Getting out of the House Part II: That time we talked to a special needs travel specialist

This is episode number 77 of The Homeowner Show. Whether you're DIY or looking to hire, we're here to bring you the best options and information for you and your home. I'm Craig Williams, and Kevin has left the city. How's it going, everybody? Glad you could join us today on The Homeowner Show. We're here in part 2 of our series called Getting Out of the House, and Kevin literally got out of the house. He got out of the city. He fled to San Antonio. His older brother is—he's got a—he's got a choir competition going on over there, and his boys have made it all the way. I don't know what. I think it's like state or something like that, but they've—they've made it to a really big competition, and

Kevin wanted to make sure that he got over there and supported them and cheered them on. So go choir! Anyway, so what's been going on in my world? I'll tell you what's been going on in my world. I've been Mr. Mom in it for like the last two weeks, and let me tell you guys something: there is nothing more dad than making little. girls' Valentines for their parties at school the last 2 nights. It has been amazing. I have stapled bags of M&Ms to little narwhal Valentines and kitty cat mermaids. So it's about the manliest thing I've ever done. It was, it was really, really something special. But let me tell you guys something else that I experienced today that I thought was just really interesting. In my business, we had some customers reach out to us because

they wanted to support us and vote for us in this local competition for a— it's an online business directory that they have in this area near us called The Woodlands. And so we had some folks reach out to us and say, hey, we'd love to vote for you on this thing. Could you please get listed on there? I said, no problem. We'll see what we can do. So we reached out to the website and we signed up for their directory and everything. And I got a phone call from the people that run the website today that said, uh, hey, we, we got your submission today for the, uh, for the website. We'd be happy to get you on the page. Unfortunately, you guys, uh,

your, your business physical address is just outside of our service area, so we're not going to be able to put you on the directory unless you'd like to pay the $500 fee to be added to the directory. And I'm like, No, I'm not paying $500 to be added to this directory. I mean, like, it— like, I had people ask me to join your directory so that they could support us and, you know, vote for us as the best, you know, whatever pest control company in the area. Um, and, uh, no, I'm not, I'm not paying $500 to join this directory. And he goes, well, would you be willing to pay $300? And I'm like, if I'm not willing to pay $500, I'm not willing to pay $300 to join this directory. I was doing just fine before the directory. I'm going to continue to do

great without a directory. Um, no, we're gonna carry on. Thank you. He goes, well, I can add you for free to this other directory that's in your area. And I'm like, do whatever you want. I don't care. It's, it's, there's, there's no reason. I don't, I don't understand. Like, and the whole thing is like, we take care of a lot of customers in their area. And, you know, those people were like, hey, we see this contest going on. We'd like to vote for you. And it's like, well, why wouldn't you want to list businesses that actually service the people In the area that you're trying to provide the directory for. And the other thing is, is like, and it's, it's sort of the mantra for like this, this entire show,

because again, if you're listening to this show, you're not having to pay a fee for this show. And the reason for that is, is we believe that the content that we provide is valuable enough that you're going to want to listen to it and that you're going to want to hear from the people that want to sponsor this show. So we feel that because the content is good enough, we don't need to charge anything for you to be a part of it. So it was, it was just a bizarre experience. And I know those things are out there and they exist. And, you know, it was sort of like being asked to be in the

Who's Who directory when I was in college. It was just really kind of silly. So anyway, part 2 of Getting Out of the House, this travel series that we've got. Last week we, uh, we, we discussed all things cruises. So this week we have my good friend Heidi in the studio to talk about— some travel issues that you probably have not thought of before. And I'm really excited to bring you guys this information. Heidi, how you doing?

Pretty good, Craig. Thanks for having me.

It is an absolute pleasure to have you in studio and to be talking about all things travel. So just right up front, you are a travel agent?

Yes.

Just give everybody a quick bio. You're a travel agent. Who are you with?

So I'm now with NHS Voyages. And I am a special needs certified travel advocate.

Okay. Now, special needs travel advocate. For those that may not know, what is that?

So that basically means that I have been tested on a skill level so that I can help those that have somebody traveling with them that has special needs, whether it be wheelchair-bound, hearing impaired, vision impaired, or any other kind of needs that they may need. You want to get with somebody as a travel advocate travel advisor who has taken tests and learned about the different equipment and the different ways that you can travel and still have a fun and successful vacation with your family, your friends, and your loved ones.

Right, right. And I want to get into all the details of that here in just a little bit. But before we do that, I mean, you and I have been talking for a while now. Yes. And because we've been talking about doing this episode for a while, and there's reasons, because like, I love your story. Right. I love the whole reason that you do this because you just didn't like roll out of bed one day and you're like, you know what, I want to do special needs travel.

Right.

I mean, like, you know, like this, this, this is actually a passion of yours that like you really want to help families who are dealing with this, these issues have a better travel experience. And, and why is it that you want to do that?

Well, so my son was born with cerebral palsy, which has kept him bound to a wheelchair. He, uh, he can't speak very well. We have devices for him to be able to speak. And when when we go places, his movement is also limited. So with the wheelchair, we have to be able to figure out how are we gonna get him transferred onto the cruise ship or get him at the airport, be able to get his wheelchair taken apart to get it on the airplane. What accessible options are there? Because when you're traveling with a child like that, you can't just jump into a taxi cab.

Right.

And say, hey, you know, I can take this to my destination. And you can't go into a room that doesn't have a width to fit that wheelchair into. So we just constantly were always having to do a ton of research, and sometimes we would overpack because, you know, it's what do we take, what do we not need to take?

Oh my gosh, yeah.

So, you know, we would go on these trips, and a lot of times if we were doing something in-state, our truck would be so overloaded that when we would get somewhere, it's like you're unloading half your house, you know.

Oh my gosh.

Think about traveling with just kids. Now you got a special needs child. So, um, so it just became a passion of mine. I started looking into getting a travel agent and started asking people, does anybody do this? Because it's a lot of research. It's a lot of work trying to figure out what's out there, what's available. A lot of travel agents just didn't know. So it just became something that I thought, if nobody else is doing it, why not do it?

Absolutely! So for those of us, including me, who don't have a lot of familiarity with the subject, what is cerebral palsy?

So basically, there's different variations of cerebral palsy. It can be very mild where maybe the child is walking but they have problems with their limbs.

Okay.

So the problems with the limbs can be tightening of the muscles, which is what my son has.

Okay.

Or it could be that maybe you don't have enough muscle control. So my son is in a middle category, kind of.

Okay.

He has very tight muscles, but he's on medication to help loosen those muscles up.

