Travel Pulls Us Out of Autopilot And Back Into Life | Debbie Haas

Travel can do more than change your scenery. It can change your physiology, your mood, and the way you show up in your relationships. I sit down with travel industry leader Debbie Haas to unpack the real connection between travel and wellness, and why the healthiest thing you might do this year is simply leave your routine and step into something new.

We talk about how Debbie’s early road trips and her time living in Belgium shaped her confidence and curiosity, plus the underrated power of letting locals guide your experience. From there, we get practical about active travel: choosing walkable places, building movement into your days, and enjoying local cuisine that often leans fresher and less processed. Debbie also shares an unforgettable Costa Rica story about waterfall rappelling and what it taught her about fear, courage, and the momentum that comes after the first step.

Then we shift into smart, essential travel health tips. Debbie opens up about experiencing a DVT and pulmonary embolism tied to frequent flying, and what she now does differently: hydration, getting up and moving, compression socks, protecting sleep across time zones, and thinking seriously about travel insurance. We also explore multigenerational travel, why anticipation is a major part of travel joy, the rise of nature trips and digital detox escapes, and simple sustainable tourism choices that support local communities and reduce overtourism.

If you want wellness travel ideas that are inspiring and usable, this conversation will give you a clear next step. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge to get out of autopilot, and leave a review with the one place you want to go next.

Transcript

Why Travel Impacts Wellness

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. Today we're talking about something that can impact our health in ways that we don't always think about. Travel. Travel can change perspective, break routine, strengthen relationships, and even reconnect us with nature. What I found most inspiring about travel is it really does help us feel alive. Today I'm joined by Debbie Haas. Debbie has spent years leading in the travel industry, including executive roles with AAA travel and serving with tourism cares. Today, we're exploring the connection between travel, wellness, relationships, and living an active, meaningful life. Debbie, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Thank you, Jeff. I'm so happy to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

You were saying that you and your team at AAA also have a podcast. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

We do. It's called Well Traveled with Triple A, and you could get it on Apple Podcasts Spotify.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Outstanding. So we've got a veteran here

Debbie’s Early Travel Roots

SPEAKER_00 1:23

today. And before we dive into our main topic, which is looking into the connection between travel and our wellness, I'd love for you to tell us more about your early beginnings. How did your passion first begin for travel? And how did living in Belgium shape your perspective on life and wellness?

SPEAKER_01 1:43

And well, like many people as a kid, you travel with your family maybe to go see your grandparents. But then my parents also took us on road trips. And sometimes those were very active. So we lived in Omaha for a while and they took us out to Colorado to go skiing. And that's probably the first time I ever saw the mountains. And so, you know, I have some really fond memories of driving through a blizzard and getting stuck in the western part of Nebraska trying to get there for a family vacation. But then we had great times. And, you know, we came back. And I remember in high school taking a family road trip from Illinois down to Kiowa. I remember waking up after driving all through the night and seeing the red clay for the first time and seeing something of the Southeast. And it was all very expansionary. So then when I had the opportunity for work in my late 20s to go work in Belgium, I was working on the Gatorade business. I went ahead and jumped in. And that really gave me the opportunity to see Europe while spending time there over 14 months. And my coworkers were such gracious hosts, it really opened my eyes to the many aspects of travel and how fulfilling it can be.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah, I can imagine I've never spent much time in Europe, but being so concentrated amongst so many different cultures, how did you approach your early goings in Belgium? Did you try to hop to different uh cities consistently?

SPEAKER_01 3:11

You know, it was a good question. I had a car, so I could drive. And being in Brussels, you can get to Amsterdam, you can get into France, you can get into Germany easily. And then my business took me to Italy, to Spain. And then whenever there, I'd try to tack on a day or two and really let my colleagues show me around.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Yeah. Yeah, because they they're immersed in that culture. Yeah. They gave you kind of the first hand knowledge. It it reminds me of a short time that I spent in Seoul Korea, where my hosts, who were uh keeping us actually just entertained throughout the entire trip after the certification that we were leading, um, invited me to their home and we shared meals together. And I'm sure was that kind of a similar experience that that you had as well when you visited the the different territories?

