Latest / The Mami Collective / Take the Trip: Stop Waiting for “Next Year” with Vacation With Melissa

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Take the Trip: Stop Waiting for “Next Year” with Vacation With Melissa · The Mami Collective

• Paulina: Welcome to the Mommy Collective. I'm Paulina Rowe, radio host, TV contributor, writer, and mom of one. This is where ambitious moms come to keep their identity intact while navigating motherhood. Here we talk about the real stuff: career, money, relationships, identity, and everything that gets messy in between. You won't find sugarcoating or cliches. What you will find are unfiltered conversations, real resources, and proof that you don't have to lose yourself to be a good mom. The Mommy Collective is here to remind you you can be ambitious, you can take up space, and you can thrive in motherhood and in everything else that makes you you. Before we get into the episode, make sure you're following the Mommy Collective on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. And share this podcast with a mommy in your life who needs a little inspiration or just a reminder that she's killing it. Also, don't forget to sign up for our newsletter and leave us a review so We can keep showing up and reach every ambitious mom out there doing big things. Let's get into it. Hi, it's the mommy collective here, Paulina with another episode. And I'm really excited to chat today. This will be, I think, a almost a fun episode. I'm calling it fun. It won't be so heavy like some of our previous ones, as far as you know, we're talking vacationing, we're talking self-care, we're talking, you know, group trips, we're talking the whole thing. We are talking with Melissa Centenno, who is also the owner of Vacation with Melissa. How are you? Hi, I'm good. How are you? I am so good. I am so happy that you're here. But this is long overdue. So I'm really excited to chat with you. You know, first things first, you are a mom, you are a grandma, and you are also a business owner. And you oversee a lot more than I thought. Like it's not just like your business and your agency, but like You're a mentor, you told me, right? Like you've told me that like you've helped people not only like plan trips, but like become the person that plans for others. So I want to like dive all into that. But I would love for you to first give us a little bit of an intro about yourself. Well, you pretty much said it all, right? You pretty much said it all. Yeah, I'm a mom of three and I've been in the travel business about nine years now. And yeah, I started off doing doing it for me and my family and then we ended up going off and started doing travel for, you know, for others and the business really grew from there. So I love what I do. And that's what makes it easy, right? I love what I do and I love being able to share the information with other people so that they can also if they want to grow and do travel, then they can. Absolutely. And I I love that. So when you Creating your business, where were you? I'm curious in your life. Were your kids on the younger side? Were they already kind of a little bit older? Like when did you decide like I'm pursuing this full time? This is all mine. Yeah, they were probably teens, maybe, you know, yeah. There were like teens. One of them was already in c in her first year in college. So the other two were seventh, eighth grade, ninth grade, somewhere around there. So it wasn't really focusing on travel. I was, you know, being a mom, right? At that time, I was being a mom of teenagers and activities, d w a first, you know, first year in college, just trying to figure out how that whole thing goes. But at the same time, my travel business was growing as well, which I was happy about, but I wasn't really focusing on it. I was more focusing on my kids. And then as they got older, I found out like, okay, they're growing their lives, they're doing their thing. Let me focus on something I want to do. And it wasn't even just for me, actually. This is something that my whole family takes advantage of because they're able to take advantage of the benefits of traveling. And I'm able to work those things out with them. I love it. Especially that what you said really is it resonates with the mommy collective mission, right? Like kind of like our belief of like you really like. you had put your family first and and rightfully so and then you were like, Okay, but like my kids are getting older, they're doing their own thing. They're you know, 'cause they're their own people. You literally say like they're doing their own thing and you're like, What isn't it for me? But I love that you pursued something that a lot of people would consider like really fun. You know what I mean? Like who doesn't think travel is fun? Like you're crazy. Don't talk to me. I'm just kidding. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You know what's crazy though? When I was a young mom, this Older mom told me something and it really sat with me. She said, Your children are borrowed. In Spanish, Los Hijos son prestados. And I was like, What? And she explained it to me, and that sat with me. And I always knew that my time with my kids was going to be limited. And so no matter what I was doing, I always wanted to make sure that I was going to be a mom first, take care of my kids, because I knew that that time was short and they were eventually going to grow and do their own thing. But I also had to know that I had to take care of myself as well because they were gonna leave. And now I'm, you know, making my life around them. But I have to know that eventually my life is gonna focus on me, back on me, and back on my husband, back on our relationship. And so that always sat with me as a as a little consejo. What is that in English? advice. And you know, so I sat with that and that's how I focused and raised my children right and did my life is they're only gonna be with me for a certain amount of time. I'm lucky enough that they are still with me, you know, as young adults. But, you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I wouldn't trade it. No, absolutely. I love that story. I didn't even know that part about you actually. So I love that we had to really kind of dive into it. But no, I I love and I wanna kinda dive into your business, right? Because you started Or the business gonna started with you trying to kind of plan your own family vacations. I'm assuming was that kind of like your role in the family? Were you like, all right, like mom's planning? Okay. So what felt overwhelming, right? And then what made you realize that maybe other moms in particular might need that help kind of doing that too? It wasn't even that like other moms. I was more doing it because as a young family, having the money to go on vacation was not there, right? My husband was the main breadwitter. And so how do you go on vacation? Like, how do you plan this? How do you do these kinds of things? Because I didn't do it when I was a kid. And it was something I definitely wanted to give my children. And so that was where it all started. Is like, how do people do this? There's got to be other there's got to be travel agencies. There's got to be ways to make payment plans. And I didn't even know where to look. I just kind of booked it on Expedia or whatever online. And that was what I did. And then when I came back from that trip, is when I decided I'm going to look into How do you become a travel agent? Is that still a thing? You know, I was thinking that was extinct. Like everyone tells me, everyone's always like, Are they really around? Do you really do anything? They're we're really around and we really do do stuff. And as I started looking, I started seeing them all over the neighborhood. I was like, I never even knew that was there. Like, dang it, you know? So that was really why I started doing this. And then as the years went on, I had clients come to me and ask me. Hey, I'd love to get started on doing this. And at first I was like, you know what? I don't even know what I'm doing. I can't try to take anyone on. And then it just kind of grew up from there. You know, I mentored them and they either went on their own or they're still doing travel with me, just doing it differently. However, they, you know, they it works for them. And the best thing about this business is that it is so flexible, right? You can do this from home, you can do this from anywhere. And still be able to be there for your family. You make it work for you. I absolutely agree with that. And what what you said about the people are asking, is that still a thing? Is it still around? Right? A travel agent. Like, I mean, I get that in the radio all the time. And it's like, no, like we are very much still here. Like a matter of fact, we're actually very much expanding, like believe it or not. Which is like a blessing, you know, but that does mean the industry has changed. So for you, being obviously now it's twenty twenty six, almost twenty twenty seven, what do you feel like is Different about being a travel agent now. Like, for example, for radio, right? Like, you can hear us differently. You you can be I can be on one of your vacations in the Dominican Republic right now and still hear my show on my phone. So obviously that's different than 15, 20 years ago. So, like, what's different for you, right? That almost kind of makes using you guys or using like a travel agency, right? Like what like almost a better experience today? Like, what kind of benefits do you guys offer that's different like today? Honestly, I get this all the time and I tell people, look, I know you can go online and you can find all kinds of deals, all kinds of stuff. And it's not about finding that deal. It's more about having the support that you'll need for the what ifs. And I tell them, I'm like, yes, I know that you could book it there. And I'm gonna get you the same price more than likely. We can always get you the same price. But it's having that support in case something goes wrong. We know how travel is nowadays, flights get delayed. You get to the hotel, it's not what you expected. Cause you know, social media, influencers, all of them make things look nice. that's what social media is, that's what the internet is, is they're gonna make things look nice and you're gonna fall for that, right? But then you get there and you're like, Whoa, what the heck is