- It's once again time to get gutsy with Liz Hall
and her expert guests on the Gutsy Babe Podcast.
- Welcome to this episode of The Gutsy Babe.
I'm your host, Liz Hall. Today's guest is Ashley Blake.
She is the founder of Traverse Journeys
and Adventure Tour operator providing impact focused small
group trips and retreats in 25 plus
countries around the globe.
Her work as a travel specialist, cultural consultant
and location independent entrepreneur is based on 20 years
experience in 70 plus countries across Latin America,
Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Ashley works with individuals, teams,
and organizations to leverage the power
of cultural flexibility to build confidence, clarity,
and connection in your personal and professional journey.
Welcome, Ashley. I'm so excited to have you on today.
- Awesome. Thank you so much for having me today.
It's so nice to connect here.
- Yeah, same.
Um, I just want to share with our audience and how we met.
We met through, uh, dreamers, I call it Dreamers, um,
but it was through, uh, Marie Folio's, uh,
little networking group, uh, that she has, uh,
cultivated such an amazing group of, uh, entrepreneurs,
founders, business owners,
and it's been amazing how we connected through that.
Right. ,
- It really has been. And it's just even a little
plug from Marie Forlio.
Such an incredible group of just dynamic humans
that wanna connect.
And so yeah. Liz, I'm so glad
that we gotta meet on that platform.
- Same, same. So you are in Copenhagen
and this is where you live, correct?
- It is where I live.
It actually has nothing to do with my business,
but life kind of brought me here.
We were talking a little bit about where I'm from
a moment ago, and I'm from the west coast,
grew up in Oregon, born in California, lived in Austin,
which is where my company Traverse was born
when I lived there.
Okay. Lived in Asia for a while
and I've been in Copenhagen for four years.
So there's lots of story there, but not a linear path.
- I love it. I love it.
I, well, I love not a linear path because that is life,
but you definitely are well traveled
and, um, that's just beautiful.
- Yeah. It's something I'm really grateful for.
I feel like I've been really fortunate in life to have a lot
of very, like, varied experiences, to say the least.
- And it sounds like that's
what you made your career out of, right?
For just being a world traveler.
So how did you get involved in the travel industry?
- Yeah, it's a great question.
You know, I like to call myself an accidental entrepreneur.
I didn't intend to, I never intended, per se,
to have my own company or a travel company,
but I was always really interested in travel and culture
and language when I was young
and started traveling the first time when I was 17 mm-Hmm. .
And then through college, studied Spanish, did internships
and studies abroad,
and worked in concert production right out of college.
And then got snagged by a tour company,
just like inadvertently one of those kind of life things
where just the circumstances fell into my lap.
And next thing I knew I was on a plane to Germany
for October Fest and got hired by this company, uh,
leading cultural tours in Germany and Spain.
And then we also did, um, sports tourism.
So I was in the Beijing Olympics
and I was at the Vancouver Olympics.
We did hosted a lot of athletes families, so
that was my foray into tourism, so quite a while back.
So I began during that time, you know,
getting the skills needed for tourism, I would say combined
with the previous, um, concerts, production experience.
There's a lot of project management
and logistics and operations.
During that same time, I was actually doing bookkeeping
for the company that I was hired for.
So it was, it was really, um, a layering of experiences
and, you know, jobs and tasks
and kind of jack of all trades, learning a lot
of different pieces of this.
'cause there's a hospitality side of it with clients.
There's also the logistics and operations side of it.
Mm-Hmm. . So that kind of, if you bookmark that time period,
I took a hiatus from tourism
and got involved in another business in
the natural food space.
I also taught English in South Korea.
Uh, I got my master's degree, which was on music
for social change in Brazil.
This was in Brazil. Mm-Hmm. . This was in Austin
at the University of Texas.
And I spent quite a bit of time in Brazil.
And it was at that time that the one business class
that I ever took was on social entrepreneurship.
