Mia LaMotte (she/her): Allison. Welcome, welcome to the brand disruptors. Podcast how are you today?
Alison Frey: I am great. It is Friday, so I I'm ready, and I am 2 weeks away from going to Jamaica, so I am a happy girl.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I bet you are. I bet you are. We're gonna talk a lot about Jamaica, and how that's the second home for you.
Alison Frey: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. But why don't you? Why don't you tell the guests a little bit about who you are and what you do? And and then we'll get into like, why, you're here.
Alison Frey: Okay, so I'm Allison fry with trasformativa travel, and I help people plan and book luxurious travel adventures that excite the mind and feed the soul.
Alison Frey: Their experiences are transformative and gives them memories that they're going to remember their entire lives.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So let's talk about the name of your business, because you know I am Transformation. Queen love to to talk all things transformation. So your the title of your company is actually transformation in Italian.
Alison Frey: Yep.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So tell me a little bit about how you came to that.
Alison Frey: So it goes back to how I got my start in travel. My daughter was in Italy for culinary school, and my husband and I traveled there to see her graduate from culinary school.
Alison Frey: and I had never done Europe before. So I said to my husband, I'm going to use a travel agent and went to a local travel agent where I lived, and they gave me the most horrendous itinerary
Alison Frey: and a ridiculous price. And I'm like, you know what I can do better. So I told my husband, I'm going to do this myself. He's like, Okay, do it. Do your thing. So I researched the areas we were going and booked Airbnbs. And we just after her graduation, we traveled around Italy for 10 days
Alison Frey: and going to Italy was a total transformative experience. For me Europe is very different from the United States. It's like you're stepping back in time.
Alison Frey: And she was going to school in Colorno, which is outside of Parma.
Alison Frey: but it's this tiny little town that I mean. You can walk from one end to the other in 30Ā min they have cobblestone streets, old men sitting and playing dominoes. And
Alison Frey: just it's it's totally different experience. So we come back from the trip my husband goes. You need to do this as a business. And I'm like, Oh, okay. So I dabbled in it for a while, and when I went independent, I said, I need a company name that that speaks how I got into this. And I'm like, well, what's transformative in Italian
Alison Frey: and voila came up with trasformativa? It's a mouthful, but it speaks about what I do.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. And and I think it's so. I I think people should do that a little more often like I. I'm totally aware of how, when we set intentions, especially when we're naming our businesses.
Alison Frey: Huh!
Mia LaMotte (she/her): How they actually help us to to learn and to lean into more of what we're trying to do right.
Alison Frey: Right. Right. Yep.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. So let like, that's my favorite part about this whole thing is like, let's talk about how travel is transformative. I'm I'm hosting a retreat in Mexico right in in the next month. You're gonna like we both love to travel, and we can talk about how we met and how we we became friends, doing all of this kind of thing.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Talk about how transformation happens when you decide to get away.
Alison Frey: So when you go to a destination, it could be the beach on Jamaica, or you could be backpacking through South America, but just going on a business trip in in Boston
Alison Frey: that that experience is going to transform you. You're going to meet different people. You're going to immerse yourself in their culture and the food that's, you know, relevant in that area. And and it can't do anything but transform you because you're out of your ordinary, out of your comfort zone into a different area. And you just come back. And you're going to have highlights and say, Oh, wow! That was so cool. And and it definitely changes you.
Alison Frey: And you find places that you love so much that that really speak to your soul, that you go back time and time again, because it does transform you each time you go.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. And that's just it. Like you said, you immerse yourself in the culture. You immerse yourself in the food. So it's not about like just leaving your location and staying like I was talking to a client of mine, and she was saying how you know she used to travel a lot, and she would take her parents and they they wouldn't want to leave the resort.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Let's talk about like, and and you and I did a trip where you booked a trip for me to go to Dominica, Dominican Republic.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and because it was my 1st solo trip out of the country, I didn't leave the the location either, except for on excursions. Right? So let's talk about like, what's the difference between, you know, going to something that's all inclusive and really immerse, being able to immerse yourself in the culture, even if you decide to do that like, how do you immerse yourself in the culture? If you're not gonna leave, you know the
Mia LaMotte (she/her): the the
Alison Frey: Resort.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): The resort location. Yeah.
Alison Frey: And and that's what I tell people a lot of times. You know. They all want the all inclusives and the all inclusives are great, especially if you're, gonna you know, take part in, you know the drinking and the eating and all the activities. But you can go to an all inclusive in anywhere in the world. You can go to Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, if you don't leave the resort, they're all the same.
