Airport Chaos & Vacation Disasters | What We've Learned

Natalie Pilkinton (00:00) Hi everybody, welcome to Sugar Spice and Spirits podcast. Have you ever traveled with somebody and you thought, hell no, I ain't going with them again? Well, in this episode we're gonna talk about, you know, travel personalities, red flags, and a lot of the fun things and the quirks that we do when we travel. What do you do? We wanna hear from you. So I'm Natalie Pilkington, one of the hosts of Sugar Spice and Spirits. Mindy Price (00:23) Mindy Price. Kelly Williams (00:24) and Kelly Williams. Natalie Pilkinton (00:26) And we always start off with a sip of the day. And our sip of the days are varying because we're in different locations. So mine happens to be a Villa San Ignacio coffee from the restaurant. So cheers, ladies. Mindy Price (00:41) Well, cheers, Natalie, but hold on. Aren't you supposed to say where you're at? Because we're kind of a little bit in awe of where you are right now. Kelly Williams (00:52) Yes, we made the determination that you're there and we're stuck here, so. Natalie Pilkinton (00:52) I am in awe as well. I am in Costa Rica, so I'm super excited. I've never been here. I'm actually in San Jose just starting our trip. So we flew in yesterday, spent the night here in San Jose. I have never driven streets like this before. We did rental cars, so I'll give you a little tea on that. It was, it's been fun, I'll tell you. And we've only been here, not even 12 hours, so. Mindy Price (01:19) and you were driving in the dark, which I was supposed to be with her y'all. And unfortunately I had to cancel the trip due to a lot of work constraints. I'm not complaining ish, ish? Extra ish, yeah. So I decided for my sip of the day, I would go with Because Coffee and happy Place Kelly Williams (01:29) Ish. Mindy Price (01:41) That's what I'm doing. You we had Eddie Wilson on the podcast a little while back and that is one of his businesses. I love the coffee there. And so I made a cup of it. Okay. Maybe I already tried it. You can see, but here we go again. Kelly Williams (01:53) Yeah, premature drinker. Natalie Pilkinton (01:55) It was coffee. Mindy Price (01:58) I know I took your spot, Kelly. Kelly Williams (01:59) I know, Dornett. Well, and I'm jealous. I showed them earlier, the coaster that I'm using is as close to the tropics as I'm getting it. For those of you that are actually watching and not listening, I have a coaster that looks like, I think it's Bora Bora or something anyway. So I'm channeling my inner wish that I was there, but my drink of the morning is the Cherry Twist Alani. It's kind of a, it's a little bit of an energy drink. It's pretty good. I've actually tried some of the other, flavors and don't really care for them. This one and there's new strawberry one that I like and it's pretty good. It's not real, it doesn't make you real jittery so I like it. I did already have my coffee by the way though too. Mindy Price (02:42) No, I was like, well, we'll see how this goes. Kelly Williams (02:42) We don't need any more assistance in that Natalie Pilkinton (02:48) I'm still trying to wake up. I don't know about y'all. I'm a little jet lagged. It's not even jet lagged. It's not like it's even far, but it is anyway. So let's go over some travel personalities. I know that we've all traveled together and we know when you get a group of ladies or any group of people together and you start traveling, all these different quirks and personalities come out. Like Mindy, we were in the group chat. And I'm texting you guys, hey, let's go hiking the falls. Let's do this. And I think Travis's response was like, hiking? Question mark. Like, I don't know about that. It's like, yeah, we gotta go see the rainforest. We gotta do the bridges. We gotta see the animals. And you guys are like, where's the beach? I wanna be in your Galata. Like, let's do the local. Like, let's do, and everybody brings their own vibe. So it's pretty fun and interesting. to go and do these things, like to go and travel. But traveling with your significant other, you already know how they are. But then when you travel with friends, you're like, okay, wait a minute, we got to stop here. They want to look at the mugs or we got to do this. So what are some of the things that you guys have seen, like as far as travel personalities? Because we've all traveled a lot. Like Kelly, you're always somewhere, somewhere fun and interesting. You're a weekend warrior going places, riding your bike. Mindy, you're always at... Not only do you travel with your friends, you've got your girlfriends that you go with at your diehards, but you're also traveling a lot for work and you're meeting these different people. What are some quirks? Mindy, you go first then Kelly, but what are some quirks that you guys have noticed or what are your travel quirks or personalities? Start with your personality and then go to stories. Let's do that. Mindy Price (04:22) So. Okay, look, so she like directed me because she knew I was gonna go against what she was asking. So I'm gonna come back to something here in a minute. So, personalities. I travel so much, so I like to understand where I'm going. I like to be prepared, so I am that person. Now don't have to have every single thing dialed in and lined out to know, but I do like to have a plan. Kelly Williams (04:31) Yeah, we're gonna scale it down. Mindy Price (04:50) Can I be that person that will fly by the seat of my pants if somebody else is doing it? Yes, here recently I've gone on a couple trips that way. It's kind of amazing and I