Beachside Banter w/Bee

Soulful Journeys: Dr. Daphne Erhart’s Quest for Wellness and Beach Town Bliss

• Bee • Season 1 • Episode 13

Share episode

Want to know more? Let's Chat!

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from a traditional lifestyle to becoming a digital nomad? Join us on this episode of Beachside Banter with Bee, where I chat with the incredible Dr. Daphne Erhart, who has journeyed through over 70 countries. Daphne shares the ups and downs of her transition to a life of remote work from beautiful beach towns around the globe, including her first adventure to Belize and the stunning island of Caye Calker. Listen in as we bond over our mutual love for Belize's friendly community and relaxed atmosphere, while I share my own experiences and dreams of moving to San Pedro with my husband.

Travel with us to Vietnam's breathtaking beach towns, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An, where Daphne and I explore the serene morning rituals of the locals and the affordable luxuries they offer, like $12 massages. Hear about our thrilling encounters with the ocean, such as swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines, and how these experiences have shaped our respect and awe for the sea. Our discussion is a blend of personal fears, cultural practices, and the mesmerizing beauty of coastal life that will leave you longing for your own seaside escape.

In our final chapter, we dive into the joys of traveling off the beaten path and the heartwarming connections we've made with animals along the way. From hidden gem restaurants to volunteer work at animal shelters, Daphne and I share stories that highlight the importance of giving back to the communities we visit. Learn about the ease of being a flight volunteer to help transport animals to new homes, and wrap up the episode with our excitement for Daphne's upcoming retreat. Don't forget to subscribe, leave reviews, and stay connected with us on social media at Life, Love, and Travel. Reach out with your questions or just to say hi—I'd love to hear from you!

ABOUT MY GUEST:
With over 25 years of experience in the field of psychology, Dr. Daphne knows how crucial it is to nurture your inner self first.  She leads clients through this process of mental, physical, and emotional wellness.  She is also a world traveler having traveled to 51 countries and 49 states and is in the process of living her own dreams and taking care of her own soul's desires by taking a year to travel the world as a solo female traveler this year!

You can find her here:
www.spa4thesoul.com

Support the show

FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey everyone. It is Bea again with another exciting episode of Beachside Banter with Bea. Today I'm here with Daphne Erdhart, just like the Amelia Erdhart I can't say it right, I'm terrible with names but I'm super excited to have her on board. Daphne has had an amazing travel life, tons of different experiences. She's been all over to different beach towns. I'm not sure where she's at right now, but hopefully we'll figure all that out.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, if you want, just go ahead, take it away Daphne introduce yourself, let everybody know who you are and what you stand for.

Speaker 2:

Okay, Hello everybody. I am Daphne, Dr Daphne, but just Daphne today.

Speaker 1:

Oh, Dr Daphne, I should have said it that way, my bad.

Speaker 2:

Oh, no, no. No, I'm at the beach right now, so I'm not doing that.

Speaker 1:

Gotcha.

Speaker 2:

No, it's great. It's really nice to be here. Thank you for inviting me, bea. Absolutely yes, I have been a digital nomad. I've been traveling the world for a couple of years and I have gone to many beaches on many continents around the world. I had the opportunity of becoming a digital nomad two to three years ago and I've been to a total of 70, 74-ish I started counting countries in my life. That's amazing. I love it. Yeah, so I'm really happy to be talking about beaches with you today, because they're my favorite parts of the world.

Speaker 1:

My favorite parts, absolutely. I don't know if you know or not, but I went on my very first trip a long, long time ago I was eight years old to the beach and I went to LA for the first time and it was a little scary as an eight-year-old so I really didn't know what a beach was until I made it to Punta Cana for the first time and literally since I've just been completely and totally obsessed with it.

Speaker 1:

So anytime I can meet a fellow beach lover. I am all in, so exciting. So tell me about that transition from regular life to nomad life, because I feel like that's my ultimate goal in life is to be able to digitally nomad and just travel wherever, make every place my home. So I love that you're doing that. How did you go about it?

Speaker 2:

I've always wanted to do it. I always wanted to be a traveler. I grew up on the East Coast and then I went to college in the Midwest, where it was. I remember there was a three week period of time where the sun did not come out at all.

Speaker 1:

And.

