Tracy Collins [00:00:00]:
What makes a trip truly unforgettable? It's rarely the itinerary. It's the moment you show someone a place that changed you, the story behind why you chose that destination, the connection that no algorithm can replicate. In this episode, my friend Kate from MyGermany vacation and I are talking about why travel is so much more than a list of places and why the human side of it matters more than ever. Welcome to the Global Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is founder of the global travel planning website, Tracey Collins. Each week, Tracey is joined by expert guests as she takes you on a journey to destinations around the world, sharing travel inspiration, itinerary ideas, and practical tips to help you plan your next adventure. Join us as we explore everywhere from bustling cities to remote landscapes, uncover cultural treasures, and discover the best ways to make your travel dreams a reality. Hi, everybody, and welcome to this week's edition of the Global Travel Planner podcast.

Tracy Collins [00:00:59]:
Episode 98. Would you believe it? 98. We've only got two more and we hit the magic 100 episodes. Anyway, this week I have my lovely friend Kate from my Germany vacation who is coming to chat with me about all sorts of things. We are going to talk about travel in Germany and about about Kate's business and a little bit about how she developed her business, but also Kate, kind of about travel and how travel often is more than just putting an itinerary together that it actually can mean a lot more. So Kate has been on the podcast before. She's been on episode 80 about Christmas markets in Germany. She's also been on episode 45 sharing tips for travel to Germany.

Tracy Collins [00:01:40]:
So, Kate, welcome back to the podcast.

Cate B [00:01:42]:
Thanks, Tracy. So glad to be back.

Tracy Collins [00:01:44]:
Yeah, it's always good to chat. And we've been chatting a lot, actually, over the last few days because I've just started a substack called Travels in Time, which is really just going to be a lot of my thoughts about travel and about decisions. I'm heading into the my 60th year next year, and I'm already starting to kind of think about what that looks like and kind of there's lots of things going on and obviously with our business because I've got the UK Travel Planning podcast as well as a Global Travel Planner podcast and kind of thinking about directions and what we're doing. But. And I know something that's something that you're also thinking about doing as well, aren't you, Kate, about kind of talking in a different way about travel, I guess.

Cate B [00:02:22]:
Yes, absolutely. So I love that we're doing it. At the same time, because it's. It's been really interesting to see what you're doing. And I just started a sub stack as well. It's my Germany vacation with Kate and Aaron, and. And I'm really excited about talking about these conversations, you know, like, beyond just where to go in Germany and how to rent a car. You know, all this stuff is important.

Cate B [00:02:45]:
But what I love about Germany, and I found this when I was teaching German too, is that people who. A lot of people who go to Germany, there's a connection, and it's more than just, you know, it's more than a vacation. There's meaning and there's. There's something there. And I. I've always really enjoyed that. When I used to teach German, students would come into my class because they had a reason they wanted to learn German, and that was why I learned German too. And so I just.

Cate B [00:03:14]:
I love that there's just that. That extra thing. And so I really want to explore that more within myself and articulate that more and then also bring that more to the forefront with the conversations and podcasts and everything that we do.

Tracy Collins [00:03:30]:
Yeah. And I think it's because we. We were chatting as well the other day about the fact that, you know, you. You have a very strong connection with Germany. And we were actually going to. This episode was actually going to. We were going to chat a little bit about kind of road trips around Germany. And when you were talk.

Tracy Collins [00:03:43]:
You were actually talking about the fact that when you took Aaron, your husband, back to Germany or to introduce him to Germany for the first time, it was a lot of showing them the places that were important to you as you were when you were growing up and living in Germany.

Cate B [00:03:58]:
Yeah. So the road trip that we took that I told you about was in 2019. Aaron had been to Germany several times before that, but in a little bit different context. He'd gone on his own with a girlfriend and stayed with her family and stuff. But. But. And then he. We had gone back several times, and I had taken him to all these different places, but 2019 was a little bit different.

