032. Travel Like a Millionaire with Heather Christopher

Lifestyle

Feb 9

Travel the world in style, regardless of your budget

Today, Amber is joined by travel advisor Heather Christopher to answer all your trip-planning questions. From hot travel trends to tips on traveling in comfort without breaking the bank, Heather shares her insights into how you can have the most memorable, rich-girl-vibe vacation yet.

After a successful ten-year career working for a travel agency, Heather founded HC Travel Firm. As a collective, they’ve planned over 5,000 trips as an agency and have connections all across the world! Step away from the dodgy Trip Advisor reviews, close your 17 tabs, pour yourself a Mai Tai, and watch how easy it becomes when you leave it to her and her team.

In today's episode, we cover the following:

What does a travel advisor do (2:55)
Who should work with a travel advisor (5:25)

How do travel advisors get paid (7:18)

How travel advisors create memorable trips (8:23)

2024 travel trends (10:05)

Best practices for trip planning (18:10)

How many trips should you book in a year? (21:30)

Flying commercial in economy or business class (25:09)

Hot travel tips for girlies on a budget (26:25)

Ideas for a hot honeymoon trip (30:09)

Rapid fire rich girl questions (31:24)

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:05.610] - Amber F.

Hello, rich girls, and welcome back to Old Money, the podcast for women building the trust fund they wish they were born with. Or for today's episode, we could say it's the podcast for women with first class ambitions who want to travel the world in style. I'm your host, Amber Frankhuizen. And today we are joined by the woman who has the answers to all of your burning travel questions, like how to get your name embroidered on a hotel pillow, how to actually score reservations to the hottest restaurants around the world, and how to have a vacation that feels as good IRL as it looks on Instagram. I am so happy to introduce the founder of HC travel firm, whose team has planned over 5000 trips. They are the go to resource for rich girls who expect the best and don't want to sweat over planning their own vacations. Welcome to the show, Heather.

[00:00:51.130] - Heather C.

Christopher, thank you for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. Huge fan, slightly fan girling.

[00:00:58.530] - Amber F.

Oh, you're so sweet. Well, this has been, like, a long time coming because everything I want to talk to you about, as I shared, is selfish. Like, I need to know the answers to all of the travel questions, so I think this is going to be a fun one.

[00:01:09.140] - Heather C.

I do, too. I was like, hopefully I come through here.

[00:01:12.250] - Amber F.

Oh, 100%. You will. Am I correct in seeing that you have a trip to Africa coming up?

[00:01:18.110] - Heather C.

Yes. I leave this week. Coming week.

[00:01:20.890] - Amber F.

How's packing going? Oh, my gosh. Tell us about it.

[00:01:22.720] - Heather C.

Ask me in a week. Ask me what's on there, if it works. I'm trying to take really good notes because there's not a lot of great resources out there, so I'm trying to take notes. I'm also not someone who's great at styling myself, so I'm constantly searching Instagram for what people are wearing.

[00:01:41.970] - Amber F.

Literally.

[00:01:42.760] - Heather C.

Okay, am I going to be cool? Very stressful.

[00:01:45.050] - Amber F.

I have an Instagram or not an Instagram? A pinterest board started for two trips that I have already, and I'm like, I just need a personal shopper and a travel advisor. So let me ask you, Heather, as you're going on this huge trip, do you plan your own trips, or is your team planning your trip for you? Like, who's taking care of?

[00:02:02.870] - Heather C.

That's. That's a good question. So in this case, this is a work trip, meaning it is a familiarization trip. So one of our partner in Africa has put this together, which is, like, dangerous in the world of being a travel advisor, because I literally know the itinerary like, this much. Sorry. Nobody can see that. I know 50% of the itinerary. I have a rough idea of what I'm doing, but I'm like, I'm not in charge, so sounds like I'll find out when I get there. So, no, I really didn't do any planning for this, even to the point of, like, maybe I should look at what I need to bring last week and start Amazon priming everything. Oh, I love it. Just in case. But, no, this is a work trip.

[00:02:43.630] - Amber F.

So you are in the position of one of your clients, so to speak, and why don't we start there? Why don't you explain to us what it is you and your team do for your clients in this travel advising role?

[00:02:56.410] - Heather C.

