Episode 46 - Christopher Hill: Adventure with Impact

A house build in Cape Town changed everything. Christopher had the degrees, the London job and the momentum. Yet one day volunteering added two dimensions to travel that a corner office never could, genuine connection with local people and the joy of making a lasting difference. We explore how that spark became Hands Up Holidays, a tailor-made way for families to blend adventure with meaningful service, and why parents say these journeys raise kinder, braver kids.

We dig into the early years, delaying the business launch to scout projects worldwide, learning to ask networks for help and discovering that families, not just time-poor professionals, were hungry for purpose-led travel. You’ll hear the stories that stay with you from children who played with classmates in rural Morocco who then chose to send their Christmas gifts to the school to a family so changed by the Sunderbans in India that they returned for a full year to volunteer. We talk practicalities too and how bespoke itineraries work with local guides, what to consider when planning around peak seasons and why accommodation often sets the timeline.

This episode is a little different showcasing standout projects with real impact. How recycled-bottle solar heaters in Argentina cut costs and waste, how eco-stoves in Belize reduce burns and asthma and how a long standing partnership with a forward looking Maasai community supporting girls’ education and safety. We also unpack intergenerational travel (grandparents, parents and kids) and how service abroad often inspires service at home.

If you want travel that forms character, strengthens family bonds and benefits the communities you visit, this conversation is your map. Christopher is creating a world of Everyday Warriors!

Explore Hand Up Holidays here

Connect with Christopher on Instagram here

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Content Warning
• 2:01 Reviews, Support, And Book Plug
• 3:42 Meet Chris And The Origin Story
• 5:19 South Africa Trip That Changed Everything
• 8:49 Leaving Law For Purposeful Travel
• 10:19 Launching Hands Up Holidays
• 12:06 Families Become The Core Audience
• 14:44 Lessons From Two Years On The Road
• 17:10 Contentment, Gratitude, And Perspective
• 18:40 Standout Family Transformations
• 21:07 Raising Empathy Through Kids’ Volunteering
• 24:04 How The Trips Are Tailor-Made
• 26:10 Intergenerational Travel And Legacy
• 28:16 Communities Pitching New Projects
• 30:02 Favourite Places, Projects, And Communities
• 33:24 Kenya’s Forward-Looking Maasai Partnership
• 36:26 How To Plan And When To Book
• 39:16 Groups, Schools, And Corporate Options
• 41:06 What’s Next: Caribbean And Costa Rica
• 44:01 Gratitude, Farewell, And Listener CTA

Transcript

Trudie: 0:00

Welcome to the Everyday Warriors Podcast, the perfect space to speak my truth and dive into deep conversations with others. This podcast is about celebrating Everyday Warriors, the people who face life's challenges head-on, breaking through obstacles to build resilience, strength, and courage. Join me, your host, Trudy Marie, as I sit down with inspiring individuals who have fought their own battles and emerge stronger, sharing more real and authentic stories in a safe space, allowing you to explore, question, and find your own path to new possibilities. Let us all embrace the warrior within and realise that while no one is walking in your shoes, others are on the same path, journeying through life together. Please note that the following podcast may contain discussions or topics that could be triggering or distressing for some listeners. I aim to provide informative and supportive content, but understand that certain things may evoke strong emotions or memories. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or in need of support while listening, I encourage you to pause the podcast and take a break. Remember that it is okay to prioritise your well-being and seek assistance from trained professionals. There is no shame in this. In fact, it is the first brief step to healing. If you require immediate support, please consider reaching out to Lifeline on 13, 11, 14 for a crisis intervention service in your area. Thank you for listening and please take care of yourself as you engage with the content of this podcast. Love the Everyday Warriors Podcast. It would mean the world to me if you were to leave a five-star review to ensure that the Everyday Warriors podcast is heard by more listeners around the world. You can also support the show for as little as $5 with a one-time donation or by becoming a monthly subscriber. Your contribution helps me to continue bringing you inspiring stories of everyday warriors who overcome challenges to find strength, resilience and new possibilities in life. Head to the link to buy me a coffee and fuel the next episode. Every bit counts. It is my memoir of hiking the 1,000km Bibleman track, a journey that was as much about finding my way back to myself as it was about conquering the trail through the highs and lows and everything in between. This book is taken from my journals and is my raw and honest experience of overcoming trauma and embracing the strength within. Grab your copy now. Just head to the link in the show notes and let's take this journey together. It is mid-afternoon for the recording in my time and early evening for his time. And the way we connected was actually via this gentleman's personal assistant. She emailed me after listening to some of the episodes and said she had the perfect guest for me. So I would like to welcome today Chris.

