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Memories of Switzerland from a Goway Account Manager · GowayPro Travel Tales

• 0:01
  Memories of Switzerland from a GoAE account manager.
• 0:04
  The Swiss Alps don't just dominate the landscape, they define it.
• 0:09
  Yet for all its natural splendour, Switzerland is not wild.
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  It is refined and the trains to ride the glacial express to trace a line through wonder.
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  The cuisine, like everything else in Switzerland, balances indulgence with intention.
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  Cauldrons of fondue best shared with laughter and crusty bread.
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  Switzerland doesn't shout.
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  It whispered, the song of a place that has nothing to prove and everything to share.
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  Come and listen to the whispers of squidswords.
• 0:38
  Hey there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goay and welcome to the GoayPro Travel Tale Podcast.
• 0:51
  Travel far and travel often.
• 0:55
  Hello everyone and welcome to the GoayPro Travel Tales Podcast.
• 0:59
  you heard by that very elegant waxing lyrical introduction we are here to talk about Switzerland uh and I'm not talking to someone from Switzerland but I'm talking about
• 1:08
  talking to someone who loves Switzerland to death and who's just returned from Switzerland and that someone is Jason Stratford.
• 1:16
  Jason is one of our account managers based in Vancouver correct Jason?
• 1:22
  Bring the mic in closer to yourself please.
• 1:24
  Kiss the mic baby kiss the mic.
• 1:26
  yeah.
• 1:26
  Oh yeah okay.
• 1:28
  Jason as you'll also hear the season from Switzerland you'll pick up an accent, but it's an Aussie accent from the city of churches Adelaide if I'm not mistaken, okay?
• 1:37
  So Jason is very proud Aussie and before working with Goa you work with is it a APT I kick it in for some reading a AT Kings.
• 1:46
  Nope Opposition yeah, but thanks big foo part there so APT Kings and has been with us for how long we with go a down fair while haven't you?
• 1:56
  Three and half years.
• 1:57
  and half, wow.
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  And you worked not for GOA, but with GOA as when you were with APT because we were asked or a partner in crime.
• 2:06
  Yeah, GoWay sold the most APT product out of anyone really.
• 2:11
  Yes, 100%.
• 2:12
  Yeah.
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  And AAT Kings, by the way.
• 2:14
  Yeah, shoot me a Because you're now friends with them.
• 2:17
  That's right.
• 2:18
  away, who's friends with everyone?
• 2:19
  That's right.
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  those two.
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  But again, that's all Australia.
• 2:22
  We're here to talk about Switzerland.
• 2:25
  Now I've been to Europe.
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  never, no, I have been to Switzerland a very long time ago.
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  So I can claim it as a country visited.
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  I know nothing about it.
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  And we're here to learn about it.
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  So it's one of your favorite countries.
• 2:38
  Yeah, absolutely.
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  Love Switzerland.
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  Sorry, just had a bit of a coughing fit.
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  You've just returned recently and I think we spoke probably a year ago, a year and a half ago where you went again and came back and we're very impressed.
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  So let's start with some bare basics for those who may not know.
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  Switzerland is obviously Europe, but where in Europe is it located?
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  What surrounds it?
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  Who surrounds it?
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  What are we better?
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  Yeah, I mean, it's surrounded by France, Germany and Italy.
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  So it's right there in the middle.
• 3:09
  um Fantastic location because yeah, all the borders have these other amazing destinations, countries.
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  Is Switzerland part of the EU setup?
• 3:20
  Yes.
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  It does.
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  Okay.
• 3:22
  I just, yes.
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  I'm going to hit you with some newbie questions because again, some of them are newbie to me, but also our agents out there may not know.
• 3:31
  And because there are certain exceptions or I guess it's really pretty much all Western Europe is EU, including the Scandinavian country.
• 3:38
  And or Schengen is right.
• 3:41
  Shenzhen Shenzhen
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  which means once you enter one of the Shenzhen countries, you're in Europe proper, or you get all those countries that are part of it, which is, generally speaking, Western Europe,
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  correct?
• 3:55
  Yes.
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  Okay, right.
• 3:56
  um So how do you get to Switzerland?
• 4:00
  If you're flying into Europe for the first time, you're not in Europe, because obviously the answer to that would be, predominantly rail would be the way into Switzerland.
• 4:08
  But coming from North America, how do you get to Switzerland?
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  Are there direct flights?
• 4:11
  Yeah, there are sort of.
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  Yes, there are.
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  There definitely are.
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  There definitely are into either Geneva or Zurich.
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  They're the main two, really.
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  Zurich has the most.
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  um Or you can come in via another place as well.
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  So you could do a direct flight to say somewhere like Frankfurt, which is what I did.
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  So based in Vancouver, I did Vancouver, Frankfurt, and I connected Frankfurt.
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  It is pretty long.
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  It was nine.
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  It was nine hours.
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  Nine a half hours.
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  So it was pretty good.
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  And you know, I
• 4:40
  used points and was upgraded to business class on Lufthansa, the very top actually.
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  One of the 747s, they still have those right up the top in business class.
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  Yeah, it was good.
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  It was great.
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  Great flight.
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  But then connecting to Geneva straight after that is what we did.
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  But there's so many ways you can come into Switzerland.
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  Would it be worth?
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  Okay, so based on what you just said there, you can obviously fly into Switzerland to spend all your time in Switzerland, which is what you did on your recent trip.
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  You were focused on Switzerland or you did some other?
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  For the most part, that was the focus.
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  It was to come in to Switzerland first and then to come out of London, because I always like to include London at one end and have friends there and I love London.
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  Well that was my question.
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  So basically with any European country really but obviously today's subject matter Switzerland you could fly into Frankfurt and or London or and or anywhere spend some time
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  there pre or post Switzerland and then totally well you could fly in directly but really train would be at least from continental Europe trains the way to get in.
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  train it definitely is.
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  mean, I could have trained it from Frankfurt, I could have trained it from Munich.
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  um There's there's tons of points where you can fly into Germany and Paris.
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  So we went to Paris actually after Switzerland anyway, and then over to London.
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  So via Strasbourg to Paris, but that's another story we're talking about Switzerland.
• 5:58
  Okay, so on that note then, because again, we've just pointed out very obviously that, know, Switzerland's a great combination with any other European country.
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  If you were to focus wholly and solely on Switzerland though, how long should you dedicate to a comprehensive, okay, let me answer this two ways.
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  How long should you dedicate to a good first taste overall experience?
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  And then how long should you dedicate for a comprehensive experience in Switzerland?
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  Wow.
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  um A week would be minimum to just have your first taste of it in my opinion, because that would include city stays plus mountain excursions, lakes, because that's the thing about
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  Switzerland.
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  has so much in this.
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  And it's kind of a small area, but there's so much to do and so many different parts of it.
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  uh So I'd say a week, but maybe three weeks, four weeks for to see everything.
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  weeks.
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  Definitely.
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  You just said it's a small country.
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  It is.
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  Geographically compared to its neighbors.
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  I mean, I've been, this is actually the third time now I've gone in, I think four years and each time it's somewhere different.
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  And each time I think, oh, wow, now next time, now I'm already thinking about next time.
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  So I haven't done Interlaken and I haven't done the Jungfrajok, which is the largest mountain in the area, but I've done all the other, there's so many exclusions, there's so
• 7:13
  many things to do.
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  That's surprising.
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  Well, I shouldn't say it's surprising because really any country you should spend extended periods of time.
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  But again, most people, like again, if you don't know continental Europe in detail, like you do, you obviously, look at a map in Switzerland, as we just said, is small,
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  comparatively speaking.
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  So you think you could knock it off in a shorter period of time than three or four weeks.
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  You're obviously proving that.
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  And some people could try, mean, Zomat for one, for one example is right on the other side of Switzerland on the East side.
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  Um, Zomat, wouldn't want to go for one night because you want to see the Matterhorn, you know, the one that's on the Toblerone chocolate, right?
• 7:51
  So if you're going there for that purpose, what if the weather's not great and you go there for one night?
• 7:56
  Yep.
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  And I had that happen.
