Latest / I Hate Talking / St. Thomas Travel Tips: Customs, Kids, and Costly Sips - Part 5

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St. Thomas Travel Tips: Customs, Kids, and Costly Sips - Part 5 · I Hate Talking

• 0:29
  Adam: Welcome to episode 128 of I Hate Talking.
• 0:33
  Steph: Hi, everyone.
• 0:34
  Adam: So I suppose in this one we'll probably finish our St.
• 0:38
  Adam: Thomas recap, part five.
• 0:41
  Steph: Five parts.
• 0:41
  Steph: We really liked St.
• 0:42
  Steph: Thomas.
• 0:43
  Adam: We did.
• 0:43
  Adam: We went into quite a bit of detail, but we also did a lot of things.
• 0:46
  Adam: We were quite busy with a lot of different destinations and things that we did.
• 0:51
  Adam: So before that, though, we always have our word or phrase.
• 0:56
  Adam: And I guess a special announcement for our listeners.
• 0:58
  Adam: We have recently achieved our most downloads in a single month in the month of September.
• 1:04
  Steph: Oh wow.
• 1:05
  Steph: Good for us.
• 1:05
  Steph: Good for us.
• 1:06
  Steph: We didn't even know that.
• 1:07
  Adam: Now you know.
• 1:08
  Adam: And now all our listeners know.
• 1:09
  Adam: So just a reminder that if you have enjoyed any of our past episodes or this episode, that you always can like, share, subscribe, leave a comment.
• 1:17
  Adam: The most helpful thing that you can do is just find your most favorite episode in our archive and share it with one or two other people.
• 1:26
  Adam: Maybe they will enjoy it as well.
• 1:28
  Steph: Sounds good.
• 1:29
  Adam: So word or phrase.
• 1:31
  Adam: So I've been thinking about this word because we've been talking about it in probably all of the four last episodes, but I don't necessarily know the etymology of it and could not even begin to guess.
• 1:42
  Adam: Snorkel.
• 1:44
  Steph: Oh, okay.
• 1:45
  Steph: Well, we've in the past talked about scuba and whether that's a real word or not.
• 1:53
  Steph: So I guess that's true.
• 1:54
  Steph: Snorkel.
• 1:55
  Steph: I wouldn't know, even begin to guess, but nor did I ever think about the word.
• 2:02
  Adam: Right.
• 2:03
  Adam: I mean, I can generally give the definition, right?
• 2:06
  Adam: To like breathe through some sort of device or tube while you're underwater, so that you can basically breathe the water breathe the air above the water.
• 2:19
  Adam: But that's probably not even a very good scientific exact definition.
• 2:24
  Steph: So well, yeah, if you just put a straw in your mouth and go under the water, does that count as a snorkel?
• 2:31
  Adam: I don't know.
• 2:31
  Adam: Is it the specific device that is paired with like a diving mask that is a snorkel, or is it any type of breathing apparatus that lets you breathe air while you're submerged beneath the surface of water?
• 2:42
  Steph: Okay, let's find out.
• 2:43
  Adam: And then the etymology.
• 2:44
  Adam: I have no guesses even.
• 2:46
  Adam: I would if I had to guess, I would probably say it's like somebody's name.
• 2:49
  Adam: Like they invented the snorkel.
• 2:50
  Adam: Like Mr.
• 2:51
  Adam: Snorkel invented the snorkel.
• 2:53
  Adam: Bob snorkel invented the snorkel.
• 2:56
  Steph: That's a tough last name.
• 3:00
  Adam: I guess I've never encountered anybody named Snorkel.
• 3:02
  Steph: No.
• 3:03
  Adam: So this is maybe not very likely either.
• 3:09
  Adam: I don't know.
• 3:09
  Adam: Let's find out.
• 3:11
  Steph: It reminds me of like snoring.
• 3:15
  Steph: Is it the same spelling?
• 3:16
  Steph: Like you snore because you're breathing through your nose and your mouth.
• 3:21
  Steph: And then for snorkel, you have to breathe through your nose and mouth.
• 3:26
  Adam: No, I I doubt it.
• 3:28
  Steph: But you see what I'm saying?
• 3:30
  Adam: Yes.
• 3:31
  Steph: People snore because they're breathing through their mouth, right?
• 3:33
  Adam: Maybe.
• 3:34
  Steph: And then you have to breathe through your mouth when you're snorkeling.
• 3:39
  Adam: It could be.
• 3:40
  Adam: I don't know.
• 3:41
  Adam: That's an interesting theory.