Christopher: 4:03

Thanks, Trudy. It's great to be here.

Trudie: 4:05

It's so nice to have you. And I mentioned to Kelly in her email initially to me that you weren't my usual guest, but you had a fabulous story that I wanted to be able to share. So it really is an honour to have you on the show today.

Christopher: 4:21

Amazing. I'm so excited.

Trudie: 4:23

And I'd like to start your story probably about 20 years ago, before we hit record, is that you said your story started some 20 odd years ago that's led you to today. So tell me about that.

Christopher: 4:37

Yeah, sure. My background that we quickly raced through was that I did a law degree and a business degree here in New Zealand. And then I ended up with my first job was in London working in investment banking. And I did that for six years. And in that sixth year, I took a trip down to South Africa. I was invited down there by my first flatmate that I had in London, who moved down to South Africa and ended up becoming a tour guide there. And so he invited me down on a trip with him. And we'd for a while had been discussing or really brainstorming some ideas of ways that I could get into the travel industry because I had traveled quite extensively leading up to that point. And he knew it. And I had thought that I was going to get travel out of my system and then settle down and become a lawyer. But really, the more I traveled, the more I realized I wanted to travel. And so as I say, we were discussing some ideas. And one idea that I liked the sound of was to combine a holiday sightseeing with actually an element of giving back and volunteering in that destination. And he said, I've got a good relationship with a guy who runs Habitat for Humanity in Cape Town. And so do you want to see if they've got any openings for you to get involved in a build with them? And I said, Yeah, sure, that'd be great. And so he got in touch with his friend. And as it turns out, they did have availability for the days that we were going to be in Cape Town. So we finished the trip, which was exploring the country, an amazing country, and going on safari and all that sort of wonderful thing along the garden route as well. And then got to Cape Town. And as I say, he arranged for me to do this house build. And it was there that this experience really added sort of two extra dimensions to travel for me. One was that I actually got to engage with the local people and hear their stories and share my own story with them and gain insights into their lives. And then secondly, it just felt great to actually make a difference and help this family that we were helping build alongside. And so I got thinking, yeah, I've learned some good business skills. Why don't I put these skills into something that I would find a bit more meaningful and fulfilling and make it easier for others to have similar experiences to what I've just had? And so that was really the the birthing of what three years later became Hands Up Holidays, which is the first travel brand that I launched.

Trudie: 7:41

That's incredible that one simple trip for you literally changed the course of your life. And I want to take you back to that and ask, like you said, that you had this thing, you were trained at university to become a lawyer and you were working in that industry, but you had this travel bug. How long did you stay a lawyer for after this trip? And do you feel like it was something that potentially that you were driven towards by external factors? And then once you actually got to taste this idea of travel and what you could do, that you then started truly living into your passion?

Christopher: 8:23

One thing to clarify actually, I never practiced law. I I actually ended up, as I mentioned, I studied law and accepted a job with a law firm. And they got them to agree before I start that I could travel with them for sorry, not with them, but travel for nine months before starting working for them. And in the course of my final year of university, because this all happened going into my final year, in that final year, I won a scholarship from an investment bank. And it was through that relationship that they that I ended up getting a job in London in investment banking and thinking, well, if I don't take it, I'll probably always regret it. And so saying to the law firm, actually, no, I'm actually not able to start with you. So there was that. And then the second part of your question, yeah, I felt like whilst technically I was good at the job and was making head in the right direction externally, it wasn't speaking to my soul. And so it was really, it was this experience in South Africa that did speak to my passion and my soul. And to the extent that I felt like, yeah, this was a no-brainer for me to pursue. Yeah.

