Work-Life harmony that achieves balance

It's time, and this is war.

Hello friends, this is your favorite traveling nurse, Jodi O'Malley. I don't know if many of you guys know that traveling has been one of my favorite things to do in life. I absolutely love exploring other countries, their culture, their food, you know, just getting away and experiencing the world. It's such a big world out there. And even though I was born and raised in Chicago, I'll tell you there are so many people that I know that have just stayed in their zip code. Literally, so many people do not travel outside of their zip code, or, you know, within a few states from them. It's remarkable to me. What else is kind of remarkable to me is how many people spend so much money traveling to places like Disneyland. And I always have thought, man, after the first time that I had taken my son there and saw how much money that we spent. I started looking into traveling with my kids. And I had done so from a young age. My first trip out of the country was when I was 16, well, probably 17, No 16. I was 16 and I went to Cancun, Mexico. And from that point on, I was hooked. And every time I had some extra money, or, you know, I would budget as well to make sure that I would take trips. And it was easy to do. When my kids were younger, because they didn't know that mom was gone, you know, they stayed with their dad, or they stayed with their grandparents. And once they became old enough, I would say, probably. My oldest was about nine and my daughter was six at the time. They really appreciated me traveling, they loved it. When I came home, I was just happy. And I would tell them about the world and what I had done. And they were so intrigued that they told me, Okay, mom, you can take your trip, but every other trip you have to take us. And I said, deal. And so their first trip out of the country was to Costa Rica. And that's what I want to. I just want to share with you guys a few things. This podcast today is going to focus on work-life balance for nurses and some of my top travel tips.

I have been to six out of the seven continents, Antarctica is the only one that I haven't hit yet. Have traveled easily over a couple dozen different countries, and I have developed ways to do this which are very inexpensive. Last December, I took my oldest, or my youngest, Benjamin, who was turning 14, I took him to Colombia, Greece, Italy. Yeah, oh, and Spain. And we were gone 28 days, and with airfare and food and everything, I spent less than $5,000 for both of us for 28 days. How many of you guys understand how big of a deal that is when you can easily spend five grand for a five-day trip to Disney World, right? So in this segment, this first segment, I'm going to talk about work-life balance for nurses and really anybody in a high-stress job. And on the second half, I'm going to focus on some travel tips and so let's talk about work-life balance.

Like, why is that important? You know? It's important because we need to have an equilibrium between our professional responsibilities and personal life. Personal life includes you being a mom, a wife, a friend, right? And I think as far as women go, it is so important, ladies and even men, to take a trip out of the country, out of your comfort zone. By yourself, at least once in this lifetime, at least once, you are going to just be amazed at how cool of an experience that is. And woven into this podcast, I'm going to share some of my experiences and how I came to, maybe even traveling solo.

But let's talk about it in terms of nursing, so nurses. We hear about burnout, we hear this word so often because it is a high-stress and emotionally intense job. You know, when we can separate our work from our life, we really mitigate burnout, you know? Because that can lead to a decreased job satisfaction and also compromised patient care. You know. We become way more apathetic to what our patients are going through if we're not taking care of our own mental and spiritual health, right?

So job satisfaction, that's another thing when you know many nurses are able to schedule themselves when they have 12-hour shifts in the hospital. A lot of us put in for what days we want to work and what days we want off. And when I was bedside working full-time, I would sometimes schedule myself, you know, six shifts in a row, because as nurses, we work three 12s. So I would do six shifts in a row. And then I would take off for 10 days without using PTO.

And that was awesome because I was able to do a lot of things. And when I scheduled myself with that downtime, not all the time would I leave, you know, the state or the country, but I was able to really rest and recover. You know, 12-hour shifts are demanding because a lot of time, you know, figure an hour to get to work, an hour to get home. That's 14 hours out of your day. So now you have what? 10 hours left to decompress, to be with your family and to rest before the next day. So when I would work those shifts in a row, I just was on game.

I said, Okay, you know, this is what I'm doing. And then I have something to look forward to. So having something to look forward to is really, really important. You know, it improves our health and our wellbeing, it helps us to reduce stress.