Speaker 2:

I told myself at that point I said I am moving to where there are palm trees. So then I moved to California, close to the beaches and everything. So then I moved to California, close to the beaches and everything. I finally started working remotely. I had I got a. I don't need I'm not going to go into specifics, but I got a job that required let me work from my computer right here. So when that happens you can kind of work from wherever you want in the world, and but it doesn't necessarily mean people do it, because even though it's you can do it, it's a big adjustment to start being a digital nomad and I remember the first yeah, the first country I went to was not too far away, it was Belize, and I remember going there and enjoying it it was.

Speaker 2:

I went to Key Calker, which is an island like powder sand, like beautiful, beautiful, windy beaches, and then I thought to myself, okay, where am I going next? And I just realized at that point it's going to be a little harder than I thought, because I didn't have that like internal muscle of oh, I know how to do this, I know how to make plans, I know how to make the decision, I know how to get the best plane ticket or the best places. I had no idea I started from scratch and I made so many mistakes and and it wasn't easy Like one out of every four days that I travel, there's a chaos day.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I bet.

Speaker 2:

And I'm just like you know what. This is just part of the process. So when that chaos day starts, I just let go and I ride with it. And then I just think to myself you know, you're going to live through this Daphne, you're going to live through it. It's a day that's not too comfortable. And then I do, and then the next day I have some spectacular experience and I'm just really grateful for it.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. Yeah, so, uh, belize is actually. Oh my gosh, I have been trying to talk my husband to move down there, for I can't even it's. We've been. Oh, I think it's been three years now since we went the first time and we made it over to, uh, san Pedro, uh, in Bergeski. Um, we didn't have made it to Keikoker yet, but I hear it's absolutely gorgeous there too. So we've gone twice now, and each time I'm like, okay, this is a good place, maybe we should move here.

Speaker 2:

It is a great place.

Speaker 1:

So one of these days, and it's affordable too, which is my biggest thing, and everybody is so nice, and I know on San Pedro Island anyways, it was was a lot of the golf carts and there's not really cars, and it's just the vibe of that island is just absolutely amazing so. I love that you also share that, because a lot of times I mentioned Belize and everybody's like wait.

Speaker 2:

Belize. I almost went to San Pedro. It was really close to Keokuk, I think there's a ferry, a water ferry, a water taxi. I almost went there and I've heard that it's a little bit bigger, so it would be more of a place to live, because there's more amenities, but that would be so fun if you guys could do it. Yes, the food.

Speaker 1:

That's my favorite part of traveling, anytime I go anywhere. But gosh, their national dish is like that stewed stew chicken with rice and is seriously to die, for I I can figure out how they make it.

Speaker 1:

I definitely will be making it every night. My husband might not be okay with that, but that's all part of it. Right? You said your transition was a little bit more difficult than you expected it to. How did you go about continuing? Like what, what motivates you basically to continue on that path? Because I know, you know, sometimes people feel kind of defeated towards the beginning, beginning of like a major journey or something along those lines, and then they're like ah, you know, I'm done, I just don't care anymore, let's go back home, be done with it. So what kind of motivated?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that is, oh my goodness, the crucial question there, because sometimes I would, I would be like, okay, am I really going to keep on doing this? I'm exhausted. I mean my Wi Fi I can't figure out the Wi Fi, like little things, you know right. But you know, I also happen to be a doctor of psychology and I've studied like psychology and have all these like I have a lot of internal motivational, like quotes and all these ways of being in my life and I created them on purpose and so basically, I I'm really kind to myself First of all. I'm kind to myself and I just tell myself you know, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Speaker 2:

My vision of how I thought it was going to be a travel was in my head. That was a vision, but that doesn't mean it's real life, and in real life I'm going to appreciate everything that I experience and I'm also going to. It's kind of like mindfulness, which I've really gotten into recently. You know, I'm just in the present moment. What is is this is travel, whether it's what I wanted it to be or not. This is what it is. It's accepting the good and the bad, realizing that things are different in different parts of the world. How I thought I should solve a problem is not necessarily how you solve it everywhere else in the world.

Speaker 1:

That's a good key advice. I like that. Yeah, I mean that's totally true, because everybody deals with their own things in a certain way. Like that, yeah, I mean that's totally true, because everybody deals with their own things in a certain way.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, I wouldn't, even, I don't even think I would put that into like that would not, even that thought wouldn't even cross my mind, cause I, I wouldn't. I would just assume that you know, yeah, you have this issue, oh, your car breaks down and you call a mechanic or or whatever that is. But it may not be, accessible in other countries or in other places that you? Are, you can't just call somebody hey, AAA, come pick me up, you know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

So I totally see that being a little challenging, but so it's a mindset change, then. Basically.