Trudie: 9:43

Wow. And I love that you say that you it spoke to your soul that you were doing something, and even though you were good at it, being good at it wasn't enough for you to stick it a career. It was no, I have to go and follow my passion, I have to go and follow what speaks to my soul and ultimately what makes a difference. Because I think, as you said, coming out of that trip, the two things that that stood out for you were engaging with locals and being able to make a difference. So you launched your new business, Hands Up Holidays. Tell me what happened from there.

Christopher: 10:19

At that at the time that we launched, which was in 2006, there was actually just back a couple of years, I had intended to launch with just South Africa. So like launch one destination being South Africa, and really carbon copy of what I'd done back in 2002. However, I got some advice from a family friend who was working in the travel industry who said that in order to come across as more credible and appeal to a wider variety of customers, he thought it would be best if we delayed that launch and actually built up a portfolio of multiple destinations. And so I took that advice and actually ended up delaying the launch by two years and traveled the world during that time. And so we ended up launching with about 20 destinations, and that was in 2006. And at that point, I had really young professionals in mind as our main target audience 25 to 35 year olds, cash rich, time poor, who wanted to have a great holiday, but at the same time wanted to make a difference. And we we did get some bookings from them, but really what blew me away was right from the outset, we were getting bookings from families. And at that point, families weren't on my radar at all. I didn't have children of my own at that time, and just it didn't even occur to me that families would want to be booking with us. So I'd ask them, Why are you booking with us? And they'd say things like our kids come from pretty privileged backgrounds, and we really want them to appreciate just how fortunate they are. Or they'd say, We're looking for a great family bonding experience, and this nails it for us. Or it it would like to inspire our kids to become the next generation of world changers. And this really resonated with me, and I can't remember how long it took, but not that long. We it started to focus our marketing messaging pretty much exclusively, not exclusively, but certainly primarily on the family audience. And that's been uh an incredible ride to be able to facilitate these trips for families and even more so now that I have children of my own.

Trudie: 12:46

Wow, that's yeah. I'm just trying to fathom that whole process from going you doing one trip for humanity in South Africa, that the advice of somebody had you then go on a two-year journey traveling yourself and obviously experiencing some of these other things in different locations around the world so you could launch your business with multiple destinations, setting up to have professionals do this type of adventure, to then the whole trajectory of it changing because families were coming to you wanting to make a difference. Like that, there is just so much to explore inside of that. So I want to take you back to that two years where you were traveling yourself to explore possible other destinations and obviously doing the humanitarian work yourself. What did you come across or learn during that period?

Christopher: 13:47

Huh. I think one key thing that I learned was that just by putting yourself out there, you can attract uh like-minded people or opportunities that you wouldn't necessarily certainly on your on your own strength come across, but by being very vocal and doing using your network, just amazing connections can happen. And it's been an incredible experience of building those connections where they weren't even necessarily expected. For example, one was with a a woman who had was working for Vodafone, and at the time there was the Vodafone Foundation, which essentially sponsored employees to take a year out and volunteer at a project for that time. And and so a friend of mine said, Oh, you should talk with Annette. She's just come back from volunteering in Bali for a year. And and so I did got in touch with her, and she was very generous with her time and spoke about how she was working at a charity that primarily makes prosthetic limbs for people that are missing limbs in Bali. And she added, though, that another kind of sideline that they do is building disabled accessible bathrooms for paraplegics. And this really pricked my ears up. And so I had to get up to Bali and experience firsthand what they were doing there, and was really moved by the impact that is made on really just one individual, but in an area that's so personal, i.e., going to the bathroom, being actually able to bring about a measure of dignity and independence in this area, as I say, was really moving. And so that's just one example of many that just through using the network may become aware of all these incredible opportunities and projects that we can facilitate. So yeah, that was one key learning for sure.