enjoyed not being in charge. So maybe I'm turning a new leaf. I don't know, we'll see. However, I do find myself the most comfortable if I know what's happening. But again, I'm digging that. So I am gonna be your planner. I'm typically a planner in life. anyway but when it throws me curveballs I'm okay with that which leads me into this Natalie because you said something so we're in this group chat like I said I was supposed to be in Costa Rica with Natalie but because of business you know business and being a newer entrepreneur you kind of shift so my husband was the one going yeah no hiking no because of a bad experience because of me we were in where were we we were in Avon I called it Vaughn, but we were in Avon and Colorado and we went in these gondolas up the mountain and we got to see a lot of stuff. We hiked for a couple miles. He was fine with that. The problem was we got so far, we couldn't figure out how to get back to the gondola and seven or eight miles later, several hours and screaming kids, ankles hurting and blisters and blood, he's like, never hiking again. So he had one bad experience. Now I've been on other hikes before. This is a different terrain, what you're going through, and you found some different ones. So my advice is don't judge a book or an experience one chapter and say, never doing it again. Another thing was, Natalie, you're like, let's do mud baths. And I was like, what kind of mud baths are we talking about? Because the experience that I had in Napa Valley, California was terrible. And then we talked about it. I was like, well, I've had experience with mud baths in Panama. absolutely amazing and I didn't say no but I almost did because that experience was just outside of my comfort zone that's a whole other show on really getting to know people that you didn't know you were going to get to know that way. So being open to trying new things even if it's not your jam and I'm more adventurous and my husband's very he's my meat and potatoes he likes this this way this way and this way and i try to constantly stretch him and say well just try this and what's amazing is nine times seven and a half times out of ten let's be realistic he's so thankful that we did and he's like thank you for pushing me thank you for doing that and so i do encourage everybody just just try it if you hate it twice don't do it you know shame on you shame on me now it's shame on you you Kelly Williams (07:14) Okay. Natalie Pilkinton (07:24) Peace. Kelly Williams (07:28) Yeah, she won't you right. Right. Now, I can see that you're definitely a very efficient planner. And I mean, you definitely keep us in line in a good way. And I think everyone, every group has that person, no matter how large or how small the group is. The group of girls that I run with, the bees, we have one girl that just, I mean, she just does it. She just knows how to plan everything. She does all the excursions. She does everything and we call her the beekeeper. And she, we know, we don't mess with it. We just go with the flow, but it's always something good that she plans. Natalie Pilkinton (08:06) So when we need to hide a body, do we call her? Is that who we call? The beekeeper? The movie? Kelly Williams (08:10) You probably know. Stephanie, if you get a call. But it's so funny because one time we gave her a whistle and a book and a pen and said, okay, you're the itinerary person. so anyway, so we've just, she's our social queen, our social butterfly. So my experience is I think it depends on the type of trip that you're going on. For instance, when We just got back from Disney World and that is definitely a very strategically planned vacation because when you have so little time and you have so many things to do and there's so many things like the rope drop, there's so many things like the lightning lanes and you have to schedule so many a certain time and you hit the ground running every day. And Trevor, my husband, both times And he said, this is not, and he had a good time, but he said, this is not a vacation. He said, this is freaking work. Each time we walked over 20 miles and it was running back and forth between the parks and standing, and you stand in line and it's hot, but it's a lot of planning. And I'm the one that's been there so many times. So I'm the one that's stuck making all the plans, doing everything. So that's fine. But I think he and I both agree that like you said, to go to the beach or an all-inclusive and just swim up to the pool bar and have someone come wait on you and kick back and do nothing is great. Now when I went to Hawaii, you would be proud of me, Natalie, because we did a hike up to, I think, Diamond Head. And when we got at the bottom and we looked up and I was like, there's no way in hell I'm gonna do that. But once we got up there, it was great. And of course, going down, the whole gravity thing was much easier, but I was glad I did it. I realized how terrible shape I was in. But I branched out, because that's typically not my little thing that I like to do is the hiking and those types of things. I definitely just get your chair, get your towel, lay on the beach and do absolutely nothing is my form of vacation, unless it's Disney. then it's, all bets are off. I'm hitting the road, it's 6 a.m. in the morning and we don't go down until, gosh. Natalie Pilkinton (10:30) Disney, you're balls to the wall at Disney. Kelly Williams (10:36) 10 or 11 o'clock at night. yeah, so. Mindy Price (10:40) You know what you said that made me think of something and I don't know if either one of you can relate to