Speaker 2:

It's a mindset, yeah. So at the beginning I would be thinking I would be hard on myself, but I'd be thinking I'm not trying hard enough, I'm not doing this well enough. And then I thought, you know, maybe it's not enough about the enough part, maybe it's just I'm going about it a different way. Then it's the most beautiful thing about traveling you start thinking differently and you start growing in different mental and emotional ways.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely, and you learn so much too from other cultures and that sort of thing too, which? Is my absolute favorite part just being able to interact with them and, you know, learn about what they do, what they like, what kind of foods they eat all that kind of stuff is my favorite. So awesome, like when you're going to different beach towns, how do you determine which one is next?

Speaker 2:

I just go with my instincts. Okay, let me think of an example for that, because it's never the same. I don't have, like, a how to choose the next beach town, but a lot of it has to do with what are you interested in? What do you love Personally? I looked at the map of the world and I have wanted to explore. I personally love beaches that have a lot of mountains or cliffs next to them, that are yes, I would prefer it to be more deserted. I don't need a lot of people or a lot of tourists. So I've looked at the map and I think, okay, what is this, what is this like? And then I might go to a place. I meet people. You meet a lot of travelers when you're traveling and you meet a lot of locals. So the locals will tell you, oh, go here, you have to go here, and I will always listen to the advice of a local and fellow travelers too, yeah, so that has a big impact in me and how I make the decision.

Speaker 1:

So you like some that are mountainous and that sort of thing. Where's your absolute favorite beach that you've visited so far?

Speaker 2:

Okay, this is going to sound.

Speaker 1:

Oh, it can be anywhere. It's okay. I'm not going to judge you, I promise Okay.

Speaker 2:

So before I left to this around the world thing, I lived in Laguna Beach, california. Okay, yes, I love it there. I just love it there. It's one of my. It's my favorite beach so far. It's home, so it makes sense, and it has a lot of hiking and hills, right next to the ocean, and it has a really small town, vibe. The neighbors kind of know each other, even though it's in Southern California. It's this little pocket of goodness so I like that. It's safe, of course, easy to get to, but there are many around the world that I've enjoyed I could share with you a few of those.

Speaker 2:

Okay, name a couple of them, we're here. A few of those, name a couple of them, we're here, let's see. Okay, let me think Vietnam. I really loved Vietnam. Okay, beautiful terrain and beaches. Ha Long Bay. It's not necessarily a beach, but it is the ocean, right next to the land and you know, and with those huge, you know, mountains just jutting out of the water, and it is one of the natural wonders of the world, gorgeous. All along the coast there is a town called Hoi An, a little bit south of Da Nang, which is in the middle of Vietnam, like not north, not south, but kind of in the middle, and there's a beach there. I spent a week or two there and it was really really nice. A lot of expats live in Hoi An and the beach is maybe 25 minutes from the center of the town. It's very safe, great food, an Bang beach, bicycles, massages for 12 bucks.

Speaker 1:

Oh amazing, for 12 bucks. Oh amazing, sounds like heaven. That sounds just like it, it's so beautiful People fish in the morning.

Speaker 2:

Oh, and you know what's really cool about that? In the morning, people that live there locally, the locals they go onto the beach at sunrise and do their stretches and do all these things and it's like a community, it's like the whole town just stretches for sunrise every morning. It's so cool that sounds awesome. Yeah, it's different than here, where in the middle of the day, when it's really hot, everyone's out. It's the opposite. Over there you go for sunset.

Speaker 1:

That makes sense. Yeah, I noticed in the Caribbean that Jamaica and those places they usually end up working on their homes and that sort of thing late at night. So I totally understand that. I don't know why we here in the US have not figured that piece out yet, because there's so many times where I'm looking outside and I'm like man, it's 150 degrees outside. Why are these guys outside working right now?

Speaker 2:

But yeah, that's just another one of those cultural things.

Speaker 1:

Us Americans are crazy. That's really all I have to say. Yeah, so how do local cultures in these beach towns influence your experience when you go to the? Go to different ones.