And it was really impactful
because that was something that I really wanted
to bring into my work, um,
because it's something that I really feel like part
of my purpose is like having a,
an impact in something that's greater than me.
And so that's when kind of a lot of these threads
of ideas started really coming in for how to build
a business with impact.
And during that time,
I was actually seeking jobs in the international space,
not necessarily tourism, but something international.
I was doing all kinds of side gigs.
And one of my mentors from the previous company that I,
that I had, um, he's like,
why don't you just start your own thing?
And I was pretty adverse to it at first
because it was like, ah, I know what is, I had been
through a funding round
and all kinds of, uh, experience with growth,
with fast growth with companies.
And I just didn't actually love that energy.
I got a lot of experience, but didn't love that energy.
Mm-Hmm. . And, but I took this idea to heart.
And, um, that is kind of where Traverse was born.
This is 2017 at this point in time.
So that came as a culmination of
previous experience in tourism and a lot of travel.
By that time I had traveled all over Latin America,
quite a bit of time in Europe.
I'd been to Asia, I lived in Asia.
Um, so there was kind
of a culmination of that side of things.
And then, then also just not being able to find
what I wanted that felt aligned for my work.
So I, so I started it.
- Yeah, you created it. That's beautiful.
I mean, how special is that, that you're able to use all
of your skillset and wrap it into one business?
And you speak multiple languages, it sounds like?
- I do. I these days,
so I've spoken Spanish since I was younger.
Mm-Hmm. these days I use Danish
because I live in Denmark, .
So it's funny how language is,
sometimes I'll throw in some Danish words into my Spanish
or Spanish words into my Danish .
But I have studied, I studied, um, German a long time ago
and used that for work.
But as they say, you know, you don't use it, you lose it.
Uh, I studied Arabic for a year.
I studied tiny bits of like Italian
and some other other stuff.
And then I studied Portuguese when I was in Brazil,
Brazilian, Portuguese.
But a lot of those languages, if I were to go immerse myself
for a few weeks, I could get 'em back.
But, um, and I can understand better than I can speak.
So these days on the forefront, Spanish and Danish,
- Well, you're very special to have all of those skills
because I just, I've always wished
and dreamed that I could speak multiple languages.
My brain, personally does not work that quickly to pick up a
link. - .
Totally. It's, you know, it's, it's a thing.
I think it's also, you know, we connect to different skills
that we have with our purpose.
And one of the things that I really feel like
aligned with is connection.
And language is such a connector, you know,
it's a door, door to culture.
It's a door to conversations with people. So It's so true.
I think that's why I'm drawn to it.
- Oh, that's so beautifully said. Mm-Hmm. .
So it seems your target market is conscious travelers.
Can you share who these people are
and what makes them different from your run
of the mill travelers?
- Yeah, definitely. So I'll tell you a little bit, kind
of high level, um, what all of our travelers have in common.
Mm-Hmm. . And then I'll talk a little bit about,
we have different segments.
So, you know, all of our traverse travelers are looking
for authentic connection, both externally and internally.
So like wanting that for themselves on their travels.
You know, they wanna be with other, like-minded travelers.
They wanna see places in a unique way, like unique,
here are the stories that bring them alive.
You know, that might be hands-on experiences,
engaging the senses, taking a cooking class,
visiting a local market for our guided experiences.
We don't want guides that are just knowledgeable,
but that have personality.
And it's like traveling with a friend, you know, opening
that door to culture, you know,
understanding the everyday life of a given place.
You know, what are the joys, what are the challenges?
Real conversations, um,
our travelers wanna give back on their travels
by like supporting small businesses,
locally owned accommodations.
For example, women in minority groups, like both,
both really bolstering local economies, keeping
that income in the local economy, um,
and minimizing their environmental impact along with that.
Mm-Hmm. . And then also for our, you know, working
with a tour operator like us, you know, we do the,
the vetting, the planning, the leading,
and they want that done in a way that brings like comfort
and ease and delight and surprise.
You know, we don't take you
around on like big tourist buses with a flag.
