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Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Join co-hosts Denise and Jackie as they chat about the journey of life and how travel plays an intricate role in navigating its twists and turns. Whether it's sharing travel tips, swapping stories over a glass of wine or mimosa, or welcoming special guests, there's always something new to explore! Grab your suitcase, pour a drink, and let’s dive into the adventure of life together—because travel makes everything better!
Suitcase Divas: Travel Agent Tips, Tricks & Travel Tales
Napa Girls’ Trip, Finally Checked
A promise we made in college finally came true: six friends, one shared bucket list, and a Napa and Sonoma escape that blended caves, sparkling flights, and a few curveballs we didn’t see coming. We open the gate on the full story—what worked, what surprised us, and how to plan a group trip that actually feels easy.
We'll start with: a walkable Airbnb in downtown Napa, realistic pacing at two tastings per day, and reservations booked six months out to secure coveted spots. From Gloria Ferrer’s crisp sparkling lineup and friendly insider perks to Schramsberg’s immersive cave tour and hands-on education in riddling, yeast, and aging, we get beyond the pour into the craft. Private tasting moments at The Prisoner pair food thoughtfully with wine, while the terrace at Domaine Carneros reminds us to slow down and watch the valley change in the afternoon light. Then the showstopper: Del Dotto’s dramatic gate, barrel sampling with the wine thief, and a wood-fired pizza finish with a guide who knows how to translate technique into memory. Jarvis closes the loop with elegance and a reminder that not all favorite bottles are the most expensive.
Along the way, we share real group travel tactics: handling mid-trip colds without derailing the plan, using pooled dining funds or Splitwise to keep money drama off the table, tipping well with cash, and letting people opt in or out without guilt. We talk about comfort zones at the Golden Haven mud bath—yes, it’s intimate, yes, it smells earthy, and yes, it can be worth it—and the power of souvenirs and small rituals to anchor big memories. If you’re aiming for fewer crowds and patio-perfect weather, we make the case for mid to late September in Napa. If you’re curious whether wine clubs are worth it, we break down the perks, from member-only pours to real discounts on bottles you’ll want to bring home.
If Napa or Sonoma is on your list, consider this your friendly blueprint: plan ahead, pace your days, join a club or two for access, and leave room for moments you can’t schedule. Loved this journey? Follow, share with your travel crew, and leave a quick review—then tell us your bucket list destination and who you’re taking with you.
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Welcome back to 2K Steven's guys. We are in episode two of season three. And today we are going to be talking to a very special guest, my beautiful co-host, Denise D. Today we are going to be talking about some bucket list travel. Okay, so she had an opportunity to check off a very special item off her bucket list. She went on a girl trip with some college friends down over to Napa Valley. So we are so excited to be able to ask her some questions, get some details, hear the tea, see what wineries were the best, and just hear some amazing tips and tricks about group travel. So welcome, welcome in, Denise.
SPEAKER_01:I'm not this is so weird. I'm not used to being interviewed, but I'm here for it. So what I will say is yes, this NAPA trip, and I I have my mimosa. This NAPA trip was amazing. It was a bucket list. It had been 15 years in the making with my college best friends. So yes, we just got back from Napa and Sonoma, and I'm still trying to process the beauty. Like it's almost like we planned so long for it, and it happened that I'm still kind of in like the whole, oh gosh, this happened phase. But I was there for it. We had a like as classic, nothing goes to schedule. We all are coming from all over. We have uh friends coming from New York, from Florida, from Georgia, the three of us in North Carolina. So that made up our sixth. We flew into San Francisco. It was a lovely airport, a beautiful. And then the trip to Napa went along. But what I will say is this is why I'm saying nothing goes to plan. I won't say who was sick, but one of our friends, right in the beginning, was sick. And so we're taking off for a five and a half hour flight from Charlotte, and you know, the ears popping and all that stuff. But yeah, uh, it was like a head cold, I'm guessing, some kind of virus or head cold. And so we were concerned about our friend the whole time, and then we're like, this is not ideal timing because you plan for this trip for so long. Right. And then you're like, and then who's gonna sleep with her? That's a big concern, yes. We all kind of take turns like when we first started going on girls' chest together, it's like, let's all just draw straws because it doesn't seem fair to pick who's going with the who, right? But this many trips in, we had people who haven't really roomed with each other, so we all kind of plan you get this person, you get this person, and we all love each other, so it doesn't matter who you get with, but it it was just like, I'm glad I didn't have the sicki.