Speaker 2:

To me it's everything. The culture is the reason I travel. I like to experience different ways of living, in different ways of thinking, different ways of life, and so when I travel and I go to this beach or that beach, I mean the earth. I wouldn't say similar, because there's so much diversity even within the terrain of the earth, but after a while you know there are flat beaches with white, powdery sand, and then there are beaches next to big mountains, and what makes the huge difference in the whole experience is the whole culture and what is surrounding it. So, as I said, you know I take a lot of advice and if I'm in a certain country and there's a nearby country they really recommend, or A local beach, they recommend a local restaurant on the beach, local thing to do If there's like, for example, in Belize, swimming with the sharks was a thing there. Did you do that?

Speaker 1:

I did not.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and the Philippines.

Speaker 1:

I'm so scared.

Speaker 2:

You're in depth of sharks. I'm scared of depths. When I was little in the swimming pool I used to be scared of like the hammerhead shark at the stripes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly, I know they're not in my swimming pool, but I can't tell you for sure that they're not in my swimming pool, so I'm still kind of afraid I can't help it. Yeah, so anytime we go to the ocean and stuff, my husband always makes fun of me. He's like you love beach town so much, but you never get in the ocean. I'm like I like them from afar. I can't help it. I don't need to be in there with the fishes, I just want to see them.

Speaker 2:

That's hilarious. Usually I don't get in past my waist. I just don't need to. I've been swept out to sea before.

Speaker 1:

Oh no that scares the crap out of me when I was in hawaii.

Speaker 2:

Um, I went snorkeling and it swept me into a current and I thought I was going to die, and I even have one of those. See, this is. I don't even do this very often. What is it called the, the mouth gear? Where?

Speaker 1:

it helps you. Yeah, the you, I don't do it very often ever.

Speaker 2:

I was like flailing and I saw them, the shore really far away and I thought are they going to rescue me? What's happening? No, finally, I was able to like kind of go with the current, but when I went back to shore they immediately rescued someone that wasn't in that exact place.

Speaker 1:

So I have this fear.

Speaker 2:

I have a healthy respect for the ocean. It's powerful, it's three fourths of the earth, I think, I mean, and it's super deep. I mean we have discovered so little of the ocean. I heard that we've discovered less of the ocean than we have of the moon or something. I don't know if that's true, but it seems about right.

Speaker 2:

Right, yeah, but anyway, I don't like to go in the ocean, but I have done it when I'm in certain parts of the world where it's highly recommended. So in the Philippines, for example, I swam with whale sharks which were like as big as a bus and their mouth was like this big. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

That's so scary. I love that you did that, though Facing that fear is huge. I don't think I could ever do. I mean, I can't even really get on a cruise ship. I've actually had a whole episode where I talked to a cruise ship expert and he told me all the things and I'm still not 100% convinced because the ocean is so big and so scary and you've watched Titanic right.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, that's exactly. And he even said he's like, well, you know, you see those kind of things more often because they're not, they don't happen. Very often I'm like, yeah, I get that, but I'm still a little frightened We'll see One of these days I might make there.

Speaker 1:

Exactly. I don't know that I'm ever going to get into a cage with sharks or anything like that. Oh my gosh, have you seen that movie, 147 Meters or something like that? No, what is it? What is it about? It's got Manny Moore in it. It's totally about these two girls who go into this shark cage or whatever, and then they end up getting cut loose from the boat and they go all the way down and they have to try to rescue them. I won't spoil it, but it is definitely one of those movies that gave me anxiety. Anyways, totally got completely off topic.

Speaker 1:

That happens all the time here on this show, but you know, whatever, that's the point of it. What kind of advice would you give to new travelers who are just now starting out? How would you tell me to go about planning my trip back in 2013 before I'd ever made it anywhere?

Speaker 2:

I would say pick the first place you want to go, take it one step at a time. So do one thing and choose it and be self-aware. During that process. You will learn a lot. You will think to yourself, oh, I wish I hadn't used hotelscom, or I wish I would have done this, or I wish I would have done that. And you will learn so much and you will learn more, a lot about yourself, because you start accessing what I mean. Travel is about a lot, about pleasure and discovery, right.

