Transcript
CHANTELLE KINCY: hi Hi, welcome to Go Far Girl. Thanks so much for joining us today. I'm here with Elizabeth. She's the creator of Second Act Travels, which is a new travel blog and a podcast for travelers in their second act of life.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So I'm so excited to talk to her. She's going to give us a wealth of information here. Elizabeth grew up in Western New York and her love for travel kind of started after an exchange trip to Wales in high school.
CHANTELLE KINCY: She's had many acts in life, from school counselor to nonprofit work to even being an elected official in her own town. Today, she's juggling caring for her parents full time and also squeezing in travel whenever she can.
CHANTELLE KINCY: She's married with two grown children, and she also likes to go geocaching, reading, writing, and baking. Geocaching is such a fun hobby and we've done it a couple times and then I sort of forget about it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And then when I see someone else do it, I'm like, why don't we do that some more? That's so much fun. So I love that you do that because it reminds me that it's fun and that I want to do that. Yeah.
Elizabeth: and I love to solve puzzles and I think geocaching is like such a great puzzle to solve outside, right? You know, it it really is.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It is. it's It's the ultimate. And my sister introduced it to me years ago when we first moved to Washington State. She came up to visit us and so visit me and the boys.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And she said, let's go geocaching. And I was like, I don't know what this is. But we were in this completely new area. So it was such a fun way to explore like around our new house, too. Because we were like, oh, we're out doing all these things.
Elizabeth: Yes.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And like it was so much fun.
Elizabeth: It is.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But anyway, i got sidetracked.
Elizabeth: It's a blast. And it's so family too.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: I mean, I did it with my kids when they were little. I do it by myself now, you know, now that they're grown, it's fun.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, it's yeah it's such a cool hobby. So thank you for being here. I know I just got easily sidetracked on geocaching, but thanks for being here and welcome. I'm glad to have you.
Elizabeth: Thank you so much for having me. Really appreciate it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: of course. So I know that you've had a lot of experiences leading back from high school until now.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: The one I thought would be fun to focus on is your solo hiking experience, 200 miles by yourself
Elizabeth: Yeah, you know, it was actually about 184, I have to tell you.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay. Okay.
Elizabeth: Because,
CHANTELLE KINCY: We'll round up.
Elizabeth: yeah you know what, that works out well too. 200 miles, yes, go ahead. Yeah, sorry.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. So tell us about that. What was the trail for people that don't know?
Elizabeth: So the Thames Path National Trail is one 15 trails in the UK. And these are trails that are incredibly well maintained, very well signposted, and very popular.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay.
Elizabeth: So walking is a very popular hobby in the UK. um The Thames Path, I call it the Goldilocks Trail because really it is the perfect trail, particularly for a new hiker as I was.
CHANTELLE KINCY: been
Elizabeth: I mean, i really don't didn't walk a lot. And what's so great about the Thames Path is that it's really hard to get lost because you're following a river.
Elizabeth: Like as long as the river is to this side of you, you know, of the bank that you're on, you're going to be okay.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's a good marker. It's not going to move. It's not going to go away.
Elizabeth: Not going anywhere. the other thing is, and this is the best part, there are no hills. I mean, it is almost, I think there's actually one hill on the entire trail, not very not very high.
Elizabeth: there's also a viewpoint that you can actually go off trail and walk up to the top of Richmond Hill, actually, where that's the town where Ted Lasso was was filmed, if you like Ted Lasso.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Elizabeth: So up on the top of Richmond Hill is actually a protected view of the River Thames so that nobody can build anything or do anything that would impinge upon that view.
Elizabeth: so it's a protected view, which, yeah, very cool.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Amazing. Yeah.
Elizabeth: So it starts in the Cotswolds and it ends... yeah Actually, now it ends at the North Sea, but when I walked, the official trail ended in Greenwich, just past London at the Thames Barrier. So, so and and, you know, it's again, it's just so great because it's largely flat. So if you're not in the best of shape, it's a very forgiving trail.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And do they have like a Sherpa service where your luggage or your are you carrying everything or are you meeting up with your with your bags at different locations or how how is it all like laid out?
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Oh, that's a great question. It's actually your choice. So for the first half of the trip, I carried my bags and I just had a backpack. That's all I carried. It was about with water. It was about 15 pounds.
Elizabeth: then you can, if you would like hire a service and there are plenty of luggage services for all the national trails that will pick up your,
Elizabeth: pick up your luggage in the morning, pick up your backpack, take it to your next destination, and you're good to and And I guess that's the other thing I want to say, if I could just, you know, add this in, is that this was not like hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Elizabeth: I mean, every single night I had ah bed in a hotel with a glass of wine, you know, I mean, it was really into in hiking, which is also a great thing for beginner hikers, too.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. And you know, you have that end goal, you know, that you've got a place. it's It's not as scary as just randomly pitching a tent somewhere along the river.
Elizabeth: Perhaps.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And then as I got closer to London, that's where I actually set up a home base in London proper. So I would just take the train out to where I left off on the path the previous day.
Elizabeth: I'd walk a little farther. I'd take the bus or the train back in, spend the night at my, and then I didn't have to carry my backpack. I would just carry a day pack.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Oh, that's a good way to do it.