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Absolutely. The head of Gatorade in Italy lived in Treviso and he brought us over to his home and his wife cooked lunch for us. I remember having my first grilled fish and my first tiramisu with them, and just they wanted you to experience their culture, and you just left feeling like, wow, these folks really have wonderful quality of life. And and it and, you know, we all, if you've traveled to Italy, generally love it. It's one of the most popular places to go. And there's so much richness there in culture and history, and you can start to understand the things you've been taught growing up when you actually get there and you you feel it and you taste it and you smell it. And it's just a it's it's a lovely um experience seeing how we have so much in common with people in other countries, and it's just the little things around the edges that are in some ways different.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, those little things around the edges just kind of take things up another notch for each of us. And that exposure for you in your early 20s, it had to shape who you are today and how you look at the world.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

True. And, you know, in addition to teaching you about other places and cultures and having wonderful experiences, I found it allowed me to see that being an American is also unique because I was pulled away from the daily trappings. And uh it allowed me to see that there are some things about us that are different. Like, for example, I found that I really missed the laughter of Americans while I was gone. And, you know, we're we always, as Americans, greet each other and ask how you're doing. And there's a lot more um positive energy than some cultures have, and and people just jump in naturally. And like, you know, here at Palmetto Bluff, one of the things I love is how friendly everyone is, and people are just really open. And and I did find that was a distinguishing factor about being an American versus some of the other places. And and even our optimism. I mean, we kind

Belgium And Learning Through Culture

SPEAKER_01 5:55

of grow up thinking anything's possible.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

The American dream, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:58

That's right.

unknown 5:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Well, I appreciate you sharing kind of your early roots with Gatorade and and just for clarification, the the drink, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yeah, the Gate, the Gatorade drink. I I worked uh for the Quake Roads Company, which owned the Gatorade drink, and yeah, it was a great brand to work on because you could, you know, being someone I always consider myself an athlete growing up, playing different sports, and it's been fun to work on that brand. And it was back in the day when Michael Jordan was their spokesperson. So it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Yeah, the early roots for sure of Gatorade. And uh before we go further, Debbie, you are a member here at Palmetto Bluff.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

And you have participated in our Bluff Athlon before.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

I have.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

You you are a swimmer by trade, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 6:42

I I started as a swimmer in my uh first sport, that's right. So I do my darndest to uh compete in the Bluff Athlon.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Yeah, no, I love it. You've been one of the early adopters of that annual event that we've we've been hosting. Now, with with travel, I I'm so curious about this conversation because I am one of those people who does not get out of his comfort zone when it comes to travel. I like to go to comparable places, place that I places that I know, activities that I already know I enjoy. And so I'm excited for you to help me and other listeners out there kind of break that mold. So for you, was there a moment when travel became more than just a vacation and started shaping how you view life?

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Yeah, I think you know, you pointed to that time when I was living in Belgium, and that certainly um made a big difference for me. It gave me the confidence to jump on a plane and go pretty much anywhere, as long as, you know, I realize it's a safe place. And um I I really from there on felt that travel was part of learning. It was very expansionary for me. And so, you know, I try personally to get out of the country at least once a year, hopefully more. Um, but but you know, travel is something I love to do with my husband and, you know, with friends. I mean, you really get to know people when you travel with them.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

So travel's become a big part of your lifestyle and goals that you have on the annual calendar.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Yeah. And as a matter of fact, I I ended up in my current job leading the travel agency for AAA in the Midwest and Southeast because my CEO saw that I love to travel. It wasn't that I pursued it, but he said, you know, I think we we need someone to come in here and run this business. And you seem to be like our consumers and you love to travel. So will you do it? And I was like, hmm, never thought of that, but it's been wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Yeah. It it sounds like that uh individual saw you as someone passionate about travel personally. So how would that not be a positive influence on AAA? You eventually got here at a palmetto bluff and also met your husband through travel. Can you tell us about how that all went down?

