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The Traveling Sisterhood: Journeying the World with Kayla and Alyssa Hui!
7 Plays2 years ago
Welcome to another episode!! Today I'm joined by the Hui sisters- who hail from Chicago, IL! They live separately from each other now but travel bonds them together. I read Kayla's article on Travel + Leisure (https://www.travelandleisure.com/why-...) and I wanted to reach out! Join us as we chat about our travel adventures, tips, and lessons learned on the road. Thank you for joining me! Use my special link (https://zen.ai/YvuDrvZZjTkG6VQpW0ytf3... ) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY STORIEZ!: https://forms.gle/dAaithxuJeVtr2Qe8 (You may get a shoutout!) Listen to more interviews and subscribe to "Feel Your FeelingZ" here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Follow Alyssa on her socials: Website: https://huialyssa.wordpress.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AlyssaHuiTV?ref_s... Follow Kayla on her socials: Website: https://www.kaylanhui.com/ Twitter/X:
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction & Guest Intro
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello, welcome or welcome back to the Feel Your Feelings podcast.
00:00:10
Speaker
I'm your host, Victoria Makanjiwola.
00:00:12
Speaker
And today I am joined by Kayla and Alyssa Hui.
00:00:17
Speaker
They are sisters.
00:00:19
Speaker
Kayla is based in Austin, Texas, and Alyssa is based in St.
00:00:23
Speaker
Louis, Missouri.
00:00:25
Speaker
And I'm so excited to have them on my podcast today.
00:00:27
Speaker
I actually read an article that Kayla wrote
00:00:30
Speaker
on travel and leisure.
00:00:32
Speaker
An article is called my sisters and I take an annual sibling trip and it's the best thing for our relationship.
00:00:38
Speaker
So I have a sister right I'm the youngest.
00:00:40
Speaker
I have one older sister and it reminded me to just kind of like step back and think of like oh wait I want to kind of do something like that for me and my sister in the future.
00:00:49
Speaker
So it's so good to have you guys
Inspirations & Sibling Bond Through Travel
00:00:51
Speaker
on.
00:00:51
Speaker
How are you both feeling.
00:00:54
Speaker
I'm feeling great.
00:00:55
Speaker
We're feeling good.
00:00:56
Speaker
Excited to be here.
00:00:57
Speaker
Excited to talk about all things travel and relationships.
00:01:01
Speaker
So how about you, Alyssa?
00:01:03
Speaker
I'm doing well.
00:01:04
Speaker
It's a busy weekend.
00:01:06
Speaker
But, you know, I know we're recording this on a Sunday.
00:01:09
Speaker
So it's just really relaxed.
00:01:10
Speaker
I just did grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, you know, filled my fridge.
00:01:14
Speaker
So, yeah, I'm feeling good.
00:01:16
Speaker
That's amazing.
00:01:17
Speaker
So one thing that I'm what I like to ask my guests is what has bought you joy in the past week?
00:01:24
Speaker
want to go first elissa sure i don't um either work either way um i was actually just in austin um this past weekend visiting my sister so i'd say like that would be like the overall highlight uh we got to spend a lot of time together because i didn't see my sisters since march so it's been a few months and
00:01:48
Speaker
A lot of people probably don't know us, but some background.
00:01:51
Speaker
We're best friends.
00:01:53
Speaker
We're all a year apart.
00:01:55
Speaker
Went to the same college.
00:01:56
Speaker
So we have a really strong relationship with one another and
00:02:01
Speaker
So it was hard.
00:02:02
Speaker
You know, Kayla and Jacqueline, they kind of moved together in a lot of cities.
00:02:07
Speaker
So they started out in New York.
00:02:08
Speaker
They lived a few years there and then they transitioned and they moved to Austin together.
00:02:12
Speaker
And then I've kind of been the one that has jumped around.
00:02:16
Speaker
I was in Springfield for my job and then I moved to St.
00:02:19
Speaker
Louis.
00:02:19
Speaker
I'm the one that's always like apart from them.
00:02:22
Speaker
So just being able to see them again and just like bond.
00:02:27
Speaker
And I realized I'm like, wow, I laughed a lot.
00:02:30
Speaker
We talked about
00:02:31
Speaker
very serious things but also fun things and we did a lot of activities together and it reminded me of like oh I miss them like I should move there too right but yeah probably be the highlight just seeing my sisters again
00:02:48
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:02:49
Speaker
And I just want to point out that I forgot to mention your third sister named Jacqueline, who couldn't join us today for the episode.
00:02:55
Speaker
But yeah, she's another part of the story that you guys mentioned of your sisterhood traveling together.
Memorable Travel Experiences & Traditions
00:03:02
Speaker
But go ahead, Jacqueline.
00:03:03
Speaker
Kayla, I want to hear what what bought you joy this week.
00:03:06
Speaker
Yeah, I don't want to repeat what Alyssa said.
00:03:08
Speaker
That was definitely part of the joy.
00:03:10
Speaker
But I'm starting a new role on Monday.
00:03:13
Speaker
So I got all of like my equipment and technology.
00:03:16
Speaker
Congrats.
00:03:17
Speaker
Congrats.
00:03:18
Speaker
Preparing for that was really exciting because it's always nice to like take a little refresher when you have a break in routine.
00:03:23
Speaker
Like if you've been doing the same job for a while and you're like heading into something new, that's the feeling I got this week.
00:03:28
Speaker
So very pumped to be doing that.
00:03:31
Speaker
That's amazing and congratulations to you on your new role.
00:03:34
Speaker
That is a big accomplishment.
00:03:36
Speaker
So congrats.
00:03:37
Speaker
So is there a favorite memory that you both have from your travels together as siblings and any individual memories that stand out to you?
00:03:46
Speaker
Yeah, I would say we've traveled to a couple of countries, but I think the one that stands out to me would probably be Puerto Rico.
00:03:55
Speaker
I think that was like the first big trip that we did.
00:03:59
Speaker
And correct me if I'm wrong, unless I'm
00:04:03
Speaker
missing any details, but I think it kind of solidified like we love traveling together and this is something that we want to continue doing.
00:04:12
Speaker
And I think that was the first trip where we were like, we should be doing this every year.
00:04:15
Speaker
And so I think that kind of solidified that and helped us bond because at that point in our life, like I think we were still in college and we were also like on a budget and trying to travel and pursue our passion.
00:04:29
Speaker
So there was a lot going on
00:04:31
Speaker
on in all of our lives.
00:04:33
Speaker
And we were kind of navigating that ebb and flow and just trying to be together, but also like, how do we take our careers to the next level?
00:04:41
Speaker
So I think that was a great first starter trip.
00:04:45
Speaker
Do you want to share about, um,
00:04:47
Speaker
that experience flying into Puerto Rico, because we actually flew in on New Year, so this would have been on 20.
00:04:53
Speaker
I read about that.
00:04:54
Speaker
You guys got to see the fireworks as you were landing.
00:04:58
Speaker
That's super cool.
00:04:59
Speaker
Yeah, and I talked a little bit about it in my travel and leisure article, but I think there's this,
00:05:05
Speaker
thing, the psychological thing where you just love seeing other people happy.
00:05:10
Speaker
I remember being on the plane.
00:05:12
Speaker
I think Jacqueline was in the middle role.
00:05:14
Speaker
Alyssa was on the window seat and I was in the aisle.
00:05:17
Speaker
And the pilot.
00:05:19
Speaker
Oh, you got the seat.
00:05:20
Speaker
Yeah, the pilot had announced, he was like, Happy New Year!
00:05:25
Speaker
And like, you know, the clock turned and everyone was opening like their shades and they were like looking at all the fireworks in Puerto Rico kind of like blow up as we were about to land.
00:05:35
Speaker
And everyone was just screaming and hugging each other.
00:05:38
Speaker
And it was just such a beautiful moment, not only to see those people happy, but to see my sisters happy.
00:05:43
Speaker
It definitely gives you an endorphin boost for sure.
