Beachside Banter w/Bee

Shining a Light on Nomadic Living & Nomad Travel Groups

• Bee • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Have you ever wondered how growing up in exotic locales like Madagascar and Bangladesh could shape someone’s passion for travel? Join us on this episode of Beachside Banter with Bee as we welcome Marie DeCosse, the visionary founder and CEO of Nomad Travel Groups. Marie's journey from an international tax compliance professional to the creator of a revolutionary home exchange platform is truly inspiring. Listen in as she shares how her unique upbringing led her to launch Nomad Travel Groups, making travel more affordable and accessible without the burden of annual membership fees.

Marie takes us through her childhood experiences, highlighting how living a nomadic lifestyle in developing countries imparted values of community and communal living that are at the core of Nomad Travel Groups. She dreams of visiting beautiful destinations like Mallorca and emphasizes the importance of giving back by providing affordable travel opportunities. Our discussion also touches on the culture shock she experienced moving to the U.S. and her aspirations for future travels, all while maintaining her commitment to inclusivity and accessibility on her platform.

In this episode, we also explore how Nomad Travel Groups builds trust and community among its users with innovative features like group messaging. Marie offers practical advice for young professionals aspiring to lead a digital nomad lifestyle, emphasizing courage, budgeting, and taking the leap. Balancing travel dreams with professional responsibilities, Marie shares personal anecdotes about discovering new places and making meaningful connections. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just beginning to explore the world, Marie's insights and experiences will inspire you to embrace the joys of nomadic living.

About My Guest:
Marie DeCosse is the Founder & CEO of NOMAD Travel Groups: the home exchange platform designed for everyone. As a first generation Senegalese-American professional who spent her childhood growing up overseas, in Madagascar and Bangladesh, Marie's passion for travel began at a young age. After earning her CPA at the age of 22, and enduring a career in public accounting as an international tax specialist, Marie created NOMAD with the aim to empower a new generation of workers who wish to intertwine their careers with a love of exploration.
 
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Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, hey everyone. It is Bea, and we're here with another exciting episode of Beachside Banter with Bea. I'm here today with Marie DeCox and she is the founder of Nomad Travel Groups and I'm so excited to learn so many things about this great company that's getting ready to open. So, marie, go ahead, take it away and introduce yourself. Let everybody know what you're here for and what you stand for.

Speaker 2:

Marie. Thanks so much. Bea, thanks for having me on the podcast. Hi everyone, my name is Marie DeCoste. I am the founder and CEO of Nomad Travel Groups.

Speaker 2:

I am also a second generation Senegalese American who had somewhat of an unconventional childhood. I grew up overseas I spent about two years in Madagascar and five years in Bangladesh and that experience really instilled this wanderlust, this passion for travel at a really young age, and so when I moved back to the States, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that involved travel. I didn't really care what it was, I just wanted to get out there and see stuff and live my life. So I went to school, I studied accounting, I earned a certificate in international business and I started working in international tax compliance and consulting for public accounting firms. I quickly realized that, although the name involved international, which I would presume meant travel, I wasn't actually going to be allowed to do that or offer the opportunity to do that. Actually going to be allowed to do that or offer the opportunity to do that, yeah, until I reach the partner or director level, and that's like a 20 to 25 year track. So imagine, you know, being a young associate realizing, oh shoot, what am I going to do Because I have chosen a career path that's not going to fill this passion of mine.

Speaker 2:

So when COVID hit, I, like a lot of young professionals, fell in love with remote work. I was able to travel, at least through that, and serve my clients. But something still felt off. I felt like I wasn't fulfilling my purpose in life. I was in a career that didn't give me a lot of excitement. I dreaded getting up every day, and so I did what I always do when I have reached a crossroads in life. I booked a trip with some friends. We went to Ceboga, panama, which I highly recommend.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I haven't been there before. That sounds awesome.

Speaker 2:

It's beautiful. It's a small island right off the coast of Panama. It's about a 40-minute boat ride, and as we were sitting on the beach, we were just talking about friendship, community life, love, travel. What struck us was why are we only able to enjoy these moments once a year, maybe twice a year? Right, Right, and the deterrent right is the cost. Cost of travel has gone up exponentially. That sparked something in me. I wanted to understand the travel accommodation market, understand what options there were for people that wanted to travel more affordably, and that's how I started to delve into the home exchange market and through that process of research and collaboration with individuals who had already started successful companies, Nomad Travel Groups was born. So I'm very excited for us to launch the full site this August.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's so cool. So what is the gist of it? So it's just a home exchange program, or how does that?

