Over 50 Countries and 7 Continents: Experiencing the World with David Axelrod

How, what is this going to do for me?

How am I gonna grow or expand my worldview from this?

And it's a subtle distinction, but I think it comes down to immersing yourself in the various dimensions and layers of a place.

So in Antarctica, that might be, you know, learning about the wildlife and just understanding the ecosystem.

But in another place, that might mean, you know, deep diving into the food or a local village or, you know.

SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Low Down with Kevin Lowe, the podcast shining light on the inspiring stories of ordinary people choosing to live out anything but ordinary lives.

All in the hope that you will be inspired to live out your best life.

Because this life is meant to be lived, and this podcast is meant to inspire you to do it.

What's happening?

Welcome back to the lowdown with Kevin Lowe.

This is episode 97, and I am your host, Kevin Lowe.

Well, welcome to the podcast.

It is summertime, and I know summer vacation is on everybody's mind.

And that's why I thought, you know what?

I think it's time we switch a little bit of gears here on the podcast and let's take a trip.

Because I will tell you that one thing that lights me up like no other is getting away, going on vacation, traveling.

I don't care even if it's just a weekend trip somewhere close by, or if it's jetting off on an airplane across the world.

For me, I'm one of those people who the best place to be is anywhere but here.

Now, I mean, I love home, but there's something that just is super special for me about traveling.

And what I think is pretty cool is that traveling was something that I loved growing up as a child, which I was blessed to get to do a lot of amazing vacations and see a lot of incredible things.

But travel has continued to be an absolute life changer for me after becoming blind.

So for the past 18 years, I've lived in a world completely different.

And yet, when I travel, it's like the world's just lit up around me because all of my senses are keened in.

Because even though I may not see the world, I can certainly see it through all my other senses.

And that's what lit me up about today's guest.

His name is David Axelrod.

And David has had the extraordinary opportunity to do a lot of traveling in his life.

Matter of fact, he's traveled all over the globe.

And now he's wanting to do his part in helping you to do the same.

He's written a book called Getaway that we will talk all about.

And it's more than just a book, it's a guide to help you travel the world.

And so here we are in the heat of summer.

And whether you're out on summer vacation or dreaming about it, I hope today's episode will give you that little spark.

To be sure, if you're not already out traveling, you go ahead and get that trip booked.

ASAP.

The world is waiting on you.

If you love the theme of travel, then I would love to tell you about another podcast that I have totally been diving into.

It's called the Five Minute Wine Podcast, where you'll get to experience amazing wineries around the world.

I want to share it with you for just a moment in case you might be interested in checking out another podcast.

SPEAKER_02: Hi, this is Forrest Kelly, host of the Best Five-Minute Wine Podcast.

Did you know there's a winery that uses a pyramid to make their wine?

A winery with a massive cave.

Tell your pets and your friends to join you at the Best Five Minute Wine Podcast as we explore wineries around the world and what makes them great and unique.

The Best Five Minute Wine Podcast.

SPEAKER_03: Now that you've got your cup filled with your favorite wine, I think it's time for us to set off on a trip and travel the world.

Thanks to today's guest, David Axlrod.

Welcome to the Lowdown with Kevin Hello.

I am here today with man of the hour, David Axlrod.

David, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you.

So happy to be on.

Oh man, well, I'm super, super excited to have you here today to talk about travel, my favorite activity.

SPEAKER_00: Well, we're we're both in alignment there.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.

As I say, one of the worst days of my life is 30 minutes after I get home from a vacation.

SPEAKER_00: That's relatable.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.

Well, awesome.

Well, well, David, I want to talk about a lot of stuff, the stuff that you're doing today.

I know that you you've published a book at some point, but but what I feel like probably is gonna kind of take up a lot of our time today is this theme of travel, because you've pretty much traveled all over the world, correct?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've I've been traveling my whole life.

I reached my seventh continent a few years ago, which was an exciting milestone.

I try not to count countries and make that, you know, the focus of my travels.

But I I've been doing this, I've been devoted to creating experiences, you know, that I dream of and making them happen for myself and now for others.

But it's just been a big thread in my whole life since childhood is taking these trips and exploring.

It's a part of my identity now.

SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.

That's how that's what I was wondering.

So you were a kid who your family, you guys traveled a lot growing up.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I was extremely fortunate for that.

I'm grateful to my parents for showing me a different side of the planet, a different way of approaching foreignness.

They both have the bug themselves.

You know, when when they were young people, they were vagabonding and hitchhiking, and the stories they tell me have always been like, what?

Are those my parents?