Trudie: 16:06

And such an amazing key learning to have in that we take for granted quite often in the Western world that we live in, of what facilities we have. And people in other countries and other areas don't have the same luxuries that we do on a day-to-day basis. Like you said, in some something as simple as going to the bathroom, that you helping out and having this amazing adventure in Bali, but also giving back to the community in such a profound way that has a ripple effect beyond whatever we would ever know.

Christopher: 16:45

Yeah, that's right, Trudy. Yeah. And connected with that would be another key learning was for me around contentment and getting to engage with lots of communities who materially have very little, but spiritually and emotionally are incredibly rich and happy. And that's, as I say, a learning for me that I've embraced. Not I've still got ways to go, but it's helped a lot with my own. Connected with that is a sense of gratitude and having actually a daily practice of gratitude as well.

Trudie: 17:18

Something so important that I think we all too often forget is just being grateful for what we do have in our day-to-day lives. Because I think so often there are so many people out there searching for the next best thing, or wishing for something that they don't have, or wishing time forward, like people who are wanting, can't wait for the next holiday, or can't wait for the next occasion to come up because they're so dissatisfied with their everyday world that if we can all just have more gratitude in our daily lives, that we become more accepting and tolerant and have a more fulfilling life. Like you said, they're emotionally and spiritually more connected to themselves than pretty much what the rest of us are for the most case, because we all become so materialistic.

Christopher: 18:11

Exactly.

Trudie: 18:12

So you obviously launched with approximately 20 destinations, and then obviously these families started coming on board and taking advantage of all these trips. Are there particular ones that stand out where families have come back from those particular areas and have said, wow, or wanted to do it again, or wanted to do something similar again?

Christopher: 18:37

Yeah, that there are. There's a good number of one of the beauties I think of working with families is repeat clients and word of mouth for referrals is really powerful. And a couple of things, a couple of sort of stories that spring to mind along those lines, not necessarily repeat customers, but one in a sense was, and that one was they traveled with us to India, and they were helping in a remote part of India called the Sunder Barnes, which is not too far from Bangladesh. And they were in a village context there and was transformed by the experience that they actually moved to India for a year and spent a full year volunteering in that village. And so yeah, they became a repeat customer in that sense. And then another story I'd love to share was a trip to Morocco from a family, and they were building a library in a school about 45 minutes outside of Marrakesh. And their kids were quite young. They did get involved with the building, but the kids more focused on playing with the kids at the school and getting that interaction, and that which is great. And so the trip happened, and I didn't think too much more of it other than that, until the family wrote to me and said that they Christmas around Christmas time came and they said actually our kids declined to have their Christmas presents and they wanted their Christmas presents to be sent to the children in Morocco.

Trudie: 20:13

Wow. How do you even put a price on that experience? That what was started out as a family holiday and a bonding experience, and the children just get to play with children from a completely different background, completely different culture, and then of their own free will turn around and say, No, we want to give back. Like we've had such a profound experience without even understanding probably what they were asking or requesting, that they are now giving it forward in a way that what is the rest of their lives going to be like if they're already doing that as kids?

Christopher: 20:53

Yeah, yeah, you nailed it.

Trudie: 20:55

Yeah, beautiful. Like I I love that. And obviously, this is all happening in the early stages, like you said, when you started the business and you had these families come to you, you didn't have children. You've gone on now to have a family. How have your own boys started to experience the business through their eyes?