00:05:48
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:05:49
Speaker
Yeah, that was a fun trip.
00:05:50
Speaker
That was in 2020 in January.
00:05:53
Speaker
So we were there for a week.
00:05:55
Speaker
For me, I mean, that was a very memorable experience for me as well.
00:06:00
Speaker
But I'd say traveling to Europe together last year.
00:06:04
Speaker
So it would have been around June 2022.
00:06:07
Speaker
We actually crammed in three different cities in like the span of a week.
00:06:15
Speaker
Kayla's been to Europe before, so she's been to Paris before, but it was my first time and Jacqueline's first time as well.
00:06:24
Speaker
But where did we, we were in London first, and then we took a bullet train or just a train to Paris, and then we went to Manchester.
00:06:32
Speaker
So we were like, traveling a ton within a span of a week.
00:06:36
Speaker
But I think that was the most memorable travel experience for me because we kind of like, we're all, I guess I know people don't like
00:06:45
Speaker
adulting but we all had time jobs um yeah you know and started our careers and such and it was like the first trip where we're like adults I guess like we're not in college anymore we're like real adulting basically we're adulting and um just being able to be like mature and just the conversations we had throughout the trip just talking about
00:07:09
Speaker
relationships to things that brought us joy, stressful events that was going on in our lives, fashion, we did some shopping together.
00:07:19
Speaker
And so we had like just, and then even when we missed our train, there was one day where we had missed our train and Kale was like, it's fine.
00:07:27
Speaker
We'll be able to get on the next one.
00:07:28
Speaker
But Jacqueline was freaking out.
00:07:30
Speaker
I was freaking out.
00:07:31
Speaker
I was like, oh my God, we're not going to be able to get to Paris.
00:07:33
Speaker
And so just
00:07:35
Speaker
being able to like, okay, we're good.
00:07:36
Speaker
Just take a breath.
00:07:37
Speaker
And we were literally in the train station, like, let's take a breath.
00:07:40
Speaker
Yeah.
00:07:41
Speaker
And then we were just like, okay, let's just go to the spine, see if you can help us out.
00:07:45
Speaker
And then he was like, we can help you.
00:07:47
Speaker
But it was intimidating because there was another guy who was in front of us and he was like, yeah, there's no trains until next week.
00:07:54
Speaker
And we're like, next week, we're supposed to be in Manchester.
00:07:58
Speaker
We're supposed to be in Paris.
00:07:59
Speaker
And then
00:07:59
Speaker
We were freaking out and then we approached the guy and he's like, okay, I can get you on the next train, but it's going to be at like 5 p.m.
00:08:05
Speaker
or something like that.
00:08:07
Speaker
Right.
00:08:07
Speaker
Just being able to navigate all of those hurdles together and just have those serious conversations in this new stage of life when we're not in college and just kind of like, you know, talking about, oh, what are we going to do for work and all of this?
Travel as a Means of Escape & Growth
00:08:23
Speaker
But that was probably a highlight of mine.
00:08:28
Speaker
Absolutely, because travel can really put relationships to the test.
00:08:32
Speaker
So like, I don't know how my sister and I would have reacted to that train station situation.
00:08:37
Speaker
It could have been like, I don't know.
00:08:40
Speaker
I don't know what could happen.
00:08:41
Speaker
So, you know, you guys had a mature way of handling it.
00:08:44
Speaker
But, you know, every, every, every, you know, I say with my sister and I, it's like a bit down.
00:08:51
Speaker
But, you know, it's kind of like that with all sisters or all sisters.
00:08:54
Speaker
So kudos to you guys for figuring that out.
00:08:58
Speaker
balance each other out.
00:09:00
Speaker
I'm more of the person that's like freaking out.
00:09:03
Speaker
Like I don't stay calm.
00:09:04
Speaker
I'm like, Oh my God, like we missed our train.
00:09:06
Speaker
Like what are we going to do?
00:09:07
Speaker
It's fine.
00:09:08
Speaker
We'll be able to get on the next one.
00:09:09
Speaker
And she's more like, yeah.
00:09:12
Speaker
And then Jack was kind of in the middle like, oh, you know, looking for someone to blame or whatever.
00:09:17
Speaker
It's just a funny relationship that we have to put in.
00:09:20
Speaker
Yeah, then a balance is necessary for sure.
00:09:23
Speaker
So how has your upbringing affected your sisterhood?
00:09:28
Speaker
And you actually, I think you already talked or answered this, Alyssa, is if your travels, do your travels bring you all closer?
00:09:35
Speaker
Yeah.
00:09:38
Speaker
Kayla, do you want to start first?
00:09:41
Speaker
Sure.
00:09:44
Speaker
I definitely think travel brings you together.
00:09:46
Speaker
So Alyssa answered that.
00:09:48
Speaker
But I think it's, you know, depending on your background and how you grew up, like in the article I had talked about, we grew up in a very tumultuous childhood.
00:10:00
Speaker
And I think it's important to be able to, I mean, for a lot of people, travel is an avenue to kind of
00:10:07
Speaker
either escape that tumultuous lifestyle.
00:10:10
Speaker
So for us, I like for me, especially when I went to college, I was like, I have to get out of Chicago.
00:10:15
Speaker
That's where we're from and kind of be away and take that time to kind of refocus on like what we need to do and build a future of our own and not associate with whatever's going on at home because we don't know, like a lot of people have different backgrounds.
00:10:34
Speaker
And so for me and Alyssa and Jacqueline, having that space together to be able to travel and kind of build our own happiness, if you will, our own happiness path.
00:10:44
Speaker
That's how I kind of like to talk about it.
00:10:46
Speaker
But I think that's super important in terms of like carving out your own space and time to rejuvenate and to spend time with those you love and kind of get away from whatever is going on at home.
00:10:59
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:11:00
Speaker
I think for me, like in our household, travel wasn't really prioritized.
00:11:06
Speaker
We didn't really grow up in a traditional household where mommy and daddy takes you to Disney world.
00:11:11
Speaker
swim with the dolphins and things like that.
00:11:13
Speaker
Yeah.
00:11:14
Speaker
Same.
00:11:16
Speaker
That wasn't a thing in our household.
00:11:19
Speaker
Right.
00:11:19
Speaker
Like I, I don't even remember a single trip that we took with our mom that wasn't in Chicago.
00:11:24
Speaker
Right.
00:11:24
Speaker
Like we were born and raised in Chicago.
00:11:26
Speaker
So we never, at least for me, like maybe Canada, but that was like one time when we were four.
00:11:33
Speaker
So, and even with our grandma, like who is a huge role model and,
00:11:39
Speaker
all three of our lives because she was primarily our caretaker when we were growing up because our mom and dad were divorced when we were really young.
00:11:47
Speaker
Okay.
00:11:48
Speaker
So we kind of had an absent father in our life so we didn't really have that traditional travel like I was mentioning earlier and so being able to
00:11:56
Speaker
break out of that, like Hila was saying, when we got to college and just explore the world.
00:12:00
Speaker
We're like, wow, we can build our relationships, see the world, experience new cultures, food, traditions, learn about other people, build relationships with other people in these local communities.
00:12:12
Speaker
And just, you know, that in itself is beautiful.
00:12:16
Speaker
And I think going back to like the childhood aspect, I remember actually, you know how in high school they offer these trips that you can go on and you're like,
00:12:27
Speaker
living with a host family and all that.
00:12:29
Speaker
I remember I was like, oh, I really want to go on this trip and I want to ask my grandpa if I can go on it.
00:12:36
Speaker
And I legit made a PowerPoint presentation and put it all together and say, Grandma, look, I want to go on this trip.
00:12:42
Speaker
Here are the pros and cons, how much it's going to cost, blah, blah, blah.
00:12:48
Speaker
Where did you want to go at the time?
00:12:50
Speaker
It was somewhere.