Of course. So our job is to take all of that stuff in your head about you go to planet trip, you start opening every tab. We do all of it. We take all of the brainstorming, which, for some people, happens more often than not, and others know exactly what they want to do or where they want to go. Research, pricing, and then once we get past that stage, it's the reservations, the management of it all, the concierge tasks, dining reservations, spa reservations. You want a walking map with pins of every cool place to shop in Soho. I just did a really fun one for London, actually, for a jewelry maker. And so we got to do all these really fun walking map pins. I don't know if that's a technical name, like a Google. You know what I mean? I get.

[00:03:39.780] - Amber F.

Yeah, totally.

[00:03:40.640] - Heather C.

Like the Google map with the pins.

[00:03:42.800] - Amber F.

Stop here. Stop it.

[00:03:46.040] - Heather C.

I don't know if that's a technical name. Someone needs to educate me. And from that know, making sure your children have cribs. And then, of course, we're there to help while you are traveling, if something goes wrong, I think that's obviously a huge selling point in our value is like, you're not alone. You're not calling a 1800 number. We're texting, we're going back and forth, whatever we need to get done. And then, of course, post travel, if there's any, God forbid, we had to make an insurance claim or something of that effect that we're dealing with, too. With you, I consider it like a done for you service. Yeah, like, we're taking it up, you're outsourcing it because you don't want to do it, and you'd rather the expert, the professional do it. So that is our goal.

[00:04:27.770] - Amber F.

Right. And how much information are your clients coming to you with? You mentioned, like, you have a jewelry maker so are you suggesting what they do? Are they giving you their dream itinerary and you execute it, or is it a blend of both?

[00:04:40.860] - Heather C.

100% blend of both. It really is so client dependent. I would say that we excel best when we're given a lot more of the creative power. We can be more creative in the itinerary, and we're not being micromanaged. I think that's any job probably right. Nobody loves being micromanaged. But I would say that usually the more somebody just dumps on us and says it and lets us go to town and do our thing, it turns out, like, people come to us with really specific needs, sometimes know, maybe they have a child who knows. Harry Potter obsessed. Okay, we'll run with, like, let's do it. Whatever the case may be.

[00:05:18.700] - Amber F.

I love that. Tell me a little bit more about your clients, like personality or job wise? These are obviously people who are looking for an expert to outsource. So who are your clients? Where are they coming from? What are their jobs? And how much are they spending on vacation?

[00:05:35.570] - Heather C.

I feel like it's a wider range than someone may imagine in terms like, we have everything from our retirees to our honeymooners and everything in between. So in a perfect world, we're with these clients from honeymoon on. That's like the goal right now.

[00:05:50.910] - Amber F.

I love that.

[00:05:51.470] - Heather C.

I know. I just had a call this morning with, like, sweet baby mooners. And this is our fifth trip together. We've done their honeymoon, we've done everything in between, and my heart is so happy. So it really ranges as far as most of them are professionals, or we've got dad who's out of the home, mom who's staying home with the kids. Honestly, they're spread across all of the US. I would say in mostly mid size or large cities. It's like being real demographicy as far as how much they're spending. We have the clients that spend at least ten grand every quarter, and they're traveling pretty consistently. And then we have the ones that go all out at 40K plus once a year. And the ones that are, like, doing little weekend long trips that are a couple of thousand. There's a range. And our minimum spend when we first work with a client is ten K. Just because depending on what they're coming to us for, there's always some, like, I always say in joke that I like to be the gatekeeper but never be afraid to ask. Right. But if you want to go to Charleston, you don't need to spend ten K for Charleston, but that's we're talking Europe or anywhere else.

[00:06:51.140] - Heather C.

We have a minimum so that we know we can give you what you actually want and need or what we do best. If you're a diyer to the core, we're probably not a perfect fit anyways. If you're someone who loves hardcore, researching every research. Love the tab. Yeah. You're not outsourcing this, but, yeah, honestly, the spend really ranges. We try to be as flexible with it as possible, but we just want to be realistic with people.

[00:07:17.230] - Amber F.

Of course. And let's talk about the business side of things for a second. From a travel advising standpoint, how do you all get paid? Are you guys getting hookup on travel expenses or costs? Do you pass that on to the client? Do you work on commission? How does this work?

[00:07:32.080] - Heather C.

Love it. So we do get paid, though, two main ways. Commissions from our partners. So, Amber, you and Justin go to the four seasons, and we make the reservation for you. They're paying us 10% of the pretax amount of your room. Okay. And then the other way is through our fees, which I would say. I think the statistic nowadays is, like, over 50%. Advisors are charging fees. Now. We've been fee based for the last eight years, so we start at $500 for us to do the planning, and then it goes down once you've become a loyal client. But, yeah, those are the two ways we make money.