Elizabeth: ah Yeah. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And you were probably never alone, really, right? Because there are popular popular trails, so were you always, like, there was always people around, right?
Elizabeth: um,
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay. Okay.
Elizabeth: the first half of the trail really from the Cotswolds until you get to Oxford, I would say, can be, can have remote stretches. So there would probably be, you know, maybe about an hour and a half where I just wouldn't see anyone.
Elizabeth: and And that was really cool. You know, is.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, that's pretty nice. Yeah.
Elizabeth: And then as you get, obviously, as you get closer to London, the path becomes, you know, more crowded and it's really an urban path going right through the center of London at the end, which is really cool.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's so interesting.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: What was the, like the longest day you had where you, did you kind of plan it out ahead to where you'd be like, you know, like 10 miles a day kind of type thing or what?
Elizabeth: Yeah. So I used trailblazer guide, uh, for the Thames path because it marks out stages by whether you want to walk it slowly, which was definitely me.
Elizabeth: medium pace or really quick pace. So a really quick pace might be 20 miles a day. and that and And honestly, i didn't want to do that because there's so much to see and to do.
CHANTELLE KINCY: no.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Right. Because you want to enjoy the experience too and, and, and see the scenery.
Elizabeth: So yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And like you said go off trail a little bit for a view or whatever. you Like you're not just like marching through.
Elizabeth: Exactly. And I think if you lived there and were in the neighborhood, you know, yeah, you could probably do 20 miles a day and you'd seen all that before.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Sure.
Elizabeth: But, you know, being in the United States and then coming over there, like I really wanted to take my time and like I said, get off trail or whatever. So I think my longest day was I would average around 12 miles.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay.
Elizabeth: o There was one day where I did like 17. I honestly don't remember why i remember being really tired at the end.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: but, but 12 was what I would consider that my average. Right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Did you take days off every now and then, like in a, in a little town or village and just kind of hang out for the day and regroup? Or did you go every day?
Elizabeth: Yeah. Oh, no, no. I totally did. So, for example, I was there in November and the UK has, they do up Remembrance Day in November, like the end of World War One is a very big deal for them.
Elizabeth: So I actually got off trail, took the train into London went to the parade and watched the military parade and all these people. And I think one of my favorite moments from the entire hike was being at the Remembrance Day parade and singing It's a Long Way to Tipperary at the top of my lungs because everybody was just singing and doing all those songs.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: And you know, to be there for that was pretty special. And if I was bored, like, you know, there was another day where I loved Henley on Thames, the town Henley on Thames.
Elizabeth: And so I spent an extra day there just because I just didn't really want to leave.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Just because you could.
Elizabeth: you come Because you could, you could.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. That's amazing.
Elizabeth: and and the the other thing about we walking that trail is the public transportation is so good. So if you get tired, if you get sick, if you're just bored,
Elizabeth: you can get off really easily and get to a place.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You have a lifeline.
Elizabeth: So, right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You're not just, yeah.
Elizabeth: And you always have self-service too. Right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That is a bonus.
Elizabeth: Absolutely.
CHANTELLE KINCY: just Just as a peace of mind when you're by yourself, you know, like if you were to fall or do whatever, like you said, just food poisoning, whatever kind of thing, you know, just to have that.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Even if you don't ever use it, feel like there's comfort in knowing you have it.
Elizabeth: Exactly.
Elizabeth: It's good security. It's good peace of mind. Like you said, I think that's a really good description.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Absolutely. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So how many days did it take you total
Elizabeth: I took me 17 days and I think I took off a couple of days in there.
CHANTELLE KINCY: okay
Elizabeth: then I made sure that I had at least one full day in London at the end, just to, just to regroup before i got back on the plane home. I just, I didn't want to like, you know, stop hiking and then, you you know, immediately take the train to the airport.
Elizabeth: Like that just, that would have seemed a little anticlimactic, I think.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
Elizabeth: And
CHANTELLE KINCY: You need your celebratory excursion.
Elizabeth: Exactly.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: and i love I love London. So when I was there um using that as my home base, you know, I'd make sure that I was finished walking by three o'clock in the afternoon.
Elizabeth: And then I would just spend the afternoon and evening in London just exploring the city. So that was really nice.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, that's such a great like contrast to to being out on the trail to kind of like also having these urban experiences and culture experiences and like going to a pub for dinner and things like that.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah, yeah, yeah. ah Very much so.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I think I don't know if I mentioned it, but I think it's important for people to understand like you didn't do this when you were 20. You did this in your fifty s right? Yeah.
Elizabeth: Right, right. So I did this when I was 54 um my kids were grown up. I, do you want to hear the story?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes, yes.
Elizabeth: okay. so I, uh, read a book called, walking the Tums path. It was by a woman named Joyce Mackey and she walked it in her mid fifties, I want to say.
Elizabeth: and I was just taken with it. I was like, oh, this sounds so cool. It sounds so perfect. And then, and then, I mentioned it to a friend of mine, actually. I said, oh, I would really like to walk this trail.
Elizabeth: You know, seems just perfect, like like a great beginning trail. and And he said, yeah, that does sound cool. And he you know he he didn't really say too much more than that. And about a week later in the mail, I got a book called Rambles by Rivers.
