have prioritized the family over us, which I think in this new phase we will hopefully get back into that. Um, but then the alone trip is really an interesting one. Like I've done that once. You've done that, I have not done an alone trip. I've done like a 10-day alone trip was a long time. That's amazing. That's amazing. A long time. But even thinking like an overnight, like when the kids were little, I would like sometimes zip off to a hotel overnight just to be like that's so good. But staying into a hotel overnight is not the same as traveling overnight, like traveling, making your way entirely with the maps and eating alone and doing all of that. Um, so it's an interesting thought though, because I would really like to start to do that. Like I just came away from an overnight weekend up to see Sarah McLaughlin with my university friends. That's a perfect girls' getaway in hotels, have an idea, but I wouldn't have called in my head it's travel. Like we didn't see Aurelia, but it was an experience. Like we were.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's experience is the key. I think that it, yeah, I think it's any new experience. You're right. It's not a trip, travel trip, but it's an experience, is is I think the better way to do it. I think it's more accessible. It'd be much more accessible. Because I I look for experiences. Like that's my I'm always looking because I don't, I'm not con so I'm the opposite. I'm not an alone traveler, I'm not an alone maker of things happening. Like I will just glum onto people who that's why I just say, I'll say yes to your plans. If you're planning something and you invite me, I will be there. Um, and it's not to say that I wouldn't, but I do a lot of friend trips. That's been my way. Yeah of but it's about the experience. So I agree, a concert and an overnight, it's amazing how much that recharges just for 12 hours. Yes. Yeah. But it is interesting, those four things, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Because if we're trying to live a beautiful left turn life, it just makes me think about oh, I wouldn't have necessarily checked off all those four boxes. And if I was adding any to that, like, so one with your family, one with your spouse, one with your friends, one alone. And I would even segment the family out. Like, I would really like to do one-on-one trip trips with my kids. I would really like to do one-on-one trips with my mother. Like, I I would segment out the family almost like in a girlfriendy way, but with, you know, so I'm gonna go with my my oldest next year away. So I think there's something like I if I could left turn it, what else would I, what else would I do? And that also another big tie is I feel like travel as milestones. So yeah, like I'm turning 50 next year. Dun dun. And uh that's pushing me, it's pushing me to actually do the things that I keep talking about, talking about, talking about, but I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Um listen, it's scary. Like, I I didn't come to this place like, ooh, I just decided one night I'm just gonna do this. Like, I I had moments of, you know, this as a close friend of mine, of panics, where I'm like, what the F am I doing here? Like, I still have those moments where it's like, what? But you just have to, to your point, whatever it takes, whether it's a birthday, a milestone, or someone saying, like just saying yes and just tacking on to that momentum, just do it because nine and a half times out of ten, you won't regret it. You won't.

SPEAKER_02:

So, what are your most favorite? Let's let's what what have been your most favorite travel? Like, let's segment it out. Like, what's been your let's go family spouse, let's like all-time favorites? Yeah, like I know for my favorite family trip, we took, we did an East Coast and a West Coast of Canada trip. Each of them were like, I love to break the two, the two-week barrier. The two-week barrier for me is exactly what you're saying. Then I'm in the zone, I don't care anymore. Like, I would just like to be a vegabond and live forever. And then everyone else is like, I need to get home. Nope, I want to stay. But we did East Coast, which I actually think is why my kids went to school in the East Coast because they were introduced to it. And then we drove and then we flew and did kind of Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, Tefino. That probably is my favorite one where we kind of like trained, plane, horse, bike. We did every vehicle. That was a very special. That was probably one of my favorite ones. Um, family-wise, what was your favorite family trip?

SPEAKER_01:

That's so hard because we had a lot of really great ones. Like, so I love your goal that you just said because I am goal-oriented, as you know. And I declared in my 30s when we had small kids. I remember when we were working crazy that I was going to continue this insane life of working and in relation making money, right? Like I can do that, but we needed to have a trip every quarter. That was our goal. So one was with the husband, and and the other three one was with the kid, probably two were with the kids, and maybe there was one with a girlfriend. So I started that very early on. So we've done a lot of trips, but they were usually pretty. I wouldn't say that we did anything super crazy. So I agree with you. If you think of Canada, the East Coast was my favorite. I also did the West Coast. Um, but I liked uh East Coast while I think it worked. I love the idea of just leaving your stuff in a place and then going, whereas the West Coast was amazing, but like we were living out of a car, and with two small kids, that just felt overwhelming. And I can't get that out of my head. But I think for anyone to experience both sides, like both areas is amazing. But we've done the all-inclusive, we've done the Disneys, we've done the Universals, we've done the New York, we've done the Pittsburgh, we've done the Boston. Like we used to, I mean, went to Boston and like went to training camp for the New England Patriots. Like we did any chance we could get, those kids were packed. We did up north, like different people's cottages. So my favorite, um, I they were all like honestly, like I can't even pick because they were they were all fantastic. Like it, it it just is to get yourself out of that would be great. I'm less of a all-inclusive now. I used to be, I think because I was exhausted.