this? You know, this isn't how it looked online. Like when you go to a restaurant and you order food, it doesn't look like the picture. So same thing happens, you know, in the industry. You can book or book a hotel and it's not what you thought it was. It's not in the area you thought it was. So what I tell everyone is like, look, I'm gonna be here for those what ifs. If you miss the flight, the transportation isn't there to pick you up, the hotel isn't what you need it to be. And honestly, that that happened to me when I went on my first trip with my family. We get to the hotel and they said they don't have our reservation. You're like, wait, what do you mean you don't have our reservation? You start panicking. You start thinking, what's gonna happen? They're telling us we got to pay for everything all over again. And it's you're in panic mode. I had nobody to support me because I booked it online. So who was gonna say, let's help the Zentenno family and figure it out? I didn't have anyone. Now my clients have me because it's happened. Things happen. Communication doesn't get to where it's supposed to be. The documents Don't transcribe over to the hotel. Yes, we paid for it here. The supplier has all the information. You have your documents, but the hotel doesn't have the documents. They don't have the information. It happens. It's technology now. So I'm here for you for that. And that's what I tell people. I always tell them look, I want everything to go smooth for you. I promise you. That's what I want. But when the what ifs happen, I'm the one you're gonna call and I'm gonna be the one to answer the phone. And you're not going to deal with any 800 numbers. You're not going to be put on hold. So that's what I want to let them know. It's a very personal relationship that you end up having with me throughout your process of planning your vacation. And I don't even say vacation, I say your experience, your vacation experience. Because sometimes people are doing some super exotic fun trips and it's an experience. It's something that you're going to do maybe once in a lifetime. So I want to make sure it's smooth and I wanna make sure that. If there is anything wrong, I'm gonna be there for you. No, absolutely. And I have used your services before and that is very valid. I have texted you in the middle of the night and the DR. I think like it was still COVID times, God remember that. So I've there is a lot going on. So already stressful, but no, hundred percent recommend. So I have a question for you, right? Has anything changed for you since kind of stepping into this industry, right? Like full time, just head on. Has anything changed for you of what you actually want out of travel? I know travel everyone's like, Yeah, I want to go to the beach and have a margarita. Of course, right? First things first. Right. But has anything changed for you? Like you've been to so many places. You obviously help so many families, moms, people just book. So what has changed for you? What do you want out of travel? You know what, honestly, like I want this to be what I leave for my children. I want it to grow into a business that can help them Have something in the future, right? We talk about what is that called? Thing. I can't remember the word right now. Not legacy. Thing, help me with that word. It's not legacy, generational wealth. Generational wealth. Generational wealth. That's it. That's it. That's the word. It's what I want to set up for them, right? So that's where it's kind of changed my mindset where we can have this too. So let's work, let's make it happen. So that's what I think has changed. And then just being able to have all of the experiences and give them to my children when I can, right? My grandbaby and being able to have that for our family. Cause this is something that our family does. My husband works with me, my daughter, my oldest daughter works with me. So this is now a family business. So that's what has changed for me. Where I sat back and I'm like, when I started this nine years ago, I would have never thought I'm where I'm at today. We're we sell over a million dollars in travel at our agency. We're an elite agency with the ALG vacations. So how never in my mind would I have thought, hey, we're gonna do this. I just thought I'm doing this casually, leisurely. We'll just do it every once in a while. And to be where I'm at today is really just set me where I want to keep going and make it stronger, make it better, just to be able to leave that for them, leave this. generational wealth, leave this legacy for them. Yeah, I love it. I think it's so cool. I think it's important, like especially like for like what you're doing, kind of setting your s your family up, grandkids up. Cause at the end of the day, like we we do pass, but our, like you said, our legacy lives or our work still lives on. And I kind of love that. So when you help, let's just, for example, a lot of families listen to the podcast, right? So when you help them plan the trip, what do you ask maybe mom or whoever's planning the trip? kind of the question is that what do you ask them that she might not have thought of herself? The number one question I asked them is what kind of vacation are they looking for? How old are the children? What is important to them? Are they looking to experience the culture? Are they looking to have a relaxing vacation, nothing planned, just kind of chilling at the pool, experiencing the beach. So I ask that and a lot of times they ha they don't even think of that. They're like, I really didn't even think about all of the what it was that I was looking for in a vacation because When you plan a vacation, right, you're just like, I want to go on vacation. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What's the type of experience that you want out of this vacation? What do you want to remember that you did on this vacation? So those are the kinds of things that I want to know. And how old are the children? What do we need to do? We need to make sure we have activities for the kids. We need to make sure that they have on site baby care so that you guys can go have a nice dinner one night. What do you need? Or is it an adult vacation? Is it Just two parents trying to get away and reconnect. Where are we at? What do you need? So I have to have a conversation. Unfortunately, it's not always the case because it's crazy. Most people want to just text me and tell me, I want to go here, I want to do this, and that's it. And then I'm like, let's set up a call. I I really want to know what you want to do, especially when it's something like Europe or an exotic type of vacation or a surprise vacation. What are you trying to do? You're surprising your wife with a fortieth birthday gift and where are you taking her? What do you want to give her? What do you want this to leave for her or them or whoever it is? That's absolutely super valid. And again, great questions to ask. I agree, because everyone is different, right? My definition of like my dream vacation or what I want to do is different from the next person. So I a hundred percent agree with you on that. When it comes to a family or a couple or whomever that might have a limited budget, right? Or they have something they have in mind, what do you kind of recommend or tell people to do That you feel like what's actually worth spending the money on versus what they can skip out on, right? Without losing that experience. Do you have any advice on that? Yeah, absolutely. I have people come to me and they have the dream vacation, right? I want to go to a Caribbean resort for 10 days and their budget doesn't match a 10 day luxury vacation. So I tell them, like, look, we have other ways we can do this. Maybe you're not going for 10 days today, but we're gonna go for three or four nights. Or maybe I'm gonna do a split stay. Maybe you're gonna stay at one resort to experience that luxury vacation for two or three nights, but then I'm gonna move you over to something that might fit your budget a little bit better for three two nights. J you know, all of those different things. I tell everyone, at the end of the day, I know that you're gonna go on vacation because you're gonna find a way to make it happen. But if we work together and you communicate me with me, what you want, what you're flexible on, what we can take away, and I'm gonna tell you as well what I think you should do and how we think how we should do it, then we're gonna make it happen. Don't go and just book online because, I found it online and it was in my price range. Were you even looking at what we were looking at? Were we talking about the same things? All of that. Because I want to make it happen. At the end of the day, I tell people, it's not a vacation. It's actually for your own mental health. is what you need to do. We all need to take a vacation for our mental health to be back to getting that stress off of us and just taking a time to relax and chill and not have any stress on our minds. 100%. God, I love that you said it's a mental health necessity. I don't care anybody says getting on that damn airplane, walking down that aisle with a runaway, whatever it's called, I am very much like My mindset is just so different. So I agree. I believe everyone's deserving of that. And I think that's something that you should definitely try to budget in every year, whatever that looks like for you for sure. If you can't do a a seven night vacation, but you can afford two or three nights, let's make it happen. It doesn't have to be someplace exotic. Yeah. And I've done that. So like since having a baby, my vacations now are very short. I've mastered the in and the out is what I call it. Like I literally will go in and out if I have to. So like if I'm like, okay, here, there, like my husband works part time now at a airline. So like we're very much like, we can just stand by it. We may go here or there. We try to. I mean, like, unfortunately, life is lifing right now, so we haven't really had a chance to do that. But that's kinda like what our one of our goals is, right? Like, let's do a day in New York or whatever, right? Like we're crazy. But like it comes down to that too, just because of we both work so much and then we have a two year old, so it's like we can't just keep like pawning her off to grandma all the time, so we take the whip. Right. So it's like if she can come with which she's coming with. So