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  And so some people that, that I went and met there actually didn't get to see the Matterhorn, which was the whole reason they went there in the first place.
• 8:06
  because they didn't spend long enough and you know weather happens it's a mountainous region it changes all the time
• 8:13
  So Jason's got maps here which for those listening you obviously won't see me staring at but I'm looking at it now and that leads to my question.
• 8:19
  You just you said the magic word which is my question.
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  It's a mountainous country.
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  Swiss Alps obviously a world famous so therefore any mountain based activity you allow for mountain weather which is unpredictable even in the best time so it's a good point.
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  So without stating the obvious the times to go this summer and this winter generally speaking for all of Europe but Switzerland
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  world famous for its skiing.
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  obviously winter time, lot of people won't go to Europe in winter because it's too cold to do anything, but obviously Switzerland has the outdoor attitude, lifestyle, as well as the
• 8:53
  skiing.
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  obviously winter is uh as good a time to go if that's your thing.
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  Yeah, that's your thing.
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  alpine stuff,
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  Or even not just even not skiing.
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  If you just like going up gondolas and cogwheel railways and there's so many that they're actually open.
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  Most of them are open 365 days of the year.
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  Okay.
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  Or they're closed for Christmas, that kind of thing.
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  Yeah.
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  Even through the winter.
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  So their winters are not as harsh as a Canada winter is, by the way.
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  So they're really not.
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  mean, I've looked at average weather.
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  listening audiences.
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  Just remember listening audience those in Canada Jason comes from Vancouver.
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  He doesn't talk.
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  He doesn't know Canadian winters.
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  um
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  or anywhere actually east of BC, but because I have lived there as well.
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  lived in Edmonton for a little while, anyway, that doesn't matter.
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  So yeah, you wouldn't be getting those really, really cold temperatures.
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  And I've looked at even maybe moving to one of these towns and looked at their average and that's Engelberg.
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  Living there?
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  Yeah, which we've talked to before, like in the future.
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  Yeah.
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  There's a place like Engelberg, which is...
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  um
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  Mount Titlis, the bottom of Mount Titlis, love that one.
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  We could talk about this for a while, but I don't think we will.
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  But that's an hour and a half from Zurich by train.
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  um It was actually close to Lucerne where I went on this trip as well.
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  And I didn't realize it was as close to Lucerne.
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  So I was even tempted to go there because I was there in Lucerne.
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  I wanted to go there again.
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  But the weather for that is actually a lot more temperate than it is in Canada.
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  So in the middle of winter.
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  So for the average traveler, average globe, try to hang out there.
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  Obviously summer would be the time we would suggest you go, okay?
• 10:27
  uh Is Switzerland in peak season, which is generally summertime, as crazy busy as the rest of Europe is?
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  So if someone comes to one of our destination specialists and says, I'm looking for a country without all the crazy crowds that say Paris and Rome, is Switzerland one you would
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  suggest they consider?
• 10:45
  Definitely better than those other countries, yes, but I still would say that the middle of summer is not a time I would go.
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  I wouldn't go June, July, August personally.
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  that because of weather and or crowds?
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  It's both.
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  or not so much because it doesn't get that hot in Switzerland either, but crowds as well because there are things like you wait for going up on these funicular railways.
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  love to say funicular.
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  uh You wait for that or you wait for the cogwheel railway and sometimes they only go every 30 minutes so you're kind waiting for that or a boat trip connection which is what I did
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  on my last visit there.
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  So you get a boat to where the mountain is and then you come back via a train, that kind of thing.
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  There are timetables and the way it fits.
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  So often you've got to wait.
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  I guess these timetables are very punctual, very Swiss or Italian.
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  much so.
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  And there's about five apps that you need to sort of work out how to do it.
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  This is why you need a go away specialist.
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  Like those that are listening in to tell you this is how you work it.
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  it's what's known as one of the hardest countries to sell and even to visit, would say.
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  Because if you haven't been there, it's a hard one to sell because there's so many bits and pieces.
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  There's so many moving parts with the the railway connect.
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  Like I just said, with the
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  the late, boats to one part of where a gondola will go up.
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  uh And then you come down by a train, which connects to a train back to your starting point.
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  Like there's all these moving parts.
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  It's actually really confusing.
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  So if you've got someone to organize it for you, like the experts at Go Away, know, seriously, you really need that.
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  It's very, it's, it is probably the hardest place that I've traveled to as far as trying to work yourself where to go and coordinate.
• 12:29
  Yeah.
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  So as Jason mentions we do have dedicated destination specialists who obviously focus on Europe and who will for the reasons Jason has mentioned focusing on Switzerland because of
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  all the Swiss watch like moving parts.
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  I loved getting all these little boring puns but very dad joke puns in there.
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  So but again at the end of the day Switzerland is a victim of the European concern summertime.
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  crowds regardless, even though it may not be one of well I would say it's not a tier one destination.
• 13:01
  It's not the big famous parrot or France, Italy, London, but you still have your crowd issues.
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  But from a weather point of view it's probably not as hot as other areas.
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  And as we just discussed, winter would be obviously less crowds, but still a lot to do, particularly if you're alpine based.
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  Definitely would say spring, um spring and fall.
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  Yeah, it is.
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  Yeah.
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  Europe.
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  Yeah.
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  But particularly May is, mean, I went in May ah and it's, it's a great time, especially coming out of winter too.
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  So the, you know, the rivers are flowing and everything is green and so that's, that's, it's pretty.
• 13:35
  Yeah, spring is always pretty I think anyway.
• 13:37
  Well again in Australia spring is we have the season spring but you don't see the changes you that we have become used to here in North America which I find really pretty.
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  I like the short period of fall when the colors are out then it gets really ugly looking.
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  ah But yes so spring anywhere in Europe would be nice because you see that sort of the blooming of flowers and everything else like that.
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  So based on geography and also lifestyle.
• 14:01
  Okay let me just jump back to a comment you made.
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  You considered or
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  it's in the back of your mind, maybe moving to Switzerland one day, from a cost of living point of view, not so much living there, but for the traveler, because Europe has a
• 14:13
  reputation of being more expensive than other choices of destinations around the world, and Switzerland has a reputation of being more expensive than its surrounding neighbors.
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  Is that a fact?
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  Is it true?
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  It is, you're nodding for those.
• 14:24
  Yeah, it is.
• 14:25
  um it's, mean, they're using Swiss francs, which is, is a worse exchange rate than no, no, they're using Swiss francs, but they're using, yeah, Swiss frame.
• 14:38
  you can in some places, if you're using cash, yes, they, will take it from what I noticed, but I didn't use cash.
• 14:43
  use, I use credit.
• 14:44
  Um,
• 14:45
  get charged in Swiss francs if you use your credit card?
• 14:48
  Yeah, so everything's listed as in Swiss francs as well.
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  So that is slightly worse exchange rate.
• 14:53
  So even you know, cross the border to Germany or to France and you're suddenly on the euro and it's better exchange rate.
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  So but having said that there are things that are included.
• 15:03
  So there are things like if you take the Swiss flex pass, there are no yes, the rail pass.
• 15:09
  Well, it's rail and it's also other transport.
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  It's buses, ferries.
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  Yeah.
• 15:15
  Yeah, exactly.
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  So if you do that, they include things like museum passes.
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  Yeah, the flex pass.
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  Swiss pass.
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  Entrances to museums, certain museums of Gawson.
• 15:26
  Yeah, so museums, mountain excursions, so some of the cogwheel things I've been talking about and um those on some of the mountains are included, not all of them, but it tells
• 15:36
  you that right in the past.
• 15:37
  So you can save money by doing that.
• 15:38
  They have those things in place.
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  Plus, the other thing is pretty much every city in Switzerland gives you a tourist card if you check into a hotel, if you've booked a hotel.
• 15:48
  you just have to have a hotel reservation.
• 15:51
  When you get to the hotel, you check in, they give you the card.
• 15:54
  So like in Basel.
• 15:55
  We had one for Basel, we had one for Lucerne.
• 15:57
  All right, it's for the region of the.