Cate B [00:04:19]:
And I mean, I have a very long, kind of complicated history with Germany. I'm not going to go into all of that. But in 2019, I had kind of come back to Germany after taking a break from it. And after Germany was like every day my life for. For a long time. And then I moved completely away from it, and I went everywhere else, and my work took me to everywhere else in the world, and I came back to Germany slowly over. Over a couple of years. And then in 2019, Erin and I decided, let's just go to Germany for vacation.

Cate B [00:04:54]:
You know, like, no strings attached. We're just going to go for a couple of weeks. We're just going to do a road trip, and we're going to visit the places that some of the places that I used to live. And a lot of those places Aaron hadn't seen, like, the house that I lived in, or I hadn't been able to take him all around to my favorite place, or, you know, there was just more that I wanted to show him. And so it was. It was just really fun. And we went all over, because I lived all over Germany, so we, you know, and then we also got to see our favorite bands because we worked in a music festival. And then also we went to a concert in a town that I'd never been to.

Cate B [00:05:31]:
And so that was really fun, too. So it was just this really great trip. At the end of it, I remember Aaron flew home two days before me. So at the end of the trip, I said, well, you know, you really got. I mean, he's always kind of gotten, like, you know, the insider view of Germany, but I said, you really got the off the beaten path experience on this trip. And he kind of paused for a minute and he's like, but that's what made it so fun, was that these places were so meaningful to you. And I feel like I got to know you better. And I.

Cate B [00:05:59]:
And it was just more fun. I said, for me, it was meaningful because I got to show you. And so we just felt like we had this trip that was very, very special in a unique way. And it was so much more than just the places we went. And I really thought about that. And actually it was on that trip where I decided I would start my Germany vacation. Aaron had flown home. I was in Stuttgart, which is one of the places I lived.

Cate B [00:06:26]:
I was about ready to go home the next day, and I was just standing there, and it was like 100 degrees. It was so hot. I remember I was just standing a

Tracy Collins [00:06:33]:
bit, like right now, I remember standing

Cate B [00:06:36]:
in the snow, sweating, and it's so hot. And I thought, I don't want to go home. I want to, you know, And I thought, well, I have to, but what else can I do? And I wanted to come back to Germany and. But in a different way than I had experienced it before. And. And so I thought, you know, I know a lot about traveling in Germany, and why don't I start a website I'd already had a couple other websites and I thought, I'll start a Germany website. So I went home, Aaron picked me up and I immediately said, we need to start a Germany website. And he's like, yeah, sounds great, let's do it.

Cate B [00:07:11]:
And that turned into the business that we have now. And so there's like this sense of meaning that has been really core to our business and to all of the clients we've worked with. They all also have some piece of their trip that is very meaningful and I just love that. I love hearing about that from our clients.

Tracy Collins [00:07:32]:
I think there's a few things that you've said that resonate with me. And one of the things is that you just said is about the fact that you're shown Aaron appreciated the fact that he was seeing parts of Germany that, that were meaningful for you and that you were sharing those with him. So. And I think, and I see that often when we do have clients as well for travel in the uk, often it's, you know, it could be. It could be two people exploring their heritage, the Scottish heritage, together and discovering that, or it could be somebody that spent some of their childhood growing up in a part of the UK and they want to travel. And we had a guy on last year whose grandfather, great grandfather actually died in the Titanic disaster and he came back and traced that, that journey of his, of his great grandparents over and, and went to Belfast and actually went to visit family in London. And it was, it was really interesting and really the, the whole. Again, it's that story and it's, it's not just about going and visiting, you know, you know, a city or a, or a town or it.

Tracy Collins [00:08:32]:
Or putting together itinerary, just, you know, random places going off, fancy, going here actually were places that mean things. And I think there's a couple of things that I was thinking is that all of those experiences made you who you are. Kate and I just shared on my sub stack. Basically I moved to France in 1989. I finished university in South Africa and moved to France. And it had a profound impact on my life. The year and a bit that I spent in France and basically changed a lot of who I was. And when Doug and I got married, that's where we went.