Speaker 2:

work. So it's a home exchange platform and our unique service offering is that we create home exchange groups, which is different from the home exchange platforms that are currently on the market. So there are a few that are in the States. They're members only, hyper-exclusive, they charge annual membership fees. We don't do that. We're an inclusive service, and those home exchange platforms as well only offer direct swaps. If you want to stay in someone's home without making your home available, you have to do that with somebody else to build credits. The credits transfer to like one third of a day. It's just way too complicated of a process, so we've simplified it by creating these groups, and what we do is we essentially match people into groups based off their listing and location preferences, as well as their listing restrictions. So I like to think of it as the hinge or tinder of home swapping, but we're doing it in a much more affordable way.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. That's a cool idea. Wow. So basically you would pair me with somebody and be like oh yeah, she likes beaches, so she'll be in this beach group, and then I get to go to any of the beach places that I want and they come visit me in Missouri. That's crazy.

Speaker 2:

What happens is when you sign up for the site, you complete your home registration and background check and then you select the listings that you prefer. So you tell us what listings that you like and then we match you into a group that shares your listing and location. Got it? So there's a mutual interest there.

Speaker 1:

That's really cool. So I guess there's an algorithm and all of that that goes behind that. Absolutely, yeah, cool man. I don't even know. I think of this being just endless possibilities at this point. There's so many places. So then how does that work? As far as pricing goes, so is it like a monthly membership fee or how does that?

Speaker 2:

work. So we do not charge an annual membership fee. We really really want to maintain, and we will maintain, our inclusive platform because you know the gist of it is travel should be available to all. It shouldn't just be available to people who have the discretionary income who are able to engage in it frequently. So we're lowering those barriers to entry. Our price point is very competitive as well. We charge a one-time transaction fee per travel group assignment and then a per day service fee. On stays, we collect a cleaning fee from the staying party, but that's distributed entirely to the host. We don't collect any portion of that. And then what we also do is offer optional add-on insurance coverage through our partnership with Know your Guest, really just trying to make sure that our customers feel safe and that their home is going to be taken care of during the home swap.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely yeah, and you said that you also run background checks on everybody, which I absolutely think is amazing, because that's one of the things that you don't really get with, like Airbnb or Vrbo or anything like that they're not really running background checks on the people who are staying there, and so you have no idea what's coming your way at the time, so that's really awesome.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. We've got horror stories too, right, and yeah, I don't want Nomad to be a platform where people don't feel safe. So taking that extra measure to make sure whoever is utilizing your platform is actually an individual, not a bot, they don't have a criminal history or anything that would make someone who's staying in their home feel uncomfortable is really important to us.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. So it sounds like you have a very strong mission, value all that stuff. So that's really awesome to hear. So real quick. I do want to kind of uh rewind just a tiny bit.

Speaker 1:

You touched on this awesome childhood that you had in all these different areas, so I'm kind of curious about that. So what was you said that that was basically what like brought your passion, sparked it, made it you're like, oh, I gotta fill this fire. I know what that's like being an entrepreneur on. I don't know if I said that right, being one of the hosts who owns your own business is such like you just keep going and going and going until finally you're like I gotta, I gotta get it. I gotta like finally put this fire out. If I can't do it, then I'm just gonna keep going until I. You know, you run yourself ragged, basically. So you got. You had this whole childhood. You obviously lived nomadic lifestyle for a while. Um, is that something that you're doing now? Have you made, made it that far yet, or are you still kind of settled down until the launch of everything?

Speaker 2:

So I'm not living a fully nomadic lifestyle now. That is the goal. I want to get nomad off the ground and then I will start to travel more frequently, and it's actually funny enough the first summer that I haven't been traveling because I've been saving money and just grinding to get this business off the ground. But it's a necessary sacrifice so that other people can do it more frequently, and I like to think of Nomad as the platform for people who want to engage in a location independent lifestyle, who want to be digital nomads, but they're not yet ready to give up their home, their community, the security that they've built, and so Nomad allows you to sort of dip your toe into that lifestyle without giving up your home right, and doing so at a notable cost, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

That's so cool. So if you were to pick anywhere in the world right now where you could be a nomad, where would it?