SPEAKER_00:That's okay, that's okay, that's absolutely fair, you know, especially when you're traveling in a group and everything. So, I mean, hopefully, did they get better throughout the trip? I hope the trip wasn't it.
SPEAKER_01:They absolutely did get better, and we took turns sleeping on the couch. And by we, I don't mean that we're French, it wasn't me, but it was some other people in my group. It worked out okay. And and then towards the end of the trip, somebody else got sick, and they had to have their own space. So, on either end, a couple of the ladies missed some wineries and going out to dinner and stuff. So you have to be flexible when you're going into this, you plan it this long, and then we talked like, do you go get a COVID test? Do you go get a flu test? We decided, nope, because we're here for it, no matter what. Right. There's no, I mean, unless you want the flu, unless you want that, then the if you catch it in the first 48 hours, you can get this medicine. But they were like, nope, and we were just very cautious and and it worked, and we just all looked out for each other. We made sure we had the emergency packets that were giving us immune system foods. We were taking that and be trying to do that. Those are great, yeah. So we were just being cautious and we're like, we're here for it. So whatever happens, happens. Yeah. So that's kind of how we dealt with the sickness part of it.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. I mean, I love that because I'll be honest, if I was taking my bucket list trip, I would have to be very, very deathly sick to make it like not happen. I would have done the same thing. Like, no, there's there's no need. I'm here, it's okay.
SPEAKER_01:Well, and you book these in advance and you don't really know, you really have some of them are 24 hours, some of them are 48 hours, and you don't know what their cancellation fee is. So, I mean, when they didn't make it to the winery, they still paid for it because they couldn't cancel it in time for so that is that. But yes, at the end of the day, it was still amazing, and we and we did flex around that. So, but no trip is it it's always got to be something, right?
SPEAKER_00:There's always something, always. But and speaking of, now I know that some of your friends might not have been able to make all of the wineries, but now obviously Napa is known for that. So tell us a little bit about the wineries there. What were your favorites? What were some highlights?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's so hard when we went to plan those, it's so hard to plan what ones you're actually gonna go to, and you go through word of mouth and people that have been in there before you and stuff like that. So I will say, kind of breaking it down day by day, our first whole day was getting there because we're all coming from the east coast to the west coast, so it takes a hot minute to get there. Yeah, but the on the second day, we went to Gloria Ferrer, which is sparkling, they're known for their sparkling wines, and it was top-notch. And I will say, if you have a friend that is a part of their group list, then you kind of get some inside, extra tastings, all of that. So I will say Victor was amazing. He's so funny. He was just telling us, like, really, we learned so much about where they are, how the grapes are how they make the wine on the Blanc de Blanc, how they peel the skins off. Like it was very educational. So it's just funny to be getting schooled in wine while you're getting tipsy.
SPEAKER_00:Also that's kind of great though, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, why drink? We could not have asked for better weather. So when we got there, when we arrived, it was 96 degrees, the hottest day in San Francisco that they'd had all summer. But luckily, it it then it dipped by I want to say the next day the high was maybe 75. So that's a huge difference. And that is we had our wraps and it was a little, it was overcast, and but it was nice. We had this whole beautiful tasting area outside, all overlooking the the grapevines, and it was just amazing. The the wine, the spark, it's all sparkling wine. So if you like champagne, but you can't call it champagne unless it's a certain region of France, so it's sparkling wine, is what we had, but it was amazing, and we did buy a couple to go bottles to bring back to. We had an Airbnb in downtown Napa, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous little place, walking distance to everywhere, hot tub in the back.