Tracy Collins [00:09:08]:
We did a trip back to where I lived in France. And um, and it's that, it's sharing that kind of a bit of your, your history that they don't know about and the privilege of being able to do that. And, and I think that's something that we, that resonates with both of us in what we do when we help people. You know, we're, we're not, we're not AI. We're not chat. We're not any of the, you know, that, that can give you an itinerary that might say, blah, blah, blah. We can listen. We can listen and, and hear to your stories and appreciate your stories and understand what it is that is so important.

Tracy Collins [00:09:43]:
And then we can, you know, we can create that itinerary with you with love and understanding.

Cate B [00:09:47]:
Absolutely. I mean, you know, like, that's one of the things that makes doing the consults that I do or creating the custom itineraries or even doing the itinerary reviews where I'm just, you know, doing the video. It's, you know, when I hear the story, I always ask like, you know, what inspired your trip? And it's, it just adds something extra. I've really been thinking about this so that I can explain it and articulate it better and. But it, it's, you know, so many times I, I can say I can like, add another layer and add another dimension once I hear that story. And, and our clients are always so excited about that. I mean, I would be if I worked with somebody and they could do that. They could help me understand something better or uncover something or articulate something better or find something, something else in Germany that would add to my experience.

Cate B [00:10:40]:
And a lot of times you. That's not something you can ask Chat gdp, you know, because that comes up in conversation. It doesn't, it doesn't come up when you're just typing in, where should I go?

Tracy Collins [00:10:51]:
You know, Absolutely.

Cate B [00:10:53]:
I've tried all that myself. And, and I've thought, no, that, that really just doesn't happen. It happens in that spontaneous conversation when you're sharing. Well, this is why I want to go to Germany. And this was my background. And you know, you know, and sometimes things come up that I think people weren't even thinking that would be relevant or that they would, would share. But, but that's, you know, I think a lot about travel is human to human. Like, we're all really thinking a lot now.

Cate B [00:11:21]:
What is human and what should we use chat GDP or AI for? Right. I think about this all the time. But travel is human. You don't land in Germany and then immediately just talk to Chat GTP the entire time you're there. You talk to humans. You're there to see how other people live and experience this very human thing. Right. So, you know, I mean, I, I know you're thinking about this stuff too, and I don't know where this conversation's kind of going here, but there's so many things to think about right now.

Cate B [00:11:52]:
But like where, where, where is like an AI thing really helpful, but where do we still need the human experience, stories, expertise and that human dimension?

Tracy Collins [00:12:06]:
And it's experience. I think, I think that, I think that means on so many different, on so many different levels the word experience, because we have the experience, but we also know about the experiences that would make, you know, your trip really special. And it's, and also there's another word I think that's key as well and that's relationships.

Cate B [00:12:26]:
Yeah.

Tracy Collins [00:12:27]:
And, and that's something that, that we can also bring and that's something, you know, I, I spend a lot of time in the uk, develop my relationships with everybody that we work with and it's, it's a key thing for us also developing the relationships with you guys. Listening to the podcast, you know, and, and you, you know, getting back to me via speak pipe and leaving your messages. I absolutely love listening to your messages and what you've got to say and, and reaching out and actually this means to you. And I guess that this is the discussion that Kate and I haven't, which we're kind of bringing to you guys today because it's, you know, we both come from the same place of, you know, we have a lot of thought and memories and care and about the destinations that we are passionate about and it really is a passion and we don't want to lose that. We don't want to get cut out of that because things become depersonalized and lose the relationships, lose that experience because it's, you know, you can get something spat out in 10 seconds from AI, you know.

Cate B [00:13:25]:
Yeah. I feel like so many companies now are, are doing that though. They're really trying to reduce travel down to this three second interaction and that's not what travel is about. That's not why we spend so much money to go to another country. I mean, when we travel we spend a lot of money and a lot of our time to go someplace. It's not, it's not a really, you know, tiny little interaction. It shouldn't be. You know, I, so again, I don't know, maybe I'm veering off in a totally different direction here, but kind of thinking about this topic, we just renovated our bathroom and it was really expensive, I mean, crazy expensive.