• 16:00
  transport is all included.
• 16:02
  people don't realise that.
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  So they think, yeah, it's really expensive.
• 16:05
  to you?
• 16:05
  Yeah, it's free because it's part of the hotel.
• 16:09
  As long as you have a hotel booking.
• 16:10
  that's pretty standard across Switzerland.
• 16:12
  Switzerland's really good at doing those kind of things for tourists.
• 16:15
  So it's a great place for tourists because they include those things.
• 16:19
  Okay, so without shooting our services in the foot, which we like to recommend private guided services, which I still believe is the best way to see and experience things, but
• 16:27
  based on what you're telling us, ah you could forego that and just use the included passes or with your FlexPass.
• 16:36
  uh So I guess that leads to my question.
• 16:39
  Obviously it sounds like Switzerland can be a very independent traveler environment, so you can do a lot on your own.
• 16:48
  It can, but then on the other side of that, you have to be that kind of person as well, where you're okay to explore on your own, use different apps to find out when the train is
• 16:56
  departing, do you need a reservation, when the ferry connects with it.
• 17:00
  So honestly, I'd say most of our clients, wouldn't want to be doing that.
• 17:04
  They come to us for that reason.
• 17:05
  So to clarify my previous statement, you can still travel independently but your advice is as being there is have GoA who knows all the ins and outs of when to be here, when to be
• 17:15
  there.
• 17:15
  Had them had that pre-booked or pre-arranged for you, so you get the independent travel environment but you don't get all the stress of having to work it out with the five, six
• 17:25
  apps when you're there or yourself pre-booked.
• 17:28
  You're going to get the local transport card anyway, just by having a hotel booked through Go Way.
• 17:33
  So you're going to get that anyway at reception.
• 17:35
  if you just decide to go outside and get on the local tram, you can do it.
• 17:38
  um Those are the kind of things that are included.
• 17:41
  And like I said, only some of the mountain excursions are included.
• 17:43
  So you still need to have them arranged as well.
• 17:46
  The Gornigrad railway, for example, in Zomat, I heard about that through Go Way.
• 17:52
  That was a way that I could see the Matterhorn from a different angle that
• 17:56
  other people I ran into and Zomat didn't know about it because they didn't go through Go Away.
• 18:01
  that has to be booked separately.
• 18:02
  have to, I mean, you could do it when you're there, but how do know about it?
• 18:07
  And I'm so glad I did because I had the view I wanted of Zomat.
• 18:11
  I got a view of it.
• 18:12
  So that's from an expert telling you this is what you should do to get the best out of your trip.
• 18:17
  Yeah, and the average client that we deal with, that you out there deal with, are coming to you because they don't really want to be the 20 year old who wants to do it
• 18:27
  independently and save as much money as you can, which of course, there's nothing wrong with that, don't get us wrong in that respect.
• 18:32
  But really, the clients are coming to you and in turn to us because they want all, if not 80 % of it done, so they don't have to go through the stress of waking up in the morning,
• 18:41
  know, damn, we've got to book this, we've got to get that, and if it's full,
• 18:45
  our itineraries out the window by day, whatever.
• 18:48
  Plus the cost that you were talking about before as well.
• 18:50
  mean things like having a breakfast included in the hotel booking, which Go Away could make sure that they do, right?
• 18:57
  The breakfasts are so good in Europe.
• 18:59
  They're so full.
• 18:59
  They're so big.
• 19:00
  They're not like the little dodgy breakfast you get in some of the hotels in North America.
• 19:04
  Sorry, you you get the same scrambled eggs and it's a buffet and it's gross.
• 19:08
  ah Talking from experience, this is actual sit down breakfast.
• 19:13
  That can be your main meal for the most of the day if you want.
• 19:16
  So you're not having to
• 19:17
  stress about, I'm going to have to spend money on something local, which is expensive, save that money for the dinner and having a fondue.
• 19:26
  Right.
• 19:26
  So go back to my original question though, you sort of did concede though that Switzerland is probably more expensive than the other European country.
• 19:32
  I mean it idiot when it's just purely on the exchange rate But the fact that so much is included that they do that others don't do that right as well as Switzerland does So I'm a
• 19:42
  huge supporter of Switzerland as you can tell
• 19:44
  Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 19:45
  Yeah.
• 19:45
  Okay.
• 19:45
  So again, looking at another map here, and this is a rail focused.
• 19:50
  We discussed getting into the country is well, fly or rail.
• 19:53
  Um, but rail is probably the cheapest.
• 19:55
  And I saw actually something the other day on Reddit, which I love.
• 19:59
  It was a comparison of getting around Europe, certain cities like Switzerland was part of it.
• 20:06
  It was more of a focus on Italy.
• 20:08
  And I'd say eight times out of 10, the train was cheaper and faster than flying around.
• 20:13
  Okay.
• 20:13
  Totally, totally.
• 20:14
  So there's that.
• 20:15
  if you're looking at budget and the trains can be as nice as you want them to be as in reserved burst, sleeper burst, if it's a more extended trip.
• 20:22
  Yeah, and then there's first class and then there's economy too.
• 20:25
  I would always suggest someone look at first class anyway, because you've got more room for your luggage quite often and yeah, there's less people around, especially in the
• 20:35
  summer as well.
• 20:37
  Okay.
• 20:37
  yeah, a bit of advice.
• 20:39
  got my first girlfriend, I were traveling through Europe.
• 20:42
  This is forever ago.
• 20:43
  And we got, I can't remember where the train ride was.
• 20:45
  It was an overnighter.
• 20:46
  We got a sleeping, somehow claimed a cabin to ourselves.
• 20:51
  And that was a silly move because we were sound asleep and someone came and stole our stuff.
• 20:56
  Heavens.
• 20:57
  Right.
• 20:57
  Because not if you're with people, it's a bit less of an entice enticement to people sound asleep.
• 21:01
  So just be conscious of that.
• 21:03
  And that was also like 40, 50 years, 40 years ago.
• 21:05
  Yeah.
• 21:05
  40 years ago.
• 21:06
  and we're very green travelers at the time, so I know any tips and tricks.
• 21:11
  So I would assume you're first class.
• 21:12
  So on that note, security, because honestly, as an overland guide, I've traveled all the horrible countries, so to speak, and I do that inverted commas for those who aren't
• 21:21
  watching.
• 21:22
  Iran, Pakistan, which I know are going through issues now, but they were safe, I felt welcomed.
• 21:26
  Only time I got ripped off in my five and a half years as a tour guide traveling was when we'd leave from London heading to the Middle East or India, Pakistan.
• 21:36
  where I got ripped off?
• 21:38
  Europe.
• 21:39
  That's where I got ripped off.
• 21:41
  what's the safety like around Switzerland in general?
• 21:43
  Like being on a train, walking the streets, I would guess from its reputation, it's a very, very safe country.
• 21:48
  Yeah, very, very much so.
• 21:50
  mean, it's definitely a lot different than say Paris.
• 21:52
  ah Not a huge fan of Paris, I shouldn't say that.
• 21:56
  I mean, it's pretty, but whatever.
• 21:57
  um Switzerland's a funny one though, because it has its French areas, its German areas, and its Italian areas.
• 22:05
  So you do get a different feel.
• 22:08
  I felt different about arriving into Geneva and then going to Lausanne, which is very hard to pronounce by the way.
• 22:17
  So I went to Lausanne was where I started off this trip.
• 22:19
  L-A-U-S-A-N-N-E I think it's spelled.
• 22:23
  Lausanne.
• 22:24
  Lausa uh
• 22:28
  so hard because Lucerne is the one we went to after that.
• 22:31
  So you've got, which is L-U-C-E-R-N-E.
• 22:34
  So I had to just get used to that.
• 22:35
  But anyway, it's the French part.
• 22:37
  And I'm terrible with French, even though I live in Canada.
• 22:39
  um So the French part had a different feel for me.
• 22:42
  So Lausanne, while I liked it, I did feel a little bit of an element of maybe not quite as safe as I've felt in Switzerland before.
• 22:52
  I actually did feel that.
• 22:53
  The type of people, how friendly they were.
