Latest / NHA Today Podcast / Plant-Based Travel: Adventure Meets Healthy Living with Brigdhe Reed and Wanda Huberman
Transcript
- Stephan Esser MD: and welcome to another session of the NHH Day podcast. Today I'm excited to hear about some amazing international travel opportunities that are tied in with incredibly healthy, nutritious food, which is what we're all about. Adventure, along with excellent health. And so I'm pleased to welcome to the podcast today Wanda Huberman, who all of the NHA members know, and of Brighty. And Brighty works with world vegan travel. And together they are coordinating some amazing upcoming land travel to exotic international locations around the world, as I said, paired with amazing food. So we're gonna jump right in. Brighty, what are the four new opportunities that are coming up for the NHA members? Brighde: Okay, well we have our Tuscany Italy trip which is happening in 2027. That one is actually sold out but we are currently taking pre-registrations for our 2028 trip. So we stay in a beautiful Tuscan villa that is vegan and this will in 2028 it will be the fourth time that we have run this sold out trip. So people love it, it's a beautiful place in just close to San Gimignano, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Town. And it's an absolutely beautiful trip. And the fact that it sells out year after year is amazing. So we're taking pre-registrations for that. Also, we have the Botswana trip that will be happening in December 2027 also. That trip has rooms available. This will be the third time that we're running that trip. We had two sold out departures in 2025. And the last one, the Dordogne, which is an area in the southwest of France. This will be a new trip and this one is nearly full already and that will be happening in October 2027. So those are the four upcoming trips. One's open for pre-registration. Two have spots available. and one is sold out. Stephan Esser MD: Wow. Now Wanda, I know you've actually been on the Botswana trip twice. So I'm gonna ask you a question as somebody who's been on it. What made you want to return a second time and now have the NHA host it for twenty twenty-seven? What was so great about it? Wanda Huberman: It's like it's being in nature like I have never experienced before. As a young child who grew up afraid of dogs and animals I didn't know, the whole time I'm there, I'm like, I wish my mother could see me now. And it is we are in nature so close to lions and elephants and hippopotamuses and I felt like I was in a National Geographic magazine the entire trip. And I felt safe the entire trip. Stephan Esser MD: Very cool. Now there are a lot of places you can do safarine, brighty. why Botswana, let's say over Kenya or others places in Africa. Brighde: all safaris, pretty much all of them are amazing and you're going to see incredible things. But I think what sets Botswana apart from others is that it's really quite remote. You have to take bush planes to get there. First of all, normally you would take a flight from Cape Town or Johannesburg or another city to a relatively small town in the hub of northern Botswana. and then you take a bush plane for 45 minutes to the camps. you have, you know, it's so remote and vast and empty out there, full of amazing things. And I think another thing that's really interesting about it is that you also get to experience the water. So on the trip you have Savuti or Chobe National Park, which is very dry. We stay in Savuti Safari Lodge there and we literally have a water hole outside the dining room where we can see all of the animals coming down to drink. Then on the other... side we spend three nights in Campo Cavango which is on the water and there you can have a different experience. You can do walking safaris which is not something that you can usually do when you are doing safaris. You can also have motorised boats so we take these these little boats out obviously everything's handled by expert incredible guides who share their knowledge. you just have a very different experience and you see so many incredible things in these six nights that we spend in Botswana. one last thing I'd like to add is that it's more of a camp set up. Now, when I say camp, I'm not really talking about camping these... tents for want of better word are enormous, they're huge, they're very comfortable, they've got mosquito nets, everything's very nice and beautifully set up but it does it does give you that feeling of camping that some of the lodges that you would find in Greater Kruger for example doesn't have. Stephan Esser MD: Very awesome. So would you wha what what resonates with you that description there, Wanda? I mean, does that bring you back some memories of having been? Wanda Huberman: It does, I have to tell you, these bush planes, that was a shock. You know, I think seven people, maybe eight, could fit on it. And as we were leaving Camp Savuti, where it was the dry land in in Jeeps to go to Okabongo, where we're doing more water trip, we had to postpone takeoff because the giraffes were