Sit Down With Us

The Ozempic Trend Is Getting Dangerous

• Faith & Zara • Episode 22

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"If you want a healthy lifestyle, you need to learn how to live in it—not just jump on a trend drug." 

This week on Sit Down With Us, Faith and Zara take on the toxic return of the "thigh gap" era and the rise of Ozempic trends. We talk about the pressure to be skin and bones, fake fitness narratives online, and why the number on the scale doesn't define your strength or fitness. 

With the summer months here, we also reveal the raw, funny, and essential tips we use to stay confident and comfortable abroad. 

Finally, we rank the best and worst destinations we've ever travelled to for accessibility, comparing the flawless train systems of Tokyo to the broken lifts of the London Underground.

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SPEAKER_02

Hello and sit down with us as today we talk about body positivity, holidays, and hints of some really bad travel plans.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Which we're gonna get into a lot more next week, but hint on it again today.

SPEAKER_01

Everyone loves a holiday, but holidays aren't that straightforward. No some people. No. So we're gonna get into it. Let's get into it. Let's go. Let's go. We all know body positivity is a big thing and we've honed on about it many a times because yeah, it's it's great. But I feel like recently, I don't know if you found that, but I feel like recently within social media, there's been like the body positivity advocates and the people, where are they? That's what I want to know. They're all on Ozempic.

SPEAKER_02

Do you know what? I just jumped straight into that. I'm sorry. But there's a there's a guy, there's so many videos on TikTok that I've seen about this of people saying, like, where's the body positivity? People, oh yeah, they've all like lost the weight. Where are they? And it's like, you know what? I'm happy that they're potentially more healthier now. If they are.

SPEAKER_01

I think Ozempic, using it mindfully, using it as you should be using it and not abusing it, w with the fear of rhyming by now, is great. Good for you. Like some people are really in risk of within the weight they are. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So can I just stay with Ozempic? It's really which is kind of like bittersweet, but it's really easy to get a hold of. If your number is if your BMI says overweight or anything more, then like your BMI is out of that green category, you're you qualify for it.

SPEAKER_01

Can I just say I genuinely don't understand BMI because be to me, I I'm not the biggest girl out there. Obviously, I'm not the skinniest girl out there either, but my BMI is like on a higher scale. I mean it's it's like normal, but towards high. Yeah. And I'm like, I don't get that. To be fair, it's the same.

SPEAKER_02

I think maybe I'm just because I'm really short. I think that's that's a thing that I don't understand that plays into it because you would have you'll have so much muscle as well. Yeah, that's what I mean. So I'm like, I don't understand. With my partner, he's looked at his and he's apparently overweight. And like you know him. I've seen this man. He's a man is not overweight. He is in the gym like five times a week. And it's like I'm not saying that everyone in the gym is. That's not the reason. But for him, like he's gone from being quite very underweight to then the mass he is now. Yeah. But it's all it's all muscle. There's no like so. This is what I don't understand the differentiation between like what's unhealthy weight and what's healthy weight.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because his actual lifestyle is and I don't think herosempic qualifying for based on your being like. I'm sure it is though, because I remember him looking it up and he was like, he could get it if he wanted to, and I'm like, what? But I think there's a big push now, it's almost like we've gone back in time to like it's giving like 2010 skinny. Do you know? Like, do you remember can you remember the the thigh gap? Oh my god on the bones and like trends and stuff, like like the 2000 magazine like survived cheekbones were in like it's cut all that is coming back, but times 10. Yeah, and it's like I remember the wicked premiere and everyone's seeing like the before and after of people filming Wicked and something happened in that movie.

SPEAKER_01

Because what on earth every single one has anyone seen the before and afters?

SPEAKER_02

Because just actually crazy but of all of them, and like as long as they're healthy and happy, healthy being the main thing, fine.

SPEAKER_01

And like I as much as you want to twist it, I don't understand how being skin and bones is healthy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, what did I say? What did I say the other day? It was something like when you see like a malnourished dog or like animal, yes, yeah, and they're literally skin and bone, you want like want to take care of them, yeah, and you're like, oh my gosh, pull them.

SPEAKER_01

Like, how's that become the beauty standard for women?

SPEAKER_02

Right? Like, and it was a woman, it was a woman saying this in a video last time. That was crazy, and I was just like, that's so true. Like, why are women trying to get thinner and thinner and thinner? Yeah, rather than just accepting that.