Elizabeth: It was published in 1857. And it was a book that my friend sent to me. He had it. He owned it. And he said, this was my grandfather's, but I think it belongs to you now.
Elizabeth: And I was like, well, that's my sign. we go
CHANTELLE KINCY: I have goosebumps. Oh my gosh.
Elizabeth: okay I gotta go. So, yeah, so that's how I decided I was going to do it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: And, you know, I just I have no regrets, really.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And had you done anything like even remotely close to that before? Or was this really just new?
Elizabeth: Yeah, it was really new. I mean, i I do like to walk.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It's so cool.
Elizabeth: I mean, don't get me wrong. Like, I do like to walk. And I took some practice walks in hometown. Like, I did like six mile walks.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay.
Elizabeth: But I didn't have my backpack on. And, know, i was like walking along a street. Certainly wasn't isolated or anything like that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: But that was really all I did. and again, because this path is largely flat, you know, you can you can do that. You can you can kind of get by with very little, you know, formal conditioning.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Mm-hmm.
CHANTELLE KINCY: prep. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Exactly.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You're not climbing Everest. you're
Elizabeth: Exactly. It's not, it's not Everest. It's not the Appalachian trail. This isn't Cheryl Strayed, you know, walking on the Pacific Crest trail. This is, this is the time.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Have you. Right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. I've done sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and that's plenty for this girl.
Elizabeth: Absolutely.
CHANTELLE KINCY: just I mean, like, I mean, little sections, but it is, it's more rugged.
Elizabeth: oh you
Elizabeth: excuse
CHANTELLE KINCY: You're, you're in the mountains and it's,
Elizabeth: by
CHANTELLE KINCY: it's isolated and it's, it's definitely a different game, but, did you always want to do it solo or did you just do it solo because everyone else was like, we don't want to do this or we did it like, I'm just curious.
Elizabeth: absolutely
Elizabeth: specific No.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Cause love the idea of doing it solo. I think it's like, so just empowering and you have that time to reflect and just kind of be within yourself. I think it sounds amazing to do it solo, but did you want to do it solo?
Elizabeth: Yes, I did. i did.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: That was one thing that, you know, as kind of being in my mid fifties, and having raised two children and you know, being, being, uh, Mary, I was never alone a whole lot.
Elizabeth: You know, you're always kind of surrounded by people. and so I thought, what would it be like to just travel alone? Like just to be by myself.
CHANTELLE KINCY: yeah
Elizabeth: And so, I, I really did want to do that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes.
Elizabeth: And, and frankly, I, I did it a lot ah ah to really confront my fear because I think that women are kind of conditioned to be afraid of being alone and, and even traveling alone in particular.
CHANTELLE KINCY: yes
Elizabeth: so I was like, you know what? I, I want to face my fear. So that's why I decided to do that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I love that.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It's a little uncomfortable, but then you just really get into yourself. And i've it's funny you said that because I've also not spent a lot of time alone raising you know the boys by myself and things like that.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Elizabeth: but the
CHANTELLE KINCY: And now that they're, in their words, they don't need me as much anymore, which whatever.
Elizabeth: yeah
CHANTELLE KINCY: You kind of go through this period where you're like, oh, okay, well, if they don't need me, then like, what am I and what is my life? And also, all of my friends and hobbies were tied to their friends and hobbies.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So now like, what do I do?
Elizabeth: Hmm. Interesting. Very, very interesting.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And, and so it was kind of just like this whole thing that I was like, well, I guess I better figure out who I am at this point, and what I want to do.
Elizabeth: That's a really...
CHANTELLE KINCY: And so, i mean, that's just it's just interesting. I've been thinking since you were saying that is it really fits kind of what I'm going through and kind of like that, that desire to try to be by myself and try to just figure out who I am without being something for someone else, I guess.
Elizabeth: That's it just really well said, honestly. And I think very much what I was going through.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: i think there's also something to be said for you know not wanting to spend the rest of your life sitting at a desk.
CHANTELLE KINCY: For sure.
Elizabeth: For sure, right? You know, yes, trying to figure out exactly where my passions are now that the kids are out of their house and on their own and, you know, trying to figure out, well, what's the next chapter? What comes next?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: You know, how do ah ah how do i how do I make that meaningful? And you're right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: It's, it's very much an internal process. And I would say walking is one of the best therapies for just, you know, looking internally. and self-exploration.
CHANTELLE KINCY: yet Yeah. So cool. Did you have moments on the trail that were more difficult for you to where you really like, or where you discovered something that you didn't expect to like within yourself?
CHANTELLE KINCY: You're like, oh wait, I I didn't know if I could do this, but now I can, or this is harder than I thought. Did you kind of have, or was it just like this joyous, lovely experience to where you were free and walking?
Elizabeth: Oh gosh.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: No, there were definitely hard moments. I mean, as I said, you know, you're kind of conditioned as a female to to be fearful all the time.
Elizabeth: And what what what was interesting when I was walking was I realized that not only was I afraid of not seeing anyone and being alone, I was equally afraid of running into someone, you know, like, who is that person walking in the other direction, or maybe behind me or something like that, you know, so there was definitely a lot of, I guess, just a lot of
CHANTELLE KINCY: Right.