Okay.

And by doing that, he's able to actually use the device to talk for. He used to kind of be like Stephen Hawking when we first started.

Okay, yeah.

We had the device with the eye gaze, so He just looked at stuff and it would basically pick it up and it would speak for him.

It would pick up where his eyes were going?

Yes. That's insane! It is. It's pretty awesome, the technology they have nowadays. But now, with this new medicine that his neurologist put him on, he has more controlled movement of his limbs. So he's able to actually use his hand. He kind of does a finger movement with his pinky and his knuckle, and he's able to type things out to speak to people. And his sentence structure is amazing. And he's a math whiz. And we've got all this equipment now to be able to have him have an outlet to do those kind of things.

So how old is he now?

He's 9.

He's 9. Okay. So, I mean, does he go to school? How's this work?

Yeah, he's in school full-time. We actually have a handicap accessible bus that pulls up. It has a lift. It pulls up in our front yard, takes him to school. He loves getting on the lift. That's like the highlight of his day is getting on and off the bus. He has an aide that works with him full-time throughout the day because he can't unload his backpack. He can't write things down on the piece of paper like they need him to. So, the school has been just amazing with us and he's in a regular class. He didn't need special education because he was too far advanced for that. So, he's at the same level with his peers, which is pretty amazing.

Yeah, that's awesome. And like, I may actually want to— well, let's just go ahead and do that. I mean, like, was it difficult or did you guys have to do a bunch of research to find a good school district?

Actually, we've been very lucky with the school district that we've been in. His very first teacher that we ever had, she was just amazing to work with. I talk about her all the time. She helped us find the right equipment. She helped us find the right therapist. She helped us find the right medical companies to work with. And all of the therapists and everybody in that school has just continued to do that. Anytime we've had something come up, like we need a new device or we need a new wheelchair, we need a fix, we need to get a new device, We need new leg braces. Where do we go? They have just been a great outlet for us.

So we've, we just, I don't know, we've never had to worry about it.

So that wasn't something you guys spent a lot of time researching? You just kind of happened to end up being a place that was really helpful?

Yes. So we live in my husband's house that used to be his grandma's. So that was kind of like our place. And we actually remodeled our bathroom to be fully ADA accessible. So accessibility has always been a big thing and we're huge advocates Advocates for our son. So we're always looking into ways to make sure that he has every ability to do the best that he can do to be successful in life. So you have to be an advocate no matter what school district you're in. There are laws set up to say that the school district has to abide by certain things to make your child more successful no matter what the special need is.

Yeah. Yeah. I'll tell you, when we, the house that we're in now, when we bought it, you know, and people that listen to the show just know that like my house has gone through all sorts of transformations and remodelings, and it's just weird. But one of the things that we noticed when we moved in is the downstairs— and that's where our master is and the master bath and all this kind of stuff— and I kept walking through it like, why are these doors so wide? Why are there so many handrails everywhere? What is this? We kept finding stuff. We're like, why is it like this? Come to find out, the person who had been living here before had been in a wheelchair and they just needed doors wide enough. So our bathroom door is way

bigger than Like our front door, you know? And so, and then like the door going into our bedroom is like the— it's, it's a double door going into the master bedroom. And like in the bathroom, there was handrails everywhere. And we're like, we couldn't figure out what was going on. Like, why is this all like this? And then come to find, we got the backstory, like, oh, this lady was confined to a wheelchair and she had to have access to everything in the house. And that was the only way she could do it is they made doors wide enough where she could, she could have free movement and go wherever she needed to go. No, she couldn't go upstairs, but you know, That she had everything she needed downstairs. Which leads me to—

I would imagine with your son's situation, he's in a motorized wheelchair?

Yes.

OK. Because of the medication, is he able to control that now?

Yes. It's basically a small joystick, so it's very easy to operate. Sometimes with turns and tight corners and things like that, he goes a lot slower, but he's been driving it since he was 4, so that's 5 years of maneuvering.

So, I mean, were his muscles— I mean, like, well, I can imagine a 4-year-old. I mean, like, that's pretty impressive for a 4-year-old to be able to figure something like that, actually, now that I think about it.

Yes.

So, you know, with everything that you guys have experienced with him, what has made— I guess what has made— not made it difficult, but just made it such a unique experience for you guys?

I mean, so my husband and I have always been the type to just throw the kids in the car and we're going somewhere. We're going on a vacation. And it's never really mattered that our son is in a wheelchair. It's always been, he's just our child. So we just need to make this work. But last year we went up to Tennessee and we got to go to the Ryman and we got to go to some really amazing places and we got to take an RV.

Now forgive me for being uncultured, but I don't know what the Ryman is.

So it's actually the older version of the Opry. It was there before. Before the opera was.

Oh, the OG.

Yes.

Okay.

We wanted to go to the original theater.

I gotcha. All right.

So although the Ryman was amazing, the accessible seating was not very accommodating for our family because we're a family of 5. Most accessible seating is for one other person. So you have your handicapped person and you have the other person. But when you have a family of 5, that's really hard to split them all up.

You can't sit together basically. Exactly.

But they were very accommodating. They found some folding chairs and they made it accommodating for us. So he just enjoyed that he got to sit with his family. But where the seats were, we were so high up, it was very hard to see.

Which now that I think about it, I mean, that's the way I typically see it like in most movie theaters. It's like one accessible spot and then a chair next to that.

Yes.

And that's pretty typical, right?

Yes.

Okay.

So that does make it a little difficult because if you're not familiar with the seating like that, like let's say it's your very first trip with somebody in a wheelchair and you're going as a family, you have to stop and think, how are the— even though they say this is accessible, how accessible. So you have to be able to know the questions to ask. How many seats are there? Will you be able to— like the Ryman, you know, I called ahead and got the folding chairs set up.

Right.

But if I hadn't done that, we might have got in there before the show started and there wouldn't be an area for us to sit in together as a family. So it's, it's definitely not easy. Uh, it's definitely difficult sometimes, but like I said, you have to be willing to go with the flow. And anybody with a special needs child can tell you that.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, and with your son, I mean, being as bright as he is, I mean, is it a source of frustration for him sometimes to go places and it not be as accessible as it maybe ought to be?

No, because we always make it fun.

Yeah.

So I don't think he sees much difference because we're always sitting next to him. And that's our big thing. We want to be with him.

Right.