SPEAKER_01

Having said that again, we're not trying to advocate for like binge eating or reading or whatever. We're trying to say, well, the whole premise is to be like have a middle ground. There's there needs to be some balance. Like, don't get me wrong, I go to the gym regularly, I eat mindfully, and to me that means not binge eating every single weekend or every single week. But equally, you'll see me at the weekend with a few glasses of wine. Yeah. Like I'm I'm not shying away. That was me last Sunday. Exactly. Like, there needs to be some kind of moderation. Yeah. And going back to this whole Ozempic, I don't know if I want to call it a trend, but like this Ozempic area, era of life that we're in, I feel like everyone, well not everyone, but like most people are just going on Ozempic for the sake of going on Ozempic and not understanding the implications of it, which is really dangerous. Again, we've said many a times that we're not medical professionals and we don't fully understand the implications of it, but there are some.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I think as well, it's like if you want to lose weight, there are like don't chat GPT go to an actual like personal personal trainer because they know the nutritional advice to give, they know what calories in calories out is. Most PTs.

SPEAKER_03

Most.

SPEAKER_01

There are some PTs out there who do the Chat GPTing behind the scenes, so watch out of that as well. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But every every plan is personalised and there's no one solution fits all, there's no one size fits all regime with within health and fitness. And I think apart from the fact that it's like calories in, calories out, but you've also got to bear in mind with your own lifestyle and what you are comfortable doing.

SPEAKER_01

And I think as well, some like fitness influencers or some some people in the fitness world have actually glamorised skinny talk and glamorised um this like fasting and like not eating, and it's just like like, yeah, fair enough, be a Pilates princess, but like fuel your body.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Do you know what I mean? But also don't lie about being a Pilates princess if that's not what actually made you lose the weight. Because then it's just there's no authenticity there. There's just a story that you're trying to tell people, but it's fake, it's a false narrative.

SPEAKER_01

There's been a few people that I followed, I'm not gonna shout them out because I like you never really know what's going on behind the scenes and they're only showing what they want to share, but there's people who are followed that I'm like, hmm, you were a body positivity advocate and you're now a size zero. Something's hiding up here. Yeah. Within within the actual like scary amount of time, by the way, not like a gradual, it was like an overnight type situation. And then a year later they came on and was like, Yeah, I've been an OZM pick all this time. And I'm like, I don't, I don't, like, I don't understand.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and we're we're not coming on here to just talk about people's bodies because it's like we have people talk about us all the time, like the way we look, the way we present ourselves. So it's like we're no we're not shy to this topic, no, but we'll also not want to talk about another person's appearance and put them down for that, no, which is why naming and shaming it's not that, it's just not taking influence from something that can be highly damaging.

SPEAKER_01

Raising avail you raising awareness of something that could be damaging. Like you could be watching those influences and being like, oh my god, I wish I was that, I wish I was this, but you don't know how they've got there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's like there's so many past diets that have been tried from like five apples a day to like the ginger shot to I think what did Hailey Bieber say the other week? It was like olive oil and lemon, and it's like and she literally said it tasted like salad dressing because it is a salad dressing, like all you're doing there is taking a shot of lemons and healthy fats, which is your olive oil. Like that's what that's all you're taking a shot of in the morning, and that's probably what's not making you hungry for breakfast because you're just dosing yourself with like a hundred to 150 calorie shot with olive oil.

SPEAKER_01

This is what's scary about trends because people are taking these words as gospel. Yeah, like do a bit of research, like Google is free.

SPEAKER_02

That's where you can use your Chat GPT and your Gemini because that it'll give you like a quick source of some sort of intellect on what you want to use.

SPEAKER_01

If you're still not sure, medical professionals, there's so many qualified nutrition out there, use them. Yeah, literally, so yeah, just don't yeah, I I just think this topic really triggers me because I'm like glamorising being skinny is it's just so backwards.

SPEAKER_02

And I mean it's not it. When it's Ozempic, and what's what's another one we're going with? Yeah, Monjaro. Monjaro, that's another one. It's a drug, it's not a fitness lifestyle. No, like if you want a healthy lifestyle, you need to learn how to live in that healthy lifestyle.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because at the end of the day, everyone's lifestyle is different, everyone's job's different, everyone's tastes exactly like wants and it's all different.