Alison Frey: But you know, and you know you. And on the resort, you've got some locals who are working there. But you also have people coming from other countries. So it's not really totally immersive. But if you go like, I said, if you go out on excursions you know you get to see some of the area and experience some of the stuff that's out there. But you really need to go out there and
Alison Frey: book a private driver and go out and see it from their perspective. And they're going to take you into areas that the excursions are not going to. You're going to get to try different foods that are not on the all inclusive resort. And it's just, you know, you really get to meet the people and see how those people live and what what that country is really like.
Alison Frey: So you're really doing yourself. I mean, the all inclusives are great. I think that's a great way for people who have never been to a country to start.
Alison Frey: But then, after that, you you need to to branch out, and and that's what we've done. I mean all inclusives from my husband and I are. It's lost on us now. I do go there once in a while, and I and I love it. But we we now go to the not all inclusives. Where there's more locals where we can really, you know, like which make I go there a million times a year. When I'm there, I'm I'm hanging out with the locals. I have friends there now, you know, and that's really the way to see the country.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I love that I love that. So let's talk about like you. You mentioned earlier, like when you planned your trip for your your daughter's graduation from culinary school.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and how you were like I could do this myself.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Tell me, or tell the audience like, why shouldn't you do it yourself these days? We were talking before before we got on camera, about how sometimes, when you book an airbnb in a foreign country.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): you're not actually getting what you think you're getting. Let's talk about that a little bit.
Alison Frey: Right? Not not always. I tell people when they go to Europe for the 1st time, Europe is very, is very different from the United States. Their standards are very different. We could in here. We could stay in a 3 Star motel overnight, you know, because we're going, you know, going on a trip. You could not stay in a 3 Star Hotel in in Europe. You're gonna get something similar to a hostel.
Alison Frey: and it's just it's not going to be the experience that you're looking for.
Alison Frey: Residential rentals are great, but you want to make sure that you're working with a company that is vetting these properties has a relationship with the owner because there have been scams with with these Airbnbs that people advertise properties that they don't even own or don't even exist, and people get there. And and you know you're you're in a foreign country now with a language barrier, and you have nobody to call because expedia is not going to help you.
Alison Frey: But when you book with me with a travel agent you're gonna call because I don't book Airbnbs, you're gonna call me and say, Hey, I've got a problem. And I'm like, Okay, don't worry. Go on your excursion. Go explore. I'll take care of it, and
Alison Frey: it'll be fixed when you come back.
Alison Frey: When you book online. I mean, you can book an airline ticket, that's all well and good. But when you're doing a 2, you know, a 2 week trip to Europe, and you're spending, you know, 20,000 plus dollars. You don't want a hiccup. You don't want to have to think about anything. And my clients, don't they book with me? They show up.
Alison Frey: and that's it. They enjoy themselves.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah, I can attest to that people. So I'm gonna tell a little story about what happened with me and it. And she's not kidding, because Allison's booked a couple of trips for me.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): But the the one in particular that we're gonna talk about is the one to Europe, right? And it was a 10 day trip. I was going to meet my coach in conference.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And I was like, well, I'm not going all the way to Con, and not go to Paris and not go at least to to London.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And so I reached out to Allison. And she's like, Oh, yeah, I can book this for you. No problem.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And I, what I didn't realize is that I would not have to think about a thing I knew about Con, and I knew where I would be staying there, because, you know, that was booked by my coach. But how would I get from Con to Paris, from Paris to London, and then what to do in between all the things, and Allison took care of all of that. So
Mia LaMotte (she/her): drivers to and from the airport. What to do, where to stay, what to look out for. Like all of those things she she planned for me, and I didn't have to do a thing.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So you can have that kind of experience. Right?
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah, yeah. And then
Mia LaMotte (she/her): the funny thing about the whole thing y'all is that my luggage never made it to to meet me.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So I was in in Europe for 2 weeks.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and I got to Con, and the luggage wasn't there? I was like, well, you know I'm just getting to France. This is fine. We can. We can work it out.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I'm leaving Con to go to Paris, and I still don't have my luggage. So I I reached out to to Alison to let her know what was going on. I think you might have reached out to me to to ask me how the trip was going.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And I was like, Oh, my goodness, my luggage isn't here yet!