Speaker 2:

that's a great question was actually talking to one of my great, great girlfriends and, uh, we were just dreaming about spending some time in mallorca. I, okay, I've been watching a lot of below deck. For anyone who's into reality tv, below deck is a great show to watch if you love travel. But they spend some time docked in mallorca and it just looks so beautiful and, uh, just to be on a beach with like crystal clear water and amazing food, that is yeah. That is the short term goal.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely that's the long-term goal. But you're talking about I can't wait for that lifestyle. That's kind of the ultimate goal anyways for my husband and I Right now. We live in Missouri, so we're home, locked or whatever, and, like this year, I normally travel, you know, six or seven times a year or so, but I haven't been able to do that.

Speaker 1:

I'm a points traveler, by the way. I just want to throw that out there. That's the only way that I can afford to do that, because I know if I say six or seven people are like oh my God, she's rich. I'm not by any means. I'm just very, very good with credit cards and points. But anyway, so that's, the ultimate goal is for us to eventually move out of Missouri. We've talked about maybe doing like the RV life or something like that, but then I like, ultimately, would love to just be able to bounce around, to not really have like a permanent homestead. I know that sounds crazy and not a lot of people like that idea, but to me there's this the world is just so big and there's so many things to explore and Missouri is just not where it's at. Yeah, being able to do that would be amazing.

Speaker 2:

So I really like, oh, God, I'm sure there are some beautiful things about Missouri, but I completely understand where you're coming from. I mean, there's so much in this world to explore, right Like you have one life, why not get out there and live it Exactly?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love what this stands for. This is going to be a really awesome platform. I'm really excited for it to launch. I keep going back to your childhood. Give me one of the best experiences that you had living like a nomadic childhood.

Speaker 2:

I like to emphasize that I was, I grew up in countries that are developing countries. You didn't have access to the conveniences that you do in the US. You know there were certain things in the store at one time. There weren't that many American people. There were a lot of people from different countries. You abided by different principles. You had to understand a completely new culture.

Speaker 2:

So for me, the best thing about that experience is that I was in developing countries that operated in communalistic ideals or with communalistic notions. You take care of people. You're there for people. It's not about who's doing well in their career and I'll only talk to you if you have X amount of money. It's about really nurturing and caring for the community, and so I'm so blessed that I was able to grow up in those particular countries, because it instilled this different sense of value that, yes, it's great to have these accomplishments and make money and all this stuff, but what is that really for Right? How are you going to be proud of yourself if you're not actually giving back to people? And so, through Nomad, it's sort of my way of trying to give back to a community that I feel like deserves to be able to travel affordably.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely that's awesome. So was it kind of like a shell shock for you then moving to the States? Oh yeah, like a shell shock.

Speaker 2:

I guess, oh, yeah, like, yeah, it was shell shock, I guess. Yeah, it was actually really difficult for me moving back to the States, so I moved back here. When I was entering the sixth grade, my sister was in middle school. We were used to our international schools that were really diverse and everybody was friendly and welcoming. If there was a new student they would come sit at the lunch table with us. It was no question.

Speaker 2:

When I came to public schools in the US I realized that they were very cliquey. People were in their own sort of corners. You know, I grew up with these people, so you're not going to be let into this group and I developed severe social anxiety for at least like two to three years. It was really really challenging for me to break out of my shell and find my people and I'm thankful that I got involved in a tennis group when I was in Fairfax, virginia. That was almost like a smaller version of my international school because it was all diverse kids, really high performers, and it was this little bit connection that I had to the schools that I had gone to previously in terms of the diversity and it helped me break out of my shell a little bit better, so definitely a difficult transition wow.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing, though, and so to have that thrown at you when you were in sixth grade, that's that's a that's heavy to live through at such a young age. So that's awesome though, but looking back, it's probably a great thing though, because it made you who you are and gave you this vision and this, this huge platform that's getting ready to release, that everybody's going to use. I just know it. I'm so excited for it. Nomad is known for its inclusivity. How important is that for you? You said that you wanted to make sure that it was non-membership based. Do you see that ever changing or evolving, or is this? You're going to stand your foot down and this is it for moving forward.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to put my foot down on this one and it's sort of a. It's a challenging thing because a lot of VC firms they like a subscription based model. It's recurring revenue, it's a safe approach. But home swap or home exchange is a relatively new concept in the US and so if you want people to buy into it and then you slap on an annual fee of $150 to $300 or whatever it is, you're not going to bring those people in. They're not going to want to experience it because of the shell shock of that fee. Even though it may be a hard sell to some investors, we're not going to charge an annual fee. I would rather that we lower barriers to entry and allow people to use our service and have the service speak for itself.