• 3:43
  Adam: It could be.
• 3:44
  Adam: I don't know.
• 3:45
  Adam: I would not have thought of that.
• 3:46
  Adam: So first the definition from our favorite American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, 5th edition.
• 3:52
  Adam: It has three quite lengthy definitions.
• 3:55
  Adam: Number one, a breathing apparatus for swimmers and surface divers that allows swimming or continuous use of a face mask without lifting the head to breathe, consisting of a tube that curves out of the mouth and extends above the surface of the water.
• 4:09
  Adam: So that's sort of what I said, but much more succinctly and clearly.
• 4:15
  Steph: Right.
• 4:15
  Steph: And it is a mask.
• 4:18
  Adam: Paired with a mask.
• 4:19
  Steph: Oh, paired.
• 4:19
  Steph: Okay.
• 4:20
  Steph: Yes.
• 4:22
  Adam: Number two, a retractable vertical tube in a diesel engine submarine that contains air intake and exhaust pipes for the engines and for ventilation, permitting extended periods of submergence at periscope depth.
• 4:37
  Steph: For a submarine?
• 4:38
  Adam: For a diesel engine submarine, yes.
• 4:41
  Steph: Okay.
• 4:41
  Steph: Yeah, the diesel engine part threw me because I was like, wait, is it are we talking about trucks or are we talking about boats?
• 4:47
  Adam: Yes, well, that is an interesting point because for like off-roading vehicles, that is called a snorkel.
• 4:52
  Adam: Where if you've ever seen like a Jeep or a Toyota that has like the thing that goes up alongside the front windshield.
• 5:05
  Steph: Yeah, okay.
• 5:06
  Adam: Yeah, that's the snorkel.
• 5:07
  Adam: Because that's the air intake and I guess exhaust from there too.
• 5:11
  Steph: Well, there you go.
• 5:12
  Steph: That makes sense.
• 5:12
  Adam: So same concept with a submarine at periscope depth.
• 5:16
  Adam: And then number three, a hollow tube held in the mouth used by swimmers for breathing underwater.
• 5:22
  Adam: So I think that's your straw definition, could be there, or like a reed.
• 5:26
  Steph: Right.
• 5:26
  Steph: Yeah.
• 5:28
  Adam: So then on to the etymology.
• 5:31
  Adam: The word snorkel, according to Wikipedia and Etymology Online, originates from the German word schnorschl, which means nose or snout.
• 5:42
  Adam: It was first used in English as a context of a breathing device for swimmers in the early 1950s.
• 5:48
  Adam: Wow.
• 5:49
  Adam: So pretty recent word.
• 5:50
  Steph: Weird.
• 5:51
  Adam: Snorkel did not exist as a word before the 1950s, apparently.
• 5:56
  Steph: What did they call it before?
• 5:58
  Adam: Well, maybe it was didn't exist before.
• 6:00
  Adam: Nobody ever thought of breathing through a tube before that.
• 6:03
  Steph: Huh.
• 6:03
  Steph: That seems weird.
• 6:06
  Adam: It does seem a bit weird.
• 6:08
  Adam: Yeah, it says the first recorded use of snorkel in the English language as a breathing device for swimmers occurred in the early 1950s.
• 6:18
  Adam: It was also initially associated with air intake devices for diesel engines in submarines during World War II.
• 6:28
  Adam: So it actually came from the diesel engine submarine first, and then the breathing apparatus later.
• 6:37
  Steph: I just have a hard time getting on board with the idea that those were made for the ships, for the submarines, and then somebody was like, hey, why don't I put the straw in my mouth and go underwater also?
• 6:52
  Steph: That just seems so primitive for the 1950s.
• 6:57
  Steph: Am I giving them too much credit?
• 7:00
  Adam: I don't know.
• 7:01
  Adam: So according to Bahamas Snorkel.com, the concept of using snorkels dates back to as early as 3000 BC.
• 7:15
  Steph: Okay, yeah, see.
• 7:16
  Adam: When farmers in Crete used hollow read to breathe while underwater, farming underwater sponges.
• 7:22
  Adam: And then the modern snorkel began to develop in the 18th century, and then significant advancements in the 20th century.
• 7:33
  Adam: But I don't know what they would have called it before then.
• 7:36
  Steph: It doesn't say on there what the original name was.
• 7:39
  Adam: I don't know.
• 7:40
  Adam: We can take a look at the timeline of diving technology in the Wikipedia site.
• 7:48
  Steph: But yeah, I definitely that sounds more accurate saying that they used RAIDs way back then.