on our runway. And they Stephan Esser MD: Nice, nice. Wanda Huberman: just You just get to watch the giraffes and the elephants wander off the runway and then we could go. And the water part I thought would be nice, but it was so much more to just be going along and it's like, my gosh, there's an elephant. There's a there's a a pod of hippopotamuses. And probably what I like the most that Brighty didn't have a chance to mention. Is in Okabango you actually pull up and you do a walking safari. And you were I never thought I'd be looking to find a leopard or buffalo and giraffes, and but we did. And we're looking at water buffalo, and all of a sudden our guide says, Look up, and there's a leopard there in the tree right above us. And you know, for a half a second I'm a little frightened, and then We get this amazing opportunity to watch the leopard until he sees us. And your eyes meet. You know he sees us. And before I could even get frightened, he t he's more afraid of us. He takes off going the opposite direction. And it's just amazing. And the guides, Stephan Esser MD: Sounds like Wanda Huberman: the guides are from Botswana. So we're hearing Stephan Esser MD: Yeah. Wanda Huberman: about what it was like for them to grow up and meeting so many local people from this area. That's a treat. Stephan Esser MD: Very special. I mean, it sounds like you said an immersion in a national geographic film. And, you know, obviously amazing to see all of that, but a lot of our members really are always worried about, you know, and understandably, how do I keep my nutrition you know, on par. And so, you know, Bridey, I'll ask you that question. I mean, here you are off in the middle of the bush. You know, what kind of food, right, should people expect to be eating on this NHA? Some examples, breakfast, lunches, dinners, like what kind of stuff? Brighde: Yeah, that's a really great question because Botswana is quite a unique destination. So basically you eat about or you're offered food, I should say about seven or eight times a day. So you have breakfast when you wake up, which is a bit of a sort of lighter buffet set up because you're leaving so early. So think lots of like granola kinds of things. They'll have some tofu scramble there. And of course, Wanda and I work really hard with the camps to make everything whole food plant based SOS free. There's plenty of fruit, like chia puddings I seem to remember. And then when we go out, we'll have a tea time stop during the morning drive and we'll have some compliant cookies and maybe some fruit. Then we come back and we have a brunch, which will be like a buffet. set up and there'll be plenty of salads, three or four side dishes, three or four main dishes. Sometimes we'll even have the brunch outside in the bush as well. So that's quite fun. Then we'll have a siesta. We have afternoon tea. So there'll be a sweet and a savoury option there. Then we go out again for an afternoon activity, a drive or a boat ride or something like that. We'll have another like a sort of a sundowners and of course we make sure there's plenty of whole food plant based SOS free options. And then we come back for dinner. Dinner will be like a starter of soup and then a large buffet similar sort of set up to brunch and then a dessert. Stephan Esser MD: I love the outline of that. Is there anywhere online that people who are interested can kind of read kind of an outline of this, of the of each day, let's say, get a good sense. Where can they find that? Wanda Huberman: Yeah, well, you can see information on our website, Dr. Esther. If you go to healthscience.org, there's a green button for travel and you page down and you'll see all of the NHA travel opportunities. And when you click on the travel opportunity for Botswana, Brighty has done an amazing job where you can literally see what we're going to do every day. And if you want to see some food photos, you can go to the National Health Center. Science, whole food, plant-based travel. I know that's a mouthful, but that's the way it was set up. So open Facebook, go to National Health Association, Whole Food, Plant-Based Travel, and they're sort of chronological. So you'll have to page down quite a bit and you'll eventually come to our prior Botswana and you will see the food. Stephan Esser MD: Awesome. Wanda Huberman: there was an abundance of food. We got to try some local flavors. They did for they did an amazing job. And we always had for our NHA members who are familiar with G bombs, the team was familiar with G bombs and we had greens, beans, mushrooms, berries, onions, seeds every day. Stephan Esser MD: Fantastic. Fantastic. We'll put those links in the the show notes so that people can certainly access that and a little more easily click on things for sure. Wanda, I'm curious, what are some unique, anything unique that you tried or eight that you remember being like, wow, this is unique to Botswana or specific to that area, any fruits or you know, meals? Wanda Huberman: The soups were unique, and I'm not going to be able to tell you