this, but you said depends on what kind of vacation it is. So I will try to mix in my speaking engagements, my client meetings outside of where I live and try to do something fun along with that. But if it's a work vacation, the way I pack, very efficient. I know what I'm doing during the day. I know what I'm doing in the evening. I have just enough clothes. When it's a fun vacation, If I don't pack in advance and I wait till the last minute, because work it's like I need this, this, this, and this. If I wait till the last minute, I over pack and I literally, use those packing cubes so I can stuff a lot of stuff in there and I will come home with half a closet that I didn't even wear while on vacation because it's just a different. I just, want to have options. I used to make fun of those, you know, real housewives and all their, yes, I do watch that, all of their luggage and everything that they would carry. Like, how do they do that? I don't go to that extreme, but you know, instead of a carry on, I've got the big suitcase that I'm traveling with, even if it's just like a three day vacation. And then I've got some friends that literally you will go, I will never forget going to Isla Mujeres of us for like five days. And I've got the big, you know, my largest suitcase. And then I've got a small, bag carry on and I look over and one of my girlfriends is in a backpack for five days. Maybe she was there for but I'm like what do you change up? Do you wash your underwear there? I mean like I don't understand how you are packing this thing. Natalie Pilkinton (12:14) What underwear? Who wears Kelly Williams (12:16) Yeah. Mindy Price (12:16) are you all that way if it's business or if it's work or how are you? What is your packing style? Natalie Pilkinton (12:17) That's funny. Kelly Williams (12:23) I always over pack. I love that meme that says, I'm going on a two day trip so I pack my 37 outfits. It's like, that's me because I pack for what I've got and then I look and see what my girlfriend's, I'm like, wow, I should have packed that because it's different. And shoes, yeah, I definitely, I'm the over. Natalie Pilkinton (12:46) Your sense of style is better though. You've got, not that Mindy doesn't have sense of style, but compared to me, you've got a good sense of style. So yeah, you're gonna pack the closet and the kitchen sink too. Mindy Price (12:56) Natalie, the very first time I met Kelly is from one of our girlfriends, LaDonna. It was for her bachelorette party. And of course, in Kelly and Mindy fashion, we had to get to know each other. So we're like, let's go to a Mexican restaurant and try different margaritas. That's how we get to know each other. So this was before, it was before that. Natalie Pilkinton (13:11) Nothing changes. Kelly Williams (13:12) Yeah. And we were late for the party because we stayed at the bar so long. Mindy Price (13:17) Dual Natalie Pilkinton (13:18) Imagine that! Mindy Price (13:21) matrons of honor, by the way. Yeah, late. so, but so we're staying in a hotel room with two other girls for this this bachelorette party. And this is how I knew Kelly packed a lot. It was one night and I look over and her suitcase has exploded. And y'all when I I keep everything very neat, but whatever. Her suitcase has exploded. The great thing about that is I was able to go, I like that. Can I wear that? And even though Kelly and I are different sizes, every time we travel, I'm like, let it go. It is fine. We have choices. Thank you very much. Kelly Williams (13:54) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (13:55) So I wanted to say a couple of things on what you had said, Mindy. Work, vacation. So, you know, a lot of times people don't like work or, and I know when you go to some of these conferences, I mean, it is work when we do conference, is, you're going from sunup to sundown, you're going to the event, you're going to the bar to have a beverage, to do networking and to talk to people you didn't get to talk to in the event, cause you were in classes or in structured environments. So work. Kelly Williams (13:55) Yeah. I mean. Natalie Pilkinton (14:23) vacation is so important because you can turn these trips into an extra day or two and turn it into something fun. And sometimes these trips, like you went on a trip the other day that you were speaking for a company and you were speaking for their management and they treated you like a rock star. Not only did you speak, you were in the luxury cabin suite, you got the massage spa credits and I'm like, dang, that's awesome, Mindy, that's fantastic. Love what you do and do what you love. Like make it, and if you're not there yet, design your life to where you can do what you want to do. It's, know people make fun of realtors, but. When I'm working, I still have somebody that can show properties. I still have somebody that can help me write contracts. I have somebody that can help me do stuff behind the scenes. I can enjoy my time and put down the phone and actually be present, which so many people aren't able to do. But color coded, Mindy definitely is a color coded traveler. She is a planner, especially if she's been there. She has a passion for La Isla Mujeres. It's horrible. Don't go there. But Mindy likes it. So we go there. So she... She has an itinerary. We went there with her and she gave us like a three or four day itinerary. This is when we're eating here. This is when we're doing this. This is when we've got to go try their mojitos. This is when we got to do this. And she had it laid out to the nines. I think she allowed for potty