• 7:58
  Adam: Yes, it did.
• 7:59
  Adam: There are many examples of that throughout history.
• 8:03
  Adam: So I'm scrolling quite a bit.
• 8:05
  Adam: There's a lot of stuff that happened in the 1700s and 1800s in diving technology, apparently.
• 8:12
  Adam: And also running into the invention of scuba gear and things like that.
• 8:17
  Adam: Let's go all the way down to the 1950s and see what it says about snorkels.
• 8:25
  Adam: And apparently nothing.
• 8:27
  Adam: It's all about submarines and diving suits and things like that.
• 8:31
  Adam: Well, for that was just okay, so here, according to Wikipedia, some other Wikipedia entry, oh, from the actual snorkel entry, it says before the term snorkel was used, it was commonly referred to as a quote unquote breathing tube.
• 8:47
  Adam: They also referred to it before the word snorkel as a pipe or swim pipe.
• 8:55
  Steph: Okay.
• 8:55
  Steph: Yeah, um, when I was looking it up, all I could find was even back in 350 BC, Aristotle wrote about it and he called it a breathing tube.
• 9:06
  Steph: And people like Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century uh sketched drawings of these breathing apparatuses.
• 9:16
  Adam: There you go.
• 9:17
  Adam: So it appears that the German word was used in 1944 to refer to the air shaft for a submarine.
• 9:26
  Adam: And then that was used for the submarines, and then yeah, in the early to mid-1950s is when breathing tube or breathing pipe, or simply pipe, became known as a snorkel.
• 9:39
  Steph: Interesting.
• 9:39
  Steph: So yeah, just calling it a breathing tube until snorkel came around.
• 9:43
  Steph: Alright.
• 9:45
  Adam: So an interesting one on the etymology.
• 9:48
  Adam: I would not have guessed that it was such a recent term.
• 9:50
  Steph: Right.
• 9:51
  Adam: But I've always heard it and never knew life without it.
• 9:57
  Steph: Well, we've always had a snorkel in our lifetime.
• 10:00
  Adam: Exactly.
• 10:01
  Adam: But I suppose our parents would not have.
• 10:04
  Adam: I mean they would have been very little, but they lived before the snorkel.
• 10:10
  Adam: As a word.
• 10:11
  Adam: They still had the breathing pipes.
• 10:14
  Adam: So that is our word of phrase of this episode, snorkel.
• 10:18
  Adam: And like I mentioned, you can go back and listen to the previous four episodes, four parts one through four of our St.
• 10:25
  Adam: Thomas adventure and vacation, where we describe some of our particular excursions that utilize snorkels and diving masks.
• 10:33
  Adam: And I suppose in part five, the only thing to refer to the snorkel about was that it was packed in our bag because we had brought our own to try to save money on rentals and everything like that.
• 10:45
  Adam: And they were packed and ready to begin our trip back home.
• 10:50
  Steph: Yes.
• 10:51
  Adam: So we left off at customs last time.
• 10:54
  Adam: So take us away on our customs experience.
• 10:59
  Steph: Okay.
• 10:59
  Steph: We found out beforehand that as long as you stay in the US Virgin Islands, you did not need a passport.
• 11:07
  Steph: But it was highly recommended and extremely recommended that you bring the children's birth certificates.
• 11:14
  Steph: So we did that.
• 11:16
  Steph: You and I both have passports, so we did bring those, though we never went over to the British Virgin Islands.
• 11:21
  Adam: Correct.
• 11:22
  Adam: We certainly had plenty to do on the US side.
• 11:26
  Adam: Though apparently a lot of people recommend the British for less touristy stuff and maybe more like things that you can do in terms of a natural environment and see the jungle and things like that.
• 11:42
  Steph: And again, I can't verify this, we didn't do it.
• 11:45
  Steph: But if you did go over to the British side, I heard that your phones, because I did look that up.
• 11:50
  Steph: If we have to pay roaming charges or anything like overseas charges for our phones or internet access, and as long as we stayed on the US side, it didn't venture too far into the water.
• 12:03
  Steph: Like they said, sometimes if you're on a boat, it may cross over.
• 12:07
  Steph: But as long as you stay on our side, we were good to go with no international charges.
• 12:13
  Adam: Right.
• 12:14
  Adam: So nonetheless, we were on the US side only, and it's like you said, recommended to bring your passports for adults, a valid passport that is not expired, and the birth certificates of the children.
• 12:27
  Adam: But when we got up to the desk, the customs agent like asked for passports and birth certificates.
• 12:34
  Adam: Like that it didn't seem like it was optional.