Confidence To Go Anywhere

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Sure. Well, uh to clarify, we met on Match.com. So it wasn't true, the traveling was only. You traveled to the internet. Yeah, yeah, that's right. And we live 45 minutes apart. But um, yeah, uh Steve and I were taking a road trip from Savannah to Charleston, and I was looking for a place for us to stay where we could get into Savannah, and I and that brought me to the montage and Palmetto Bluff. And once we got in here, we were like, what is this place? As many people experience, it's just a place that is so beautiful and you can be so active. And we just rode bikes everywhere, and we really fell hard for it, and that's how travel brought us here.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

Wow. It captured you like so many other people, the the stepping onto the property, being at the montage, and just seeing this as a as a different place.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

We we often think about wellness through fitness and nutrition, and and that's obviously the wheelhouse and the lens that that I had, especially in my early goings in in the wellness industry. Why do you believe travel can also be can connected to wellness?

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Well, I think it's both physical and emotional. On the physical side, you know, you can travel for um hobbies for sports. I mean, I've traveled for scuba diving extensively. Um, one of the most fun things I ever did was waterfall repelling when my husband and I went to Costa Rica.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

You're adventurous, Debbie.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

That was really fun, I have to say. That that was a that was an extremely active thing that was invigorating. So that was both physical and emotional because with waterfall repelling, they take you to the top of a mountain and you scramble down the creek. And when you get to a waterfall, you repel down. Wow. And and then and it's also then emotional because I, as an example, stood at the top of the 200-foot waterfall, and the guide looked at me and he said, Are

Finding Palmetto Bluff Through Travel

SPEAKER_01 10:56

you afraid? And all I could do was nod.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

You were just nodding. There was no verbals.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

No verbals. And he said, You must overcome your fear. And I nodded again, and I took the first step. And then once I got beyond the first step, it was wonderful. And at the bottom, there's a picture of us at the bottom, and I looked like a little kid. I was so excited.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Biggest smile ever on your face because you conquered your fear.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Exactly. And so I remember that when I have to overcome other challenges. I th I remember what that guide said to me, and it was invigorating.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Yeah, Debbie, that that's a powerful connection of how travel now helps you in your everyday.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Yeah. And and so often, you know, when you travel, you are breaking your routine. So that's the other thing that I think is really powerful about it because it causes you to really expand your perspective. It gives you a refreshing set of new experiences. And when you do that with other people, it helps you bond. And so it's it's healthy for relationships. Uh, it can stress relationships if you don't plan well. That's a whole nother story. But um, but generally speaking, and you've probably had this experience, you meet people when you're traveling because you might be more open, you're more relaxed, you you're you're you're meeting folks and you're having conversations about shared interests.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Yeah. So being outside of your typical environment with the typical relationships that you have, you're now taking some of our your closest relationships to a new environment and then discovering new relationships just because you you are in a different state and you're experiencing different things. It's a powerful way to look at it.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

And it's great for families because you know multi-generational travel is a very popular thing where grandma and grandpa are taking the grandchildren or their own children and the grandchildren, and you know, they're they're introducing the youngsters to the world, and that's thrilling for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Yeah, to introduce those important to us in our lives to things they haven't seen, but we have. It's it is that childlike feeling that you were describing at the base of the waterfall.

Adventure As Emotional Wellness

SPEAKER_00 13:03

What are some ways travel naturally encourages movement, activity, and and healthier living in general?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Well, by its nature, you're getting out and about. So it's very conducive to doing things like walking. Like my husband and I were in Austin for the first time a couple of years ago. We walked 10 miles that day just because we were wandering from neighborhood to neighborhood. So if you choose places that are conducive to walking, that's a wonderful way to be active. If you're traveling for hobbies or interests, that's another thing. I mean, I know we got a lot of bowlers here. Some people travel for bowling. I know people who travel for bowling tournaments. That's really fun. Um, and then you have the whole um cuisine side of it. I mean, a big aspect of travel is experiencing local cuisine. And that's something that um can actually also be very healthy in some ways because very often when you go places, the food's less processed than what we see in the States. Great point. Yeah, and if you're eating the authentic food, it's often going to be the freshest local ingredients, and so you can have you can actually have a great experience.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Yeah. I I find that when you look at the type of person you are, you can then plan accordingly to what like exposure you want to have. And then just like you, Debbie, I am all about like exploring. Like your example with Austin, just parking in a new city and then being able to walk everywhere, game changer, and it's healthy at the same time. Debbie, switching gears now. You experienced a DBT and pulmonary embolism connected to travel in 2019.