[00:08:10.200] - Amber F.

So you're working with people who are spending $10,000 a quarter, $40,000 on a big trip, anywhere in between. You're obviously working with high net worth people or people who have disposable income, and they've likely seen it. All right, so how do you make a trip special or memorable or amazing for these people?

[00:08:28.390] - Heather C.

My favorite part about travel is people. So, to me, it's all in the people. It's whoever I know that I can connect with to make a lasting impression. That's, to me, what travel is all about. You go because, yes, you want to see something beautiful, right? Of course. But you might remember. You look at the picture and you're scrolling through, you share it to Instagram. But what you remember is the person who took care of you. The grandma you met, the nona you met, who you made pasta with, or whatever the case may be, your driver in Ireland who took you all around for five days and basically became your kid's. Like, I don't know. To me, that's at the core of really what this is. It's just all human connection. We want to be. Not to be philosophical.

[00:09:14.140] - Amber F.

No, but that's gorgeous because that's the kind of x factor that you have, you know, the people, right. In all of these different places. So instead of wandering around and hoping you meet somebody as a DIY traveler, you're going to facilitate that connection up front, right.

[00:09:29.260] - Heather C.

I mean, literally, it's a whole industry of people in general. That's all we do. It's who do you know? Who does my colleague know that we can connect you with to make this an even cooler experience? Something that can't be replicated in any way, shape, or form? And it's hard these days to find a non googleable experience, right. I don't even know that they exist at this point. Some days, like when somebody's like, we want off the beaten path, I'm like, if it's that off the beaten path and not on TikTok, you actually probably don't want to go. Like, that means it's scary, it's not good anymore.

[00:10:00.870] - Amber F.

And I want to talk about that, too. Let's go into that, Heather, because I want to know travel trends. And I think that that's such an interesting component, too. It's like all of these quote unquote secrets on TikTok and Instagram, I believe they're kind of getting these places overexposed. And maybe the places that were so hot ten years ago are not it anymore. Mykonos is something people talk about as just like, it's over or Tulum, it's over because it's not authentic as it was. When we look at the up and coming spots, where are people loving going right now? Are there any new flight paths that have opened up or new hotels in more unique places that you've been booking travel to?

[00:10:43.600] - Heather C.

Oh, my gosh. Okay, so many. But what immediately comes to mind, Malta, which is geographically, we'll say an island off of Italy. I feel like that is an up and coming place because is she's still having her moment post COVID.

[00:11:01.450] - Amber F.

Sure.

[00:11:02.120] - Heather C.

She hasn't come down from that high. I don't think it will happen anytime soon. So I'm like, if you want, know, alternative, I'm like, we need to do Malta. Speaking of like, we've gotten better lift to the Caribbean, which I know you're a west coaster, so Caribbean's not as easy for you. But all of the lift that you guys have just gotten in the last mean now you have like a nonstop from, I think, la to Montego Bay, from La to NASA. Not necessarily my personal two absolute favorite destinations, but at least we're getting somewhere, right? Like, we're getting there slowly but surely. Dominica in the Caribbean. I have this, I'm not even going to say the name of it because I don't want everybody to slock there because I love this little property and I want to protect it. Come DM me and I'll tell you where it is. But I was like, I want to keep it slightly secret. I love this little property so much. I feel like this is a bit of a regional thing, but I am obsessed with Portugal and I feel like 90% of the people I talked to are like, oh, I've never thought about Portugal.

[00:12:06.400] - Heather C.

And I'm like, you're missing out. It's the best. Yeah. And then beyond that, we're seeing a huge, like, we're starting to see more East Africa, which is usually, like, for a more well traveled clientele. Somebody who's already been to Africa once or has been other places around the world, it's becoming more marketed, so people are hearing it more and sometimes it takes. You're a marketer, you could understand this. You have to say it so many times to people, right. And then finally they're like, wait, yes, this sounds interesting.

[00:12:37.330] - Amber F.

And a couple other places that I'm curious about, too. I feel like Croatia has had this huge resurgence after everybody figured out that's where they filmed the Game of Thrones intro. What else is happening in the Mediterranean that's up and coming? Is like turkey a good spot to go to Croatia? Where else are you seeing?

[00:12:53.900] - Heather C.

So Croatia is still hot. Right above Croatia is Slovenia, Montenegro. If you like Croatia, you need to do Montenegro. Brand new one and only property.

[00:13:05.470] - Amber F.

That's what I've heard. I love that. Okay.