Not us , you know, we don't overpack the schedule so
that you have no time to integrate
or discover things for yourself.
We also really don't skimp on our partners.
Like, relationships are so key to traverse trips.
I mean, they really are the star of the show.
So the, the guides, the artisan crafts maker, you know, the,
even the drivers, like,
we don't give enough credit to drivers.
Like they're, we could not have a trip without them. Right?
So like learning their name
and getting to know them through the trip.
So those are kind of pillars of the traverse traveler
and the way we position ourselves.
And then our trips divide into three categories.
We have adventure retreat and explore.
So like adventure travelers are really deeply motivated
to challenge themselves, like physically, mentally,
spiritually, you know, looking for an experience
that really inspires that next up level.
Like, yeah, I'll get up at 4:00 AM for that epic sunrise.
Yeah. You know, and then the retreat,
like maybe you're feeling burnt out
or you're looking to like grow
and learn on your healing path
and an environment that can really support that.
That's where kind of our retreat category is.
And then explore is kind of like the lighter side, like
how can you make the world a better place?
Well experience something new and unique
and, you know, moving from simply observing to traveling
as a participant, like making it participatory.
Mm-Hmm. . So those are kind of the categories that we have
and what threads all of the clients together.
Interestingly enough, I did a little data research on just,
I mean, it's been a while since 2017 to today,
our average traveler is a 52-year-old female.
And we still have lots of males.
We have younger, we have older, we have
multi-generational travelers.
But that's the, if you take it out
and average it, that's what it's,
- Isn't that amazing?
It's, uh, more women are traveling solo these days.
I find that fascinating. It's
- Incredible.
And I love it because they come with this faith
that they're gonna meet and they're gonna
connect and they leave with friends.
And I just think that's so amazing.
- It's true. I went on a women's solo trip, um,
last year, uh, to Morocco
and it was a women's entrepreneurial, uh, group
and it was so beautiful.
And it was very similar to how your business is set up,
that we, um, contribute to a nonprofit wi locally.
And we, uh, connected with all of the locals
and kept the, uh, it was all relationship based with that,
um, founder of that business as well.
I believe it was called Eleanora.
And it was so beautiful. Yeah.
- Cool. Yeah. Morocco is magical and fun.
Fun fact, I was stuck there for three
and a half months during Covid fun time.
- Wow. Share a little bit about that. I'd love to hear
- For sure.
Yeah. So we were on a trip that started like
early, early March.
So it was right before the world shut down when everything
was still like, what's happening?
But we're okay, but we're not okay.
You know, it was in that in between.
And so I was with 15 clients
and we were out in the Sahara Desert, which you're like,
what can go wrong in 48 hours with no internet connection?
Right? So when we get back out of the desert,
I have like dozens of messages about what's going on.
So we continue on our route with all kinds of little changes
because drivers, the way information comes down
to us in Morocco is not maybe the most clear.
So it'd be like yesterday we were supposed
to have this rule, but long story short,
we got the clients on repatriation flights back home
to the US and there are a few from Mexico.
And then I rolled the dice thinking like, uh,
because I had to be in Turkey
after that thinking,
thinking like it'll pass in a week or two.
Right. Um, because Morocco closed borders both in and out.
So if you didn't get on a
repatriation flight, you were just there.
So I found an apartment
and then a week turned into a month,
which turned into two months, you know,
then it just became, came longer.
And in that period when it was when I was actually trying
to get back to Denmark, 'cause I had just sold my condo
and put all my stuff in storage from Austin.
So I was in a very transitionary stage myself,
but universe conspired and I made it out
and I learned lots of lessons.
I did lots of yoga while I was there. and a sanity
routine. - .
That's crazy. But I love that adventure. .
- It was an adventure. You know, it's funny.
People ask me a lot, you know, was it so hard being alone?
All the things, and I love Morocco,
but we didn't get to explore.
It was very shut down. You could go
to the store in the pharmacy, that was it.