SPEAKER_00:Guess who found any always, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:If you need a if you need a travel eight, but yeah, it was amazing, so so fun. So that was our first, that was our first one, and then we went to another one, and I'm not even gonna say their name, but it was like polar opposite, not not our taste in wine. Everything there was beautiful. There was no winery that we went to that we're like, this is like why are we even here? Like, if you're looking at the view, the rolling hills, it's way different than North Carolina. We have so much lush greenery, it's very dry out there in California. I guess maybe because they don't get a lot of rain, but it was very dry, a lot of rocky rolling hills is what we saw, but still beautiful and still worth seeing, you know, absolutely. Absolutely. And then so the next day we had the Golden Haven spa, which we did the mud bath. All right, so I'm gonna tell you a little something about the mud bath. Tell us about this mud bath. We did the BFF mud bath, and what I will say is if you don't like being naked in front of people, this is probably not your jam. And I knew it would be because I'm not I'm not a naked person in front of people. That's just not my jam. And so for me, it was a little, it was not a little, it was very outside my comfort zone.
SPEAKER_00:Let me have a little smidge of a drink here before we that's okay, and you know, I will just take this quick second to comment like that's okay, right? If you're not necessarily comfortable with your friends, or if you are, right? It's about what makes you happy, right?
SPEAKER_01:So, and I'm all about lately challenging myself because this was outside my comfort zone, but this is something I'm starting to work on is facing my fears. And so I couldn't have asked for a better group of gals to do that with. They were also supportive, they definitely all had were definitely more okay with being naked. So literally, you get on a pair of disposable little black panties, and then you get into you go into this room and you get into the mud bath, and it smells the mud smells. I'm just telling you that.
SPEAKER_00:Just giving it is it like a sulfur?
SPEAKER_01:Is it like a not like a sulfur, not like rotten eggs, almost more like manure, like stinky. I felt a couple I'm not gonna lie, like it's a mud bath, but it's supposed to be amazing for your body. And they did this volcanic face mask that they paint on you, and that made my skin very tight, and it was beautiful. Okay, but the experience, so you're in the mud baths for about 15-20 minutes, then you go into a mineral bath again. But after you get out of the mud bath, you literally have to kind of roll out of there and then get into a shower and get naked with three other girls. Just saying, I'm just I'm just laying it out there for you.
SPEAKER_00:A lot of nakedness happening.
SPEAKER_01:There's a lot of nakedness. You see parts of your friends that you wouldn't necessarily see per se. And I mean, it is what it is. And then I chose to wear panties and a top into the minerals being some people went commando, some people did variations of that, and that's fine. But and then you go into a and then you do that for like 15 minutes, and then you go into a cool room where then you have to get you guessed it naked again. And then you're in this lemongrass scented room with your friends, listen to ambient music, and it smells better. Better than the yes, absolutely. It was an expert, it was an experience.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, yes, that's all I have to say. Now I know you said like you loved how it made your face feel. What about the mud bath on your body?
SPEAKER_01:So after I rinsed off, it I my skin did felt feel good, but when you're in that mud bath, you really have to kind of fling the mud up on you to because it's so dense that you're on top of it. So you tattoo's out and you're kind of shimmy and down. You're just slinging mud around, mud on top of you, and trying to get a little lower in, and then they put the cool compress on you, and you get the spring water and all that good stuff. We'll try to put some pictures in there.
SPEAKER_00:Not of not of the tattoos, no nakedness in the pictures, just no, we're gonna be we're gonna be PG.