And we want to make it enjoyable for him. So maybe when he gets older, he might notice it a little more. As a 9-year-old child, you know, you're, you're going new places, you're experiencing new things. And even when we went to SeaWorld, um, we go to San Antonio once a year, and last year we decided to try SeaWorld. They said that they were fully accessible, and, um, in our experience, it wasn't as accessible as what we had hoped. Uh, I actually have another friend that has 2 children in wheelchairs that said kind of the same thing.

Yeah.

Like, you can't sit in the splash zone. So, you know, it's like, that's the whole fun.

That's part of the fun.

Yes. But being the parents we are, we still got him out the wheelchair and we him down to the splash zone.

Oh, did you really?

I said, you're gonna experience this one time in your life.

Yeah.

Even if this is the only time.

Were there other ways? And like, you know, it's probably not that they were, you know, trying to be deceptive with you at all. I mean, they probably really believed that they were as accessible as possible.

Yes.

But like, from your observation, and, you know, obviously because you live this and you Not only do you live this, but you help other people plan for their trips. What were some other ways in which they weren't as prepared as maybe they ought to be? We're not trying to slam SeaWorld here, but this is just helpful information for people, I think.

Yeah. I mean, they were accommodating in the sense that anytime you wanted to go on a ride, they would make the ride more accessible. They would let me take the wheelchair up. They would take the wheelchair out. It was mostly the seating, which is hard because you have these large tanks. And you don't really have a way to put an elevator in there. So they do have the accessible areas up at the very top. So I mean, we're coming a long way with accessibility and they're trying to do more things to make things more accessible. So I don't think that they intentionally did it. It's everywhere you go.

Right.

They have to have an area that's accessible, but a lot of times to get to the better seats, you have to take stairs to go down. And that's just A lot of places. And like, like the Ryman, it was built forever ago, right? I don't expect them to be putting in an elevator to get us down to the front row. It'd be wonderful if they did, but you know, you can only do what you can do.

And like, I think I saw this not too long ago, aren't they like developing like specific kind of like mechanical wheelchairs that can do stairs now? Yeah, have you seen those?

I have. Yeah, I mean, like, are they actually like in production or are they still like testing them and There's so many different models of wheelchairs that it's hard to say what's in production, what's actually out on the line. So I go to an Abilities Expo every year. And what that is, is it's for the special needs community and it's the Houston chapter. So they always show you the newest products that have come out. So I haven't seen that yet. I have seen a lot of standing wheelchairs. That's the biggest thing that's out right now.

Yeah. I'm going to have to do a little research. I'm almost certain I saw like a video of like one that was like, could do stairs like pretty efficiently. You know, it's not like super fast, but I mean, like, Just the ability to like master the stairs.

Yeah, that'd be worth it.

Absolutely. I mean, especially for a situation like that where it's like, hey, this is like a stadium that goes from the top down. It's going to be next to impossible to put an elevator in or a ramp that's like safe. So yes.

So yeah, that would be an awesome invention though. I mean, whoever's making that, I need to do some research myself.

Well, if they haven't yet, we might have a new business idea. This is patented. We just need a couple of engineers. That's what we need. TM. But, uh, oh man. So, well, so, um, so what's a— so I— have you been doing travel the whole, the whole time since your son was born?

No, I actually recently started doing travel.

You recently started doing that. So what was, what was sort of the catalyst for getting that going?

Well, um, like I said, my husband and me love to travel. We love to take trips with our family. Yeah. But working full-time, taking care of a family, trying to do research, trying to make all these phone calls, what's accessible, what's not. I actually had a gentleman that was a travel agent that asked me if I needed help with some bookings. And I said, well, yeah, I've got a handicapped child. You know, it's, it's really hard to find out all the, the different details. And since he's never really lived that, he wasn't really sure where to direct me, even to somebody else. And I mean, I appreciated his honesty.

Yeah.

I don't really know where I can go with that.

Yeah.

So I just, I really started thinking that there's gotta be other families out there. And I actually had a client reach out to me that kind of has a similar situation, but she's elderly and she said, you know, this has affected her more recently.

Yeah.

So now she loves to travel, but she feels like she's a little more trapped as to what she's able to do and not able to do. And she said, I've been looking for an advisor like you. I didn't think they existed. So, you know, I just, I felt like this has got to be something a lot of people have to be looking for.

And is that, is that because she has someone that she's looking after that's, that's special needs, or she has some, she has some situations in her life that makes it difficult to travel?

She has her own situations in her life that makes it difficult.

Yeah. Okay.

So that was definitely awesome, you know, to have that first person reach out to me and say, I literally was looking for this yesterday and I found you on a post on Facebook.

Hmm. I, I mean, because I, I can imagine there's situations where like you have, you know, a husband and a wife where one of them ends up with a debilitating situation that makes it difficult to travel.

Yeah. And even if you don't have a full-on disability, let's say you fall and break your leg a week before you go on vacation. Canceling, sometimes you don't always get a big refund back. And maybe you've been looking forward to that. Maybe you got time off work and now you broke your leg. So you have to think of, now what do I do? Do I have to cancel? And if those people call me, I can help them get get a wheelchair while they're on vacation, a beach wheelchair, all the accessible options so they can still go on that vacation and enjoy it.

So you would have been really helpful back in the day when my folks got married because, and I don't think I've ever told this story on the show before, it's one of the famous stories in my family, is the week before my parents got married, my dad basically put himself through college rodeo Wow. Yeah. And so the week before they got married, he was at a rodeo bulldogging and snapped his leg in half.

Oh my goodness.

And so he had to— the wedding photos are fun because I'm sure he's in a hip-to-toe cast and he had to go down the aisle in crutches and they had to get like a custom tux and like tear the leg off because it wouldn't—

It wouldn't fit.

Yeah, this was, this was back in the late '70s and they like, they made like Like massive casts on the legs whenever you broke a leg. So yeah, they went on their honeymoon with my dad in a full hip-to-toe cast, and I don't know where they ended up going. I don't know what they did. But, uh, yeah, that probably would have been helpful to have.

It probably would have. So see, that's a good outreach for people that are getting married. Yeah, it could always happen.

It was even one of those like you couldn't bend your knee, like kind of like it was like all the way like you were stiff kind of a deal.

I'm kind of interested to see those pictures now.

They're good pictures. You can, you can definitely see the, the, the hint I'm sure, right before the honeymoon. I mean, she got over it. They're still married.

That's good to hear.

Oh my goodness. All right. So let's maybe start breaking this down into some categories. And so what are some of the areas when people come to you that they're looking to get help in? So obviously you're very familiar with wheelchair accessibility and some other things, but what are some of the other ones?