Elizabeth: soul searching about, you know, are are you really going to be afraid of absolutely everyone, you know, that, that you come across?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Does the person walking their dog really pose that much of a threat, you know? And, you know, part of it is it was November. it was certainly chilly out. It wasn't winter, but it was chilly out. And I thought, you know, this is crazy. Like, i don't think that people are really sitting in the in the grasses waiting for somebody saying to death because you wouldn't get cold if you didn't keep moving.
Elizabeth: So I hope that makes sense. Like I, I,
CHANTELLE KINCY: Did you find the longer you walked, the less that happened, though, that you were less on edge when other people were around?
Elizabeth: for sure, for sure.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Did you kind of work through that? Yeah.
Elizabeth: And then other times, I've done a couple other hikes since then and Yes, I am far more relaxed than I was when I started. Yes.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Something you get accustomed to.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Which is great, right? It's like exposure therapy. You're like, well, I'm in it, so oh
Elizabeth: Yeah, yeah. yeah you and you Obviously, you don't want to be stupid. You want to be careful and smart and be aware of your surroundings. That never changes.
Elizabeth: But yeah, there's there's more to there's there's a lot to explore and see in the world. And we shouldn't be afraid of it
CHANTELLE KINCY: And I think humans, there's there's more good humans than there are bad, right? So we focus on the, we tend to focus on the bad or expect the bad, but generally people don't care what you're doing.
CHANTELLE KINCY: They don't care that you're walking. They're just walking too. They're just, like you said, walking their dog. Like they probably don't even notice you half the time, but you're so like, in your own head that you think like it's, you know, yeah.
Elizabeth: Well, yeah, I mean, because you have a lot of time to think, you you definitely, your imagination can get away from you. and And truthfully, there was one time on the path where I did feel uncomfortable.
Elizabeth: And I really can't explain why, but I did. And I trusted my instincts and I got off and I moved, you know, about three miles up because I just felt like, you know what, this isn't, something's not right about this area.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But I think it's important to honor those feelings too and not just be, oh, everything's great. Like I think it's really important, especially when you travel by yourself, to really honor those feelings because sometimes you just know something's not quite right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: right and
Elizabeth: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. i mean, you know, trust your instincts. And and that's probably what I learned. That was other a great lesson I learned while hiking is just, you know, the times where I've been really disappointed or something in life, largely it's because I haven't trusted my instincts and I've gone against them and it hasn't worked out the way i hoped it would, probably because I didn't listen to my instincts.
Elizabeth: So.
CHANTELLE KINCY: that That's an incredible thing to say. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I think that that's so important. And yeah.
Elizabeth: That's a great.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Oh, that one hit me. That was a good one.
Elizabeth: yeah
CHANTELLE KINCY: So what did your husband, what did your kids say when you said, okay, I'm headed to the UK. I'm walking over 180 miles. I'll see you in three weeks. Were they just like, okay.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay.
Elizabeth: um um yeah I'm so fortunate because my kids and my husband were very supportive. The person who I think gave me the most I don't want to say a hard time, but definitely was really concerned was my dad, of course, you know, and it was hard for him to say, to understand why I wanted to do this.
Elizabeth: Whereas my friends, my, my kids, they were nothing but supportive and, it makes it kind of easier on them that I could FaceTime them, you know, at the end of the day and text them anytime I wanted.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Right.
Elizabeth: Technology definitely works.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You weren't going no contact for 21 days.
Elizabeth: No, no, that would be unfair to them.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: You know? Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. My boys.
Elizabeth: So I get a call, you know, in the middle of the hike.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Oh,
CHANTELLE KINCY: My boys track my location. so sometimes I'll be like, Oh, I noticed you're here.
Elizabeth: la
CHANTELLE KINCY: noticed you're here. And I was like, Oh, that's cool. Like, yeah.
Elizabeth: That's a good one. Yeah, I should have probably done that. I did have a group text where I let everyone, like my mom, my dad, my, you know, my mother-in-law know where I was at the end of the day. Here's where I am.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: So yeah, that's how.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And that's just smart travel sense too. I mean, more than like for their own good sense, like it's, it's not wise just to like be completely off grid on your own with nobody knowing where the heck you are or what your plans are for the next day.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Totally. Totally.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So, I mean, that's just, that's a good lesson for everyone listening.
Elizabeth: Yeah. That's the number one rule. You always hit.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Like even if you want to go solo, that doesn't mean you're allowed to just disappear off the face of the earth. Like you still need to have some sort of you know, contact and connection to where people can make sure you're okay.
CHANTELLE KINCY: yeah.
Elizabeth: good point. Yes, very much so.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So I think.
Elizabeth: And and that was, i mean, if I hadn't checked in, that would have been something would have been wrong.
CHANTELLE KINCY: A definite red flag. Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Definitely. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And so I think that that's, that's an important lesson for everybody to, even if you're not doing something like this, if you're going anywhere, it's just good sense to give someone a, but ah ah you know, a generic itinerary or this is my hotel or these are, you know, I even do it like, well, I feel like I'm, it's interesting.
Elizabeth: Right.
Elizabeth: You know,
CHANTELLE KINCY: I was just talking to someone else about this. I'm more cautious when I'm in the United States than I am other places. I don't know why that is. mean, I kind of probably know why it is, but that's okay. but,
Elizabeth: but
CHANTELLE KINCY: Like, yeah, that's I don't even have the energy for all that right now, to be honest.