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So I'm gonna let you finish the story. And why? What you told me to do early on before I even booked the the trip is so important.
Alison Frey: So you contacted me, I said, don't worry. Could do your thing. I'm gonna contact the airlines, find out where your your luggage is, and we will get it to you I spoke to. I can't remember what airline you flew.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Delta.
Alison Frey: Delta. I spoke to Delta every single day twice a day to find out where your luggage was.
Alison Frey: It apparently did leave Rdu, and it did get to Paris.
Alison Frey: but it never made it to you. In 2 weeks.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Right I was. I was in London by the time it made it to Paris.
Alison Frey: Yeah.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah.
Alison Frey: So I tried to track this luggage for 2 weeks, never made it to made it to you. But the one thing I tell people when they book a trip, even if it's a local trip where they're spending, you know, couple of $1,000. You need to have travel insurance travel insurance is key
Alison Frey: because it covers a ton of stuff. It covers your luggage, your flights. Biggest thing it covers you. If you're in a foreign country and you get sick or hurt. You need to have that medical coverage, because if you don't, they're going to say I'd like $5,000
Alison Frey: retainer on your credit card before I'll even look at you if you have travel insurance. That's not gonna happen. But going back to the luggage because you got travel insurance. I contacted your travel insurance company. Let them know what happened.
Alison Frey: and and they do have limits on on what they're what they're gonna give you.
Alison Frey: I'm sorry. Hold on! One second.
Alison Frey: Is that mine or yours?
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Must be good.
Alison Frey: Sorry. I don't know where that's coming from, and now I do.
Alison Frey: Sorry. But
Alison Frey: I contacted travel insurance, and there are limits of what they will pay for you, but because of your extenuating circumstances, you had to go buy all new luggage
Alison Frey: and new clothes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Clothes.
Alison Frey: Everything, and we not only got almost 100 reimbursed by the travel insurance, but I also got Delta to up what they would pay you, so you pretty much got reimbursed for everything
Alison Frey: that you that you paid.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Absolutely. No, I didn't go crazy. Guys like I didn't go to all of the designer places and go buy purses and all those things.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): But I I was very practical about
Mia LaMotte (she/her): about what I did, what I did purchase. So all in all, I think I got back like between 1,200 1,400,
Mia LaMotte (she/her): which was, you know, which was amazing, because I wasn't expecting that at all, and the insurance was probably
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I don't know a hundred 200 bucks. I don't even remember at this point, but the point is is like the travel insurance is so important.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and we think we don't need these things, because, oh, I'm going on this trip. But you you never know what's gonna happen to you, right? You never know what's gonna happen and and what's beyond your control.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So I think it's really important to have travel insurance. The other thing that I think is super important is that I would not have known. Like
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I am not the the research kind, like I. If I see something I like, I want it. I don't. I'm not doing research
Mia LaMotte (she/her): so for me having you tell me. Okay, this is the hotel that you should stay in.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I I don't even know if I shared this story with you, but when I was in Paris, you know, Paris has really small hotels right? And this particular hotel they had breakfast included in in the pricing for the which is really nice in Europe, because they do that in a lot of the hotels.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And
Mia LaMotte (she/her): because this hotel was so small it was. I. I think it was a converted home, or something like that. There was a guy in the room on the floor below me who was snoring so loud that I can hear him in my room.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and because, you know, I guess your relationship with them with the hotel like they moved me with no problem and apologize, and I think they might even given me lunch or something like that. So because of the relationships that you have with the people, it extends to the person that's actually going on the trip.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Alison Frey: So that's another reason why you would probably want to, you know, get someone who to help you with this. Yeah.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. So besides, Europe, right? So you do. Luxury, vacations? Yes.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Besides Europe. You booked a trip to for me to Dominican Republic. That was like, I said, my 1st solo trip out of the country.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and then we had a a 50th birthday party for a cousin of mine.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and again we had to call Alison, because there was some kind of mix up with the transfer from the airport. You took care of it from
Mia LaMotte (she/her): from Virginia right while we're in Mexico. Having fun. She took care of it, and like I didn't have to worry about that again. And so that's the reason why I love to use Allison for my trips. But also I don't have to think about it, Allison. These are the things that I want to experience.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Can you help me alright?
Alison Frey: Yep.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So if somebody wanted to to go somewhere, and they haven't been there before, like, how do you tell us how the process goes when someone contacts you.
