Is New Zealand Our Next Home? Travel Reflections and Plans

Adventures in New Zealand: Tips and Reflections - We Should Move Here Travels Podcast

In this episode of the We Should Move Here Travels podcast, hosts Brittany and Josh wrap up their incredible trip to New Zealand. They discuss what they would do differently on their next visit, including renting a camper van to explore both the North and South Islands more thoroughly. Topics covered include tips for visiting New Zealand, reflections on their travel experiences, and the influence of traveling with family. They also rate various aspects of New Zealand, such as food, coffee, and natural beauty, and share their thoughts on the growth of their podcast and future travel plans.

00:00 Introduction and New Zealand Trip Recap

01:05 Planning the Next New Zealand Adventure

06:25 Tips for Future Travelers

12:11 The Inspiration of Traveling with Family

16:08 Reflecting on Group Travel Dynamics

17:08 Future Travel Plans as a Couple

18:02 Encouraging Family Travel

20:22 Rating New Zealand's Highlights

22:48 Lessons for Future Trips

23:56 Podcast Journey and Growth

28:09 Upcoming Trip to Ireland

28:57 Engage with Us!

@WSMHtravels

Transcript

brit 0:11

Hello and welcome to the We Should Move Here Travels podcast. My name is Brittany.

josh 0:17

I'm Josh

brit 0:17

and we are your hosts. Today we are gonna wrap up the New Zealand trip, which was an incredible trip. If you've been following along, you heard all of the adventures that we did and just how much fun it was. It was truly just a remarkable. Trip and I loved it. So thank you for wanting to go to New Zealand.

josh 0:41

Oh, absolutely. It did not take much convincing at all. Yeah. I was really excited to go and experience it with you and your mom and it was a great trip.

brit 0:53

It was. It was a really good trip. So we're gonna be talking a little bit about that and just kind of a brief check-in of how things are going for us. Mm-hmm. So, I guess we can jump right in. What would we do differently when we go back? Because we've already decided that we're going back, right? We didn't have enough time there, so what are we gonna do differently?

josh 1:18

For sure. And I think this is. Something that we've talked about on our other travels so far, especially since we started the podcast. Mm-hmm. Again, this New Zealand trip we had planned and booked just about everything before the podcast was even thought of. But the trips that we've done since the podcast was started and now to do this trip, there's a huge difference between how we operate. Going back. Truly having the podcast in mind, I think almost a guarantee we would have a vehicle and we might do the camper van or the small RV travel around both the north and south island.

brit 2:01

Yeah, I think that would be a truly incredible experience. all throughout New Zealand was really beautiful. And I'm sure that seeing it from a van you would see so much more.

josh 2:14

Mm-hmm.

brit 2:14

Because you could make stops along the way. Mm-hmm. Which is what I would advocate for, you know, and I think it would be really beautiful to do that.

josh 2:25

Yeah. It would be stunning. We'd get to see more of the coast. We really didn't get to do that. Yeah. I think that's just because of all the activities we had planned, which is fine. It was really fun. But for the podcast and what we would wanna do, that's what we want, wanna see is go along the coast and then also see some towns, kind of in the inner island as well.

brit 2:48

Mm-hmm.

josh 2:50

We also have talked in the previous episode. That we wanna spend more time in Auckland specifically. So, you know, if we go back, it'd probably be a long trip.

brit 3:01

It would have to be, I mean, we would explore so much, mm-hmm. Of New Zealand and explore places that we haven't been to. But also I think we would wanna go back to some of the places we have been to, like in Queenstown. I think we would stay in a town that's, in the outskirts of Queenstown.

josh 3:20

Yeah.

brit 3:21

I think there are places that we would go back to and I would obviously wanna go zorbing again in Rotorua. I don't know that we'd stay in Rotorua, but the hotel we got there was really nice. So

josh 3:32

yeah,

brit 3:32

I may advocate for that as well. Um, ditch the camper van for a night and go swimming. Uh, I think that We would stay in less touristy areas.

josh 3:47

Mm-hmm.