Cate B [00:14:08]:
And we scaled back wherever we possibly could to make it more affordable and we absolutely had to redo this bathroom. Like, there was no choice. So when we found a company to do the renovation, we talked to a bunch of companies, and Aaron and I are researchers, so we, like, researched everything for months ahead of time. We knew what we wanted, all the fixtures and everything. We found a company we liked, but they required US to spend $500 on two design meetings. That was part of the package. And we thought, we don't want to spend another $500. We don't need design meetings because we already know what we want.

Cate B [00:14:45]:
But we liked the company. And I thought, all right, here's the question we can ask in the design meeting. We'll get something out of it. As it turns out, those design meetings, that was the best $500 we spent out of the thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars we spent on that bathroom. I was so grateful that we spent that money, because that made the rest of the money that we spent so worthwhile. The designer we worked with caught something that we didn't know about, we hadn't thought about, and had they not said it, it would have been a disaster, and it would have cost us a lot of money. We would have not been happy with it. He solved the problem immediately.

Cate B [00:15:27]:
We walked away from that meeting going, oh, my God, we were so glad that we had that. That was the best $500 we spent. And I thought, this is the way, especially the way that he was doing the design meetings, I was like, this is how I do the consults. This is how we work with our clients.

Tracy Collins [00:15:44]:
And.

Cate B [00:15:45]:
And it was really interesting being on the other side. And we've had clients say, you know, we're investing a lot in this trip, and so we want to make sure we get it right. And so, yeah, like I said, it was just really interesting being on the other side. And now that we're on the other side of this bathroom renovation, I'm like, that was the best $500 that we could have spent. And we probably. Initially, we were like, oh, maybe we should get the better faucet. No, it was the meeting that we had. That's where that money was the most valuable.

Tracy Collins [00:16:14]:
And obviously, I think it's often that you don't know what you don't know about renovating a bathroom that the people who have the experience, the knowledge know about. And that, I guess that is what. That is what we are kind of doing and what we are offering. And that's. I guess that's the message that we're talking about in this episode as well, about the fact that, you know, we can listen to your story, we can listen to what it is that you want, we can kind of relate to what it is that you tell us and actually personalize that whichever, this, whichever way we do that, however we do that service, because we both have products and services. So we, we both do similar things. I do for the UK as you do for Germany. And I think, I think that that is the difference.

Tracy Collins [00:16:56]:
And it's the, it's the ability to, yes, we'll. We can save people money for sure. We can save people a lot of stress. But often the thing is that people find interesting and why we do a consult is that they go, we never knew that. We didn't know about that. And that's that kind of light bulb moment of like, actually, you know, we wouldn't have been able to do that or wouldn't have known about that. And we get that in a lot of our, you know, when people write back after the trip and said, like, the reason it was so good and it went so well is because we, you know, we had the video review where we had the console. We know, we listened to your podcast, we looked at your website.

Tracy Collins [00:17:31]:
So, you know, and again, we've got a full package. It's not just one little aspect. We're kind of offering everything to help with your trip. But kind of the cherry on the top is having that ability to, to talk to myself, to talk to Kate, to get that feedback from a genuine, real human being.

Cate B [00:17:48]:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And to draw out what is meaningful. You know, a lot of times people have this idea, okay, I'm going to go to Germany or the UK or whatever, and here's the inspiration for it. But there's things that they're feeling inside that they don't. They, they feel them, but they don't quite know how to say it. They don't quite know how to share it. They don't quite know how to turn that into an experience in the country that is going to be really memorable. And I really enjoy that, like talking and trying to, like, tease that out and figure out what that is and then turn that into a suggestion for, you know, here's what you could do to, you know, have that experience that you're really looking for that you can't quite figure out how to explain.