Speaker 2:

You access what you like and you access yourself. And that's one thing. People ask me this a lot. Okay, they're like how do I do this? How do I get the best deal? What is the step by step thing in travel? There is no step by step thing unless you're asking me about a specific place, one place. Yes, I can give you some step by step guides, but if it's in general, I highly recommend learning to trust yourself by taking the first step, and then you'll take the next step and then you'll realize that you're going to mess up and that they're going to be things that, even if you are perfect and do things perfectly, you can't account for. And that's okay, right, so then you just go with the flow. Oh, another thing that I've learned with this go with the flow attitude is that it's kind of hard to express, but it's like sometimes, when a door closes, it's actually showing you exactly where to go. Oh, I love that.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that's exactly it. So I am a huge advocate for everything happens for a reason. I know there are some things that sometimes disappoint us and we're like I can't believe that just happened. I live in the money pit, literally the money pit. That movie, tom Hanks I don't know if you've ever seen it, but yes.

Speaker 2:

No, where is that?

Speaker 1:

Everything goes wrong, oh yeah, yeah, no, it's just like, basically, we've been working on this house since 2020, and it's still not done but that's okay, okay. So, anyways, I have learned that, even though this has been a horrible experience, I believe that it's for the better. I'm here because I need to learn all of these things about remodeling or whatever it is patience with myself, with everything else.

Speaker 1:

So, taking all of that stuff into consideration, I feel like yeah everything happens for a reason, and definitely I know there's been times where people have I mean me personally I've gone and I'm like got this trip planned and supposed to be here by this time so that I could check in to do all these things and oh, my flight's delayed, or something like that. I know a lot of people who get angry and upset over that, or you know, just it totally ruins their whole trip. My outlook on it is hey, maybe I wasn't supposed to get on that plane for some reason, maybe something bad happened, or maybe I just wasn't supposed to make it there tonight, maybe I'm supposed to be there tomorrow. So you know, those kind of things that I think changing that mindset and having that shit's going to happen type thing, that attitude I think is huge for any traveler at all.

Speaker 2:

And it translates to life, I mean, okay, things are going to happen, things are going to go wrong. Okay, yes, maybe I should never book a flight connection with less than an hour and a half, For example. I've learned that I will never do that again.

Speaker 2:

Make sure you have ample time, especially if I'm going through Atlanta, yeah, or Charlotte or yeah, so many favorite places Do not fly in. I just personally avoid certain places during the hurricane season, and you know, et cetera, et cetera. I mean there's so many things to avoid, but you know, it's just like life. I mean we don't know when we're a baby what exactly we have to do to be happy at age 45. But we learn little by little and we adjust and we hopefully enjoy the process. And, by the way, I love your color scheme.

Speaker 1:

I love the green and white and orange Trying to go for a little boho action behind me.

Speaker 2:

I love it. Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Man, I just. This conversation has been awesome. I love that I found somebody else who geeks out about beaches, just like I do.

Speaker 2:

It makes my little heart so happy.

Speaker 1:

So what's the most surprising thing that you've learned about yourself while living or visiting in these different beach towns, other than being open minded about things?

Speaker 2:

I've learned, not just cognitively but embody, how to say no and have boundaries better. That probably sounds out of the blue, but no I have learned that if I don't feel comfortable about something, I don't have to think twice. I should always listen to it. I don't need to have a reason, I don't have to defend it or anything. I can just say no thank you. That no thank you is okay when you're traveling.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, that's huge no-transcript. How can young travelers or those on a budget make the most out of their beach town experiences? Because I feel a lot of times you know people on a budget don't really think they can do much right.

Speaker 2:

So how can?

Speaker 1:

they go about doing things and and making it fun still.

Speaker 2:

I think it's really, really possible to do it all on a budget. I've done it on a budget. I actually have spent less traveling the world than I would have staying in the United States for a year or two. That's a good perspective, including plane tickets and places to stay. And I don't stay in hostels, I stay in actual hotels, so isn't that crazy? It's crazy I stay in actual hotels, so isn't that crazy.

Speaker 1:

It's crazy so I mean like cost of living has gone up tremendously here. So I can kind of see where I mean just the housing alone. You can use that on quite a few plane tickets, yeah, so keep in mind.

Speaker 2:

I mean, just search. There are ways to I actually have a free train. Like travel tips video I could. I can give your listeners if you'd like, oh yeah that'd be great.

Speaker 1:

I'll totally mention that in the show.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but if you're doing it on a budget, there are ways to do it. I use bookingcom and I. They have great deals. I do flightsgooglecom for the best flights and then I go directly to the airline. So I find the best flights of flightsgooglecom, Then I go to the actual airline. When you go anywhere for me.