SPEAKER_01

I know we've talked about someone who kind of used Monjaro and like lost weight really unhealthily, but on the other hand, there is another girl who I also follow who was she was a big gal, and I think if you were to like look at her BMI or whatever, she w would be on a higher scale. And she basically went on Monjaro or what whichever one, and she's now come off it, and like she's lost weight, and now she's maintaining this weight loss through a healthier lifestyle, she's going to the gym, she's like having a balance rather than just like binge eating all the time, and I think that's what influencing is, that's what you need to influence.

SPEAKER_02

I I agree there because I I completely understand the not wanting to step foot in the gym because you don't feel healthy enough to be in the gym, which sounds so parallel because you think that well, you go to the gym to get healthy, yeah, you know, or for your mental health. So why would you not want to go in the gym? But it's it's so it's such an anxiety-driven task just to walk through the door is like anxiety-driven, and I've been there like not wanting to just step foot in the gym because it's such a different environment. It can be so daunting, yeah, and so I understand that sense, and that's where the healthy side comes in because you want to feel good in yourself, but take it for the right reasons, don't take it for a trend. Because I'm sorry, years ago the trend was not skinny, and I'm talking years and years and years ago, like Marilyn Monroe era, yes, like that was like curvy and beautiful. Yeah, like that was whatever your size and shape is, that's good for you. Yeah, which is why this topic is so needed and pivotal for now, because of summer.

SPEAKER_01

And one more thing to add before we move on from this body positivity chat is the fact that scales, the number on the scales means nothing. Personal experience with me, I was a few years ago I was on a the lowest weight I've ever been, but I didn't look like I was the lowest weight I ever was. And I was like, okay. And then now I'm basically probably highest I've ever been, but looking at myself, I'm the strongest I've ever been, and I'm the fittest I've ever been. So the number on the scales means nothing. 100%. So yeah, that's where I wanted to leave that at.

SPEAKER_02

And obviously, obviously, there's gonna be more skin on show, yes, and people wearing cooler clothing because it's bloody warm outside. Yes, and it's like there. So yeah, this is why this topic was needed for right now because of the coming months and also holidays, people going away, wear the bikini. Um who was that comment months ago that was like girls in a bikini, like my husband wouldn't that podcast? Don't be them, wear them. Don't be them, wear whatever you want. Yeah, respectfully. I'm gonna bring back Vicki Patterson again, morbid, but on on your funeral bed, no one's gonna say she looked good in the bikini. She's gonna say, Oh, what a great laugh she was. Just wear whatever you want. And on lines of this, especially with holidays, body positivity goes even further when you feel more confident and comfortable in yourself. So we're gonna share some top tips and tricks that we personally use to feel body positive and feel confident confident, comfortable, both body comf I'm gonna say it, body comfortable comfortable within holidays and with the summer months going on. Take it away on holiday with alopecia. I always like to wear my fake eyelashes and a good pair of sunglasses. You're probably like Faith, that just means you're dressing up every day. No, so the fake eyelashes mimic what would be my eyelashes, and because the sun is normally I find it so intense on holiday, the sun, like it's just brighter, and I think I swear the sun's different in the UK than it is on holiday. Oh yeah, like it's not the same. No, it's not, it's uncomfortable here. But even people that come to the UK they all say the same thing. Like UK sun is just really uncomfortable. It's different. It is, it's just like humid and like we're not prepared for it. We're not, we're not. I'm never prepared for it.

SPEAKER_01

Having said that, we're not complaining.

SPEAKER_02

If it's a heat, we're loving life. Yeah, you'll see me with an April spritz.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah, loving April.

SPEAKER_02

But with the sun, I think it's also the same with like um the colour of your eyes. People say that light-eyed people really struggle with the sun. I've heard that. But from that, and also with not having any eyelashes, I have no protection from the sun with my eyes, so it's like really intense. I've never thought about like eyelashes protecting you from the sun. Yeah, so as much as it protects you from like sand, dust, um, whatever like that, but it's getting in your eye. I also find that when I've got lashes on, the sun is easier to like walk around with just because it shades my eyes a little bit. Um, but and also sweat isn't getting in my eyes because it's like on the on the lashes if I'm warm. And then the sunglasses again just for the sun. So yeah, and also I think for someone who sometimes I get like paranoid people are staring at me with the sunglasses, it just puts me in my own little world and like makes me feel alike. I'm pretending to like be whoever I want to be when I put sunglasses on. And I think sunglasses just it gives you that like alter ego. 100%. Do you know what I mean? You just feel more confident with a sunglasses with the sunglasses, definitely, yeah. So that's one of my little tips. Another tip, especially for the bald head girlies, I always put a factor 50 on and then throughout the day top up with like a 30 spray. Oh, just because the sun is there, like it's it's literally like above ya, above ya. So I like it's constantly there, and I'm someone that I don't like a hat, I don't feel like hats suit me. I've been told they do, I don't agree. I just don't do a like a sombrero and just to see a sobrette, what's it called? A sombrero, no? Like the round hats. Yeah, but don't know what they're called. I just don't a sun hat. Yeah. That I just don't they don't suit me. They just don't a cat don't feel like it suits me. I just can't pull it on. I could imagine you with a cat. Really? I'm so tempted to grab a cap right now, just to see. Where are they? Let's see. So with a cat. We're back with a cap. No, no, I'm just getting chicken little. I'm sorry. Chicken little I just no, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01