brit 3:47

and we would do the tours that we didn't really have time for. Yeah. Like the, the wine tour in Auckland. Mm-hmm. Going to those islands.

josh 3:58

Mm-hmm.

brit 3:58

I think it was the Waiheke island.

josh 4:01

Yeah, I think so.

brit 4:02

And they have like a bunch of vineyards and wineries out there, so I would love to go check that out as well.

josh 4:09

Me too. That would be so much fun. Definitely staying in the less touristy areas. Like you said, like a town outside of Queenstown, like an Arrow town was a place that I had seen people comment on before and we actually drove through when we were in the van on the way for your mom, the bungee jump. And it looked like a really nice small town. So I think having the van would open up a lot of opportunities too. See some of those places that we clearly can't get to unless we have a vehicle for Most of the trip, if not all of the trip.

brit 4:46

Yeah. And you can take a ferry with a vehicle from the south island to the north island and vice versa.

josh 4:53

Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure there is like a size limit, so I'm sure it'd have to be. A s small rv or a smaller camper van. Which is not something we've ever done before or really thought about. So that would be. A crazy experience in itself. We might have to do some sort of test run in the United States, I think.

brit 5:19

Yeah. I mean,

josh 5:20

test out a camper van.

brit 5:22

I would be scared not having my own bathroom. Like, oh, I don't know.

josh 5:29

Yeah, I mean, it would definitely be a new experience for sure. I'm all for it, I think. Doing a test run in the US or maybe Canada.'cause a lot of people do that for Canada as well.'cause there's so much to see.

brit 5:41

Oh yeah. So that would be so much driving throughout Canada. Oh my God.

josh 5:45

But the same for New Zealand, north to south is, I

brit 5:48

mean, Canada's like

josh 5:49

Oh

brit 5:49

yeah. 30 times the size.

josh 5:51

Oh. At least it's, it's way bigger. But

brit 5:54

yeah.

josh 5:55

Yeah, I think that would be a good way to test out, would be have a camper van for a short trip. Maybe if we have a friend or something that has one. Or maybe there's one we could rent just for a few days and maybe do a few days just in Wisconsin. Who knows.

brit 6:10

Yeah. We could look into it. Yeah,

josh 6:11

because that would be quite the move just to, we're gonna do it in New Zealand and the trip be, you know. A month long.

brit 6:19

That would be hard for me. Yeah. Especially without a bathroom. That's my biggest concern. But

josh 6:25

But for the trip we took, are there any kind of tips or suggestions that you have for people maybe wanting to go check out New Zealand?

brit 6:36

Yeah I have a couple. Okay. So I was really afraid to go zip lining and I was thinking about it the whole time like, ugh, what if, what if, what if? But I am so glad and grateful that my mom pushed us to do the zip lining and we signed up for it. I think because she also really wanted to do it so. I am glad and grateful that we did that because it was one of the best experiences of the whole trip was I scared. Absolutely. I was terrified. However, I'm so glad that I was scared and I did it anyways, just like my mom zip line or bungee jumping, like she was scared, but she did it anyways. Would I bungee jump? Absolutely not. That's, that's not a thing. But I think one of my biggest tips would be to do that adventure. Do the adventure that you want to do, that kind of scares you because it is safe. it's in another country, but they have. Regulations and rules and safety standards, so you are safe doing these things. I would also say in a lot of New Zealand, there's mountains, there's water, there's so much beauty, and at times I caught myself throughout the trip. being focused on other things and then I would have to stop and look at the beauty and just breathe it in, and I, I would definitely recommend doing that because it's so easy when you're traveling to focus on the next thing, but being present in the moment where you're at, especially in New Zealand and all of the beauty that it has to offer, I think that's so important.

josh 8:26

Yeah, I can't agree more with that. It's stop and smell the roses.

brit 8:31

Yeah.

josh 8:32

You might be so busy on an adventure or the hustle and bustle of your travel day. You might forget to look up and remember that there are those mountains or the rolling hills, all the greenery, the ocean lakes around you. So I completely agree.