Waterfall Rappelling And Fear

SPEAKER_00 14:46

What did that experience teach you about traveling smarter and and taking care of your health?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Sure. Well, and it's one I'm happy to share because uh I ended up flying quite a bit between Michigan and California during 2019. And I knew you had to think about long flights as a potential health risk, but I didn't think about even a four-hour flight as something that could be risky for you if the right set of circumstances came together. And so it it tells me that you need to be sure you're hydrated, you need to be sure you're up and moving when you're flying, and I really encourage folks to wear compression socks because compression socks, one, they have a function of keeping blood from pooling in your lower extremities, and they keep your feet from swelling, which means you can get off the plane and you're not you're not experiencing any discomfort. Um, the other thing it taught me is that uh I wouldn't personally leave the country without travel insurance. I and I encourage people to think about it because you just never know what's going to happen. In my case, when I had that DVT pulmonary embolism, I was actually in California. I ended up in the hospital over the weekend from a Friday to a Monday morning. That was $60,000 in cost. And so you can um rack up the bills unexpectedly. And that was an in-network, not out of the country type of thing. And so, anyway, I would just encourage people to be aware of what can happen with the risk of DVTs. And if you're on certain medications, the risk is even higher.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Yeah, it sounds like for those out there who might be traveling back and forth for work, integrating a strategy like compression socks or I mean compression sleeves for casts or even compression pants I used to wear when I was training a lot. Oh, wow. Um, and you can wear them under anything, um, goes a goes a long way to not only preventing uh more harmful health scares like the one you experience, but just in general for recovery if you're sitting for those long periods of time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

And that applies to long drive trips too.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Yeah, yeah, it's good stuff there. Any other practical tips that you have for individuals

Movement And Food While Traveling

SPEAKER_00 16:55

out there? We got hydration, we've got compression, we've got uh making sure you get potential insurance for your travel, especially with overseas travel. I could imagine that being very important. What are some other tactics here?

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Yeah, so well, you want to think about how do you stay healthy when you're traveling? So sleep is really important. I encourage people to think about if you're going far, far away, where you're gonna have a lot of time zones, you can start adjusting before you go. You can go to bed a little bit early, you can start to get on the local time frame, and then you know, take your routine with you. So, like I like to drink chamomile and lavender tea before bedtime. I always travel with tea. I also encourage people to think about, you know, having your um routine in mind for what you like to eat. So, like if you eat a high fiber diet on a normal basis, keep that in mind when you're traveling. Don't just like only eat pasta because you may end up with a bellyache down the way. And, you know, take with you your go-to over-the-counter medications and definitely your prescription medications, because, you know, if you end up getting a cold or, you know, aches and pains, it's hard sometimes when you're in a foreign country to know what you're buying. And so, you know, just some of those sorts of practical things allow you to just enjoy yourself and know that you're prepared for the unexpected.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah, Debbie, if I'm hearing you correctly, it's it's all about continuing the routines that serve you even though you're traveling. Yeah. Uh I I love the example of the tea right before bed. If that's a ritual and routine for for you in the evening time,