No, you this is not. That one's not that flattering that. This is not gonna be. But grab the brown one. Oh, see! Love that. No, you look so cool. Really? Yeah. Hi a little bit. Oh my god, you look so cool. No, wait there. That looks cool. I can't relate.

SPEAKER_02

Look at yourself. Did you not like it? It's giving I all I need is a baseball bar and I'm chucking little. I just that's that's all I'm getting. I reckon you could pull it off. Back to the pod. Back to the room. Sorry, back to the pod. Sorry, back to the room. Diverted a little bit, just then. But yeah, obviously a hat always helps, but personally for me, I just don't like wearing them. So, like sun cream all the time. In the past as well, I have just sworn bandanas, but I have once had like a squashy sunburn. Like my face has caught the sun a bit and my scalp has not, and it's just been like squash. Oh no, really, like squashy the sweet central. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's not a good look.

SPEAKER_02

So that's why I just don't go now. I just find the shade when I can to be honest. So yeah. Yeah, you are prone to a burn, aren't you? I am prone to a burn. See. I went on a run the other day when I was running, training for the half marathon, I burnt. It wasn't it wasn't even sunny, it wasn't rainy, the UVs were low on my.

SPEAKER_01

Sometimes they're even worse. Those kind of weathers are even worse.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but I think it's because when I was sweating, there's salt, you know, that's and I burnt. And I couldn't believe it.

SPEAKER_01

Speaking of burning, us wheelie gals, especially the ones with low backs on your wheelchairs, protect your blooming shoulders. The amount of times I've had burnt shoulders just from wheeling about and knees. I saw a fo actually I saw a video of that. Legs. I don't know why. Your legs. My the top half of my knees so sunburnt, the bottom half doesn't see the light there. Wow. I d I don't understand the logic there. But no, protect your knees and your backs. Like genuinely, I've had so many sunburns on my back, it's it's not even funny. Yeah. Just like spray away all day.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And another thing for me, which might be a bit of an obvious one, but putting your wheelchair in the shade when you're not in it. Wow. Like there's been so many times where I've like been on the sun lounger and just like left my wheelchair wherever it was, and I've come to get on it. It's like burning hot. Like b like because on the sides, for me personally, this bit is like metal. So it's like it like burns. So yeah. Especially because like black anyway attracts more heat.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

So it's it's it's hot. And also the foot pedals, because like sometimes when I'm like out and about and like in and out of the swimming pool, I don't wear my shoes because I'm not gonna be walking. No. So always check the foot pedals before you put your foot in it, because obviously, if you're like me, you don't have any sensation on your foot. Oh, wow. So you wouldn't know the hot and cold or whatever. So always check that with your hands. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that is a hack, that's a big tip.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Just check that. Um, the other thing, always advocate, I know this is kind of going more towards ho uh hotels specifically, but always check if they've got pool lifts. Wow. I personally don't require one, I can just like yeet myself in. I mean, I wouldn't recommend that. Sometimes it is a bit dangerous, but anyway. Always s check if the hotel's got pool lifts and all that jazz. Like, don't be afraid to ask. Because I know basically one time when I went solo travelling, which I am gonna get into in a minute, but when I went solo travelling, I didn't ask for one because I didn't need it, and they just seen that I didn't get in the pool. I didn't mainly get in the pool because I'm not really a pool gal, I'm more of a by the by the pool gal, not in the pool gal. And a few days later I'd seen they'd put a a thingy lift there by the pool, thinking the the only reason I'm not getting in it is because there's no pool lift, and I was like, that is so sweet. That's really sweet.