what kind of soup, but I remember really liking the soups. They made great salads. There were, I seem to remember, maybe some different beans. It's been a bit since we were there. But yeah, there were definitely some unique flavors, some teas and beverages. Brighty mentioned sundowners. Now, maybe everybody else knows what sundowners were, but I didn't know what a sundowner was before my first safari. And what it is, you're in the middle of the bush, and the Jeep stops, and they set up a little camp, and you have teas and non-alcoholic beverages if you want it, and they bring all kinds of fun flavored drinks, and they put out snacks, and you might have a whole hummus tray and crudotites and Some nuts and seeds and we're just looking around and we watch the sundap come down, the sunset, and then we pack all our stuff back up and you get on the Jeep and you go back because then they have a whole full meal for you as well. Stephan Esser MD: Very special. Wow. My goodness. What was that any what's the closest encounter you had with any of these Brighde: Hahaha. Stephan Esser MD: animals that you gotta see wan Wanda? Anything? Wanda Huberman: Well, I get the two. I have to there are two. So one time Stephan Esser MD: Tell us. Wanda Huberman: the lions sleep a lot. We were lucky, we saw a lot of activity, but in the afternoon, so you see very different things when you go out in the morning versus when you go out in the afternoon, just like you would with people probably. But the lions are in groups and they sleep, and so they're right on the roadway. They're dirt roadways. And You're right up next to them watching them sleep, or you watch them cuddle. They're very much like cats, and you see them sunning and it's adorable. And but you know, you're told you sit down, you don't stand up, we don't do anything that's going to startle them. So that's the indoctrination you get. Well, we're we're in the middle of this herd of lions watching them sleep, and there were so many that the different jeeps can radio to each other. And if it's really a special sighting you might have four jeeps. Normally it's just you on a Jeep. And as we're leaving, the one jeep looks at our driver and says, your tire is flat. And so I think, they're gonna send another Jeep. No, no, no. They say everybody out of the Jeep. I'm like, what? You told me I can't stand up. Now you want me to get out of the Jeep? And the other Jeep sort of formed a barrier so the lions couldn't see us. It's like they're not five-year-olds, they can smell. But Brighde: You Wanda Huberman: we got out and we took amazing pictures and the guys fixed the tire and we got back in. So that was one. And the second one is also a lion encounter. We you have an option of going on what's called a meditation jeep. And so you know you're not chatting as much, you're a little quiet, you're a little bit more in the moment, which I would do a meditation one every day because. I can't think of any better place to be in the moment and wait till I get back to the meal and get excited and talk about it. And I because it's so quiet, you see things that you might have otherwise missed. And I hear a little rustling off to the left in the bush. And I'm like, what's that? And the driver says, shh. And right up against her cheek comes a mama lion with a newborn baby cup in her mouth. Walking right past our Jeep, heading to the mountain or the higher ground where it's safer for the baby cubs to grow up until they can protect themselves. I'll never forget it. It was amazing. Stephan Esser MD: pretty cool. Wanda Huberman: Yeah. Stephan Esser MD: What an amazing immersive experience. And you know, I a lot of our viewers I think would love to go, but not everybody has a partner to go with. What about if you're, you know, a single person thinking about going on this trip, you know, kind of on the fence? What what do you say to that person who's like, I don't want to go by myself and not know anybody, you know? Brighde: I can speak to that a little if you like. So we have some, let's call them negotiated single rooms for solo travellers. And they've actually, they've sold out, but we're actually in the process of maybe opening up some more solo rooms. if you are a solo traveller, I don't think you need to feel worried that you're going to feel by yourself. The hosts of the trip, Wanda and Mark last time, and Seb and I, who run the trips, we're very, very mindful of making everyone feel welcome and included. And, you know, we're sitting together in like a... larger tables, so there's always opportunities to chat with people. And I find that people choose a group trip because they want to, especially a smaller group trip like this with a maximum of 20 travellers plus the hosts, they want to meet other people and get to know each other. Wanda Huberman: Yeah, I'd love to add to that. So I get NHA members calling me, and many of our members are solo members, and they're glad to know there's other solo travelers. So that you're not going to be the only solo traveler. And like Brighty said, with