SPEAKER_01:That's for suitcase division. We'll talk about that another time.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, of course, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:And then we went on to Shramsburg, which was another sparkling wine place. Amazing. They turn over millions of bottles, and we did the cave tour. It was an experience. I mean, it was an amazing experience. We learned so much. Lisa was so, so, so just this really down-to-earth chill. And she had a northern, she had I thought she kind of had a northern accent. She was really cool. Anyway, we had a great time at Shramsburg. The amount of actual bottles they turn over is astounding. And when we were in the tasting room, you could hear the the workers that she's like, this is 40, this is 40 deep, meaning 40 bottles deep in. And they she's like, We can hear them because they're that they're down to unstacking the last two rows. This is what's ready now. So it that was an experience itself. And then we were down in a cave having this tasting. Um, and it was just an amazing experience. The next day we had we had reservations at the prisoner wine. That was amazing. So that one came with our own private tasting, and then they had like a bento box, and they had like papaya salad, and then like Brussels sprouts and summer. I guess a vinaigrette. A vinaigrette. Then there was like a spring roll, and then there was some kind of tzeka, it was some kind of chicken sandwich, but well, we'll put a picture in there. It looked fabulous, it tasted fabulous, and that was amazing. The good thing about being in the wine club, our friend Dara had been there before, and so she was the one that had the wine club experiences. And so, whenever you're in the wine club, they give you all these extra samples of all these like really high bottles of wine, hoping being like, okay, you either want to buy one or you're gonna join the wine club. Because some of them you can't even buy, they're not open to the public. They're only you can only buy them if you're in the wine club. So that's something that's so Shramsburg was amazing, Prisoner was amazing. Then we went on to Domain Canaros. That looked like a Spanish, kind of like just a big castle, and we were overlooking Napa Valley. It was the most gorgeous views. I think that was one of my favorite views. We were sitting outside, the weather was so gorgeous. We were sitting outside. Fast forward the next day, Del Dado. By far my favorite. Okay. That one is where they had this thing called the wine thief. That it looked kind of phallic. It's like this big glass. We we joked we called it del dildo. But not everybody's supposed to say that. I can because you know me. Anywho, it's this big wine flute that you dip down into the barrels to get the tasting, and it's called a wine thief. So you dip this big glass dildo down into the barrel, and then you get a sample, and we're again down in a cave. Gorgeous, gorgeous, most beautiful. And Jeff, our our I'm gonna call him our sommelier because he was very knowledgeable. He took us around, and that came with pizza. They have an oven pizza, and he took us to this private room where we got to sample pizza afterwards. So amazing. It was it was that was by by by far my first favorite tasting. And then we went on to Jarvis, and I'll make that one real quick. Oh, but at Deldado, don't call it Del Deldo.
SPEAKER_00:It's it's like stuck in my head, and I'm gonna giggle every time I hear it. Now it's I'm really gonna have to unlearn that.
SPEAKER_01:Listen, I have the pen. I've got the pen.
SPEAKER_00:Jucy Deldotto, Del Dotto. Hope I spell the name right when I write it out. Okay. Please double check the description, guys. Make sure I spelled it right.
SPEAKER_01:It was so beautiful. And then we went on to Jarvis. But what I will say, going back to Deldotto, is when we pulled up, it's just like this black iron gate that you're heading up the mountain. And we're like, are they closed? Like, so we get out, we say, hello, we're here for the reservation, and these big black gates open up.
SPEAKER_02:It was oh me.
SPEAKER_01:It was like an epic, epic experience. Nothing like it. I would definitely, if you go to Napa, you definitely gotta go to Del Dato and ask for Jeff, Jeff Crabtree is actually his last name.
SPEAKER_00:And make sure to do the wine thief experience. Okay, that's that's where it's at, guys. The wine thief.