• 12:36
  Adam: Right.
• 12:36
  Adam: I don't know what we would have done if we didn't have those things.
• 12:40
  Adam: We would have said, Oh, what didn't know we needed them, or like we were told it was optional or something.
• 12:46
  Steph: Right.
• 12:46
  Adam: But so I have no idea.
• 12:48
  Adam: I'd like I'm not sure what would have happened if we didn't have those documents.
• 12:53
  Adam: But we did have those documents, so we presented them straight away.
• 12:57
  Adam: But it it almost was assumed by the customs agent that we would have those things.
• 13:03
  Steph: Yeah, I agree.
• 13:04
  Steph: I got that sense too.
• 13:05
  Steph: And so I was relieved that we had them.
• 13:06
  Steph: In fact, I had them packed in kind of the bottom of my bag because I didn't know I had to bring them out.
• 13:12
  Steph: So that was a bit embarrassing or just like stressed or a hassle because then I was like, oh yes.
• 13:19
  Steph: And so I had to put my backpack down and pull them out from like the bottom of a bunch of stuff.
• 13:25
  Steph: So I kind of kind of had them buried in my backpack that I was carrying so that they would be safe and not easily taken out or fallen out.
• 13:33
  Steph: So we got them out of the my backpack and passed them to her.
• 13:37
  Steph: And yours and ours mine were easy.
• 13:40
  Steph: The passports part, and they talked to us, asked us the questions and all that, like you do in customs.
• 13:47
  Steph: And they wanted to talk to our children.
• 13:49
  Steph: And those were mixed reactions.
• 13:54
  Adam: Yeah, I think she did them in age order, right?
• 13:57
  Adam: Yes.
• 13:57
  Adam: On probably on purpose, I guess.
• 13:59
  Adam: Or that's just out of the order that you had them in.
• 14:02
  Adam: I don't know.
• 14:02
  Steph: I don't know.
• 14:03
  Steph: Probably both, yeah.
• 14:03
  Steph: I don't know.
• 14:04
  Adam: Probably both.
• 14:04
  Adam: So yes, they began.
• 14:07
  Steph: Their names are also alphabetical, technically.
• 14:10
  Adam: Correct.
• 14:10
  Steph: So there's a whole diff bunch of different reasons she would have done it in age order.
• 14:14
  Adam: Correct.
• 14:16
  Steph: So because she read the ticket, and if they popped out alphabetically, then they would be calling them.
• 14:24
  Steph: So she called her oldest, and he was the most stressful one out of all of them.
• 14:29
  Steph: We kind of joke now, like, I can't believe they let us through.
• 14:32
  Steph: He tends to be shy in general.
• 14:38
  Steph: He didn't know what was going on.
• 14:40
  Steph: We did not prep them for customs.
• 14:42
  Steph: Because again, we didn't really think we were doing it.
• 14:44
  Steph: He they know how to go through security at like the airports.
• 14:48
  Steph: We've done that plenty of times.
• 14:49
  Steph: But this is the first time that he had to like state his name and his birthday and his relationship to us.
• 14:55
  Steph: And he acted so shy and whispering, and just he seemed like he was under duress.
• 15:02
  Steph: I know I was a little nervous that they were gonna um take him aside and talk to him privately or something.
• 15:09
  Steph: Luckily, he looks like me.
• 15:12
  Steph: So I think that helps that it's obvious he's my child.
• 15:17
  Steph: I was trying to like help him along with answers without like being too obvious or making it sound like I'm coaxing him.
• 15:27
  Adam: That's true.
• 15:27
  Adam: Because as you mentioned, when we go through like normal TSA security for domestic flights, it's basically like the agent says the name and they just have to like say present or raise their hand or something like that, and that's good enough.
• 15:41
  Adam: But for the border entry, yes, you had to say your name, birthday, and relationship, and that was done, but not very confidently for the first one.
• 15:54
  Steph: Like he said it as if he couldn't remember his lines, and he kept looking over at us and like, oh no, this looks like we are telling like that's what it just looked like we had told him what to say, and he couldn't remember his lines for a play.
• 16:11
  Adam: Indeed.
• 16:11
  Adam: But then like that one was accepted, I guess.
• 16:14
  Steph: Yeah.
• 16:15
  Adam: I mean, she moved on to the next one, and then the second oldest like almost followed the lead of the oldest.
• 16:21
  Adam: Like normally he's confident and stuff, but like I don't know if he was like thinking that he had to be shy or like this was a quote unquote like dangerous situation and he had to be scared or uncomfortable or something like that.