Elizabeth: That's a whole separate a podcast. Yeah. Isn't that interesting? Go ahead.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But like when I get in an Uber, like I will share the ride like with my husband or one of the boys just like this is who my driver is.
Elizabeth: yeah
CHANTELLE KINCY: This is where we're supposed to be going. And they kind of follow along. Just those little extra.
Elizabeth: doesnt that into strong
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: ahead
CHANTELLE KINCY: No, like I will hop in the car with anybody and like. Greece or something like, oh, well let's go away. We're in Istanbul. Let's do it. But like, you're get picked up from the Miami airport.
Elizabeth: but think
CHANTELLE KINCY: I'm like, I should be at the hotel in 3.2 minutes. Like, dude, if I don't get at the hotel, let me I don't know why. um just a little more paranoid. But I do tend to like, you know, share the ride, tell them what hotel I'm going to be at or like what time this leaves or that kind of thing.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I just feel like I'm more sherry in the United States.
Elizabeth: Yeah. and I'm so glad you said that because I feel the same way often that I'm more fearful here than I am in other places.
Elizabeth: And I don't know if that's correct. I don't know if that's rooted in reality or not, but it's just, you know, it's just the way I feel, but you're right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: And yeah, I'll hop in a car with somebody too in England and that I would never, here's my phone number.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah. I know.
Elizabeth: yeah oh
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. So crazy.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah. But, but no things I would never do here. I don't know, probably,
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Probably a very lot lot of reasons.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: it is interesting that when you travel, you see different things and you feel and experience different, different kind of ways.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I think that's
Elizabeth: I'm so glad you shared that because I really, i and wasn't sure if that was a me thing, but it sounds like you, you feel that too.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. And like you said, and now that I think about it, I don't know what it's rooted in.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Maybe just the media all the time or yeah I don't know.
Elizabeth: Yeah, it could be. I don't know. Yeah,
CHANTELLE KINCY: And it's maybe because it's like our real life and like when we travel, like it's fairytale land. I don't know. You're like, what's the worst that could happen? No. No.
Elizabeth: yeah I mean, you don't want to be like starry-eyed about it. You know what I mean?
CHANTELLE KINCY: no
Elizabeth: You just want you just want to be smart and aware, but also...
CHANTELLE KINCY: yeah
Elizabeth: trusting in the general good of people too.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. And I think some places have surprised me. Like I felt very safe in Istanbul. I felt and that was one where my son made me send proof of life every day i was in Turkey.
Elizabeth: Hmm.
CHANTELLE KINCY: He's like, you're definitely getting kidnapped. And I was like, I've actually never felt better. Like, i feel amazing here. And Turkey was great. And Naples, I didn't like I had a ah weird vibe the entire time.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And I didn't expect that.
Elizabeth: well
CHANTELLE KINCY: So I think it just goes back to kind of trusting, but not like getting so sucked into pre expectations either. And sort of just allowing it to present itself because, you know, it's it's not a movie, it's real life.
Elizabeth: right
CHANTELLE KINCY: And But yeah, so I think it's it's it's interesting.
Elizabeth: very much
CHANTELLE KINCY: But yeah, Eric was pretty sure i was I was getting kidnapped in Turkey. And I was like, I'm like just wandering the streets.
Elizabeth: but but
CHANTELLE KINCY: I feel fantastic. And he was like, don't know.
Elizabeth: Yeah. yeah and And I am willing to explore more when i'm at when I'm traveling, I'm willing to, you know, go a little bit deeper into a neighborhood than probably somebody who, you know, hasn't hasn't traveled by themselves.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, yeah, I love that.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: What was going to say back about the trail? So kind of what was your, tell me, like, share with me with me one of your, like, most beautiful or, like, profound moments along your along your walking experience? Because, you know, you've had some hard ones. There was, you know, the weather and all the things. But I know that there was that moment where you're like, yes, I did this. I'm doing this. This is, like, amazing. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah, well, definitely you know definitely finishing it was absolutely you know like a great moment. I texted everyone a picture of myself at the barrier, cetera.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Mm.
Elizabeth: So that that was you know that that was great. But I will say that my first stage which was very long and isolated that day it was and i had started late i had gotten a late start because of jet lag so by the time i finished i guess it was 11 12 miles that day it was dark out i mean because it was november in england so it gets dark 4 30 or 5.
CHANTELLE KINCY: o
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, you have less daylight, right?
Elizabeth: Exactly. Exactly. So i had a late start, really was walking in the dark by the end, but I got to where i needed to be and I made it, you know, it's like, all right, I did one day of this.
Elizabeth: And if I did this day, I can do the next day. you know, it's, I'll get up earlier. know, and i I was very, i guess I was really proud of myself that I did it. And it was, and it was, isolated, not a lot of people.
Elizabeth: And there was actually quicksand signs for quicksand along the trail, believe it or not.
CHANTELLE KINCY: No way.
Elizabeth: I am not kidding. so, you know, I didn't want to stray off the path because I wasn't really sure what I was kind of getting into.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Right.
