Mom Adventures with Suitcase Gals: Small Group Travel for Women 40+ with Special Guest Gurvy Ravery.

All right, welcome back. No problem, parents. Today we have a fun episode as we're celebrating moms this whole month of May, and we're talking all things self-care and confidence, but also adventure. And my guest today is going to help you moms out there who maybe don't have a travel buddy, who just want to get away, want to explore, want to adventure, but you really don't even know how to do that on your own, or you'd prefer not to go on your own.

Suitcase Gals is a safe place for women over 40 to make friends, travel safely, enjoy good food and wine, and support each other. Women travel differently than men. Women like to get to know the people and the culture, not only just to see the sights. And we like cozy dinners with good conversations, historical and culinary tours, and of course, laughter, new friends, and lifetime memories.

Well, a woman-owned business, Leslie and Gervie are specialized travel advisors with years of travel experience. They craft trips to journey off the beaten path and embrace local traditions and make connections. Each trip is hosted by a suitcase gal leader, allowing you to travel safely within the destination. Seamless travel is the key to their tours.

Tours are arranged to allow you to have some me time if you choose. They don't consume your days with endless tours or all day long tours. Rather, they prefer you to savor the experience, have that downtime, that me time, but also in the company of other like-minded women. Let me quick thank our sponsor, Simatrack.

Simatrack assists people by delivering a complimentary and alternative tool, delivering a system of filtered frequencies of digital audio to the user, encouraging less stress or illness and achieving the best health. That is scientifically researched for a healthy environment, which is harmonious for the human spirit and allows for enhanced cognitive thinking and increased productivity. Thank you, Simon Tracks, for being a sponsor of the No Problem Parenting Podcast.

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I'm so excited to have you here because the month of May, we're celebrating moms. And one of the things we wanted to do is offer them some adventure, ideas for adventure. So that's what Suitcase Gals is all about. Welcome to the show.

Thank you so much. And thanks for having me today. You know, it is exactly what you just said. Suitcase Gals was created by myself and also my colleague, Leslie Coleman.

We created it knowing that there was a gap in the market for women over 40 to travel together. And women just travel differently than men. right? Like it just happens. So we created this really cool organization where suitcase gals is for small group travel for women over 40. So we're not your larger group where we've all kind of been there, where we've seen tour guides with an umbrella and there's like 40 people deep and you're way in the back and you can't hear a thing that the tour guide saying. That's not us. We're here to really immerse in the culture, make new friends, and have a seamless way of traveling.

And that's kind of what brought us here today to help women be able to travel safely together versus, and it doesn't matter. One of the things that I think is really neat about our group, it doesn't matter if you're married, single, divorced, widowed, this group is for anyone who wants to come along and travel and have a really good time with other like-minded women. Well, it's so cool. And I love the fact that you can be in a group with other women, but if you do want that downtime, alone time, maybe you want to skip one of the adventures or just hang out in your room or sleep in, you can still do that.

Right. And that's the beauty. We also don't, our tours are not, they don't fill your entire day. So we may have a tour, but it may be half a day. It may be for an hour. And then we have, We allow you to have some free time to be able to dabble in the area, to go shopping, to sit in a cafe and have some wine, to lounge on a chair at the beach, whatever you'd like.

We do find that a lot of women kind of pair together or the group stays together. And that's okay. Whatever you prefer to do, we also want everyone to remember that it's their trip. And, you know, having some downtime is okay.

And you're able to do that. So what kind of things do you do to get the women to know each other? I can imagine that this would be a really fun thing. I'm curious about it myself, but it might be a little nerve wracking.

Like, what if I don't like the other people on the trip or I don't fit in? Like, is there a way that you kind of pair people up or, you know, how do you get them to kind of break the ice and and ensure each other? Great question. So what we do, we understand that it's it's it's a little nerve wracking when you're trying to do this.

and you're trying to go on a trip with people you absolutely don't know. We do provide rooms that are doubles and we also provide rooms that are singles. So it's completely up to anybody if they'd like a single room. And prior to the trip, we do Zooms for that particular trip so that people can get to know each other because a lot of times not everyone who's traveling does not live in the same area. So you can't get them together. Now, if there are people who are within the area, We do offer also on Meetup a lot of local events, whether it's a breakfast, whether dinners, lunches, time out to go like do a wine dinner.