00:12:51
Speaker
I can't even remember if it was in high school, but I believe it was maybe like Spain or
00:12:56
Speaker
okay okay it was through a third party um like learning center international or something like that i can't remember the name but they offered those programs for high schoolers and i was like oh like i want to go and i presented it to her and she was like you can't go like no it's not safe yeah living alone or traveling with the third party program or whatever and she didn't know who was going on the trip she was like no
00:13:21
Speaker
And so I was like, ugh.
00:13:22
Speaker
But then when Kayla went to college, because we all went to the same college.
00:13:25
Speaker
We went to UW Madison in Wisconsin.
00:13:28
Speaker
OK.
00:13:28
Speaker
And she did a ton of travel in her undergrad.
Bonding Activities & Travel Challenges
00:13:32
Speaker
I was like, oh, I want to do that too.
00:13:34
Speaker
So I actually followed in her footsteps.
00:13:36
Speaker
And I think Jacqueline did the same where we're like, let's take advantage of all these study abroad programs, volunteer trips, let's just go on them.
00:13:43
Speaker
And so I went on a ton of trips.
00:13:46
Speaker
Kayla went on more than I did.
00:13:47
Speaker
And she can talk a little bit about that.
00:13:49
Speaker
But yeah.
00:13:51
Speaker
after that, I was just kind of like, yeah, we're, let's do this together and let's see the world together.
00:13:57
Speaker
And Kayla always talks about it all of the time.
00:13:59
Speaker
She's like, Oh, we need to plan our next trip or when are we going on our next trip?
00:14:03
Speaker
And it's just hard now that we're all in our own, like starting our own families or just building our own relationships with our loved ones.
00:14:11
Speaker
And, um,
00:14:14
Speaker
Yeah, it's just hard to plan a trip when everyone has their own work schedule too.
00:14:18
Speaker
But yeah, I think definitely to answer your question, like traveling together and like our childhood, like that all kind of came together where we're like, okay, let's just travel together as sisters.
00:14:28
Speaker
And if no one else in our family is going to do it, we can do it.
00:14:32
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:14:33
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:14:33
Speaker
And our parents have such a major influence on us to decide whether or not, like what you said, I didn't,
00:14:42
Speaker
really get a chance to travel to like Disney World or all those dream places that I had as a kid.
00:14:47
Speaker
We didn't move around a lot when I was growing up.
00:14:50
Speaker
So I'm from Texas and we moved to Colorado for my dad's job, I think relocated him up there.
00:14:56
Speaker
So we moved there.
00:14:57
Speaker
We were there for seven years and we came back to Texas.
00:15:00
Speaker
Hi there, how are you feeling?
00:15:02
Speaker
It's me, Victoria, host of the podcast.
00:15:04
Speaker
And when I first started podcasting, I was super scared and nervous about the way I sounded, the way I looked, the way people would receive me.
00:15:12
Speaker
But using Zencaster has been a really helpful way for me to become more confident and express myself as a creator.
00:15:20
Speaker
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00:15:26
Speaker
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00:15:51
Speaker
So I guess I moved with them.
00:15:55
Speaker
But like on my own, that's something that, you know, I still dream of doing, you know, is going to.
00:16:01
Speaker
My sister went to France when she was in college.
00:16:03
Speaker
So that really like inspired me to, okay, I want to travel too.
00:16:07
Speaker
So like next year, next year, I'm really trying to make it happen.
00:16:11
Speaker
You definitely can.
00:16:13
Speaker
So speaking of that, what would you say is the best time of year to plan for a family vacation?
00:16:18
Speaker
It could be family vacation, study abroad, what's the best?
00:16:23
Speaker
I think it's going to depend on when everybody's available.
00:16:27
Speaker
I know a lot of people lean on the holidays, but I think that's the worst time to travel with family, like Christmas.
00:16:33
Speaker
You all saw the Southwest situation going on with the luggages and not being able to make it on time.
00:16:40
Speaker
And I remember even in the summer too, like the peak summertime, there was a man who I was standing next to because our flight was delayed.
00:16:47
Speaker
And he was like, I really hope I get on this flight because I'm trying to make it to my sister's wedding tomorrow.
00:16:53
Speaker
And I just really felt for him.
00:16:55
Speaker
So I would never want anyone to like miss travel opportunities or get that big family vacation they've been saving up.
00:17:01
Speaker
So I always say go during the off season, which is the fall time, early fall, like September, October, and also November for, you know, obviously Thanksgiving, not domestically, but if you travel internationally, some countries don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
00:17:16
Speaker
So that's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of like,
00:17:20
Speaker
you know, the less touristy season.
00:17:22
Speaker
And then during the spring, depending on the country, because I know, for example, Japan is super packed during March and April, but other countries during that time of year, it's like the perfect time to travel because people are just waiting to go during the summer when their kids are off or when they accumulate enough PTO.
00:17:40
Speaker
So it really depends.
00:17:41
Speaker
But I would say off season fall and spring for sure.
00:17:45
Speaker
Okay, that's good to know.
00:17:47
Speaker
That's good to know.
00:17:47
Speaker
I'm like taking mental notes at the moment.
00:17:51
Speaker
So, okay, so who are some of you guys' favorite famous sisters?
00:17:56
Speaker
So it's a three-part question, right?
00:17:58
Speaker
So first part is, who are some of your favorite sisters?
00:18:02
Speaker
Second part is, do you have any favorite travel destinations or like maybe some of the best travel destinations suggestions?
00:18:11
Speaker
And then the third part is bonding activities.
00:18:14
Speaker
I'm really curious to know like what activities you guys do while you're on trips together.
00:18:18
Speaker
Best travel destinations that we've been to or want to go to.
00:18:24
Speaker
Oh, I think the want to go to.
00:18:26
Speaker
I think the want to go to.
00:18:27
Speaker
Yeah.
00:18:28
Speaker
I'm going to be honest.
00:18:29
Speaker
I don't have any favorite like sister relationships.
00:18:33
Speaker
travel people that I really look up to.
00:18:36
Speaker
Like I'm not on YouTube like that or Instagram to be like, oh, I follow these sisters.
00:18:41
Speaker
Right.
00:18:42
Speaker
Yeah.
00:18:43
Speaker
We just kind of have our relationship and go with the flow.
00:18:46
Speaker
So I can't answer that one.
00:18:48
Speaker
But your second part of that question, best place to visit with my sisters, Tokyo, Japan.
00:18:58
Speaker
Yes.
00:18:58
Speaker
Have you guys been to Tokyo, Japan?
00:19:00
Speaker
No, we want to.
00:19:01
Speaker
Or you want to, okay.
00:19:03
Speaker
Nice.
00:19:04
Speaker
What about you, Kayla?
00:19:06
Speaker
Favorite travel sisters, us.
00:19:10
Speaker
I think with the sisters, I think for me, I was thinking of like Chloe, Halle, like Bella, Hadeep, Gigi.
00:19:18
Speaker
Do they travel together though?
00:19:20
Speaker
They seem like they live such separate lifestyles.
00:19:22
Speaker
yeah true like for work like we we don't know the behind the scenes of how everything works but yeah um best travel destination since alissa answered the where do we want to go i think the favorite that we've been to is probably paris it's like a good mix of i know that's they have a whole bed bug situation going on right now so
00:19:53
Speaker
food community um and it kind of like speaks to our interests as like people who like to go shopping who love art who love architecture um walking as well it's a very walk friendly place and i know a lot of tiktok tiktokers were saying like i ate like three bowls of pasta and did not feel bloated at all that's how we felt like
00:20:16
Speaker
We were eating a lot, like eating a good amount and then just walking the rest of the time.
00:20:21
Speaker
So it was a good balance getting in your exercise, but also like, I want to enjoy.
00:20:27
Speaker
So I would say Paris for sure, like the best place that we've been to so far together.
00:20:31
Speaker
And then bonding.
00:20:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:34
Speaker
Go ahead.
00:20:34
Speaker
One note about that walking bloating thing.
00:20:37
Speaker
It's so true.
00:20:38
Speaker
Like we were all very active sisters.