Cate B [00:18:32]:
And that's what I find so fun about doing this work. You know, it's, it's, it's so much more than just go to this site. Go to the site. Here's the history. Here's this museum. You know, it's just. It's. It's so much more than that.

Cate B [00:18:45]:
And that's what I find really, really, really interesting.

Tracy Collins [00:18:48]:
And I'll kind of go back to that. You know, that trip where you took with Aaron. Sorry, I thought was. I don't know. Don't know why I thought his first trip to. To Germany, but I guess that trip that you kind of thought you're going to show him a different side of Germany. Um, and it's the fact that, you know, you. You.

Tracy Collins [00:19:02]:
You sat down and put that together and kind of took him through that experience for him to go afterwards. Well, that was a completely different type of trip.

Cate B [00:19:12]:
Yeah.

Tracy Collins [00:19:13]:
And kind of, you know, for that whole thing to. Kind of. That trip to have resonated so much that you went, actually, this is what I want to do. This is how I want to. I want to build a business around that. I want other people to have this. To have this experience and, you know, to really enjoy the time and get something deeper and meaningful out of the trip.

Cate B [00:19:30]:
Yeah. And I think for him. Yeah. Going on that trip, because we hadn't thought about starting a business at all. And it wasn't until 2022 that, you know, after the pandemic, where Aaron was like, I'm ready to leave my job. I want to do something different. And we both were like, let's just go to Germany and just see, you know, where we can take this. And I think without that trip, I'm not sure that we would have really thought about that.

Cate B [00:19:57]:
Really kind of came together for us and. Yeah. And I think for him, like, being able to, you know, I was telling him all these different stories and. And he's heard, like, you know, all my Germany stories, but I was telling him all these stories when we were traveling and all these things I remembered. I was like, oh, this is the first, you know, the farmhouse where I lived when I was 16, and this was my very first place. And I remember this and this. And I think hearing these stories also kind of helped him process a lot of his first experiences, even though they were in different countries. He went to Costa Rica and Mexico and Spain, so very different places from Germany.

Cate B [00:20:33]:
But it was just, you know, I guess it was like, we got to. Especially for me, but even Aaron got to go back and kind of, like, revisit our earlier selves and. And. And see how far we've come and laugh at some of the things that happened back then and see what had changed. That was also very interesting because, like, I went back to the little. The very first village I lived in when I was 16, and it was a farmhouse, and I hadn't been back. I think went back once or twice within a couple of years after living there, and then I hadn't been back in probably 30 years. 25.

Cate B [00:21:12]:
30 years. And so that was really interesting to go back and see how it had changed. And. And then also to go to places and be like, nope, this is totally the same. Like this. This looks exactly the same. Or to be able to show Aaron. This is the school I went to, and this is the cafe that my friends and I hung out at when we skipped class.

Cate B [00:21:31]:
And this is the, you know, like, this is where I remember giving a presentation in college, and this is the building where I taught. I taught German for a little while in Germany, too, oddly enough. So it was, you know, it's just. Yeah, it was a really special experience. And, you know, we talked about this a little bit.

Tracy Collins [00:21:51]:
Your.

Cate B [00:21:52]:
Your substack is Travels in Time, right? That's what it's called.

Tracy Collins [00:21:56]:
Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah.

Cate B [00:21:57]:
And I love that because I was just telling a client on Sunday who's going back, who used to live in Germany, and it's going back. And I said, you know, what's really great is that it's almost like time travel. And there are so many times when I'm in Germany where I'm, you know, I'll just, like, go to a square or a cafe or a train station, and I'm just standing there, and it's almost like I can picture myself at different ages or walking through the square, sitting on this bench, sitting in this cafe, walking down the street, and I can imagine myself. I can almost visualize it myself at these different ages, because I've been in these places so many times, and it's this, like, really cool form of time travel, and I just love it. And every once in a while, we'll be somewhere and I'm like, oh, Aaron, this is a time travel spot. You know, like, I, you know, I remember how I felt at these different ages, and it's just such a cool experience, right?