Speaker 2:

I go there to experience a different way of living, so I'm not going to be doing the touristy things. I would rather find a hole in the wall restaurant and enjoy it and ask them what do you suggest? I'm a vegetarian, by the way, so they always, even if it's not on the menu, you can and ask them what do you suggest? I'm a vegetarian, by the way, so they always, even if it's not on the menu, you can just tell them hey, what do you suggest I eat, Even if you're not a vegetarian, and they will suggest something. You can just make sure you go to a travel destination that is on a budget. There are many you know you're not going to. You could go to the south of France and be expensive, or there's many, many other places in the world to go that are just as gorgeous, so just pick one.

Speaker 1:

Wow, South of France is on my bucket list. You totally totally.

Speaker 2:

Mine too.

Speaker 1:

I haven't made it there yet because I know I'm going to need a lot for that and I really want to enjoy like the whole thing. So yeah, so, as far as as like going out to eat and stuff like that, how do you pick the restaurants that you go to? My rule of thumb is if it doesn't have a sign, it's probably going to be the best meal of my life. Do you kind of follow that?

Speaker 2:

I love it. Yes, oh, my goodness, I love that. Yeah, I mean, I get, I walk by it, I get a vibe about it and if I like it I'll go. Obviously, if it's recommended I'll go. Sometimes I'll look at reviews beforehand. Oh, can I tell you a story about when I was in Sri Lanka? Okay, I was in Sri Lanka and they have the most amazing food. I had this little cottage by the ocean, on the water. There was a gate and it went to the beach and I would. It was so safe. I would walk for an hour both ways, every sunset, every evening.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I love there yeah like two or three weeks and I think I got that for less than $40 a night.

Speaker 1:

What that's unbelievable.

Speaker 2:

It was modern, it was gorgeous, it was gated, it was safe and they would prepare the meals for me and it was like a gourmet, huge, wonderful, organic, delicious homemade meal every evening and for probably maybe eight bucks, you know and it was amazing. I was like how am I living like this for so cheap? I'm saving money and I'm living on the beach getting it all like, wow, this is great yeah.

Speaker 1:

I hear it's incredibly peaceful there too.

Speaker 2:

Very beautiful, very peaceful. I didn't stay in the city. I stayed a little bit outside of the city so getting the transportation to everywhere I went was a little bit, took more time than I expected. I almost missed my flight out, but besides that it was really, really beautiful and great. I made a doggy friend, I adopted a dog. Oh, I love it.

Speaker 1:

He'll hit one eye. I've really missed it. Story of my life, I'm telling you. I have dogs everywhere in the world. Everywhere I've visited I'm like, oh my gosh, there's actually. It's funny. So my husband and I, when we first started going and traveling to the Caribbean and that sort of thing, we picked Jamaica. Jamaica has been like my absolute. I absolutely love that island, everything about it the vibe, everything, and there's this cute little holiday inn.

Speaker 1:

I don't think it's a Holiday Inn Express anymore, but it used to be. It was all-inclusive whatever and you can usually get complete down there. Um, all-inclusive everything for a week for uh, under two grand for two people, which I consider, you know, pretty decently priced, especially for jamaica that's great so, anyways, where I'm going with this, there's this cat that, um a couple years ago kind of made its way, and I literally still follow the group on the holiday and just because they send updates of the cat.

Speaker 1:

Still, I was like that's my little marley man, I love him. It's so crazy I would rock him home if I could have my husband's like, literally, if you could bring home an animal for every country, you would and we would not. We'd have a whole zoo. Like I can't help it.

Speaker 1:

I love it, that's what I like to go and do like a lot of volunteer work and that sort of thing. So anytime I go somewhere I try to set a day aside to either volunteer at the animal shelter or, you know, like a school or something along those lines, just so that I can kind of give back to that community. So that's kind of my niche my thing to do.

Speaker 2:

That's nice to do too. Yeah, I try to do that.

Speaker 1:

I do too. Yeah, I try to do that. I love it especially when you work with the animals. But the problem with that is that I end up loving one and trying to take it home with me. I know we've fostered a few uh, we fostered one from aruba and then also a couple from uh belize as well. So it's yeah, it's a lot of fun, yeah, we brought them home.