SPEAKER_02

I didn't honestly that I didn't even know that was a thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's basically like it's like a little pole, and there's like a chair attached to it, and the chair swerves on the ground, you sit on it, and then it swists, and then like it goes up and down. That's really cool. It's it is really cool, yeah. Wow, like if you need it, it's really like handy to get into the pole. Simple as that. It's like a hotel. Yeah, yeah. It's so simple. Wow. But you'd be surprised how many hotels don't have that. Because there was another hotel that I went to in a really big resort, like in Dubai, and there was another lady who was in a wheelchair and she needed a pool lift and they didn't have one. So her h husband had to like carry her in and out, which was obviously sweet of him. Yeah, I shouldn't have crowning points, but we just shouldn't have had to. Actually, cute story with that with that family. The kid, because I was I looked, I had similar features to the mum, because like we were both brunette and all that jazz. Um, but she was also a wheelchair user like me. And the one day the child came running towards me thinking I'm the mum, and I just thought that is the sweetest thing. And he just like grab since then gravitated towards me to the whole holiday. That's really cute. I think because he saw like I've got similarities with his mum, and I just thought that was really sweet. But yeah, that's really cute. But yeah, it's actually die digressed just like that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but that's a good hack as well.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, there I think with holidays and things like that, and like hacks, you don't think of it unless you like come to do it. Yeah, so there's probably like thousands more that I've done just like without realizing that will come to me in the future. But if you've got any hacks, whether that's to do with whatever disability or difference you've got, leave them in the comments below because we'd love to know.

SPEAKER_02

I think if anything, it's just like make sure you're comfortable. Yeah. Like that is honestly the main thing. Like make sure that or just a focus on how. You feel in that moment in time, and for example, for me, if you need to wear a wig, wear a wig, like because abroad abroad perceptions that we're getting into more next week with more travel um can be harsh that you'll get to learn from what our experiences are.

SPEAKER_01

But I feel like different cultures have different mindsets, and obviously, when you're going on holiday, you're not really gonna research into people's culture or like do this, do X, Y, and Z. So it's it's like it's a bit of a hard one to navigate, which we will obviously get into this week.

SPEAKER_02

But I think definitely just focusing on body positivity, it's more just being sure of yourself of what you want and what you need. Yeah, like advocating for that as fast as you can. Yeah, it's like there's so many times like I went on holiday with a group of friends and I was like, I need shade. Like I've been in the sun way too long right now. It's peak, it's like 1 pm. I need some shade, and like I've stuck with one girl and we were great together, and like we did just go find some shade, find a little drink, and it was so yeah, you just have to advocate for yourself and what you need, but also if you see somebody else struggling, which I think is some sometimes really difficult because it's hard to see if someone is struggling, but advocate for them as well, yeah. Especially if you're with someone, like support them as much as you would support yourself through that. Love that. Thanks, brownie below. You know what I'm interested to know though, because you said you've been solo travelling. I have been solo traveling. Where has been like the best destinations to go which have been most accessible? I feel like that's quite a long-winded question to just kind of ask like where's best for accessibility that you've been to so far.

SPEAKER_01

Honestly, I kind of wish this wasn't the case because it's a long way away from the UK. It is it's not like a just like a one-trip thing. Japan. You love Japan. Honestly, I've not met a single person who's been to Japan that says a bad thing about Japan. Yeah, Japan was honestly, I like I don't know what I was expecting from it, but it was way beyond what I could have ever experienced from it, and not just from like a disability point of view, but just the people, the culture, everything was amazing. Like, I spent two weeks there, honestly, it was two weeks too too soon. Oh wow too soon, that makes sense. No, it was and it was the shortest two weeks ever. Like, I wish it was so much longer, so much longer. But on a accessibility point of view, it was there was it was just like the people were so accommodating. The because we got on trains and stuff, and the accessibility for trains, this guy literally was like, your train leaves at like 10.25, I'm gonna be there at 10.20. Genuinely 10.20 on the dot, he was there. Whereas if you know anything about the UK, don't get me wrong, the UK is great, we've got great qualities, and there's so many different like access helps and all that jazz. We're not bashing the UK, but when it comes to accessibility, sometimes it's lacking. And especially with trains and stuff, like at the amount of times I've been stranded at Houston trying to get off the train. And meanwhile, he was like, Oh yeah, I thought you were on a different platform.