breaks, but it was fabulous for me because I didn't have to plan. I didn't have to think about anything. It's like, just show up my paint by number. If I'm going with Mindy on vacation, that is awesome. because she'll plan it and she'll make it good. So I appreciate that as not being a planner. Sometimes I like to fly by the seat of my pants. Like you kept saying, what were you asking me about? Cause we're trying to schedule this podcast. How do we do a podcast in Costa Rica? where do we get this? Like, where do we get to do it? And what day and when are you doing things? And I'm like, yeah. It's like, we're going to go hike. That's what I got planned. And I got the hot springs and spa plan. And I was like, the rest, it's kind of like, you know, we're going to drive and we're going to stop by the markets and we're going to just, we're just going to be, you know, in the countryside. And you were like, okay. Like I have the hotel's booked. Kelly Williams (16:38) Thank Mindy Price (16:38) Well, hold on for clarification. With that, was like, what time, how long do want the podcast to be? What time do you want to get on the road? And you're like, meh. And I was like, no, I'm trying to schedule the podcast for us. What time do you want to get on the road? And she just sat there in silence. And I was like, is she thinking? Is she doing that Natalie thing that she does? What is happening? She goes, I said, what time do you want to get on the road? She's like, I don't know. I'm on vacation. I was like, Natalie Pilkinton (17:03) you Mindy Price (17:03) okay, because I'm trying to be respectful of your time if you want to get out at a certain time, then I want to know. And P.S. by the way, just so you know, yes, I crammed in three days worth of stuff in a few days because I wanted you to see, again, it's a terrible place, don't go, it's overcrowded, don't go. Don't go, don't go, but I'll keep going. I wanted you to see all the spots, I didn't know when you would be back. Natalie Pilkinton (17:27) No, and I appreciated that. I enjoyed it. Mindy Price (17:30) It's my happy place. I will say I am, y'all, if you travel with me to Isla, I'm obnoxious because I have to be the tour guide. I have to share with you all the things that I have learned. I am. That is the one place I will warn you. You'll probably be little annoying, but I'll get you happy. Kelly Williams (17:48) You know what though, I mean, when you spend money and you unless you're planning on, for instance, a cruise, on a cruise, you can be as busy or as unbusy as you want to be. You can go out to the pool where all the action is, or you can go to the adult pool and just lay there and do nothing. You can go to the spa, you can gamble, you can do this, you can do that. It doesn't matter or you can do absolutely nothing. It's up to you. But sometimes when you go someplace that costs a lot of money and you know, this is maybe the one time I'm gonna get here, then you want to see everything there is to see. And it works great when you've got someone who has been there before. You know, when me and LaDonna and Stephanie flew to Paris, first of all, we couldn't speak the language. And when we ordered food, we didn't know what we were getting. it took, we were there for five days, six actually because Air France is on strike and so we had to stay an extra day, darn. But we were there and it took us the first four days to figure out how to find the train station and the buses. We walked eight blocks every day to the start of the buses and went all the way down like to the Eiffel Tower and everything when we realized if we could just spoke in the language, there was a bus stop right around the corner from the hotel. But we couldn't speak the language. And we had pictures of us. Mindy Price (19:18) have all the translation apps that you have now. Kelly Williams (19:20) Right, we had the iPad and we've got pictures of us sitting with these two very nice guys who owned a pizza place and we would say something in the iPad and all we could say was we're looking for the church that's real pretty on the hill that you can look at all over Paris. And all, you know, and they would sit there, we found it, but it was hilarious. And three girls just flew by the seat of our pants, went to Paris to see Jimmy Buffet and had no idea where we were going, what we were doing. So, you know, I'm trying to plan a trip to Bora Bora and that's going be a once in a lifetime trip. And so I've definitely gone to extra lengths to figure out what there is to do, how to do it, when to do it. And I'm going to depend on someone else to kind of help me, whether it's a travel agent or my travel chatty, because you just want to experience that much. you know, even though it's crazy. Natalie Pilkinton (20:14) So if you have Bora Bora tips, if you have Bora Bora tips, send them so Kelly like put them in the chat so Kelly can know what to do, because she needs some help. Kelly Williams (20:23) Yes, please do. I've got two of my friends that have been and they gave me their travel agent and everything. But yeah, so Mindy, so if you got to bore a bore between now and the time that I go and you want to come back and then go as my travel guide, hey, yeah, I'm good for it. Mindy Price (20:38) Hey, I think that's a great idea if you're paying for the second trip. Kelly Williams (20:42) yeah, okay. Natalie Pilkinton (20:45) Yeah, there's that. Mindy Price (20:45) But I love it, Natalie, yes. Put in the comments if you have tips for Bora Bora or any travel tips for us. Kelly Williams (20:50) Yeah. Natalie Pilkinton (20:50) or