But it sort of starts to make sense when I feel those same inclinations in myself to explore maybe not hitchhike as much or at all anymore.

But yeah, my parents, you know, they took me, I think it was mostly just because they didn't want to stop.

And they were like, I'm not gonna have, you know, me having kids be the reason why I stop traveling.

So I like to think that they were, you know, that it was this benevolent, strategic way they were raising me.

But I think also it might have just been that they wanted to keep traveling and weren't gonna let me stop them.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

Well, I mean, when when we look at it from the big picture now, I mean, you have to say, like, applaud them for the fact of, you know, what society tells us of, okay, you you you've had kids now, now it's time to slow down.

You need to, you know, live that quote unquote normal life and not be doing all this traveling and stuff.

And, you know, in reality, I think society is kind of coming around to the fact that maybe there's more to life than this traditional way, and and you learn a lot more outside of the schools that, you know, you know what I mean?

Like in the real world, you know.

SPEAKER_00: I know exactly what you mean.

And and and I definitely didn't mean to knock my parents because I know they were very intentional about giving me a worldly experiential education, and I'm very grateful to them for that.

And I think now people, especially when when people are realizing some of the pitfalls of traditional, even very good education systems.

Now people are craving, you know, that more experiential education for young people, which, you know, I think back on my life, and those have been where I've learned the most.

That that's where I feel like I've grown the most as a human.

So, you know, I I'm had a good education too, a traditional one, but it's those experiences abroad that have completely defined me when I think back.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely.

Well, so let's let's dive into some of these amazing trips.

And and and I guess I would love to start with the last thing that you mentioned first was so what was your seventh continent?

SPEAKER_00: Antarctica, which is the common seventh one.

Most people go there last on the list.

Antarctica was with my father, it was a really special trip for that reason.

And I've traveled with my god a lot, but that trip was just us, and it was uh it was an expedition, and you know, we we crossed the Drake Passage, which I write about in my book in one of the vignettes that I share.

And Antarctica was profound for you know obvious reasons.

You you know, you can imagine how it feels to be in a vast, you know, ice world like that.

But what made it even more profound was uh just the perspective it gave me on my life at home, which all exotic remote destinations do.

But Antarctica just had so many dimensions, it made me appreciate the planet more and made me kind of you know more upset about climate issues, and it just makes you feel so small and insignificant, which the flip side of that is it it's very empowering too, to feel like, okay, this is my one life, you know, I gotta take advantage of it.

And something about being way the heck down there, you know, not these icebergs don't care about me.

That iceberg is gonna melt any or you know, calve anytime in the next, you know, 10 minutes.

So, what does it matter?

You know, it just gives you this new context, and it's just so adventurous and fun and photogenic and cold.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, cold.

No, so so tell me.

Well, I first want to ask you, you mentioned you did like an expedition style cruise.

So tell me about that.

What does that mean in in relation to what we typically think of for a cruise?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, very different.

So this was a really fantastic cruise.

It was Linblad Expeditions partnering with Nat Geo Expeditions.

So Linblad is known and Nat Geo, they're both known for having a scientific bent.

So you have naturalist guides showing you around.

You you have professional photographers who are documenting the trip and teaching you how to document it.

So, you know, there's uh these debriefing sessions in between the excursions on the zodiac.

So it's is it's still comfortable.

You know, the ship is very nice, but it's very much an expedition in that the itinerary is loose.

So that's the way Nat Geo Expeditions likes to roll and how they define an expedition.

They are reacting to the elements, to you know, the conditions out there.

They're not saying we're going to land there at that time.

They're reading the situation and adapting on the fly, which makes it really exciting.

And you sort of don't know exactly what you're gonna get, and that's part of the fun.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's super awesome.

Super awesome.

I've actually, the whole expedition style, you know, cruise and stuff is something that that I have wanted to do and experience for myself for a long time.

I have not yet, that is high on the bucket list because the fact of that that truly like experiential travel, you know, of truly being one with the destination is just so intriguing to me.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that phrase, experiential travel.

And that's what I'm really focused on doing for myself and enabling for others, because I think it's easy to you know talk about experiences in a kind of I don't know, just almost like a checklist.

Like, I'm gonna have that experience.

Got check, and then I'm gonna have the next one, check.

But I like to think about travel again, going back to experiential education.

How, what is this going to do for me?

How am I gonna grow or expand my worldview from this?

And it's a subtle distinction, but I think it comes down to immersing yourself in the various dimensions and and layers of a place.

So in Antarctica, that might be you know learning about the wildlife and just understanding the ecosystem.

But in another place, that might mean, you know, deep diving into the food or a local village, or you know, it it obviously doesn't express itself the same way on every trip.