I love that. Yeah. Why not give your baby that experience? You know what? You're gonna be home with her doing the same thing. Why not do it in New York? Why not do it in Disney? Why not do it in Mexico? It's the same thing. It's just in a different country. I said the same thing. I'm like, guys, listen, don't kill me now. And I was like, but like Tini's the same thing. She's gonna be having her melt down her nap, whatever, 'cause like my kid literally has napped at Disney. You know what I mean? When we go to like I went to LA for work, I had to go for a work a thing, work a summit and I we brought the baby and my husband came with and they gave us the a minivan, which is hilarious because we don't we never run to the minivan. But I like booked something else and they gave me a damn minivan. Whatever. The he took the damn minivan, they went down to Disney from LA. And it was like something for them to do. And I'm like, she could either nap here in Chicago with you or you guys could come and she'll nap at Disney. And she did. Yeah. You know? Yeah, exactly. So it like kinda worked out nicely. Yeah. I'm like, just go go to Disneyland for whatever your little six, eight hours. I'll see you guys after my work thing. It was very quick, but very nice. You mentioned social media, and I'm curious of how social media it affects all of us, unfortunately, in good ways and bad, but like Social media can make it kind of feel like giving your kids a good childhood requires, right? Like the huge vacations that we just talked about, right? So when it comes down to, I know we kind of gave our perspective or my advice on that too with my your two-day trips, whatever that might look like. But how do you think we can take that pressure out of travel? So, like, we already know what we can do, right? But like when you see, I don't know, like Jenny, I'm making up Jenny, I don't know who Jenny is, but Jenny and her family just went to Aruba, whatever, seven nights say, and you're just like, okay, that might not be in my budget or whatever. And also, too, before you even assume that, call Melissa, because it could be in your budget, you just don't know yet. I would definitely suggest like asking first. And like you said, maybe it's not seven days, maybe it's four days, whatever. How do you feel or what can we do to like kind of take that pressure off of us when it comes to travel? Whether it's the family trip that we see that we're jealous of or the couple's trip, the group trip, whatever it might be. How do we take that pressure off of us? What do I do to take the pressure off of the family going on vacation and trying to see what they see on social media and make that happen? Is setting things up in advance and having a plan, having an itinerary. I tell people like you don't have to have a set itinerary, like doing day something hour by hour. But if you have an idea of what you're gonna do, then it doesn't cause you any stress of like, what are we gonna do with the kids now? Where are we gonna take them to eat? We can go off of this, like, hey, here's some restaurants. Here's an activity that you guys can go see, or the resort has a schedule of activities and here it is. So you can plan your day in advance. I can send you that schedule. Obviously, schedules are tentative and may change, but it I can help you with that. I can help you get those things set up in advance so that you're not getting there and you're like, What do we do now? Where do I go? Who do I see? So I think that's where I can come in and help you with that. And taking some of the pressure off, trying to figure out what we gotta do. And you're not having to worry about having that schedule or figure out that schedule on your own. A hundred percent. No, that's very valuable. I've gone on vacations, Melissa, where like I am picking the restaurant the an hour before. That is stressful, annoying, pressure. We can't even get in. I don't even know what food it is. I recommend doing that with you ahead of time one thousand percent. Yeah. You don't want to be wasting like an hour on your phone searching for what should we eat. Like trust me, you don't want to do that. No, it's stressful. You're trying to figure out what everyone wants to eat, right? You got the kids who are picky. You got the husband who wants steak and you're like, I feel like having I feel like having salmon and so you wanna make sure there's something for everyone. So that's why that is another re reason why I highly recommend doing it all inclusive when families are going on vacation because now you can have the option for everybody to have something. Somebody go to the buffet, they'll have something for everyone, or you want to go to the steakhouse. They can accommodate you. Resorts are very accommodating to families. That's what their job is, right? They want to make sure that their guests are accommodated and happy. 