travel tips. Kelly Williams (20:52) Yeah. Yeah. We love, Natalie Pilkinton (20:52) Yeah. So one other thing I wanted to say talking about going back. going back to the hiking, we're getting older. Like we can't hike all the time. Like we're not going to be, we're like, shoot, Kelly can't even walk now. So we're, just getting to the point to where we don't know if we'll be at, know, like, yeah, you want to experience life and you want to go and do this. And you want to do it with your kids and you want to do it with your grandkids. But let's be real. Let's be frank. This isn't going to be our cup of tea for that much longer. That window of going and doing and doing and doing isn't going to be here for much longer. I had a guy who I used to work with and work for. He's like, you need to like, don't try and save a big nest egg so you can retire and then travel. He's like, you're not going to be able to walk. You're going to be older. You're going to be no. Granted, health has come a long way and taking care of yourself and, know, with everything that's coming out. However, you do need to be mindful that we aren't young and sprightly, you know, and can do the 20 mile walks across Disney like we could when we were younger. there are things that, you know, you've to grab that bull by the horn and go. like, we're just, we're just going and we're doing it. So. Kelly Williams (21:58) You know Natalie on that note and it's not to be Debbie Downer or Somber, but I recently traveled to Louisiana and had my corporate meeting and I spoke to my two business partners and I said, okay, so what are our goals? I'm almost 60, they're a few years younger than me and I said, what are our goals with this company? Where do we want to be in our lives? And we all three agreed that in about the next five years, We'd like to be at a point where we can step back from work a little bit and, then more than me, because I've already kind of stepped back quite a bit, but, and travel and see things. And if you think about it, when my late husband Lance passed away, we had a long list of things that we wanted to do. And he passed away at 53. And we never got a chance to do those things. And so whether it's just, you know, from where we are in Texas, whether it's just going to New Braunfels for the weekend and floating the river, whether it's going to Galveston, whether it's, whatever you do, it's one of those things where, you know, what we say, eat the cake, buy the shoes, take the trip, because you never know what cards are gonna be dealt and plan for it. I mean, you you hate to be that person who works so hard and is so successful and does so great. And thankfully, hopefully you love your job, but when you're ready to retire, You've worked so hard and so long that now you're either too old or whatever to go and appreciate all the wonderful things just the United States has to offer or if you want to travel abroad or whatever. just plan accordingly. Take time for yourself. know, Natalie, you're in Costa Rica, but you're doing a little bit of work. Mindy, you do the same thing when you go to your work events. You plan a little side gig in there to get some fun. I do the same thing. You have to incorporate that into part of your life because you can't wake up one day and say, what's the one thing I tell you guys that I hate? I do not ever want to wake up and say, damn, I wish I would have. Now I may wake up and say, dang, I can't believe I did that, but what I learned from it, but I don't want to wake up and say, wow, I wish I would have. Because how many years have I been trying to get to Bora Bora? For about 15 years. Mindy Price (24:18) Right. Kelly Williams (24:20) And so Mindy Price (24:20) Yeah. Kelly Williams (24:20) it's like, I even had it in my will that someone's gonna sprinkle my ashes there if I don't make it there. So it's on a silly note, but it is true. You just never know what tomorrow brings. We don't know. We don't know. So like Natalie said, grab that bull by the horns, take that trip, buy those shoes, eat that cake, you know? So. Mindy Price (24:42) So the one thing Natalie Pilkinton (24:43) Buy those shoes. Mindy Price (24:44) that I want Natalie Pilkinton (24:44) Wait a minute. Mindy Price (24:44) to say with that is you said something that I think is key. So the planning part of it. Because I can remember being younger and I had a very good girlfriend, still very good friends with her, and her and her husband did not make a lot of money. But they went on really cool trips. And what they did was they budgeted for it. They made sure they didn't put themselves in debt. They didn't, they literally budgeted for it. They would plan. And once a year they went on a vacation. And when I say they didn't make a lot of money, they did not make a lot of money at all. And I was so amazed and impressed by them and how they were able to do those things. They were much better at budgeting than I was. And as I've gotten older, I've gotten much better at that. And so I would say, don't just go and say, I'm going to spend it all now and I'll figure it out later. Some people do that and they're successful. Most people find themselves in a world of hurt and stress if they just go and they're reckless with it. But if you plan for it, then you can really enjoy it. But the key is planning, right? If you plan for it, you say it, you give it a deadline. It's like a goal. These are the things I wanna do. know, have you written it down? Have you put a budget towards it? Make it happen. You mentioned the key phrase 15 years ago. Kelly, 15 years ago, I wasn't