[00:13:07.550] - Heather C.

So high on my own list. Also, as far as Greece goes, I would do instead of like Mykonos, you do Peros and Noxos, which are finally getting a few luxury boutique hotels that we needed. I think sometimes people don't realize we don't always have all the beds to hold the demand or not in my world, like luxury, true luxury properties. So Mykonos I would do mean, I kind of think a few nights in always are always good. Santorini is always hot. It just is. It's worth like the hype one time in your life at least. But outside of Athens, a few hours west is a whole area full of really cool properties. Hiking, just a place that Europeans will vacation, but not Americans. So if that's of interest to people, also another great spot.

[00:13:59.230] - Amber F.

Amazing. And then what's going on in South America, Central America right now. I feel like I heard there's a Kimpton property that just opened up in Panama and that place is popping. Like, where are you sending people in south and central America?

[00:14:12.200] - Heather C.

My God. Panama is having a moment. Panama and mean the value to the dollar, to their dollar is insane. You're very wealthy there. So if we want to be rich girls on an actual, we're actually rich girls on a budget. Those are great places where you're like, I am a rich girl. I feel great here. This is where I can buy and shop and do all the things. Panama, Colombia. Yeah, I'm seeing, and I kind of think this trend will continue now that we have this whole generation that's done a lot of Europe already, like you and I, potentially grew up with people who, we did Europe as kids or into our early twenty s and stuff, whereas the generation before us didn't really. So I'm seeing a huge draw to South America in general. Chile, Argentina, the Patagonia area, Brazil, Peru, of course, because we've already done Europe and we want a different feel.

[00:15:08.050] - Amber F.

Heather, one of the things that I find that I do not well as a traveler is that we go to the same places all of the time because I like to know what to expect. It's a certain level of comfort and relaxation for me. So we've gone to the same hotel in Cabo, like three times. I like to go to the same places in Palm Springs because that level of expectation of knowing you're in good hands is really comforting to me. And as a person that doesn't have a lot of time to be researching, that's been my default. So I think one of the things that's so interesting about what you do is that you really help provide that level of comfort and security that your clients are going to get a very relaxing trip where things are thought of. They don't have to do the heavy lifting of not knowing what to expect.

[00:15:50.850] - Heather C.

There's nothing wrong with being a risk heater if you're in a season of life. I say that families, a lot of times, if they went and took their young kids to a place that they loved and you loved it, and you're like, gosh, should we go back to everybody's in a different season? You're in a really busy season of life where you're defaulting. You're like, I want to go and relax, and I don't want to think then that's why we do repeats. I don't think there's anything wrong with it? I think where I immediately am like, what hotel is it? Okay, where can I get to a comparable experience that I feel like you're going to go and be like, oh, okay, this feels good. Feels like the same. The service is good. I'm going to be comfortable here, et cetera. I feel like a lot of what our job is with, especially our really loyal clients that we work with continuously. It's like, okay, now we have this set standard. Okay, where do you go from here? And what can we send you to next? So that if you want a new destination out of it.

[00:16:45.490] - Amber F.

Absolutely. And that's one of the things, too. As we travel, our specifications are becoming more specific on cultural stuff that you can't find on a website. It's like, we want a central pool where there's a vibe and the right music and the right people to people watch. And it's architecturally interesting. Those are the things that we care a lot about, and it's hard to see what the pool vibe is. Right. And I'll give you a good example. We just went to Punta Mita for the first time last year. We stayed at the Conrad, which was a beautiful hotel. But all of their pools, there's like, five pools there, so there's no central location where there's energy and a vibe. It's very like people are separate and they don't spend time together. There's not that mingling, and it wasn't right for us, and it's a beautiful property, but it wasn't our vibe, and that's the stuff we're looking for.

[00:17:39.250] - Heather C.

Yeah. Honestly, the fact that the two of you even recognize that is huge, that you can articulate that to be like, this is great, or this isn't great.

[00:17:49.860] - Amber F.

But the funny thing is, too, about travel. I have a very specific theory about travel, which is that there's a difference between a trip and a vacation. And a trip is something where I'm expected to attend or see or do things. And on a vacation, I need all unscheduled time. How do you typically schedule vacations for your clients or trips for your clients? Do you have a day of activity, a day of rest? Is there a routine, a method to your madness? Like, how do you set these up for success?

[00:18:20.140] - Heather C.