• 22:57
  It was just slightly off, slightly.
• 23:00
  Montreux was the same.
• 23:01
  So we did a boat trip.
• 23:03
  It's right close to Montreux, which is famous because of Chillon Castle, which is the most visited castle in all of Switzerland, by the way.
• 23:11
  um Beautiful and medieval place, like fantastic place.
• 23:15
  And then we walked back along to Montreux and Montreux as well was, was pretty.
• 23:18
  It's nice.
• 23:19
  It's right on Lake Geneva, but I don't know.
• 23:21
  There's just something about the feeling of the air.
• 23:23
  I still really loved it.
• 23:25
  but to answer your question about safety, still wasn't concerned about it, but it was probably the most concern I had out of all the switch and all the trips I've been was
• 23:33
  probably there, you know, I could be unfair.
• 23:35
  I could be my bias against French things.
• 23:39
  The German side opposite for me.
• 23:41
  loved it.
• 23:42
  don't know.
• 23:42
  Lussoen became is German, Basel, Engelberg, all of those areas.
• 23:49
  who don't know Swiss geography and I'm saying this now with authority because I got a map in front of me but to Jason's point the French, German, Italian influences of the country
• 23:58
  so Switzerland borders France on to the northeast southish Italy to the south and Germany to the north sorry northwest France sorry northeast is Germany Austria to the true
• 24:11
  northeast you got Liechtenstein as well and then to the south is Italy so that's obviously
• 24:17
  the makeup you were talking about, the differences in vibe and feel to it all.
• 24:21
  So again, looking at your map that you've given me here, the rail map, the obvious recommendation to get around Switzerland, it in your one week or your three weeks, would
• 24:30
  be rail for the most part with some river, lake, not river, lake ferries cruising and bus here and there.
• 24:38
  Is that fair?
• 24:39
  You know what self-drive is not too bad either.
• 24:42
  be honest, their road system is amazing and some of the roads are just stunning.
• 24:46
  So self-drive would be something that I would look at in the future, but to be honest, then you don't have to worry about parking.
• 24:54
  Rail is the best, because the rail stations are everywhere in the middle of the towns and the cities and it's easy to get to them.
• 25:01
  So no, I'd still say rail.
• 25:04
  Yeah, and that's one of the things I dealt with Latin forever in a day and I went when we opened up our Scandinavian product I went over there to do some sort of research and of
• 25:12
  course at Europe and I just got so Latin focused when I get off in my first land.
• 25:18
  It was Oslo.
• 25:20
  Took the train connector in which was amazing Wi-Fi, neat, on time, beautiful.
• 25:24
  Got to the main railway station and it was just weird in that everything was Europe as in everything was organized, neat, ordered.
• 25:31
  crazy Europe, like people everywhere, but you know, could walk to your, all the hotels are generally in and around your train stations and stuff like that.
• 25:39
  it's going back to self-directed and getting around on your own using public transport.
• 25:44
  It's very, very, very easy.
• 25:45
  um So getting around Switzerland by train, obviously, but there are also some famous rail journeys within Switzerland, correct?
• 25:54
  Can you name us, name or let us know, it's probably a way of putting it, let's say the top three.
• 26:01
  and how long you take to do each one and what's so beautiful about them.
• 26:04
  Yeah, I mean, this, uh, you put me on the spot with that one.
• 26:07
  Um, there's the Berliner express.
• 26:09
  There's the, um, there's one that starts with a G and I forgot the name.
• 26:14
  Well, the glacier express, was going to mention anyway, cause that's the one I did.
• 26:16
  So I haven't, I haven't done any of them except glacier.
• 26:20
  And that, and that, um, w which was great.
• 26:23
  Um, yeah, they're, they're just, they're a little bit more deluxe.
• 26:27
  It's like a first-class train, more deluxe got history behind it.
• 26:31
  Um,
• 26:32
  Are these like a day two that you loop or are actually like a connecting between A and B?
• 26:38
  uh Or a bit of both?
• 26:39
  uh
• 26:39
  It could be a bit of both really, but most people would do it in one direction.
• 26:43
  It's like taking a train.
• 26:44
  Yeah.
• 26:45
  So the glacier express, funny enough, we could have, you could actually, if you don't get a reservation on glacier express, some of them are hard to get reservations.
• 26:52
  It's good to book early when you can, an actual seat reservation, then you can just get the regular train that's does the same.
• 27:00
  So you see the same things and you're just on a regular train.
• 27:03
  So it's not the end of the world.
• 27:04
  If you, if you think, Oh, I can't get a reservation with glacier express.
• 27:07
  um They're just in pretty areas and they've created these really nice looking trains.
• 27:11
  um So yeah, it's just, and they include meals and things like that, that kind of thing.
• 27:17
  So again, it's not like there's a famous one, I'm gonna test my memory here, I've forgotten its name already, out of Bergen in Norway.
• 27:25
  um
• 27:27
  Yes, I know the one you mean too.
• 27:29
  I what it's saying, but that's really, it's a train ride, like you can use it to connect between things, but it's really for the tourists, they go out of Bergen, I can't remember
• 27:38
  the name, it's killing me too.
• 27:39
  You do the train ride and you return to Bergen, that's just a day trip there.
• 27:42
  So you're saying that the trains in Switzerland for the most part, it's just, it's part of the train line, an A to B, to C to D, but if you buy the right class of ticket, as you
• 27:52
  say, you get reserved seating, your meals, and some history like probably.
• 27:57
  like guided narration as you're going through.
• 28:01
  Yeah, a little bit of that.
• 28:02
  mean, Glacier Express didn't have much of that.
• 28:04
  was a bit surprised to be honest.
• 28:08
  It's uh just a pretty train.
• 28:11
  listen, was cloudy, it rained the whole time.
• 28:13
  So I didn't really see much.
• 28:15
  I could imagine it would be great.
• 28:22
  Those are even included on the Swiss passes by the way So the Glacier Express is included as the train journey, but you have to buy your reservation separately.
• 28:30
  Gotcha.
• 28:30
  So that's what's not included Yeah, yeah, yeah exactly Yeah, you can use it but you're not assured of using it unless you buy a reservation separately Okay, yeah, which we would
• 28:41
  tell uh you know how that works if they want to do it But all I'm saying is a lot of people just think I have to go to Switzerland.
• 28:48
  I have to do the the Glacier Express
• 28:50
  Um, or the, the Bernie number express the, the gottard and all of those.
• 28:55
  but really, yes, they're fantastic.
• 28:56
  But if you don't get on them, it's not the end of the world.
• 28:58
  Just get a regular train.
• 29:00
  It still does the same area.
• 29:02
  Right.
• 29:02
  So yeah, it's, it's just, there's so many options.
• 29:06
  Again, if you come through Go Away, work with our destination specialist, and you book far enough ahead, which is always key, we can get those confirmed.
• 29:13
  Let's use our terminology here.
• 29:14
  Get that confirmed upgrade on the rail journey of your choice with your reverse reserved seating in the mills that goes with this.
• 29:23
  So on the FlexiPass and the ones you get at the hotel, they...
• 29:28
  given to you when you make your hotel reservations through GoWave, course.
• 29:31
  But the FlexiPass rail thing, it like, again, I haven't been here for a long time, it was like the Eurorail, where you get different levels of Eurorail, like this would give you
• 29:39
  two countries or six journeys, whatever it was.
• 29:42
  Is the FlexiPass structured the similar way?
• 29:45
  There are different levels of it?
• 29:46
  ah
• 29:46
  Uh, yes.
• 29:47
  And there's a, there's either a continuation one, like they do with, um, the URL ones around Europe.
• 29:54
  So continuation, as in you're to buy five days and you're to go every day.
• 29:58
  You're going to it every day.
• 29:59
  Or you do the flex.
• 30:00
  This is why I mentioned flex is because I did the flex because I wanted it on the third day and the sixth day.
• 30:05
  And, know, that's when I would, I would actually start, I would actually lock it in that that was the day I was using.
• 30:11
  even that is really hard.
• 30:13
  So I'm not saying this is for everybody.