traveling that much. I was so focused on my career. that I hardly ever went on a vacation. Plus we had young kids and it was really hard to do that. We had kids very soon after marriage. And so it was grind, grind, grind, grind, grind. And then my husband and I, talked about a cruise earlier, went on our first cruise. It was an eight day cruise. It was absolutely incredible and amazing. And it showed me, wow, how much fun I can have and decompress. And back then on cruises, you didn't have internet or phone. there was a line, they could call for emergency, but that was it. And that was the thing that turned my whole world around and made me understand why vacations were so important. And it's all about what you make on it too. So thinking about this, and Natalie, you may have been gonna bring this up, on a cruise, Kelly, you mentioned there's so many things you can do. We got off that cruise, we had the time of our life. At the time, because I was like stalking all the things on the cruise line and... the forums and the boards and what people were saying and to know what to do and what not to do. And then I was like, well, they said, don't do it, but I want to try it anyway because I want to form my own opinion. And nothing that we did, we didn't like. We were so glad that we did it. I get back and there's like 25 % of the people bashing the cruise saying how awful it was. And I was like, wow, prime case example of it is what you make it. Kelly Williams (27:21) We've made it. Yes. Mindy Price (27:22) and you think about, Natalie started this out, people you travel with, different personalities, are they just gonna belly ache, are they complainers, you do you wanna surround yourself with those people? And if you know they're that way, but you love them for certain reasons, or you have to deal with them because of certain reasons, certain vacations, don't be around those people. They're just gonna be negative, push, not meaning, just don't be around them. If they're gonna be Debbie Downers, that's what I say, just, or you don't have to be together all the time, you know, there's people that you travel with, and they're like, We have to do everything together, do you? And if you know you have that person and you need some of your own time, make sure that you say, hey, we're gonna do this, you do that, we'll come back together here. Natalie, you had a point. Natalie Pilkinton (28:03) So that's travel red flags is actually was next on my talk. But speaking about that, I have one of my children who absolutely were walking out the door and he's jumping in the shower. we're loading up in the car and he is in the shower. Nothing will infuriate you more than a parent that's trying to leave with a kid in the shower. So we've gotten to the point you're driving yourself. If you make it, you make it. And it's not our problem. And he's missed a flight because of somebody didn't help him get where he needed to go. And we're like, who missed that flight? Why? Why did you miss that flight? I think you need to reframe that. you know, but traveling, yeah, setting that expectation upfront with people because And have a conversation. If you have never traveled with somebody, like the first time we all went somewhere, I was like, oh, this will be interesting to see how we all are dynamically like, because we were staying in the same room. We were like, how are we going to get along? Because it does matter. And it does impact each other's moods. If you got somebody like Kelly, you're early to the airport. I'm early to the airport. I want to make sure I've dealt with whatever's going to get thrown my way ahead of time. And I'm okay. I've shown up to the wrong airport and made it to the correct airport. in time because I showed up so early. That's a day for an hour. I showed up, we were like, we're looking for gate 50 and the lady's like, that's the wrong airport, honey. And Brian looked at me and I looked at him and I'm like, well, our car's at parking spot. He's like, Uber, we Ubered to Hobby, got on our plane and made it. So yay. But you know, it's... Kelly Williams (29:17) See? See? See, Mindy Price (29:35) You. Kelly Williams (29:36) I want to get there. If I have to sit in front of the gate for two hours, I want to know. And case in point, this past week, last week when we got back from Disney, we were sitting there and you know, when us three flew to Orlando, that airport was packed with little kids running around with their backpacks and their Mickey Mouse ears and everything. And I got to the airport and I thought, granted our flight left at 5 a.m. But I was like, okay, where are the kids? And it just so happened that one of the guys that was with us walked down to a couple of gates and said, I think I just heard our flight down here. We were at the wrong gate. They changed the gate and I didn't get the notification on my phone. So we jumped up and I'm pre-boarding right now because of all my stuff. And then we had a little one with us. So we got there just about the time to walk on the plane. So it worked out good, but. The time that we went to, me and some friends and some couples were going to Key West. And I am like sprinting because again, it was one of those, we'll pick you up at such and such time. 20 minutes later, we were still sitting in the driveway and I'm like, okay, we're gonna be late, we're gonna be late. And so they finally got in the car and then we get to the airport and I'm like dragging my suitcase flying to the airport and. My girlfriend, God love her, she is so, she's like water on a duck's back. Nothing