00:20:40
Speaker
Like we weight lift, we walk, we run, we hike.
00:20:45
Speaker
And we didn't do any of that type of activity in Paris when we were in Europe.
00:20:50
Speaker
But because we walked a lot, like I never felt bloated.
00:20:54
Speaker
And we would eat big meals and then we'd walk and walk.
00:20:56
Speaker
And then I'm like, oh, wow, I felt I felt really good or I feel really good.
00:21:01
Speaker
And so I don't know if the ingredients that they use compared to like the ingredients.
00:21:08
Speaker
I was thinking like, is Paris a walkable city?
00:21:10
Speaker
Because some cities are very walkable where you don't really have to like.
00:21:15
Speaker
navigate too hard like with driving and whatnot like was everything in good distance walking the most yeah and then we also did a lot of like um taxi service and then when my friend visited as well later my best friend she they did like the they call it the tube right is it called the the train that's in london
Planning & Financial Strategies for Travel
00:21:38
Speaker
yeah that's in london yeah and she took like their train system and she said it was fine
00:21:44
Speaker
But it was also bad because it was during like the strike.
00:21:47
Speaker
So, but I just wanted to add that one little note about like food and walking and voting.
00:21:56
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:57
Speaker
So bonding activities, like what all did you do?
00:22:01
Speaker
So Jacqueline, unfortunately, wasn't here for this trip, but we were able to go to Carousel through my work because as a travel writer, I get to travel to a lot of different destinations and Carousel being one of them.
00:22:13
Speaker
And there was a cooking class.
00:22:15
Speaker
And there were other people there, of course, but me and Alyssa were focused on their ceviche dish.
00:22:20
Speaker
We were tasked with creating it for the whole group.
00:22:23
Speaker
And I feel like cooking classes are such a great bonding activity for siblings because it really just does test your skills and communication.
00:22:31
Speaker
Like we had this poisonous fish.
00:22:33
Speaker
Was it the tiger shark or the, sorry, tiger fish?
00:22:36
Speaker
Tiger fish, yeah.
00:22:36
Speaker
Yeah.
00:22:37
Speaker
Yeah, I think it was a tiger fish.
00:22:38
Speaker
So the spikes are actually poisonous.
00:22:40
Speaker
So we had to like cut off the spikes and they kind of showed us how to cut the fish.
00:22:45
Speaker
But me and Alyssa were kind of looking at each other like, do you know how to do it?
00:22:48
Speaker
Like after they explained it and we were just like, okay, you try.
00:22:52
Speaker
And then I pass it back to Alyssa like, okay, I'm having trouble.
00:22:55
Speaker
And I think one of us had our nails done too.
00:22:57
Speaker
So it kind of made it all.
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah, I had my acrylics on.
00:23:00
Speaker
So it made it like 20 times harder to like cut the fish.
00:23:03
Speaker
But
00:23:04
Speaker
I think it creates like a good bonding activity because you're communicating your, you're, you know, like, if I can't do something, I'm leaning on a list of skills to be able to like prep the fish or do like what we have to do to prepare a good ceviche because it's everybody's tasting it, you know, so I think that's one of the better activities and then I would say hiking too.
00:23:26
Speaker
It really does test you physically and mentally.
00:23:29
Speaker
I remember during our trip to Utah, we were hiking and Alyssa is like a little speedy Gonzalez.
00:23:35
Speaker
She like her and her partner like to just like go for it.
00:23:38
Speaker
And I'm just like a little more of a like a slug.
00:23:41
Speaker
I'm more slowpoke like so I'm just like going up and I'm like huffing and puffing because out of the three of us, I'm the least.
00:23:48
Speaker
physically fit i'm fit but i'm not like up to her like level yet um so i was just like oh like really just getting up getting up the hill just like sweating like slow down girl like i'm i'm still trying to make it up there but i think you communicate like hey i'm not going as fast can you slow it down i want to be together so definitely test your communication skills and bonding yeah
00:24:12
Speaker
How about you, Alyssa?
00:24:14
Speaker
You stole my answer.
00:24:15
Speaker
I was going to say hi.
00:24:16
Speaker
Oh, sorry.
00:24:16
Speaker
No, it's fine.
00:24:17
Speaker
You're good.
00:24:18
Speaker
Yeah, because we were in Utah.
00:24:21
Speaker
What year was that?
00:24:23
Speaker
2021?
00:24:23
Speaker
I think so.
00:24:24
Speaker
Yeah, it was like a year after Puerto Rico or something.
00:24:26
Speaker
We went to Utah with the three of us, but also like our partners.
00:24:32
Speaker
And like Kayla was saying, it was just really fun because we did, we hit several national parks like Canyonlands, Rice,
00:24:39
Speaker
We did Zion.
00:24:40
Speaker
So it was just like a fun experience because Kayla was towards the end.
00:24:45
Speaker
I'm like, oh, I got to get this.
00:24:46
Speaker
Like I'm going to do these switchbacks and go up and back and forth.
00:24:49
Speaker
And Jacqueline's more in the middle where she's like, I'm not as fast, Alyssa.
00:24:52
Speaker
I'm not as, you know, at Kayla's pace.
00:24:54
Speaker
So she was going her own pace.
00:24:57
Speaker
But I love outdoor activities.
00:25:00
Speaker
So anything outdoors, I love doing with my sisters, just like walking, hiking.
00:25:05
Speaker
I think Jacqueline would probably say,
00:25:07
Speaker
What do you think she would say?
00:25:08
Speaker
Like maybe shopping or something?
00:25:09
Speaker
Yeah.
00:25:10
Speaker
She's more like into the fashion, like, ooh, like bags.
00:25:13
Speaker
Beauty.
00:25:15
Speaker
I love that.
00:25:16
Speaker
But yeah, I mean, like to also like broaden out the question a little bit, I feel like in terms of recommending activities for other people who are listening, siblings, it kind of just depends on your guys' personalities and like what you all enjoy.
00:25:30
Speaker
Like if you guys love outdoor things, then yeah, hiking, skiing, like those types of things.
00:25:36
Speaker
you might want to consider.
00:25:37
Speaker
But if you're more like indoorsy and you want to like just travel, we love to.
00:25:44
Speaker
Me, I'm the indoorsy.
00:25:46
Speaker
When we were in Europe and that was such a fun experience as well.
00:25:49
Speaker
So like if you want to do that, Kayla loves food.
00:25:53
Speaker
So she was like, we're going to try this restaurant.
00:25:55
Speaker
We're going to get this tea.
00:25:56
Speaker
We're going to eat here.
00:25:57
Speaker
Try this dessert place.
00:25:59
Speaker
Get these macarons.
00:26:00
Speaker
Like, you know, she was very awkward.
00:26:02
Speaker
Like planner vibe.
00:26:03
Speaker
Planner vibe from Kayla.
00:26:05
Speaker
What?
00:26:06
Speaker
your siblings enjoy and then just being able to communicate like what should we do and then planning ahead of time and being like let's for sure hit this let's do this and then let's keep it open to kind of like just explore and see what we see absolutely that's that's incredible um for me i'm thinking of like what how me and my sister would like who would be the planner like who would like would it be organized when we know what places we want to go for me i like to know like
00:26:33
Speaker
what I'm going, where I'm doing, where I'm staying.
00:26:35
Speaker
But as far as like me planning that out, like I would prefer someone else to do it, you know?
00:26:40
Speaker
But I think like what you just said, like taking everyone's preferences into consideration and like making sure everyone gets to do what they want to do.
00:26:49
Speaker
So while I was reading your article, Kayla, I was really just thinking of like, wow, this is like amazing and like really like idealistic for like a trip for
Future Travel Plans & Aspirations
00:26:58
Speaker
siblings.
00:26:58
Speaker
However, I have to like think about plenty.
00:27:01
Speaker
Like, for the broke girls, could you give us any tips on how to save up for an annual sibling trip?