Tracy Collins [00:22:55]:
Absolutely. Well, that's Travels in Time. That. That was actually my very first website was Tracy's Travels in Time. And exactly that kind of, you know, encapsulated that whole idea. And, you know, when you're on that trip with Aaron and any of. If you. If you listen to this podcast and thinking about, you know, those sort of trips where you've gone, and actually, not only are you sharing Memories from your own, you know, experience and time and past, but you're also making new memories.

Tracy Collins [00:23:20]:
So, you know, it's. It's a. It's a fantastic ability to be able to do that and to create that sort of, you know, create those new memories by sharing the times that you. You were there in the past. I just think it. It is amazing. And I've got a favorite quote, actually. It's Judi Dench in the.

Tracy Collins [00:23:35]:
The Marigold Hotel. And I think she's asked, you know, how many lives can you live? And she said, as many as I want to live. And I think that's how it's felt for me is like, I've had quite a few. I've lived in seven different countries. I have different jobs. I've done different things. So it's. For me, it's like I've had seven different lives, and I can kind of time travel back and, you know, like, I took Doug back to when I lived in France and I worked there as an au pair in 1989.

Tracy Collins [00:23:59]:
And, you know, and he'd seen the photos, but I could talk about the things. And now he can. He can imagine it, and he. Now he knows exactly what it looked like, and it's. It's such a privilege. And I think. I think the whole point, I guess, of what this podcast, if you're listening and kind of going, oh, what is it like? What is it they're trying to say? What we're trying to say to you is that, you know, that's what we do. That's what we understand, and that's what we are passionate about, and.

Tracy Collins [00:24:22]:
And that's what we can help you to do.

Cate B [00:24:25]:
That's exactly the type of experience that we want our clients to have. That's what we want everyone else to have. Yeah, absolutely.

Tracy Collins [00:24:33]:
Absolutely. Absolutely. So it's. It's magic. It's magic what we do. It's, It's. It really is. It feels like, you know, I couldn't ask you anything better.

Tracy Collins [00:24:43]:
I absolutely love it. Interesting. For me, sharing about the UK happened when I moved away from the UK and then I kind of wanted to share how much I still love the UK and the places that we. We travel to. And so it helps us when we're not here because we feel like we can. We also can live through your shovels when you're traveling around as well, because we have so many people come on our podcast and share their trip report, send us emails. You know, I've met up in the last month. I've met so many different people, whether that's in the street in London, have been recognized, or I've been on a show with people, and it's fantastic.

Tracy Collins [00:25:13]:
And it's such a privilege, and we want to keep doing this. So, Kate, talk a little bit about. Share a little bit about what you have and what your products and services are, because we'll share those in the podcast show notes as well. But I think it's, as I say, the story. That's what we want you to understand that the stories behind everything that we want you to share with us, and we want to help you make better stories and memories.

Cate B [00:25:39]:
Yeah. So what we offer, we do custom itineraries for people who are going to Germany for any length of time. We love doing those because our clients will tell us what's inspiring their trip. We've done honeymoons, we've done family vacations, solo adventures, Christmas market adventures, wine trips. And we've done so many things, and we love hearing the inspiration. And sometimes people will say, we think we want to go here, here, but we're not quite sure, and we're not quite sure how to, you know, how to make this the experience we want. So we create those custom trips, and the way we do it is we give our clients everything they need for that trip. And then I always like to record a video.

Cate B [00:26:26]:
So I walk through all the steps of the trip that we've planned for them, and I show them, here's how, where you have a couple of options. You can do it this way or you can do it this way, depending. And I talk through it so they can make a good decision for themselves so they're not locked into anything. I like to have options, so I like to give our clients options. And I talk through, here's how to buy train tickets, here's how to rent your car. You know, give them all the detailed information, and then they can book using their platforms, their favorite platforms. Because a lot of people, you know, they. They want to retain control over how they book.