So we spend a lot of time talking about it with clients initially, because I need to know whether they like a really jampacked day and then they want to chill at night, whether they need a balance, whether we need half day, not a full day. So every client is a little different. But generally speaking, those are the kind of three decisions you're picking between. You want a half day activity and the rest of the day is on your own. Whether it's to hang out at a pool or beach or to go explore. Do you need constantly something to do? And sometimes that's the difference between two, like a couple, it'll be one needs, usually the male needs more to do than the female. Could be wrong, but that's what I've seen. Or some people want completely unstructured time and just suggestions so defaulting to what they tell us. And then of course, taking the feedback from once they get back, like trying to listen to a lot of the underlying ways of people say stuff.

[00:19:17.490] - Amber F.

And what about when you're traveling and needing to switch locations? A lot. Something that happens often, especially in Europe or if you're in Southeast Asia. What's your rule of thumb for what's the right amount of time to spend in a place? Is it city dependent or are you should spend a minimum of two days each place? What's your go to on that?

[00:19:37.240] - Heather C.

I would say slightly city dependent, but in general, minimum two nights. Perfect. Like, to me, if I'm looking at an itinerary of ten days and let's say we're going through Italy, I don't want you changing more than three times. They're going to come back and be like, I got hit by a bus. I have no idea what I saw. Yeah, and that's to your point, that's a trip, right? When you go to Italy for the purpose of touring, of, like I came, I saw, I conquered. That's a.

[00:20:07.490] - Amber F.

And I mean, are there any hacks to make that travel switch mean or less cumbersome? I mean, that's one of the mean. Fortunately, especially, like in Japan or something, you can take the train. And I feel like that's just less of a lift than going through TSA in America. Right. And same thing in Europe, you have train opportunities. But what hacks do you tell clients to make that whole transition period more doable?

[00:20:32.320] - Heather C.

Pay for the convenience.

[00:20:33.550] - Amber F.

Ooh, love it.

[00:20:34.320] - Heather C.

Do not start being cheap about transportation. Like somebody picking you up and taking you from the hotel to the train station. Yes. Can you get an uber cab, et cetera? Sure. And by all means. Are they difficult things to do? No, but if you want truly to feel like you didn't have to lift a finger and you didn't have to think you're paying for convenience, you're paying for services. I want a porter to take my bags to the train because I've never done it before and I'm scared to death of it. That's usually really common when people haven't done a lot of european travel. The japanese train system is actually a great example. It takes a little bit of nuance to know the rules and things like that, especially if you're a nervous traveler or somebody who gets hit really hard with exhaustion when traveling, then you have to pay for the convenience. Don't start trying not to pick things apart at that point, because the whole.

[00:21:23.710] - Amber F.

Point of going on vacation is to enjoy yourself and come back feeling recharged and inspired.

[00:21:28.470] - Heather C.

Right.

[00:21:28.730] - Amber F.

So, speaking of that, do you have any anecdotal data or thoughts on what the right number of trips is a year? Maybe this is for people in different stages of their life, like young professionals. Should they be going on vacation once a quarter? Family should be doing two big trips a year. One big trip a year.

[00:21:46.150] - Heather C.

What are you seeing as somebody who's fully in the season of having young children? I'm always like, we should have traveled more before kids. So anybody who's like, pre kids travel, it's just simpler, cheaper, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So I feel like, go. Go while you can. I also try to encourage folks, like when they want to do a fairly big, what we might all consider a bucket lister, and they want to do Australia, they want to do New Zealand. I really try to encourage that when they're not post retirement, because we have our health, typically younger we are, and I've watched too many clients not be able to take the trip or go as far as they originally wanted to because post retirement, we're not physically able. Or we have other life happens to all of us, and we have other responsibilities, et cetera. So I think for families, though, getting into that bracket twice a year is ideal. Like, if you're a really active family, maybe you're doing a winter ski trip that's pretty common. And then a summer we're doing something else. Whether it's Europe, depending on how many breaks you get in the school year, fitting in a know, caribbean trip, things of that, Hawaii trip, things of that nature, and then passed it into our retirees.

[00:22:54.810] - Heather C.

Most of them travel at least two to four times a year, if not more. Like you're taking little trips and bigger trips in between.

[00:23:02.110] - Amber F.