SPEAKER_02:

Like I think all inclusive is also very good when you have a busy phone.

SPEAKER_01:

When you it's about to land and like you're exhausted in the day of like working and raising the two. We did all inclusives, like we had a timeshare for God's sakes. We were there all the time. Um, because I just needed to sit on my ass for like a week. Uh, but now it's all about landing somewhere I haven't been. So I have all of Europe to explore. Um, like on Saturday was at a rugby match, uh, Ireland versus Japan. That was cool. Like, I just want to find I I landed to make sure I landed at Halloween so I could experience what they do and how they do it. So that's what I look for now. I want to eat food, I want to know, I just want to get into it. Yeah. Um, so yeah, I didn't really answer your question because they were all great. They were all fantastic.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it's and it's different times in your life. Like we our family did less of go, we we have a family cottage, so that we've spent a lot of time in the cottage. So again, that if I'm counting, I don't count that as a trip because it's a family, it's my parents' place. But really, that is those are core, core memories. And yes, and our family has spent a lot of time there. And then while we were there, you ex you know, the same idea, you explore different areas of the of the area. But those were our grounding vacations, very grounding, and then we did camping where we would find different places in Ontario. Had we wound up, you know, tenting, then we were trailers, and we would take the trailer. But it's it's not um, I like to find different things when I'm there, but it's different than actually going to a new country or to a new city. You're like going to a new park, which is yeah, which is different. But I anyone who's camped with me will tell you the first thing I do is I get the map and I overfocus on that.

SPEAKER_01:

But thank God for you. It's just you need people like that, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

So I try to find a different experience. But now it's yeah, as the I completely agree. Now that you have more time and space and opportunity, and your friends have more time and space, like, because even coordinating travel, like I'm trying to coordinate something for the new year because I have many friends turning 50, but we're all still half in child life. So there's like, oh, there's a dance competition, or ooh, there's the hockey tournaments, or ooh, provincials. So we're still all tied to those schedules. Oh, when it's reading week and there's this. So you're you're slightly ahead of me there in that there's more freedom in that.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's an interesting thought that I yeah, and I I want to go back to that led me to believe maybe the last point we can talk talk about, depending on our timing, is um like when you said travel, like we're at a point, and then travel for retirement. So you and I have had some good discussions around the idea that you know you no longer wait for retirement. It's like a mini retirement. Yeah. Meaning how once your kids or you're at once your kids are at a certain point or you're at a certain point in your career, so professionally, the goal is to negotiate your way out of, like if you're in a job, negotiate your way out into, not out of, let's be positive, into a more flexible schedule so that you can um take advantage of some of that. Because sometimes if you have uh, you know, commitments with kids still, like they're old enough, but on the weekend, well, then why can't you just travel during the week? Yeah. And and work from there. You know, you and I have done that. So I think for us in our 50s, you know, we get to a point where that should be the number one is like don't wait for retirement or don't wait until the schedule is completely clean. It's just it's gonna be near impossible. And even my adult kills kids still are like, when are you coming home, mom? Like, like that it would be any different. We're texting, but they need you there. So the point is, is how can you add flexibility now to be able to just start testing it? And it doesn't have to be a weekend thing anymore.

SPEAKER_02:

That's the point. It can be whenever. Well, this is, and you know, my spouse travels a fair amount for work too. And I have yet, because I'm always the driver, I am three months away from a kid turning 16 who will be driving herself soon. At that point, when he's in California or Texas or wherever the heck he is, Seattle, wherever I some of these places he goes, I'm like itching. It's killing me that he's going to places I've never been. But I'm I'm tied, I'm tied to be home. I'm like, oh, I just want to get on the plane with you, and I can just wander the streets and or work like take it as a vacation day, or just take my laptop and be like, oh, you're working, I'm working too. And then we explore the place in the night. Like, I've never been to Texas, I've never been to Seattle. I would like to, I mean, despite Trump, yeah, I wish it was not the US, but still interesting places.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and that's why Europe is lovely because the time change, you know, while you know, everyone has there's accommodation and you need to have support from your team and your business, you know, the time changes I have my full morning before I need to do anything. So, I mean, and we're not even getting, I mean, and you still do it because you need to get work done, but we haven't even had the discussion, which would be another podcast based on the book we read as well. Is like, you know, do you really need to be working for eight and a half full oh yeah, four-hour work week?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So like so here's something, okay, before we get on to that, because that was track us entirely, and we want to wrap up before people people are almost done their dog walk. We need to close how long we've been talking? 22 minutes. Um, oh no, 25. So we gotta wrap up. But my theme, I was so I'm talking now about ooh, have this kid out east. I would like to go work from out there for a longer period of time so I can see a sport. Um in various conversations I've had recently. Do you know how many people aren't even allowed to work out of province? No, I know workers. Yeah. So I knew I knew that you know people are being sent back to the office, which uh you and I disagree with. Yeah. But I whatever, those companies are making those choices, big companies are and I think our flexibility is gonna come back to be um a thing, an exciting thing again, where I feel like for the last five years, it's been like, oh, we're working from home and everyone else is too, so it wasn't so much a value prop anymore. Yeah. But I'm fascinated by the remote workers who are now being told they cannot leave the province. Which I think that was always that way, though.

SPEAKER_01:

What and COVID was a big one. Yeah, that's when like people can't can even because they can tell depending on how you're connected with your computer. I know your IP address gets degree, but I still think it's I I think it's ridiculous. I don't think it's every, but there are, and I wonder if maybe they put those in place. We should bring someone on. I would just be curious. Why? Because it's the entire opposite of what so, as an individual, if that's your scenario and that works for you, all the power to you. But if you're trying to, again, back to building this beautiful life and determining travel is just inherently beautiful in itself, um, you have to start negotiating and show the productivity without you being in the office, like no matter what, because otherwise, waiting until retirement, we all know this. Like waiting another 10 or 15 years to do that, and then your health doesn't allow you to do it. Why are you waiting?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yes, for all the things. And I just and if you can work from some if you can work from somewhere else and then inject some sort of excitement into your life, like, oh, now you go for your your lunch walk and you're popping in to get a baguette and uh whatever embarrassed, why is that a problem to employers? It I don't know, I don't think it would I just do not think it makes any sense to stop your workforce from living the best life that they can. And if they're already in a remote environment and they are clocking in when they're supposed to, like again, it if you yeah, like so. If the time change means you're now working later at night in the new time zone, why does that matter?

SPEAKER_01:

I know it does it's shocking, it's called control and power, and it's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02:

Agreed, in the same way, yeah. So anyway, so back to like the travel for me, for many, I think is an escape, and maybe that's why people assume that if you're away, then it's an escape, therefore you're not as focused on your work. But whatever that hybrid name is, the work to live in another, like the I'm sure there's some travel term, official term where you're nomad.

SPEAKER_01:

It's just a nomad, it's a nomad. Is that that's the travel definition? Like you're working, you're working wherever it's a in a digital nomad. Like that's the term I I believe.

SPEAKER_02:

Which to a degree. So, why is that a bad thing? I think it sounds like the definition of a goal. Yeah, for you and I, we think that that sounds fantastic, and that would meet the goals of A creative, beautiful life, if you had the flexibility to see things. I also think we could be doing that at home too. Like again, that's the whole point of breaking.

SPEAKER_01:

So I agree. I I mean you always challenge that, and and good for you. It's it's right. And we always say it, it doesn't have to be we work on opposite like extremes, and that's just circumstance, right? There's a lot of inherent circumstances in what I'm doing, and you know, um, but it doesn't have to be. But I I believe as humans, and behavior change is so difficult. What I love about the idea of pulling yourself out into a new environment is that inherently forces you to get out of this comfortable. So as much as you can say, I'm gonna go to for a walk or I'm going to, it's so easy at home sometimes to not and to be if you're accessible to all of the people around you, you will end as women. We are people pleasers and we're caretakers. We will inherently put others before ourselves. But when I put an ocean between me and my humans, it's a lot easier for me as a pleaser to be able to say, you know, just can't obviously I can't do that because I'm not available. So there's just a certain you know, travel forces you to forces you into an experience that while you are right, you still need to do the things at home. But it's it is in its own camp because it just it's it's just the world is so big. Like it just forces you to grow in a way that nothing else does, I don't think. And then living in there takes it one step further. So how did you travel a lot as a uh a young adult? No, other than with my parents. So I was the opposite of you. I went like university, work, you know, in Oakville, Mississauga, build my career. Like I was on a trajectory. So the the travel came like we camped and stuff, like when we were, you know, I like I met my my ex in university. So which we traveled together, but I didn't do any of the backpacking and stuff. I wish I did, but it wasn't in me. I don't need to do that. I was like on the I need to get the job because I need to get the paycheck because I need to do that, but that was me.