• 16:33
  Adam: So like his was nearly the same experience in my life.
• 16:37
  Steph: Not much better, yeah.
• 16:39
  Steph: So um, and he couldn't remember his birthday.
• 16:44
  Adam: See, I think he was nervous.
• 16:45
  Adam: I think he was like he was not expecting this, yeah, and was maybe nervous, and that's the reason.
• 16:53
  Adam: Like, I don't think it was necessarily a shyness thing.
• 16:55
  Adam: I think he was like just nervous and he was scared that right, and like when you yes, if you're so nervous that you can't think straight or something like that.
• 17:02
  Adam: Yes.
• 17:03
  Steph: So um, but again, they passed, and that one I had to help him a lot more because I I didn't know how much to say, but he knows his birthday.
• 17:13
  Adam: Right, like you said, it was near this major holiday, and that helped him jog his memory.
• 17:18
  Steph: Yeah.
• 17:19
  Steph: So, and then we went to our they went to our third.
• 17:23
  Adam: And he did the best, I think, out of all of them.
• 17:25
  Adam: He did pretty good, which is sort of unexpected.
• 17:28
  Steph: The one thing he said that was really funny, she actually laughed at it, was our first and our third said the same thing.
• 17:35
  Steph: They said their birthday, the month and the day, but not the year.
• 17:40
  Steph: And then so she asked, like, what year is what's the year?
• 17:43
  Steph: And our oldest goes, This year you mean?
• 17:46
  Steph: She's like, No, the year you're born.
• 17:48
  Steph: And then so our third, the same thing happened.
• 17:50
  Steph: She said, And what's the year?
• 17:51
  Steph: And he goes, 2026.
• 17:53
  Steph: She's like, No, like the year you're born.
• 17:56
  Steph: And then she laughed.
• 17:56
  Steph: So I was glad that she like saw she was not mean, she was very understanding.
• 18:02
  Adam: Yeah, we did get a good customs agent, I think.
• 18:05
  Adam: There was one that was like two windows down that was like during all this happening, like he sent two or three people to the back room for additional interviews.
• 18:16
  Steph: Yeah, I'm glad that we got the one we got.
• 18:20
  Adam: Right.
• 18:20
  Adam: But I mean, I guess by context, right?
• 18:23
  Adam: Uh an adult would know that the person is inquiring the year of their birth.
• 18:29
  Adam: But if you just take that question literally, what year is it?
• 18:34
  Adam: Or what year?
• 18:35
  Adam: Yeah, that's what she asked.
• 18:36
  Adam: What year?
• 18:37
  Adam: Like there's no necessarily context directly from that sentence of just simply two words that you would know what she's referring to.
• 18:45
  Adam: So yeah.
• 18:46
  Adam: I mean they it was a legitimate question.
• 18:49
  Adam: Like, what do you mean?
• 18:50
  Adam: Is it like you mean 2026 or the year of my birth?
• 18:53
  Adam: Because you didn't ask specifically what year were you born or what is the year of your birth.
• 18:57
  Steph: You're right.
• 18:58
  Steph: As a kid, it makes sense.
• 18:59
  Steph: But from us context clues, you just said your birthday.
• 19:03
  Steph: So, and you did the month and day only.
• 19:06
  Adam: So, yeah, but I think it's they all viewed this as like an interrogation, like, well, I gotta say the right answer.
• 19:13
  Adam: This is like a lie detector or something like that.
• 19:15
  Adam: And if I lie, then I'm not gonna go home or something.
• 19:18
  Adam: I don't know.
• 19:19
  Steph: Yeah.
• 19:19
  Steph: So our fourth one did well too.
• 19:21
  Steph: He's definitely the most outgoing.
• 19:23
  Steph: So he was like the loudest, because the rest of them kind of whispered everything, and he's the loudest, so he very proudly proclaimed all the answers.
• 19:34
  Adam: Yeah, he's also probably the most situationally aware, as like uh general rule.
• 19:41
  Adam: So like I think he watched the other three brothers do it, so he sort of knew the routine by then.
• 19:49
  Adam: Whereas, like, obviously the next youngest did not have a lot of situational awareness because he didn't pay attention that the exact same thing happened to the oldest in terms of the year question.
• 20:00
  Steph: Right.
• 20:00
  Steph: Yeah, I that's a good point too.
• 20:01
  Steph: I do think he was watching where the other ones weren't.
• 20:05
  Steph: Because it was kind of one of those it was comical how they were she was asking each question, they were all reacting the same.