Christopher: 21:19

Yeah, I've been really fortunate to be able to take them on on a good number of trips now. Actually, that Bali one that I mentioned, we took them on recently, and that was certainly one of the highlights because it was coming full circle to actually be able to do it with my children. They got involved with capturing water from the well and then carrying that water over to where the cement was being mixed, and then actually got involved with mixing the cement and then getting the spade and loading that cement into the wheelbarrow and then wheeling it over to where the experts were doing the tricky parts, and at the same time got to engage with the local kids, play soccer with them and various other games. And yeah, it was really special that we've also done some turtle conservation work in Mexico with them recently. And one of the earlier ones was building an eco-friendly stove in Belize. And these stoves are really wonderful in that one, they can be completed from start to finish in just a few days, but also they have some wonderful benefits, such as they replace the open flames that you get in traditional huts. And particularly with young kids running around, there's risk of getting burnt. And so by having an enclosed stove, you eliminate those burns. And by having a chimney, you can expel the smoke, and thus respiratory problems such as asthma are dramatically reduced. And from an environmental perspective, they're a win as well, because they're much more energy efficient than the open flames. And yeah, that was another great one to do with the kids. And then most recently, we were involved in Tahiti with a coral reef restoration project. So they've had a good cross-section of activities.

Trudie: 23:15

Yeah, and it's not just about them being able to see different parts of the world from a tourist perspective, but they're actually engaging. Like you said, one of the very first things you learned was about engaging with the locals and seeing how how other people live really, because you're getting involved in their day-to-day lives and them being able to make a difference as well, because it's not just about I think making a difference to the communities that they're working in, but surely as young men growing up, they are now learning skills about life and about community and about connection and who they get to be in the world, which when you consider that most kids are often glued to a screen, gaming, doing all those sorts of things, like your boys are really embracing the world that you've had them grow up in.

Christopher: 24:10

Yeah, they are, and this wonderful sort of soft skills developed around empathy and compassion and gratitude. I mentioned, and as well, just I think a cultural awareness and appreciation of cultural richness really helps with a lot of overcoming a lot of the othering that I think can happen these days. All around the world, we see immigration is a big issue, and I think in that people's humanity gets lost, and it's just it it can be, as I say, other and not even humanizing that other. But I and so for me, having interaction with a diverse range of cultures is really powerful at a minimum for preserving people's humanity.

Trudie: 25:01

I totally agree, and I think that you're spot on with what you said about the fact that there is this other that we're all human beings, we may look different, but at the end of the day, we all bleed red, and we are all having this human experience while we're alive, but then we become so judgmental and so segregated that we forget the whole essence of that. And I think what you're doing and the way you're giving back in your business and what you do for the world is truly breaking down those barriers for so many people.

Christopher: 25:38

Again, you've nailed it, Trudy.

Trudie: 25:41

The next question I have to ask you that came up in that conversation when you talk about the different families going to the different places. Do you often travel with particular families, or is this something that you do the booking for and they go and travel on their own? Or do you actually get to experience some of these things with them?

Christopher: 26:01

No, I don't go with other families. It'd probably be a little weird if I was to tack along with another family. They every trip is tailor-made, and so I will, like you say, create an itinerary for that family, and then they'll experience it. And part of our philosophy is to work with local guides, and so in the destination, they're far from on their own. They are with 24-7 care, but it's locally based care. And then I'm still contactable, but it's far better to speak to someone on the ground than someone on the other side of the world.

Trudie: 26:38

No, thank you for clarifying that because I part of me was like, is this run as like a tour guide sort of experience where you're going with multiple groups of families, or is this essentially like a family holiday going experiencing it one-on-one? You've just done all the background work to make it happen. So I think what you're creating there is such a beautiful experience because you're not being led by this to a guide that's telling you what to do, when to do it, how to do it. You're creating the basis for this experience to evolve naturally during its course of however long the people are there for.

Christopher: 27:17

Yeah, that's right. And again, it comes down to a client's preferences. Some may want to keep really open the non-volunteering days, shall I say, and wing it. And then others would prefer a bit more structure and have each day planned out. So it really just comes down to client preferences.

Trudie: 27:36

And that's what makes it so unique because then you are literally tailor-making it for what the different experiences want to. And then inside of what you were saying about your boys and what they've already been able to experience, having done that, are they now coming to you with ideas of what they want to do next or where they want to go and help out next? Are they doing their own research themselves?