But to just go and think about what you can take from a place is a very weak way of traveling.

And it's almost like, how can I, how can I be an ambassador, or how can I give something to this place, give something back, whether that's just with my awareness and attention, or if it's, you know, I'm I'm leaving the people better off, or I'm, you know, just making someone smile.

I don't know what it is, but just thinking about it as like a a relationship, a two-way street, I think that changes the way I travel when I think like that.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

Yeah, definitely, definitely.

And and you know, it what what I was gonna say about the whole experiential travel, I think a big part of that, and and I think I think it's important to know, in my opinion, it doesn't have to be somewhere exotic.

It can be it can be a road trip to another state, but I think a big part that enables that is to slow down, not have this massive list of of to-do items that you gotta check off, but instead just being present in the moment, you know what I mean, and truly just letting it, you know, the experience come to you.

SPEAKER_00: I agree with that for sure.

And it's so hard to.

unknown: Yes.

SPEAKER_00: It's so hard to actually do that, especially when you have limited time.

You know, a lot of the people I'm helping have one week of vacation that they're trying to use, or maybe they have more than that total across a year, but you know, they're trying to take one trip and maximize it, and it creates a pressure almost that is kind of a paradox because you're trying to slow down and be in the moment, but in the back of your mind, you're like, oh crap, I'm good.

I've got to go home on Sunday, like, oh my God.

And then you're out of the moment as soon as you start thinking like that.

So it's really difficult.

I think that if you this is another reason I like planning trips, because I think or planning trips, you know, very carefully and meticulously, because I actually think that it helps people slow down when there's less anxiety about, you know, the uncertainty that might arise from when you don't have a plan.

So I I find that having a plan to fall back on makes me makes it easier to be present.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

I agree with that 100%.

So I'm curious.

I mean, Antarctica, gosh, that seems hard to even beat, but any other destinations that have kind of stood out in your mind one reason or another is is like a favorite, something that like has just really, you know, kind of stayed with you more than others?

SPEAKER_00: Yes, there are there's so many, so many light bulbs going off now.

I I took it to Japan in my head.

That's where I went.

Okay, okay it stands stands out as one of my favorite trips ever.

I went with my sister and it was one of the few trips that was just the the two of us.

So, you know, talking about destinations, I'm a bit cautious when I do it to even recommend destinations universally, because so much of what makes a trip or a place special is the time in your life that you went, the conditions that you found it in, you know, could be totally different circumstances or you know, season, political climate, whatever it may be, plus the you know, the the time in your life.

So it's really difficult, you know.

If you go to Japan, even if you go in cherry blossom season and I go in cherry blossom season, we could still have completely different trips, you know.

Who knows what other you know kind of forces are at work?

Yeah, forces could could be at work.

So, but when I went to Japan with my sister, it was everything I wanted out of a trip, and and I would still say that's the balance that I am still looking for.

The balance being it's got a beautiful, like rich, colorful culture.

It's got a balance between cities and nature, it has a you know, an amazing history and kind of a rich culture.

And you know, the food is exotic and it has a spiritual component.

And there, for me, I care about photography.

So, you know, having a really photogenic place and a lot of different types of scenery and architecture and people to photograph makes it, you know, an even more lively and exciting destination.

So for me, Japan just was a very delightful foreign experience because it was exotic, but still, I should add, easy to get around.

That's a that's another big one.

Is if you can have an exotic experience, but still feel like you're safe and you know, able to move at a at a relatively you know constant, quick pace that you can see a lot in your precious time, then those are all factors that contribute.

But yeah, Japan, Japan's a highlight trip in my life for sure.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's oh, that's so awesome.

Super awesome.

The food, anything like the Japanese food we have here in America?

SPEAKER_00: Uh, we have some pretty good Japanese food in Seattle where I am.

So I think I might have a skewed perspective to make the comparison.

I can get great Japanese food you know, a couple blocks away, but it's better there for sure.

It's better there.

SPEAKER_03: Yes.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have some I have some memories of uh I just I just remember eating this.

It was this tempura place.

We my sister and I were just wandering around Ginzo, which is sort of an upscale neighborhood, but we just were looking for a place to eat lunch and didn't have a plan.

And we found this tempura restaurant, and we were like, should we eat here?

Sure, why not?

We look it up and we realize it's a it's a famous restaurant, but we're kind of getting to this point where we just need to eat some food, and it's like, whoa, this one's highly rated.

It turns out that the restaurant made headlines a few years before we got there for denying Barack Obama a seat when he rolled up to the restaurant, had like eight seats at the counter, and they're like, sorry, we're full man, you can't eat there.