We have tonight, actually, we've got an axe throwing event. So different things that women can do together to be able to build those relationships so that they're comfortable with the people that they will be traveling with. Yeah, that's really cool. So tell us where you're located for those who are listening that might be local to you, where they could do some of those local things.

Sure. So I'm in the DMV area. So DC, Maryland, Virginia. And Leslie is in the Bethany Rehoboth, so in the Delmarva area.

And we also have a rep who is assisting us who is in the Baltimore area in Maryland as well. So a lot of our local events will be happening around that area. Now, if any of your listeners are from another state and they feel like they have a really good group that would be interested in this and maybe wanted to do some local events, depending on the number, we can definitely fly out and be able to kind of get some camaraderie in that area or find a local leader who can help us out within that area as well.

That's really super cool too. So if somebody's had this on their mind, they're like, I really want to start something like this. They don't have to reinvent the wheel. You have it all figured out and they can start like almost like a chapter in their local area.

Exactly. The more the merrier. I mean, we're all here. Women just travel differently than men, right?

And we're all here to have a good time and have a seamless vacation. And the beauty of our trips is Leslie or myself will actually lead the trip. So we are your tour guide. So you basically just have to count down, pack your bags and you're ready to go.

That is so cool. And your website, I was checking that out a little while ago to the suitcase gals dot com has all this information on it, including past adventures. Tell us about some of the places that you've traveled. Wow.

So we've done some really nice trips. We've done a Caribbean trip where we've gone to Jamaica. And that was a little different because it's kind of more of a relaxing trip. but everyone had their own tree houses at this resort, which was a really cool and neat. Yeah.

It was a really neat experience. But again, we all came there as strangers and we left there as friends. And I think that that is what makes the biggest difference for our tours is you do come in as strangers, but when you leave, I have to tell you, you have now bonded and made some new friends. And a lot of those ladies will also join on the same trip because now they're very comfortable with each other. One of the other trips that we've done that I'll speak about really quick is an Iceland trip that was really nice. It was to see the Northern Lights, but the weather, between the weather and the cold and some of the activities, like the rope challenges and how all the women just came together to help each other to make it through all of these challenges was amazing. So there's, and we've got a trip right now that Leslie's on with the group and it's a Scotland and Ireland trip. And their first stop in the morning was to, of course, to a pub. And it, to me, that's, that's local connections already, right? Like we're already making them and that's what we're all about. Oh yeah. If you want to learn more about the culture of where you're traveling, go to a pub. That's going to give you a lot of the,

Meet the locals, right? Yes. I'm all about that. That's so fun.

I know I've seen you've been to Italy. You did Christmas markets on the Rhine River. You've done a Norwegian cruise. So it's not just about flight.

You've done cruises. So yeah, just amazing experiences. And that's our goal is to be able to provide experiences that are different. So whether it's a European trip, whether it's a cruise, a Caribbean getaway, whatever it may be we try to kind of put in some different tours and so forth so that everyone has an opportunity to either one go on multiple trips because they're different or to choose what their bucket list item is and you know may be able to hop on that trip that's so fun so how can people um like what's the process how does this work if somebody's interested they are going to reach out by phone and contact you or how does that work? All of our information is on our website, suitcasegals.com. We also have a bunch of social sites. But what we prefer is if you take a look at our meetup, all of our events are on meetup and it will take you right to the registration page where the registration page will have a plethora of details of the trip, the prices,

single, double, how long, what we're going to do every day. So all of that is kind of outlined there. So again, meet up or our website and all of it is explained. All of the trips are posted and all of the details are there. We'll then contact you. And as we get closer to the trip, we go over packing and who else is coming. We'll do some Zoom nights. For instance, this trip to Scotland and Ireland, there was a Zoom night prior to the trip to just go over the logistics and it was a happy hour. So bring your drink on Zoom and let's all get together and get excited about our trip. So fun. It is so fun. So I'm going to put the links for both the meetup group and your website in the show notes. Any tips for traveling that you can share with us when you're packing your bags or when you're when you're planning one of the adventures? The biggest tip would be pack light because when you're on destination, you may also do some shopping. And so I would, our biggest suggestion is pack light, roll your clothes so that you can be more efficient in packing.