bothers her. She's over there, oh wait a minute, I forgot my mascara. So she's buying mascara from the dang kiosk in the airport. I'm like, first of all, you should have brought your mascara. Second of all, you don't buy makeup at the kiosk in the airport. It wasn't the Mac store. It was like, know, hit the button and then, whatever. And I said, you know what? Just like you did Natalie, I said, you know what? I'm gonna go to the gate. If you guys make it, great. If not, I'll see you when we get to Key West if you make it. that's me. I don't want to be in a rush. And now with all of the TSA security lines and everything that are going on, it's just, yeah, it's too much. I would rather get there and have two hours to sit there and just be happy that I'm there and not be in traffic. Mindy Price (31:50) and you know the plane are over here I'm like, I will watch the apps, I will see what's taking place, I will understand what the lines are, I'll get there an hour early, do not ask me to be at the airport unless it's an international flight. But normally, and especially when I'm traveling to places that I know, now I travel a lot and I have missed two flights in my, you know, in the hundreds and hundreds of flights that I have, have. taken, but I don't like getting the airport super early and it's just one of those things. But of course when we're dealing with TSA or whatever's happening and there's delays, I will do it and I will gladly sit and be fine. But if I can just roll in just an hour to 45 minutes and then get everything done, I'm happy. Natalie Pilkinton (32:37) Yeah, no, so one of my quirks, one of my travel things, I'm just gonna throw this out there, is I always forget something. It's just a matter of what it is, because I never know, because I'm forgetting it. And every time I go to unpack, I forget something. And I was so diligent this time, I'm like, I am not forgetting anything. And I went to go brush my teeth last night, and I forgot my toothbrush. So that beats forgetting, know. Kelly Williams (32:59) Sorry. Mindy Price (33:00) What a thing to forget. I do that. I do that often. I don't mean to. think, I have that or I used that toothbrush last time to fix my eyebrows. I can't use that in my mouth. was like, they don't, what you call the hotels like, hey, do have a travel toothbrush? There are certain things you know that they have for you. They have combs, have toothbrush, they have shaving, they have, you little shaving kits, they have shower caps, all this stuff. You just call the front desk and you borrow it if you forget it. Natalie Pilkinton (33:19) Yes. Yeah, now. Kelly Williams (33:32) Yeah, I'm always afraid, you know, medications, that kind of stuff, that's the important stuff. But, you when you open up your bag and your husband goes, good Lord, you never know what's gonna happen. You got to have your anti-anxiety, your anti-diarrheal, your pain pills, your allergies, like, my God. But, you know, and you may never use it, but it's nice to have, so. Mindy Price (33:58) So can y'all imagine, very first work trip, maybe second work trip, I don't know, whenever I was 19, and I was flying to Midland, Texas, and my boss invited me to her home for the first time to have dinner with her and her husband. And so I was really excited, and so I get to their house, and first thing, I drove a Mustang that, Nope, that's a different story. I'll tell y'all. Just remind me to tell you when it rolled out the driveway. Anyway, that's not this story. This story is I get there, it's great, then I need to go to the airport. Of course I'm going early, I'm nervous about everything, and I pull into the parking spot and I go to my trunk to grab my bag. Kelly Williams (34:37) You forgot your bag. Mindy Price (34:38) It's not there. My suitcase is an hour away at my apartment. So I was like, okay, I can still make this happen. So I get on the plane, I get to Midland. The only thing that's open and I have a business meeting in the morning is Walmart. And I bought everything from Walmart and I showed up and I got so many compliments on the ugliest. Kelly Williams (34:56) There you go. Mindy Price (35:04) laser plaid, maroon, green, yellow colors, all the things, but I rocked it and I said, I'll never do this again. Y'all not last year, but the year before last, I rolled into Austin. was going to some board meetings and I go and I grab my suitcase and I go to grab my hanging clothes. What's missing? My hanging clothes. So I think I'm never gonna do that again. Guess what? Next board meeting in San Antonio. Natalie Pilkinton (35:26) You're hanging clothes. That's funny. Kelly Williams (35:26) You're right. Mindy Price (35:34) I roll in, I got my hanging clothes, I don't have my suitcase. I am like, what is happening on road trips? So needless to say, I double and triple check, but I'm efficient, I figure it out. And Travis is like, I feel like you're just looking for an excuse to go buy new clothes. I'm like, no, honey, if that was the case, I would make sure that I did it at really cool time so I could go to the really cool stores. Instead, I'm just going to what is open at the time and buying what fits. Kelly Williams (35:38) but. Natalie Pilkinton (36:03) Yeah, that's funny. we didn't even talk about driving, but when I got here in Costa Rica, so I was like, remember I told you the rental car was really, really cheap. I'm like, wow, it was only $160 for six days. Like, it's awesome. Right. So then they suggest that you get the upgraded insurance. Right. And I'm like, yeah, I'm thinking I need the insurance anyway. I'm a