So my sister and I roll up to this place, and there's two open seats.

And we're like, uh, yeah, I definitely want to.

Those seats, yes.

So those those kinds of spontaneous moments, and of course, it was the most incredible tempura of all time.

Lived up to the review hype.

But yeah, those those moments are are awesome.

And that's kind of what I meant when I said that you can have plans and still have those types of moments too, those unexpected surprises.

You know, I knew that we were gonna be in Ginza and I knew that we had this free afternoon.

We didn't have a reservation for that lunch, but you know, things work out that way when you just kind of put yourself in the position to have serendipity on your side.

SPEAKER_03: Absolutely, absolutely.

And and what what I love about that, and what you know, kind of what you're talking about, is coming from that perspective of of where you're at now, where you're designing trips for people, is that is kind of that that secret little key to the design element is giving people that that itinerary, that plan, but at the same time leaving enough room for those spontaneous magical moments to happen.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is this is something I I researched, I thought about this, I gathered anecdotal evidence.

I was I've been, you know, weighing this idea of you know plan versus freestyle.

And I choose plan every time, but I plan to freestyle.

I I recommend that people, you know, instead of getting lost just because you are confused and genuinely lost, get lost on purpose at an allotted time, you know.

Have that be your afternoon where you just roam around and get lost, but you're not actually lost, you know, you're not lost like it you don't have a place to sleep that night.

You just have carved out the time to do nothing.

It's like if you have a you know Sunday night and you just say, I'm just gonna, this is my this is my night to do nothing, you know.

At least you're sort of giving yourself the permission to do it so it feels good and you know you know that you're getting what you want out of it.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, I love it.

Absolutely love it.

I was wondering, any of your trips around the world, did have you always traveled with somebody, or have you ever done any solo travel?

SPEAKER_00: Uh, that's a good question.

I have traveled solo, I don't prefer it anymore.

I'm married now and I love traveling with my wife.

I I I prefer to travel with my wife or uh my dad, family, or you know, one, maybe two close friends.

But when I was in my early 20s, I did a solo trip to Southeast Asia, which is a popular destination for you know backpackers.

And at least at that time it was, there were, it was easy and fun to make friends with people on the road.

I wanted to have that experience.

I think traveling solo is really rewarding and it's also really challenging.

And I think the the risk in traveling solo, which is a risk traveling with other people also, but bigger solo, is to have this false expectation that you're going to find yourself, you know, this kind of like dreamy, deep prey love.

Like I'm going to, I'm just gonna roam and I'm gonna, you know, buy the one-way ticket, and then all my, you know, I'm gonna have these huge revelations about my life and all my problems are going to evaporate.

And I think it's a very jaded way to to roll.

And that's kind of how I rolled.

And I I paid the price for it.

I had a lot of fun, but I didn't have those kinds of you know big revelations.

You know, at the point in my life when I took that trip to Southeast Asia, I was figuring my life out.

I was, you know, kind of confused about stuff, and I thought, okay, this is a perfect time to travel.

And it, you know, in a way, I sort of got more confused.

Like there is that risk.

So you have to, if you do go solo, be upfront with yourself about what you want out of the trip.

This is something I've been harping on, you know, in the book.

And all the time, I'm I'm encouraging people to ground themselves by establishing up front before they travel what the goal and purpose of their trip is.

And especially if you're traveling solo, I think you should really try and do that.

Like write a mission statement almost for what the trip is.

Because when you're traveling solo, it's rewarding because you have, you know, you're your own, you're completely free.

But it's also kind of scary because, you know, it's all on you.

So you you really have to listen to yourself and follow your instinct and trust yourself, and then ask yourself, why what is this feeling all about?

Why do why do I find myself gravitating this way?

So it sort of takes more work, but it can be really rewarding if you're willing to put that work in.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

And and I think something that like kind of hit me when when you were talking earlier about it was when I think of solo travel, I think of you know, you travel and you're alone.

And and I kind of have always thought to myself, like, that sounds terrible.

It's kind of like going to Disney World by yourself and like getting off a ride and like, woo-woo, go to high five somebody, and you're by yourself, you know, and and stuff.

But but what I loved about the like kind of what you had said earlier is maybe going into it from the perspective, especially I think, when traveling in these parts of the country where there are a lot of solo travelers, is this thing of not only just traveling, but traveling and and meeting people and making friends along the way where you're not really solo in a sentence.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.

You will probably meet people, you know, other travelers a lot easier.

And I think that you know, that's what happened to me when I was in Southeast Asia.