Mm-Hmm. . Um, but it was really, uh, a great time
for self-reflection as I think most of us
during Covid got a lot of,
but for me, the solo time was fine.
It was the uncertainty part of when I could leave.
That was challenging, but what a great lesson for life.
So definitely built a lot of skills there.
- Oh, I bet. Yeah.
I mean, if you were to think back,
what would you do differently?
It sounds like you just had, you took advantage of, uh,
inner peace and yoga and meditation
and really worked on yourself.
I mean, how special is that ?
- Yeah. Honestly, I dunno
that there's a lot I would've done differently
because I was supposed to be traveling for five months.
I had actually, the tour company that I used to work
for had been bought out in the new company.
I had clients in Japan.
We were doing a partnership where I was doing cultural tours
for the 20, well,
what would've been the 2020 Japan Olympics?
So I, I was supposed
to continue being on the road that whole summer.
So honestly, I don't think I would do anything different
in terms of when I left.
But, um, I think
what kept me really sane was just focusing on every day,
having a little routine for myself,
working on all those practices.
I think I read like 15 books, , so.
- Awesome. So do you travel
on a lot of your trips now?
I believe I saw on your website
that you have one coming up, right?
Is that in, uh, uh, Jordan?
- Yeah, next week. So yeah, in the beginning
of Traverse I traveled on a ton of trips.
Um, these days I select them a little more
because we have quite a few trips.
Like in this last spring season,
we had 14 trips across 12 countries.
So obviously I couldn't be on all of those.
And most of our trips are repeats.
Like we really have them dialed.
We have amazing partners and guides and hosts.
So I don't need to be there. But I do go on some key trips.
So yeah, Jordan, I'm going
to next week we have a really amazing collaboration
with the Jordan Tourism board, a photographer
and, uh, a gal who's gonna be on Instagram stuff for us.
So we're doing a little photo shoot at a restaurant
that is owned by this woman Maria, who's incredible.
Her sisters and her own the restaurant.
They use her grandma's recipes.
So we're gonna do a little cooking with them.
We have clients coming. Also, Jordan is one
of my favorite places in the world.
It's really, really incredible, really.
I'll just be there for the first four days of the trip
and Amman, and then everyone will head out
to all the adventures in desert.
Unfortunately, I can't go 'cause I need to come back
and be, uh, at, you know, in my office.
But, um, running
- The show I - Love Yeah.
Running the show. I'd rather be hiking,
but I'll, I'll be on the Chile trip this fall.
Uh, in Patagonia, we, we hiked the w re trip w Trek,
so I'll be there in November, so I'll get my outdoor time.
- So with that sounds amazing.
Uh, so with the traverse, uh,
what does a traverse trip look like?
For example, the one in Jordan? Can you explain
- About that?
Definitely. I'll give you kind of a little overview of
what all traverse trips have in common,
and then you know, how they differ
because they're all very unique.
Mm-Hmm. But generally they're like six to eight days.
Every trip that's a group trip can,
almost every single one can also be booked
as like a self-guided.
So it could be two people
that's slightly different than the group itinerary.
Maybe they take trains places,
maybe they have a private driver.
But generally speaking about six to eight days,
we really love our accommodations.
A lot of boutique accommodations locally owned, you know,
to the greatest extent possible, they can really vary.
So, like in Nepal, for example, when we're hiking,
we stay at really humble tea houses owned by Tibetans.
And then we finish off at a five star eco lodge.
So you get this texture to your, you know,
sleeping experience, get both, both ends of the spectrum.
And like in France for our retreat there,
we stay at this beautiful countryside chateau.
It's, it has all this history.
It's been like renovated in a sustainable,
like really sustainable style.
So every, uh, itinerary includes very unique accommodations
that may vary.
I mean, mid range,
but sometimes you get a little extra luxury.
Sometimes you get a little more basic,
especially if you're doing the adventure hiking.
Um, every itinerary has a, a welcome dinner
and a farewell dinner, and then daily breakfast,
and then we'll sprinkle in at other meals as it makes sense.