I think that's so important to speak about, too, Heather, and I appreciate you bringing it up. It's kind of the core of the old money philosophy. We are not just saving for retirement and putting money away for a rainy day. We're figuring out how to live our rich lives now. And so I think it's really important to have that perspective of if you're just waiting till retirement to get all your travel in, who knows what things look like then? So seize the opportunity while you have it. So speaking of kind of these bucket list items that you've talked about, I'd love to know, are you helping people with bucket list trips? Are you sending people to Antarctica? I don't know if you've seen the videos of that boat on the Drake passage that's been going viral recently, but not for me. Not going to do it. What are the craziest trips that you've planned?

[00:23:48.550] - Heather C.

Oh, my gosh. I haven't. I'm going to go look for it, though. I assume it was like the drink passage was rocking that day. Oh, it's horrifying.

[00:23:55.350] - Amber F.

Just like, things are flying off the boat, the waves are coming over. No, I am not going RSVP. No.

[00:24:01.070] - Heather C.

For me, I was like, that's so high on my list, too, but I'm also terrified of the trip. I don't know if I'll make it there. Oh, my gosh. Okay. I think the craziest trip that I have planned are the ones that have done so many that are logistically heavy.

[00:24:17.820] - Amber F.

Okay.

[00:24:18.260] - Heather C.

Because I think in my mind, I'm just like, I have a client's jet, which is not an OD combo to do New Zealand and Australia. So we spent, like, three weeks in there, then jetted from there. We did Fiji for a few days, and then jetted from there and did the South Pacific or like, kauai, I should say. And I was a. Anytime somebody can go more than a month is always amazing to me in this day and age. Right? Blows my mind.

[00:24:43.100] - Amber F.

And you mentioned this a minute ago, too, but coordinating travel by private jet, talk to us about the options that are out there, because I don't think a lot of people know that flying semi private is actually really achievable, especially domestically now. So when are people going from first class commercial to flying private? What does that look like? How do you help clients in what I believe to be the most cumbersome part of travel is just the getting there.

[00:25:09.430] - Heather C.

Agree. So I love flying business, and I feel like I've done a pretty good job of convincing most people to do that. But I think the jump happens once they start realizing it's attainable. If you're already spending $25,000 to fly business, then we need to be looking at other options and then it also can be a bit more regional based where you live. Like, JSX isn't all over the states yet. It's mostly like middle and west coast. Like, you're fortunate enough to be out in an area where it exists. But I do expect more and more of that to become a thing because more people are flying business class and want that. That was probably the best part that.

[00:25:49.250] - Amber F.

Came out of COVID I just want to get on. What airline is it that gives you like the pajamas and has the shower? Is that Emirates?

[00:25:56.140] - Heather C.

Emirates, Qatar does it? There's a few now that all like, incredible have that. I was like, I have not showered in the air yet, but I imagine that to be like an interesting experience in general. Just like, oh, 100%. That's different.

[00:26:11.460] - Amber F.

I get scared flushing a toilet on an airplane. I don't know how I would be in a shower, but I think I would definitely need to try it.

[00:26:18.230] - Heather C.

I always feel less anxious when I'm up in business class too, because I'm not the best liar. Despite having to do it for a job, I still am like, oh God, Lord help us all.

[00:26:26.940] - Amber F.

Please let's shift into a couple of hot tips for our girlies on a budget who are looking to kind of DIY, but looking for a better experience for themselves. So, first of all, I'd love if you could shout out some of the hotel chains that you recommend for the great customer service. The best experience or the better experience. Is there any chains that come to mind?

[00:26:48.690] - Heather C.

I'm a Four Seasons fan, which I know is like one of the top. Of course. Yeah. I love an Amentara property. They're phenomenal also.

[00:26:59.430] - Amber F.

And tell us why. What makes them different?

[00:27:02.330] - Heather C.

The service. The people are just like, it's comfortable. You feel like you're at home, there's nothing. I walk into a room, there's nothing I need. They have decent hairdryers that has become my. That's huge. I want a steamer in my room and I want a decent hairdryer.

[00:27:17.600] - Amber F.

Yeah.

[00:27:18.590] - Heather C.

No more. Am I tolerating your crap Conair little junkie one. There's so many boutique properties that are not like anything that relays Chateau affiliation is usually. I'm usually a huge fan of which a lot of those are boutique. Like, only one owner. They don't have multiple properties and I would say none of them are true. Five stars. They could be four, four and a half stars for getting real technical in my head, but they all just have this good sense of place. Wonderful amenities, nothing is difficult. And people who want to work, they're all people who show up and actually want to work and do their job well. Yeah.

[00:27:56.580] - Amber F.