DVT Risk And Flying Smarter

SPEAKER_00 18:32

that's certainly going to help your sleep when you get into that new time zone.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Yeah, absolutely. Because I mean, the lesson for me is that life happens when you're on the road. And so you just have to be ready for it.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, always be ready. I'd like to dig even deeper into how travel impacts relationships. You gave some outstanding examples earlier about exposing, you know, our children or grandchildren to these environments that they've never been in. And I'll just share a quick example. Uh, we did have a multi-general generational vacation recently. And guess where we went, Debbie? Disney, Disney World. And watching my parents be there with my daughter Mia and my wife, and all of us experience that together, it it made it extremely meaningful. And I know Disney is the traditional multi-generational vacation, but I'd love for you to share more on how shared travel experiences create such a strong connection between families and and even generations as as we've uh shared.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Yeah, sure. Well, there is one aspect where there are things you will do together that you might not do by yourself. So, for example, uh my husband and I have been down to Patagonia to go hiking because we love to do that. We've gone twice to different parts, and I don't think I would do that by myself because you're basically going to the end of the earth and you're out in the middle of nowhere, and it's gorgeous and fabulous. But, you know, you cre you you bring each other aspects of the world that you couldn't do alone. So I think that's part of it. But also there is this creative process of planning a trip. And if you plan it together with other people, you start to share your dreams and what motivates you, and then you create this itinerary, sometimes with the help of a professional like a travel agent, but you create this imagined vacation that you're going to have together. And then when you live into it, you're doing something you've never done before. And we also see in the research that part of the joy of travel, actually, 45% of the joy of travel often comes from the anticipatory phase of the vacation. And so people love looking forward to it, they love being there, but then they also love reminiscing. And then it becomes like family stories you tell. Like remember the time when, right? There's it so it becomes part of your shared experience. And whether it be with friends, you know, girlfriends' getaways, guys who go off and golf in Ireland, you know, it allows you to really amplify certain aspects of your life that you can't on a day-to-day basis.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

Yeah, that's so good. If if we don't have those shared memory dividends, we don't sometimes have some of those conversations, you know, in our own environments of what we remember that time. And yeah, just that connection point, it's hard to describe. But I I totally agree that the anticipatory planning aspect, it's so interesting to hear that backed by science that it's it's almost 50% of how that that uh travel lives lives in you.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's really great to look forward to.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Do you think? Shared experiences create deeper connections than shared possessions?

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Yes. And I think increasingly so. And the research shows that younger generations are saying that even more. And so travel plays really into that. And I think part of it is with the greater exposure that younger generations have had through media, through the internet, they more view themselves as global citizens or less less confined by what they know locally because they see so much more and they're exposed to it. Like as an example, Japan is a lot more popular with younger generations than it is, say, with boomers, because you know, the the younger generations really feel like the world is their oyster and they are gonna go get it. And they're traveling just as many times, but they're traveling differently as than the older cohorts.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

Yeah. I think that that's spot on as a fair statement of the the change in how people are even viewing

Sleep Routines And Staying Prepared

SPEAKER_00 23:06

travel, because we're seeing a lot of uh younger folks out there delay going to college and taking time to see the world as as you've described it.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

That's right. If I had my youth to do over again, I would have gone abroad sooner. I didn't get out of the country until after college when I went your railing for three weeks. And if I had it to do again, I'd do a semester abroad at least, you know, but you know, that wasn't the thing that I was exposed to.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

Yeah, it's such a good point. I I remember I had an opportunity to go abroad for uh a semester, and I still look back on on that of like, man, I should have taken that opportunity. It would it would have been to New Zealand.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Oh, that would have been amazing. That's on my bucket list.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Yeah, New Zealand, Australia. I've heard nothing but good things from many of our teammates who one of our teammates lived there for 10 years. Oh my goodness. Yeah. Wonderful. Why do you think nature can be a powerful motivator for travel? You mentioned the Panagonia trip. Could you dig into that piece? Because Palmetto Bluff is is nature. You still seem to find yourself exploring other other nature, though, personally.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yeah, that's that's absolutely right. And, you know, for those of us that live in Palmetto Bluff, we know how good it makes us feel to be in nature. And I I think it goes back to the caveman within all of us. We came from nature. And so it it harkens back to something we feel deep in our core and it brings a sense of awe. Studies show blood pressure goes down when you're in natural settings. And, you know, we see in the research of travel that going into nature, our national parks or other beautiful places always is right up there at the top of things that people want to experience. And then I think the why, because you know, it in addition to the things I've said, you know,

Why Shared Trips Bond Families

SPEAKER_01 24:58

it really evokes a sense of awe and it helps you, you know, feel something that a lot of people don't necessarily get on a day-to-day basis. I mean, we're so fortunate here at Palmetto Bluff that we're surrounded by nature, but you know, a lot of people aren't. And so it truly feels like a getaway.