Well, another one is maybe somebody with an oxygen tank. And that's something a lot of people I don't think really think about. But there are different regulations. Like if you want to go on a cruise ship, you can actually just rent the oxygen equipment so you don't have to lug it all the way onto the cruise ship. I work with a company that does that. If you want to fly somewhere, there's actually FAA regulations because you can't just bring—

Any old oxygen tank on the plane. Yeah.

Exactly. They usually want you to use theirs while you're on the plane and then you have to charge it for a certain amount of hours. It has to be like, I don't know, 150%. So basically, if you have 4 hours of flight time, you got to have at least 6 hours of oxygen.

Makes sense.

Just in case.

Just in case. Yeah.

Yeah, because you just never know. Um, so that's something that's pretty amazing that I work with the company on that. Um, also walkers. Walkers are a big thing. So if you're taking your grandma on vacation with you and maybe she's never been to Jamaica, you say, hey Grandma, you know, let's just take a family trip. Well, Grandma might not be able to get around as good as the rest of the family. Yeah. So she may need a walker, and if she doesn't have one of Or maybe she even wants a wheelchair because maybe she wants to go on some of the trips with you guys, but she just can't walk as much as you guys can.

Yeah.

So you could, you know, potentially rent a wheelchair to take with you guys on a trip, take Grandma with you, maybe even have a walker with a seat on it.

Yeah.

So if she wants to walk herself, she can, and then when she gets tired, she can stop and sit.

Yeah.

So I can help with excursions on that as well. So we can find ones that are shorter in time. You know, you don't want to take Grandma on a 6-hour excursion where she's hiking through the woods. You might want to do like a 2.5-hour swim with the dolphins, where grandma can sit and watch the kids playing in the pool. Also, autism is a huge need nowadays.

It seems like that's a growing one.

It is. Royal Caribbean has actually been noticed as autism-friendly. They're the highest cruise ship with the certification. The really cool thing about going on cruises with somebody with special needs is they will give you a pager or a cell phone while you're on the cruise ship. Basically, what they'll do is while your children are in the camps, They'll page you if, you know, something happens.

Right.

Also, you know, children with autism and Down syndrome and different things like that, sometimes they're not always potty trained. Not by the parents' fault. It's something that happens with all special needs kids. My son took a long time to potty train. It's amazing that he's potty trained. But most cruise ships will work with you on that as well. You know, they usually say they have to be this age and they have to be potty trained, but if you have special needs in your family and you have a child that's not potty trained, they'll work with you with that. It's pretty amazing. And then they also have Autism of the Seas, which is a separate cruise line that works with Royal Caribbean. And their cruise line is

amazing because they actually have a one-on-one person. So let's say like your child is so high on the spectrum that they can't just be left in a classroom with a group of children. They need that one-on-one, right? So Autism of the Seas actually gives you a personalized caregiver on the cruise.

So, I mean, for those that don't know or haven't, you know, had any experience with anyone with autism, why is it that they might need a separate boat or a, you know, a set-aside cruise for them to go on?

Sure. Well, most kids on the autism spectrum, they have problems with light, they have problems with sound, they have sensory issues. Maybe—

They're more sensitive to those kinds of things, right?

Exactly. Exactly. So having those sensory auditory issues, it can disrupt a vacation because you're on a cruise ship. There's, you know, thousands of people walking around. There's games and lights and all these exciting things going on. But if you have autism and you're having an issue with the lights and the sounds and the, you know, you need to be able to have a calming, relaxing way to get out of that. So Royal Caribbean actually has sensory toys, and a lot of other cruise ships do too. Royal Caribbean just kind of set the bar for it, right? So they have like sensory, auditory-friendly toys and games and things to do. So if your child is in that situation and they're having one of their

symptoms where it's getting to be too much, these certified nannies are able to stop and help that child to get out of that zone that they're in.

Wow.

And help them come around from So it's a pretty amazing thing. Sandals and Beaches are also some amazing places in the Caribbean that they actually have, um, all of their nannies and all of their staff are trained to handle that, and they also provide one-on-one care. So if somebody's looking for an all-inclusive option— and the difference with Sandals and Beaches, because they're under the same roof, they're all Sandals, but Sandals is adults only and Beaches allows children.

Okay.

So if somebody's going somewhere with just adults, Sandals would be the—

so, and real quick, for those that don't know, what is Sandals and Beaches? I mean, like you said, all-inclusive, but what are they?

They're 5-star luxury all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Okay. So like you fly there and everything's included. You can get butler service, you can get free scuba diving lessons. They have kids' day out programs where you can once again put your children into those camps. And then they also have a separate one-on-one, same thing like the cruise lines, you know, if you need a little more one-on-one attention. Yeah. They have an hourly rate where you can get some one-on-one. So So you can kind of get a break too. Because as parents with special needs, anybody will tell you this, it's, it's hard enough being a parent of children, but having a special needs child always puts that

little bit of extra on there.

Yeah.

So you need that break. And the fact that these cruise lines and these all-inclusive places are willing to give parents that needed break and find ways to make it more inclusive and make you feel more like you're on vacation, that's just a dream to parents with special needs.

I mean, it's incredible that this is something— it's not just that, it's incredible that they're thinking about that because, I mean, like, you don't think of it as being a large market of people, right? And so, like, they don't necessarily have to be doing this, right? But they're doing it because it seems like they genuinely care about people having a good experience no matter what their situation is.

Exactly.

Which, I mean, that's good business right there.

It is. And there's a lot of places statewide. I mean, there's places all around the world. These are just like the top that are setting the bar. But like here in Texas, in San Antonio, there's an amazing place called Morgan's Wonderland. The guy that started that, his daughter had severe special needs and everywhere he took her, he didn't ever feel like that there was really a place for her. So he wanted to design a place that was inclusive for everyone. He has the only water park in the world for wheelchair use. You can actually trade out your wheelchair and get either another power wheelchair or one of their wheelchairs, get it wet, play all day. Everything's accessible.

It's pretty awesome. Yeah, wheelchair accessible rides. Every ride in there you can drive your wheelchair onto. And it's also set for autism because another thing with having somebody with autism is they don't do as well with large crowds, right? So it's set up so they don't take more than 75 visitors a day. So if anybody ever wants to go there, you need to buy your tickets early before you actually—

So I imagine he fills up pretty quick.

Yes, he fills it pretty quick because, you know, having those needs met. I actually read a story because they have wheelchair swings, which is like you can take your wheelchair, kind of clamp it in, and you can swing in your wheelchair.

Uh-huh.