Speaker 1:

Uh, actually two kittens came home, uh to, we brought them home. Actually, two kittens came home. We brought them to a family in Boston. We did a couple of dogs from St Thomas and transferred them home. So yeah, just fun stuff like that. It's super easy too.

Speaker 1:

I don't think a lot of people know that you can do it but it's basically you just you talk to the animal shelter, you let them know that you're willing to be a flight volunteer. They usually meet you there at the airport. They have the puppy or kitten or whoever it is that you're transporting. They go through, they pay for it, they walk you through customs and then you're done and then it's just basically having a little buddy hang out with you until you get home. So it's really rewarding, it's super easy and if you ever have an opportunity to do, it.

Speaker 2:

I definitely suggest it. Yeah, I've been to a few places in different continents and I mean I've fallen in love with these animals and I almost did that for somebody. They were in another, they were needed the dog transferred from Indonesia to the US. But I was in Philippines, I think, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be going through that area again.

Speaker 2:

But I thought to myself okay, this is a question I have for you. I was thinking okay, what if I go back to the US with this dog and no one wants it and I don't have a place for a dog, so do you ever get stuck with that kind of problem.

Speaker 1:

So we've only we, we've fostered three animals uh, from the islands and we've been lucky enough to be able to find them homes right away. Uh, one of them actually went with my son's best friend, so I get to see him all the time hangs out, he comes over, we watch him and that sort of thing Uh. But I, I don't know, I haven't really had that opportunity or had that experience. I think a lot of times the shelters who were like okay. So for instance, the St Thomas shelter that we worked with, they had a working relationship here with one of the animal shelters in St Louis. So we already kind of knew going into it that we were going to house the puppy for a couple of days or so, a couple weeks or whatever, until we were able to get them into that shelter here in St Louis. So I think the longest we've actually had a puppy in foster is maybe a week, so it hasn't really been too long yeah that's not bad at all, I wouldn't mind that We've been fortunate.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's great, but.

Speaker 1:

I mean, I'm one of those people that, like, if I could have a zoo, I totally would.

Speaker 2:

Me too it's bad, I would have a lot of cats. Yes, oh my goodness, and maybe an elephant.

Speaker 1:

Yes, oh, oh, my goodness. And definitely a goat or two, especially those screaming goats. Those are my favorite. I love them. That's awesome. This has been such a fun conversation. I know we kind of deviated a few times from beach town talk and all of that stuff, but this has been a lot of fun. So for me too. Yeah, I love that. So towards the end of every show I always try to give everybody an opportunity to plug, you know, their business, their socials and that sort of thing. So if you want to go ahead and take the time to do that, you're more than welcome to do that now.

Speaker 2:

Oh, thank you. Well, if you, if you'd like to go on to spa for the soulcom spa, the number four, the soulcom I have some free gifts there. I actually um the mindfulness thing that I experienced when I travel, that's a way of life for me and um I I provide a lot of meditations that you can access and I might be doing my own travel retreat in South America, maybe Patagonia. Yeah, I want to come, for sure. Yes, I would love for you to come, so keep in touch that way. And also I have a travel channel that also has meditations. It combines psychology and travel. That's awesome.

Speaker 2:

Soul Spa Travel on YouTube Soul Spa Travel or Instagram Dr Daphne. I'd love to stay in touch with you.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely yeah, this has been really fun. Good, good, good.

Speaker 2:

I'm so glad you brought my beach hat, but I never put it on.

Speaker 1:

It looks great.

Speaker 2:

I love it, especially with the earphone, or, yeah, the headphones.

Speaker 1:

So one last question. I always ask every guest before they get off the show what does paradise mean to you?

Speaker 2:

Paradise is inside. Even though I have traveled everywhere in the world, almost everywhere I truly believe that we bring paradise with our mindset and making we can make any experience paradise inside, inside out. I love that.

Speaker 1:

That is a great, great, great way to sign off the show I love that. Thank you so much, Dr Daphne. I really appreciate you coming and hanging out with me. This is a great conversation. I can't wait for your retreat. I will be the first one to sign up for it.

Speaker 2:

I'm so glad Awesome. Nice to meet you, bea. Yeah, 100%, I'm so glad awesome nice to meet you B.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, me as well. Hopefully we get to meet in person one day.

Speaker 1:

I hope so take care bye, hey there, beach lovers. That's it for today's episode of beach side 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.