• 20:11
  Steph: I was like, come on, guys, like get it together.
• 20:14
  Steph: Say your all you have to do is say your name.
• 20:16
  Steph: And then one of Did she ask him for all of them or just a couple?
• 20:20
  Steph: That who we were in relation to them.
• 20:23
  Adam: Yeah, it wasn't every kid.
• 20:25
  Adam: It may have been just the first and the last one, maybe that she did that.
• 20:28
  Steph: Yeah, and they both acted really weird about that.
• 20:30
  Steph: They were like, like them, like pointed to us.
• 20:32
  Steph: I'm like, yeah, uh, who are who am I?
• 20:36
  Adam: Like, and then I think they said your full name instead of like your Right, not mom.
• 20:42
  Adam: Right.
• 20:42
  Adam: You're like Stephanie?
• 20:44
  Steph: Yeah, oh yeah.
• 20:46
  Steph: I'm like, okay, right.
• 20:48
  Steph: But who am I to you?
• 20:52
  Adam: Right.
• 20:52
  Steph: But again, they were trying really hard.
• 20:54
  Steph: They I think they weren't really nervous that they were gonna mess up.
• 20:57
  Steph: So they were making sure to say that my name, Stephanie.
• 21:00
  Steph: Yes, but right.
• 21:04
  Adam: So then yeah, we were accepted into the United States, and we're bound for the United States.
• 21:14
  Adam: I don't know how the international terminal, I guess everything was bound for the US there because we didn't really go anywhere else.
• 21:20
  Adam: I guess that airport only flies to the US.
• 21:24
  Steph: I guess so.
• 21:25
  Adam: I guess so.
• 21:25
  Adam: Because we weren't we didn't go like a certain direction or anything.
• 21:29
  Adam: But I guess it's a relatively small airport, and like you're going to have your tickets checked while you're boarding the plane to make sure you're not going to a different country than what they cleared you to go through.
• 21:38
  Adam: I guess.
• 21:38
  Adam: I don't know.
• 21:39
  Adam: Not quite sure.
• 21:40
  Steph: Right, yeah.
• 21:40
  Steph: I don't know.
• 21:42
  Adam: So we made it into the entrance to the security line, so then we still had to go through the security checkpoint and do all the scans and everything like that.
• 21:53
  Adam: And they had dogs, I guess, sniffing for illicit materials and things of that nature.
• 21:58
  Adam: But that did not pose any problem.
• 22:00
  Adam: And they're used to that, that it was the same as traveling domestic.
• 22:04
  Adam: Yeah.
• 22:04
  Adam: That they just went through and cleared security, all our stuff went through the bag scanners and everything like that, and then we made it into a secure area, and I think we had plenty of time, right?
• 22:16
  Steph: Way too much.
• 22:17
  Steph: Way too much.
• 22:18
  Adam: But we did go early because we knew we had to go through the customs procedure and security and everything like that, and that did not take very long.
• 22:27
  Adam: Again, it was not very busy, there was hardly Anybody there.
• 22:30
  Steph: Yeah, when we got there, we didn't wait at all through customs or through security.
• 22:36
  Steph: We walked just straight through.
• 22:38
  Steph: But later on, closer to the flight time, it got really crowded there.
• 22:42
  Steph: So I think because everyone's, you know, trying to spend as much time on the island as they can, I'm sure.
• 22:48
  Steph: And so it would have been kind of stressful if you waited longer.
• 22:51
  Steph: It definitely would take longer to get through.
• 22:54
  Adam: Right.
• 22:54
  Adam: And I'm sure all the recommendations on timeline for like when to return the car and when to get to the airport and all that are based on the high season.
• 23:02
  Adam: So it was not the high season, so it took far less time.
• 23:06
  Adam: But nonetheless, we were able to go to a souvenir shop because we didn't really buy any souvenirs while we're there, but all the kids were able to buy one souvenir item.
• 23:16
  Steph: And they wanted to buy like postcards.
• 23:18
  Adam: Postcards, yes, for to send to friends and things like that.
• 23:21
  Adam: And then we also got, I think, probably the most expensive soda I've ever bought in my life.
• 23:26
  Steph: Okay, so tell me about that.
• 23:28
  Adam: So there's a little shop where you know you could buy little snack type things or 20-ounce bottles of soda and everything like that.
• 23:38
  Adam: So got everybody's order for what kind of soda they wanted so that they could have that final treat before boarding the plane and purchased four sodas, one for each kid.
• 23:50
  Adam: And the total was like, I don't know, $30 something dollars or something like that.