100%. I agree with that. And if somebody's listening, if they're a mom or just really anyone that's listening that Kinda keeps throwing that whole like, maybe I'll go next year, right? Whether it's the family trip or like the girls trip or whatever. What's one realistic step that she can take right now to make that reality closer than next year? Calling me. Calling me. Scheduling a time so we can talk and we can figure out what keeps holding you back from setting this vacation up for you, for your family, you know, for the group, for the girls trip, for the guys' trip, whatever it is. Just give me a call. Find out what are and let's get your questions answered. What are your doubts that are not letting you make it happen? A lot of times I hear people saying, Well, I don't have anybody to go with. Solo trips are a thing now. Go by yourself. If you don't have anybody else to go with you, go by yourself. Because if you keep waiting for your friends or your family to join you on that trip, they're not gonna go. And you're gonna miss it again. And you're gonna regret next year, be like, dang, I should have gone last year. Go on that trip. There's different tour operators that I work with that also do group trips. So you could always join in one of those group trips and not be a hundred percent solo walking around another country. You can join one of the group trips. I do group trips where I post and I go on the trip. So then now you know I'm there. And if you are uncertain about something, you can come right to me. I'll come meet you. We can chat about whatever it is you're thinking about. You want to go to a market, I'll go with you to the market. If you want to go to a restaurant, I'll go with you to a restaurant. So, you know, if that's something that I can say to people is don't keep putting it off because we're not promised tomorrow. Do what you gotta do today and let's get it planned. There's payment plan options that we can offer. So don't just think that, I have to have all the money right now. Yeah, if you want to go next week, you do. But I mean if you wanna go in eight months We can figure things out and get it planned and get it set up with a payment plan option. I want to scream from the rooftops that so somebody was going through like I'm going through a very personal difficult time, right? With my own family, with my own mom right now. And my biggest regret, my sister and I are talking about this right now, is that we have pulled the next year card for years. And unfortunately there will be no next year. And the way that I'm looking at it now in my life is like I'm fucking doing it. Like I whatever it is, like we're gonna be smart about it, but we're gonna do it. Because tomorrow isn't promised. Next year's I'm like I'm screaming this to people. Like it is not guaranteed. And your life can change in an instant with one ER visit, one doctor, whatever. Like it changes. And that's my reality right now. So the way that I look at it, I'm just like, please like take that trip. Mm-hmm. I mean, it's about everything in life. I'm a true believer, like. You only have one life. And I hate to say that, right? I hate that YOLO tech. I don't I but it's true. We only have one life. We only have that our family for promise we don't have it forever. It's for a short time. Like I said, nothing's promised in life, right? So we have to seize the moment, seize the day, enjoy life as it is right now. Because we don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. So I get people telling I hate this because ugh. I had a client call me who had met serious medical problems and they were just like, I'm not I can't do it now. I can't do it now. As soon as they got better, they did their trip. They didn't get to do their trip for as long as they wanted to, but they did their trip because that was what they said they were gonna do. They worked all their life, they retired, and then they ended up getting sick. And I was like, dang, wasn't that crazy? Like You worked all your life saying, I'm gonna do it when I retire, and then you retire, you get sick. Do it now. Don't wait till you retire. Don't wait till you can't you can't do it anymore. Do it right now while you can do it. And while you know you can do it. And that's why I always say vacation isn't a luxury. It isn't something that you do just because, you have money to do it. Vacation is a necessity. And and I'm not talking going to exotic places or going, you know, off to a you know Caribbean island. I'm saying don't go anywhere. Go to Miami, go to Vegas, go to, you know, South Dakota, New York, I don't know, wherever it is that your budget can allow, just go and what is that called when you like just disconnect. Disconnect. Yeah. Connect back to you, your family, your partner, whatever it is. Do that. And I reflect on that story every time someone calls me and says, I've been wanting to do this for years. And I'm like, Well, what are we waiting for? Let's do it. I know, I know. and you're right about that. Yeah. No, yeah. It just makes me think really hard because like I said, like living through this experience, I'm like, boy, this is yeah. There no nothing comes to nobody ever. But like do it now like retirement, like yes, God bless, like you we're all gonna make it there. I just know it one day when that time comes. But I want us to also like experience things like at different times in our lives as well. I think that's really important to live now as well. So I agree. I agree with you. My next question for you as well before we sort of wrap