Transcript
Richard: Welcome to the Bravo Charlie Club podcast, making you 12 and a half minutes more awesome each week. He's Ben, I'm Richard. Let's go. Ben, how are you doing this week?
Ben: Well, mate, I thought you forgot to do the intro then. The music went forever. What was going on there?
Richard: I gave it a little, block I gave it the long play version.
Ben: You did. You did. You were just rolling getting the run up down the hill. I love it. Hey, the new listener country call out this week is Ecuador. So that's Ola.
Richard: Ecuador.
Ben: Yeah, I think we're getting a few Spanish-speaking countries into the yeah into the vibe.
Richard: Nice.
Ben: Yeah, so wow that's good news, good news. Hey, listening listening to a recent episode, a past episode recently, gave me a fully awake project topic I wanted to raise with you. since I do listen to past episodes from time to time, it's how I bump up our stats, to be honest. Yeah.
Ben: and
Richard: no Nice.
Ben: Anyway, it reminded me how I met a listener who of of BCC probably 20 years ago because he lent me that book that I mentioned, the Dave Allen book that I was quoting when we're talking about bucket lists and someday maybe lists.
Richard: Yeah.
Ben: And it was random because he was a customer of a cafe that I owned. And I pretty much think that he had it in his hand and he just turned around and said, do you want to borrow it?
Ben: And like i didn't even I don't think i ever knew his name at the time. And here I am.
Richard: That's awesome.
Ben: Yeah, here I am 20 years later. We're still friends. He's a dedicated listener, listens every Thursday when we drop on his walks or as soon as possible afterwards. I know he's up to date.
Ben: And and i was just thinking, you know, it's a funny how friendships can arise in in that way. And I wondered, what's the most unique scenario which you've met someone that you're still in touch with?
Richard: Yeah.
Richard: That I'm still in touch with. So probably, i really like the story of when I met my mate Ross.
Ben: Okay.
Richard: It was the first day of high school so that was grade 8, I think then, in Queensland, back when grade 8 was the first year of high school.
Richard: And ross turns to me and says hi i'm ross what's your name i went Nope, not telling.
Richard: So, he went to write to the roll call until he got my name.
Ben: whistle Was that the start of the friendship or the end of it?
Richard: So, yeah, so that was the start of it. We're great mate, service, and still catch up. Yeah, he lives in the UK now, but he's out here soon, actually.
Ben: Ross,
Richard: So, we'll catch up.
Ben: well ross
Richard: We do a couple of calls a year. Yeah.
Ben: If you're listening, Ross, we'll get in touch and we'll finally let you know Rich's name.
Richard: My social skills have improved since then.
Ben: a Oh, marginally. let Let me be the judge of that.
Richard: Marginally.
Ben: Oh, very good. Well, if Ross is getting on a plane, we better jump into travel tip of the week.
Richard: Oh, nice segue.
Ben: Yeah, listener CE wrote in to us and he recommended that we carry spare shoes so that you have somewhere to stick used underwear and socks so they don't get mixed in with your clean clothes.
Ben: What do you think of that, Richard? juop
Richard: where to start how do I carry spare shoes
Ben: There's a lot to unpack there. Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: start I don't know. but But sticking, I don't know. I don't know. So I don't think don't i don't think adding my sweaty sports top after I've done an an hour on the bike at the gym to a a pair of my shoes is going to make either the shoes better or the top.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: I think, yeah, I don't know. I think probably just use a plastic bag. like
Ben: Yeah. Well, for you, mate, dirty laundry for me, I just use a laundry bag. Like I'm – the idea of carrying a spare set of shoes, because I only travel with one pair of shoes.
Richard: Same.
Ben: Yeah. And so even carrying a spare pair of shoes is already off, you know, off piste for me. i i did trial rolling used items into themselves, you know, so at the end of the day, you've got your your polo, your your underwear and socks and rolling them into one so that, you know, you don't pick it up again.
Ben: I'm a big fan of rolling when I'm packing. Yeah.
Richard: Rolling's awesome. Rolling's the go, yeah.
Ben: Yeah. that That works. That works for certainly for like, you three or four night trips. That's easy. But I do carry a laundry bag on longer trips because you're probably finding a, you know somewhere to wash at one point.
Ben: So, yeah, there you go. Interesting.
Richard: And so what's the makeup of the laundry bag?
Ben: Well, thanks. Go on.
Richard: Is that is that like a sort of like a mesh bag or is it like like a linen bag? Is it like to breathable or?
Ben: It's. but Yeah, both. It's probably something I've borrowed from a hotel that I'm yet to return. Is that the right way of saying stolen?
Richard: I'll give back when I go back there, promise.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: Yeah.
Ben: I've got some really good quality laundry bags. But i've yeah I've probably got three or four and and generally they're very lightweight, sometimes mesh or linen, washable themselves. So I throw the laundry bag in with the laundry when I come home.
Ben: So, yeah, yeah, I think they're sort of recycled plastic or something they're made of, but it's actually feels like it's a, you know, those materials that feel like they're cloth, but it's actually like a recycled plastic.
Richard: yeah, got it.
Ben: Yeah, it's that i kind of thing.
Richard: Yeah, yeah, yep. I think you stay in flasher hotels than me, Ben.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: I think the laundry bags in my hotels are black like plastic bags. Yeah.
Ben: Well, we can talk about how to use points for upgrades and and getting the best deals around. I don't think I spend a lot more than what I think you and I have discussed as your budget, but we can we can take that one off air.
Richard: There
Ben: It's interesting. Yeah, I certainly don't stay in the very top tiers and, you know, wouldn't – in fact, I'm well under budget when I travel with my company. I don't see – I'm just looking for a comfortable place to sleep.