And so that's why managing work-life balance, people are less likely to experience chronic stress or anxiety, or even physical exhaustion.

And if you are a nurse, or you're someone that has those eight-hour days, and you're working 40 hours a week and you only get two weeks off. Man, I don't even know what to say to that because that would drive me crazy.

Absolutely drive me nuts. When I started working at my last job, I was able to get into that, into the federal government. Working for the Indian Health Service by going to PACU, and PACU was 7 a..m. to 3 p..m. You know, four days a week or five days a week, sorry, and then we also had on-call hours.

I lasted about three months before I realized that this was not going to work for me. I felt like all I did was work. Even when I came home in the evenings, you know, at 3.30 4 o'clock p..m. I was still just as tired doing that than I was working 12 hours. And so I would look at the people, like, how do you even have energy to, you know, go out and meet a friend or have dinner? I just was, I felt like all I was doing was working.

And to those of you that feel that way, I say, you have to take control, you have to think outside the box and look for a job. That you are going to be satisfied that you do have enough time off to enjoy yourself.

I've traveled, you know, like I said, seven continents, more than a couple dozen countries. And it's seemingly everywhere in the world understands that we need to have a work-life balance, except Americans. I mean, all we do is work, and when we do get a job that's two weeks off, we think, oh, well, you know, we've hit it big, or three weeks off.

I mean, like I said, as a nurse, being able to schedule myself, I could have easily, you know, 15 days off a month if I scheduled myself appropriately. And then if I added in the PTO that I was accumulating, I could take off three weeks easily. So, you know, I'll say you work in control, you know, and I understand that the issue with being comfortable is really hard for people to be uncomfortable.

Does that make sense? I think people need to get comfortable being uncomfortable because that's the only way that you grow. If you are stuck in a position of comfort, you don't change, because why would you? You're comfortable, you don't have to do things that are going to get you to change.

And so I don't anybody listening to this. I want you to understand that we have options, especially as nurses. There are so many options, you know Melissa Streifetter? She's one of the hosts on Nurses Out Loud, and she has Functional Nurse Academy.

And nurses who go through her Functional Medicine certification program for nurses are able to have their own business. So guys, there's options for us. The world is in need of health care, not sick care, health care. And so just start thinking outside the box a little bit, you know? As we go through this and I talk to you, hopefully some ideas are triggered in your mind and you think, Yeah, I could do that.

So another thing is boosting productivity. When we are well rested and emotionally balanced, we're more effective and efficient in our positions, and that leads to better patient outcomes and improved workplace performance. What does that mean when you're happy and you're taking care of yourself?

Your coworkers around you are going to see and feel the difference. I used to get it all the time, people would say, How are you able to travel so much? and I would give them my tips.

Why are you so happy? Because when I clock out of here, I'm done. That's why. And when I'm at work, I give it my all for my patients, for my coworkers, and at the end of my 12 hours, I clock out.

And now it's Jody time, you know, Jody, to be a mom, a friend, a cousin, whatever.

So, you know, that also reminds me of a story when I'm celebrating 10 years as a nurse this month or this year. Sorry, January, I celebrated 10 years and my first job. I was working on this med surg floor and I just loved the people that I worked with. But I knew that going to the ER was a goal of mine, so I put my time in on Med surge. And as soon as I was ready, I or maybe not even ready, because working in the ER. I don't know if you can ever be really prepared for that. But I remember telling my boss, I said, Hey, I need to put in some for some time off.

And she asked me, She said, Where are you going to now? And I started laughing. And I said, I'm going to New Orleans to see my friend. And she said, Can I go with you? And I thought, Oh, okay, well, I wasn't expecting that.

She's been my supervisor, we never crossed the boundary of friend supervisor thing, but I said, sure. And 10 years later, she is still one of my absolute favorite people to travel with, and we have become best friends. I left the unit a couple months later and I went down to the E.R. and then we just started traveling all over together.