Elizabeth: that first section did have that. And I, I remember being a little fearful walking along in the dark, you know, for sure.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Hey, we prepared for quicksand our whole childhood and I've never actually experienced it in real life. Like I thought after watching Princess Bride, I thought the whole world was going to be quicksand and we were just all going in and then I've never got to see it.
Elizabeth: I never thought I would see that. I really i i saw it and I was like, you you you're kidding. This isn't for real. And it was for real.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's wild.
Elizabeth: I didn't try it out.
CHANTELLE KINCY: No, that's probably day one quicksand.
Elizabeth: but people And I think i think the the other time that I was really, again, had to really overcome, I had i gotten stuck in the mud on my third day hiking.
Elizabeth: And it was just a really, i went off trail. You see, should never go off trail. trail. um And I said, oh, I can just take this shortcut across a field. And it was so muddy.
Elizabeth: And when I got to the other side of it, didn't want to go all the way back. But I said, all right, I'm just going to find a shallow area and walk through. And I, I was stuck up to my knee, wet and a no waterproof shoe is going to help you when you're submerged.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: No, no.
Elizabeth: So, but you know what? I got out, I had my backpack, I changed, I, you know, put on a clean pair of socks and, and, um, I made it, I did it, you know?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Heck yeah, you did.
Elizabeth: So you learn a lot, you learn to rely on yourself.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's amazing. Why did you do it in November? Was it just the way the timing worked out for you or did you specifically want to do it when there was less people?
Elizabeth: A little bit both. I always joke that I did it in November because I'm afraid of snakes and I didn't want to see any snakes. So look I do joke about that, but yeah, so there were no snakes. Yes, I i like off-season travel and that's kind of what my niche is right now is going traveling when other people are home and having a very different experience because I'm not dealing with crowds and fighting for a reservation at night for a place to stay or something like that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay.
Elizabeth: So that's what I've been focusing on with traveling lately. And so I decided that that was just going to be, it's going to be off season. It's going to be an off season hike. Let's just see what happens.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Okay. I love that.
Elizabeth: And it was, yeah, it was great.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So you're kind of all about this second act, which what would you say?
Elizabeth: Great.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Like women like over 50? is that Or people over 50, I guess? Maybe not even just women?
Elizabeth: Yeah, i I would say it's for men and women, but maybe women might identify a little bit more. But I think that age from 50 to 65, let's say, is, know, you're not a senior citizen,
CHANTELLE KINCY: Mm-hmm.
Elizabeth: You're not a 20 something or a 30 something. You're kind of in the middle there. Your kids have grown. I think it's an interesting place to be in life. So that's where I've tried to focus my like traveling from that point of view, if that makes sense.
CHANTELLE KINCY: No, I love that. And I think it's such a great place to be because I think that when you do get on social media, places like this, you're looking at these 20 year olds doing these things and it's not applicable. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And you're like, well, good for you, but you're 20. You know, and it's it's it's just different.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And you like you said, you're not, you know, homebound. You can still do some things, but you're not going to travel same And nor do you want to. Like, I don't want to do some of those kind of trips. Like, I want to have those slower experiences and really, like, be immersed in something and make a connection
Elizabeth: Yeah. You know, I think.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You know, I don't want to hike a mountain in a dress and stilettos for the perfect picture.
Elizabeth: Go
CHANTELLE KINCY: Like I just, you know, so.
Elizabeth: Believe me, I wasn't wearing stilettos. um
CHANTELLE KINCY: Sometimes I see these pictures. I'm like, what are we doing? What is happening? for Mm hmm.
Elizabeth: Oh, I know. I know. Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: I mean, i think like you, you know, there's certain things, first of all, you know, yourself a lot better. So, you know, your passions, you, you know, what you can tolerate and what you can't tolerate really ah most of the time.
Elizabeth: I tend to, you know, like I, I gotta, I'm not, I don't want to stay in a hostel anymore, to be perfectly honest with you.
Elizabeth: I want my own bathroom.
CHANTELLE KINCY: for real.
Elizabeth: I want my own space at night.
CHANTELLE KINCY: who
Elizabeth: want, I want a little bit of privacy, you know, quiet.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. And quiet.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, Hey, you know, I've done my fair share of going out, but it's like, I want a little bit of space now. And I think that is different from a 20 something person.
Elizabeth: I do.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. So I love that you're giving a voice to those that need inspiration. you know, ah ah at a more realistic level, I guess. So I think that's great that we're, we need more visibility out
Elizabeth: Thank you. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: um I think just embracing that where you are, And not like looking back, but not also like living so far in the future. Like, oh, I'll do this when I retire.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Oh, I'll do this when I'm whatever. I think just embracing where you're at and getting out and taking advantage of the time you've got is, is amazing.
Elizabeth: i think perfectly said I do. It's very, very profound actually, because people like to put things off.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Because what if you wait too long? Yeah.
Elizabeth: Go ahead.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. What if you wait too long?
Elizabeth: That's right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You don't know. Like,
Elizabeth: Didn't, I mean, that's what COVID I think taught us like that whole thing.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Uh huh.
Elizabeth: I always joke that like, you know, yeah, the year was 2020, but 2020 also means perfect vision. And didn't we see so clearly like, oh,
CHANTELLE KINCY: Love that.