And there was a man that he had never swung on a swing in his life, and he got to experience that. People fly from all over the world to go to that park. It's the only one in the world that's fully accessible. And they cater so much. There's even a water park in the park. there that has warm water. So if your child's sensitive to cold water, they can just be in that one area. It's amazing.

How, how, how long has this place been around?

Uh, well, I think since 2010, but the water park's only been open about 2 years.

Okay, wow. So it's relatively new.

Yes.

I mean, like, that's— I mean, it's only 10 years old for the whole thing.

Yes.

I mean, that— I mean, like, that— it takes a while for you to get notoriety and, like, people to get the word out. I mean, and like, you know, it's San Antonio. I mean, like, it's not like a— it's a destination place because of the Alamo, but like, not a lot of people are going there for like anything else.

Yes. It's just an amazing place.

What's it called again?

It's called Morgan's Wonderland.

Okay. I'll have to link that up in the show notes. That's a cool one.

Yeah, because the other thing is most people who have an autistic child know that their diet is very Like, that's crucial. You have to keep their diet a certain way.

Okay.

They allow you to bring all your own food in.

Okay.

So you don't have to worry about going to that park and finding out—

You can bring whatever you need.

Whatever you need. You can even go out and come back in. They, they allow you to kind of go in and out. They give you like a bracelet. So you walk out, you go get your food, go get your ice chest, come back in, sit down at the picnic tables, eat your lunch, take it back out, go back and enjoy the rest of the day.

That's incredible.

It's amazing.

Well, Heidi, one of the other things that's amazing is our new show sponsor, Paul the Plumber. Paul the Plumber, taking care of all your plumbing needs. If you need a good plumber, you can reach out to Paul at 832-521-3252, or you can reach out to Deborah, who handles all of their scheduling, at deborah@paultheplumberllc.com. I know they're always happy to hear from you guys and looking forward to taking care of all of your plumbing needs. I have to tell you guys, I was on Facebook the other day and I actually saw a post from Paul and one of their guys. There was a job that just needed— this house needed the water line fixed, and it was such a

complicated job that they were having to literally bring in lights to get down in this hole to fix the water main line so that these These people could have water in their house again. It was just so cool to see a company that was so committed to taking care of their customers that they were willing to work well into the night to make sure that these folks were taken care of. So if you want quality care and want to get your house taken care of or your business taken care of, give Paul the Plumber a call again at 832-521-3252. I know they'll get you taken care of because they've told me that they will.

Thank you.

Heidi, what are some of the unique places that are doing some interesting things for special needs families?

Well, I mean, Sandals and Beaches are doing some amazing things with the one-on-one nanny time.

Yeah, pull that right in front of you right there.

Oh, I'm sorry about that.

There you go.

And then of course, you know, the cruise lines are doing it with the pagers and the cell phones for the parents to be able to leave their children and go do kind of their own thing. I know we talked a little bit about that, but there are other places I know London is a great city to go to. It's really accessible. It's autism-friendly. Mesa, Arizona was actually named as one of the most certified autism cities in the world to go see.

Right.

You know, you're outside most of the time when you're there. So, I mean, of course it's sensory-friendly. Yeah.

Anytime you're outside, it's sensory-friendly for everybody.

Exactly. So going outdoors, like national parks, they have like these amazing little Every national park that you go to has some kind of badges or things that you can get. So you can go to almost any national park. They usually have tons of accessibility. Your kids are going to love it if they got any kind of sensory issues because they're outside, they're exploring. They have to do little things like find the red birds that are out here, count how many you see. They give them a map. They give them specific things to do. So if you're an RVer, that's a great way to get out and see the world with your kids that have special needs.

Yeah. Do they make RVs that are, I would imagine they do, that are wheelchair accessible?

They do. They're actually— I actually used to work for the RV industry.

Really?

Yes. So I did see before I left there that they were coming out with the ramps that actually come down and make it fully handicap accessible. While I was there, they actually had one that was one of the units in the shop that was being worked on, and it was just— it was huge. I don't know if you've ever seen the inside of the RVs.

I have, yeah.

So you know how some of them are just real fancy, very magnificent.

I mean, absolutely. Yeah.

And then you know how you were talking about your doorways, how wide they were? And so just imagine this amazing, magnificent bus on wheels, only a little bit larger on the inside because it's more accessible.

So is this a motorcoach or an RV?

It was— well, it's a motorcoach, but still an RV. I mean, recreational vehicle, right? Yeah, I know the lingo is kind of weird when you first start learning it.

Well, because like for me, like when you say RV, I think Yes, travel trailer. Right. And then when you say like anything else to me is a motorcoach because it's got, you know, that, that thing you can drive.

Yeah. Yeah. And the seats are even accessible. I mean, it's, it's just amazing what they're coming out with now. So it's, it's a pretty amazing world.

Yeah. Well, and this, this, this may be a little off topic, but it's something I'm actually kind of interested in. Do you, do you think that with the way things are going with cars right now, That it's going to be more accessible for people in wheelchairs and special needs to actually get transportation independently.

Oh, yeah! Nowadays, they have those vehicles that drive themselves. My husband and I actually talked about, wouldn't it be amazing if our son can't use his legs to operate the brake and the gas pedal because he's got very stiff muscles? It may not be medically OK for him to ever drive, but if he had a vehicle that could drive him wherever he wanted to go.

Right.

Like that. Like the DoorDash, I think, delivery or whatever it is. Is that what it is?

DoorDash does do food delivery, yeah.

But did they— don't they have the car that does the food that drives itself?

Oh, I don't— I think they're coming out with one. I, I saw it. I saw an article about a delivery service that's, uh, introducing a self-driving car.

Yes.

Um, but it's, it's not gonna be— it's gonna be unmanned.

Yes.

Yeah.

But something like that for my son, you know, it could drive itself. He could just tell it where he wants to go. Get in with his wheelchair. They do have wheelchair-accessible vans where you can drive right up to the steering wheel. But maybe if your limbs aren't able to actually maneuver the pedals or the steering wheel— cosmetically, you have to be able to drive it. Between those 2 things, I don't see why it couldn't be a possibility.

I know some of the newer Teslas are fully self-driving capable. Now, you're not allowed to let them do that. I mean, there's like certain things that they have to implement on the vehicle. Like you have to like have your— there's— it's so funny. They— you have to have your hand on the wheel every so often with these cars.

Yes.

But so like now there's guys that are creating these hacks to get around it. So they put like— they buy like these hand clamps that you put on the steering wheel. It's weird. I tell you the other thing that's weird is they, they have these drones in Dubai that are like taxis. Have you, have you heard about these?

I haven't.