So, um, people recognize that, you know? Um, it strengthens our relationships, like I said it, it strengthens our relationship with our coworkers. And also our quality time that we spend with family and friends and our network of people. They know, you know, my schedule is locked down for the days that I'm working. But then I have significant amount of time off in between to spend time with my friends and my families. It also encouraged me to have professional growth because I was satisfied in my job. I love being a nurse.

And so, in doing so, I was able to really spend some time researching, researching things that are of importance to me, you know, especially during Covid, you know? Prior to 2020, I had traveled a couple times a year at least. Um, and then when Covid struck, and all of you know, the world just went to hell in a hand basket. And everybody complied with these obscene mandates and protocols. I was speaking out, and I was speaking out because I was well researched. And I knew that what we were doing was going to cause harm to way more people than this Covid virus. I knew it, I knew that. It was going to be the handling of Covid that was going to create the death and destruction, and not the virus itself.

And lo and behold, here we are, four years later. And I was correct, I knew it, you know? Um, I knew it through my research, I knew it from discernment, that I was given by the Holy Spirit. It was something that resonated so powerfully on my soul that I had no other choice but to speak out and let people know what I was seeing. And, um, witnessing was real.

And, you know, when I blew the whistle, I spent three years traveling around, speaking and doing interviews and just getting the word out. So that people knew that these vaccines injections were causing harm, they were not working. The PCR tests, removing the advocate from the bedside, the experimental use of remdesivir in the hospital, all those things, guys. Um, but I'm not going to go into that on on this show.

I really want to focus on work, life balance and some of my travel tips. So some challenges that are specific to nursing, you know, we, we talked about it. It's the high stress and the long hours, and the emotional toll and the physical demands, the shift work and the irregular schedules. So I work night shift and day shift. I primarily schedule myself for nights and weekends because that's where the shift differential is the highest. So work smarter, not harder.

Right? I'm also able to be with my son and homeschool him. When I do this, I'm able to go to his sporting events on the weekends. And, yes, do I sacrifice some time? uh, sleeping? Yes, I do.

But I also listened to my body. And if there's a day that I need to sleep most of the day, um, I will, you know. For example, say I get home at eight in the morning and I get him going with his day and I fall asleep. I usually set my alarm to wake up at around two or three. Spend some more time with him, take him to his basketball, have dinner. And I'm back in bed at 9 p.m. and nine or 10, and I flip right back to a day schedule.

So, you know, I. I remember when I was in nursing school, I had learned from this nurse practitioner. That. If you know that you're going to be sleep deprived, and you know, you're not going to get your, you know. Five to six sleep cycles, which run about 90 minutes each, then at least look for 90 minutes in the day that you can get one full sleep cycle in. And so I implement some of those things. But then we also have strategies for maintaining balance, and really that is defining our work time and our personal time. We have got to set boundaries now. Having said that, I will say this that as a nurse, we usually are in a text group, or it's an automated system where the hospital will send out that they're short staffed.

And sometimes I will respond to that and I'll take the shift differential that they're giving, or I just help out another nurse so that they can take off time work. But you have got to be strategic in that. Knowing that if you do pick up another shift, or you are, you know, picking up another shift for a coworker. Or you are doing it for, you know, time and a half. That you are compromising those boundaries, and I do it all the time, those the boundaries are always crossed whenever you know my unit needs help.

And I'm able to do that. I usually do step in and then I'm happy I do when I get my paycheck, right? But someone else, actually an ex of mine, had told me that he never answers the phone when his job calls him on his day off.

And I learned that about 10 years ago as well, he said. Let them leave a message and if you get back to them, you get back to them. And I had a hard time with that. At first, I was thinking, Oh my gosh, they know that I got the message.

You know, they're probably wondering why I'm not calling back. I don't want them to think that I'm not calling back. But here's the thing. It also set up boundaries. They knew that Jodi would help out when she could, but she was not always available. And I think with nurses we have a really hard time with that because they think, oh, the floor is running short. Patients are going to suffer this and that.

And for that, I say to you guys, do it, pick up those shifts, but don't always be available, right? We cannot just always be there at the beck and call anytime somebody reaches out to us, because then the lines are blurred. Your family is going to suffer, and your self-care is going to suffer as well, and so some self-care tips.