00:27:09
Speaker
Yeah, I want to preface this by saying a lot of the travel that we did in our early years were during college.
00:27:16
Speaker
So we were the broke college students.
00:27:19
Speaker
And I think it was like all of us were working at some point two or even three jobs just to like save up to afford our groceries and our rent, but also to afford like leisure activities like travel.
00:27:30
Speaker
But for people in college, I will start off by saying study abroad programs are probably, I think, some of the most underutilized resources on your campus.
00:27:38
Speaker
So if you are a college girl listening to this, definitely check out what scholarships are available.
00:27:43
Speaker
And even if you're like, and be open-minded about it too, because, you know, for example, Europe, there might not be a lot of scholarships for Europe, but if there's like a 3,000 scholarship to go to Southeast Asia, definitely apply and be open-minded to the destination
00:27:57
Speaker
And so that we utilize those resources.
00:27:59
Speaker
And if you are, you know, the adult, you're in your adult stages, got your big, you know, big girl job, I would say setting a budget first with your siblings being like, what can we realistically afford?
00:28:12
Speaker
When people think of travel, they think of international destinations, but the US has some of the most vast landscapes, small cities.
00:28:21
Speaker
It doesn't have to be super expensive, and I think that's one of the stigmas that come with travel.
00:28:26
Speaker
It's got to be five-star hotels.
00:28:29
Speaker
you know, Michelin star dinners definitely doesn't have to be like that.
00:28:32
Speaker
So definitely setting a budget, coming to a consensus, okay, we can spend $2,000 on this trip, $3,000, and then picking the destination based off your budget.
00:28:41
Speaker
Some destinations like Paris, for example, are notoriously expensive.
00:28:45
Speaker
compared to like, I don't know, Southeast Asia, like Thailand, where, you know, some things can be expensive there, but you know, the majority of it, most of it is affordable, like food.
00:28:55
Speaker
So kind of determining those two things.
00:28:57
Speaker
And then once you have those nailed down, you can start putting money away.
00:29:02
Speaker
And picking out like where you want to go eat and you can either choose like a hostel or Airbnb to kind of save on cost.
00:29:10
Speaker
So there's a lot of different ways to like budget your money and then using time to like save up for those big excursions.
00:29:17
Speaker
And then like Alyssa had mentioned before, what do you, like your siblings, what do you all value?
00:29:23
Speaker
What do you all wanna see?
00:29:24
Speaker
For me, it's food.
00:29:25
Speaker
So I'm willing to drop money on food versus like Jacqueline, she's more of the shopping type.
00:29:31
Speaker
So like for her, she'll be like, yeah, I'm definitely gonna save up a little extra so I can buy those cute pair of shoes or like that purse that I've been wanting.
00:29:39
Speaker
And then for Alyssa, she's like going with the flow and I think more into experiences and outdoor, like how can we leverage that?
00:29:46
Speaker
Again, I would say, you know, definitely consider your siblings in mind, like their interests, and then kind of tailoring your budget based on that.
00:29:56
Speaker
That's good.
00:29:56
Speaker
Hopefully that was helpful.
00:29:58
Speaker
I said a lot, so I apologize.
00:30:00
Speaker
Yeah, no, that was very helpful.
00:30:03
Speaker
Alyssa, did you have any more recommendations?
00:30:07
Speaker
I think she covered most of it, just setting a budget first and saying like, oh, how much...
00:30:13
Speaker
do we have or how much do we need to save for?
00:30:16
Speaker
Um, and once you set a budget, I think a good tip to do is, you know, like every Christmas birthday, you know, holiday or whatever it is, whatever you celebrate in your own culture and within your own family, a lot of people are gifting things.
00:30:33
Speaker
Um, and I think,
00:30:36
Speaker
instead of doing that, like, let me buy you a new pair of shoes or like this cute set from this brand or whatever, or a watch, whatever the gift may be, maybe say, instead of doing that, why don't we just save money and use that money to going on a trip together?
00:30:53
Speaker
So once you set a budget, you can say, mutually agree, instead of doing gifts, why don't we- Smarter, not harder.
00:30:59
Speaker
Money in itself would be a gift, right?
00:31:05
Speaker
But that's the only thing, other thing I would add to what Kayla said.
00:31:09
Speaker
That's no, that's both really good advice and suggestions.
Personal Growth & Inspirations through Art
00:31:13
Speaker
I think even local trips, because like being here in Dallas and North Texas, like there are things that my sister and I can do like in our own area, in our own backyard without having to like travel out of state or anything.
00:31:26
Speaker
And budgeting, I think budgeting is the biggest thing.
00:31:29
Speaker
And money sometimes, well, I know can get in the way of siblings relationships.
00:31:36
Speaker
So I think also...
00:31:38
Speaker
making sure everyone is comfortable with like, hey, like this is how much money is going to cost to go here or to eat at this place to eat like and to make sure like no one's feelings are getting hurt.
00:31:49
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:49
Speaker
You know, because it's like, oh, I had to spend like $80 on this meal.
00:31:53
Speaker
And like now I don't really have enough to go like shopping right now or do this, you know, making sure we're considerate of each other's feelings.
00:31:58
Speaker
So I think, yeah.
00:32:01
Speaker
Did you?
00:32:02
Speaker
Yeah, go ahead.
00:32:04
Speaker
Two things, actually.
00:32:06
Speaker
A tip is
00:32:07
Speaker
when you said like traveling in your own city or state or within that, like definitely take advantage of that because for me, like I live in St.
00:32:15
Speaker
Louis and people hear about St.
00:32:16
Speaker
Louis, they may think, oh, what's there to do?
00:32:19
Speaker
Right.
00:32:20
Speaker
No, but there's a lot of greenery.
00:32:21
Speaker
No offense to St.
00:32:22
Speaker
Louis now.
00:32:23
Speaker
No, no.
00:32:24
Speaker
I love St.
00:32:24
Speaker
Louis.
00:32:24
Speaker
That's why I live here, right?
00:32:26
Speaker
Right.
00:32:26
Speaker
But a lot of people don't know there's a lot of greenery here.
00:32:29
Speaker
We were just in St.
00:32:31
Speaker
Genevieve a few weekends ago, and we asked, me and my fiancé, and we were in St.
00:32:35
Speaker
Genevieve for the weekend, and we just did hiking and tried out local restaurants and wine.
00:32:39
Speaker
Oh, cool.
00:32:40
Speaker
That was such a fun experience and that it might cost a little bit, but not as much as buying a plane ticket and then running an Airbnb and this and that.
00:32:47
Speaker
So I think a lot of people should take advantage of literally what is in your backyard.
00:32:52
Speaker
And the second thing I wanted to add when you had talked about like money getting in the way for certain families and siblings, Kayla and Jacqueline actually went on a trip to Dubai last year.
00:33:04
Speaker
And that was like way out of my dream destination.
00:33:08
Speaker
Beautiful.
00:33:08
Speaker
And they're like, oh, so you should go.
00:33:10
Speaker
And I was just like, OK, well, how much is the plane ticket?
00:33:13
Speaker
And like, how much is the hotel going to be and this and that?
00:33:16
Speaker
And it was just like out of budget for me.
00:33:17
Speaker
And so I opted not to go.
00:33:19
Speaker
Yeah.
00:33:21
Speaker
So it's just kind of like you kind of have to decide with your siblings, you know, what is going to be.
00:33:26
Speaker
within your budget and if you can't go like yeah I missed out on it and Cale and Jacqueline talk about that trip all the time like oh we got this we ate this food we ate like at this restaurant where you were like in the sky or something like that I was like oh that looks so cool I didn't experience that you know they're facetiming me and like look at the restaurant look how cool it is I'm like
00:33:47
Speaker
Yeah.
00:33:47
Speaker
Sometimes you just have to, you know, what's best for you and your finances.
00:33:54
Speaker
Yeah.
00:33:54
Speaker
I had to like miss out on, but it's okay.
00:33:57
Speaker
Yeah, it is okay.