SPEAKER_01:And the pizza tasting was very fun too. And then Jarvis, another gorgeous, gorgeous. It's it's definitely more of an upscale vineyard. You're gonna pay more for tasting, but the grounds were amazing, the wine was amazing. Overall, amazing experience. They say don't fit too many into a day. We tried to shoot for two a day, and that I think that was on point. It was a lot. We didn't get a lot of sleep, but we had a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00:So hey, it's it was a bucketless vacation, right? So it sounds like you guys definitely checked off some things. And that's amazing. So I do want to ask real quick. I know you'd mentioned about joining the wine clubs with the different wineries, and with all the extra tastings and perks, would you say that that's like something you would suggest, or at least like, hey, if you're interested in this, take a look because it's probably worth it.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I would say if you're not, if if you have certain ones that you want to go to, like Gloria Ferrer, Dar was part of the wine club, and we absolutely benefited from that. We got extra tastings. I mean, some of these are$250 bottle of wine that they're just letting you taste because you're part of this exclusive club. Okay. And we also got some of the bottles were a hundred dollar bottles of sparkling wine, and we got it for$50 because they gave us like a half off deal. So we brought two of those home to have in Napa, which we very much enjoyed. We had Mimosa's sparkling wine in the in the morning the next day, and it was unbelievable. It was so good. So I would say definitely if you like sparkling wine, I would become a wine club member before you even go to Gloria Ferrare. Because you can cancel, you can cancel after like one shipment. So I mean, even if you sign up for it, you get the special benefits. Another one, the prisoner. We got so many perks. Cynthia was amazing. And her little assistant, I love her, love her, gave my business card because she is going to Bar Harbor, has been to, I'm gonna call her Bar Harbor. She's been there and wants to go back. So nice. I'd be happy to help her out with whatever she wants to see up in Maine. But yeah, absolutely. It was so, so amazing. It if and I would do Del Dado too. If you're not a wine club member of that, get in there. You know, I am you want to be part of the wine thief experience for sure.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yes, that definitely sounds like quite the experience. Absolutely. So through all that, now I do have a question. I know you visited quite a few wineries. Was there anything that, because you know, I am just a little nosy, a little curious, and I do love wine. Was there anything like interesting either about the tasting process or about the making of it process that either stuck out to you? And actually, I do have a question. One thing I'm always curious about, you know, when they taste the wine and they're sipping in and they spit it out into that bowl, did you have to do that or did you actually get to like drink all of the wine?
SPEAKER_01:So those are all excellent questions, Jackie.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I know.
SPEAKER_01:I'm sorry, I just kind of dumped it on you a little bit, but so to go back to it was really, really I was so impressed with Sranzburg just how huge their cave was, and how many and how many sacks of wide cave it was. We're gonna continue. Let's proceed. And and Lisa was so knowledgeable, and she actually showed us the because they have them all stacked on the side, and you can see the yeast level, and she shined a light because it's dark down there, and they actually have a process where they lay it on the side and they let the yeast settle, and then they have a process where they actually pull the yeast out, and then that just has the cork, and that gives the wine a certain taste, like their methods and their process, and then they have something a spinnerboard where you do it like clockways this way, and then counterclockways that way. And there's a guy that can do like 400 in a minute, it's insane. We didn't get to see him, but the way he spins bottles, he just knows how to do it. He's been doing it for 400 bottles in a minute, and that's like physically the way he spins up, he just goes down and does it like that. I gotta we need a video. We gotta go back. I know. Yes, like, well, listen, if I need a reason to go back, you don't have to ask me twice. But I mean, just the process of the way they talked about Shramsburg and the multitude of millions of bottles that they turn over. And so the other thing I learned is the average wine sits for the consumers, it's aged about two to three years. That's what the average wine is. Then you start getting into reserves, those are going to be aged more like seven to ten years, and that's why you're paying more per bottle because they've aged and they're worth more and they taste better. So that was part of the process is being part of the wine club was getting to taste some of those reserves and getting to know, like, okay, let's extend your palate and see can you taste the difference between the consumer and the reserves? And you absolutely can. But it depends on the weather and what went into those bottles. Every bottle that they make in any of these wineries can all turn out different. So you might like a certain blend that's a reserve, or you might like the two to three year one, depending on how what went into that year's development. So what I learned was the the expensive bottles don't always yield the best taste results for me personally, right? Because, but that's what these tastings are for. And I mean, I that's why the whole process to me is amazing. And I would love to own a winery. I mean, if it's in my cards, I would love to own a winery one day. Yes. Because I just love the process. I love everything, the notes. I love to talk about the weather. If you're in a valley, and you know, and I've been to so many tastings and I've learned so much throughout my life. It's just the whole process to me is amazing.