Let's get into that. Self-care tips would be to make sure that you are rested well, that you are getting adequate sleep. You know, they say seven to nine hours is a good target, and if you are those people that sleep, you know six hours, seven hours. Don't feel guilty for taking a 20-minute nap in the afternoon, even just resting your eyes. I do this, and I have done this for 20-plus years, setting an alarm and being silent and setting it for 20 minutes.

And now, guys, I am able to set an alarm, actually have a dream and wake up before that 20 minutes is off or the 20-minute alarm goes off.

That's pretty cool, so that I really encourage you, even if you don't fall asleep, to just be still, quiet your mind, quiet your thoughts. Start from the top of your head and work your way down to the toes on your feet, and tell every single body part to relax.

Relax your forehead.

Relax your eyes.

Relax your cheeks.

Relax your lips.

Relax your tongue.

Sometimes I have to go back up to the top if I'm really, if my mind is just racing and I just continue to do that. So that's really important being hydrated.

Getting enough water in half of your body weight in ounces is what I always recommend. And also to eat well, right? If we're filling ourself with junk food. Like I did when I returned from my Italy trip. And I'm suffering now, I'm actually having to work tonight, so I'm thinking like, Oh Lord, here we go. But. But here's a good little segue into that.

As I go to break, I started working with Tim James from Chemical Free Body back last. I think it was probably September, and I started on his gut detox and went through all of his tips. You know, the getting off of social media, getting off of electronics an hour before bedtime, you know, getting in my sauna.

Also, you know, chewing my food until it's liquefied, all of these little tips. But he also has this amazing gut detox protocol. And that's with the green 85, the GI support, and also his silver. And now he is, and I'm so excited for this. He is one of the sponsors for nurses out loud.

And I, when I came back home from Italy, my box, my GI detox box, was waiting there for me, and I was like, Yes, here we go. Now I'm going to get back into the swing of things, you know, after my 17 day trip eating and drinking too much. And so I'm starting that again. And I will continue after the 15 days to take daily the GI because the GI support, because detox, I think, is a lifelong thing.

You know, we're always, you know, compromised with our food. We're compromised with the geoengineering that they're spraying in our skies. The minerals are depleted in our soils, those types of things. So anyway, check out the GI Detox protocol. You can go to AmericaOutloud.shop and get the exclusive discount for America Out Loud Talk Radio listeners.

And guys, we will be right back and we will start off with my travel tips. I'll see you on the other side of this break.

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All right, welcome back. You are listening to Nurse Jody O'Malley on Nurses Out Loud. And we are on air five days a week with a different nurse host daily. And on Fridays, we get together and answer your q&a's. So please send us your questions, your comments, concerns, your opinions on our show, whatever we want to hear from you guys.

You can send the email to nurses at AmericaOutloud.

Com, and we will address it on our Friday q&a's. All right? So here we go, let's get into some travel tips. So probably one of my biggest travel tips is booking your trips based on how much flights cost. Okay, so that could be an off season.

That's typically when I like to travel to places. I like to travel to places a month before their season starts and a month right after it ends. So let's take Italy, for example, June, July and August is their top travel months. So when I was talking with people, they had said that May and September are really, really good times because the weather is still good.

It's less expensive, you have less tourists to contend with, the weather is better because, say, in Italy, I mean, it's their summer. And it was hot, it was hot. They were having excessive heat warnings, and we were in the 90s, like 96, 98 degrees, and the humidity was super high.

And so I asked them, what are the best times? and they said May and September. Now, when I took Benjamin overseas on our trip, it was so inexpensive, I got a trip. Well, I started looking.

I asked him, Which countries do you want to go to? and so I just put into Google Flights.

From Phoenix to Columbia, from Columbia to Italy. Well, when I did that, I noticed that there was a layover in Barcelona, from Columbia to Rome, and so I thought, Okay, well, why? Let me see how much that one-way flight is? And so I started looking at one-way flights for the countries that we wanted to visit, the places we wanted to see, and they were so inexpensive, like $40 one-way. And I thought, Oh my gosh, okay, well, we're going to just cruise along.