00:33:59
Speaker
It is okay.
00:33:59
Speaker
And if it's meant to happen, it'll happen.
00:34:01
Speaker
You know, I'm going to make sure like the energy is right.
00:34:04
Speaker
Like for me, I'm like the vibes have to be right before we even step out.
00:34:08
Speaker
Like we gotta, we gotta be on the same energetic level.
00:34:12
Speaker
So when are you guys planning your next trip together?
00:34:16
Speaker
Probably for next year.
00:34:19
Speaker
We're going to be saving up some money to probably do something in Japan.
00:34:23
Speaker
That's a destination where we're like, we want to go.
00:34:27
Speaker
There's food, shopping, all of it, you know, tourist attractions as well.
00:34:32
Speaker
And it's got a lot of rich history and culture.
00:34:34
Speaker
So we're excited to plan something for that next year.
00:34:37
Speaker
But more to come on that.
00:34:39
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:34:40
Speaker
Yeah, we just never have been to Asia together.
00:34:43
Speaker
Like, it's funny because we all did separate individual travel to parts of Asia on our own.
00:34:49
Speaker
Like Kayla was in Thailand a few years ago.
00:34:51
Speaker
Jacqueline was in Beijing.
00:34:52
Speaker
I was in Shanghai when I was in college.
00:34:55
Speaker
So we all kind of like took our own individual time there, but never together.
00:35:00
Speaker
And we've always wanted to do something in Asia.
00:35:03
Speaker
Like I remember when we were in like
00:35:06
Speaker
was it high school, Kayla?
00:35:07
Speaker
I don't remember, but we were supposed to go to Hong Kong with my grandma.
00:35:11
Speaker
So the three of us and my grandma.
00:35:13
Speaker
And I don't know why we didn't end up going.
00:35:15
Speaker
I think my grandma was like, eh, let's not do it.
00:35:17
Speaker
Let's just wait, right?
00:35:18
Speaker
Like always that waiting and we never did it, right?
00:35:21
Speaker
And we still never did it.
00:35:22
Speaker
So I was like, we need to do something where we can hit Asia together.
00:35:26
Speaker
So hopefully that'll be next year.
00:35:28
Speaker
And it's sad because we didn't really do like a sister trip per se this year.
00:35:33
Speaker
I mean, Texas, but that's also because Kayla and Jacqueline
00:35:36
Speaker
for moving a lot.
00:35:38
Speaker
They live in Texas, you're in Missouri.
00:35:41
Speaker
Yeah, so we didn't really plan a trip this year per se, just because I think Kayla and Jacqueline, they just had a lot of moving and moving parts in their schedule.
00:35:51
Speaker
that kind of prevented us from doing that.
00:35:53
Speaker
And that's something I think people should realize like, yeah, for us, it's like a yearly thing where like every year we're going somewhere.
00:35:58
Speaker
But unfortunately this year we didn't, it couldn't happen and that's okay.
00:36:03
Speaker
We still got time together and I visited them.
00:36:05
Speaker
So we still had that trip.
00:36:08
Speaker
Yeah, there you go.
00:36:09
Speaker
Yeah, my dad is from Nigeria, actually.
00:36:11
Speaker
He got to visit for like a month, like half, maybe like a few weeks and from like July to August.
00:36:18
Speaker
But I didn't get to go with him.
00:36:19
Speaker
But like he says next year, like we'll plan a trip together.
00:36:23
Speaker
We cannot go.
00:36:24
Speaker
So it's all next year.
00:36:25
Speaker
We'll see.
00:36:25
Speaker
We'll see.
00:36:26
Speaker
But that is also a dream family trip to go on as well.
00:36:31
Speaker
um sorry that's another thing that just came up um take advantage of like where your relatives or friends are like if they're if you have friends that are in uh in china in europe wherever they're located even family yeah you're like hey any chance you'll be around around this date any way i can stay with you for a few days and then you'll save money on housing
00:36:56
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:36:56
Speaker
And I have a cousin who's in Canada.
00:36:59
Speaker
And yeah, and like, she found me on like social media, like in 2019, I was still in like undergrad or whatnot.
00:37:09
Speaker
And then my dad had visited them and their family.
00:37:11
Speaker
And so we just connected on social media.
00:37:13
Speaker
And she came for my graduation in Texas.
00:37:15
Speaker
But ever since then, I've been trying to like link up and be like, anytime I'm in Canada, I'm gonna see you in Canada and whatnot.
00:37:21
Speaker
So we have like Zoom calls and everything.
00:37:23
Speaker
So I'm really trying to make it happen.
00:37:25
Speaker
yes it's way 24 you gotta be like hey cuz literally literally literally you know birthdays are kind of around the same time exactly she has her own spot too so exactly yeah um so could you could you both share any personal mantras or affirmations that help you stay grounded and positive i'm really into affirmations so like saying i am like i am
00:37:52
Speaker
I am great.
00:37:53
Speaker
I am magic.
00:37:54
Speaker
I am empowered.
00:37:56
Speaker
What sort of like mantras do you guys kind of live by?
00:38:00
Speaker
I'm more of a poetry type person.
00:38:02
Speaker
So I actually have the book that I love.
00:38:05
Speaker
I feel like a lot of it is romance, but a good part of it is like life thing.
00:38:11
Speaker
So if it's okay, I'd love to read one of my favorites from this poetry book.
00:38:17
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:38:17
Speaker
Well, there's a speed round question that has to do with that.
00:38:20
Speaker
So I'm going to have you fold it until the speed round.
00:38:24
Speaker
That's all right.
00:38:24
Speaker
But I love that.
00:38:26
Speaker
I absolutely love having the book with you.
00:38:28
Speaker
Do you have curricula that you could share?
00:38:30
Speaker
You could share one now and then... Sure.
00:38:32
Speaker
Yeah, because you had two things you were thinking of.
00:38:35
Speaker
Sure.
00:38:37
Speaker
Well, for the speed round, is it... I just want to make sure I'm sharing the appropriate one because I have two.
00:38:42
Speaker
Oh, you have two?
00:38:43
Speaker
Okay, so the speed round question is my favorite book is.
00:38:46
Speaker
It's like what's what your favorite book is.
00:38:48
Speaker
Okay, great.
00:38:49
Speaker
I'll do this one then.
00:38:50
Speaker
Okay.
00:38:51
Speaker
A mantra.
00:38:52
Speaker
Okay.
00:38:53
Speaker
So...
00:38:55
Speaker
It doesn't have a title to this poem, but the book is called Salt Water by Brianna West, and it starts off, There is something you can learn from everyone.
00:39:06
Speaker
Anything you can learn, any book you can read, or any song you can hear first came from the mind of another human being.
00:39:13
Speaker
And once you realize that all we ever really learn, receive and experience comes from other human minds and hearts, you will never feel greater or less than another.
00:39:24
Speaker
You will acknowledge that everyone has a different medicine and our job is to find it and then share it with the world.
00:39:30
Speaker
And I think this is such a beautiful representation of, you know, everybody's kind of on their own path and journey, but it also speaks to the interconnectedness of like how
00:39:39
Speaker
interconnected we all are like i may be good at photography and eating and alissa might be good at another skill but we can like come together and share those resources and also like use our use what we're good at to heal other people or bring other people happiness so that's one of like my favorite mantra poems or
00:39:59
Speaker
absolutely call it and who was that by again Brianna West her book Salt Water okay nice I love that cover too thank you for sharing that yeah of course mine is a song J. Cole you probably know this one it's Love Yours do you know that one maybe not I don't know
00:40:27
Speaker
I think I know.
00:40:28
Speaker
I think I know, but I don't know the lyrics.
00:40:30
Speaker
I think I've heard the title, but I don't think I've heard the lyrics.
00:40:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:40:35
Speaker
So essentially the song is about just loving what you have and loving yourself.
00:40:42
Speaker
One line, and I wrote it down, it says, and he kind of has abbreviations to it, but basically he says, but you ain't never gonna be happy till you love yours.