SPEAKER_02

Who who gave you that information? I've seen this before recently when a girl was trying to get off the train and she pulled you press the emergency buzzer. I was like, Yeah, because what do you do? Because you don't want to be like going somewhere else. No, like well away from your your destination to then have to get off at a train station you don't know to then go on another platform to come back. No.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like I've had so many not to like make this about like travelling trains and stuff, because we've already discussed that. But yeah, is that all yeah? We're about to at one point next week, I think. Yeah, we can cut that better then. Um, not to go into it too much because we are gonna discuss it in a future episode, but there's been so many times where like the poor like people on the train with me were like we're not leaving you here, and they've had to help me out. Yeah, and I just think that's just it's not on anyone, like it's just ridiculous. But anyway, going back to good places to be, the other place that I absolutely loved Berlin. So Berlin we actually went as a family, but I had a day where I was like, I'm gonna do some tourist stuff on my own because I really like doing that on my own. So, for example, with Japan, I also went with people, but all but I had a day where I was like, I want to know what it would feel like if I was to live in this city alone. Oh damn, that's cool. So I I've done that a few times. Ballsy. I could not really see I love my own company.

SPEAKER_02

I yeah, I like my own company, but when I know where I am, yeah, but it's it's good, you've got people.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but I don't know what it is, but I feel more ballsy in a different country. Like I feel like I'd be scared to do that in like I was gonna say Doncaster, but like why would I do it in Doncaster? Like I mean like unique. I feel weird to do that in like Leeds. Okay. Whereas I feel like Japan, no problem. Tokyo, I'll be there on my own. I don't know what it is. Wow. Maybe because I'd seen how accessible it was. Maybe that's what it was, because obviously I did the solo day, like midway through our travel travels. So anyway, yeah, I got a I've got I I've got a tra uh oh my god, what is my thought process? I got a taxi, all well and good, and a guy came out, helped me, all our jazz, blah blah blah. Went to the place, everything literally from start to finish, it was a gorgeous day. And then equally Berlin, very accessible, very great. And I just think it was just it was just like small things they did, and I'm like, These are so like minuscule things that you could do, like for example, step-free access to the underground. I'm like the dream, like TFL, take notes, yeah. London Underground, you need to be taking notes because honey, I think what triggers me, I think I I could hold on about London Underground for days. But what triggers me about the London Underground is the accessible ones, the lift's broken. What's that about? Like that's not accessible. No, that's no more accessible. Anyway, not to go on about this too longer, but yeah, I think my top countries to go to if you want like full accessibility, Berlin, which is fairly close if you're in the UK, Japan. I think Japan is like a once-in-a-life, you need to go once in a lifetime. And another place which really shocks me about how inaccessible it was in terms of like public transport and stuff, New York. Really? Like I feel like it's it's on par with London in terms of like you would think bigger cities, capitals, would be like, oh my god, there's like millions of people coming and out there.

SPEAKER_02

Especially with so like popular, especially with how popular those cities are, you'd really think they'd have their like everything nailed down, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But having said that, I did use the underground there. Okay. Uh with the ones that were accessible, and it wasn't like London where like if it says it's accessible and it's not. Like I've I've had instances in London where even the trains, like even the staff at that particular underground didn't know if there was a lift. And I'm like, isn't that literally your job?

SPEAKER_02

They should know that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Anyway, so in that sense, when it was good, it was great, if that makes sense. In um New York. But yeah, I just but yeah, when I did go solo travelling, I actually went somewhere completely different to any of these. I went to Spain. Oh I went to Spain for a week. Um Do you want to talk about that? Do you want me to talk about that? That's not on there.

SPEAKER_02

No.

SPEAKER_01

How long have we been chatting? For the exam. Maybe not talk about that then because that's gonna be long. Um we talked about that last last maybe, yeah. Um but one final hack from me is medical bag allowance. Now, I actually learnt this off from a different creator, like maybe like five, ten years ago. And it's basically so as disabled galleys, some of us have medical equipment, some of us have um what's the word? Medicine and things like that that we need to take with us. And in the UK, as it stands right now, I don't know if what if it's like around the world, but as it stands in the UK and the airlines, you are allowed a certain amount of allowance based on how much you need. Obviously, don't take the make, like you can't be like 50 kg of free allowance, but however much you need within reason of free allowance to check in, which I think is really good because I've got some equipment that I need to take with me on like long travels or like just like a couple of days travels, and they don't charge you for that. They'll give you free hour allowance, which again I think is really good. So if you don't know that, um now you do, and also the way you to get to that is when you book your travels, wherever's whether whether it's with Ryanair, Jet 2, whoever, not mentioning BA because if you if you if you're at disabled and you book with BA, cancel it right now and get your money back. Don't even go on it, don't just don't do it. Honestly. Sorry about that next week. Yeah, because honestly, it's just not worth it, it's not worth your asshole. British Airways, not the one. Anyway, so yeah, basically you ring them up and you get into the touch with the accessibility line. It is a bit long-winded, but it is worth it, in my opinion. And they ask you what you want to take, you can give a brief description, they'll send you a form and a certificate to say this person's allowed 20 kg, but more often than not, it will be in the system. But just in case it's not, they'll give you this thing and then you take it to the check-in desk, Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt, and you're good to go on your travels.