So it's for like luxury hotels and things like that, but basically it'll take you from building to building. But they're self-contained, self-piloting drones that take people from building— because the buildings there, most of the buildings are so tall and the suites are up on the top.

Yes.

And so they hire these drones to come pick their execs up and take them from one building to another. It's incredible to me that we have that, but not self-driving cars. We can do the drones, which I would be freaked out.

A little bit.

I have no control over that. It would just bother me. I would need a joystick or something. In case of emergency, you can crash yourself.

Right? Something.

I need some control over the situation.

The future, though, there's so many possibilities because technology being where it is today, like what you said with Tesla and with the the drones and just everything. So we just don't know where it's gonna go. But they definitely have so many accessible options. Like I was saying about that Abilities Expo I was telling you about before the show, they show all the new products, all the new vehicles that are out, all the new, I mean, you just, you have a world of things to go look at to see what's available. I don't see why it couldn't happen.

So what, 'cause I think you brought that up a couple times. What have been some of the cooler things that you saw at the expo you went to?

So the standing wheelchair was one of the coolest things. You basically get in the wheelchair, you're sitting down, and they actually took a video of my son. He was one of the first ones to get to try out the standing wheelchair at the Abilities Expo the year that we went. So it was his first time standing up on his own. You basically switch the joystick, you push the button, and you stand up into a full standing position. And then you can push it again to sit back down. So you can drive it everywhere you wanna go. And let's say that you have limited mobility, but you can't ever get to the top shelf. And maybe you wanna go to the grocery store and go shopping and get the

cereal, but it's on the top shelf. Right. Well, now you got this standing wheelchair where you can get up and do that. So it's pretty amazing. They have bicycles now that are built more towards accessibility. So you can actually like put your child in the front. It's kind of like a seat and you can bicycle around and they have a nice little area where they can be secured. Rock climbing wall, they have an accessible rock climbing wall. climbing wall. It's just, it's amazing what they have there. But it's not just about the equipment. It's about the resources that are available. And there's always new resources out there. Like one of my good friends runs a nonprofit. She's trying to make the world more accessible because both of her boys are in a wheelchair. So there's just a ton of

awesome resources out there.

Is this the friend you were telling me about before the show that Tim Tebow built the house for?

Yes. Tim Tebow built the house on Fixer Upper.

Fixer Upper.

Yep.

Is that the— what's—

I think you told me what station that Oh, I can't remember the station, but it's The Kopp Family is what it's called.

The Kopp Family. We'll have to see if I can find like a YouTube video I can link up on that because that's, that's a cool— that's an incredible story.

Yeah, Tim Tebow basically built them a fully accessible home for both of their boys.

So, and I think what you were telling me about that is like, she had the first child and they're like, this is just like a rare anomaly that, you know, never happens to anybody twice. And then sure enough, here it came Yes. Right?

Yeah. And they've had a lot of problems finding the right medical necessities because cost-wise, you know, when you have a special needs child like that, it's not always easy to find the finances to fund everything that they had to do. So I know Melissa had told me a little bit about it and she had let me know that sometimes they had to make really hard decisions on what equipment they could afford and what equipment they couldn't. And they have went, you know, to the state and now they're in a good position where they have everything that they need. But, right. You know, back then when they didn't have a good home and they didn't have the accessible options and they were both working and both

trying to find out what resources were out there, it's not easy. And she has a book actually that talks a lot about— it's a very inspirational story.

So one of the other things I wanted to make sure and talk about before we wrap things up is you've just— you've gone through quite a bit of training in order to have like some— there's like certifications that you have now, right?

Yes.

In order to help families out with special needs.

Yes.

So tell us a little bit about that because, I mean, you should be proud.

I am.

That you've got this now because I think it probably gives you a little bit more knowledge and equipment is probably the word I'm looking for. I don't know what the word I'm looking for, but you have more tools in the tool chest now, right?

Right, exactly.

So tell us a little bit about that.

So I'm a certified special needs travel advocate. And basically what that means is—

Sounds very official.

It's very official.

Very official.

I love it. Got my little lapel here. I was gonna say, is that your little—

okay.

Yeah. So basically what that means is I had to go through some different training courses because personally I know a lot about wheelchairs and what's available. I felt like I probably got through the tests a little easier than some other people may. But the testing kind of lets you know what to look for, what kind of questions to ask. If somebody calls me and they need a wheelchair, I need to know how tall they are, how much do you weigh? Because a heavier set man can't fit into something that a normal person can. And if somebody's got a small child, they need a different size wheelchair than that bigger man may. If somebody's on oxygen, you need to know how

much oxygen do you use? Is it something that you need every now and then, or is it something that you need full-time?

Hmm.

If somebody does need a walker, what kind of walker do they need? Do they need one that just helps them walk, or do they get periods of leg pains or cramps so that maybe they need a way to sit? People may even need a Hoyer lift, excuse me, which that basically is maybe you can't transfer that person Oh, you mean you're not strong enough to actually—

I got you. Okay.

So, um, they have to bring their own slings and their own chains from home, but that Hoyer lift is a lot to put onto a cruise ship. So if somebody does have somebody who's bedridden, not only can you get a Hoyer lift, but you can also get a special bed that's accommodated for that. And that's a lot of equipment that you don't have to bring. Yeah. So having that kind of certification and knowing that I can help those clients who maybe never thought travel was a possibility, yeah, is amazing. Now I'm not I'm not actually a certified autism travel agent yet. I know a whole lot about autism, but that's actually a separate certification that I'm

working on right now, which is pretty awesome.

How long does it take to get something like that?

Sometimes it could take about a month. It just depends on the training that I go through because every certification is different. And you never know for sure until you're going through the courses because if you don't pass it the first time, you've got to take it over again to get to the next segment. So some are very extensive and some of them you just breeze Okay. But for me, because I've lived it, I feel like sometimes the testing is a little easier on my end because I'm going through it every day.

Yeah. I mean, you kind of organically experienced it. And so, it's like, oh, these are the questions that I sort of figured out how to ask along the way.

Yes.

Right?

Yeah. Or these are the things that I already know to look for, like grab bars, wider doorways, looking for the LIP, the zero gravity entrance pool, which is like a pool that you can take a beach wheelchair and roll it right into instead of having, you know, no entrance. You have to take the stairs to get into this. So there's a lot of things that I look for for my son that now I'm able to look for these people. But I know a little bit more about other things. Like, I don't live with autism on a daily basis.

Right.