Elizabeth: Things can change. I mean, we we categorically learned it as a society. Things can change so quickly and you're not guaranteed anything.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes. Yep.
Elizabeth: We collectively learned that lesson and everything became clear.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I think it changed so many people's lives. And so many people quit the jobs they hated.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And why do, wait, I don't have to live this way and I'm not going to. And shoot, what if I can't travel again? Like, I think it really did change so many people's lives.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I mean, obviously it was terrible and there were horrible things going on, but if you can flip it, I think it did a lot of, a lot of good for a lot of people as well.
Elizabeth: Yes.
Elizabeth: It put a lot of things into perfect focus.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Absolutely.
Elizabeth: Yes, it did.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It's, it's just life's too short to be miserable and doing things you hate just because you think that's what you have to do.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And you don't have to drive to the office every day and you don't have to spend quarter of your life commuting and you don't have to, you know, wait.
Elizabeth: Maybe we have more choice than we think, right?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Maybe.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: That's the one I always play with. you know how much That's the thing I always play with now in my mind is you know how much is really choice and how much is beyond what what isn't a choice for me, but what is.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And I think you get yourself pigeonholed into this where you're like, well, this is just my life, forgetting that you have the choice and that at any time you have the power to go a different way and to like put on a backpack and walk for 17 days because you can.
Elizabeth: Mm-hmm.
Elizabeth: one
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You know, i think that people just, yes, yes.
Elizabeth: You have more power than you think, maybe. Right? Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: i think that's I think that's the takeaway that I wish more people would see. that it's never going to be perfect. There's always going to be something, but you can still make it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Like my dad passed away from lung cancer a couple of years ago and it was terrible.
Elizabeth: I'm sorry.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And this man drove me crazy. I got to tell you, Elizabeth, this man drove me insane because he was the most positive, disgustingly optimistic human being on the face of the earth.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And he would like call me at like 530 in the morning and I'd be like, what? He'd be like, it's going to be such a great day. And I'd be like, cool. Talk to you in four hours.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I don't want to do this with you.
Elizabeth: but
CHANTELLE KINCY: And he's like, no, it's the best time of the day and the sun is out and it's so great. And I was like,
Elizabeth: one
CHANTELLE KINCY: that And so then even like going through chemo and radiation and all these horrible things, he'd be like, one down. It's a good day today. I got it done.
CHANTELLE KINCY: and he was just always so disgustingly happy.
Elizabeth: That's a gift.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But it really is. And now I miss it so much. I need that in my life because I'll be like, get up. I'm like, just open the curtains, Shan. It'll be a great day. It'll be great day, you know?
Elizabeth: No, did he carry that with him to the end?
CHANTELLE KINCY: But The entire time.
Elizabeth: Wow.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It was amazing. And he never, and it, but that goes back, it's a choice, right?
Elizabeth: Right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Like he was not having a great day. He was having a really, really crappy day, but he wouldn't tell you that.
Elizabeth: Mm-hmm.
Elizabeth: Mm-hmm.
CHANTELLE KINCY: And he would like, I think he really believed it sometimes that it was going to be a great day. And that's the choice, right? Like
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's the choice. And yeah, and I'll tell you, I protested every step of his happy little way because I was just like,
Elizabeth: How lucky you were to walk with him, you know, to journey with him.
Elizabeth: but
CHANTELLE KINCY: I would like force myself to be grumpy just because I was like, no, it's not a good day. It's too early to be a good day. Yeah.
Elizabeth: It's hard. I mean, i don't know if I could do it. and And I hope I don't have to find out, you know, hope it like I, but I mentioned that it was very hard for him sometimes to make that choice.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I know.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. And I think that we do that aunt on a lesser level, right?
Elizabeth: i don't know if I could do it
CHANTELLE KINCY: We're not fighting the battle that dad did.
Elizabeth: it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But we're still making those active choices every day. We could sit on the couch and just be like, it's raining. don't know if you can do anything.
Elizabeth: Right.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Or it could be like, oh, you know what? It's raining. Maybe like this waterfall will be like raging right now. We should go check it out. I don't know. I think we just always have that in us. I think it's just easy to push it aside and get, you know, just just lazy with our lives just to like go on autopilot and, you know.
Elizabeth: Oh, for sure. Very easy. Very easy. Yeah. It's hard to live mindfully 365. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It really is. And that's not realistic either. You know, um i think you do need those times of just like, you know, as long as that doesn't become your entire personality.
Elizabeth: yeah yeah are
CHANTELLE KINCY: would you say to someone who is in this second act of life and who is maybe a little hesitant to to take that first step, what would you tell them after you've done all of these things?
Elizabeth: Oh, that's a great question. First of all, i think that baby steps are good and and it's okay to be afraid. You know, I'm afraid sometimes, right?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: i Believe it or not, I hate to fly. Like I'm scared of flying. And so, but I have to, again, make that choice. Am I going to let that hold me back or am I going to work through this and maybe have an amazing experience, right?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. Yeah.
Elizabeth: hopefully. and I, I, that's what people who are interested in traveling either solo or or at this stage of life, you know, they have to, again, make that choice that I don't want to be held back by something.
CHANTELLE KINCY: yeah
Elizabeth: I'm in good health. I'm feeling well, I'm going to go and take advantage of this opportunity because you really don't know what, when that could change.