Cate B [00:27:00]:
And so it's a really great middle ground. They get our expertise, but then they can book using their platforms, and they can save money that way. We also do consults, kind of like what you do. So we get on Zoom, and we will help people plan their trip and plan out their route. And we have resources that we've created that we draw on and talk through those stories and, you know, what's. What's meaningful about this trip and. And then answer all the questions they have, like, you know, trying to get train tickets is always kind of complicated. We also have a planner.

Cate B [00:27:35]:
It's a DIY Germany travel planner. And it's this resource we've created with a really detailed map with sites and accommodations and, you know, everything you need for all over Germany. And then we have a lot of other information and insights. It's not really just information. It's all our insights about how to plan a trip, how to figure out where to go. Especially if you want to get off the, the, you know, the off the beaten path and find the under the radar sites, we have those because we have literally traveled everywhere in Germany. So no matter where you want to go, you know, we have suggestions for that. So that's really great.

Cate B [00:28:12]:
For people who are like me, I love diving into lots of planning resources. I want all the insights, I want all the information, I want all of the tips and the stories and I want to see the big picture and then I want to be able to zoom in. So that's really great for people like that.

Tracy Collins [00:28:29]:
And I think that's a, that's key though, isn't it? It's like, you know, you provide the resources like we do. We've got all the resources out there. But what I think what is over and above and what is different is that you actually get access to us. You know, people get you, you can have access to Kate, you can have like, you can have access to it. To myself and Doug, to truly listen and personalize and answer the questions that, you know, based on our experience that we know we have done like, like, you know, you've traveled all over Germany, we've traveled all over the U.K. you know, we, we traveled. I think Doug's done well. Yeah, I know he's done every single train line.

Tracy Collins [00:29:02]:
I think there's one or two that is maybe new ones that he's determined to do this trip. You know, so it really is, it's, it's an all round package, but with the ability to actually have that one to one time, whether that's, you know, booking a consult, even if you, you want to do a video review so you interact together and you know, you may have used a bit of AI for that. We know that that's happening. But you think, oh, actually, I'm not sure. I want, I want somebody with, with expert, you know, eyes and experience. Again, that experience word comes in to actually go through it and tell me that will this work or not be. And I think that's what we, we can reassure that we can kind of go actually, yes, that's me work or no, that won't work. And perhaps try this or do something differently.

Tracy Collins [00:29:44]:
So it's giving you alternatives based on our experience. And also you get that kind of, as I say, that connection, which I know is really important because we hear that all the time with myself, with Dog, with, with Kate, with Aaron. And I think I know. And that's, that's just fantastic. I just love the fact that we do this. And I just think, you know, you know, and it's. If you listen to the podcast and you're thinking, I'm planning a trip to. I'm going to get the uk, I'm thinking about Germany, you know, reach out, check out the websites, listen to Kate's podcast like you do for a UK travel planner.

Tracy Collins [00:30:17]:
One, you know, send us an email and ask what it is that we can do. You know, just say, this is what I'm thinking about and we can get back to you and tell you what, what we could offer to help.

Cate B [00:30:26]:
And, you know, I mean, I think a lot of people are probably like, well, but why, why can't you just share this, you know, on TikTok or in Facebook or whatever? And the thing is, is that there's so many, like, what makes trips really, really good are the little details, the spontaneous moments or the, the little moments, the little things, right? The details, the person, personal details. And you cannot share that in a mass situation. Like, it's not a Facebook post. Those are not things you can get from a Facebook group post or an email or even a podcast episode. I've tried, like, I've tried sharing these things that way. It never works because it's. Those are for the masses, you know, like, and when we're working one on one with somebody, it's for that person and it makes such a difference. And sometimes it can be hard.