And for people, like I said, who can't afford you yet, but they want to feel more like a millionaire when they travel without using just the thousand tabs open on the computer of trying to figure it all out. Are there main resources that you point them to? Are there good Reddit pages or Facebook groups with any travel hacks? Or should they just go follow you on Instagram? Like, tell us the scoop.

[00:28:19.400] - Heather C.

Definitely want to follow us. Try to give us much scoop. Honestly, don't use Reddit myself. So I feel like, am I supposed to be using Reddit? Am I missing this? Okay, so my hacks to this are, know what your priorities are. Is it that this trip is a trip, right? Like you're going into the attention, you want to see the highlights. You're going to Venice, Florence, Rome, and you're like, I just need to see all the historical and cultural highlights. That's what I'm after. Okay, cool. You can go literally google that and find what consistently comes up. Right. If you are going to use, I would say people are going to use Tripadvisor Google reviews no matter what I have found. But if they're going to use them, my tip is always this. Read like the one star and the five star. Look at the dates of them and see what's consistent.

[00:29:04.330] - Amber F.

Oh, interesting. Okay.

[00:29:05.920] - Heather C.

Because there might be something, maybe the one stars complain about one particular thing. Well, then, even if this is the best you can afford, you at least have this expectation of what you're walking into and it won't come shocked. And that might be a deal breaker and you have to go to the next place. But for food, like, I always take the highest and the lowest, and then I'm looking for common denominators, if that's what I'm going to be comparing. There's also a really cool app. I just started following it a bit. It's called amigo, a m I g o, that writers. It's like a whole slew of people that are contributing their travel favorites. I actually use it for restaurants in cities that if I haven't been in three years, I'm going to see what's the hottest restaurant. And people are usually pretty descriptive and I have found that to be a solid resource.

[00:29:55.450] - Amber F.

Okay, you'll have to send me that link and we'll put it in the show notes so people can get access to it, too, because that sounds amazing. I love it. Okay, and then one more question before we jump into our rapid fire rich girl questions. And this is a very selfish question. Just engaged. All I care about is our honeymoon. So if you were planning the no expense beared, like, the place. Where are we going? Give me, like, a hot take, sexy honeymoon fast itinerary.

[00:30:23.650] - Heather C.

We're probably doing french Polynesia because you're west coast. Okay. But we're doing four seasons Bora Bora. And then we're going to the Brando, which is a private island. And that's where we're ending because that place is. Everything about it is sexy and even is the most sustainable. I think it might be the most sustainable property on earth right now. Like, self sustainable. Oh, wow. Which is very sexy these days, right?

[00:30:47.070] - Amber F.

Obsessed.

[00:30:47.910] - Heather C.

Otherwise, this is like asking me a favorite child, you know? Amber, like, I don't know. I have so many more questions. I need to know so many other things before I tell you what my answer is. But I was like, do you want to do, like, safari lodges throughout Africa? Is that sexy to you? We can camp under the. Like, could go crazy. But my immediate thoughts are like, okay, sexiest place. The brand is definitely up there.

[00:31:11.130] - Amber F.

I love it.

[00:31:12.220] - Heather C.

So crazy. Over the top.

[00:31:14.390] - Amber F.

I'm going to Google, and then obviously, I'll call you in a couple of months. But from now, let's get into our rapid fire ritual questions which are the same questions I ask all of our guests. And the first one is just the most perfect thing for you. Speaking of picking a favorite child, what is your personal favorite place to vacation?

[00:31:30.400] - Heather C.

It's always Hawaii.

[00:31:32.030] - Amber F.

What island?

[00:31:34.010] - Heather C.

The big island. That's my favorite.

[00:31:36.370] - Amber F.

And do you stay at a property? A boutique hotel. Where are you doing?

[00:31:40.000] - Heather C.

We were just there in November. That was our 10th trip. And we did newly done Obershman Alani, and we did the four season. Okay. And both were phenomenal. I loved them both.

[00:31:50.820] - Amber F.

Stunning. What is the best investment you've ever made?

[00:31:55.270] - Heather C.

Traveling with my kids? Honest. God, we're so crazy. Every single day. So anytime I can be fully focused and be truly present. I know that sounds very cliche, especially in this day and age, but.

[00:32:07.460] - Amber F.

No, it's beautiful.

[00:32:08.300] - Heather C.

It's true. If I'm allowed the gift of actually focusing on my three girls, that is like an investment, always worthwhile.

[00:32:16.050] - Amber F.

Oh, that's so good. What's a guilty pleasure that you have?

[00:32:19.440] - Heather C.

I read a ton of smut.