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. I love that. Well, when you get your vineyard, you know, I'll be right there next to you.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Up and out. And everyone's invited. Yeah. And it's tasting. We're gonna have to get a what is it? We're gonna have to get a wine thief. We're gonna have to get a wine thief.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes, we will have a wine thief in our hands.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely for the vineyard. Okay. So awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing about all those wineries with us and about your experience and everything. So, I mean, that just sounds absolutely incredible. Sounds like you guys definitely got to check off some things on your bucket list. Now, just because you know, we are travel agents, we are in the travel industry, I'm just curious. Now, you said you were traveling with five other people. So there's a group of six of you. There was some sickness on the trip. You guys were out at wineries, doing dinner, all that. So, what were the dynamics like all throughout the week with all of you guys?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, so it was interesting because on the first day we were missing one of our tribe because of sickness. On the last day, we were missing one of our tribe because of sickness, but we kind of all ebbed and flow. And what I because we've gone on so many trips, we knew that there were a few things that we need to just all be on the same board about, on the same page about, which was I eat like a bird and they are foodies. So we had to have a plan of what we were gonna do for restaurants out, meals out. Right. I don't know if you heard about this recently, but there was this group of ladies that they just put in a bank account and everybody put puts in, and then you just pay out what you want. So the foodies of the group, which was four of them, they all kind of did that. They paid in a little bit every month and they knew they had this budget that they wanted to stay within. Then there was two of us that were just on our own, and I was the bird, I was the bird eater. And then our other friend just doesn't like to per se share meals. Like they want, they want to have what they want to have, and they just like you know what I mean? So our own stuff, yeah. And then the foodies, they're all about let's split all kinds of appetizers and let's taste everything kind of like family meal group, and then let's order a bunch of desserts. And you know, I don't do any of that, like I I eat, I eat a little bit and then that's it. So it was interesting, and normally I would have said we should we would have done split-wise because that's an app, it's a free app, and and I would encourage anybody that is going on a group trip to check that out. But because we already kind of had a plan in place and because we already have traveled together and they know that Denise is on her own, but it actually worked out great. And I did bring, I know you shouldn't probably bring a lot of cash, but what I did do is I brought a lot of cash for like tips for wineries. If I like a couple of times, Terry and I went in on a bill and I would just give her cash, or she would put it, I would put it on my card and she would give me cash. Right. So it ended up being great because I was able to pay a lot of my trip, just give cash for a lot of what we needed. Because you are gonna need to tip. I mean, if people go above and beyond, you you do need to tip your your people that are giving you the tastings if you're at the spa, the people that are doing that. So you do want to have some cash on hand to do that, right? Um, so that's how we work that out. Nice, but it's it's good going into it knowing that you're going to do that, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yeah. No, I absolutely agree. I mean, like money can always just kind of be one of those topics, and it can just be uncomfortable for some people to make that decision at the dinner table. So I'm it's awesome that you guys planned ahead and that you guys know each other, right? Like, I know you guys know our friends from college, so you've known each other for a while, but you guys know, like, hey, we're gonna go and eat at this buffet, and those two got it, and she's good.
SPEAKER_01:But we learned this because there were some uncomfortable trips where it's like you owe us, you owe us this for food. And I'm like, I didn't eat any of that food. I will still give you money, but I didn't eat any of that food. So we went into it knowing that we traveled together, and we went into it knowing that we want to make everybody was allowed to do what they wanted to do. Like some people hung back at the house, and then we got up bright and early, put on our sneakers and headed down because our Airbnb was walkable to downtown Napa. Not a lot of stuff was open at 7:30, 8 o'clock in the morning. Very chillax only back in Napa. Some places opened at nine, some places opened at 11. So some of us went out and did the walkabout, some of us stayed back. And then, like, same with the hot tub. We had a hot tub in our backyard. Not everybody wanted to get in the hot tub, and some people did. So we just made it very like do what you want to do, make it, you know. So I think at this far end, 20 years plus actually 30 years. Not that I'm not old. I mean, we met each other very long. Very young. We were very young when we met, but yeah, just knowing your tribe really helps going into a group trip like that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Every we wanted it to be what everybody wanted their bucket list trip to be, and that's what it was. And it was fabulous.