SPEAKER_02:

So I did the I did the backpacking, but honestly, at the time it was only five weeks or six weeks. But at the time, I felt the pressure, the same pressure, because I think that that was that felt as if that was like I was said I was going for six years. Yeah, like I went for five or six weeks. I was back for graduation.

SPEAKER_01:

So I mean it was I should, I would have if someone pushed me, probably if I had a friend, but no one in my group, you know, I probably would have gone, but it just I think it's just circumstance, but it never stopped me from wanting to do that. Um, but I don't think I was that kid, to be honest. I'm a little well, safety. We talked about work walking. Like I get nervous falling in the woods. Like it's like I'm I'm adventurous, but I'm also like, ooh, this is I have to be cautious too.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Well, I went on one of those Kantiki tours for the first couple of weeks, which was a kind of taught me how to quick, quick, like get up, let's move, get up, let's move. I think that actually trained me for some of my future. 100%. And then, and then so my friend Leslie and I went, and then we the tour ended, and then we did the next month on our own, um, with no internet, no, like, oh, sorry, we would pop into internet cafes back then. We would pop into internet to say we were alive. But we had like the brochure book, and you would call, make phone calls to book your thing. Like it wasn't nowadays, if I'm not packing, it would be very pre-planned and pre-booked, and honestly, it would be not the only same similarity, is they would stay in hostels, but they wouldn't have the free-flowing, oh my gosh. And I hope my kids do that. Like, I want them to do that. I really hope to tell you strongly encourage them to do that.

SPEAKER_01:

We should all do that. I think we all need to get off this bandwagon of you need to, these kids need to follow this linear path. One is you let them explore. Um, if that linear path works for them, amazing. But also, like they're young, they have their whole lives ahead of them. Give them the chance to explore. I am currently witnessing in real time a beautiful 20-year-old who is doing that, you know, pausing from the university life here in Ireland, just came back from London, Paris with a girlfriend, you know, heading to Italy. And the conversations I'm having with her now than even, you know, a month and a half ago when I was here previously. Like her mind is way open. Like the world is so big. And it's not that she didn't travel before, but she what she's she's traveled more on her own than I have. Like the just in these little experiences and the what she's talking about, about what she wants to do next and where she wants to now go. Doesn't it make you jealous?

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I'm just so envious.

SPEAKER_01:

Literally means I am so excited for them. And and just to hear her today, we were just chatting, and I was just like, there's a new energy in her than there was four or five weeks ago. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's beautiful to see. And you know what? You made me think of something. The exchange programs that the universities are doing are far more um expansive than they were when we were that age. And when you talk about working and living in a place, I think that's the same concept. So peop these students come for four months to Germany or Scotland or whatever. Yep, and very, very common. Like my university child has many friends who are doing this, and then that allows them to have the home base like you have in Ireland, and then zip out on the weekend on weekends to do whatever.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

But they come back, it's not as disruptive as a five-week carrying on your backpack. You can have a little carry-on, and you zip off to Amsterdam this weekend and Paris the next. So that is so worth it. The growth that comes from anyone who does that. So, really, it's like we want to. I would love to figure out a way for well, you're doing it already, but like that, I would love that. Like to just say, okay, well, I'm gonna live in this spot for a month or for two months.

SPEAKER_01:

I feel like you're you will do you are on your way. If not, you'll be we'll be running the business from a place. Like that's I think how one of the key areas. Nova Scotia, naturally, like I'm coming with you, obviously. Um, but the I think it's just testing it. But we need to, we're well past our time, memory. Oh, yes, we are. Oops.

SPEAKER_02:

No, that's okay. So here's the thing. Anyone listening, if you like if you would like to go on vacation with Tanya and I, please let us know. Let us know. And if you would like to come on a 50th adventure with me, let me know because I'm still figuring that out. And okay, okay, so travel. We're gonna keep talking about this. We can talk about this forever. Eventually, we'll be doing this podcast, hopefully, from some interesting other places. Absolutely. One of these days, you have to show us the Ireland behind you. That's not I know the cows, but I forget, people are listening, they're not looking, so it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they're not looking, so it doesn't matter. But yeah, follow me on Insta, you'll see it. I guess I'll laugh at that. All right, Anne Marie. As always, that was fun. Yeah, that was fun.

SPEAKER_02:

I enjoyed it. Have a good uh left turn day. I'll see you like in 20 minutes on our absolutely. Our call's actually right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, okay.

unknown:

Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

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