• 23:55
  Adam: So it was like $7.50 plus tax or something like that.
• 24:00
  Steph: A soda.
• 24:01
  Adam: So I may have paid that much at like a sports arena, maybe.
• 24:05
  Adam: Then that's like a fountain drink, so it's not even the same, because that's like for a much larger fountain drink, where maybe you'd pay that price, but this was simply a regular 20-ounce bottle of soda.
• 24:16
  Steph: Man.
• 24:16
  Adam: So I handed it out out to each kid and said, here's your $7.50 soda, here's your seven dollar and fifty cent soda, here's your seven dollar and fifty cent soda, and here's your seven dollar and fifty cent soda.
• 24:26
  Adam: And that was my soda story.
• 24:28
  Steph: There you go.
• 24:30
  Adam: And did you get a soda?
• 24:32
  Steph: Yeah, you bought me a soda.
• 24:33
  Steph: Oh, I bought you a soda.
• 24:34
  Adam: I don't know if I said it as I was handing it to you.
• 24:36
  Steph: I don't know.
• 24:36
  Steph: Thank you.
• 24:36
  Steph: That was kind of you.
• 24:38
  Adam: You had your seven dollar and fifty cent bottle soda as well.
• 24:40
  Adam: And then I think I had like a nine dollar coffee.
• 24:43
  Adam: So I don't think you even knew how much that cost.
• 24:45
  Adam: But yeah, it was like a large latte.
• 24:48
  Adam: So even more than Starbucks pipe prices where you'd pay like six or seven dollars for that.
• 24:53
  Steph: Was it good?
• 24:54
  Adam: It was nine dollars.
• 24:55
  Adam: I mean, it was not like amazing, but it was yeah, it was good.
• 24:58
  Adam: Okay.
• 24:58
  Adam: It wasn't bad.
• 24:59
  Steph: All right.
• 25:00
  Adam: So we got our souvenirs and our drinks, and then waited for our plane, and then again, boarded via jetway, so there's no jet bridge or anything like that.
• 25:14
  Adam: You walk out onto the tarmac and climb the stairs and go on the airplane.
• 25:18
  Steph: And we boarded on the back of the plane.
• 25:19
  Adam: This had that was different.
• 25:21
  Steph: Yeah, this had a staircase in the front and in the back.
• 25:25
  Steph: And we were towards the back, so we gotta board through the back and come up.
• 25:30
  Steph: It was nice.
• 25:31
  Steph: It was made boarding much faster.
• 25:34
  Adam: That's true.
• 25:34
  Adam: And we were sitting in the back section of the plane, so got to go through the back stairwell.
• 25:41
  Steph: There, it was a very uneventful right plane ride.
• 25:45
  Adam: Yeah, I think pretty uneventful plane ride.
• 25:47
  Adam: We went through our stopover and then flew back to the airport that was near our home, but still had whatever, four-hour drive.
• 25:59
  Steph: Four hours, yeah.
• 26:00
  Steph: It was late.
• 26:01
  Steph: We got in at like 11 p.m., right?
• 26:02
  Steph: And then you had to drive home.
• 26:04
  Adam: Yes, and I drove home.
• 26:06
  Adam: I did stop for a coffee midway through.
• 26:09
  Steph: Yeah.
• 26:10
  Adam: So and gas, because we needed gas.
• 26:13
  Adam: So that was much cheaper in the United States than on St.
• 26:16
  Adam: Thomas.
• 26:17
  Steph: Right.
• 26:17
  Steph: And then we went straight to bed when we got home.
• 26:21
  Adam: Yeah, I guess.
• 26:22
  Adam: Did I not do like my normal routine of securing the I guess I didn't.
• 26:27
  Adam: I didn't.
• 26:27
  Adam: Yeah, we always like secure our house in a particular fashion for vacation, and I did not undo all that stuff.
• 26:34
  Adam: I did just go to bed.
• 26:35
  Adam: But it was also the holiday the next day, so it wasn't like I had to be at work.
• 26:41
  Adam: We had one rest day in between so that we could do all our unpacking and back to normal life before truly returning back to normal life with school and work and all of our responsibilities.
• 26:55
  Steph: Yeah, because we landed, we pulled in the driveway, what like 3 a.m., 3 30 a.m.
• 27:01
  Adam: Yes, that sounds about right.
• 27:02
  Steph: So then you basically just went to bed and then had a late morning and then got ready because the next day you had work and the kids had school.
• 27:11
  Adam: Indeed.
• 27:12
  Steph: Life started back up.
• 27:15
  Adam: So that is our St.