SPEAKER_02

Damn. We're definitely talking about more travel bases next week. Yes. But other countries that I felt for me anyway, I felt most comfortable, it would be there isn't a country particularly get onto perceptions more next week because it's a lot, but it's more like the people I'm with that kind of make it for me. But if I was to talk openly, Abitha and Benadorn, they were the best places I've been. Like, I've not travelled much to be fair, like I've not gone out of Europe, but they were the best places for me where I felt most comfortable or welcome. I think Benadorn, because everyone's going there for a party, and it was literally just me and my partner, yeah. And we just got chatting to like the bar, the bar maids and the bar the bartenders, and everyone was really lovely and got to know us. And if you go to the same places, you get to know the same faces for the time that you're there. And the hotels we were in were adults only, which really helped me because I cat my like stares and par not paranoia, but paranoia people staring kind of comes from when it's families and how families view me. Because that the parents can see the kids staring and they don't know anything about it, and it's like I don't feel like it's my place to like say anything, say anything because the kids not doing anything wrong, they're just curious. But at the same time, for an adult, I'm like, Do you not I I I don't I don't know, I'm just like do you not know not to stare? Yeah, it's just that for me. So we do go to more adult-only venues um for that, and then Abetha. I think again it was the group I went with, but everyone in Abithha is there for a good time and a fun time.

SPEAKER_01

And as much as I was never been, but it's yeah, good exactly.

SPEAKER_02

I went to where would I go? Like the north. I went to like the west side, like the southwest side, I think. Um where Ocean Beach Abetha Rocks is. Everything's happening, yeah. That like the nice sunset kind of view, that's where I stayed. And yeah, I just felt very welcome there. Um, yeah. I don't know, I didn't feel like I had any issues personally, like perception-wise, but celiac-wise, we did go. I think we only went breakfast only, or breakfast and dinner at that like half orge. And then I stuck to like jacket potatoes, salads. To be fair, there was there's always been gluten-free options I've been able to find, and it was when I was abroad in Spain when I realised I was celiac because it was just like all inclusive, yeah, and it was just that kind of food, and like everything was cooked in the same so everything was contaminated just with the where where we were, and it was actually after that specific holiday, Costa del Sol in Spain, that I actually found out I was celiac just because of the food that was there at this all inclusive. Um, and I swear that was also the all inclusive that it then made my sister have food poisoning. Yeah, it was just I think I'm just at a hotel, I don't know. But um that was that was the worst, I'd say. Um, but actually no, from I think Celiac wise that was the worst, but on my own, I recently went to Dusseldorf in Germany, um, and that was one city and space where I just I didn't feel welcome. I think being a Brit anyway, I think as it as a German city and in Germany, I think it's kind of a well-known fact and kind of perception that if you go to Germany and you're English, speak English, yeah, you're you're not very welcome. They kind of protect their own, which I get 100%. Um, but I even tried to speak German when I was over there. I did like had I downloaded Duolingo and I was on that for like a good month before I went over and um like tried to speak what I could and yeah, I just got loads of stairs that I've never experienced, like a l every eyeball on me from the moment I stepped off the plane. I just felt that's crazy, like I had a target on my back there. Yeah, especially being on your own as well. The first time we entered new country, and I was just like, get me home. Like that was the one place where I was like, I don't feel I stayed in the hotel room majority of the time. It was a short trip, but yeah, there I just didn't feel no welcome personally.

SPEAKER_01

Maybe we should do it again.

SPEAKER_02

New memories, maybe because I did go for work, so it was just like weird one, yeah. But when I book somewhere, sometimes it doesn't show you like all the rooms and like because you know you can see like the like what's around. Yeah. Sometimes when you book, you can actually see that you can see the map and you can see what's around, but I actually don't see anywhere that actually says like they have a pool lift or they have accessibilities.