[00:32:21.200] - Amber F.

Oh, obsessed. Me too. What are you reading right now? Or have you read anything good that I need to check out?

[00:32:26.300] - Heather C.

I was like, I'll share it with you. Are you following bubbly beach reads or something?

[00:32:30.380] - Amber F.

No, but I will.

[00:32:31.620] - Heather C.

I will share it with you because it's great. Yes.

[00:32:36.610] - Amber F.

I have to say, with the smut category, there is no better type of book to read on vacation than smut. So if you've never read smut before, but you're going to be, like, in the bikini by a pool and you want to have a great time with your husband, your partner, your boyfriend, whatever. A smut book needs to be on your packing list.

[00:32:52.870] - Heather C.

Absolutely. I just need mindless. Like, it's so mindless. I don't have to better myself in a smut book. Nobody's yelling at me to like, you're not good enough.

[00:33:00.080] - Amber F.

No, we're not reading business books. No self help on vacation. This is like checkout time. I love that you're indulgence. Yes, 100%. Okay, Heather, what's some advice you would give your 21 year old self that.

[00:33:13.730] - Heather C.

You don't know everything? That's what I would tell myself. I would just be like, you're going to learn so much, and every single day you learn something new. And that's just how life goes. This is good. Yes. You're not done growing.

[00:33:29.650] - Amber F.

And what in your life makes you feel the wealthiest?

[00:33:34.610] - Heather C.

Can go back to my other answer. When I get to take my kids to, this sounds so bratty. I know that I'm privileged, but when I get to take my kids to a four season and they finally get to take something out of mommy's job that she spends so much time doing, and when I get to have that experience with them because I'm like, guys are so freaking lucky. I could have only dreamed of that as a kid and just getting into show them a world, taking helicopters and do all kinds of cool stuff, and those are just the best. That's what it's all about for me.

[00:34:07.070] - Amber F.

And that's what it should be all about. I mean, we're living this life and working so hard, trying to succeed at work in our businesses and in our investment accounts so that we can have these experiences that connect us with others and make us feel alive, like that's what we're doing it for. And that's why I think this conversation today was so important. To remind people it's time to book your trips for 2024. If you haven't already, and if you haven't already and you're going to do something big, you need to call Heather, make sure you follow her and get in touch with her. Heather, where can people find you on Instagram? On the web? Where should they get in touch with you?

[00:34:39.660] - Heather C.

Instagram is hctravel firm. That's our business page. And hctravelfirm.com.

[00:34:44.640] - Amber F.

I love that. And if you loved this episode, please take a screenshot and share it on your stories. Tag me at Oldmoney podcast. Tag Heather and her team at HC Travel Co. And let us know where you want to go next. I want to know where your travel plans are this year, your favorite restaurants, your favorite hotels, your favorite things to do. And I'll share it with the class so that we all get some inspiration on what we're doing for 2024. Heather, thank you so much for being on the show with us today. I'm so excited to get traveling with you very, very soon.

[00:35:12.500] - Heather C.

Thank you. Thank you for having me. Absolutely.

[00:35:17.430] - Amber F.

Feeling rich. I hope so. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Old Money. If you have questions you want answered, email me at oldmoneypodcast@gmail.com, or hit us up on social. We are at oldmoneypodcast and I am at your service. If this episode spoke to you, inspired you, helped you, if you took a single note, it would mean the world to me. If you could please just take a minute to rate and review the podcast. And if you're not doing so already, subscribe. And if you have friends who like getting rich, please share this episode with them, even if it's just on your Instagram story. And I'd love you more than Jeff Bezos loves Amazon prime. Thank you so much and I will talk to you on the next episode. Remember, I'm not your lawyer. I'm not your tax professional, and I'm not your financial advisor. The content presented in this podcast is intended to entertain, educate, inspire, and support listeners in their personal and professional development and does not constitute business, financial, or legal advice. In addition to that, this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

Resources

To learn more about Heather and HC Travel Firm and to book your dream trip, follow them on Instagram @HCTravelFirm and visit their website, hctravelfirm.com.

Today's episode is brought to you by HC Travel Firm—a boutique travel agency that crafts flawless trips for couples, families, and solo travelers. Pack your back and have the rest taken care of for you. Plan your seamless trip today at hctravelfirm.com and tell them that Old Money podcast sent you!

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The content presented in this podcast is intended to entertain, educate, inspire and support listeners in their personal and professional development and does not constitute business, financial, or legal advice. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services for which individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services related to the episode.

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