Yolanda Edwards, Our Travel God, Pt 2!!!

The following podcast is a dear media production. Okay, hello. Hi. I can't believe how crazy your travel schedule is. The travel schedule every year, I'm like, I'm so going to slow down. That was just in that year. It's going to get some, I'm really going to be more grounded, one place for at least a couple of weeks. And then it just like starts up again. It's just like, I don't know, I just kind of feel like we had Clara for 18 years and we couldn't travel this way. I mean, I guess maybe until she was five in school, but like we could never travel the way we do now. And so pandemic plus kid being locked up and then your kid going off to college, it was like perfect storm. We're just like traveling like crazy people. So you have a place upstate and then you have a place. You're, is it Brooklyn or are you in the city? In Brooklyn. We're in Brooklyn. Yeah. Beautiful. And then you have an apartment in Rome that you're renting. Exactly. Exactly. So you're kind of like, but you're never really in New York. We're hardly ever in New York. I mean, we come back and I mean, our office is there and that's like. So we we come back from meetings and when we're when we're back, it feels like we are right into our routines, our Sunday night dinners with our friends. Who we always see on Sunday nights and it's like I all text them like weeks in events like these Sundays, we are there. Can we please make sure like like I need my routines? Well, that was my next question is I feel like we're going in 10 days. We're going to be gone for almost three weeks and I have anxiety about it because I'm so and I can't believe I think post pandemic. I've gotten weirder because I used to just rip around no problem. And then maybe being a mom, even though Carmella is so adaptable, but I am like, Oh my God, I'm going to be off my routine and like, right. So how do you navigate that? Well, I think, I mean, one thing that I would say, like, I certainly don't have it down pat. Like, you know, when I went to the chiropractor the other day because I sort of like, you know, messed my hip up with like, you know, driving a rental car when I'm out in California and I'm not used to the pitch of the seat and then driving that for a week. And you know, like, messed messed up the hip, a red eye on the way back. So I'm in, I'm in talking to the chiropractor. I haven't seen in like a couple of years. And she's like, so what's your routine? And I said, I don't know. It's like wherever I am, it changes. So it might be running or stairs in Rome because there isn't really like hot yoga, but it's hot yoga and soul cycle. If I'm in Brooklyn, California and you know, it, but it's also like it's very, it is. I mean, just it's like I love all of the travel and I preach how travel is important. But I also think like I'm a good example for people who might be jealous of all the travel. Like it's actually really exhausting. And sometimes I'm just like, I have a love hate with it right now because I'm so excited about the summer and I'm also like, here I am in upstate. And I'd love to just be here and not go anywhere. So it is, it's not, it's not like the best thing in the world is to be on the road all the time. No, and I do think that, especially now with Instagram, like the summer anxiety of like, where is everybody to be? Like, what's the most interesting place someone can go to? And all of that, I think is like emotionally, really hard for everybody because you just feel like you're supposed to be doing something. But I was just saying, I was literally just at like an event and this girl I was talking to was like, I don't really want to go anywhere this summer. Like we are all working so much. And so if that trip is not relaxing, she's like, I just want to be able to stay in my home and to have a summer where I'm like enjoying the fruits of my labor. And I was like, right? You know, that's how we feel like we're, you know, we need to go. We are going to Italy because it was for work, but it's also, you know, we do both, obviously. We wouldn't. And so, you know, we don't need to go to his factories and we need to go to the farm for the olive oil. And then I actually have like an LPA trip is a part of this trip. And then it's Carmella's birthday. So she gets to see her family there, which is really nice. Like we never see David Ais family. We're just like, but I was like, let's just do it at the beginning of the summer. Yeah. All of our work stuff. And then we can come back and continue like working and have kind of the rest of the summer, just like enjoy our house on Sundays. Right. You know, so it's so nice. No, I, I don't, I do feel like so much of this, it kind of for me, like goes back to like grade school, like we're so programmed with the like, tell us about what you did this summer. And it's like, it's just a natural thing that we grow up with in elementary school. And I certainly, this is, I think, a universal thing. I certainly didn't go to a fancy school. I was very much like every. And I probably went to like four schools in during elementary school. And every single one, people like, you know, the teacher would say, so everybody tell what you guys did this summer. And mine was always like nothing. And maybe we went to a lake for like a three day camping trip that was terrible. But I do feel that like there is something that is like kind of built into us. We're so groomed to think that summer is when you do things and it's when you actually like take care of yourself and enjoy your life. And it's, and I do think we've all gotten used to the idea that that doesn't have to happen in the summer for people who, kids, yes, more than other times in the air. It's it, that is when it happens. But I think that the whole kind of pandemic like shifting the way people don't go into offices and that in shoulder seasons or completely the off season and and how it can be so incredible to go places that normally you would think I'd only want to be there when it's warm. And I can swim. And actually it's like empty and that's way more magical. Yeah. I do think I think like we've been so freed up from that and I've heard so many people recently say like, I'm really happy to go nowhere this summer and just enjoy my Sundays. Like you just said. Yeah. And just like be with friends and just just be still and not always moving. And I think yeah, I definitely feel like Matt and I are at this sort of like very weird. It's like, is this like a midlife crisis that we're like both having at the same time? Like we're both like egging each other on and like how many things can we get like how many places can we go this summer? It's like a little crazy, but but I also feel like we have the energy to do it right now. You guys have a lot. I mean, first of all, Matt's bouncing off the fucking wall. You have a 13 year old boy. 100% 100%. I mean, your energy levels are very inspiring. I think like David A is more tired than anyone. I know it's so funny. Like it's so exhausted by all