SPEAKER_00:That's awesome. That's awesome. So, and I love that you mentioned that, you know, you guys have been friends for you know a little bit of time, I guess we'll say. And you guys do know each other very well. So, and I guess can I ask, how long have you guys been planning this? Like, when did this, you know, Napa trip kind of idea come about?
SPEAKER_01:I mean, honestly, between 10 to 15 years, we've been planning this because we wanted to all go together. And I think this is how life happens because life happens. There was some things where somebody got unexpectedly pregnant, or somebody had you know, whatever happens, some somebody lost somebody and couldn't do it, somebody didn't have the finances, and we just kept waiting till it was the perfect time. Until everybody could be on board because we didn't want it to be the five of us. We always or the four of us. Like we've done trips where this person can't go or this person can't go. And it's it's a little it's sad. But so when we knew that this was a bucket list, we're like, no, everybody has to come. We have to all be together. And the stars aligned that 2025 was our time to go. And yeah, I want to say it's just magical. It just really everything aligned. Because if I had taken this trip 10 years ago, I wouldn't have known what I know about wine. I would not be as mature as I am about being willing to do things that I are out of my comfort zone. So I really do feel like this is the time that it all aligned.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. I love that. And that's so awesome and amazing that you guys had that connection and everything. You guys, you know, have that friendship. I think that's absolutely wonderful. So even being on the trip, was it was there any like college nostalgia or anything? I know, I mean, with you guys planning this for so long, was there anything like that? Or did it kind of remind you guys of like when you guys met or anything?
SPEAKER_01:Anytime we're together, anytime we're together, we laugh and tee. And we Nicole's all about the silly games, or if you had to do this or you had to do that. Okay. But a lot of it was just sitting out and hanging out in the beautiful Lanai out in the back. The weather, like I said, was gorgeous. But just sitting around and having a coffee or having a mimoso, again, one person can do one thing, one person can do another. Yeah. We don't judge. As you know, California is a legal zone. So some people may or may not have partook in that option. So it was just that we were just all there together and just yes, laughing about guys that somebody dated, or and being 20 years into a marriage is challenging. So just being there for each other, talking about what's going on in our marriage, or how I feel about this, or you know, what your kids are doing, or maybe you know, it we we talked about so many things, and it and having a support system there for you like that, even if it took 10 or 15 years, I would go back and do it again tomorrow because these ladies know. And we also made a pact to do a monthly Zoom because we're like, we don't talk to each other enough.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And let's make this a priority because our friendship is a priority. The support system is a support system. So, I mean, that just made us realize that we need each other more in our lives.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Yeah. And that's awesome. And I love that because, you know, at any stage in life, really, you know, it's always good to have, like you said, your tribe, your friends, your support system. You know, I definitely always encourage people. I'm like, find your people, you know, find those people in your life, even if you haven't talked to them, even if it's, you know, every so often or once every couple of months. So I love that you guys are gonna be connecting in the future. I think it's gonna be amazing. So, with this, you know, we you did your whole group trip, you checked off all your bucket list items, and it sounds like it was an incredible experience, which it really was. We are definitely gonna have to go back and revisit because there are some things I'm I'm a little curious about, you know. I have some questions, but through this, what are some practical tips or tricks? I know you've mentioned a few apps and stuff, but we can just kind of tell our listeners when they're traveling with the group.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so I would absolutely recommend splitwise if you haven't checked out that app, if you guys really are all going into it, kind of being like, we're and you might not have a big group of six like we did. I would say making reservations six months to a year out. Really six months. It's not necessarily a year out because they won't do it that far out, but researching where you want to go and making those reservations because, like Dar said, she couldn't get into the prisoner wine because it was she didn't make a reservation. She knew it was one of the wineries she really liked. But they're like, I'm sorry, we don't we can't make room for you. Like these people reserved six months ago. You can't just walk in here. So just know that it's one of those places kind of like Disney, kind of like those places. Like you have to have a reservation six months bus out if you want to be able to get into the really, really good places, which I feel like most of our places were really good. Sounds like it. Yeah, the one that I didn't mention, I'm not gonna mention because it got good reviews, but it really none of us, we were all like, and we didn't get good attention either. And it was that was the one day it was sprinkling, and it was an outside tasting, and they didn't even put up the umbrella for us, so we're just like, what's going on here? Like, this is a hell no.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01:Um, but we don't want to let one bad apple ruin the batch, you know what I mean? Yeah, or I should say grape. A grape.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, there you go. One bad grape ruin the bottle. We don't want that to happen, right?