I know a lot about it because I have a lot of friends with kids with autism. I don't live with oxygen on a daily basis. But there's a lot of people out there that I'm sure do have somebody with that need. I don't have somebody who needs a walker, but I want to know about these kind of things because my son isn't the only need that people have. There's a lot of people that have differentiation of needs, and somebody may have somebody with autism who's in a wheelchair. It can be both.

Yeah. So have you, have you dealt much with, uh, issues of like blind and Deaf or in any of those areas?

So I haven't personally, but I do know that hearing accessible rooms are a big thing nowadays. And are you familiar with what is in a hearing accessible room?

No.

Okay, so let's say you take Grandma with you on that trip and you guys are on a cruise and Grandma forgot to put her hearing aids in, but you said, hey Grandma, at 9 o'clock I'm gonna come get you. We're gonna get off the ship, we're gonna go into the port, but Grandma can't hear you knocking because Grandma forgot to put her hearing aids in and she's getting kind of irritated because you didn't show at 9 o'clock. Well, in a hearing accessible room, there are lights.

That flash?

Yes. To let Grandma know there's somebody at the door, there's somebody calling, there's somebody— So a hearing impaired room is an amazing thing, and it's available in a lot of hotels as well. Braille is a huge thing. If somebody can't see very well, they need that Braille, because Braille is something that most people may not think of, But that's the only way they can get around. Exactly. And every cruise line has it. Most hotels have it on theirs as well. And airlines actually cater to disabilities as well. So if you do have somebody with a hearing impairment or visual impairment, special needs, when you call me, I'm able to say, hey, these are the things that my clients need,

right? So it's expedited. Yeah, if you have anyone with special needs, you're usually expedited onto the plane, so you're one of the first. I always tell my staff, All of a sudden, he gets this VIP entrance. So same way with the cruise lines. You're expedited on. You're the first ones on. You're the first ones off because they know your child can't stand in those long lines. Your elderly grandma can't stand in those long lines. So they make it enjoyable.

Yeah, absolutely! I was actually at a meeting, I think it was about a month ago now, and I ended up meeting a real estate agent that specializes in finding homes for That's amazing. Isn't it?

Yeah.

And my initial thought was that would be an amazing podcast.

But who would listen?

That was my second thought. I was like— well, we may still end up doing it just because it's fascinating to me.

It is fascinating.

Because there's lots of things that you don't think about that they need because they can't Yes. And so, like, what would they need in a house? I mean, it's just like my mind immediately started— I, like, I probably cornered this lady longer than she wanted to be cornered because I was peppering her with questions. She's like, who is this guy?

That's amazing though. I mean, because even though those people in particular may not be able to listen to the show, there's definitely other people that will hear that. They can say, hey, my brother's looking for that, right? You know, I know this agent now that I can call. call to help my brother, or text.

Yeah, a couple people I've mentioned that, that show topic to have said that it's like, no, everybody knows somebody, and that's, that's how you get people the right kind of help.

That's exactly right.

So we'll probably end up doing it. It was just like the irony of it that—

I get that. But no, I think it would be a great show. I really think a lot of people, you know, because the deaf community is not one that's talked about as much anymore. It actually used to be.

Yeah, it did. It did. So there's a couple of jokes I could make there that are just inappropriate, but—

Please don't.

I won't. I won't. So, well, and on that note, you were actually telling me earlier about the way in which people sometimes approach special needs people.

Yes.

And, and how that can sometimes be a positive experience for those that are special needs or a negative experience. And you gave me a couple of examples of the way that you've seen some people been approached.

Yes.

Just for the people listening to this show that may have a little bit of awkwardness in themselves, not having been around that much, Could you give us some examples of some ways that you've seen this not handled well?

Yeah.

Because I think that sometimes it's good to hear that, like, one, other people are as dumb as me and maybe have not handled this right, and that there is a better way to engage.

Yeah, I definitely agree. So, like, my son has cerebral palsy and he's in a wheelchair. It's very common for people to walk up to him to me and ask what happened because as humans, we're inquisitive.

Sure.

I mean, why would you not want to know? Especially if it's somebody I'm making a friend with or somebody that wants to get to know more about him. You know, they need to know the backstory. Backstory is always the best. So asking something like that, hey, what happened? You know, I mean, and most people feel weird just asking that. Can you tell me what happened?

Right. Because I think people watching from the outside might go, well, that's a really rude question.

Yes. It's not. We're humans. Like I said, we're inquisitive. It's natural, right? Yeah. Um, but I did have somebody walk up to me once and ask what was wrong with my son. That's not necessarily a good way to approach the situation because there's nothing wrong with him.

And I think when you were telling me about, like, they actually said that, like, in front of him.

Yes.

Who's fully capable of understanding what he just heard.

Exactly. Right. Okay. Yeah. So then he might be thinking, what is wrong with me? Is there something?

I didn't know there was anything wrong with me.

I got something in my teeth? So yeah, it's just wording it properly. Most parents with special needs kids have no problem telling their story, 'cause usually they're inspirational stories.

Right.

So if you want to ask somebody, they're usually open to, unless they're having a bad day, like anybody else, they may not wanna share. But the other thing is, is when we went to the Abilities Expo, we actually met these 2 women that were just gorgeous, and they were both in a wheelchair, both had different special needs, but they had won the Miss Texas Wheelchair Beauty Pageant. beauty pageant.

Okay.

Which I thought was amazing that they even have that. Didn't even know. Uh, so of course I wanted my son to get his picture done with them because, you know, these are beauty queens. You need your picture with them.

Yeah.

So he got his picture done and we were standing there talking to him and, um, a lady walked by and, you know, unbeknownst to her, she, she really downplayed what they were doing and started saying, oh my gosh, that's so cute, I can't— you know, and talking to them like they were children. And you just saw these girls' face just dropped. Like, I can't believe she's talking to us like that.

How old were these girls?

They were probably in their 20s.

Okay.

So they were old enough to know, you know. And so that lady, I don't think, meant any harm the way she said what she said, right? But these are still humans. They still want to be interactive with people, and they don't want to be talked down to like they're— what they're doing is any less significant than what you or I would be doing. Yeah. And talking to them face to face and carrying on a conversation is the best way that you can get in touch with somebody with special needs. Most of them have great sense of humor.

Right. Yeah.

As I believe we've talked about. So it's, it's an amazing experience to get to know somebody with special needs. They, they're an inspiration.

Yeah.

And they just, they make you feel better about being, being alive and being a person and, and getting to be involved. Everybody who's involved in Tanner's life, I'm Tanner's mom. I'm not Heidi. I'm not your local travel— I'm Tanner's mom.