Alison Frey: So I ask a lot of questions. All my itineraries are customized. Nothing is Cookie Cutter. It's gonna be exactly what you're looking for, not what somebody else's had. We have a phone conversation. I ask a bunch of questions to find out exactly where you want to go, what you want to see what type of experience you want to have your likes, your dislikes, you know, so that I really know you know what it is. You're gonna wanna see? I do a
Alison Frey: a draft itinerary. Send it to the customer for review. And they say, Yeah, I like this. No, I don't like that, and we we just keep tweaking it until it looks exactly the way they they want it to. The tour operators that I work with, especially for Europe. They generally have in country reps, who will sometimes come and meet my customers, and give them the rest of their travel documents if they need
Alison Frey: if I usually have you download, Whatsapp, if you have a problem, you contact me so that you don't have to do anything. But I'm constantly in contact with you. You can always get in contact with me if you can contact me. I have other agents who work with me that have your travel documents, so that if you can't reach me and you have to call them, they can help you just as easily. But, as you said. I make it so that all my customer has to do is show up. I've got
Alison Frey: your flights, your transfers, your excursions, your hotels.
Alison Frey: I do customize travel, travel documents. So if you want to. Self explore, you know what you should go, see off the beaten path where you should go. Eat I give you a document, says what to know before you go for every destination that you're going to, so that you know you know the ins and outs of that of that destination, and then I give them a document that you know just to you know the regular stuff. Make sure that you check in for your flights 24Ā h ahead of time. Make sure that you bring your medication. You know I again. All you have to do is show up. I have everything covered for you.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah, and make sure that your passport has at least 6 months on it.
Alison Frey: Right yup.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): That was something you and I talked about, too like. Make sure that you have 6 months left on your passport, otherwise you might not be able to leave the company.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): 1, 2, right.
Alison Frey: Yep.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Are there anything? Are there any things that have changed in the last couple of years that you want to make travelers aware of? They decide that they want to take some trips coming up.
Alison Frey: So as of May 7, th real Id is coming into play that is going to allow you to not only fly Internet really internationally, but more so domestically, and getting into Federal buildings. Everybody's going to need that. That's why I would tell people, even if you don't think you're going. If you're traveling out of the country, get a passport because it just covers you, because if you take a cruise.
Alison Frey: even if it's a closed in cruise where you're coming and going out of the United States, and you get sick when you're in Nassau, Bahamas, and
Alison Frey: you need to come home, or something happens that you need to come home. You're not going to be able to get on a plane with a real id. You should really have a passport.
Alison Frey: There's a lot of things changing for travel to Europe that you have to fill out a form now. To. It's a travel requirement to to get into certain countries is coming into play. In the next couple of months for travel to Europe. All different countries have different requirements to to get to get in and get out, and I make sure that my customers have that information. So
Alison Frey: the travel industry is very fluid, things constantly constantly change, and you have to stay up on top of it, and because I'm in the industry, I'm constantly watching that information where you know somebody like you may not. You know, when you want to travel, you're gonna travel. And you say, Oh, I didn't know I needed that.
Alison Frey: So I make sure that you know what you need to know, to come and go from where you're from your destination.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So let's go back to the real Id. If if we're traveling with our passports, do we need to get a real Id or.
Alison Frey: I don't have one. I don't plan on getting one.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Okay? Alright. So, for folks who don't have passports, make sure you get real id, and if you don't have, if you do have a passport. You don't need a real id.
Alison Frey: Right right? I guess if to get into Federal buildings you may need it. But if you're not going into a Federal building.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I'm trying to stay away from the Federal.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. Yeah.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): So let's talk a little bit about what you know. You touched on something about like these countries have different laws and things like that.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): One of the things that I have found to be super helpful is making sure that I have Tsa pre-check.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Global industry like, Oh, my God, it makes travel so much easier.
Alison Frey: Oh, yeah.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Tell us a little bit about that, and like, why is that super useful when we're we're traveling abroad, especially.
Alison Frey: Right. So if you frequently travel, Tsa Precheck is is really great to have, because you don't have to stand in those big lines. We? We just did a Alaska cruise in September, and we got to Seattle Airport at like 8 30 in the morning. That place was a madhouse. If you did not have tsa pre precheck like my friends, did not you stood online for 2 and a half hours.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Oh, my God!
Alison Frey: Through where my husband and I went through in 10Ā min.
Alison Frey: So if you travel a lot you know, even just domestically, Tsa precheck is wonderful.