Cate B [00:31:21]:
I know sometimes it's hard for me to explain that and really articulate that for people, but that really is what is so unique. And it's, you know, doing this work has made me think that I will always go to somebody to help them, help them help me plan my trip, because I know how much it's going to help. When Erin and I went back to the uk, I remember I reached out to you and I was in your Facebook group and I asked you some questions and, you know, like, I, I do this whenever I go anywhere. I ask my friends and I ask people, what did you like? But the limitation there is that they've only been to certain places and they've had very Specific experiences. And that can be a really good starting point. But what. What we really bring is this depth and breadth, and that is so helpful. I love it when clients come to me and say, I'm going to this little tiny village, and we look up where it is in Germany, and I'm like, I haven't heard of this village, but I know this area because I've been to all these other places and I can help them with all these details that they would never be able to figure out on their own because.

Cate B [00:32:26]:
And I know this because they tell me, and I love that. I love being able to help people that way. You know, there's just so many different levels. But, yeah, it really is.

Tracy Collins [00:32:35]:
It really is. And it's been. It's been amazing to chat with you, Kate. And if you want to leave a message for myself or Kate, if this has resonated with you, if there's anything you listen to and thought, actually, you know, this all makes sense in the kind of crazy, AI kind of driven world that we're seem to live in at the minute. And actually what I want is that human connection, and what I want is that human experience, you know, reach out, let us know we. We want. We. I guess, in a way, and I guess this is showing my vulnerability, Kate.

Tracy Collins [00:33:00]:
But it's like I kind of feel at the moment that I really could do with a bit of that because it's just the world that we live in, and it is becoming more difficult. So.

Cate B [00:33:07]:
Yeah, but, you know, I'm craving more human connection because everywhere I go online, it's just AI, and it's just. It just doesn't like. I think AI is great in some situations. I'm figuring out how I want to use it, but I'm finding there's just too much and I'm really missing certain types of human connection. And we've talked about how that it feels like things have kind of unraveled in certain ways in the last few years. And I. I don't. I'm trying to figure out how to wrap.

Cate B [00:33:39]:
I don't know what's the opposite of unraveling, like, ravel it back together, put

Tracy Collins [00:33:44]:
it back together, maybe make sense of it. I think. I think that's where I'm at. Like, how do we. How to make sense of that so that we. We can all see a way forward. And I, to be honest, that my way forward, I think is. Is.

Tracy Collins [00:33:56]:
Is. Is offering, you know, is the podcast, is the substack, is the. Is the ability for people to. To actually reach out and for us to be able to, you know, to respond and help them. And I think, and, and I think that's what we, you know, that's what we keep doing and that's what we keep offering. So, you know, if you're listening to this, get in touch, seriously, via our Speak Pipe link. And we want it. We want to know, we'll respond, won't we, Kate?

Cate B [00:34:18]:
Yeah, And I would, you know, I would love to have more conversations around this because I know we've, we've talked with other people too, about, well, where do we go from here? How can we. People in a way that's also meaningful, meaningful for us. And like you said, I think this is a very vulnerable conversation and we're all trying to figure it out. And I would love to hear from people about, you know, any of the things we've talked about today. And I really enjoyed that. This conversation has kind of meandered. It's nice to go in without a plan and just, you know, chat and be open and honest and. Yeah, I've really enjoyed that.

Tracy Collins [00:34:52]:
Brilliant. Well, thanks so much, Kate, for coming on. As always, it's always great to chat with you. If you want to listen to more of Kate, you can check out her podcast, which is Germany Travel Planning. I'll link to that in the show notes. Obviously, she's got a website as well, and you can, you know, chat to Kate if you want some support around your travels to Germany. So. But thanks so much, Kate, for.

Tracy Collins [00:35:12]:
For coming on.

Cate B [00:35:13]:
Well, thanks so much for having me on.

Tracy Collins [00:35:16]:
Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Global Travel Planning Podcast. For more details and links to everything we discussed today, check out the show notes at Global Travel Planning. Remember, if you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving us a review on your favorite podcast app, because your feedback helps us reach more travel enthusiasts just like you. Anyway, that leaves me to say, as always, happy Global Travel Planning.