I met, you know, uh other backpackers and I made some friends with some Kiwis from New Zealand and just people all over the world, and you know, that's really fun too.

But you have to also be cognizant of, you know, are are these the kinds of people I wanted to meet?

Am I trying to meet local people?

And it is my tendency to sort of reach out for friends and with, you know, these strangers that are, you know, also on the trail with me distracting or or deterring me from engaging with the local people, you know, that there's risks like that too, that you just have to be aware of.

You know, is this a real benefit, or is am I just sort of defaulting to my comfortable modes of being, which ironically may be what you traveled to avoid doing?

SPEAKER_03: That's so true.

So true.

I love it.

I love it now.

Kind of talking about people and and interacting with people is that is something that I find for myself, no matter where it is that I'm traveling, I love to meet the people and interact with the local people of the destination.

But has there been any places that you've traveled where the local people have have stand out, you know, above any others?

SPEAKER_00: Wow.

I don't know if I if I want to say above, then I'll start comparing.

But I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_03: We'll rephrase that.

We are not here to get you in trouble with anybody or anything, but what we don't want to meet those people.

Yeah, yeah.

We'll say we'll say the ones kind of like earlier.

You said that immediately when I asked you the question about the destination, you said immediately just Japan popped in your mind.

And so I'm wondering when you think about the people that you've met along the way, the local, what what place pops in your mind the first because of the people you met?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's uh Uzbekistan people, the Uzbek people.

And this is a trip I this is a trip I've been talking about because it's the most recent really uh exotic trip that I've taken.

And again, it's exotic, really exotic trips aren't the only kind that I value.

But this one happened to be, you know, I it was May 2021.

It was kind of an unreasonable time to travel anywhere, but I found a way to you know safely go to Central Asia.

And at the time I went, the the country was it was open, but no one was thinking about Uzbekistan in May 21.

You know, no, it was empty.

And and the Silk Road, you know, this confluence of trade uh routes between Europe and Asia is historically known just because of its position on the map as being a place, you know, where cultures and people have been intersecting, goods have been exchanged there.

There are these trading domes from centuries ago that still exist.

And as a result of that, I found that the Uzbek people had this really touching hospitality towards foreigners.

They were so welcoming, but not in a like it wasn't it wasn't obsequious.

It wasn't like they please come look at my stall, you know, like, oh, please, we we we'd love to have you come in.

It was sort of like here I am, I have my honor about me.

If you if you're not interested in my goods, you know, no problem, keep walking.

And I'm like the only person there.

So in other countries, you might think that they'd be like, you know, really trying to get you to come over and meet with them, and not just in a in a commerce setting, but there was just a nice way that they had about them to be kind of just proud, but not, I don't know, they were just so self-sufficient, but yet gracious to foreigners.

They they if you wanted to talk to them, they would reciprocate and they would laugh with you.

If if you engaged with them, they took, they took it, you know, whatever you gave them.

So it was a really nice place to travel because I just kept experiencing that.

Like, oh, if I just take, if I just reach my hand out, so to speak, you know, they're gonna, they're gonna take it.

So I kept pushing myself to talk to this guard and talk to this, you know, front desk person at the hotel, whoever it may be.

And it opened up all sorts of opportunities.

I would, you know, suddenly I was in an art gallery from someone that I had just been, you know, talking to on the street.

And it did help.

I had a local guide with me, so having a translator made a huge difference too.

But um, yeah, I was the Uzbek people are definitely uh a really noble people that I enjoyed meeting.

SPEAKER_03: I love it.

That's so awesome.

Super, super cool.

So now I'm curious, we we've referenced this book a few times.

Tell me about the book, how that came about, what is the book?

I'm curious to know more about that.

SPEAKER_00: The book, uh, this book is my is my life.

This book has been my last few years.

It's called Getaway.

And Getaway, it's available on Amazon now.

Um in multiple versions, including audiobook, but the book is about designing and taking your ideal trip.

So, first, what I do is I establish this concept that I call mindful travel, which is just getting people to consider what's at stake with their leisure time and then how to be intentional about how they use it.

So I'm operating from this foundation that I'm not talking about a trip where people are just buying a one-way ticket or traveling or vagabonding for six months, but I'm kind of speaking towards the you know, working professional, someone who has who has their responsibilities at home and isn't necessarily trying to just abandon them and replace those responsibilities with travel, but rather weave travel into their life in a way that works for them.

And I'm speaking about trips approximately nine days.

I call it the nine-day getaway.

And the first few chapters are about theoretical points and a lot of research I did about the value of travel and what optimal leisure time looks and feels like.