of it for sure. But I feel like you guys are really good about. I mean, by the way, you do all of this for work too. You know, this is your job. Yeah. I just I just was having lunch with my mother-in-law who came down here. She lives an hour away and she's like, so where are you going to be in August? Because I know she wants us to be here because Matt's brother will be in New York and she wants us to all be together. And I said, well, we're going to be in France and then in Greece. Why? Because because you know how I love Greece and we have our place in France. So well, but is it is it vacation? And I said, well, I mean, technically you could say like we're always enjoying our lives wherever we are. So you might see it as vacation, but and so there was this whole thing. And then she's like, tell me about Zach Weiss. What do you do for a living? Actually, I'd like to know that too. And I was like the whole thing of like trying to explain what this culture of being in like, you know, the sort of influencer culture to somebody who is like, you know, she's a very hip 85 year old woman, but but I've explained to her what Zach does so many times. And I'm like, he really does have a full time job working for a company. But he also writes for all of these other people. It's not unlike what I do. We look like we're on holiday, but we're actually like working our asses off. I'm sure you get the same thing. Yeah, of course. I mean, like always, but there isn't, you know, it's funny. Like I just switched from employee to independent contractor for like OPA stuff. And they I ended up, I didn't even think about it, but I ended up getting like some money back from like all the PTO that I hadn't taken. And it was because like I would never, I've never gone on a trip and put an away message on ever because I never like I do my fittings. I have all my meetings, like I'm still doing everything for LPA. And then while we're in Italy, our trips get this sound like such a crazy thing to complain about, but like, you know, Dovidase from Sicily. So we always want to be there so he can see his family. But then we work on one side of the island. So like the farm is on like the Palermo side, but Dovidase from Katanya. And that's a four hour drive. And then he, we also work in Umbria and Milan. So every time we go, we fucking do the drive from Sicily to Milan, which is a really long drive. We do it like all the time and with the baby, because it's like cheaper to just rent the car than to not go back to the airport to take the flight. Like it's just, right? We can stop somewhere. Go probably stop in Naples, you know, maybe see someone that we know for a night or something and that, but it's, you know, it's this funny kind of chaotic where we're trying like we cannot, if the people who he makes his clothes with know that we're in Italy and they know that we are at the furthest corner of Sicily, they'll be like, so I'll see you Tuesday. Like because they're, it's Italians have to see each other and make eye contact and shake hands and they need the warmth and they need to have a three hour lunch with us and they need that connection to validate that relationship. Yeah. And what's funny about David A now too is like he's in this weird middle and you guys must be the same. We're in you're a weird middle ground between American culture and European culture, where here is like very chaotic and you wish people would slow down a little bit and have longer lunches and have a better work-life balance. But then when you're in Europe and you can't get anything fucking done. Yeah. I need you to just give back to America so I can actually like make things happen. It's a very odd place to be in between. Yeah. Yeah, 100%. No, I mean, I definitely feel like when we're when we're here and the efficiencies are so great and like, you know, if you need to go see your doctor, like it's like medical care here. So it's just like dermatologist dentist. We come back here, we get all that stuff done. And and and then, you know, you're in Europe and you see like shit happening in the states. And you're like, Oh my God, I'm so glad I don't have to think about that. And so it is. Yeah, there's no perfect place. We have to just try and appreciate what we learned from it. All of it. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very passionate about this next sponsor. I've had such great passionate conversations with them because I'm sure many of you would like to be a freelancer, right? Maybe you want to start your own business. 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So I think the first thing to to say about off season travel is like you you have to have the there has to be this like I'm OK with the weather might not be as like predictably perfect. As it would be in July. But what I'm going to gain from potentially like cloudy skies or like a little bit of rain if it happens, which often it doesn't is that I'm going to actually get into some places. So basically, I think if you have the appetite to like go with like it not being that kind of perfect sparkly blue sea, like, and you know, the in your mind's eyes. I like what the the kind of July afternoon, a Malthy coast postcard is in your head. You're willing to kind of be like, all right, like it might be it might not be exactly that dreamy weather. Most of the time it is, but I feel like that's my first thing is like you have to like being somewhere a little bit more for the like getting the reservations being able to go to a museum and not. I mean, it also depends like, I mean, I'm talking about that's a sit there city travel. There's resort travel. There's island travel. I would say for me anywhere in July in August is going to be a drag unless if like I think like if you rent a house in Maine and it's July, like that's kind of the best time because the water is potentially almost warm enough. That you can swim in it. And like if you and so like for me, if I was going to go somewhere in July in August, I would say like one of my favorite trips ever was Matt and I rented a house in Nova Scotia. And that was so dreamy was like we we just took our car and we drove. We drove up. I'm trying to remember how exactly how we did it was. It was literally 2001. I remember it was like right before 9 11. But it was it was this kind of perfect little cottage and we barely even swim. We just like we were it felt very kind of Scandinavian cottage on a big rocks around it by water. Super cheap. And those places like I just feel like, you know, the Washington state has the San Juan islands, which like so many people don't think about like these little. Wait, what was the island you just post about off? Was it off of Georgia? Oh Cumberland Island. That's incredible. I like and I've been it's so funny picked up at a friend's house like Southern Living magazine and they have done like a play by play of like what did you when you're on some island that I can't remember the name of it. And I was like this. Why is why is nobody talking about