We also have a unravel travel series that's done online every month and it's posted on our meetup and it's usually the second to last week of probably the third week of each month. And it's usually about two o'clock it's on zoom and we upload all of those videos onto our YouTube page. So we have a lot of tips on packing, on getting your phone prepared. We just did that one last week.

Preparing your iPhone for travel. Tips on security, global entry, clear, TSA, things of that sort. So I would highly recommend that you register for one of our online tips for Unravel Travel. Yeah.

And how cool is that? just to, you know, cause I think it could be nerve wracking, not just going on your own. You're excited. You want to do this adventure. And then you're like, okay, what did I get myself into? And then assuming everybody knows more than you about traveling, having these, these tips and these opportunities to learn more about the ins and outs of travel, especially if you're going overseas, but you have a blog as well. We do. We have a blog as well. That's posted on our website and we do also send out newsletters. So we keep you informed and we never want people to feel that they've registered and they're all alone now. So there's a lot of tips and things that we will be able to give. And again, we become a family. So the neat thing is there's a ton of other women, suitcase gals out there who will also help along the way. And you, at least one of you is going along on the trip.

So you are the tour guide per se. You're the go-to if anything goes wrong or something happens, you're there to help navigate all of that. Absolutely, absolutely. And that I think sets us apart from other group tours is because we're there and we're right by your side.

So let's just real quick before we wrap up, talk about what's all included in their package. You talked about the single or double occupancy rooms, depending, I'm sure that that cuts costs. What are the other things that are typically included in a package? Sure.

So our trips will include your entire itinerary tour from the arrival transfer, you know, especially if you're traveling abroad. The last thing you want to do is be able to kind of figure out what do I do next? We try to suggest a flight so that everyone can land at the same time and you will have an arrival flight, arrival transfer that will take you right over to your hotel. So you'll be whisked away without any thinking.

You'll be given an itinerary for the remainder of the week with all the things that we're going to do every day. So your tours are included as well. And as you said, your accommodations are included. There may be some meals included.

If there are, those will be represented on the itinerary before you even make this trip. You'll know if there are any meals included. And then all of your transfers in between. So everything is taken care of.

The only things that usually are not on our itineraries will be your flights, which we will suggest a flight pattern for you, and also your travel insurance, which is something we do highly suggest because we've all been through the last three years and travel insurance is very important these days. So those two things are the exclusions, but everything else is pretty much included. Any expenses for food and shopping and things of that sort, of course, are on your own.

It sounds so fun. I want to do one. We're ready. How fun would it be to get a group of no problem parenting mamas together to go on a trip?

I think that would be amazing. So you have some incentives for travelers too, if they refer their friends. We do. So if you refer a friend and one of your friends actually goes on a trip with us, we will credit you a $50 gift card for a future trip that you will take with Suitcase Gals.

We do have a national parks trip that's happening in the summer. We have a Paris, Discover Paris trip that's happening in September. Great trips to look forward to. We also have another Christmas market trip, which I think is almost full or maybe full for this year again.

So there are trips that are still going to be added. So just take a look and keep an eye out. And if there's a trip that you are interested in or you have a group of girls who are like, you know what, we'd love this trip, let us know. We're really flexible.

We have trips already posted for 2024 as well. so it's always good to book early and put down a deposit. I love it. I absolutely love it. This is a cool episode. Thanks so much for sharing all the information, Gerby, and I encourage moms out there to go take a look at the show notes to get the links so that you can be in touch with Suitcase Gals, and I just appreciate you being on the show today. Well, thank you very much for having me. I really appreciate it. All right. How fun is that, moms? Oh my gosh, how exciting. It would be really fun to have a no problem parent mama travel adventure in the future. So I have to keep that in mind, but that's it for our episode today. Join me next time for more tips, tools, and resources so that you can become the confident leader your kids crave you to be. And be sure to follow us on Eventbrite. You're going to get all the notifications when we have our monthly roundtable events, as well as other events that are popping up like the May 30th event. So we'll see you over in Eventbrite.

Thanks so much for now. Hugs and high fives. You got this.