00:40:53
Speaker
Um, and I think in a world where social media is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives, and I think a lot of people use social media, whether it be Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, um, people are constantly on it and looking at other people's lives.
00:41:09
Speaker
And I know that Instagram has this, um, and maybe even TikTok where you're just posting, people post things that's like the best version or the best picture.
00:41:18
Speaker
And you're always constantly seeing that.
00:41:20
Speaker
And
00:41:21
Speaker
And for me too, it's hard not to compare your life to people and being like, oh, well,
00:41:27
Speaker
she got to do this or he got to do that and just kind of being like, well, I didn't.
00:41:30
Speaker
And then that makes you feel really bad about yourself.
00:41:35
Speaker
And it's funny because there's this whole thing about how young kids who are on social media now, how their mental health is like at an all time low compared to like other generations.
00:41:46
Speaker
And even as adults with fully developed brains, we're still feeling the impacts of social media.
Social Media & Mental Health Discussion
00:41:51
Speaker
So I can't imagine younger children who are using these apps to,
00:41:55
Speaker
And how they're feeling.
00:41:56
Speaker
So I think that song just really resonates with me.
00:41:59
Speaker
Like when I'm going through tough times or when I'm feeling depressed or sad, I just kind of tell myself like, okay, it's okay, Alyssa, like love what you have, love what's in front of you.
00:42:10
Speaker
And everything will be okay.
00:42:11
Speaker
You know what I mean?
00:42:12
Speaker
And I think the song is just so meaningful too, because he says, as a singer, rapper, right?
00:42:17
Speaker
You're constantly surrounded by other people who are bigger name, you know, bigger bags than you, more expensive jewelry or whatever it is.
00:42:25
Speaker
But even if they have all of that, you're not going to be happy till you love what you have and love all of you.
00:42:32
Speaker
Um, sometimes when I'm sad, I tell Kayla, cause we FaceTime like daily almost.
00:42:38
Speaker
Or three times a day.
00:42:40
Speaker
Yeah, like a lot.
00:42:42
Speaker
She's always, if I'm sad, she's like, Alyssa, listen to this song.
00:42:45
Speaker
Remember, love
Speed Round: Beliefs & Favorites
00:42:46
Speaker
yours, you know?
00:42:46
Speaker
And I'm like, oh, you're right.
00:42:47
Speaker
You're right.
00:42:49
Speaker
So I love that song.
00:42:52
Speaker
That segues perfectly into the speed round.
00:42:55
Speaker
So if you guys are ready, y'all ready for the speed round?
00:42:58
Speaker
Yes, I'm ready.
00:42:59
Speaker
Answering just like one or two sentences or one word answered.
00:43:04
Speaker
So what is the last song that you both listened to?
00:43:08
Speaker
Oh my god, probably Snooze by SZA.
00:43:10
Speaker
I'm constantly listening to it.
00:43:13
Speaker
Love SZA.
00:43:14
Speaker
My sister likes her new album too.
00:43:18
Speaker
I listened to SZA this morning and I think it's called Seek, right?
00:43:24
Speaker
It's in her Love Language album.
00:43:26
Speaker
Am I like, let me see, hold on.
00:43:28
Speaker
No, it's Love Language by SZA.
00:43:32
Speaker
I'm like a selected listener so there's one or two songs that I'll be like, oh wait, that song, that song, that song.
00:43:38
Speaker
So that's cool.
00:43:39
Speaker
You both are on the SZA vibe.
00:43:40
Speaker
I like that.
00:43:42
Speaker
Finish this sentence.
00:43:44
Speaker
I truly believe that.
00:43:48
Speaker
I truly believe that God put us here for a reason and we are all destined for greatness and whatever capacity that means.
00:43:57
Speaker
That's real.
00:43:58
Speaker
I love that.
00:44:00
Speaker
I truly believe that things will work out the way it's supposed to and you just have to trust God's plan.
00:44:09
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:44:10
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:44:11
Speaker
I love Romans 8 to 8.
00:44:12
Speaker
That's probably one of my favorite Bible verses.
00:44:15
Speaker
My favorite book is.
00:44:19
Speaker
Oh, Crying in H Mart.
00:44:21
Speaker
I knew you were going to say that one.
00:44:24
Speaker
That's a book's name?
00:44:25
Speaker
What?
00:44:25
Speaker
Yeah, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zahner.
00:44:28
Speaker
Okay.
00:44:29
Speaker
Okay, I have to check that one out.
00:44:30
Speaker
So basically, just a quick background story to it.
00:44:34
Speaker
It's basically her... It's about a story of grief and H Mart, which if you don't know what H Mart is, it's basically like a Korean Asian grocery store.
00:44:44
Speaker
They carry a lot of different cultural foods as well.
00:44:48
Speaker
And it's about...
00:44:49
Speaker
dealing with her mother's loss to cancer and what that community and identity piece and food, how that all, the interplay of all of those things.
00:45:01
Speaker
It's a beautiful story, so definitely read it if you get the chance.
00:45:05
Speaker
I bet.
00:45:07
Speaker
There was a hard question for me because there are so many books out there, but
00:45:13
Speaker
The one that comes to mind is called The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz.
00:45:18
Speaker
And I'll just show you the cover of what that looks like.
00:45:21
Speaker
A lot of his books.
00:45:25
Speaker
Yeah, right?
00:45:26
Speaker
It's so good.
00:45:27
Speaker
I'm going to just share one quote.
00:45:28
Speaker
It's on page 153.
00:45:31
Speaker
It says, you are what you believe you are.
00:45:32
Speaker
There is nothing to do except to be just what you are.
00:45:35
Speaker
You have the right to feel beautiful and enjoy it.
00:45:38
Speaker
You can honor your body and accept it as it is.
00:45:40
Speaker
You don't need anyone to love you.
00:45:42
Speaker
Love comes from the inside.
00:45:45
Speaker
I absolutely love that.
00:45:47
Speaker
I love Don Miguel Ruiz.
00:45:48
Speaker
I've read The Four Agreements and I actually won like a little book contest where he signed copies of the book for the 25th
Advice to Younger Selves & Being Present
00:45:56
Speaker
anniversary.
00:45:56
Speaker
So I have the copy here.
00:45:59
Speaker
So that one, The Mastery of Love, I haven't read that one, but that one is definitely going up on my list.
00:46:06
Speaker
Yeah.
00:46:07
Speaker
And to your point, Kayla, there's actually an H-Mart like in my local area.
00:46:11
Speaker
And I remember my mom and I went last...
00:46:14
Speaker
you know like last thanksgiving because we ran out of there was no chicken anywhere so i'm like let's go to h mart so we found some like chicken legs at the h so random but yeah okay we have two more of these so in two words i would tell my younger self to slow down um
00:46:38
Speaker
I just think we are in like a, oh, I don't even know, just such a fast-paced society, especially America, where it's just like grind, grind, grind.
00:46:48
Speaker
And I think there's beauty in a slow lifestyle, like taking your time to wake up, taking your time to eat breakfast, not scarfing down your lunch, taking time to actually communicate with the people around you and not be on your phone and just scroll like quick three-second videos.
00:47:05
Speaker
Like,
00:47:06
Speaker
we don't need all of that we need a very slow calm lifestyle and i think when you find calmness in you know your life you'll find stillness within you so i think there's beauty in the slow lifestyle that's a word
00:47:22
Speaker
Yeah, that was that was great.
00:47:25
Speaker
Be present.
00:47:27
Speaker
I meditate daily and I just started not just started meditating.
00:47:31
Speaker
I started meditating the start of last year.
00:47:34
Speaker
So in January.
00:47:36
Speaker
And I think with everyone having their phones all the time.
00:47:41
Speaker
it's just taking you out of the moment.
00:47:44
Speaker
And, you know, I get kind of trapped in this as well.
00:47:47
Speaker
Like when you're out with friends, you're like, Ooh, girl, let me take a picture of you.