this? Yeah, no, that place is incredible. And to totally age myself. Like I knew about that place because that's where John F Kennedy, junior and Carolem Bissett got married and they had their like, and so it was like all of the people who were invited knew that they had to fly to a certain airport, but they didn't know where they were going. And then once they got there, so it was like one of those put one of the few places that you could go that nobody would ever know like it was a very discreet place. And they got married in this incredible tiny little chapel and it is such an incredible place with wild horses on the beach. The whole the wild horses looks unimaginable to me. Yeah. And is that affordable or is that, you know, are we still in like a like what's the price range for? So I think I think Cumberland Island is like you and I've texted about the ridiculousness of like what house. No, it needs to stop. Yeah, the messed up hotel pricing situation. And I feel like it's, I mean, I'd have to go back and look, I feel like Cumberland, depending on the season, like I think now is like lower season because it's high season and that sort of Thanksgiving, Christmasy time. Because a lot of families like together because it's such a beautiful place. Oh, well. Winter, but I'm sure it's got to be more like in the six to 800, which is so expensive, but like compared to the places that are out there in the world. You're like, Oh my, it's a cheaper flight than flying to Europe for sure. Yeah, but I feel like where did we fly into? Maybe it was Jacksonville, I think. It's not a hard airport to fly into. Oh, cool. You fly into Florida and then you drive like an hour and then you take a little ferry over. But like for me, when I think about if I didn't, if we, you know, like I love upstate New York, like upstate the Thousand Islands, which we always say we're going to rent a house there and we still have not done it. But like that's incredible. What's the Thousand Islands? So there's the, there's this group of islands that are up between New York and the Canadian border and just incredible. And like that, that is the stuff where I get so excited about the United States has so much that like also, if you've been so kind of European centric in your travels, and then you come back here. You're kind of like, actually, it feels really refreshing to be around. Like it's such a different shirt and it's a different, you know, it's like when there was one summer that Matt and I went to Nantucket. I, Nantucket is not for me. It's not for me. It's not my place. It's like, I was like, I think that we need to get rid of any Land Rover defenders also because like, like, like ruined the defender for me. Because every douchebag on this island is driving a defender. I'm sorry. I'm, they're probably the kindest people, but like, but like, you know, it's just that everyone is rich. Everyone's in their car. Everyone's like having like way too expensive lobsters. It's just like, it's so elite. I don't like that. Like, I like, I like the weird, funky, like, try and find the, the cool. Oh, there was this amazing place we went once in Maine called, it's either pronounced Miggas or Miggas Lodge in Maine on a like, total family owned like cotton time resort. And just like swimming in the lake and. Yeah, I love that. Like, you know, there's just all of these great places like that that are really worth people looking at instead of just being like, I gotta get to Lissar news or. Well, what's crazy is like, I, I asked people on Instagram what they wanted to ask you and it's so much a molfi. And by the way, if you've never been to a molfi, like, you have to see it. It's magical. And it was really hard for me to get David A to go there last summer and we went. It wasn't last summer, it was the summer of a four, we went. And again, that was because we had to drive from Milan to Sicily and we just did it on our way and my mom had never been so we did one night. And, you know, it was hard for David A. It's like being from, you know, it's like being from New York and being, then having someone be like, we need to go to Times Square. And sometimes Square, we can like, you know, it's very, although Times Square is like a dumpster fire and a molfi is really just the most beautiful place you've ever seen. But he was very like, so expensive and like, you know, David A is always saying like food in Italy. It's like, it's democratic. Like it's for everybody. Like expensive things are really only for the tourists. As I'm sure you know, like most food, especially in Sicily is like, like, it's hard for us to spend money there really because it's so affordable. But it is magical. And when you take the boat to doh, a dole, foe, and you have that meal there, you're like, this is it. This is the movie. You're in it. So is there a way to do a molfi that is not a million dollars? Yeah, I think so. And I personally haven't done this, but I'll say I'm going to spill my friend's secret. So actually two people that I know who are like very much Italian kind of travel experts. One is Emily Fitzroy. She has a very small company called Bellini Travel. So she's very high end. Like she books, you know, very extravagant big trips for people who aren't super big budgets. And she most recently, she actually was the one who did all of the locations scouting or finding the locations for white Lotus the season two. So everything in there was like Emily as the handler. And she did like successions. He's in choose the way they went to anything. So she's just like, she really knows like the high, high world. But she is like us, a person who also has to be mindful of how they spend their money. And her favorite place is staying at Lascolio, which everybody thinks to go to Lascolio if they can get a reservation for lunch. They want to go there. I learned from you on your website that there are rooms there. Yes. And so that's where she always stays. And, and so, and then this other friend of mine who has fathom, which is a travel site. She just the other day was like, Oh, yeah, I got a Lascolio ever every single August. Like, that's my, that's my thing. I do. And I'm like, okay, these are like, these are simple rooms, but they're on the sea. You have the best food. And I'm quite sure that Lascolio is like booked solid for July and August. But again, it's that thing of like, just don't book it in July and August, like look at it. You know, either late August, like when the Italians start going back to back to September, I, it is fantastic. Incredible. Yeah. So I think that like, I also feel like I'm a fan of looking at like the two and three star. If you're, if you're going to be in the Amalfi. And I mean, I love the people who listen to me. I love Lascolio. It's, it's beautiful, but it's, it's like, it is a fortune. And so unless you're on a honeymoon and like you're going to do that or like the San Pietro or. There's another really beautiful new one that's called Borgosent Borgosent. I'm dying to stay there. That's incredible. We