Christopher: 28:02

I haven't yet, I must say. No, not yet. I think it'll come, but not yet. No.

Trudie: 28:09

No. And I asked that about your boys, but are other families then coming back to you potentially as repeat clients, looking for different experiences, potentially experiences that they have learned about themselves?

Christopher: 28:23

For sure. Yeah. It's interesting. We get a lot of repeat customers, and the majority want to try somewhere different each time around. And we've had families that have done trips, I I remember, well, I mean so many, but trips in Brazil and then South Africa, and then Thailand, and then Romania, really covering the globe quite remarkably. And then another thing we get, which I really love, is intergenerational trips, where it's kids, parents, and grandparents traveling together. Sometimes grandparents and the grandkids. But those are, I think, also really powerful because it's it's covering that the whole age spectrum from the children looking to be inspired through to grandparents who want to leave a legacy.

Trudie: 29:24

I love that idea of three generations going away to a different place and immersing themselves in the culture and giving back. And like you said, it's three different ways of doing it because what's there for the grandparents will be completely different to the adult experience and then be again completely different for the children's experience. And yet all are going to come away, not only making a difference to the community that they've worked with, but in their own lives and what they do moving forward for however long. They have here because obviously the grandparents' time on earth is much less than that of the children. But they're all going to be profoundly impacted and go back to their own communities and make a difference there.

Christopher: 30:14

Yeah. Yeah. It's that that is another really great point that uh people may do like the family I mentioned in India, and we spend a year in India, but others will be inspired to volunteer and serve in their own communities after experiencing this sort of thing on a holiday as well.

Trudie: 30:36

Yeah, which I think is extremely important because while it's amazing to go and do these holidays that have this volunteering aspect to them, it's then being able to take those experiences and bring it back to your everyday life where it's not that memory that happened back then, it's actually being replicated in your everyday world.

Christopher: 31:00

Yeah.

Trudie: 31:02

And from that, like looking at the different people and the different cultures and the different places, like you said, you came back with about 20 destinations. I imagine that has grown over time. But do now people that are in sort of those communities around the world, are they now coming to you looking for that experience? Do you get referrals from other communities coming to you saying, hey, we'd love you to visit over here?

Christopher: 31:30

Sure. Yeah, yep, definitely. It's one way that we do grow is by now we get communities pitching to us to say we'd love to be part of the hands-up family, so to speak. And then it's a case of evaluating it, desktop evaluation, and then if it ticks the right boxes, go getting out there and experiencing it firsthand before launching it.

Trudie: 31:54

Yeah, I can imagine that you would have to experience it firsthand before you send a family off. What have been some of your favorite destinations across the course of the last 20 years that you have experienced, whether it's a particular place, whether it's a particular community, or even whether it's a particular project? Maybe you can give us an example from across all three.

Christopher: 32:20

Place, community, project. Okay.

Trudie: 32:22

It's hard to summarize 20 years of experiences, but at least it gives you a starting place to take us on a journey.