SPEAKER_00 25:16

Yeah, Debbie, I can see our city dwellers out there just pomped to be at a national park and to be in a different environment that exudes nature. And uh, I think that's a good pause that sometimes, you know, we we take it for granted. I mean, I don't personally live in Palmetto Bluff, but living in the low country itself is is pretty epic.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

It it is. It is. I mean, we were blown away when we first came here.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Yeah. Now, uh just to be super clear and maybe to get a little bit more on the credibility side of this, have you through AAA and the research that you've done, your team, seen increases in individuals or families going after more travel specific to nature?

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Yes, where where it was really apparent was during COVID. I mean, that is where people really got outside. Um, the other thing is I think as our culture becomes more uh digitally tied, the digital detox intentions are driving more people to want to get away to nature as well. Because, you know, it is uh a great contrast to what people are seeing, the constant um incoming messaging and screens, et cetera. Uh, it just, yes, is very much on trend.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

There's a natural craving for people to be away from all the technology right now.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

How can travelers positively impact the places and communities they visit?

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Yeah, it's a great question. And there are many ways. Um it can start with thinking about when you go and where you go. So when you go, you've probably seen stories about over-tourism. You see that um what happens a lot of times is too many people go to a particular place at a particular time.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

And that would be the definition of over-tourism.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

Yeah, an imbalance between the people coming and the capacity of the destination to absorb it. And so if you think about going in the shoulder season or the off season, it's not going to be as crowded, and you're going to have a better experience because you're not going to fight the crowds, and it's not going to cost you as much. And then the other thing is that a lot of times you can think of alternative places to go. Like I was mentioning earlier, Treviso, which is not far from Venice, but it's not nearly as crowded. It has canals, it's beautiful. And so that's an example of a place where you might spend some of your time in Venice, but if you can get to Treviso, you're going to see how the locals really, really live. So that's part of it. So where and when. And then who you go with in the way of providers. There's a big range of how much care providers take in the way that they manage their offering and their business. So some providers, and we have partners that we work with that are very intentional about working with local providers on an in-destination basis that they know is truly authentic, that the things you're going to experience are actually grounded in the culture, and that the economics of what you're spending stay in the local community. And then on top of it, there are other things you can do if you want to think about your impact on the environment. You know, as an example, there is a lower, lower carbon footprint for a direct flight than connecting flights because a lot of the carbon burn comes from takeoff and landing. Uh, you can also look at how an itinerary is structured. Are there a lot of wasted miles backtracking? You don't want to do those kinds of things if you're worried about the carbon impact. And so there are providers who really look at those sorts of things as well. So, you know, there are many aspects of it. And those are just some examples.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Yeah. Debbie, outstanding examples, things that I don't think we all naturally will think about, but things that can impact the greater environment. And one that like selfishly is important, making sure your your host team there, who might be the location that

Nature Travel And Digital Detox

SPEAKER_00 29:30

you're staying at, and if it involves, you know, different tour guides and things like that, that they're truly engulfed in the culture and it's an authentic experience. I don't think any of us want to travel to somewhere far away and not get that level of experience.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

That's right. And and what can be really gratifying is if you do make choices where you know that what you're spending is actually helping to preserve that environment, it can be so gratifying. You know, like for example, we went on safari in 2019 in Botswana, and it was wonderful to see that some of the camps we were able to stay at, the locals, were really using what we were bringing in the way of our tourism dollars to preserve the environment, to really give back, to help make it all more sustainable there. And and that that's a wonderful feeling.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Yeah, very meaningful to be able to witness that and know that your time spent there impacted the the economy, essentially. Well, we're getting to the end of our time, and I I think this lens through travel and the connection to wellness is very interesting for us to think about as we move forward in planning out our next trips and our vacations, and how can we make it more active? How can we protect our health on on the way uh to where we're going? If someone listening feels stuck in a routine right now, and it it's pretty close to how I kind of posed my personal experiences. I I think I get stuck with where and how I want to travel. So I'm asking you to speak to me, Debbie. What would you encourage them to do, whether through travel or simply living in a way that gets them outside of the box a little bit more?