But we want you to also have some freedom.
Sometimes you're in a cool little town
and you wanna go, you know, find what sounds good to you.
Mm-Hmm. . Um, and then we have really, um,
immersive experiences.
So like on the France retreat, we visit local villages, hike
to little castles.
We take a pastel dye workshop
book French Cuisine at the Chateau.
We have a Cuba retreat, um,
coming up actually in, in the fall as well.
And that's really centered around art and culture.
And this one is, uh, with a somatic therapist.
So our retreats aren't just yoga.
We do like with this one in particular, um, somatic therapy
and workshops every day.
And you mentioned Morocco, we love Morocco.
Um, is a Burber women's textile co-op there.
And then Jordan had, like you had just mentioned, Mm-Hmm. .
Um, so that one is in the adventure category.
We have more hiking in that one.
There's a really incredible trail.
Everyone thinks of Petra, the site as just the one treasury
that you see like in pictures,
but it's actually a ginormous, I can't remember
how many acres site,
but we do a 12 mile hike from little Petra to Petra.
And along the way you're seeing all these ancient facades,
the way they store water, uh,
it's really, really incredible.
And then we go up north to the alo Forest Reserve, a lot
of con conservation efforts up there.
We meet with a number of different women's cooperatives,
have some amazing food and other cooking class.
What about cooking classes in a lot?
Because what a better way to experience cuisine than to,
you know, be involved, making it yourself,
learning about local ingredients.
Um, and then the other key thing
that all trips have in involved is a community partner.
So we donate 1% of sales to the community partner, um,
which is a nonprofit NGO that can really range.
So in Peru, for example, we partner
with a catcha language preservation program, uh, in Mexico,
a regenerative farm.
They're focused on heritage plants.
We also do a tamale making workshop with them.
Um, in Greece and Cyprus,
we have a really incredible partner
called Lighthouse Relief.
They do both acute and long-term support for refugees.
So there's a wide variety of, uh, like nonprofit initiatives
that are also really, um, one thing that I'll say
to you about that, and this comes from my grad school
experience and the work that I did in Brazil,
there's really pay attention to who's leading that.
Like who's it, who's it buy and who's it for?
Like community led organizations, you know,
that are coming from like the needs of the community
and then bringing that up versus someone just dropping into
a community saying like, oh, I think we need this.
So we really pay attention to how those nonprofits
and NGOs are structured as well.
- No, that's very wise. And you know, that the,
the money's actually being used for them.
- Yeah. - Yeah. That is, it's, it's so incredible.
I mean, all of these trips
and excursions sound absolutely amazing.
Uh, for the one coming up in Jordan, like, how many people
do you typically have on these trips?
- Typically, our trips are like eight to 12 people.
Jordan is a small trip.
This year it's four people
because, you know, there's a situation in the Middle East,
and it's tough because American media, um,
we don't always get exactly the, the picture, you know,
of what's actually happening on the ground.
Jordan is actually very safe.
And I have partners that I trust in Jordan,
and I also collaborate with the Jordan Tourism Board,
which is a government entity.
Like it's very much in their interest
that travelers remain safe.
So there's a difference, you know, the kind
of perception versus reality.
But, um, this particular trip in Jordan is really focused
on, um, local organizations and community.
And I'm so excited we're gonna be there because guides and,
and accommodations
and all of the, the partners in Jordan are, they're,
they're struggling right now because tourism is down in
Jordan, due to the Middle East situation,
despite it being very safe and stable in Jordan.
So Right.
Jordan is actually a really great
example of sustainable tourism.
Um, so the, the government private entities
and some NGOs, they all collaborated
for what's called the meaningful travel map in Jordan.
It's 750 kilometers of hiking and biking north to south.
Mm-Hmm. . And along the way you have all kinds
of women's cooperatives.
You have places that you can stop by
that are family owned that'll serve lunch
or, you know, that you can do a, a home stay with.