• 30:14
  So we can book.
• 30:16
  you know, the actual point to point rail.
• 30:18
  Cause if you miss out, so really quick, funny story on the way in this is on the way up to Pilatus, um, the mountain in Lucerne.
• 30:26
  probably don't say it that way Pilatus, but I like to say it.
• 30:29
  don't know.
• 30:31
  So you're supposed to get, uh, the accrues to the first part where the cog wheel railway is.
• 30:37
  it's, so we missed the, the ferry.
• 30:43
  part of it, but there's a backup.
• 30:44
  can do the train instead.
• 30:46
  But the train, we hadn't factored that in to nominate that as a day that we were using.
• 30:52
  So we got on the train, realized, we don't have this included.
• 30:56
  So instead, I just used an app and I bought a ticket.
• 31:00
  The train had started like a minute in.
• 31:03
  The conductor came around and said, I can see that you started this once it began.
• 31:07
  It's a 200 euro fine.
• 31:09
  And that was euro, which was interesting.
• 31:11
  Yeah, what was the Swiss Frank?
• 31:12
  No, it Swiss Franks actually said 200 Swiss Franks, which is 400 Canadian or something Wow, so I'm like, are you kidding me?
• 31:18
  I'm so I'm so sorry.
• 31:19
  We were supposed to get the ferry and look I gave this big story I got away with it.
• 31:23
  Mm-hmm.
• 31:23
  So that was good.
• 31:24
  But the point is is like you just yeah, you got to be careful with this stuff
• 31:27
  So again, as a general statement, two rules and regulations will be followed very strictly in Switzerland, be it a train thing or littering or whatever it may be.
• 31:36
  it's I mean, it's so but in a way, though, it's that's great, too, because it's so open as well.
• 31:41
  Sometimes you won't even have a conductor checking, but you just don't know that one time you got a conductor, which is what happened to me.
• 31:47
  I'll be honest.
• 31:48
  I saw the conductor coming, thought, and it was only a 20 minute train journey to get where the start of the mountain is.
• 31:54
  And I thought, maybe I can get away with not doing it.
• 31:56
  And I saw the conductors on my quick.
• 31:59
  They came up.
• 32:00
  Yeah.
• 32:00
  But they knew they could see it said the time.
• 32:03
  you do need to be careful of that.
• 32:04
  So play by the rules.
• 32:07
  But it is very easy.
• 32:08
  They the way that you can get on a train and move around and things like
• 32:11
  Okay, so it sounds like getting around Switzerland, the infrastructure is there to do it almost in any combination you want, but by that nature, it's complicated to piece it
• 32:24
  together.
• 32:25
  Yeah.
• 32:25
  As you're saying, therefore speak to the Go Way Destination Specialist.
• 32:29
  And it sounds like also you either need to know you're going to be flexible yourself or you, if you lock it in, you need to lock it in and like, if you get the train booked, flex
• 32:40
  pass.
• 32:41
  every third day, you need to travel every third day because if you don't then you either have to buy upgraded tickets or extra tickets, In general terms.
• 32:50
  You could do two days in a row, but that could be two of your six days and then have a gap of two more days or three days.
• 32:55
  But again, you need to know your itinerary, unless you just want to go totally as is.
• 33:00
  But again, then you need to know when this boat leaves to hit with this cog rail.
• 33:06
  kind of on your own really with that stuff and it's a lot to plan.
• 33:09
  It's a lot and I travel all the time so I would love it if someone actually did that for me and said this is train you're getting on, this is what time it leaves, blah blah blah,
• 33:17
  which is what we would do for people.
• 33:19
  So, because yeah, Swiss cylinders can be really confusing.
• 33:23
  There's cable cars everywhere too, so it's cable cars as well.
• 33:27
  And in fact to get to certain parts, you can only go by cable car.
• 33:31
  um There was...
• 33:32
  Cable car before there was anything else to switch on.
• 33:34
  That's how all the farmers used to get around.
• 33:39
  150 years I think it's been in existence.
• 33:41
  It's obviously only way getting around.
• 33:42
  Okay then, so let's get back to some nuts and bolts for destination specialists out there.
• 33:47
  What are the big highlights?
• 33:49
  If someone's going to Switzerland, why is our travel partner recommending Switzerland or what is known in Switzerland to see?
• 33:56
  You mentioned the Matterhorn, you mentioned Lucerne, Lake Geneva, sort of have cash calls of their own.
• 34:01
  The skiing of course goes its own fame.
• 34:04
  But what are the highlights that you would pitch to someone to go and see Switzerland?
• 34:08
  Is it culture, is it wildlife, is it nature, is it adventure?
• 34:13
  Is it climbing the Matterhorn?
• 34:15
  Is it just singing?
• 34:15
  Is it singing?
• 34:16
  Yeah, so much.
• 34:17
  Sound and music from the top of a...
• 34:19
  Well, that's actually awesome.
• 34:22
  It's on the border.
• 34:23
  It's on the border.
• 34:23
  Yeah, it's fine.
• 34:24
  Actually, it's funny you said that because I was just talking to Bruce, owner of the company, just a minute ago, because I'm here in Toronto visiting and I told him about
• 34:33
  Switzerland.
• 34:33
  He said, did you do any yodeling?
• 34:35
  And I said, I think that's Austria.
• 34:36
  I'm pretty sure.
• 34:37
  I said, we could probably use that in Switzerland too.
• 34:39
  And he laughed and it's funny that you just mentioned it and he did as well.
• 34:44
  But yeah, I yodeled at some, even though it wasn't Austria, the cows in Switzerland are the happiest cows in the world.
• 34:53
  They're known to be that.
• 34:54
  Apparently that's what they say in Switzerland, our cows are the happiest.
• 34:58
  And you hear those.
• 34:59
  So for me, yeah, the biggest thing for me is I actually, that is part of it, to be honest, the cows, sounds ridiculous, but hiking, I love hiking and you can do it at different
• 35:08
  levels too.
• 35:09
  So there's another, as an example, Rigi is one of the other mountains right in Lucerne.
• 35:14
  So there's actually three.
• 35:16
  um This is what I mean about spending the time.
• 35:20
  It took all day to do Pilatus.
• 35:22
  And then Rigi was the next day.
• 35:24
  That's already three nights to have two full days.
• 35:26
  Then I still haven't seen much of Lucerne itself.
• 35:29
  So, I mean, you could have a week in Lucerne alone.
• 35:31
  This is just one part of Switzerland.
• 35:33
  So Rigi um was, we would get the, railway up right to the top and then the hike down one station.
• 35:43
  We made that decision when we got there because we thought we can do this hike.
• 35:46
  We could do this.
• 35:47
  Doesn't seem too hard because we went past it in the train.
• 35:50
  hike down a station and then catch the cable cars down.
• 35:53
  Those kind of things I love about Switzerland.
• 35:56
  You can make these decisions based on, I'm gonna get off here, I'm gonna hike this bit.
• 36:00
  I'm gonna look at some cows here.
• 36:02
  Or I'm just gonna do the cable car because I'm tired.
• 36:04
  Like you have options.
• 36:05
  That's why it's so amazing.
• 36:08
  And then lakes and it's just green and it's friendly and the food's good and I like sausages, I like the fondue.
• 36:17
  The beer's good.
• 36:18
  So I guess because you mentioned before the French, Italian, German influences, you've got that from a culinary and a cultural aspect as well, depending which part of Switzerland
• 36:27
  you're seeing a bit of Germany, a of France, a of Italy.
• 36:30
  Yeah, well, mean, we had crepes in Luzon and Montreux.
• 36:34
  Like we saw quite a bit of that, like the French sort of style crepes and things.
• 36:37
  And then you're in Basel or Lucerne and you've got, you've got yourself a good wiener.
• 36:42
  Sorry, no sausages.
• 36:44
  uh Bratwurst and so on.
• 36:47
  So it's great.
• 36:48
  um Plus the fact that um Switzerland, I have to mention this, the main reason for going two years in a row was because of the Eurovision Song Contest.
• 36:56
  Last year I was in Sweden.