SPEAKER_01

Do you know what? Another thing that really bugs me, so but if you follow me on Instagram, you know I've got this whole uh thing about my birthday and where to go this year because I don't know where I'm going, and I always like to be somewhere outside of Manchester for my birthday. Manchester is great, love Manchester. I will be a northern girl for life, but I I need a different scenery for my birthday. So I've been trying to find out where to go, and like I said, I have been to solo trips previously, and I'd just forgotten how hard it is to navigate somewhere that's like fully accessible when you've not been there or when you've not seen it. So you'd be so shocked to know so many different websites don't have an accessibility tick to like make sure that hotel is like accessible. And just for peace of mind, literally. And so, for example, one website, I mean, love them, I've been on holiday with them many a times, jet two, but for the love of God, just add an accessibility section because a girl just wants to go away. Yeah, and I think this comes back to we're gonna get into this aga further next week, but uh one thing that's been on kind of social media recently is this lady who was trying to fly with BA and she basically was refused on because of she wouldn't because she was alone and she wouldn't be able to get herself out safely. And I'm if you're listening, I'm doing quotation marks because it's just so ridiculous, but anyway, she couldn't she got refused because she couldn't get herself out safely if there was an incident, which I don't think that's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02

I am sure could be wrong, but I'm sure when you like you listen to like the safety briefing while you're like fly while your plane's like on the tarmac trying to take off, it literally says like it's goes through all the safety briefing and like do your child first or do people that are more vulnerable than you first and like help them.

SPEAKER_01

And I I think one big thing as well with this is the whole issue with not letting your wheel not letting people's wheelchairs on board, which someone said uh because I was on the thread about this the other day because I just find this whole thing so bizarre, like it's 2026. Like, what do you mean we're ref we're being refused just because we're wheelchair users? And someone said they can't charge you for your wheelchair because obviously that's illegal. So naturally they just refuse it on the board because they can't make money from it. And I just think that's literally put the nail on the head.

SPEAKER_02

Hit the nail on the head because that is but something like that, especially with how many people have had issues with BA, yeah, British Airways it's not like you'd think a budget airline would be like this.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. BA is God love 'em, but they're not a budget airline. No, but yeah, so going back to websites and things like that, Jet 2, I I need some kind of accessibility thing. They do say at the bottom of every like hotel or resort or whatever, to find out about accessibility, bring this number. Kid you not, I'll show you my phone records if you want. I will put them on the screen. I was on the phone for 40 minutes just about one hotel. And I was like, this is just not even worth it, baby. No. I mean, having said that, booking.com, they have an accessibility feature. Oh, do they? That's good. Which I I think is great. But again, what I found out recently is my sister went to this particular hotel in France, and on the thing it says it's accessible. Obviously, she's not looking for an accessible place because she doesn't need to. Um, anyway, she went because I was thinking about France for my birthday. Long wind story, but she said the lift was incredibly small. Like, she was like, even like my wheelchair is in the biggest wheelchair out there, yeah. And she was like, I think you'd struggle. So I think there's things like that, what accessibility means to different countries and to different establishments, I guess. So also be mindful of that. But I just think it's just like why are we having to go through hoops and roundabouts just to see if a hotel has lifts? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

For a basic standard, yeah, basically.

SPEAKER_01

And another thing that triggers me on like this accessibility malarkey is when a hotel is like accessible with like lifts and like ramps to like the main areas, restaurants, and then as soon as you ask about the because it it's a beach front um beachfront hotel, but as soon as you ask about accessibility to the beach, they're like, no, it's just stairs going down. But then you're not an accessible hotel. No. Like if you are a beachfront hotel, there needs to be an accessible route to the beach. Like I don't understand why that's hard to comprehend for something. And I know some people are gonna be like, yeah, but they can't change the architecture, they can't do this, they're gonna do that. Yes, they can. They just don't want to because it all cost them money. If there's a will, there's a way. If there's a will, there's a way. And on that note, shall we wrap this up? I think so.

SPEAKER_02

I think we've talked a lot.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I have, I feel like.

SPEAKER_02

We've gone from body positivity to holidays, holidays, and our little tips and tricks when you're on holiday or in the in the heat wave.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um, which the UK's seen a little bit of that already this year, which has been lovely. Um, but yeah. I think that's all we've got time for today. I think for today that's all we have time for. But next week we will dive into travel and abroad perceptions a lot more.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

So stick around for that. We've got a lot more stories to be telling.

SPEAKER_01

So my guys! Bye.