brit 8:52

Yeah. I would also say to order an extra shot in your lattes, if you're a latte girl like me I like a strong latte where I can taste the espresso. If you like a strong latte as well, order an extra shot, you'll be fine. You'll probably like it a little more and then. Drink the wine that isn't available in the us. When we were at Cloudy Bay and we had drank all of the wines that aren't available in the US I was like, wow, this is crazy. This is so good. So. Take New Zealand up on that. Definitely go to Kmart, get the flip flops unless they're sold out. And communicate when things go wrong. cause they're inevitably gonna go wrong.

josh 9:42

We talk about that every time we are on a trip and before we leave for a trip. We give ourselves a reminder that it's okay, something will go wrong at some point and we just got communicate through that and

brit 9:55

yeah,

josh 9:55

it'll be fine.

brit 9:56

I think you're being really kind by saying, we give ourselves a reminder when you give me the reminder.

josh 10:04

Of the two of us who both have anxiety, you are the one who typically has more anxious moments.

brit 10:11

What?

josh 10:12

No

brit 10:12

way, man.

josh 10:13

Maybe it's those two shots of espresso in your lattes that,

brit 10:18

not a thing that

josh 10:18

trigger those anxious moments. But I can't agree more with everything you said with the wine part. I think that can be applied to so many different parts of the trip. Try something that you do not normally have.

brit 10:35

Yes, for sure.

josh 10:37

Try the wine from the local region. Try the beer from the local brewery. Try the local foods. Food, truck, food. Small places, small cafes. There were Starbucks in New Zealand. If you love Starbucks or hardcore Starbucks, not gonna hate on you. Go ahead, have your Starbucks. We've said this several times, but there is some darn good coffee shops in New Zealand and around the world, and you just, you're there to explore. You're there to experience new things. Might as well be your food. Might as well be that new hiking trail, you know, driving on the other side of the road, do something different.

brit 11:20

I think it took me a little well, a couple of trips until I was like really comfortable with being uncomfortable. especially in another country. And I still think I'm really uncomfortable in a lot of situations and there's a lot of newness. So it just kind of depends, I think, on the day for me. But. Overall, I am so proud and grateful that we get to try so many new things. If you're not trying new things on. Trips, especially international trips. What are you doing? Like, I'm not judging, but I kind of am. Try new things. Like that's why you're doing this. You're in a new place. Like do it up. Live your life. Yeah.

josh 12:09

Couldn't agree more.

brit 12:10

Yeah.

josh 12:11

Speaking of trying and doing new things, traveling with your mom.

brit 12:17

Yes. So traveling with my mom, I think brought a lot of newness to this whole trip. Something that kept reoccurring throughout the trip was. I, I think my mom really inspiring me when I saw her go bungee jumping, and I talked about this in that episode. Her being afraid and doing it anyway was so inspiring. And I think that throughout the trip we were kind of talking about solo travel and what solo travel is like. Although I've been to a lot of different countries and new places with you, I've never done it alone. So we were kind of talking about that throughout the trip and me wanting to do that. I don't know. I think my mom bungee jumping inspired me to have that conversation with you, and I think it's important that I do that. Sometime in the near future, I'm gonna go somewhere, different country preferably, and I'm gonna be there for a couple days, maybe a week, I don't know, before you get there and meet me there. That way I can still solo travel and have new experiences on my own. But then you can also experience that place as well. It's the best of both worlds, really, where I don't want to travel really without you, but I know that it's gonna be such a growth opportunity for me that it feels important to do it, and it's scary. And when I think about it, I get butterflies. I dunno. Thank you mom, for inspiring me to, to do that. It might not be what you want to hear, right? That I'm gonna be in another country by myself, but how cool that I get to do that and I can do that, right? Like I can do that.

josh 14:17

You absolutely can. We have talked about this several times, how I think a little solo trip for you. Would do wonders for your confidence, for your anxiety, probably for so many different parts of you, because it'll just nourish those parts.

brit 14:39

Yeah.

josh 14:39

So I know you can do it. We've talked about for a long time. I will be very excited and. Proud and encouraging when you go ahead and do it. And I will only be a phone call away if you do need anything.