• 36:57
  I had to mention this.
• 36:58
  So I was in Malmo, Sweden, went to see it for the first time ever.
• 37:02
  Switzerland was my favorite song.
• 37:03
  I'm not just saying that it was, it won last year.
• 37:06
  So we decided whoever won, we will go to that country.
• 37:09
  It happened to be Switzerland.
• 37:11
  So this year was Austria.
• 37:15
  It's up in the air at the moment.
• 37:17
  I'm not sure because I've been to the places where it's probably going to be in Austria.
• 37:21
  Although this was Basel.
• 37:23
  So Basel was the winning city in Switzerland.
• 37:26
  So we'd been to Basel, but
• 37:28
  I just wanted to go on my sister came over from Australia.
• 37:30
  doesn't matter.
• 37:31
  But the point of it was, you know, Basel as well, Basel has these trams and everything else and the whole vibe of the place in Switzerland compared to, sorry for anyone that's
• 37:41
  listening that's from Sweden, but Malmo, that was, yeah, it wasn't great.
• 37:46
  It was just a lack of atmosphere.
• 37:48
  They didn't have a set up.
• 37:50
  The Eurovision Song Contest.
• 37:52
  Yeah, I'm not talking about the place itself.
• 37:54
  Well, yeah, not really talking about the place itself.
• 37:56
  Malmo was actually really interesting.
• 37:58
  But there was also some political things going on at the time and there were some demonstrations.
• 38:02
  But all I'm really saying is that Switzerland is so organized and when they do an event, it's amazing.
• 38:08
  And there's a bunch of events in Switzerland as well.
• 38:11
  to obviously Switzerland being a good groups destination because it's set up structured for events in general.
• 38:17
  Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 38:19
  actually even right at the top of Regi, the one I mentioned.
• 38:21
  So Regi was completely clouded, didn't see anything, unfortunately, but it didn't matter because I could hear the cows with their bells, which is one of the best things about
• 38:30
  Switzerland, hearing the bells on the distance.
• 38:32
  I even just recorded that so could fall asleep to that.
• 38:35
  Yeah, I'm a bit weird.
• 38:37
  But at the top of Regi, there was this big, huge entertainment center for groups set up oh in the middle of nowhere, but right on the train line.
• 38:45
  at the top of this mountain.
• 38:46
  I thought what is, I was really shocked by that.
• 38:50
  So yeah, so obviously, groups is a good thing.
• 38:53
  Switzerland is a good destination for groups.
• 38:55
  So let me go back and dumb it down a bit in a comparison level.
• 39:00
  So if people think of England, they're thinking of, you know, the Tower of London, Parliament House, Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, big sites.
• 39:08
  Paris, the Louvre, the Arctiteum, you know, or Paris in general itself, Berlin, so on and so forth.
• 39:16
  So what are some of the like
• 39:18
  just name like five big things that people would know or should know about Switzerland to go and see.
• 39:23
  I definitely made a horn in Zermatt.
• 39:27
  um The glacier paradise at the top of uh Zermatt is amazing.
• 39:34
  In Engelberg, Titlis, not that people would that would be a top five, but they have the only revolving cable car, um gondola actually, so it spins at the top above a glacier.
• 39:49
  So that's kind of cool.
• 39:50
  They have the world's best things.
• 39:52
  Like they have the oldest cogwheel railway.
• 39:54
  They have the long, the steepest um railway, those kinds of things.
• 39:58
  um I would say those kinds of attractions, if you like, those natural attractions is what the big, the biggest thing is for me.
• 40:05
  um The way you get around, I'd say getting an e-bike in different towns, which I've done a couple of times now in.
• 40:13
  in places like Basel, it's easy to get e-bikes, know, it's electronic, you don't really have to pedal, those kind of things.
• 40:20
  so yeah, mean, so Zurich, everyone knows Zurich's a beautiful, beautiful city.
• 40:25
  um It's, there's so much, mean, everywhere, everywhere is such a great place.
• 40:31
  The lakes, the fact that can be out on the lake and the mountains are surrounding you and so,
• 40:37
  Is Switzerland, and again, when I say this or ask this question, I don't mean that's the only thing you can do and my word is predominantly an outdoor active destination.
• 40:47
  Yeah, I'd say for the most part, even if it's raining the whole time, like it was in one of the places when we went to Rigi, um it doesn't matter because it's the feel of the
• 40:58
  place.
• 40:58
  um There is a lot of history as well though.
• 41:01
  There's a lot of medieval cast.
• 41:03
  just want to you a because people who do Europe, it's like another castle, church.
• 41:08
  If people are into churches and castles, does Switzerland have that, I think you just answered it for me, does it have that history that other European countries have?
• 41:16
  Yeah, it definitely does.
• 41:17
  mean, even in, I just remembered in Lucerne, there's the wooden bridge.
• 41:21
  It's like this oldest wooden bridge and it's very famous in Lucerne, but it's got artwork in it.
• 41:26
  So you're walking along and it's actual artwork and you're outside.
• 41:29
  Like it's amazing.
• 41:31
  So that kind of thing.
• 41:32
  yeah, there's, there's history all over the place, but the fact that you have got a French area, you know, a German area, Italian area, that's what the beauty is for me as well.
• 41:42
  It's not just the scenery, but it's also that
• 41:44
  you can be in three different countries in one country.
• 41:46
  uh
• 41:46
  was going to say four countries in one because it's Switzerland, it is the country, but you've got the French, the German and the Italian influences.
• 41:55
  So you could do just Switzerland and get a touch of flavor of those.
• 42:00
  in fact, they brought in a new cable car in Zamat that I wasn't able to do last year because it wasn't just there in time for that.
• 42:06
  But you go up to the top, Glacier Paradise, mentioned.
• 42:11
  You go into Italy.
• 42:12
  So you can actually go to Italy for lunch that goes over the other side of the mountain and then you can come back.
• 42:17
  So that's kind of cool.
• 42:19
  And they actually have a couple of things set up like that now too.
• 42:22
  yeah.
• 42:22
  Now as you said earlier, I love driving around countries.
• 42:25
  This sounds, and you did say it's a good self-drive country.
• 42:30
  based on the scenery you're describing or intimating that this would be an amazing place to self-drive if you're not fussed about the parking issues and stuff like that.
• 42:38
  Yeah, I mean, it's a tough one for me because I also like to self drive as well.
• 42:43
  um But the hard thing is I love the trains and I love the trains in Switzerland especially.
• 42:50
  and I kind of like the feeling of being in the first class trains.
• 42:52
  Sorry, but I just love it.
• 42:54
  But this trip, I have to say that I watched, I looked at some of where the highways were and how clean they were and where they were positioned.
• 43:02
  And some of them were even positioned in better locations than the trains were.
• 43:05
  Around Montreux, um
• 43:07
  in Lake Geneva, I looked up and I saw, wow, that's going, I could see it's going through all this, mountain ranges and these hills and it looked like a stunning drive, but I want
• 43:17
  to do that too, but I don't know.
• 43:19
  I want to train, want to drive, I want to do everything.
• 43:21
  Yeah, so that would go back to your comment before about three or four weeks in the country you could do a combination of obviously self-driving and trains and cable cars and
• 43:29
  cog race.
• 43:30
  There's so much.
• 43:31
  mean, that's what I mean.
• 43:32
  Lucerne itself had three different mountains.
• 43:34
  We got two of them, three main ones.
• 43:37
  I two of them.
• 43:37
  You could have had three full days plus some time in Lucerne.
• 43:41
  That's a week.
• 43:42
  That's in one place in Switzerland.
• 43:44
  One.
• 43:44
  And in Basel, you could spend three days in it easy.
• 43:48
  And you're at the corner of three different countries there.
• 43:50
  And that's another story.
• 43:51
  um
• 43:52
  Well, yeah, that's where I think Switzerland may have probably a bad choice of word, but advantage over some of other countries in that it sits amongst them in the heart, like
• 44:01
  surrounded by.
• 44:03
  It has the influences of, again, France, Italy and Germany.
• 44:07
  uh can quite easily, like in most of Europe, because it's so small, you can literally go over the Alps into Italy for lunch and come back.