00:47:51
Speaker
And I love taking you remember it, but also because of that, you're not like present in the moment.
00:47:57
Speaker
Um, and I think my younger self, like I was more into that too, like, Oh, just trying to capture everything on camera or not really being there in those conversations, being present in the moment.
00:48:08
Speaker
So just,
00:48:09
Speaker
I think, be present, you know, be in that moment.
00:48:12
Speaker
That's good.
00:48:13
Speaker
That's good.
00:48:15
Speaker
I hate to, like, keep segueing off into, like, my own personal notes, but I keep thinking of things.
Current Feelings & Life Reflections
00:48:20
Speaker
I'm thinking of, like, the Beyonce's Renaissance concert, how everyone... I was basically able to watch the whole thing on social media without buying a ticket, you know?
00:48:28
Speaker
So a part of me is wondering, like, did people really get a chance to be present during their concert experience, you know, while they were... They were there physically, but were they...
00:48:39
Speaker
they were recording so did they have a chance to like actually experience the moment you know but I love it because I get to like watch it on YouTube for free thank you thank you and last question is right now I feel radical
00:49:09
Speaker
radical yeah i didn't expect that did not expect that i know i usually which protest you about to go to kayla i think
00:49:22
Speaker
I love that word because I feel like radical is just something like out of the, for me, it symbolizes like out of the ordinary, doing things that are not in the status quo, kind of going against the grain.
00:49:36
Speaker
And I think in order to make meaningful change in your life, which is where I'm at in my life or in this stage of life, just going against the grain of what everybody's telling you to do.
00:49:48
Speaker
Like you don't have to follow like
00:49:50
Speaker
Everyone's getting, you know, at my age, everyone's getting married or having babies or, you know, like doing something like you don't have to do that.
00:49:57
Speaker
There are people who are traveling the world, who are starting businesses, who are, you know, really creating something for themselves.
00:50:05
Speaker
And I feel like it doesn't matter like where you are in your life.
00:50:08
Speaker
Just do you and do what speaks to you and be radical.
00:50:12
Speaker
I'm feeling radical.
00:50:14
Speaker
Wow.
00:50:14
Speaker
Wow.
00:50:16
Speaker
Oh my God.
00:50:17
Speaker
My word is not that at all or related to that at all.
00:50:20
Speaker
Um, it's behind.
00:50:24
Speaker
Um, what is it behind?
00:50:27
Speaker
You said one word, right?
00:50:29
Speaker
Oh, it doesn't have to be a word or a feeling, a feeling, a feeling.
00:50:36
Speaker
Yeah.
00:50:36
Speaker
I think my word is like how you, how I feel right now is behind.
00:50:41
Speaker
Like, um,
00:50:43
Speaker
And why that is, is because I have just like a lot of things going on in my life right now.
00:50:48
Speaker
From just work to wedding planning to just like, just a lot of things that's going on.
00:50:59
Speaker
And so, because all of the tasks are kind of like piling up and I'm looking at everything I have to do this week and I'm like, it's a lot of stuff that I need to do.
00:51:06
Speaker
I just feel behind.
00:51:07
Speaker
Like that's, I mean, that's just the work for us where that comes from.
00:51:09
Speaker
in mind when you ask yeah and that's real usually your first thought is like the the the right thought of something like yesterday so yesterday for instance i was kind of feeling i don't know what i was feeling you know you have some of those days where you're just like i don't exactly know how i'm feeling am i irritated am i like frustrated am i sad like so i was kind of pondering on like how am i feeling and like the word that kind of stuck to me was lonely i was surprised because i was like i'm an introvert and like i don't feel lonely like i
00:51:39
Speaker
enjoy being alone.
00:51:40
Speaker
Actually, like if you leave me by myself in my room or someplace I can manage like with a book, I'm good.
00:51:46
Speaker
But I just felt that for some reason.
00:51:49
Speaker
And like, for me, it didn't feel bad.
00:51:51
Speaker
I think most people are feeling like, Oh, well, that's negative.
00:51:53
Speaker
That's bad.
00:51:54
Speaker
Like, it's, that's just how I felt.
00:51:56
Speaker
Like, that's okay.
00:51:58
Speaker
So yeah, still working through it.
00:52:01
Speaker
But
00:52:02
Speaker
Yeah.
00:52:02
Speaker
And I know I'm not the only one, the only person that feels like that.
00:52:05
Speaker
It's like you said, Alyssa, social media is like a big illusion.
00:52:09
Speaker
And it makes us think that people are moving faster than getting married, having kids than what's actually like going on.
00:52:17
Speaker
So I can't say like, oh, I want to be like this person because I don't know what they're dealing with or if I can handle it.
00:52:22
Speaker
So yeah.
00:52:24
Speaker
It's a different reality or just virtual reality in a sense.
00:52:28
Speaker
Exactly.
00:52:28
Speaker
So yeah.
00:52:31
Speaker
We're feeling our feelings right now.
00:52:32
Speaker
I love it.
00:52:35
Speaker
Yeah.
00:52:37
Speaker
I know she's not here right now, but if you were to like, if Jacqueline was here, if she were to answer that question, how do you think she would respond?
00:52:49
Speaker
Kayla, you go and I'm going to text her and see
Closing & Thank You
00:52:51
Speaker
what she's actually.
00:52:51
Speaker
I love that.
00:52:58
Speaker
So it's I am and then two words.
00:53:02
Speaker
Oh, you mean the last question?
00:53:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:53:05
Speaker
Right now I feel.
00:53:06
Speaker
Okay, right now I feel.
00:53:07
Speaker
All right.
00:53:09
Speaker
I think she might say like stressed or overwhelmed because she's also in a period of transition in her life where she's like, you know, moving out of a job, moving into a different career path.
00:53:21
Speaker
So sometimes that can feel very overwhelming or stressful.
00:53:25
Speaker
But then she might also say, like, I am feeling where I'm supposed to be, like that this, you know, it's she's in alignment with where she's supposed to be now in this period of her life.
00:53:37
Speaker
but hopefully she responds back so we can have her real answer well i texted her and she didn't but i think she might also say like right now i feel things are going to work out yeah because yeah she's on her own journey right now and like trying to be you know be her own boss yeah support that and and i'm not going to share too much of yeah story just because i don't know what she would like me to say publicly but um
00:54:06
Speaker
just being able to work on herself and
00:54:11
Speaker
that things are going to work out for her.
00:54:12
Speaker
And I know she's had a few bumps in the road.
00:54:15
Speaker
She's going to be up there.
00:54:20
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:54:21
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:54:23
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:54:23
Speaker
So thank you guys so much for joining me on the podcast.
00:54:27
Speaker
I really appreciate you guys coming on and thank you for your article, Kayla.
00:54:31
Speaker
And I can't wait to keep up with all of your travel adventures in the future.
00:54:34
Speaker
So where can my listeners find you guys?
00:54:38
Speaker
Oh, that's a good question.
00:54:40
Speaker
I'm on Instagram, this Chinese girl can eat, because I love food.
00:54:44
Speaker
And yeah, follow me if you want to know what I'm eating.
00:54:47
Speaker
You bet.
00:54:51
Speaker
I used to use Twitter a lot.
00:54:55
Speaker
So it's Alyssa, A-L-Y-S-S-A-H-U-I-T-B.
00:54:59
Speaker
I'm not really on Twitter as much anymore, but I use Instagram only.
00:55:05
Speaker
And my handle is...
00:55:08
Speaker
A H U I three.
00:55:11
Speaker
Awesome.
00:55:12
Speaker
Awesome.
00:55:12
Speaker
Well, I'll tag it all below.
00:55:14
Speaker
So definitely keep me posted.
00:55:18
Speaker
Let me start that over.
00:55:18
Speaker
I'm like tongue twisted right now.
00:55:21
Speaker
So I'm going to post all of that in the description, but thank you guys for watching and don't forget to be a kind person today.
00:55:26
Speaker
You feel me?
00:55:26
Speaker
Bye.