only 20 people, you get to know each other very quickly. And it feels like, you know, just a small group traveling together. And it you'll you'll feel welcome before you even get to Botswana. We meet up in Cape Town. We have some nice meals in Cape Town. I I have not had one solo traveler say, Boy, that was more challenging. Every one of them was Stephan Esser MD: Awesome. Wanda Huberman: fine. Stephan Esser MD: I well, I was gonna say with only twenty people, that's pretty intimate. So certainly develop those relationships, those conversations pretty quickly. So that's beautiful. gosh, you know, you already said that there are multiple trips in twenty twenty seven, twenty twenty eight, but you said several of them are already sold out. So so Botswana is still available and then any of the others still open? Wanda Huberman: Rwanda. Righty, you didn't Stephan Esser MD: Rwanda. Wanda Huberman: mention Rwanda. Brighde: yes, we didn't talk about Rwanda, I'm so sorry. Stephan Esser MD: Yeah, so it's so Wanda Huberman: Yeah. Stephan Esser MD: tell us how that you know, tell us how that compares to Botswana. What's the difference there? Brighde: Maybe I can talk to that one too, because you haven't been to Rwanda yet. I've been several times running our regular vegan trips and it's very different, I will say. It's very different because first of all, Rwanda is an equatorial country, but it's not hot and humid because it's about a thousand meters elevation. So it's always this beautiful 27, 28 degrees Celsius. I'm sorry, I don't know what that is in Fahrenheit, but very pleasant. And the main focus of the Rwanda trip is to see chimpanzees and to see the mountain gorillas. You can only see the mountain gorillas in three countries, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. And for a number of reasons, we go and see them in Rwanda. seeing the mountain gorillas up is one of the most amazing experiences you'll ever have. You'll be on a high for like the next month, I would say, having just experienced this amazing things. I mean, I've been lucky enough to have seen them more than half a dozen times now. And it is always incredible. And to watch people's faces, having seen them for the first time is... It brings me a lot of joy. And I guess what's also unique about this trip is that we do move around a little bit more and we do stay in two really outstanding properties. They're one and only property. So those that work in tourism may have heard of these properties. They're generally considered some of the fanciest hotels in the world. They are absolutely beautiful. And we stay at one that is in a tea plantation. on the outskirts of Nguyen An National Park, which is where we go trekking to see the chimpanzees. And we also stay in one and only gorilla's nest, which is out of this world. And that is very close to where you see the mountain gorillas. I don't know whether this is something that we want to talk about, but a lot of people often have questions about what it's like to see the... gorillas in terms of what you need physically and to see the chimpanzees as well but I don't know whether that's something that your listeners would be interested in. Stephan Esser MD: Well, it sounds like a topic for people to begin to research and look at because if you're passionate about it sounds like these primates, this would be an amazing encounter for sure. and so and those details are also on the NHA website. Is that correct, Wanda? Wanda Huberman: They are. And on my last trip home on the plane, Brighty helped me with this. I watched a movie, a documentary about Jane Goodall. And I don't remember what it's called, but I'm sure you can Google Jane Goodall. And her documentary shows you and gave me a much better idea of what I can expect. And are we going to a Goodall museum or something in recognition to her of her, Brighty? Brighde: I think maybe you're thinking about Diane Fossey. Jane Goodall Wanda Huberman: You know. Brighde: worked with chimpanzees and Wanda Huberman: Yeah. Brighde: Diane Fossey was the Dr. Leakey student, for want of a better Wanda Huberman: Yeah. Brighde: word, that worked with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. She unfortunately was murdered because of the work that she was doing back in, I think it was the 70s or maybe the early 80s. And we do go to a Dian Fossey Center, let's call it, run by the Dian Fossey Fund. It's actually like an interactive exhibit, let's say. And it's actually funded by Ellen DeGeneres. And what's really interesting about that is we get this beautiful tour around the center. And because we're a larger group and it's... that works out to do this, we can actually go into the bone lab and the poop lab. A lot of incredible findings can be made by studying the poop of gorillas. So that's really, I think it's really interesting. I've seen it many times and I always think it's so interesting. They have scientists that examine the poop and look at, see if there's a lot of cortisol in it or some stress hormones. So they're really able to learn a lot