Alison Frey: If you travel a lot internationally global entry is your best friend. We were in the last time we went to Jamaica. We were in the process of global entry. We had not gotten it yet.
Alison Frey: We got to Miami, and
Alison Frey: and the lines for customs and immigration were so long that we wound up missing our connecting flight. Had we had global entry at that time we would have come off the plane, we would have swiped our passports and zipped right on through, and even with 15Ā min to spare, we still still would have made our our flight. So we we've missed our flights a couple of times. So we decided, you know, we're traveling a lot internationally. Now let's go ahead and get global entry. And I can't wait to use it when we go to Jamaica next week.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I know it. It is so convenient, and and it's inexpensive, y'all like, and you have it for what 5 years.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I think it's 5 years that you have it for. I had the same experience. I was coming back. I had already applied for it, and then Covid hit so I couldn't
Mia LaMotte (she/her): get to Charlotte for my interview.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and one of the I was coming back from
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Mexico, and I was going to Detroit, and Detroit had where I can go and get the interview. So if you're coming back from an international trip.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And get your interview if you've already been pre
Mia LaMotte (she/her): right? And so I was coming back. And I was like, Oh, I'm gonna go do this interview here in in Detroit, because it was so close after Covid had ended or the crisis had ended.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): They didn't have anybody on staff, so I had a I had a really hard time getting my global entry approved. And so for me, it's even even better when I can come back into the country, and you know, swipe my password, or even when I got back from Mexico this past weekend, I was able to just show my face, and then zip on through. So it is absolutely, absolutely a godsend.
Alison Frey: It is, it is.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah, okay, so any tell us about your favorite place in the world. And why.
Alison Frey: Okay, do you have a long time to talk?
Alison Frey: So you and everybody else who knows me well knows I absolutely love Jamaica. My husband and I go there 2, 3 times a year, and just when we fly in I'll look out the window and see the airstrip in in Montego Bay, and it's like, Oh, I'm home, and I've been there so many times that they call me Jamaican. There I am no longer American. I am Jamaican.
Alison Frey: but again we stay occasionally we stay at the all inclusives, because I do earn points with with certain hotels that I book a lot. So sometimes we go there, but generally we stay in the grill on 7 Mile Beach, which is a public beach in the grill, with beautiful white sand, beautiful crystal, clear water.
Alison Frey: and all day long you've got the the locals walking up and down the beach selling anything you could possibly imagine. I mean, you don't even have to get off your lounge chair. They come by with juice and fruit. In the morning they come by with patties in the afternoon, with lobster you got your beach service guys coming by sometimes so you can get your rum punch.
Alison Frey: But we get there, and we just totally disconnect and just
Alison Frey: don't think about everything and just. And we feel like we're home there because we go there so often. We've made friends there because we're there so often. But it's just. There's so much to do. I mean
Alison Frey: staying in Montego Bay is totally different than going to Negril.
Alison Frey: And again, people always say, Oh, Jamaica's, it's it's not safe there. It's dangerous. You can't leave the resort, and that is just poppycock. We'll use that word.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): If.
Alison Frey: If if you don't leave the resort in Jamaica, you're truly missing out just like any other, just like where we live. You know you don't go to downtown Durham at 11 o'clock at night, you know. Same thing, you know, in Jamaica. You don't go to certain areas, you know, late at night or by yourself, you know. It's just. It's it's common sense.
Alison Frey: But but we go back.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I think you can go. I think you're gonna be in downtown, Durham. Now, after 11.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah, it's it's changed a little bit.
Alison Frey: It's definitely changed. But but it's just, you know common sense. When you're traveling anywhere, be aware of your surroundings. Make sure that you have, you know, trusted transport.
Alison Frey: and it's but if if you want to immerse yourself in the culture, and you want to learn about your destination, you've got to leave the resort.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. And I'm gonna say, like, for safety purposes, like, leave your jewelry at home like there's no need for you to be wearing all of your expensive jewelry anywhere outside of the country, like.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I even stopped wearing jewelry altogether, because it's such a hassle like when you do go to the airport, and this is when I had to go through, you know, regular tsa you know. You gotta take everything off.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And that it just becomes a hassle. So now I'm just. I'm just used to not even wearing jewelry at all. Nobody else know anything like making sure that travel is super super easy for me. Yeah.