But then soon after that, I get into the details of how to execute and plan your trip and actually make it happen, which is what I'm really about, is making it happen, not just talking, not just you know, inspiration, but let's choose a destination that aligns with my goals.

Let's book flights that are affordable, that work for me, you know, that fit my budget or my points and miles strategy, whatever it may be.

And then, you know, step by step, I give a blueprint for how to travel according to your own values comfortably and still in a, I call it an exploratory flow state.

Like you're always exploring, but you want to be in the in the present the whole time.

So to do that, it means you have to pay attention to you know, before you leave for your trip.

You have to get your life in order so that you're not distracted on the road.

So a lot of the work that you do before a trip can enable a much better experience, you know, when you're on the trip.

And then I talk about everything from gosh, like money concerns, safe street safety, souvenirs you know, a lot of really everything.

It's I tried to make it a very comprehensive view of the whole travel experience in three parts before the trip, on the trip, and even after the trip, which is very much an often neglected component.

When people take a trip, they think, oh, okay, like you said, I got back from my trip, and then 30 minutes after I'm like miserable and like just pining for this thing that's over.

So at the end, I talk about how to uh lock in the transformative benefits of that trip and in the form of you know reminiscence and memory.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, wow, I love this.

How did you come up with the idea to do this book?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this has been, you know, I didn't always think that it should be a book because a lot of what I talk about to me is just things that I've I guess I had taken a lot of it for granted as something that I, you know, knowledge that I thought was common knowledge.

But then I heard a few too many stories of disaster and regret from my friends.

And I just, you know, terrible planning leading to wasted time, money, and energy leading to very bad feelings about travel or deepening fears about it, and a total, you know, antithetical view of travel to what I'm trying to instill in people.

So essentially, I heard too many stories about trips going wrong and people having crappy experiences.

And I was like, this is too common of a storyline.

I've heard this too many times, and I I want to help people.

So I really just thought about two people in my life that I thought exemplified kind of everyone who was in this position of, you know, you have perhaps the the means and desire means just you know, enough disposable income to travel at some level one, you know, at least one time.

And you have the desire to do it, but you just need the this kind of blueprint.

So, of course, the pandemic actually really helped me in terms of giving me the space and time to write.

And I had this moment at the beginning of the pandemic where I kind of woke up to the fact that things were gonna be really weird and I was gonna be at home for quite some time.

And I realized, you know, this is the best time ever to write this, and uh, I just stayed with it.

And and now the timing I think is really good because we're starting to see this bounce back, and I'm like, guys, here it is.

Take this book and take your dreams and go.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, no, I I love it.

I mean, it's and especially like you just said, I mean, especially because, you know, as eager as so many of us are to get back out of the world and and we've been cooped up at home, you know, the truth is, is it's put a lot of uncertainty, a lot of worry, a lot of fear around travel.

We were, you know, we we went from living life to then being locked down and and having to look at our neighbor as as a possible enemy carrying a virus, and you know what I mean?

And so then it's like now going back into the world, you know, again, I think it is it's something that can be scary.

And I'm thinking to myself, so how vital this resource is that you've created to kind of hold people's hand through the whole experience of, hey, listen, it's just read this, do this, take this step, do this step, and get back out there and start living again.

SPEAKER_00: Spot on.

That was that was beautiful.

I wanna I want to use that as a soundbite.

Yeah, that was just so perfect.

Yes.

I think the the fears and apprehensions, I try to address them in the first chapter of my book, which is called No More Excuses.

And I just go right at it, right to the jugular.

You know, I I know and have researched what the common barriers are for travel.

I know what why people are scared, whether it's about their careers or you know, job security, or whether it's about health and or whatever viruses, and I address them one by one, but ultimately I think people are inflating the risk.

I think people are, yeah, the their their the risk reward assessment that people are making about travel is skewed.

And you know, the way people are assessing it, it's not in their advantage because it's keeping them stuck at home.

And really, I think the benefits are so much greater than people realize, but it's hard to convince people of them of that, you know, up front to say, you know, trust me on this.

This, if you do all these steps, you'll experience this incredible reward later on that far outweighs the risks you may need to put in or endure to attain it.

And it there's sort of a trust that you have to have in making that assessment.

And so a big part of the book is just putting those fears to rest and emphasizing the reward that is, you know, at stake that people are missing out on.

And the reward is happiness, it's fulfillment.

It's long after the trip ends.

Just think the best moments of your life, the best trips you've ever taken, the happiest uh experiences you've had in your life.

The reason they're so awesome is.

Is that you can remember them and it makes you happy to remember them for the rest of your life.

And so people tend to think that when they get back from a trip, their trip's over.

And I just don't think about it that way.