about gorillas because of course these are endangered animals. They are increasing in numbers which is great news but they are very well studied and very well supported and conserved and I think that's why their numbers are doing so well. yeah we do go to visit the Dian Fossey Fund and We also have a visit one evening and a lecture by someone from Gorilla Doctors. So normally doctors wouldn't go and interfere, vets wouldn't go and interfere with wild animals in nature because gorillas are so important and so endangered. They are, and we have talks by Gorilla Doctors who explain the work that they do and some of the challenges that they have. It's extremely interesting. Stephan Esser MD: Absolutely fascinating. Wanda Huberman: One of the Stephan Esser MD: Yeah. Wanda Huberman: one of the things I loved when Brighty told me about Rwanda and why actually that is the o of the three places, it's the only place I had any interest in visiting. And it's the gorillas are very protected and only a small number of groups can go a day. So there's a lot of respect for the wildlife and not stressing them out too much and making sure that it's safe and healthy for them as well as a good experience for us. Stephan Esser MD: Excellent. You know, these trips sound absolutely amazing. thank you both of you for joining us today to share about these trips and the adventures that people can have. And I love how you've dovetailed amazing international exploration and adventures with excellent nutrition, which matters so much. You know, whenever we think about, you know, kind of the mission of the NHA and the goal to kind of educate and empower individuals, you know, about health, but also to influence planetary health and what a beautiful way to kind of get out and experience nature in this way. But I think it just reinforced for us more what an amazing planet we live on and why we want to work to protect it so much, along with just our own personal health. So as we kind of come to a close now I want to just open the floor to either one of you. Anything else that want to share with our members about encouraging them to go sign up or why they should, et cetera, please share. So why don't we start with Brighty? Why don't you, you know, get your share with us any last you know, thoughts here. Brighde: Hmm, there's so many things I could say, because I've been there so many times now, but I would say don't put it off. If you have had going to Africa on your bucket list or going on safari or going to see Morant Mountain gorillas on your bucket list, then I would say don't put it off because you never know what the future is going to bring. And it really is something that's going to just buoy you for weeks, months, years to come. And to have this incredible experience is just something to, don't know, prioritise a little bit because it is just so awesome. Stephan Esser MD: Yeah, wonder. Wanda Huberman: I'd say also keep an eye on our travel page. We'll be opening up more trips. and the sooner you know about them, we do offer them to our life members first, then our century members, then all members. We're usually sold out by that time, but if we're not sold out for some reason, then we'll open it up to the public. We do have our Dardone France trip. I have two spots left, and it is currently open to Century members. And so if you're interested and you're you're a general member, you can get on the wait list. And by Monday, if there are still two spots left, we'll open it up to the people the general members on our wait list and then all general members. And if it's sold out, it is worthwhile to get on the wait list because we do plan these trips so far out. Things happen and people do have to cancel once in a while. And so if you're on the wait list, then we call you. and you might get on it happens more than you would think. So stay tuned to our webpage. Don't be afraid to get on the wait list. Certainly send me an email, give me a call, I'd be happy to talk to anybody about it. Stephan Esser MD: I'm hearing a couple of things there. Number one is it's time to sign up for your life membership so that you get access right away. That's what I'm hearing on that one. And so, Wanda Huberman: Yeah. Yeah. Stephan Esser MD: you know, because it sounds like these trips are so amazing and they're so intimate and so well put together, they sell out rapidly. So, an encouragement to all of our viewers today to continue those healthy habits and behaviors and make this a priority before they all sell out, right? Don't keep putting on the back burner and recognizing not only are you gonna get amazing adventures. But you know, just absolutely exhilarating encounters with, you know, animals and their natural element, but also amazing food with fantastic people. So Bridey, thank you for joining us today. Wanda, thank you as always for all the work you do to keep the NHA thriving. And everybody look forward to seeing you on our next podcast. Wanda Huberman: Terrific. Thank you, Doctor Esther. Brighde: Thank you. Wanda Huberman: Thank you, Bridey.