• 44:14
  um So it sounds like it's got a bigger bang for...
• 44:19
  It's more expensive, but because we do, well, you did admit that it's probably a bit more expensive than surrounding neighborhoods.
• 44:24
  It's a very um active and outgoing country from what to see and do, because everything you've mentioned primarily is outside nature, from cows to mountains to lakes to cable
• 44:36
  cars, stuff which is really, you you seeing the surroundings.
• 44:39
  But at the same time, it has the expected European history because it is also right in the middle of four or five countries around it.
• 44:49
  So sounds like it's got a lot in a very small package, which is a very well-used trope, but I think it's justified in this case.
• 44:58
  So just to go back over some basics.
• 44:59
  So getting there, there are direct flights in, really probably combining with another country is probably an easy way to set up your flights, particularly from North America,
• 45:08
  though there are direct.
• 45:09
  ah It's part of the Euro, but it's primarily priced in Swiss francs.
• 45:15
  You don't need visas if you're on a US or Canadian passport.
• 45:19
  At the moment.
• 45:19
  At the moment.
• 45:20
  That's gonna.
• 45:21
  that's with the.
• 45:22
  Yeah, just the E.
• 45:25
  What is it?
• 45:25
  think it's ETIAS.
• 45:27
  ETIAS.
• 45:28
  E-T-I-A-S.
• 45:29
  Oh, that one.
• 45:29
  And it's not really a visa.
• 45:30
  It's more of a security check.
• 45:32
  When it was first introduced almost two years ago, it said it was coming in in six months.
• 45:37
  it was presented because I did a little video, this is what it will be.
• 45:42
  And we shelved it because it kept getting delayed.
• 45:44
  But originally, now this may have changed, it was really a security check.
• 45:47
  Not so much a visa.
• 45:49
  But it's good for all the European.
• 45:51
  Correct.
• 45:52
  Yeah, I mean, the UK has theirs now.
• 45:53
  So I had to do a UK one.
• 45:55
  Has one already?
• 45:55
  Yeah.
• 45:55
  Yeah.
• 45:56
  So it's just a UK ETA app.
• 45:58
  It's actually called that.
• 45:59
  Right.
• 45:59
  I have that still on my phone.
• 46:00
  And it's it's was really easy.
• 46:02
  And I got approved right away.
• 46:04
  Yeah, yeah.
• 46:04
  Surprising.
• 46:04
  it's like the Australian thing.
• 46:06
  It's like the Australian visa.
• 46:09
  It's not technically a visa.
• 46:10
  It's just this ETA thing.
• 46:12
  $20 or whatever it be.
• 46:14
  Yeah, 7, 10 euros or something.
• 46:16
  So that's coming in for them.
• 46:18
  Anything else from like from a meat potato aspect that our agents out there should know about?
• 46:24
  uh
• 46:25
  and potatoes are fantastic in Switzerland.
• 46:27
  just saying.
• 46:30
  Actually, mean, I mean really and that's the thing.
• 46:33
  Yeah, the food is great.
• 46:35
  um Yeah, I mean, we were talking about cost before and how expensive it is.
• 46:39
  It's not as expensive as Denmark, by the way.
• 46:42
  So the Danish Kroner, that trip, yeah, going across to Malmo.
• 46:47
  Malmo was cheaper because they were using um euros and then in Denmark they were using the Kroner.
• 46:52
  So anyway.
• 46:52
  um
• 46:53
  So, and then there's things you can buy there as well.
• 46:56
  Like you can go to a little hot dog stand.
• 46:57
  If you don't want a big full meal in Switzerland, you can just go and get, you'd get, you'd go to a seven 11 or something.
• 47:03
  I forgot what they're called co-ops or I think they're called.
• 47:06
  And you just go and have a, grab something from there.
• 47:08
  If you're really cheap, um like me.
• 47:12
  So let me ask you this.
• 47:14
  Swiss chocolate, is it as prevalent as people would expect it to be?
• 47:18
  Because everyone talks about Swiss chocolate.
• 47:20
  Yeah, it is.
• 47:21
  And actually, uh Lausanne had, there was a tour I was offered.
• 47:26
  um I was sponsored a little bit, Bon Soit's on there.
• 47:29
  They're fantastic.
• 47:30
  They give me things when they know I'm going there, because I know I promote like this.
• 47:34
  There is a, uh that's quite a chocolate place and they have museums everywhere for chocolate.
• 47:38
  And um I just don't do chocolate because I kind of break out and it's just, but it's everywhere.
• 47:45
  Yeah.
• 47:46
  It's, it's
• 47:46
  not some fallacy some marketing thing yeah no okay no I mean I guess was not you boys for something
• 47:54
  Yes, you absolutely can.
• 47:55
  Yep.
• 47:56
  I saw a lot of them.
• 47:57
  Um, there's tons of that.
• 47:59
  Um, FIFA, the FIFA world, the FIFA museum is in, Zurich.
• 48:04
  Um, so is, um, the world, the world's Olympic thing.
• 48:13
  Thing.
• 48:13
  I should have had this prepared.
• 48:15
  Um, yeah, it's in, it's in Lucerne.
• 48:20
  okay, yeah.
• 48:21
  And I didn't even go to that.
• 48:23
  I didn't have time.
• 48:24
  Like I said before, you go to the mountains, you don't have enough time.
• 48:26
  But there's so many things like that.
• 48:28
  m
• 48:30
  Watches, Swiss watches.
• 48:32
  Swiss watches are everywhere.
• 48:34
  They're everywhere.
• 48:35
  There's a lot of stores like that.
• 48:37
  Again, I'm cheap, so I didn't go in.
• 48:39
  So on that point, so we just, we just mentioned three things you can buy chocolate, a Swiss knife if you really want to one or a watch is, is what's so famous for anything else
• 48:48
  from a souvenir point of view?
• 48:51
  Cowboys?
• 48:53
  leather, backpacks, lots of caps.
• 48:57
  I've got some with me today.
• 48:59
  I'm obsessed with that.
• 49:00
  um And yeah, I love all that.
• 49:04
  They just changed their logo, Switzerland as well.
• 49:06
  Like the tourism one that looks really cool.
• 49:08
  um Yeah, cowbells though.
• 49:11
  I love the cowbell.
• 49:12
  They're all different sounding ones.
• 49:13
  um I actually did buy one, yes.
• 49:17
  The lower, the...
• 49:18
  uh
• 49:19
  bassier sound.
• 49:20
  Yeah, yeah, just love, I don't know why.
• 49:22
  Well I'm sure you can buy a cow to go with it out in Vancouver somewhere.
• 49:25
  Probably.
• 49:25
  They're not the same.
• 49:26
  They're not as happy, remember?
• 49:27
  They're happier in Switzerland.
• 49:30
  That's true.
• 49:30
  I love Alberta.
• 49:31
  not sure if your condo's got enough room for one of those big boys but it's the case anyway.
• 49:36
  Okay so we're gonna wrap up here.
• 49:39
  Anything else you, again we just talked some meat and potatoes literally and metaphorically about Switzerland.
• 49:44
  Is there anything else you would like to let our listening audience know again from maybe a sales tip that we did touch on a lot of ins and outs and how to work around it but any
• 49:53
  sales tips things to be aware of advice anything to
• 49:58
  Yeah, basically wrap this up with.
• 50:01
  I'd say, I'd say definitely look at booking, definitely booking ahead, looking at actually locking in certain journeys that you know you definitely want to do.
• 50:11
  Try to avoid the summer, the middle of the summer if you can, June, July, August, like I mentioned.
• 50:18
  One thing I forgot to talk about was look for, when you're in these places in Switzerland, they all have, there are so many rooftop bars, so many.
• 50:27
  So I've gotten into the habit now of starting to look for those and you get the best views and you can look for happy hours.
• 50:33
  do have happy hours in Switzerland too, which is, which is great.
• 50:36
  So you save a bit of money.
• 50:37
  sorry to interrupt you here.