I think the trip may be over, but that memory is sustaining you.

That's something you have forever.

No one can take that away from you.

So, you know, that is the value.

It's not like you buy a sofa, and then, you know, in however many years the cushions get saggy and then you get a new sofa.

It's like this is these memories are yours forever.

So it's about securing those memories so that, you know, let's say your life has its ups and downs.

You still don't have the regret about not doing the things you really wanted to do.

And then when you do them, you get that nourishment from them forevermore after that.

And that is priceless.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

And what I was sitting here thinking of myself is I thought, you know, one of the greatest things that can rob us of life is being comfortable.

Because so many times we get in this routine of life, the things that are comfortable that you know we're used to, and we want to stay there because it's comfortable.

But in fact, you've got to sometimes get uncomfortable because that's where living begins.

SPEAKER_00: So true.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: I I really feel that.

And and I can be, it's so easy to be and stay in your comfortable zone.

Even when I travel, you know, I feel the temptation to take the comfortable path.

And I think that whenever you're on the precipice, whenever you're feel yourself like right now, I know that that just over that, you know, imaginary line is this scary but potentially really rewarding thing.

And I don't know what it is.

Just go into the deep end.

If you have to choose, you know, go into the go a little bit deeper.

And when you do that, I I personally never regret it when I do that.

I only regret it when I do the opposite.

SPEAKER_03: Yep.

Yeah.

I mean, it is.

I mean, think about it.

Think about it.

How many times, and and and I don't care what it is in life, how many times have you regretted taking a chance versus regretted that you didn't take the chance?

SPEAKER_00: Spot on.

And I think there are exceptions or there are there are times when, of course, you're going to try and take a chance and you might regret that you did.

But I think uh when it all balances out, the person who doesn't take as many chances will have more regrets for sure.

And I think with travel, it's easy to go to cushy destinations and I, you know, enjoy luxury travel, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

But I think, again, just pushing yourself to just not not just default to the same, you know, comfortable position.

Otherwise, what's the point?

Why'd you why did you really go?

You know, is it just to be as comfortable as you were in a different setting?

Because that just seems like that's not worth your investment either.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

I love it.

Oh, so now I'm curious.

So the writing of this book, is that what has led you to what you're doing now, where you've taken it a step further, where you're actually helping to design these experiences, trips for people?

SPEAKER_00: Yes.

So I wrote the book as a baseline for people to say if you want to design your own trips, here is essentially a DIY manual for how to do it.

Everything I know about this, if you implement what's in the book, you'll be able to design your ideal trip and get tremendous value from it.

But I wanted to give everyone help.

So some people, even with the manual, want extra help.

So more and more than just hand holding.

Some people just want my full expertise and they want me to design a trip for them.

The way I think about it is I design trips with them.

I may be the one kind of architecting it, but it's still a very collaborative process.

And I've started to do this now where I design bespoke itineraries for people.

And it is so fun for everyone and so rewarding.

Just because travel is sort of like ice cream, like any time of year, if somebody wants it, you know, there's always it's like never, it never stops being desirable.

So it's fun to talk about, it's fun to create and enable, but I have a creative side of me.

And to me, building an itinerary is a creative act, and it you know, requires you're balancing a lot of different elements.

So you're, you know, you're back, you're thinking about pace, and you're thinking about a metaphor I use in the book is is like as if you were making an album.

I'm not a musician, but you think about the best albums, they have you know, this flow to them, like you can play them all the way through, and it's the track order is very deliberate, and maybe there's you know, interludes or skits or whatever you and and I a trip is sort of like that.

Like it's not just a bunch of random songs put together.

I'm creating a whole experience with an itinerary, thinking about you know how I'm going to stack destinations on top of each other, and then ironing out all the details for people, transfers, and and then making connections in the industry so that when a guest shows up somewhere, you know, those hotels already know all about them and can tailor the experience precisely for them.

And really, that's what luxury is, regardless of what level of hotel you're staying at.

If people show you personal touches, that is the most luxurious thing.

If they show you that they really care about you being there, that is so luxurious.

And so I'm thinking about luxury travel and trip design from that angle too, just how to make this these trips really special and totally unique for every traveler.

SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, I love it.

I love it.

And I mean, I can't help but think to myself how much it must play into these trips that you're designing, the fact of that you've traveled to so many places already, you know, and so you have that firsthand experience, which which I know has to to lend its hand to then planning out these trips for people.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.

I sometimes I plan trips for people to places that I just was, and it's so fun because I I can be so specific with my recommendations and warnings and really guide them.

And sometimes it's someone traveling to a destination that I went to a long time ago.