Christopher: 32:31

Yeah, I've mentioned Bali already, and that is one of my all-time favorites. So I'll think of some other ones. One that springs to mind is in Argentina, and as a place, I think it's incredible. Particularly, I think the sheer length of it means that there's so many diverse ecosystems in there. You've got the glaciers down in the south, and then you've got the lake district heading a bit further north, and you've got, and then you can move into sort of the pampas area where the cowboys are, and then you've got the wine area around Mendoza, and then you've got Iguasu Falls, and then heading further north, you you get into desert landscapes, and so that as a as a place is a favorite, and actually as a project, what we have there is is one of my favorites, is actually in creating solar panel heatings for families using recycled bottles and cans. And it's a win on many levels, from just purely the actually using recycled materials, but then to then put them into actually something that is generating heating for a family and has the additional benefits of saving that that family money is a wonderful and favorite project of mine to promote and certainly one to have experienced. And yeah, communities. Oh, yeah, here's a good one. In Kenya, we've had a long relationship with a Maasai community that's a very forward-looking community. They're right on the edge of the Masai Mara. And they are the only Maasai-owned camp that there is for anywhere. And so that they've been granted a conservancy just on the edge of the Massai Mara. But in terms of so not only are they forward thinking in terms of their business now and setting up this camp, but also they are forward thinking in terms of how progressive that they think, certainly in terms of being very outspoken against female genital mutilation and forced early marriage. And so as a result, there's a beacon for young girls in other villages can leave their villages where they're facing these things and come. And so we've been involved with building a like a dormitory style accommodation for young women to come to from other villages and live in and receive an education and then have autonomy over their own lives. And so that's just certainly one of my favorite communities there. The whole experience when you arrive is incredibly welcoming. There's the illulations of the Maasai women when you come in, and then the jumping up and down, the springing that's done, and then the opportunity to go out with the Maasai men and learn about their lives as warriors, and also participate in what they what we call the Maasai Olympics, which involves learning about archery and spear throwing. And so, yeah, it's it's a wonderful community and incredible way to get immersed in the culture.

Trudie: 36:17

Just you describing those three things. Argentina as a country, I never looked at how diverse it was. I obviously know where Argentina is, I know various cities in Argentina, if you were to name them, but you just describing the different landscapes. I was like, wow, okay, I didn't realize how big of a place or diverse a place it was. And then you're talking about the project in Argentina where you said that not only are you recycling materials, but you're giving them some kind of solar heating, which is then going to save them financially. Like on all levels, that's such a complex project in its whole composition. Yeah, you're taking wasted materials and recycling them. You're providing an energy source, which then ultimately saves the family money, which means that they're going to be financially better off to do other things. Like that's such a profound impact on any community, even in a Western culture, let alone some of these communities in other areas. But then just describing the Massai community in Kenya, it's I want to go there and experience that. Like it's the way you even describe it and bring it to life is and what they're doing as a community for each other, for the women in their community, of moving forward in a way that you are not having these heinous kind of practices from the past, that they're moving forward from that and not doing it in a way that's this is right or this is wrong, but just progressing forward as a way of expanding their community. I just think is incredible. And the fact that you've got not only have you been able to be part of these works, but then other families are then going in and experiencing this as well as part of that hands-up family that you have as part of your business.

Christopher: 38:16

Yeah, yeah, it's a joyous experience every time I go there.

Trudie: 38:20

So obviously, listeners who have heard the episode want to get involved and potentially book a trip of their own. What sort of processes and systems are in place and how long would does the planning take for something like that to occur?

Christopher: 38:38

Yeah, there the in terms of the process, that's that part's pretty straightforward. Basically, going to our website and clicking on plan my trip, and then that'll take you to a page which where you can really select a checkbox. So you can select destinations of interest, ways of help that are of interest, sightseeing activities that are of interest, time of year, length of trip, and so on, budget, etc. And and all of those come through to me. I handle every inquiry that comes through personally. And then in terms of the time, the notice required, it it very much depends on the time of year and the destination. And so, for example, Costa Rica is one of our most popular destinations. But if you wanted to travel over the Christmas, holiday, New Year period this year, no chance of finding anywhere there. So for that, whilst we could deliver everything ourselves and the volunteer experience would be fine, we just can't get the accommodation. And so that's quite often the roadblock. And so for a destination like Costa Rica, or you know, there's other examples, even closer to home, New Zealand as well, at Christmas time, really hard to find accommodation. Accommodation, as I say, can be the roadblock and just need to book further in advance. But if you're willing to travel off season, then we've done trips with two weeks' notice. So it's case-by-case basis.

Trudie: 40:21

And like you said, on the website, they've got all these check boxes that go through the experience, how long they want to travel for, their budget, the places they'd like to go, the things they'd like to do. So it really is, like you said at the beginning, very much tailor-made for each individual or family or multi-generational family. Do you do groups as well, or is it purely just smaller families?