Speaker 1:

I really love that, the passion behind it and the fact that you really just want to help people and not necessarily worried about the money. I feel like that's amazing. I love, love, love, love, love. When founders care more about what they're doing than the money that they're making. Sometimes it's difficult, I get it. You're like take a living too. When you really stick to your grounds like that, that's admirable, so I love that. So you said that the trust building and all of that stuff is obviously going to work. We're going to get into this group of these people. Am I going to be able to communicate with them on a regular basis and make friends with them?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so a unique group messaging feature that no other home exchange platform operates by or has. It's the same thing with Airbnb or VRBO, and that was important to us because you know you're put in these groups, because we feel like you're going to build relationships with folks that are in the groups with you While you're staying at their home.

Speaker 2:

you're going to want to know, oh, where's the nearest grocery store? Or where should I go on a Saturday? What do you recommend? And it's through building those relationships, with that group messaging feature, you get to know the area a little bit more. But you're also building trust right, Because not only is Bob seeing what you're communicating, Jerry is too, and so the next time he swaps into Bob, so he already has a set itinerary as to what he should do. So we're really excited. That's really cool.

Speaker 1:

Plus, you get to make friends too, and I'm all about like getting to know new people in new areas and that sort of thing, and, like you said, being able to. You know, for, hey, you need to go here on a Saturday because this is where the party's at, or whatever it is. I think that's really cool too. Really cool too. That's one feature that I do enjoy about Airbnb, because there are times where I'm like you know, you're so overwhelmed and there's 80,000 different decisions that you need to make and you're like, I don't really care, I just want to eat.

Speaker 1:

What's the best food that I can go to, or what best restaurant, or whatever. And then you call your Airbnb guy and they're like hey, go here here, here, thank you, I didn't have to waste all this time doing research and you know all the reviews and all that stuff. So I love that you are going to have that feature too. And then, like I said, of course, being able to make new friends. I love having new friends. Yeah, you never have enough music, yeah. So what tips do you have for young professionals that are looking to integrate into this kind of lifestyle?

Speaker 2:

I have partnered with some really creative digital nomad influencers and they've shared their tips through nomad as to how to enter this lifestyle. And the, I think, most important thing that they say is it takes courage. It takes courage and strength. Obviously, find a job that allows you to work remotely so that you can continue to make income, but at some point you're just going to have to make that jump. You can plan as much as you can, but really you're going to figure it out along the way. Make sure that you're budgeting as well. I'm an accountant so I definitely diligently budget. Just keep track of your expenses. Set what your estimated spend is going to be for that month. Try not to go over it. Allocate for any unexpected costs that could arise along the way. It really just comes down to courage. Just jump into it. Live your life. You've got one life, so live it. I love that Okay.

Speaker 1:

I think that would be the hardest part for me is not that I'm not good with money or budgeting, I just like. Sometimes I'm like, oh, treat yourself, what a vacation anyways. So and then I go home and I'm like do I really need that massage? I should have saved that money for food.

Speaker 2:

But whatever Massage, I should have saved that money for food but whatever, for me it's in the summer, starbucks has these strawberry acai lemonade drinks that are like $7 per venti. But oh my gosh, I will always they're so good.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, I agree, culver's has-. Do you have a Culver's where you're at by chance? I don't know if it's the St Louis.

Speaker 2:

We have a King's T-Mers, but I think it's owned by the same broker, maybe, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Cool. So they have these like little lemonade freezes and it's basically just like a scoop of frozen lemonade and I seriously will. Like the last week I've been like can we go to Culver's for after dinner? After dinner, your husband's like to you. You're like a child really. You need one every night.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, I do, they're so good, it's so hard when it's 100 degrees.

Speaker 1:

You just want something frozen and yummy, exactly and, when you know, throw a little bit of splash of vodka in there too, and I'm even happier. Yeah, that's a good idea. How can travelers make the most out of this home exchange program? What can they do to make sure that they're getting the most out of their side and they're also giving the most to their other hosts?