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Good question. I mean, I would maybe take two angles at it. One would be, well, what's on your wish list? What are you craving that you don't have? Because travel can be set up or vacation could be set up to give you exposure to that. And then the other thing is to think about what gives you joy. Because you can have a moment in time on that vacation where you're really concentrating on that thing. So, you know, I mentioned my husband and I love to hike. And so nothing makes us happier than to be off on a hiking vacation in an amazing place in a country we've never been in, so we can have all of these experiences together.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Prioritize what you enjoy. Debbie, final question. What does wellness mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Well, I think it's for me, it's about balance. And it's not just because I'm a Libra, but uh I think it's a balance of taking care of myself, you know, physically, emotionally, taking care of the relationships that I have, and then taking care of my impact on the broader world and people and places around me.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 32:47

Yeah, I really appreciate our time spent here. And what's up next for you with AAA and what you have going on there?

SPEAKER_01 32:55

Well, I've got some travel coming up. I'm gonna have the uh likely response. Opportunity to get to Spain very soon and Costa Rica very soon and California very soon. And and then uh later in the summer, my husband and I are going to Alaska for the first time. And uh, we're gonna get to Denali, which Steve and I are very excited about that.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

Outstanding. Well, that takes us to the end of our

Sustainable Choices And Overtourism

SPEAKER_00 33:21

main segment. Listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of the week. One thing I kept coming back to during my conversation with Debbie Haas is that wellness is not just about what happens in the gym, in the kitchen, or during a morning routine. Sometimes wellness is built through experiences, especially the ones that pull us out of autopilot and back into real life. The first thing that really stood out to me was Debbie sharing that nearly 40% of the positive psychological impact of travel actually comes before even the trip begins. Just anticipating something meaningful, planning it, talking about it, looking forward to it creates energy, optimism, and momentum within our lives. I reflected a lot on this. Lindsay and I are constantly planning our next trip with our daughter. And I think there's a lesson there beyond travel. We all need things ahead of us that create excitement and possibility, a planned experience, an adventure, a goal, even a simple weekend away. For me in my early 20s, I think this is why I always had an endurance race on the calendar. Healthy momentum often starts with having something meaningful to look forward to. The second reflection is about shared experiences. Debbie talked about the power of traveling with people in your immediate foxhole. Your spouse, your family, your closest friends. And I think that's incredibly important right now because so much of life can become transactional and rushed. I'm

Meaningful Plans And Weekly Momentum

SPEAKER_00 35:24

speaking from experience. Shared experiences create memories, stories, connection, and perspective that simply can't be replicated through text messages or quick conversations. Years later, if you're anything like me, I think people rarely remember the random Tuesday. They remember the trip, the challenge, the unexpected moment, the laughter, the experience that they went through with one another. You see, those moments strengthen relationships in a way that's hard to measure, but it's deeply felt. And finally, I love the simplicity of Debbie's perspective on staying active while traveling. Gosh, her and Steve in Austin, what did they do? Walk, explore, they wandered. For me, it's all about not just sitting in a car moving from one destination to another. And I think we all know the feeling of being on a vacation where we spent way too much time in the car. Experiencing places physically feels so much better. And maybe even challenge yourself to do one thing that your normal routine, the normal version of yourself, wouldn't typically do. Debbie mentioned waterfall repelling, which honestly sounds both incredible and terrifying. I am not someone who enjoys flying, but that's not the point. Growth, confidence, and energy often live just outside our normal patterns. So my encouragement this week is simple. Plan something to look forward to, prioritize experiences with people you care about, and move while you travel. Wellness, it doesn't have to always be so complicated. Sometimes it looks like anticipation, connection, and a long walk somewhere new. You have made it to the end of the podcast. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to listen this week and remember to actively participate in life on your terms.