• 50:38
  Is Switzerland a country where you could go to to like just party hard if that was a focus of your itinerary or if not the entire itinerary, are there night clubs as an extension to
• 50:52
  that, not that the LGBTQ plus community are the only ones that party, but is it an LGBTQ plus safe country to travel in?
• 51:00
  you party on, be part of that community or not?
• 51:03
  Yeah, I don't find it a big party place at all.
• 51:06
  Um, but there are tons of pubs as the pub culture is there.
• 51:11
  Yeah.
• 51:12
  That's, that's what I found.
• 51:13
  mean, Zurich, you're going to find a bit more of that in Geneva because they're the big cities.
• 51:17
  Basel, I remember had one, um, one little LGBTQ place that was, um, cute, nice.
• 51:24
  Um, but it's not really known for that because you're accepted anywhere.
• 51:28
  they don't really feel like they need to have that.
• 51:31
  I think that's.
• 51:32
  Yeah, it's just, it's such an accepted place to be.
• 51:36
  Yeah, it's not really a thing.
• 51:36
  So you just go to a pub and you know, you'll be fine kind of thing.
• 51:39
  so yeah, but definitely, yeah, some nightclubs in the biggest cities.
• 51:44
  People do go out late in Europe, so they start later and I was probably in bed by then, so I don't even know.
• 51:49
  But again, it's not like if you think of Greece or Spain, and I'm not talking, I'm not talking the gay community, I'm just talking in general, like Spain has areas which are
• 51:57
  party-focused, Greece has, even Italy has, but Switzerland's more of that pub, late-dining vibe in general.
• 52:08
  General sweeping.
• 52:09
  100%.
• 52:09
  Okay, cool, sorry.
• 52:10
  So I didn't interrupt you.
• 52:11
  Anything else that you were chatting about?
• 52:13
  So go book early, try and avoid the height of summer for sure.
• 52:19
  let one of our destination specialist help you with the construction of your rotaimri because it's coming out very clearly to me that like GoA, we customize, that's what we do,
• 52:28
  but I think Switzerland is where you really need the skill of someone who knows.
• 52:31
  You really do.
• 52:31
  All these moving parts to get back to the part of the Swiss watch concept here.
• 52:37
  It's all got to lock in together so you don't have hiccups while you're there and that's the last thing you want.
• 52:42
  Yeah, I'd say don't, don't be obsessed again about the fact that you're not going to get on the Glacier Express or cause a lot of people don't get a reservation on that.
• 52:50
  Um, don't let that stop you from not traveling to Switzerland, um, because you can still do the line and still see the scenery.
• 52:58
  So, but I mean, if you're a big train buff and you really want that name train experience, then yeah, book early.
• 53:04
  Um, for sure.
• 53:06
  yeah, there's, still so much for me that I haven't been to as well.
• 53:10
  like I will go back again.
• 53:13
  There's still mountains I haven't seen.
• 53:14
  Yeah.
• 53:18
  So it's a fantastic place.
• 53:19
  Yeah.
• 53:20
  I'd say, you know, do it.
• 53:22
  Roger Federer is from there.
• 53:23
  He's my favorite tennis player.
• 53:24
  His face is kind of in a lot of places too.
• 53:27
  When you arrive at the airport and you see his face everywhere.
• 53:30
  And so they're all proud of him.
• 53:32
  bet they are.
• 53:33
  Yeah.
• 53:33
  Because I think he's probably there again.
• 53:37
  Again, we'll sign off with this.
• 53:41
  Is he the, I guess their main sports, sport, export outside of probably football, soccer players, which I know nothing about, sort of the more widely known sports is Roger
• 53:52
  Federer-Beer.
• 53:52
  Yeah, it's all about Federer.
• 53:54
  Yeah, yeah at the moment and the fact they won the Eurovision Song Contest last year I know no one cares about that in North America, but it is a math.
• 54:01
  It is the world's largest
• 54:02
  I think you'd be surprised how many listeners out there, um maybe not quite as obsessed as yourself, but will be into it.
• 54:09
  But yeah, to your point, it is a very, very famous song contest.
• 54:14
  I think almost every country in the world has entries, Australia does.
• 54:17
  um
• 54:18
  Yeah, which is weird.
• 54:19
  Celine Dion won the contest um for Switzerland.
• 54:23
  She sang for Switzerland.
• 54:26
  Way back.
• 54:26
  mean, ABBA, that's how they started.
• 54:29
  it's huge.
• 54:30
  I mean, you can even follow that around each year and just go to a different country.
• 54:32
  Like I'm thinking of.
• 54:35
  So on that note, I want to thank our Eurovision Song Contest freak here, Jason, who's going to group you around Europe for the next 10 years or so.
• 54:45
  But also obviously for his expertise and insight into Switzerland.
• 54:49
  That's not just because he works in the industry, it's because he's been there and you can tell, hope, well I believe you can through his passion, that it's probably one of his more
• 54:57
  favorite countries.
• 54:58
  Because he's traveled a fair bit over the years.
• 55:00
  Yeah, yeah, I mean I love you.
• 55:01
  I love everything.
• 55:02
  I love it.
• 55:03
  I love it
• 55:04
  a country count?
• 55:04
  Do you keep track of how many countries?
• 55:06
  like you do because I know you love to talk about yours.
• 55:09
  actually I should say I did look at that recently because I heard you were not what was 98 or Yeah, you're getting you're getting close.
• 55:17
  I think I'm about 55 or 60 ish And I haven't been to the African continent so that takes a lot out and so there's a few places I haven't been to but
• 55:27
  again, just to highlight your knowledge of Europe, Europe's been sort one of your focal areas of travel through your life.
• 55:33
  Oh yeah, you've done a lot of...
• 55:36
  And I come from the South Pacific, so I already grew up with that.
• 55:39
  So I don't really need to go back to that in my opinion, even though it's fantastic too.
• 55:43
  But, yeah, Europe is, is, is really special.
• 55:46
  I really, honestly, the getting around by trains is just so much easier than, getting in a, being in a car stuck in traffic in Los Angeles, you know, or in, or in Toronto.
• 55:57
  with you on I mean, it's just when you come back from Europe and you're looking at traffic and sitting in a car and the culture being so different without that train set up and the
• 56:06
  fact Europe keeps all the old buildings and the architecture and we didn't really talk about that much but all the towns in Switzerland have all this amazing architecture.
• 56:14
  The buildings are beautiful and they just keep their history and it's just, it's huge.
• 56:19
  It's just, it's so good.
• 56:20
  It's yeah, and I think that's what a lot of people if they've never been to Europe before as well and I forgot this having just been focused on Latin for so many years is How
• 56:31
  Europe maintains and hangs on in a positive way to its history and even though it's Europe and Modern how different it is to North America in a positive way.
• 56:39
  Yeah, I mean that in all positives ah And yeah, you can learn a lot like in travel.
• 56:44
  ah I don't have it handy actually Let's see if I can bring it up my maybe we'll finish off
• 56:50
  with this little quote, it's not about Switzerland per se, but it's about travel.
• 56:56
  I think it might be good based on your comments just there about the difference and I guess acceptance and or learning.
• 57:03
  So this is actually Mark Twain.
• 57:05
  I'll finish up with this.
• 57:07
  Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.
• 57:15
  broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth, all one's lifetime.
• 57:24
  So I found that on, somewhere.
• 57:26
  Nice.
• 57:26
  social media, passed it to my family, because we just came back from Africa, and I think key to this, be it Africa, be it South Pacific, be it Asia, be it Switzerland, if you
• 57:35
  travel, you're gonna learn, you're gonna broaden your horizons, and it sounds like Switzerland is that little jewel in the middle of many European countries which will...
• 57:44
  open your eyes to many things French, Italian, German and of course Swiss.
• 57:48
  So on that note thank you very much Jason appreciate you dropping in today on your semi day off.
• 57:53
  Sort of a semi day off isn't it?
• 57:56
  I take it back thanks for being here Jason as you're supposed to be.
• 58:00
  Again thank you everyone for listening we really appreciate it.
• 58:03
  Thanks a lot.
• 58:04
  Welcome.
• 58:05
  you uh