Alison Frey: Yeah. And that's us, too. When we go to. When we go to Jamaica, we bring a carry on bag and a and a personal item with us, and we have friends going with us this time. And they they came over to talk about what to pack.
Alison Frey: And I said, all you need is a couple of bathing suits, a couple of pairs of shorts, a casual dress. I said, if you want to, you know, to to go to dinner with, I said, but you know you you don't need anything. Fancy, I said. Why, you know why waste your time at the at the luggage thing
Alison Frey: if if you know if you don't have to, and we're taking my son, and my son and my daughter-in-law, and the well, soon she will be 7. The granddaughter at that time when we go to Jamaica, when they come to our house for a weekend, they've got about 6 bags, if not more
Alison Frey: trying to tell my daughter in law how to pack for Jamaica is going to be interesting.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I bet it is. I bet it is, and and that's a really good point, Allison. Like if I had, you know, even though I knew I was going to be in Europe for 2 weeks, right, 2 and a half weeks.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): You really don't need all of those clothes. 1st of all you can. We wear things. But when you, when you start to pack in a way that you're using a capsule wardrobe while you're there, like everything goes with everything.
Alison Frey: Right.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): You can bring a carry on even for your international trips.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Have to worry about them. Lose losing your luggage.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): You don't have to worry about those things. So let's talk about like what to bring on the plane. Even if you are gonna check something, because I think that's super important, too, especially for people who don't travel a lot. I remember one time my mom and I had gone on a trip.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And this is when you know, Tsa had really just started.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): you know, having people take off all their stuff. Mom wore cowboy boots.
Alison Frey: Oh, gosh!
Mia LaMotte (she/her): And we had to help her take off and put on her cowboy boots while we were traveling. So you want to make it as easy as possible for you to get in and out of whatever it is that you're wearing, because the people behind you are going to be really mad that you're taking up all this time to to get dressed and undressed on the.
Alison Frey: Yes.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Right. So what do you need to take on the plane with you when when you're traveling.
Alison Frey: So in your carry on. You want to make sure that you have your passport. Don't put your passport in your check bag. You know your other identification that you're using your cash.
Alison Frey: have a change of clothes with you. Especially if you're going to be going to a resort. Your room usually is not ready when you get there, especially if you get there early, like I do. So make sure that you have whatever clothes you want to wear for the day, you know, so you can enjoy the resort, or you know your destination
Alison Frey: prior to your room being ready, make sure that if you're taking any daily medications or required medications, rescue medication, those need to be in your checked bag or your carry-on, because, God forbid they lose your bag. You're not going to have that medication with you.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah.
Alison Frey: And really, that's it. Snacks, you know, if you're gonna have a long flight, you know, and you don't want to depend on the you know the plane to be giving you snacks, you know, have some snacks and something to drink.
Alison Frey: but really, to make sure that you know the important things, your medication, your money, emergency contacts.
Alison Frey: And when I and again when I
Alison Frey: book my client, that's 1 of the documents in their travel document packet what to know before you go. What to put in your your travel bag? I give them a packing list for that destination to try to help them, you know, narrow down what they need, so that they're not not overpacking.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Awesome, awesome, and and the thing about it is is like, I like to get things from where I'm going.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): A lot of us do a lot of shopping before we leave. Oh, I'm I'm shopping for my trip, but really like being able to purchase things on site, and then you bring it back in. You're like, Oh, this is the robe that I got in Jamaica, or oh, this is the sarong that I bought when I was in Greece. Or this is so to me.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): saving your you know your travel budget money to buy things that are local. You're helping the local economy. You're helping you know, you're gonna have like a memento from there. And like to me, it just it just helps the experience a whole lot more.
Alison Frey: Well, here's a little travel tip for people who like to do that. There is a new bag out. It's called a foldy.
Alison Frey: and there are knockoffs that you can get, but they literally fold. They fold up to about a little square this big.
Alison Frey: but when you open it up you literally can pack 2 weeks worth of clothes in it.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I love it. I always bring one of those. It's not a fully, but I do have one that's very similar.
Alison Frey: You can take that like, said stick it in your bag. So then, you know, and that's just a carry on. It's small enough that it fits under your seat so it still can be a carry on. Item.
Alison Frey: But I brought that with us to Alaska, because, you know, you had your big bulky coats, and you didn't want to have to stick them in your your
Alison Frey: suitcase with everything else.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): I love that I love that any other last minute tips that we should know about traveling.