brit 14:54

And you'll be there too in, within a week.

josh 14:58

Oh, for sure. Yeah. I'm not missing out on a new place.

brit 15:01

No, I don't want you to. That was always my thing, like I don't wanna go somewhere new without you. So this is a, yeah. Best of both worlds. Mm-hmm. Love it. I also think with traveling with my mom, everybody really has different ways of traveling and enjoys doing different things, but I think that all of the things and adventures that we had all of us really enjoyed. Like even when it was kind of like my mom's day of going bungee jumping and. It was kind of centered around that, which is really beautiful and it should be. I really appreciated that. I loved that that, it was her day and we both really enjoyed watching her do that. Like, that was one of the highlights of both of our trips, I think. I don't wanna speak for you, but,

josh 15:55

it definitely was for me. I was very inspired to see your mom cross this off her bucket list.

brit 16:01

Yeah. So like watching her do that was an activity in and of its own mm-hmm. For both of us. And I don't think there's one thing that we did that not all three of us enjoyed. So I'm grateful for that. I also think that you and I are so set on our communication and our connection during international travel that adding a third person was a bit of a challenge sometimes.

josh 16:33

it definitely was. Because it's no longer just a conversation between two people. It's a constant conversation between three people.

brit 16:44

Yeah.

josh 16:45

And not every communication style works with everyone. So something that you and me maybe understood, wasn't understood. For all three of us. And so to kind of have to adjust the way we communicate or adjust the way we operate, you know, was just a different experience as well.

brit 17:07

Yeah, I agree. And I think also that's another thing, like when we go back, it'll be interesting to see. How different it is because it will just be a couple trip. Mm-hmm. Right. It'll be just me and you. Mm-hmm. And that way we can really explore as a couple. And see New Zealand, possibly our future home as a couple.

josh 17:29

Yeah.

brit 17:30

So

josh 17:30

yeah. It'll definitely be different. cause again, the trip was booked before the podcast didn't even have that as a thought when we were booking it and. We did things because we wanted to do'em and because your mom wanted to do'em, and I totally agree with what you said. To have those days where it was centered around an experience that either you had or your mom had with bungee jumping was a beautiful thing, and I absolutely loved that. And it was just a different way to travel and I think it. Inspired me to want to encourage my parents to go on a trip with us or go on a trip with me. Because I wanna have one of those experiences with them.

brit 18:13

Yeah.

josh 18:14

And. They listen to this podcast, so they might listen to this and hear it and like, oh, we're ready to go. So

brit 18:23

maybe this is your soft approach to asking.

josh 18:26

Yeah, this is my, my soft launch. Mom and dad, if you guys want to go on a trip ready to go, give me a little heads up. And you know, depending where it is, me and Brit will both go somewhere with you, you know? Yeah. United States abroad.

brit 18:41

For sure,

josh 18:42

whatever it is. I'm, I'm excited to, to share some unique and exciting experiences.

brit 18:48

Yeah. I mean, I'm so glad that my mom had fun on this trip and got to experience another country. She's traveled internationally, I think three, three times and twice has been with me.

josh 19:04

Mm-hmm.

brit 19:04

And I am just so glad that she had so much fun on this trip. Not everyone gets to do this with their parents. So I look at that and I'm just so grateful that my mom can do this with us, and that she wants to.

josh 19:21

Mm-hmm.

brit 19:22

That's so cool.

josh 19:23

It is. It is. It's a very privileged experience that we get.

brit 19:27

Yeah.

josh 19:28

That you've gotten, I should say. I haven't gotten it yet, but it was very fun. My future mother-in-law to go with her.

brit 19:36

I think she. She definitely got to know you a lot more mm-hmm. Than what she did. And she kept saying, how fun it is to like watch you. Mm-hmm. Especially when you were what's the word? Drunk. So,

josh 19:55

yeah, that happens

brit 19:56

well on New Year's and the wine tour and just all of that, it was so fun. And her getting to know you and still, saying to me how good of a person you are and how glad she is that I found you and all of that. It just, it's special.

josh 20:17

It is.