stayed at Santa Catarina the night that we went. Yeah, Santa Catarina. I think so I, I feel like it is one of the best locations. It has the most incredible pool. I think that the food is really good there. But a lot of those rooms have not been renovated since like the 80s. I was really bummed on our room. Yeah. For the price that we paid. That I was, and, and we did not get this room for free. It was not like an invite. And I was like, wait, where, where did this huge jacuzzi tub that like looks like literally it's from a TV. Oh, yeah, it's like 1970s bad. And so I was asking around like, why, why is it like that? And it's, it's a, it's really like, you know, the, the son who's the GM is fantastic. He's, he's so, he's so great. But there's like some ants that don't want to spend the money. And so, you know, it's like, there's always like, if you sniff something out where you're like, it's not exactly right. It's like when that's when you can see people aren't necessarily in agreement about how they should be spending money. But I think like, Borgo Santandrea rate again on that high end. There's also Monastero Santa Rosa, which is high up on a hill. So it's really a zigzag down to the sea. But you are like looking, it's the best views from up there. Beautiful. I did an Airbnb the first time I went. I did an Airbnb for three nights. And we did our last night and the cheapest room at Lucero, New. And I split it with a friend and it was still like $450 each. And especially at that time, that was like so much money for us to spend. But I remember it like it was yesterday because like the turn down service and being by the pool and the food. But I will say if you, especially if you go during a busy time. And I learned this about Il Pelicano last year is like, you're only around Americans. And that's totally fine. And we learned that with Lake Como when we had to go last year for a wedding, which is totally fine. But if you want more of an authentic experience, I know, but like it's hard because I think there is something to be said about the hospitality that like a beautiful luxury Italian hotel can bring you like there really is no experience like that. But most people can't afford that. And so you're almost going to get this like more interesting, deeper experience. If you stay somewhere off the beaten path or an Airbnb, you kind of to rip around a little bit more because you really are going to experience more of like real. Yeah, quote unquote real Italy. I would really recommend that if you're going to go to the Amalfi coast, you just don't go in July and August, if at all possible. It's the traffic is terrible. It's like those tiny lanes. You have buses, you have like it's just, it's just impossible to get around. And, and so you're going to spend all of this money. And then, I don't know, it's like the buses are crazy. Yeah. And so I, I love it. And everyone should go, but please go in May, June or September. Even we've gone in October before, unfortunately, like when David's mother was sick, we went in October and we rented a little, this cute cheap apartment in Tarmina, which happened to be like extremely affordable. It was like 300 or it was like two something at night or something. And it felt like when we left the hospital that we were going to like a very peaceful place. And it was October and we were still laying by the water and swimming. Yeah. Yeah. Totally totally. Yeah. Element is a tasty electrolyte drink mix that flows with abundance in this house. We all are addicted. It has everything you need and nothing you don't, which means lots of salt and no sugar. 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Well, I'm going to say especially keeping in in the sort of not in the highest range of price. I would say Greece is my number one for like this kind of like vacation. Yeah. Just think that like I think that so many people like they go to Italy. They fall in love with it and they want repeat. So it's like they just keep going back and I completely understand that and I love. I think that the Italians are also the best people in the world. I love them. But I do think that if you go to Greece, you're going to get that seaside. I mean, think about how much coastline there is. There's like 2000 islands. And then you also have the mainland with like tons of incredible beaches off the mainland. So you have like so many more places that you can explore and the values are so much better. It's like if you find a place that's in the $600 a night, that's like a really, really nice place. Whereas $600 a night in Italy or France, that's near the sea. You're not. Yeah. Yeah, you're probably in like a three and a half four star, but it's not the four star that was of your dreams. So you're kind of, and that's where I'm sort of like, I do think like always look at like the Airbnb or the two or three star because if you want to think about how you're going to spend your money and it's like, if the place is clean and they give you a nice breakfast and it's in a good location. Like, doesn't matter. You're not hanging out in the hotel the whole time and save your money to like rent a boat and like feel like a ball are going pulling up the Lascolio or like there are other ways to sort of cheat the system. I also think, okay, so in Greece, I would say always to look at like the smaller islands like don't go to necessarily the places that everyone's talking about or that you've seen. So once you've seen it a lot on Instagram is probably already like the prices have gone much higher. I'm always ending up in Patmos because I have friends there. But, and you can find some bargains there, but it's again, I'm like, go in June, go in September, don't go in July and August. Meanwhile, I am going, I'm my birthday is in August, in Greece, my favorite place. So I'm like saying don't go and then I want to be there on my birthday. And I know like people go also because they have weddings they're going to and then they're adding on. So it's like, it's very romantic for me to say don't do that and do it in these other times, but sometimes you just have to make it work in the timing that you're given. So I would say in Greece, like I, I love the the dodiconies islands, which are those islands off of the coast of, I mean, they're much closer to Turkey. Last, the time I went to Greece, I flew into Bodrum, which was awesome. I went to Greece from Bodrum and that was a really cool experience. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I went to Bodrum for the first time last, last May and loved it. It was great. Really lovely. So those islands we love? Yeah, those islands are great. I think like CME is incredible. I'm sorry about those. Like if you just start looking at the map and you then like zoom in and then you just start like looking at, I mean, I have all of these links on my. Yeah, everyone needs to just subscribe to my travel planner because like, there's so many great resources out there. But okay, so Greece, Greece, Italy, Greece, Italy. I mean, France, even though French are a little more challenging, they don't have the warmth that we love about the Italians. They're, they're great. And it's just, it's just a different, if you like. They're somewhere kind of affordable in the south of France, so people who go explore because that's an easy train ride, you know, so I think if anybody wants to do, you know, if somebody really wants to explore France, they could obviously fly to Nice driver on whatever, or you could go from Paris and do, you know, the train is super affordable and doesn't take forever. Yeah, I mean, I would say, no, I never spent any time in Marseille, but I would say Marseille is a city that is so beautiful and on the water and has like so much going on there. We went last summer. Oh, yeah, did you love it? Yeah, because one of my best friends fell in love with a man from Marseille and moved there. Oh, okay, so you, you can say is like Naples. It's fast. It has rough edges. There are little boys ripping around on motorcycles who might run you over there. That would be definitely more of an Airbnb. There are no, they have no, like quote unquote, nice hotels, like, she's even, she's like, it's so hard to tell people to come here because I can't recommend like a really a place to stay. A lot of people are moving there. So, so like all the hotels are very affordable, but again, you're not going for the hotel. There's cool little random places. I mean, it was really cool. It's definitely scary to drive around. So you should know that, but the taxis were super cheap to get around. I mean, it was really, really, really cool. You just very much need to know where to go because everything's kind of cuddy, you know, right, right, right. We, we drove through there, but we had been right before because often what we'll do is drive from, let's say Florence over to the coast and then up through France up to our place in the dock, which is just above Bordeaux. And so we kind of break it and not break it up and I'll sometimes we'll stay in Alasio, which is in La Guria. And then we'll cut over if if I can possibly get my timing correct where I can stay at La Colomme door. That's like, is that worth it? Oh my God. It's so good. It is one of the few hotels left that has so much soul. Like, it is like the most soulful hotel. It's like, it just oozes that. It doesn't ooze luxury. It's like, it's just cool. It's incredible. Like, I always like, once a year, send an email like, would you maybe be free on this day or on this day? Usually no, but sometimes like it works. And it's really hard to get in there. Yeah, because you have people who book it out, repeat customers and they're just like, it's just on repeat. But I stayed at a place. The name is escaping me right now. It's in it is in that area that is like, like, Calonk. So it's like all of the beautiful cliffs. I just can't remember the name right now, but it'll come to me. We did that drive last year, the opposite way. That's a really good drive for anybody who wants to do a road trip, like south of France to Italy along the coast is a beautiful, beautiful road trip. Yeah, it's so nice. I think it's, yeah. And I feel like you can do things where you like go up into the hills and you're not like just on the sea. And so, I mean, of course, it's going to be very expensive because we found really affordable places. I literally just looked at the map of our drive and I zoomed in on towns that were on the water and then looked at Airbnb and hotel options. Amazing. And that's how we ended up making that trip. We should just partner up. Yeah. Okay. So France, Marcé, but is there any like where's the South of France? Okay, I love, I love the Eritz. I love that. I love the Southwest. I also love it because I know it better. I really don't spend much time in the South of France because we're always in Bordeaux and then like Cap Ferre, which is this beautiful little kind of beach community, which I would say is a little bit kind of. It's it's Hampton's like in that it is a series of little towns on a kind of narrows, you know, like it basically has like a, a one road that goes through this whole length. And so you have all these communities that have different vibes. So it's one can be more Montauky and one is more sag and one is more, you know, he's Hampton. So, so I think like Cap Ferre has like really charming little like fishermen's cottages that you can stay in. And then they're like much bigger, like, brand or places as well. And then there's that whole area. It's called the Bay of Archison. There's a town called Archison itself. And then so you have this, this Bay and any of the towns that are on that, I think are really interesting and you can like take boats from the Bay across the Bay over to the, the ocean side, which is the Atlantic. And like the food is incredible. I mean, it's, you know, it's obviously incredible oysters and mussels and fries and love that. You know, and I think like, so, so you have that I think the rich, which is about an hour and a half south is incredible and there are lots of little towns outside of Los cigars is a really charming one. So that's, that's a little more like Atlantic. So you're not going to get your Mediterranean kind of blue sea, but it's a little more surfer vibes. It's more like California than that's how like four to three. And Mar me is to Italy, like, it's that same where it's like one strip and all these little towns and it does feel more California. Like, it's not clear water, but it is like normal beaches kind of quote unquote normal beaches. Yeah. Yeah. You know, like, it has that same kind of kind of like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, like, you know, you're just like, you know, you're just like, oh, like, you know, you're just like, oh, like, if there's the, the parallels between like, you know, a family on vacation in America and in Europe gets really cute when you see those little towns like that, you know, I said this before, but I watched the dogs get into a fight over their Sunday's food last week because it gets delivered to our door. And then they got like brought in but it didn't get put in the dog food area and they almost three of them were standing next to it, like fighting each other. For the back. 