SPEAKER_01:Well, and I will share my one little takeaway everywhere I go is I always get a Christmas ornament. So I got this little beauty. Oh those that are you gonna watch YouTube, it says Napa Valley, and it looks like a bottle of wine, and I am going to cricket it and put 2025 on it. Girls trip.
SPEAKER_00:But that was so cute.
SPEAKER_01:That's always my takeaway because I know some people, oh, and we also did, I don't think I have it on, but oh yes, I do. We all also got a piece of jewelry, like a bracelet. Mine's kind of like a little blingy, kind of pink wine tone. Some of us got necklaces and all that good stuff. But the most interesting thing I will say that I saw on my trek to downtown Napa was when we were getting ready to go to dinner one night. There was actually a guy with a baby cow walking down Main Street Napa taking pictures with people. A baby cow. He was so cute. That's the oddest thing I saw. But and I would say September is absolutely a magical time because it's not super packed. I think July and August, Napa is packed.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:September, it's a little is kind of considered their off season, and we went late September. Yeah, but still, there was still so much to see. It wasn't as busy, the weather was beautiful. I would definitely recommend mid to late September to go visit Napa for sure. Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Well, good to know, good to know. And thank you so much. I love that. No, I love all the tips and tricks. Thank you so much for sharing all that. And yeah, absolutely sounds like you guys had an amazing time. And I'm so glad that you guys got to go. I know that you were talking about this trip for a while and leading up to it. And you guys have, I mean, I only heard about it for you know a few months. You guys have been waiting for quite some time to take this trip. So I think it's amazing that you guys did it and everything. So yeah, so listeners and everything. If you guys are thinking of a girl's trip, planning a group trip, take some of these tips. Okay. Make sure that we plan it out, make sure we know who the introverts are, who the non-foodies are. Okay. If we have health concerns, just, you know, things happen, kind of like you said, right? We grab your emergency, make sure you have, you know, your allergy medication. So I don't even like, I can't imagine going from like the East Coast to the West Coast. I did it once when I was like 15, but that's such a climate change for some people. So yeah, always good to be ready. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Three-hour time difference for sure.
SPEAKER_00:You get a little jet flagged when that too. Yeah. That too. I always forget about the island. I'm like, what time is it? Wait a minute.
SPEAKER_01:No, the first couple of days it was like hard to catch up with a family because their day was already done when we're just starting. We're like, okay, okay. They're like, good morning.
SPEAKER_00:They're like, good afternoon.
SPEAKER_01:The first night we got there, literally, we had 8:30 p.m. dinner reservations on Pacific Coast time, which means we got up at like 4 a.m. We had gone all day, we had gone the other side of the country, and then we didn't have dinner reservations till 8 p.m., which meant it was really more like 11.
SPEAKER_00:11:30 for you guys. 11:30.
SPEAKER_01:And then we stayed up till 1 p.m. And so really that was like 3 a.m. our time. And then we had to get up by like 7 a.m. And we were out in Napa. So it was like it was a thing. It was, but it was magical. I would not trade it for the world, and I would do this trip again tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. Awesome. That is wonderful. And I love that. Well, thank you so, so much, Denise, for sharing about your trip and all your tips and everything. And to all the listeners out there, I'm gonna ask you what trip is on your bucket list and who are you gonna take with you? Okay. Yeah. Have someone in mind and a destination. Go text them and tell them, even if it's not for the next 10 years, it gives you plenty of time to plan. Okay. Yep. Take your time, do it right. Okay. Make it the best experience you possibly can. Okay. Thank you guys so much for listening to episode two of season three. We are suit case divas with Jackie G and Denise D, and we will see you guys next time. Bye guys.
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