So it's a really incredible way
to keep money in the local economy.
And it's also one of the issues in countries like Jordan is
that people will come to the big cities like Aman for work.
They'll leave their rural
areas and come into the big cities.
And that puts a lot of pressure on
the cities themselves for jobs.
And it also breaks up families and traditions.
So there's a big, you know, a lot
of this work is also preserving traditions
and heritage in these smaller villages and towns.
So it's something we're really excited to be a part of. I
- Love how small and intimate your groups are.
So you definitely have some lasting impressions
and, uh, I'm sure you have some amazing first
time customer reviews.
- Yeah. And we have people on our, like,
on their fourth trips with us, which is so fun to see.
- Oh, I could see that. That they're like, you know what?
This works for me. All of your trips in your
taste is, uh, impeccable.
So why go anywhere else .
- Yeah. Yeah. It's, I love it.
- I mean, go anywhere else as in like, go anywhere else
with another company, but .
I know.
- Yeah. - That is so amazing to hear.
So hear I was seeing the, uh, Cuba retreat,
is it for women only?
Is that one a women's?
- Yeah, this one is a women's only retreat.
Like all of our other retreats are co-ed.
Even though we do tend to get mostly women, we do get a lot
of mindful men also.
Yeah. Often partners,
but sometimes coming on their own as well.
But this one, because Kim, the retreat leader,
she works specifically with, uh, with women.
Her background is in therapy. She does somatic work.
So it's really driven
or really made as a space for women to feel safe.
Like if you've had past trauma for example,
or working on some like really key things in your life.
Mm-Hmm. . So that one is a women's retreat. Yeah.
We went, um, with Kim this year earlier in the
spring to Machu Picchu.
Did the Inca Trail hike. Mm-Hmm. , so hardcore 11 women.
It was amazing. Wow.
So keep, keep us a little lighter on the,
it's challenging in different ways,
but not as intense as the Inca Trail.
- Wow. I mean, you go
to some amazing places all over the world.
Can you share one of your absolute favorites?
I know that would be a, that's a hard question.
- Yeah, it's a hard question,
but one, one that I would love to put out there,
'cause I've already talked about Jordan,
I always love that, but is India.
So I've found, I love India so much.
I've been numerous times.
Um, I found that people tend to either really love it
or really hate it if they've been,
or be scared of it, if they haven't.
And so one of the things in designing the India itinerary is
I wanted to make it feel very safe and and approachable.
And so you see classic destinations,
but in a very unique way.
And we also have a lot that is like, quite unique.
So for example, in Jaipur, we go for a hike in hills,
and you can see, you get kind of tired of seeing, I mean,
you wouldn't think that you wouldn't, but you see fort
after fort after for architectural thing, and
after a while you're like, oof, that's a lot.
So instead of going to see that fort, we go for a hike
or you get views and we have like a sunset breakfast.
So, um, and the,
and our local guide
for our India trip is just so phenomenal.
It is just like relating with a friend.
You learn so much about culture.
We also, in that same region, go to regenerative farm
and meet, um, one of the owners.
You learn a lot about the, the history
and culture as you're kind of involved in this.
But he has just a fascinating story of he, him,
the short version of him being like the only
only farmer in his area to start with organic farming.
And all of his neighbors thought he was crazy, like,
this isn't gonna work, you're gonna go bankrupt.
But over the course of about 10 years, he, not, not
by trying, but he kind of converted everyone in that area
to grow organic because they were seeing both the struggles
and the eventual success that he had with it.
So, because that's actually historically a really big issue
in, in India, there's a total type side tangent,
but things like that, in that itinerary, I absolutely love.
We've like placed, you still see the Taj Mahal,
you still get to see some, a deli.
We go to vei, which is a historic,
like the oldest living city of in the world.
Mm-Hmm. . So you're also confronted with a lot of things
that in Western society we don't talk about,
like death for example.