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So to be able to have something that we can keep out, especially when we're feeding that many animals is incredible. And especially when we're feeding that many animals, we really want something affordable and Sundays cost 40% less than other healthy dog food brands because it doesn't waste money on shipping frozen packages. Instead, they just spend on what matters, which is sourcing the best all natural ingredients for your pup. We worked out a special deal for our dog loving listeners. You get 35% off your first order of Sundays when you go to Sundays for dogs.com or use code best at checkout. That is Sundays for dogs, as you and D A Y S F O R D O G S dot com forward slash best. I've got your pup to Sundays and just feel really good about the food that you feed your dog. Another place that I think is really, it's so well known to the preusions, but not so much to the American market is ill-dere. And that is like, you can take a train from Paris to, I think it's to La Rochelle. And then from La Rochelle, I think, I mean, you could rent a car or you can, I think you can even just take a car over over the bridge to this island group, which is ill-dere. And it's so, it's so lovely. There's like ill-dere and then there's another island right near called Oloron. It's people from, from Paris, say it's the Nantucket of France. It's like a certain type of person who likes to go there, but I don't like, I don't recognize that they're a certain type. I'm just like, whatever they're exactly what you just said, French families on holiday. It's so charming. And, you know, one other place just in Italy that I think has a lot of that is, I do think Sicily still has so many, it's so big. And there are so many places that have that. And I also would say, like, Le Marque and kind of like higher up in a bruso or like really, really low in a bruso. Sorry, Pulia. Like the cilantro, like the deep, like the bottom of the... Yes, there were a lot of questions about Pulia. So if you want to give your tips for that, because Pulia can be very hard to navigate. I think that Pulia, like, I, the thing that I don't like about, like, listen, I think there are beautiful, I think we talked about this maybe on the last podcast that you had been to a wedding at Borgon Yahtzeea. We talked about, you know, like, it is, it is like a new build and it is lovely and it is really comfortable, but it is, you pay for it. And it's not really, it doesn't feel like the real deal Italian. But it is really comfortable and if somebody goes there and has a great time, I am not like, oh, well, I get it. Like, our daughter was like, when can we go back? I love it so much. It is like the best place ever. But I think that if you go further south into that cilantro area, there are many more of those, like, little charming places that are, like, then you can go find, like, little beaches and... By the way, the water is in cilantro is bright blue. Yeah, incredible. Whereas if you're up by, like, a stoonie and it's not as pretty up there, it's easier to get to, but I don't know. I just think, like, also, I've never stayed in Gallipoli or Tarento, but I have... I've been to Gallipoli. And did you... It's adorable. It's just like, you know, it's a beautiful square. Yeah, I don't think people realize how far away the towns are from each other. Yeah. You know, it's a solid 45 minutes from maybe, like, where you're staying to another town or to, like, a different beach club. If you want to, like, rip around and, like, see things, Polignano Amade is... Yeah, super... Super beautiful, but it's just packed because everybody wants that photo. But it is something that you should see. Did you say cilantro or were you saying cilantro before? Cilantro. So cilantro is like the very... Like, it's like the heel of the boot. It's the very bottom. And there's actually this property there that I haven't stayed at in forever, but friends recently have been and said it's still the same. And it's called the Ilkervento. And it's Ilkervento de Santa Maria de Constantu, no, Polign. And it was owned by this guy named Lord Alistair Macalpen. And he and his wife, Athena, they were running it when we went there when Clara was quite little. And he was this kind of, like, old British guy who was... He used to have the back page of World of Interiors writing about his collections. He was, like, some kind of Lord who had worked for, like, Margaret Thatcher and... But it was sort of like a pomposy, kind of big, blustery British guy. And then when we got there, it was the kind of place you pulled up. And it was in the middle of nowhere. And just a huge fig tree with dried figs all over the... Where you parked your car and we walked in. And there was this woman with the hottest little body in this white fencing suit, fencing with her instructor. Oh my God. She pulls off the shield and shakes her hair out. She's gorgeous. And she's like, oh, hello, I'm Athena. And we're like, oh my God, it's like you're walking into this dream. You've been basically everywhere. So I don't even know. We should probably narrow it down to, like, a continent. But maybe if you want to do... I'm trying to think because I'm sure there are lots of places in Spain that are also affordable. I mean, really, I think these are things that have to be, like, searched up. But if you were like, if you were going to tell Clara, like, hey, this is one of the vacations that was one of my favorite places. It's, like, totally affordable that she could pay for on around where would you send her? I would say, yeah, I would probably steer her away from Italy. And I think, yes, you're Spain, Portugal, depending on which part. People are saying that Portugal is divine and very affordable. Yeah, I think, I think like these places that are like not comporta because that's like the place where all the interior designers like to go and have vacation houses and whatever. So it's like, it really is, I love your idea of that kind of like looking at post line and seeing like what towns are there. And then, I mean, I did that actually for Clara once. I was like, there was a town that we did a story on in Yolo, the Spanish women, these twin sisters did the story on a little town called Beggar, be you are, I'm sure I'm not pronouncing it correctly. And I was so beautiful. And I found Clara like a little Airbnb that was like for her and her friend it was like 125 that they would split. So I just feel like, find it like if you can identify the town that then is on the beach so that you're not renting a car because the rent the car rental is a killer. So that's what I did. I was like, okay, you can fly in here. And then you can take a bus or a, I should do more of that travel planning for Clara. I actually used to have a site called travels with Clara that was kind of for parents to like help them figure out based on our personal trips like we did this is how it functioned for us with a kid. I should revisit that travels for Clara for all of the younger ones on the budget because it is, it is like such a necessary. It's so necessary and it's like, it's very hard when you're doing like I could just do a newsletter only focused on budget. And I should. I would say for sure like identifying places where you, you can fly into not have to be like renting cars, spending a lot of money getting to wherever that place is. And I know when I was young and you know sort of in my late teens and early twenties it was like going to Greece was great because we, I'd fly into Athens, take a ferry. And then stay in a place and then just like take the buses and. And we just, you know, rented this was pre Airbnb but just rented an apartment and, and you just don't go to places like me can us in Santorini because those are. First of all, they're not even Greece. They're like global islands, you know, they're outside of, and I would say in a way that is what I would say about the Amalfi like. There are certain places that have become sort of so beloved by everyone in the world that they are owned by the world totally are not really the, they don't really belong to the country that you're going to. So they are bucket list, but they don't feel so Italian. I think renting an apartment is important too in terms of like for budgeting one because they're cheaper but two because you can buy food. And like that's what we do when we go to Sicily it's like wherever we can have our own stuff to make our own appareteivo and sit outside or make sure that you have breath by the way like a brioche and Italy is a dollar but. Yeah, but still being able to have your own food and cook some stuff is and bring things to the beach and have snacks to pack for the beach and stuff I think is going to save so much money. 