Speaker 2:

I would say really invest in those relationships, invest in your travel group. You are matched into that travel group for a reason because we feel, and our algorithm feels, that you will build deep connections and our algorithm feels that you will build deep connections. So invest in it. Communicate with people, introduce yourself, give recommendations to people. Let's say you're not available for a direct swap but you're going home to visit your family and nobody's staying in your house. It's going to be available for two weeks. Make your home available to the members of your travel group. You know, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it and lead by example. If you want to swap homes regularly, be the first one to really communicate that effectively and just watch how that group will transform, because everybody's going into it with a positive attitude wow, that's cool.

Speaker 1:

Okay, yeah, I could do that. If, if I say, I was a host and I decided that I wanted to do like the home exchange program, do I get any kind of money or is it just paying? How does that work?

Speaker 2:

So you would get a cleaning fee distribution after a member of your travel group stays at your home. We use the term host and staying party to sort of decipher who's going to be who is listing the home, who's staying in the home at that time. But technically, every member of a travel group can be a host and can be a staying party. So if you're making your home available, you're swapping into somebody else's and they're swapping into yours. Both of you are going to get a cleaning fee distribution. It generally ranges from about $100 to $175, depending on the size of the home.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, that makes sense. So it is mutually beneficial then for everybody. So do you have any future plans for NOMAD? I know the launch comes out in August. Do we have any special events or anything like that planned?

Speaker 2:

We would love to throw a launch party in Denver. I told everyone we hit 5,000 followers on Instagram. We will throw a launch party, we'll have it filmed and invite some creators to help boost the launch of our platform. But in terms of special events or, you know, next steps for the platform itself, we have a lot of plans for growth. So this first service offering that we have is called Nomad Light. Within about a year we're going to roll out the next iteration of Nomad and then in about a year to a year and a half after that, we'll roll out the third iteration of Nomad. I can't speak to that just yet, but it hasn't been played out. We're excited about it and within about a two to two and a half year timeframe we'd like to expand overseas. So initially we're sticking to the US market, making sure matchmaking algorithm is really refined before we enter international markets.

Speaker 1:

That makes sense. So does that include, like Hawaii, and Alaska as well? Or is it just the contingent 48?

Speaker 2:

No. So in terms of the US market, I guess yes In response to that question, it includes all 50 states, as well as territories um, as well as mexico and canada, so it's north america and mexico gotcha uh, does that include puerto rico?

Speaker 1:

and, like saint thomas too, since their territories? Yes, oh, my goodness, that's awesome. I think, of all these places america, samoa that I could go to, why all the different islands there? So I'm so excited about this. Right now, I'm gonna be like the very first person that signs up, just so you know we will get priority placement. Yeah, cheers, gosh. That's so cool that it's rolling out. It's gonna be like this huge thing. You've already got these amazing plans for the next two years, three years or so. It sounds like I have a feeling this is going to be really, really, really awesome once it's all finalized and launched, and I'm in full support of this.

Speaker 1:

You're not really able to do the nomadic life right now because of the launching and all this stuff. Is that your next plan and where are you going? I know you said Mallorca for a trip, but are you going to go there and stay there permanently, or is that? I need to know what's going on in Mallorca? It's one of those places that has always been on my mind, so I'm like, do I need to follow you? Is that?

Speaker 2:

what it is. All are welcome. I mean, I have always I've wanted to do a lot of things in terms of travel. My travel bucket list is massive. I've always wanted to backpack through Europe, just spend two months bouncing around by train and short flights and sort of just figuring it out as I go. I've always wanted to backpack through Peru. My sister spent some time there and so did my father. Actually, when he was earning his master's, he was studying the different variations of potatoes, which is really interesting. That's really cool. Okay, peru is amazing from a gastronomic perspective. They have really climbed in the rankings their culinary art, just because the different, the varying ecosystems that are in that one country.