brit 20:17

Yeah. And it's all true. So anyways

josh 20:20

So I think we should. Go through and do an overall scorecard rating for each of these categories for New Zealand as a whole.

brit 20:29

Okay.

josh 20:29

So let's start off with the food scene. What would you rank out of 10? The food scene for all of New Zealand?

brit 20:35

Six.

josh 20:35

Six.

brit 20:36

What about you?

josh 20:37

I would say six as well. I thought it was good, but we need to experience it more. Mm-hmm. Which. I'm not gonna say every time. So I think that's gonna be applied to every category.

brit 20:47

Okay.

josh 20:48

Uh, What about the coffee and social experience?

brit 20:52

Four.

josh 20:53

Four? Okay.

brit 20:54

What about you?

josh 20:55

I'll say four as well. The walkability and transit situation.

brit 21:00

Gosh, that one's so hard.

josh 21:02

Mm-hmm.

brit 21:02

Um, five.

josh 21:05

Five. I'll say five as well. Thought it was very walkable. Didn't get to experience the public transit, the affordability, or bang for your buck.

brit 21:14

Six.

josh 21:15

I would agree. I think six is a good rating on that. What about ease of relocation? Knowing that we've done a little bit of research, but we would definitely need to do more.

brit 21:25

Six.

josh 21:26

Six. I'd probably say five. What about the pace of life and overall wellbeing, wellness of people in New Zealand?

brit 21:33

7.5.

josh 21:35

I'll agree. 7.5 Seems like a good rating on that.

brit 21:38

You're just copying me at this point.

josh 21:40

No, I think we're, we're synced up. I think that's,

brit 21:43

I'm kidding.

josh 21:44

I think that's a good rating on it. How about access to nature and beauty?

brit 21:50

9.5.

josh 21:51

I'm gonna go to 9.6.

brit 21:52

Ooh,

josh 21:54

there,

brit 21:56

There. Whatever.

josh 22:01

I mean,

brit 22:01

actually as the, as a country as a whole, I do feel like it's a 10. We just. We gotta explore more.

josh 22:07

We definitely gotta explore more, which is what I was saying when we started. I think there's so much to see, so much to do. And that applies to just about every country. You're not gonna be able to explore all of the country.

brit 22:19

Yeah.

josh 22:19

But you know, having a 14 day trip with 12 of the days being, I think, true days where we were able to explore is just not enough. And I think people in New Zealand would be like, oh yeah, you gotta be here. Much longer than that to get a good feel of New Zealand. Yeah,

brit 22:35

absolutely. And go outside of the well tourist traveled areas.

josh 22:42

Yeah. Get out there. Explore some smaller towns, lesser known areas. Yeah.

brit 22:47

Yeah, for sure. Is there anything about this trip that you think changes the way that we do future trips?

josh 22:55

I think it just solidifies what we've talked about the last few times. I think unless there is really good public transportation, like Ghent Belgium where you can, you feel like you can go lots of places. Without a vehicle. It's almost essential that at some point you get a vehicle for extended period of time. Because if we talk to someone and they suggest something, it's like, oh, you just gotta take a 20 minute drive that way. But you don't have a car and it's not a normal bus route. Or it's not a tram or a train, you're not gonna be able to do that. Mm-hmm. And that's something that we were able to do on a few other trips because we had a vehicle or because the transportation was really good. So we talked about it extensively for renting a van. I think keeping with that, being able to have a car in a country that does not have. A lot of public transport is essential.

brit 23:54

Yeah.

josh 23:55

Mm-hmm.

brit 23:56

How do you feel like the pod is going so far, knowing that we're on episode 27?

josh 24:01

I think it's crazy to think we're on episode 27. That is insane to me. Looking back in July and August when we first started, really thinking about it and then starting recording. It is crazy how far we have come in our recording and editing, how we gather content, how we prep for episodes, just everything. I think that's crazy. I have had so much fun doing it. Fun learning. I think we've gained so many skills doing it. And it's always challenging. It's always a different challenge.

brit 24:37

It is. Yeah. I think we're still learning so many new things, but you're right. We've learned so much so far and it's only gonna get better.