challenge driver and I'm knocking on wood. I'm a challenge driver as it is. Kelly Williams (36:03) That's funny. Yeah, Natalie Pilkinton (36:30) And so I'll get the insurance just to be sure. They're like, yeah, you need to get the insurance and that's an additional $550 or something like that. So I was like, okay. But then it's like, they'll do that or they'll put like three or $5,000 on your card to hold it just in case. That's like, what? You're gonna put 3000 on my card or you're gonna do the 500 or you know, for the, so anyway, we're driving. Kelly Williams (36:43) Okay. Natalie Pilkinton (36:58) It's night, it's rainy, because we're in Costa Rica. I have no clue where we're at. The maps, like luckily I can click the Airbnb and it takes you to the map. So I'm going to Google Maps, all that works. There's no lines or stripes on the streets. So you don't know where the streets end or go. And you don't see street signs. And it's hilly. And you look to the right and it's like a hill that like if you were to turn right, you just go off the face of the earth. But it's actually a street that goes down like it just drops. And I'm just like, whoa, and Brian's navigating and I'm driving. And luckily I brought my eyeball so I can see, but it's not like I can see signs. This man literally walks out in front of me, like while I'm driving through the city and I'm going like 30, 40 kilometers, I don't know. And I had to slam on my brake and thank God I didn't get hit from behind or whatever. But I was like, okay, I'm awake now. Like not that I wasn't, but it's like. this place so far and we've only driven like 20 minutes to get to this little villa that we're staying at before we actually drive to La Fortuna. But it was like, this is going to be fun. At least we're not driving at night. So I'm glad my little travel guide helped me and said, do not, do not drive all the way there at night because that would have been insane. So that's why I'm not rushing anything either. Mindy Price (38:10) my gosh, last time. Kelly Williams (38:10) Wow. Mindy Price (38:13) When I was in Costa Rica, we went with a group and we had a van pick us up for everything that we did. So I don't even remember that, but I could imagine just being, just time. It doesn't matter if you're in a foreign place or a foreign place to you because you've never been there. It is a little unnerving. Kelly Williams (38:31) Yeah, when we went to... Natalie Pilkinton (38:31) Well, Brian can't even record, because I'm like record, but he's my navigator because we don't have the luxuries to the phone holder to hold your navigation. So you can see it doesn't connect to the car. We don't have a car charger. Like it's all just like, like, so he's having to hold it and tell me in 20 kilometers we're doing this or three, I'm like, what does that mean? So anyway, what are we going to say, Kelly? Kelly Williams (38:56) Yeah. No, when we were in Cabo, had, I was with a big group and I was the only one who had never been there before. And all of them had been there numerous times. It was their favorite place to go. And so we had the van and it was great because they were at our beck and call. But when Cassie and I went to Costa Rica, we weren't in San Jose. We went to a new Iberia, I think or something. we went to an all-inclusive. Natalie Pilkinton (39:22) the other airport. Kelly Williams (39:25) And so we did kind of like you do when you go out to Cancun. You find the bus and you come on the bus. But I remember it was on one of the big charter buses. when I tell you that there were times when we would pass another bus coming at us and they would actually open the window and pull their mirrors in because there was like this much room for air to pass. And we were just like, my God. And it was, the streets were. Yeah, and you look down and you're like, my gosh, well, my mom's gonna get the news that her daughter tumbled down the side of, it was like, just get us where we need to go. And it was nerve wracking because, it was, pardon my language, it was boss of the wall. We were either doing 90 or we were standing still. I looked at Cassie, I said, you brought me on this vacation just to get me killed, didn't you? But once we got there, it was great. But yeah, the transportation definitely left something to be desired. When we were we were over there and I remember the same way in in Jamaica. It was like, okay You people don't know how to kind of well, I'm not gonna say well, but so But yeah, I can't do I having to drive drive myself that I would be nervous wreck probably Natalie Pilkinton (40:32) Well... Y'all say a prayer for us. Mindy Price (40:38) sure they come to our country and they're like what in the world you know so it's like Natalie Pilkinton (40:43) At we have wide roads. Just drive fast, drive with a purpose. I ladies doing this episode with me. I wanna say cheers to you guys. Cheers to everybody out there. Thank you for watching Sugar, Spice, and Spirits, and podcast. And if you guys have a show idea, if you've subscribed or you haven't. Kelly Williams (40:47) Yes. Natalie Pilkinton (40:59) Please subscribe to the podcast if you have a show idea, spill the tea, or if you have a comment, go ahead and comment down below. We'd love to hear from you. You're the reason why we do this. We love the feedback that you tell us in person, but also write it, you know, put it on the show comments because that's important. We appreciate you. Cheers, ladies. Cheers, everyone. Mindy Price (41:17) Cheers everybody. Kelly Williams (41:17) Cheers everyone. Don't forget the Bora Bora tips.