And they were so inexpensive I was able to when we arrived in a place. I so since it was off season, I didn't have to book things ahead of time.

The availability of the hostels and the hotels and stuff were just wide open, so I could pick wherever I wanted to go. And so oftentimes, say, when we were in Barcelona, we were there for two days. And I said, Okay, do you want to stay here a little longer? And he goes, No, let's go to Rome. So I would look for a flight and it was, I don't know, 50 bucks.

And so we booked a flight to Rome a couple of days later, and so that's how we continued the trip for 28 days. And we were able to do that for the off season. So you don't need to really plan ahead, right? You don't have to plan ahead that far in advance. If you're going to these places in their off season, right in the beginning and end of their off season.

Here we go, packing smart essentials versus non-essentials, packing cubes and organizing. I am not a fan of packing cubes at all.

I think they take, I think it looks pretty, but they take up so much room. So when Benjamin and I went to, you know, our 28 day Europe vacation, we did that with a backpack. Okay, and I got a backpack that was able to be a personal item. In the show notes, I'll show you the backpack that I used.

But that's another huge thing, guys is to travel so light. Because I did not have luggage that I had to contend with, I didn't have to get to the airport early, I didn't have to stay and wait for my bags to arrive. And baggage. Claim you're free, you go straight to the gate.

You're paying less money, especially when you don't need an advanced seat assignment. And so there was many times that Benjamin and I weren't sitting together, and that's fine. You know, we don't need to be together on an eight hour flight right next to each other. And so, you know, oftentimes a lot of people will allow you to sit, you know, change seats with you or whatever if you really want to do that. But traveling on budget airlines? I know a lot of people have a lot to say about Spirit Frontier allegiant overseas.

I think it was called Ryanair, there were several different ones overseas, but we didn't have any issues with them. Not any more so than a regular airline. And, like I said, the prices were just so inexpensive, but that's because we had a backpack, right? So, talking about essentials versus non-essentials, you need to get a few outfits that you can change up with a shirt, with a dress.

And depending on where you're going. It was a little bit more of a challenge for us because the places we were going to were a little cold. So I did have a sweatshirt, but I would layer that up in the airport. My scarf was tied to the top of my backpack and, you know, I didn't bring unnecessary items. Many of you, if you're listening to this, you have packed and you have overpacked so many times. And you know that there is inevitably always those favorite outfits that you use a couple times, that you wear a couple of times, and there's so much that you don't even touch. Well, you know, if you have a cute little black dress, that black dress can get you into a nice spot.

You could wear that a couple of different times. You have your shorts, you know one or two things to sleep in. We just don't need a whole lot and you could go to the laundromat, that's what we did.

Every, like, four or five days, we'd go to a laundromat and wash our clothes and meet interesting people that are there from all over, you know, or even just locals. And then we got tips and tricks of, you know, things to do in their city. Typically, next to a laundromat are local cuisine that's inexpensive, you just get so much more of the culture when you are going to the laundromat.

Another thing, and this may strike a lot of people and may make a lot of people cringe. But hostels, those are my favorite places to go to, and I'll tell you why. Number one.

You only need a bed to sleep in if you, you know, if your vacations are. I'm going to go to, you know, and stay in the Hilton because that's what I want to do. Well, then you're probably not going to be able to travel as much. You're just not because it's expensive and every Hilton is the same, no matter where you go in the world.

It's just different dialects, right? Different food. But you're going to get the same experience at the Hilton in Fiji that you're going to get in Hawaii. Because they are a brand, you know what to expect from them. Hostels, in my opinion, are the way to go. Many hostels you can rent a private room.

You can rent a private room with your own private bathroom.

And have, you know, basically a little bit more than like a motel 6 experience, because at every hostel, there's usually tourism there. That are cheaper than if you were to book at a hilton.

The food at the hostel you can bring your food, put it in the refrigerator, cook it in their kitchen, you just clean up after yourself. Or many hostels also offer restaurants right there, and their food is amazing. It's just so good and it's so much cheaper, you know, I give my fiji experience.