I know the destination has changed a lot.

I know there's a lot of new options and things to consider, but I still have that foundation of understanding the culture or terrain and whatever it may be.

So absolutely, I think that, you know, I feel that when I'm designing trips for people, my personal travel experience, you know, is a huge factor in what makes me good at it.

But even if a traveler wants to go to a place that I haven't been, I still enjoy that too and can provide a ton of value because I can find the person who knows.

You know, I can find the expert and and even have the context to compare whether or not I'm pulling from my own personal experience as much.

I still have just insights from being in the industry, and it's the same creative act in the end.

SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And I don't know, I guess, I guess me, kind of like this other philosophical part of me, I can't help but think like, what a beautiful way of giving back to the world that's given so much to you.

And the fact that here it was, you know, you've got to travel so much, you know, so far in your life and in in the world, as we talked about before, the world, the destinations, they just they make us better people.

And now you're able to help give back by helping to give more people the opportunity to get out and have those same type of life-changing experiences, which not only benefits the people traveling, but it benefits the places that they're traveling to.

And, you know, it's just this awesome kind of circle of life of giving back, you know, to the world that we live in.

SPEAKER_00: Spot on again.

And I'm so glad you brought that up because obviously everyone wants to make a contribution in their in their life, you know, it's like in some way people desire that.

And and of course, I'm no different.

And I have always, I've always been searching for a way to take the the privilege and good fortune I've had to see the world and do something with it so that I'm not just, you know, swimming in this selfish vacuum and saying, look at me, and you know, not just having everyone watch me like I'm on a pedestal because I'm not.

One of my favorite travel quotes is from the author Paul Thoreau, and he says, My only boast in travel is my effort.

And it's just like that's I I relate to that.

Like I just put in a lot of time to prioritize experiences for people, not just for myself.

And I I really do think of my own travel experience as a foundation that allows me to then provide something to other people.

And it used to be just inspiration, and I that that felt good and made me happy when people said you inspired me, or you know, your your photography inspired me.

And I just wanted to take that even further and provide experiences in a more direct way.

And that is the ultimate gratification when when I help someone design a trip and then they take their trip, and I get to watch them take it.

And it's not just people watching me travel anymore.

It's like now everybody, like you said, everybody wins.

That traveler is gonna be, you know, more present in their environment.

Like you said, that's gonna make that they're going to travel as an ambassador.

That's gonna improve the dynamic between you know them and the local people.

So it's absolutely a circle of life, and there's there's unlimited life to go around.

SPEAKER_03: That's right.

I love it.

I love it.

Well, well, listen, where can somebody learn more about your your travel services?

SPEAKER_00: On my website, davidaxelrod.co.

And that's also my Instagram handle.

It's identical, davidaxlrod.co.

And you can read more about the services that I offer.

And I would I would really just encourage people to start with the book and and see what that stirs up for you.

Getaway is available now, and I'm I'm really open to readers, followers, listeners to, you know, message me, reach out to me, ask me, ask me your questions, tell me what it stirred up for you.

And even if you don't need help planning a trip, you know, I just like talking about it.

I like hearing, you know, people's dreams and maybe just answering a little question for you in a DM could, you know, set you on your path.

I just I love uh engaging with people like that.

So yeah, start with the book, check out my website, and uh let's talk.

SPEAKER_03: Well, that's awesome.

That's awesome.

I will be sure that those links are all left in the episode show notes.

David, man, such a pleasure talking with you.

You've got me uh all kind of antsied to uh plan my next vacation.

And uh so man, thank you.

Thank you for for getting me uh ready to get out of here.

SPEAKER_00: So let me know if you let me know if you need any help.

Uh I really do thank you because yeah, your your questions are are so thoughtful, and I think it's a great opportunity for me to speak on these things that I really care about.

So I'm grateful to you for the platform and this awesome conversation and your bubbly energy and just it's it's been fun.

SPEAKER_03: Well, awesome.

Well, well, David, sincerely thank you.

And uh for you listening today, I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for joining me for another awesome conversation here on the podcast.

And, you know, trust me, this life is way too short for you not to take advantage of every single day that you are given to get out and experience this world.

Because I'm telling you, this world is so big and our time on it is so short.

So let this be the inspiration, the spark needed for you to get out and start living and start enjoying this life.

You know, because that's what it's all about.

Until next week, I hope that you have an amazing day.

And like I said, get out there and start traveling.

We all need to experience a little bit more each and every day.

And that's the lowdown with Kevin Lowe.

I hope today's episode inspired you, motivated you, and excited you to get out and enjoy life, no matter what obstacles may be standing in the way.