josh 24:46

Yeah.

brit 24:47

In my opinion, because we are learning so many new things and it has been a lot of fun.

josh 24:53

Mm-hmm.

brit 24:54

Traveling with you is always fun, so, and talking about it is fun.

josh 24:58

I think, you know, it's great. I think we're gaining followers and subscribers on our different platforms and we're starting to get more engagement.

brit 25:09

Mm-hmm.

josh 25:10

And that's super exciting. I love, no matter if these people listen to the podcast episode or not.

brit 25:18

Mm-hmm.

josh 25:19

It's really fun to talk, even if it's just a short conversation with people about travel, where they think we should go, where people suggest to go, where they love to go. I love talking about travel and then having that we should go there sort of moment and like having a light bulb moment. Moment.

brit 25:37

Yeah. I love it too. And I think it's been really fun to watch the growth of it, because, we're not as successful as we might want to be at this point, but when we think about it, we're only on episode 27, so we've been essentially doing this for 27 weeks.

josh 25:56

Mm-hmm.

brit 25:57

And. It is still growing so much. So who knows, like in a year from now, who knows where we're gonna be and where the pod is gonna be. That's the coolest feeling and a scary feeling. And you know, just there's so much unknown. Something I will say is the professional camera edition of the pod has been such a cool thing for me because it's kind of nurturing this creative side of me that I never really. I don't know. I don't think I ever really grew that before. Taking these pictures and looking at them and being like, wow, I took that, that's like a professional fucking photo. So there's a bit of like imposter syndrome in there for me, but they are really beautiful photos. So if you want to buy one, you can go on our Etsy shop@WSMHtravels.

josh 26:58

Yeah, you have taken some absolutely stunning photos. There are a couple from the New Zealand trip of the Cloudy Bay Vineyard and around there that I just think if Cloudy Bay got a hold of these, I think they would love'em. Not that they don't have some professional photographers, something on their staff, but if they saw them, they'd think, wow. This is a great picture and thank you. Yeah, you've done a great job. I can't wait for the Ireland trip and future trips and you to have the camera just clicking away, getting all the pictures, and then coming back and taking a look at'em.

brit 27:34

Yeah. Mm-hmm. That was a really cool thing coming back from New Zealand and seeing all of the pictures and transferring them all to, you know, computer and phone and it's just really cool. Yeah.

josh 27:48

Just another skill you're gaining,

brit 27:50

I guess. Yeah.

josh 27:51

All this growth, we're doing

brit 27:53

so much growth.

josh 27:54

we're only gonna grow more as we travel more.

brit 27:57

I know. It expands our souls. Mm-hmm. As you like to say.

josh 28:01

I dunno why I like that term.

brit 28:03

Yeah. It's true. Feels like it expands my soul every time we go somewhere new.

josh 28:07

Yeah.

brit 28:07

Okay.

josh 28:08

All right.

brit 28:09

Next week we will be talking about our upcoming trip to Ireland. This was the one where we had our listeners vote, and I am not bitter. Maybe just a little,

josh 28:25

little better.

brit 28:27

But uh, Finland was the other choice and the voters did vote. And this is a democracy. They voted for Ireland. So we are going to Ireland next week, right? Yeah.

josh 28:41

About a week and a half. We got

brit 28:42

week and a half.

josh 28:43

Mm-hmm.

brit 28:43

Next episode will be about that and what we're planning to do there.

josh 28:48

Yeah, really excited to go. Really excited to talk about where we're going in Ireland and what we hope to see and expect.

brit 28:57

Yeah. Make sure to like, subscribe and follow on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube@WSMHtravels.

josh 29:04

You can listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. you can also watch on YouTube where we have pictures and clips from our trips@WSMHtravels. Please don't forget to continue leaving comments and sending us messages about where you would like to see us go and what would you like to see us do on our trips. We've had great conversations with people about our upcoming trip to Ireland and have included some of the places and some of those suggestions in the trip. So leave us those comments.

brit 29:38

Thank you so much for listening. Until next time,