Yeah.

He's my, he's my extreme VIP specialist. He's the star. You're the support Exactly. Our world centers around Tanner.

And you're okay with that?

I'm very okay with that. He's just amazing.

That's amazing. You have an incredible family and an incredible story. I really appreciate you coming on the show and sharing it with us.

I really appreciate you having me.

Is there anything that we haven't covered that we need to, we need to chat about?

Well, do you want to talk about what I left and what I— I don't know if you still want to talk about that.

Are you talking about the questions at the end of the show?

Yes.

The final 4! Yes, let's do the final 4. All right, so these are the same 4 questions that we ask all our guests at the end of every episode. It's what you all anticipate and long for every time you download The Homeowner's Show. All right, so the very first question: What is the one tool you won't leave the home without?

My iPad.

Your iPad?

Yes, it's a great way to show people my resources.

There you go. Now see, the number one answer on the homeowner show is is my phone. Huh? You were the first one to say my iPad.

My iPad. It's a little bigger.

It's at least that's right.

And I may have left home without it tonight. Oh no! Because I'm in studio, you know, so I didn't think I needed it. Hypocrite. I know.

My goodness. All right. So question number two. Hang on, let's see if I can remember this because Kevin's not here. Kevin always asks the questions. So what is a job you walked away from?

Well, actually, I worked in the RV industry. Yep. And I made a lot of money working in that industry. I was, um, kind of one of the— I wasn't like a manager, but I was just somebody that my manager talked to a lot. And I loved my boss. I loved my job. It was a great job. It paid really good, but it wasn't my passion, right? And I wanted to I've always had a heart for special needs. I've always just, you know, I love sharing my story about my son. I'm sure you can tell.

Yeah.

So it's just something that it was like now or never, you know? I mean, when you really have that passion and you see an opportunity, why not go for it?

Absolutely.

So I just left and said, I'm gonna do it.

Just took a big old leap.

Big old leap.

That's awesome.

It's been amazing.

Well, I'm glad it hasn't been bad.

Well, I mean, we all have our bad days, but it's been more amazing than bad.

There you go. All right, question number 3: How do you wind down at the end of a long day?

Uh, I'm a movie addict.

Oh, really?

But old school movies and romance.

Like, what are we talking when we say old school?

Like Gone with the Wind.

Gone with the Wind. Okay.

The King and I. Um, I don't know, I'm a hopeless romantic.

Okay.

Probably never heard of Kate and Leopold.

I know Kate and Leopold.

Yeah, stuff like that.

Okay. So no, I've— I, I'm, I'm an old movie buff myself, so I like— some of my favorite movies are the old with stuff.

So they were timeless. I mean, you don't get that anymore.

No, no, not at all. In fact, if you're a big Gone with the Wind fan, for my wife's birthday this year, it's her favorite book, so I found her a first edition.

That's awesome.

Yeah, so she just finished reading it and she's fixing to put it in a case on the wall. So she was real— that was one, I was super lucky Yeah, it's a rare book. Yeah, so, and I just found it in a bookshop. I mean, it was somebody sold it to the bookstore.

That's amazing. That's amazing.

So anyway, I got husband points for that one.

Good job.

Thank you. I do it all for the score. So the 4th and final question, what's one of the best pieces of wisdom or advice someone's ever given you?

Well, actually, Katherine Betts is the girl that owns the travel company that I work with now.

Okay.

And her best advice was chase your passion. So I do special needs and I do a little bit of— I dabble in a little bit of other travel. Most people who book with me that aren't special needs, they're supporting what I do, right? But her best piece of advice was chase your passion. Yeah, stop everything else. Just do that.

Put all your chips right over there.

And it was a great idea. I mean, I've had everybody that's reached out to me that's had some kind of special need. I've just— I've loved it. And I'm like, if I could pick anything anything, that would be where I would be. And so she said, well, let's stop everything else and go there. It was great advice.

Yeah. Well, I mean, and I hope a lot of people listen to this show. I mean, like, I didn't even realize until I met you that that was an area of need in the travel industry. You know, like, I would— one, because it's not my life experience, right? Right. And so, like, but now that, like, I'm talking to you, we're doing this show, and you and I have had several conversations, it's like, well, of Of course this needs to happen. Of course this needs to be a position. Of course this person needs to exist in order to help these people because like they need good vacations too.

Yeah.

And you know, people who are helping regular people don't know how to help people like that.

No, especially like if you're not living it or you don't see it. Like what you said, you don't know it exists.

Yeah.

How can you help somebody if you don't know what's out there?

Yeah, you don't know the problem.

Yeah.

How can I find the solution?

Exactly.

Well, all right. So the 5th and secret question of the final 4.

Ooh, there's a secret question. There's a secret question.

get a hold of you if they want to find you?

Uh, well, they can call my cell, 936—

You're giving out your cell phone on the Homeowner Show?

I will give it out.

I'll tell you, is that a bad idea? That's risky business.

I don't mind.

I mean, fire away.

But they can call me anytime they want. All right. Uh, or they can text. Oh, which is also a great way to communicate if you don't want to have to make phone calls. Yeah, so easiest way to get a hold of me, 936-207-0838. Or you can check Shoot me an email, hlsmith@nhsvoyages.com.

There you go.

You can also check out my Facebook page, which is NHS Voyages for Special Needs.

Okay, are you just on Facebook or anywhere else?

Uh, well, we have a website, but it's the owner's website. It's nhsvoyages.com, so they can go there, and if they get a hold of Catherine, she'll direct them over to me. Okay, say, hey, Catherine, heard about you on this podcast. Need to get in touch with Heidi. Awesome. She's actually revamping her website a little bit, so it'll have me on there. She just put together an amazing team. So it's a local travel agency out of The Woodlands. Okay. And Catherine's just— she's amazing. I mean, I've never met anybody like her before.

Awesome. We'll link all that up in the show notes and make sure everybody gets a hold of that. Anything else before we call it a night?

I mean, unless you have another secret question.

I don't have any more secret questions.

I kept that one close to the vest. You did. You You did a great job.

Well, thank you guys so much for joining us this week. We are glad that you could be with us here on The Homeowner Show. If you have not yet, go ahead and hit the subscribe button there. Leave us a review, comments, Facebook follows, Instagram follows. You can reach out to us on Twitter, but we probably won't respond. Um, any way that you can connect with us, we'd be glad to hear from you. You can always reach us at info@homeownershow.com, and we are here every Tuesday, bringing you guys the best information about owning your home, and this week about how to travel away from it. So until then, we'll see you next time. Bye!