You know, we don't talk about these really hard subjects
because they're, we're pretty black
and white, whereas like time and cycles of birth
and re like rebirth
and all of that is just so, so different in Asia at large,
you know, mentality and thought.
So India's one that I absolutely love because it's unique.
We stay in really incredible boutique accommodations,
which are hard to find in India.
I cannot tell you how many hotel site
visits I've done there.
Mm-Hmm. . Um, and they're just incredible people.
I love, I love taking away, actually taking away some
of the mystery and the sense of like,
I had this one conversation with clients in our guide.
They're like, yeah, a lot of Indians don't
feel safe in the us.
And I'm like, fair, that's super fair
because like there's a lot of unsafety in the US so you kind
of have to shift your perspective too. So,
- Yeah.
Yeah. That's beautiful. Thanks for sharing that. Yeah.
So besides booking a trip with Traverse,
can you provide our listeners with some helpful tips, uh,
when traveling abroad?
- Yeah, definitely. So definitely dust off
your passport, make sure it's ready.
I think like for a while, maybe it's a little better now,
but there were some heavyweight times actually had to,
had a client who had to cancel a trip
because she didn't get her passport in time. Oh
- No.
- Definitely make sure your ducks are in a row.
But one of the big things I say from a sustainability
standpoint is considering travel and off or shoulder season,
because especially for example, living here in Europe,
it is just inundated in the summer.
Um, and so it creates a heavy load,
especially on destinations that kind of popped like Iceland
or Croatia, you know, that had kind of this moment of pop,
but it actually creates a lot
of strain on the destination when you have
that many people coming in at once.
It's called over tourism is what we call it.
So shoulder season supports all of these different vendors
in a lower season.
For them it's also more fun for you
because it's not as crowded.
Prices tend to be better, weather tends to be better
because with climate change,
like summers are even hotter now.
So that's something I definitely recommend.
Also, seeking out local accommodations versus chains.
There's so many really cool initiatives.
Like in Italy you can stay in like the agricultural like,
um, bed and breakfast type of things.
There are all kinds of eco lodges.
If you're maybe in somewhere more tropical Latin America.
Um, it sounds basic,
but you would be surprised
ditching the plastic water bottle.
You would be surprised how many people still forget their
water even when we tell them.
So bring your water bottle, bring a Tumblr for coffee.
You know, I like on our grease sailing trip every morning,
I like would take my little,
because I really like my coffee, so I go
to a little coffee shop with
my, actually I have an example right here.
Yeah. . Yeah, little
hydros Tumblr, you know, take it with you.
And if you're in a place that needs filtered water,
like say India or Nepal
or could be, you know, a lot
of Latin America, Latin, bring a filter.
I love, we do, we have a partnership
with Grail water filters.
Mm-Hmm. super easy.
I have, I've like, I just use the tap water, filter it,
fill up my bigger water bottle
and then, then I'm good for the day.
So that's really especially a big issue
because not every country has really good, um,
recycling infrastructure.
I mean, the US doesn't actually have the best recycling in
infrastructure E either.
So, you know, something to be mindful about.
And then the last one is a little bit more
of a not last one.
I have lots of tips, but the last one I'll mention now is a
little bit more of around kind of the cultural piece.
I do a lot of cross-cultural education
and I remind people to drop expectations
and assumptions, um, you know, cultural expectations,
like services slow for dinner, you know, like it's just a,
that's how it is here kind of thing.
Or you know, with dietary restrictions, I mean we,
we really pay attention to those in the sense
that if you're vegetarian, vegan, we got you covered.
You know, if you're a celiac,
totally got you covered dairy free.
But, you know, if you're really attached to things
that are just more of a, a, a diet thing,
that part makes it actually not so fun.
Like, dive into the culture, you know, get creative,
try the local foods and be seasonal about it.
And, you know, in, um, per, you know, you,
you might not find oat milk, so drink your coffee black,
you know, , I mean like, so, you know, like things like
that I think, and I'm really particular about my food,
but like I, you know, I'm saying this from a place of having
to do this myself also,
but I think it just helps your mindset if you kind
of drop some assumptions and expectations
and are like, Hey, I'm gonna go with the flow.