up, but if someone's listening right now and wants to potentially work with you or kind of like start their own travel business that reflects sort of like kind of what you guys do. What do you think is one piece of advice that you would tell her as she starts doing this? Because I feel like there's still so much potential in travel. I mean, like hello, social media, like there's so much, you know? For your advice. There really is. There really is. This is a huge industry. It's not just travel agents, right? There's hotel suppliers. There are supplier representatives. There's like all of these little things that are behind the scenes at That I need support to do, right? I can't just do my business basically because I'm a travel agent. But my advice to someone who wants to do this and get started in this is know that it's a continuing education. There's constant changes all the time. I was in the business very early when COVID happened. We were like, Is this done? Is nobody traveling ever again? But no, it happened, right? It came back. But during that time I had to pivot and I had to learn what am I gonna do to continue my business? And learning just different ways to sell and different ways to promote my business, different ways for people to understand what I do and my the benefit of using me. Again, like I said, the what ifs that happen. So I always just say it's a continuing business of education, constant education. Hey doggy in the back. I saw him in the reflection. I was like, Yeah, he's kidding. Yes. So it's constant education and I just think that's it. And set boundaries. Set boundaries because this isn't a a business that most people do from home. And we can sit here and work till one, two o'clock in the morning. But you need to set boundaries. You need to set boundaries and you should know you have to take care of yourself and your health first. So that you can be doing what you have to do and continue growing your business. One hundred percent. I think that's great advice. Like be a be a student, right? Essentially, like grow with the whatever direction the industry is heading. Again, like with radio, like nothing what it was twenty years ago, but yet we're still here just in a different way. Same way, but also there's additional new ways you can listen and stuff like that. So I see that. I mean, look at us now. Like I'm sorry to interrupt you, but look at us now, right? Doing this. Who would have known? You would have thought that this had to be done in person. Who would have known that we can I can be here, my home office, you can be where you need to be to do what you have to do, right? I love this. I love that COVID gave us this actually. Because I don't know if this was really there before, but I love that we can jump on our phone and do a video call with our parents, with our family, with cousins that you don't get to see often. And now you get to see them, their family, their kids, and all of that. I think this is the one thing I'm thankful for that COVID gave us. Same, honestly, I'm not even gonna lie to you, that like the ability to like be able to do it successfully and like, you know, proof that like it works, right? A lot of businesses don't go into their office anymore or got rid of them because they found the proof and the pudding of like, we really don't have to be in a cubicle here in this random office, you know, we discovered that. I'm like, I kinda love it for you guys. So yeah. I love it and I agree. Melissa, if anybody wants to book their next vacation with you, get any questions answered regarding traveled, or even potentially work with you this year or next, where can they contact you? Where can we find you? They can find us on all social media platforms. Vacation with Melissa on all social media platforms. They can Google us. I am super excited. I'm almost at 500 reviews. I'm about 93 away, was one of my goals for this year. I think as a small business, just having those reviews are just incredible, right? And to be able to get to five hundred, which we're gonna get to very soon, is very exciting for me and for our team. We're just being able to get there. But yeah, they can Google us. We're vacationwithmelissa dot com. They can look us up on almost all the platforms, us Instagram, Facebook. I think we're on TikTok and it's Vacation with Melissa. And we do all travel. We do destination weddings, destination events. anniversary trips, girls trips, getaways. I do wellness retreats, individual family vacations, solo trips. We do all of it. So we're here to take care of all of your travel needs. And like I tell everyone, let me know what you're thinking about. And if I can't do it, I'll refer you to someone who can and we'll help Big Puppy get it done. That's what we're here for. We're here to support you in all of your travel necessities. I love it. Awesome. Thank you most of being here with us today. We really appreciate you. I appreciate you, Paulina. Thank you so much for supporting us and supporting our business. I wish you all of the best. All this all the success in your mommy collective and your podcast and your personal life and every aspect of life. I'm wishing you all of the best. Thank you. You're the best ever.