Christopher: 40:45

We only really do groups if it's like a group of friends that come together and want to travel. I say that. We do have another couple of other brands that I launched, which are all group trips, but they're both pre-formed groups, i.e., we have one that's is for school trips, and so that's one school group will travel together, and then the other is a corporate one, and so that's where a company can take their employees on one of these trips. But again, it's a group trip, but it's everyone knows each other prior.

Trudie: 41:20

No, I totally get that, and I love that you've brought that up so that if again, if my listeners are connected to wider networks that potentially want to have a corporate trip or potentially want to have a school trip, that literally you encompass everything that you do inside of one of your brands.

Christopher: 41:37

That's right, Trudy. Yep.

Trudie: 41:39

Yeah. I really love what you've created today inside of what you've created over the last 20 years. I think what you're doing out there is incredible for not just the families who get to experience these trips, but the broader communities that you impact through the volunteering, through the projects that you're incorporating, and just the humanitarian connection that would otherwise not have occurred had you not gone on this trip to Cape Town like 20 something years ago.

Christopher: 42:18

Yeah, that's right.

Trudie: 42:20

And is there any sort of plans for you in the future of what your next trip or next project or next family trip is going to be?

Christopher: 42:32

A couple of destinations that are in the pipeline. We're looking at offering some destinations in the Caribbean. So Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic are in the pipeline. And then for us as a family, I mentioned Costa Rica, and that is looking like being our next destination, but not this Christmas. Like I said, no chance of that. So we'll probably be traveling there probably off peak time.

Trudie: 43:00

Nice. And is there a particular project that you'll be looking at in your life?

Christopher: 43:03

No, there's a couple there. Yeah. One is a wildlife conservation project, which is working with mostly with monkeys and parrots, but it could be any other animals that are being cared for at that time. And it's preparing their meals, it's maintaining their enclosures, it's creating enrichments to stimulate the animals and really just learning a lot about the animals. And then the other one is we've got a relationship with some schools in this same sort of area in Costa Rica. And so it'll be depending on what their needs are at the time, but it's it tends to be repair and renovation work at one or more schools.

Trudie: 43:44

Wow. So the community will be impacted in whichever way you choose to do, or you might do both. Who knows?

Christopher: 43:51

Oh, yeah, we plan to do both, yeah.

Trudie: 43:53

Plan to do both, that's awesome. I just want to thank you so much for sharing your business and your journey today and what you do for people around the world. I will put all your links in the show notes so that people who do want to explore and have this adventure for themselves, they can reach out and connect with you directly. But the stories I've heard myself today, like as a person who is, like I said, too off-air, my sister lives in Bali and is giving her and her children that worldly experience. They've lived up there for three years now. My daughter is currently living there, so I do make regular trips up to Bali and I do try to get out and explore and see things differently than just the tourist things. Once you've been going for 20 odd years as I have, you you get beyond the tourist part. But just seeing it more through the eyes that you've given me is that my next trip, I think I'm going to look at doing more for myself, even if it's only on my own accord. Uh, but just giving back in a way that I haven't given previously on one of my trips. So you've really opened my eyes to a different perspective of the world. So thank you for that as well.

Christopher: 45:09

Oh, amazing. Uh thank you so much for the opportunity to share.

Trudie: 45:13

You're welcome. And I always finish the podcast episode by asking, what is one thing you are most grateful for today?

Christopher: 45:21

It'll be my kids. Yeah, I'm they're challenging, yeah, a lot of the time, but I'm so glad to have them.

Trudie: 45:33

Thank you for tuning in to the Everyday Warriors podcast. If you have an idea for a future episode or a story you'd like to share yourself, then please reach out and message me, as I am always up for real, raw, and authentic conversations with other Everyday Warriors. Also, be sure to subscribe so that you can download all the latest episodes as they are published. And spread the word to your family and friends and colleagues so they can listen in too. If you're sharing on social media, please be sure to tag me so that I can personally acknowledge you. I'm always open to comment about how these episodes have resonated with you, the listener. And remember, lead with love as you live this one wild and precious life.