I stayed at a hostel in Fiji, right on the lake or right on the ocean, and I had a private room. I paid $35 a night in July. Okay, so that was their season. The food at the restaurant was just culinary creations that were $15, and it was fresh fish that they caught there.

And even the aesthetic on the plate was beautiful. The beer or the drinks there were a third of the price than they were at. You know, when we went and checked out the Hilton area, where all the hotel row was. You could bring your own drinks and your own food into hostels, so you can go next door, shop at the local supermarket and bring your food in there. But you meet people from all over the world and that, to me, is the coolest thing.

Another really.

Attractive reason for staying at a hostel is because pretty much all hostels are located in the area you want to be in. So where you're paying high rates for hotels in the area, there's a hostel right there. I stayed at hostels in San Francisco, I stayed at hostels in Seattle, right at the Pike Fish Market, stayed in hostels in New Orleans.

I mean, they're right there in the center, so the transportation is usually right outside the door, and then you also meet other budget travelers. And it's not even. I mean, I know people that have a lot of money that stay at hostels because they like the experience. Usually there's 24 seven concierge at a hostel. You know, in the big cities and the other cities, they close down, but you get travel tips from other people.

And so these tours that are of interest to you, you can do so much cheaper.

Researching your destination, right? You're going to want to know the local customs, the transportation and the areas that are safe for you to be in. And just being street smart when you travel, that's really important, because safety obviously is number one. I don't carry my passport around with me, I carry my ID.

I carry an over the shoulder like cross body, cross body purse that I am able to fit a lot of things in. And you know, I like to be hands-free when I travel, that's why having a backpack. Having a cross body purse eliminates the need for my hands to be occupied. And that way, you know, I'm just ready to go if I need to protect myself, right? I'm not fumbling around with a bunch of different things.

I'm not always looking like, Do I have this bag? do I have that bag? And, you know, especially like traveling through Italy this last trip. I knew my daughter wanted to have a carry on and I brought a carry on and I packed way too much. But I did. And let me tell you what a pain in the butt it was. Going up and down, flights and flights of stairs, small apartments, small areas, cobblestone streets, people all around.

And it's like, Oh my God, why did I do this to myself? Why? why? You know? If you're traveling and all you think about are things that you need, then I don't think you're really experiencing the area because you're just more concerned with your things, right? You're spending more money at the airport because you have to arrive there early.

Like, why do that? It's so much nicer just to be free of your things and have those staple outfits, you know, depending on where you're going in the season. You know, two bathing suits, say, um, three shirts, a couple of rompers, a cute dress.

Sandals that go with everything, a pair of gym shoes, really. We don't need a whole lot, you know? I did take my emergency medical kit, uh, that I got from, UH, TWC. They're also a sponsor, and I wound up having to use that as well.

Um, so let me talk a little bit about the emergency medical kit, this emergency medical kit that you can get from TWC. Uh, the wellness company, they, you know, treats 30 different, uh, infections, uh, that you can get, or diseases. And it's so nice to have that on board, uh, with you, and just to know that you're prepared. Because in Italy, I couldn't get these antibiotics without a prescription, and so if I needed it, it was going to require a doctor's visit. And um, and why do that to yourself?

For these kids, they're on average 300 bucks. And you know, I, you know, tore into one. Uh, my daughter had to, you know, get on Ivermectin, and, um, you know, she became ill. But you know, we also were using our nasal pharyngeal sanitation. And we have, uh, one of our sponsors, Cofix RX in the shop too. And so I use that a lot. So important to be prepared with medicines that you may need.

Okay, the emergency medical kit, the travel kit, the check out the different kits, guys. Because even whether you're at home or abroad, being prepared lowers your stress response, and when you're traveling, your stress response is just higher. You know, especially if you're traveling from place to place because there's transportation, you know, there's language barriers, you know, everybody does things a little different. And, um, and just knowing that I was prepared was, oh my gosh, just completely lowers your stress response. Staying connected, right?