100%. And I also think like if you're in a country that already has as a part of its culture the appareteivo and they're bringing you so much. So much. So many snacks. Drinking beers. It's like, I mean, you don't even need dinner after that. So I do think that that is like one of the really nice things about being in Spain and Italy is like you get that you don't have that culture in Greece or in France. You have any packing tips I'm sure you have a lot but I mean I've seen you do carry on for long periods of time. Okay, I think the carry on for long periods of time comes from people I have profiles. I am not. No, you're not that girl. No, I'm like, I'm like the person who I think I have, Matt and I have finally just given into like we pretty much always. Bring this one like it's this Ramoa trunk and it's it's just sort of like a big tall box. And I can just fit so much in it or I don't have to fit that much in it and then it brings stuff home. You got to leave room to bring stuff home. Yeah, but you know there are people and we have profiled them and God bless them for being these incredible like we just had somebody a couple of weeks ago who did a packing. Story and she literally like wears like the same thing all the time and just like changes out like she likes to wear like a linen suit, which she says is really easy to wash and you know whatever air being be bathrooms and so she has this kind of like uniform that she wears. I mean, it doesn't it's not like I can't do that like I like to have a lot of options. Same. So for me it's like, it's always easier to pack in the summer. I obviously everything is smaller. I'd like to have if I'm going from hotel to hotel, I am a much better packer. It's when I'm somewhere for like a week or two weeks straight. That's what I'm like I just get bored and people are going to see the same thing over and over like not that they even care or pay attention. But for me I'm like yeah I've worn this like four times. So I have like certain things like, you know, it's it's just like always like the perfect like cotton black dress that that you know, whatever it's like whatever your brands are that you like that you can layer or I don't know. I'm a big fan of the kind of captain. It's a, you know, hides a lot of sins. Yeah, I'm like one pair of sandals like a pair of sneakers for running, you know, maybe a pair of burks for if I'm going on a hike and it's like too hot to be wearing sneakers or, but not a lot of shoes. Maybe I have one, there's this one mule satin mule that I have been wearing for like seven years I discovered this brand that the el palercon of gift shop, Le Monde burl, and they make these incredible like it's a very simple black satin mule, but it just goes with everything. So I, I love. And do you fold or roll? I fold. I only roll if I'm doing a if I'm doing carry on. And then the other day, Matt, my husband Matt showed me this this woman packing with her suitcase standing up, instead of it laying down and it was like she packed it. And so basically it was, it was like this kind of amazing thing like it just like things were stacked stacked. And then of course, when you put it down, it's like, it's all like, you know, perfectly. So I'm going to try that. Do you use packing cubes? I do again, when I'm like in that I'm trying to do it in a carry on way so that everything has its compartment. I've become a really lazy packer because I take the big suitcase. And so when you, you know, it's like if you, if you have that luxury of space, like you always make mistakes because you're bringing too much because you're like, I have this space. You know, so I'm, I'm good at identifying other people who are good packers, but I myself, I'm not a good packer. That's so fun. You would just think that by now you would just have to be a good packer. I think it's also because like I, like things for me are such like, they're like such signifiers of a, it's like, I have such a memory attached to a thing. And so like maybe I'm missing that person that gave me that or that experience or because I'm so not in like my home space very much. I think like I get these weird attachments to things and I'm like, I understand that. Yeah. Oh, I need to have that. If we're going to do like tropical island vibes. Yeah. What island are you telling people to go to? So like if you're going somewhere and it's like, like, like if we want to do like a Jamaica or Barbados or. Yeah, I mean, so I think that when it comes to budget, when I was, when I was at this Parentee magazine cookie, like, we definitely were really looking like I was actively like out there, like trying to find more places that were budget. And because I was being paid by the magazine to go find those places, like, you know, that was like, it was research that was being paid for. So, yeah, I felt like I found a lot of really interesting places that were warm, whether islandy vibes in the D.R. And the Dominican Republic dying to go to the D.R. And everybody tells me it's a tropical haven. Yeah. And it's like, does it have like that kind of, I know I was not in the area where it had like the most perfect sea, but like it also could have been like, sometimes you're in a place and like, there's been bad weather and the sea is turned up or whatever, but there was this one place that we stayed called Natura Cabana. And it was so inexpensive and it was so sweet. And it was just like really. Really done. What's that? Great people. Yeah. And, and then like, you know, there's like, obviously higher end places and like there's, but I loved Barbados, but I stayed. So here's just to back up from cookie to what I do now. Like, when I travel on my own, like, I'm often going to places where like, where I'm going to go spend my own money to go places. I often return. I'm like the repeat traveler who loves to go back to France, Italy and Greece. But if I'm going to, let's say, the Caribbean, I'll often be invited by someone. Now, we're the people who can afford to invite somebody that's a travel