Ben: But – Yeah, I do seem to have access to good laundry bags, so maybe maybe that's the differentiator.
Richard: you go.
Ben: i mean I don't see it on the drop-down menu when I'm looking at at the hotel selection.
Richard: No.
Ben: you know Do they provide good
Richard: Booking.com doesn't have laundry bag materials selection filter.
Ben: They should. There's an idea. Hey, yeah listener LH asked, why do I carry US dollars for tipping? And it's a really interesting question, actually. i't I must have mentioned it at some point in one of our episodes. And I think it's mainly because Australian money looks like fake monopoly clown money to anyone who isn't is not Australian.
Ben: Like, you know, it's multiple colours, right? It's greens and oranges and blues and pink.
Richard: It is. got a bit of pop.
Ben: Like, it's pretty crazy.
Richard: Yep.
Ben: And the US, I think, is just widely recognised, acceptable and convertible, especially if you're giving it to... you know, someone in Indonesia or an Asian country where I seem to find myself, they can convert it easily and without, you know, without challenge.
Ben: So there you go. There's the, there's a version.
Richard: The universal currency.
Ben: to you Do you carry, alter i know you've got the Jason Bourne theme happening.
Richard: Yep.
Ben: Like when you show up at the airport, have you got 16 currencies in your money belt or how does it all work?
Richard: I, I'll only take the, uh, the Jason Bourne Ziploc cash bag for the countries that I'm visiting on the trip.
Ben: Yep. Gotcha. Okay.
Richard: Uh, and I'll, uh, I'll take that out, spend it. I'll, uh, maybe, you know, withdraw some from an ATM or something like that in the local currency where I am and what I don't spend goes back into the bag.
Richard: So Jason Bourne bag.
Ben: Into the Jason Bourne bag. Nice. Okay.
Richard: Yep.
Ben: Whereas i yeah I rarely even carry currency these days.
Richard: Hmm.
Ben: there's there's play at Some places, we've discussed this, we don't need to go back onto it. But yeah, I'm the same. Just carry the destination currency and some US bills for the for the tipping if it's needed.
Ben: Hey, another segue for you we were talking about what you do with laundry. You were recently talking about drying sheets and other clothes.
Richard: A good drive day, yeah.
Ben: The question I have for you, though, do you separate washing, like the lights and darks, or really?
Richard: You got it.
Ben: Why? really why
Richard: Yeah, because the is despite the fact that everyone claims that their clothes are colourfast, I'm sure like after, you know, five or ten washes, you can wash a red thing with your your whites and something stuff will still come out pink.
Richard: So like you got to, got to separate it.
Ben: Yeah, okay.
Richard: You got to separate out the colors. Yeah. Well, whites in particular, like I'll wash, I'll wash, wash kind of like it i'll I'll do mixed colors.
Ben: Interesting.
Richard: although reds, I've got, I've got a bit of I've got the eye twitch and the, the, the, the sch shoulder twitch from, from, from reds.
Ben: Hmm.
Ben: Yeah, okay
Richard: So I had a
Ben: okay. Pink shirts in the closet, haven't you?
Richard: a pristine white shirt once that was just like, it was just decimated with the, uh, with like an Andy Warhol tomato black mark from being commingled with a red thing in the wash.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: It was just like, i was, so I was sad.
Ben: Interesting.
Richard: I was sad panda there.
Ben: Look, mean
Richard: Yeah.
Ben: I'm on the opposite side of the coin. There are many, many, many, many things I love about my wife. But one of the the top hundred is the fact that she doesn't separate washing.
Ben: So it makes my job for putting laundry into the basket very simple because there's no guilt about having to search through it. Just piles it into the the washing machine and turns it on.
Richard: When you say piles it in, is it is it filled to the absolute brim or do you only ever fill three quarters?
Ben: I hear you. Yeah.
Richard: Front loader or top loader?
Ben: front loader, and if you can if you can fit your fist in it, there's still room for more.
Richard: Let's get the detail. Front loader.
Richard: No.
Ben: Like we just, yeah, yeah.
Richard: Oh, my God. No. that
Ben: not
Richard: You can't do that. They need space, Ben.
Ben: Yeah.
Richard: They need space to sort of like to tumble around.
Ben: To do what? They're not having a party in there. You're washing You see, the agitator, you've you've got a top loader clearly because that's the way they're
Richard: They are. To agitate. They've got to get clean through agitation, Ben.
Richard: No, no, front loader, front loader.
Ben: Well, there's no agitation in front-loading. It's a spin. That's like...
Richard: Oh, yeah, but they've got to be able to tumble and drop.
Ben: we begin
Richard: Like it's the it's the whole, if you' if they're if they're overloaded, then, you know, they just basically sit where you chuck them in and get wet. Might as well just put hang them up on the line and hose them down.
Ben: But don't you find if you've...
Ben: Well, there's a good idea. It seems like a time saver.
Richard: It's not bad idea, actually, now that I think about it.
Ben: always always find no matter how much I stuff it in there, by the time it comes to pull it out after it's finished the cycle, there's still loads and loads of room.
Ben: that it's that it's had. So there's clearly a physics explanation for all of that.
Richard: Mm-hmm.
Ben: I don't know what it is. We'll get a scientist to write in and share with us their answer and and we'll give it give our listeners the update when that comes.
Ben: Hey, that's it, Richard. Listeners have been BCC'd on our week. To the listeners, thanks for joining, especially for those who listen to the the Japanese deep dive podcast.
Ben: Get in touch with us. The links are always in the show notes.
Richard: I don't know that shape.
Ben: and next yeah In next week's show, we are going to ask when it to become okay to be flicking emails. See you next week.
Ben: Bravo, Charlie Club, out.
Richard: And that's the pod.
Ben: Yeah.