Speaker 2:

I think also, what's really important to me is to go back to Senegal. So, being half Senegalese, my mom has a house in Senegal. My grandma is still there, tons of cousins, aunts, uncles. Grandma is still there, tons of cousins, aunts, uncles. I haven't gone back in over four years, maybe five years at this point. So when I get the time to spend a month there, I'm going to do that. I need to see my family and see how much everybody has grown.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. That's one of the hardest things about you know, moving to another country or state or wherever is that is missing out on the family life. Yeah, so do you have I know this might be a little too personal and you tell me, no, do you have, like, kids or any of that stuff that you're going to be taking along with you? Because that would be really cool to also give that, you know, that nomadic lifestyle to your children as well.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, absolutely. I don't have any kids right now. I'd love to have kids in the future. It does make it a little bit easier in terms of travel and traveling more flexibly, but my goal is obviously get Nomad off the ground. Carry it to fruition. It's successful Through all that know. Make enough money that I can have a small house in a european coastal village with a little garden and a restaurant that's open for like tuesday through friday and it's really just like the meeting place for the people of our town or land in Colorado and a farm and horses and goats and just enjoy a peaceful lifestyle while also being able to travel frequently. But what's really important to me is to be able to give my kids the same experience that I had growing up in terms of living overseas, being able to be overseas at a young age and then coming back to the US. You get this different perspective on life and I want them to be able to have that, so it's something that's happened with kids.

Speaker 1:

I love that. So this is exactly what I was thinking. I'm like if that would have been my childhood, that definitely would have been something that I'd want to, because I mean, now it's like, you know, I travel as much as I can and I'm like trying to get my kids. They're old adults now at this point, so they don't want to do anything with mom. So I'm like let's go on a trip, let's go somewhere, let's do something like. No, I'm not gonna like man, I wish I would have had that travel passion when you were really young and I could have, like, given that to you and it's one of those things where you're either born with it or you're not.

Speaker 1:

You either want it or you don't. You have the travel passion, though I do really bad, yeah. So my youngest son is kind of getting that a little bit. I think him and his friends are going to try for Croatia, which I think would be really awesome for them. I'm the first one. Yeah, do it, do it. You guys need to go experience that, because I don't know if I'm gonna make it there, so somebody has to go yeah, I want to live vicariously yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

That's why I try to like. Anytime, uh, any of my friends go on vacation, I'm like, oh, where are we going next? So that way I can watch you, because this is awesome, I get to live with you, be vicarious, and yeah, yeah, that's my favorite thing about everybody traveling. Uh, so what's a perfect travel day, look like for you then. Are you hanging out on the beach? Are you hanging out mountain skiing?

Speaker 2:

I like a mix of being active and just being chill. I am definitely the planner of the group, so I like to get everything coordinated. There's not going to be any questions as to how we're getting from the airport to our house or to our hotel, okay. But once that is all set up, we're just going with the motions, like we'll have certain things on certain days that we're excited about activity wise, but otherwise just explore, go to the local market, see who's living next door and who wants to hang out.

Speaker 1:

So I think a nice mix makes for a really good vacation, because you still want to be able to experience things right, you don't want to just have it only the entire time, by the way, I thought that I was the only person that actually tried to make friends with my neighbors when I go on a date together, Because I will literally be like hey, how are you Nice to meet you? And the next thing you know they're like wow, and we're having a whole conversation. I can't help it.

Speaker 1:

Come over for dinner or come over for a drink. You know, yeah, I feel like that's the best way to really like immerse yourself in is to try to talk to people who are surrounding, you know are right next door to the hotels, or maybe people who are working in the hotels. I feel like I get a lot of information from them as well. We had a whole neighborhood picked out in Jamaica once because we were talking to the guy at the gym who worked there and he's like oh yeah, you need to live here and you need to live here. And I'm like next thing, you know, we were looking for real estate, all kinds of crazy stuff, and my mind go everywhere, I get excited about stuff.

Speaker 1:

So how do you balance, like your professional responsibilities with your passion for travel? So I know you haven't been able to really do much this year, but was last year the same, or did you travel a lot more?

Speaker 2:

this year, but was last year the same, or did you travel a lot more Last year? I definitely traveled a lot more. It was more so within the US, though, which is great, because the US is beautiful. There's so many places to explore that you can work remotely from. So definitely did more US travel, but I will say that the beautiful thing about remote work is that it allows you to step away from the computer and just breathe for a second. You don't have to feel like you're constantly being bogged down by whatever is going on the screen.