editor. Now, I don't, I don't write about them. It's not a pay to play, but it is like a, they invite you and you check it out. And if it seems like it's correct and right for your brand, then you write about it. But the thing with that is like, I'm often in staying in places that can afford to have the publicist who reaches out to me and says, Oh, hey, you wanted to do want to come to this place. That's where I feel like I, I think that it is like, there are so many like little gems out there that are not that don't have publicists that don't have just to fly editor. Or influencers or whatever in. And like, that's where I think that that's a big part of what I try and do with Yolo is like, I can't be the person who's like out there finding all these places. But I know how to tap people and to listen to people who are like my followers and they're like, I just went to this place and you would love it. And I'm like, you're incredible. You're right. That is so us. I never, how would I've ever found that without you sharing your find with me. So that's the thing where like, I feel like I stayed at Cobbler's Cove in Barbados. That is like a great baller place to go. It's incredible. It's like the Pelicano of the Caribbean. Been in the same family for 50 plus years. It's like as Pelicano as yellow stripes. They are pink. It's old world. But like, they've completely like redone their menu to be like all ingredients are like from Barbados. Very, very smartly done. But it is a fortune. But like, if you're looking for like a great place to go for like that splurgy thing, then I would say that's insane. Or Petite St. Vincent is like a little island off of Barbados. Another one of these like private islands. Super incredible cotton time. The cottages there were built in like the 60s and like you have your own little like really beautiful cottage. You and David, they should go there. They actually have a budget. To have people come. But like, you know, I just feel like it is, this is, this is the problem with travel is that that like Google will never serve up to you if you type in like charming, affordable place in the Caribbean family. Oh, like, what are you going to like go to like the 800th page to finally, the thing. So that is, that is the quandary that travel magazines do not have the kind of bandwidth or budget to be out there in the field finding those places that are actually the things that most people want to know. And this is, I think, this is the hard thing, right? I know we went to Italy last summer. There was a writer with us from Food and Wine. And like, God bless Food and Wine. Like it was a Bible in this house growing up, but like they have no budget for these people, you know, like, it's really crazy. So I can't imagine like, yeah, they're like, great, our editor can go to this place for free. Like, we don't have to pay for it. Hell yeah. I will say tropical and cheap. That is actually really fabulous. And there's a lot of gems is the Florida keys. Oh, I love the keys. Yes, I love them. They're great. Yeah. No, I think great. And, and I feel like where else. I mean, I think you should do a an entry. What do we call them an entry? I guess on US islands. I think that's a great idea because Seattle Washington. I really need to do a like a, I hate the word budget. We'll find a sexier way to say exactly that. But but basically, yeah, like we need to do, we need to really do like a planner around like. Just tell me where to go that are interesting places that are like. Under a certain price. And the other thing too is like, I feel like. We, we ask our followers on our, um, sub stack to tell us like, tell us your questions. And sometimes they'll say things like. So I'm looking to go on my honeymoon in the Caribbean. Where should I go? I'm like, what month. What budget like like people want to ask us questions. Go super specific because then we can actually be helpful because otherwise what happens is you end up like. I know people think like, Oh, then I'm being pushy. And it's like, no, no, you're actually helping me answer your question. Because otherwise I'm like, well, this time or if you do that or is it with like, how old are you? What are your other favorite places that you've liked favorite trip you've ever like helped me understand who you are. It's sort of like dating like, like, help me find a boyfriend. Well, like. Tell me what different things out of trips. People get very particular when they travel. So you're right. These questions should be very, very specific. And it's like fashion as well. It's like, you know, somebody's like, tell me what I should wear this Saturday night is like, what's the event? What's the thing? Like, yeah, it's specificity is key. I will say the subscribing to your newsletter was like the best investment I've ever made in my travel because this is like the best investment I've ever made in my travel because this is like the best investment I've ever made in my travel because this is like the best investment I've ever made in my travel because this is like the, you know, third year that I've been a subscriber and every time we go on a trip, even two places where we've been before, I just go to the yellow sub stack and I type in where I'm going. And I read all the places like we're going to Paneraya on the 26th and like I planned that whole trip based on recommendations from your. Oh, that makes me so happy. It's, it's, you should be charging way more for that. You guys, it's really you just laying the foundation and you do a good job of saying like, you know, of noting prices on things if you want this kind of experience like this is more high end. This is more entry like you do a good job of letting everybody know kind of what they're getting into from a financial perspective. Thank you. But I, I totally am going to do. I'm going to take the, that, that seriously and like doing a planner around like, I love the idea of US islands. There's so many cool places. And like when you posted about Georgia, I looked at David A. And I was like, we have so many places in the US. We need to take Carmella. Like wild horses on an island. Yeah. Yeah. With like southern charm. I was like, count me in. Yeah, totally. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on a Saturday. Thanks, Pia. It's so fun to talk to you. I hope one of our trips overlap this summer. I hope so too. We have to make it happen. Just also so I can see Matt, like with a cocktail dancing to Frank Sinatra. Totally, totally. We'll make it happen. I need that. Thank you. So good to see you. Good to see you too. Love. Bye. Bye. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes this week's episode of Everything is the Best. I hope you enjoyed it. Please rate, review, subscribe, all that stuff. Maybe leave a comment. But remember, shitty comments are for shitty people. Go ahead and follow me on Instagram at PiaBaronGenie. And I hope you have a fabulous, fabulous rest of your day. Love you. Tau. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.