You're going to want to stay connected with your family and friends. And a good way to do that is to have an app like WhatsApp or a Telegram or Signal that works with Wifi. Everywhere, pretty much in the world, you can access wifi, and, um, you can talk for free and text message for free on those apps when you're connected to Wifi. But I have T-Mobile, and T-Mobile gave me five gigabytes of data for free. Uh, which I wound up using the first week. And then I upgraded my plan while I was there to 15 gigs.

And I was there for 17 days and used about 20 gigs of data. I didn't connect to wifi. Um, as often as I could have, uh, but to me, it was just easy, breezy, and for $50, I had some extra UM data. You know, I used Google Maps a lot to get around the city and to look at, uh, transportation from place to place, so I was on that, um, as well. But we also need to budget wisely, right?

When you're traveling, it's best to look at where locals are eating. Because it is going to be the most authentic and it is going to be a cheaper price. So looking at where locals are eating, and typically when you are in the hostile areas, you do get a lot of. You know, the local, um, local culture, local vibe of things. And and you're able to save money that way, right, um?

But, you know, also to being flexible, so I am not a planner, I do not like planning that far in advance. Because when I'm traveling, I like to feel the vibe and the energy of the place that I'm in and then determine what I want to see and do. And when you are constantly.

Organizing trips may, you know, having this, you know, Fomo, feeling fear of missing out. You are just going going, going, going. And I do not think that that is a vacation. I've started looking at it as though I was just going to these places and checking it out. And if I want to go back, then I'll go back.

It's not that big of a deal, so I do not pack my itinerary. Um, you know, at all, hardly at all. And you know that that's another important point. Be careful who you travel with really, truly you get to know a lot about a person when you travel with them. They could be your best friend of 20 years. And you go on a trip with them and you're like, Oh my goodness, I will never go on a trip with you again.

And and I know that a lot of people are like, really, but I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I have my one girl, uh, Asia, that I have been with since high school. And her and I have been on multiple different trips with multiple different people. And she's still remains one of my most favorite people to travel outside of the country with. So, um, just be mindful, you've got to be chill.

You don't always have to eat together, guys, you don't always have to wake up together, you don't have to do everything together. And when you are a chill travel partner and you allow people to have their own experience and their own vibe, and you have your own, too. You meet so many interest, interesting people when you are solo.

And I know I touched on that in the beginning.

About traveling by yourself, You can experience that when you're traveling with somebody. If somebody wants to take a nap, let them take a nap and you go check things out. If you don't feel that safe, you know, to walk around, then go to the pool and hang out, go down to the bar and sit there and talk with people. You know, the hostels also, they usually have, you know, free dancing, free, like, say, when we were in Columbia, they had salsa night and we got free dance lessons.

You can go and do those things by yourself. Well, listen, friends, I am, this is, this is about it, guys. I think I've talked and talked and talked and tried to give you all of my pointers and reasons why. Having work-life balance is key and also budget traveling. Get out there and experience the world truly, truly. Guys, don't, don't wait.

I saw so many people that were elderly just trying to navigate the streets. And and especially overseas, when you're traveling to these old old places. Um, you know, I saw a lot of people that had like broken ankles and and cast and on crutches and just don't be that person. Don't think you have got to wait until you are retired to start going and accepting this. And if I highly ask for it and not give in, you know, not give your money to this Disney woke culture. You know, one of my good friends, James O'Keefe, has been coming out with, um, you know, the Disney files. And it's just, Ah, I just, I don't support them at all.

And I think our kids are better served experiencing the trials and tribulations of traveling and the different cultures, and navigating that. And um, then going to Disney World, truly? Um, but that's all the time we have for today. Friends, I am Jody O'Malley and you can hear my other sister Nurses Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern time. And all of our shows go to podcast as well.

You can download the America Out Loud Talk Radio app to listen to 24 seven podcasts with a variety of different hosts and subjects. And you can, and on any podcast app that you guys follow, whether it be Spotify, Apple, Pandora. Um, follow our shows, rate our shows, and write into us. I definitely want to hear from you guys. Um, ask me all the questions that you want. And I will be certain to do another show on here. That is Nurses at America Out Loud..com.

And until next time, friends, be safe, be well and God bless.

It's time.

It's time.