Speaker 2:

It can be really difficult. When I was working in public accounting firms, I was pulling like 70 to 80 hours per week, and I was working with bosses who were just this needs to get done, this needs to get done. Getting calls at 9.30 at night like we got to turn this around because it's an important client Just really toxic stuff Definitely made it a little bit more difficult to try to feel like I was still maintaining the work-life balance, even though I was working remotely. So I actually ended up making a switch. I got out of public accounting and I started working in-house for a company that I was still able to work in international tax with, but whose group didn't have as high demands as public accounting did. So I think it's a combination of make sure that you're changing scenery, but also sometimes you just got to change who you're working for, because, yeah, it's not worth it to be yelled at every day for some client you're never really going to meet.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that is a key. Okay, out of all the things that we have said, that is the biggest takeaway of this whole conversation Do not work for people who are toxic. It is no bueno for anybody.

Speaker 2:

Exactly yeah, and a company will fire you in a minute.

Speaker 1:

You know and replace you like you're, it's no big deal, but yeah so. But like the people at your home and like your, your family, your loved ones, your neighbors, all of them, they're the people who actually need you, so hang out for them. Don't worry about the toxic people. You can always find another job and you can always make more money is the way I look at it. Exactly so. Have you had any kind of funny or unexpected traveling experience that you want to share with everybody?

Speaker 2:

It's now it's funny, but when I was younger it was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me in my life. And I would just you know when you think about an embarrassing moment and you cringe because you're still holding on to that feeling. Yes, yes, I have that for a really long time. It actually disappeared maybe just two years ago, but when I was younger we would go to Bangkok frequently to get our dentistry. That's where we got all our health checkups and stuff. And so we were in bangkok and we were walking around, going to the markets, and I had on a sarong so one of those wraparound skirts and I guess they didn't tie it tightly off. So when the wind blew I'm pretty sure it was a car passing or something it whipped the skirt off of me and it just started flying down the street. Oh man, and I'm standing there in my underwear in the middle of a busy street chasing after the skirt. My dad's like stop that skirt.

Speaker 1:

I'm sorry, I feel bad laughing.

Speaker 2:

It was so. That's horrible. It was terrifying. Everybody was laughing at me. I just I cowered back to our hotel and I was like I'm never leaving, I'm never getting out of this hotel room again.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I would think I would feel the same way. That was, yeah, I don't know how I would handle that. I'd probably just be like, um, your dad's out the skirt. That's a great story, I know it. It was embarrassing, but I'm definitely glad that you shared that not embarrassing anymore. I definitely want to make sure that you go ahead and plug all the socials, your website and everything like that. Uh, so you can go ahead. Now's the time to go ahead and do that thank you for for that.

Speaker 2:

So Nomad Travel Groups is pre-registration is currently live. The full site will launch by August. You can pre-register at wetravelnomadcom. Our Instagram and TikTok handle is at wetravelnomad and we're also on LinkedIn at Nomad Travel Groups. If you have any questions at all or if you just want to say hi, please send us an email at customerservice at wetravelnomadcom.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic. And my very last question for everybody what does paradise look like for you?

Speaker 2:

Paradise- is some kids running around my life partner? Is some kids running around my life partner sitting in our little house on that coastal European cliff in a small village with our restaurant and neighbors who we love dearly that to me is the dream.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that's a great dream, most people tell me. You know, sitting on the beach, you're like no, it's specific, this is exactly what I want. I love that. So your vision is amazing. That's all. I have your profile pop up. You were literally the very first person that I reached out to, because I saw the Nomad Travel Group and was like this is going to be awesome. I can't wait for this. And I started trying to do some research and I'm like, oh, you know, there's just a little bit of information out there because you haven't actually launched yet. So I'm thinking, ok, is this going to be more Airbnb? Is it going to be more verbal? What is it going to look like? But the way you described it and their overall arching vision for this is amazing. I really see this going far. It's going to be very successful and you are going to be famous because you're so well known. Thanks for throwing that out there, man. I'm investing that for you, thank you.

Speaker 2:

I appreciate it. Appreciate so much gestation juices. Thanks so much for having me on absolutely.

Speaker 1:

We will talk soon. Have a good one, thanks, marie. Hey there, beach lovers. That's it for today's episode of beachside banter with b. I sure hope you had as much fun as I did. Hey, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed the show. You can catch me on all social media platforms at life, love and travel, and if you've got a question or you just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to slide into my DMs and I'll make sure to get those answered for you. Big thanks to everyone who joined me today and for all of you tuned in, and until next time, enjoy your week.