Do some cultural, you know, research
for your etiquette, for your pleasantries.
You know, those are, those are
some of the recommendations that I have.
- I think that's very important because you don't wanna
offend, uh, cultures and Yeah.
It's wise to, uh, open your mind.
That's the reason why you're going
and immersing yourself in so in a different world, uh,
in a different country to experience it all.
- Exactly. - So I get that. So that's great advice.
Um, you sharing all of your worldly travels, um,
and your business, uh, it just reminds me, uh,
when I was younger, not younger, when I, in my early days,
uh, I was a flight attendant,
but prior to that I did, uh, study abroad in college.
And, uh, I lived in Florence, Italy,
and that's where I got my traveling bug
and, uh, became a flight attendant
because I wanted to see the world.
And I feel that I have, I mean, not as much as you, I mean,
you've turned it into some amazing career
that I could only dream about, but it's still in my heart
and I still feel that I am a world traveler
at some part of me .
- Do you have a place or any places that you wanna go?
Are you, is there anything that's kind of calling your name?
- You know, so many, so many.
Um, I, I mean Italy is still like close
to my heart because I lived there
for a short amount of time.
Right. And I got to experience the actual culture
and, and, and lived there.
That was so long ago. Um, I, I have traveled, um, immensely.
Uh, I have not been to India, so that is on my list.
- Okay. Well when you come to India,
lemme know when you're ready to come to India. Lemme know.
- I'll book my trip on Traverse Journeys.
- Love it. So love it. Yes,
- Yes.
Uh, I have been to Croatia.
I went in 2018,
but yes, it's definitely picked up on tourism.
I mean, I've met, I've heard of so many friends
that have been there in the past year.
It's crazy. Yeah.
Uh, I don't know what, what the whole excitement it is,
but it is absolutely beautiful. So I guess
- That's, yeah, it's beautiful.
It's just we have to spread things out a little bit. Yeah,
- Exactly. Exactly.
- Everyone a little less . - Um, in regards
to traveler's tips, I would like to, uh,
add my product travel, uh, travel ease.
I created that because I used to travel a lot
and I used to have, uh,
gut issues when traveling from different foods
and time zones
and, you know, uh, not drinking enough water,
being dehydrated
and just, uh, your schedule being off
that I would have issues with my gut
and not staying regular.
So hence the product travels that was born
for myself. And it,
- I love that.
Yeah, that's, I'm so glad you mentioned that too,
because electrolytes and magnesium are so critical.
You know, like you're saying when you're traveling
and having different water, different food, different,
you know, like just your schedule's not right.
So they, they really are critical.
So I'm really glad you mentioned that and created it. So,
- Yes.
So, um, thank you.
So yes, I originally created it for myself
because I love traveling, but it would affect my travels
and it would put a damper on my experience.
And so I'm like, no more, I can't, you know, allow it
to affect my trips or anyone around you
because you always complain
or with, you know, , whoever you're with.
And I al and then I felt bad about that.
So I had to take matters into my own hands.
And it has changed my trips dramatically.
I stay regular, I stay hydrated.
I, uh, stay healthy because of the vitamins
and minerals that are in the ingredients.
And it has, um, really helped me.
And now I try to help other travelers
and, um, even when you're not traveling,
you can use it. But yeah.
- Amazing. - So Ashley,
how can our listeners find out more about Traverse Journeys?
- Yeah, definitely. You can go to our website,
traverse journeys.com.
Um, I would recommend when you, you hop on there, kind
of see what calls to you of the three categories,
adventure Retreat, explore,
to start exploring what the trips are.
You can also find us on social Instagram
and Facebook at Traverse Journeys.
And we're on Pinterest as well. Same handle.
- Well, that's it for this episode of The Gutsy Babe.
Don't forget to hit the subscribe button
until next time with 11 Ease.
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