• 27:16
  Adam: Thomas.
• 27:17
  Adam: I guess we are done with it.
• 27:19
  Adam: Took five parts, but well, we were gonna talk about takeaways.
• 27:22
  Adam: Takeaways, yeah.
• 27:23
  Adam: We have a few minutes to talk about takeaways.
• 27:26
  Adam: So what takeaway do you have from your trip to St.
• 27:30
  Adam: Thomas?
• 27:31
  Steph: Well, the first ones practical are like we said earlier in this episode, bring birth certificates for the kids.
• 27:38
  Steph: And we just carried them in a plastic bag and hit them well so that they'd stay safe.
• 27:46
  Steph: I'm sure there's better ways to secure them.
• 27:48
  Steph: And then the other big practical one is budgeting for deposits.
• 27:55
  Steph: Because everywhere we went, renting the car, renting the golf cart, renting all those things, the houses, the deposits were much bigger.
• 28:03
  Steph: We got them all back eventually.
• 28:07
  Steph: But it was if you're on a really tight budget, that's gonna make it difficult.
• 28:14
  Adam: That's true.
• 28:15
  Adam: Yeah, those are very practical takeaways.
• 28:17
  Adam: My takeaways, I guess, and maybe I didn't think of practical takeaways, or more personal takeaways, is that our family and me specifically enjoy the beach.
• 28:27
  Adam: Or I guess beach vacation people.
• 28:30
  Adam: I like vacationing other places, but I'll always go to the beach.
• 28:34
  Adam: And it was true.
• 28:37
  Adam: Like I think we all had our particular likes and dislikes of certain beaches and certain experiences, but as a general overall theme, we all enjoyed the beach.
• 28:46
  Steph: Yeah, I agree.
• 28:47
  Steph: We all do, and um it's a nice mixture of just slow and something to do.
• 28:57
  Adam: Indeed.
• 28:57
  Adam: And then my other personal takeaway, and maybe this would be more of an expanded topic for next time, is for whatever reason, me personally and you by default that we'll work together on planning, is we stay in a lot of different places.
• 29:12
  Steph: Yeah.
• 29:13
  Adam: Like for a lot of occasions, this one included, we stay at multiple stops.
• 29:20
  Steph: Yeah, you definitely have always enjoyed that.
• 29:23
  Steph: I don't mind it.
• 29:24
  Steph: And I like it most of the time.
• 29:27
  Steph: I like it especially because it saves money and we get to see more things.
• 29:33
  Steph: Because I don't like spending my whole vacation driving to places.
• 29:38
  Steph: I want to be close to wherever we're doing stuff.
• 29:41
  Adam: That's true.
• 29:41
  Adam: I don't know if that's why it is or if there's some like deep intrinsic childhood experience that has like embedded in my mind that I have to stay in as many places when I travel.
• 29:53
  Adam: Not sure.
• 29:55
  Adam: I mean it works out.
• 29:56
  Adam: I also enjoy the practicality of it that you are seeing different things, you have more options that you can go to different places.
• 30:03
  Adam: So, like, even if you're at one end of the island and say at the other end of the island on the same island on St.
• 30:09
  Adam: Thomas Maine, that you could do some things at the west end and then do some things at the east end and have less travel in between.
• 30:18
  Steph: But growing up, you didn't you would stay in one spot, right?
• 30:23
  Adam: I did.
• 30:23
  Adam: Maybe I didn't like that.
• 30:24
  Adam: Maybe I'm this is my like adulthood rejection of staying in one spot.
• 30:29
  Steph: Oh, okay.
• 30:30
  Adam: For vacation.
• 30:30
  Adam: I don't know.
• 30:31
  Adam: Uh perhaps we'll have to reflect on this.
• 30:33
  Adam: Or you are a listener can let us know what your opinion is on my deep psychological desire to stay in multiple places while I vacation.
• 30:43
  Steph: Because I wonder, I bet it's something about if we only stay two nights somewhere or whatnot, I can't unpack and get cozy and make the home.
• 30:53
  Steph: Because you don't like when we like rearrange stuff in the homes or things like that, because you want to leave it pristine.
• 31:00
  Adam: Maybe I'll have to reflect on that because I feel like I've done this all of my adult life.
• 31:05
  Adam: Before you, before kids, before anything.
• 31:10
  Adam: So when I had the autonomy to do that myself, I feel like this is my default.
• 31:17
  Adam: Okay.
• 31:17
  Adam: Interesting.
• 31:18
  Adam: So, from your friends at I Hate Talking, until next time, remember it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.