Elizabeth: So I would say baby steps are okay. You don't need to climb Mount Everest. You don't need to hike the Appalachian Trail your first time out. Just going to maybe a different country that maybe speaks English so that you're not struggling with the language, you know, ease into travel with and then push yourself out of your comfort zone little by little is what I would say.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes.
Elizabeth: It doesn't have to be, you don't have to throw yourself in the deep end.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I love that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, I love that. And then if people are interested in the walk that you did, what is a good resource?
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Do you have that on your blog? Do you have writing about that? Or did what resource did you kind of use to help plan that out in the first place? Because I know people will want to do it.
Elizabeth: Yeah. Okay. Okay. So, um, i did write up a very long length, you know, in-depth blog post about it. And I did list all my resources there on my blog.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Great.
Elizabeth: second.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So I'll put a link to that in the description for people.
Elizabeth: Perfect. Perfect.
CHANTELLE KINCY: go ahead.
Elizabeth: Yeah. And then the other thing I did, um, you're not so much a visual person is I made 10 minute podcasts of, um, I just broke the trail down into preparing for the trail, packing for the trail, resources that you need to have with you on your phone.
Elizabeth: the, I think what the very best hiking guide is, and I put that in a podcast format, just 10 minutes each so that, you could listen to whatever you needed very quickly. And then I'll probably do one more, just about, you know, maybe, accommodations and and the different types of accommodations on the trail or something.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's amazing. That's a great resource. So what is the name of your podcast? Where can people find you? Tell us about your blog, your podcast, all the things where people can follow along.
Elizabeth: Sure. my blog is called second act travels.com. And my podcast is on, it's the same second act travels and it's all 10 minute podcasts.
Elizabeth: And then you can find that on Apple and Spotify and and the the usual platforms. And then I'm also on Pinterest. tend to like Pinterest because I like the visual quality of it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yes.
Elizabeth: The visual imagery and search engine and Instagram. Maybe second act travels as well.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Is that second act travels as well?
Elizabeth: maybe I'll start a Facebook group, but right now it's right now I just want to concentrate on Pinterest and Instagram.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You'll love that. So I'll have all those links in the description so that you guys can, check out Elizabeth's stuff and follow along with her. And then I'm sure if you guys have questions about the walk, she's happy for you guys to reach out through her blog.
Elizabeth: Yeah, totally. You can email me at Elizabeth at secondactravels.com.
CHANTELLE KINCY: n
Elizabeth: it's, it yeah it is easy to contact me through the blog page. So yeah, go right ahead.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Very cool. It's one of the things I love about the travel community is people who have experiences are so happy to pass that forward and to share. Like, cause you're excited to talk about it. So if someone's like, oh, I need help.
CHANTELLE KINCY: You're not like, oh great. Now I got to talk about this again. No, you're like, yeah, heck yeah.
Elizabeth: normal
CHANTELLE KINCY: Let's do it.
Elizabeth: It's a generous community. I mean, they're just, the the travel community is out to help other people, you know, make their travel goals come true.
CHANTELLE KINCY: It really is.
Elizabeth: And, it's all just very good vibes.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: I would agree with you.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah. You can really learn a lot just hanging out with people who travel just so many different life lessons and things that you didn't even know existed.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I was just talking to someone a while ago who wants to like ride a horseback through Mongolia And I was like, wait, what's happening?
Elizabeth: but
CHANTELLE KINCY: This is crazy cool. so Like never crossed my mind, but like you go girl. like
Elizabeth: Oh my gosh, that's amazing. I'd never have thought of that.
CHANTELLE KINCY: That's what I'm saying. Like you just, all of a sudden you're like talking about something and then something else pops up and then you're in this whole new world that you didn't even know existed, which I think is so, so rad.
CHANTELLE KINCY: So yeah.
Elizabeth: Wow, that is great. I got to look it up. I got to go to. my old
CHANTELLE KINCY: I know. Yeah. So, well, thank you for hanging out with us today and for sharing your experience. It was so fun talking to you. And I'm kind of inspired. I kind of want to go on a walk.
CHANTELLE KINCY: I think I'm going to have to check it out. I've been looking at the Cotswalt's Way.
Elizabeth: Oh, yes.
CHANTELLE KINCY: so yeah, so I was kind of looking at that.
Elizabeth: Yes. I want to do that one. you want to do together?
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah, it'd be so fun. could do like a little group trip.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: But I didn't realize, I guess that there was other options.
Elizabeth: So, you know yeah, that's...
CHANTELLE KINCY: And I do like the flat option. That sounds kind of delightful.
Elizabeth: It is, and the Cotswolds is pretty flat, too. I mean, there are some hills, but they're kind of rolling hills, but I really want to do that path.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: That's on my bucket list.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Yeah.
Elizabeth: yeah, the Thames Path, if you really don't like hills, Thames Path is definitely the way to go. Well, good luck.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Love it so much. All right. Thank you for hanging out with us.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
CHANTELLE KINCY: All right.
Elizabeth: but the you And thank you again for having me.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Keep in touch. All right.
Elizabeth: appreciated it.
CHANTELLE KINCY: hu
Elizabeth: Take care.
CHANTELLE KINCY: Bye.
Elizabeth: Bye.