Alison Frey: So
Alison Frey: there's so many options to book online now, and people always say, Oh, why should I use a travel agent? Well, you know you don't have to. But like I said, I let you know everything about your destination. When you book online, there are certain fees that are not going to be included. So when you get to that resort, and the like 75 a day fee that the resort is charging that was not in in the this fine print you get there. And they're like, Okay, that'll be another 575 people would be like, what.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Right, yeah.
Alison Frey: If you wind up having a problem. And you booked online, expedia is not going to help you. And people found that out during Covid. Everybody had to cancel all those, you know, all those trips and expedia was, and all those other online
Alison Frey: companies were so inundated that you couldn't even get a a live person. People sitting for hours on the phone.
Alison Frey: Some companies actually went out of business. People did not get refunds.
Alison Frey: but everybody that was that was booked with me. I called up my tour operator. Bless you, thank you! Called my tour operator.
Alison Frey: We got them refunded, got all their money back
Alison Frey: and smooth sailing. So you know, you may want to save a few dollars and book online. But at the end of the day the the value that a travel agent gives you is far surpasses it.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Absolutely absolutely, and I can attest to this like several several trips, and like there was always some kind of glitch.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Right with something, and having Alison, you know, on on my Whatsapp and Speed dial. She was able to resolve it, and I can go and enjoy my vacation or my trip without having to think about it. So it's absolutely a godsend. And so you guys should absolutely think about this the next time you
Mia LaMotte (she/her): you want to travel. So how do people get in touch with you, Allison? How do we find you.
Alison Frey: You can go to my website www.trasformativa.com, or you can call me my phone number is right behind me (919) 616-3780 on my website. I do have a, let's get started form. That just gives me a little basic information about what you're looking for. And then we schedule a call to get into the meat and potatoes of your trip.
Alison Frey: But phone email, prefer. You can start with the text, but I prefer to speak to somebody or have a you know, a beginning document in front of me.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. And then you said that you're here for luxury. Travel. So tell us what luxury means.
Alison Frey: So luxury doesn't necessarily mean, you know, 5 Star hotels with a gazillion count sheets or anything that. But it's going to be a trip that is, gonna be it's gonna be a travel adventure. It's not just going to be a trip. But I do work with luxury providers. I do not do but budget travel. I do very, very little
Alison Frey: domestic travel.
Alison Frey: but it it's, you know, the the whole big experience of what? Of what luxury is, and everybody has a different a different, you know idea of what luxury is. So again, this is why all my itineraries are customized, so that you know it. It talks to the person who's taking that trip.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much for being here today. And yeah, Allison is amazing at what she does. And again, she's my travel agent. So
Mia LaMotte (she/her): if you want to get in touch with her, her number is down 196-16-3780,
Mia LaMotte (she/her): and Allison any last words for the people. And oh, you know what, Allison, I forgot to ask you.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): What makes you a disruptor in your industry?
Alison Frey: I think we just talked about that that people think it's so easy to book travel online, but that
Alison Frey: it. These sites do not include everything. It does not include the personal touch. When I talk about cookie Cutter, when you book online, it is Cookie Cutter. It's like what Mary's booking with Joe's booking and what you're booking. So if you want a totally great experience, where you're just going to show up for your vacation, and that's what a vacation is supposed to be. Then you contact me. If you're not worried about the hotel website that you're seeing that is absolutely gorgeous. And when you get there you get bedbugs.
Alison Frey: or it is completely different than what you thought. Then, you know, go ahead and book online.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): There you go!
Alison Frey: Highly recommend.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Haven't. You can do it yourself, or you can call Alison.
Alison Frey: Yep.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Right. Save yourself the headache. That's what.
Alison Frey: Bad vacation.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah. And the thing about it is is like, you know, when we're when we stay in our zone of genius. And I talk about this a lot with my clients like when you stay in your zone of genius. You know that you know this might not be your thing. So let an expert handle it for you. You wouldn't get. You wouldn't try to do your own dental work or your own surgery, so you probably shouldn't be planning your own trips, either.
Alison Frey: Nope.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Yeah.
Alison Frey: Thank you so much for being here today, Allison. I I absolutely appreciate it and be on the lookout guys for some some team ups with me and Allison. We're gonna be doing some
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Some fun things coming up in the end of the year, and next year, so be on the lookout for that.
Mia LaMotte (she/her): Thanks again, Alfie.
Alison Frey: Thank you.
