Treasures of our Town
Embark on an exhilarating voyage through the heart of America's captivating towns and cities with the enthralling travel podcast, "Treasures of our Town." Join your experienced hosts, Craig (Seemyshell) and Joshua (Geocaching Vlogger), as they unveil the hidden gems and extraordinary treasures that lie beyond the surface.
Delve into a world of cultural exploration as our hosts guide you through historical sites, natural splendours, and extraordinary local experiences. All their travels are guided by their love of outdoor games like Geocaching and Munzee. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or a curious beginner, our captivating city tours and off-the-beaten-path destinations will ignite your wanderlust and leave you inspired.
Are you ready for an unforgettable adventure? Tune in now and prepare to immerse yourself in the allure of "Treasures of our Town." Let us ignite your curiosity, fuel your desire for exploration, and set your spirit free as we unravel the secrets that make each town a true treasure trove.
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Website - www.treasuresofourtown.buzzsprout.com
Email - treasuresofourtownpodcast@gmail.com
Treasures of our Town
Top 10 Business Travel Tips w/ Anthony Pizzuto (Geeky a Go Go)
Ever had your rubber mats disappear into a parallel universe? Join us on this episode of "Treasures of Our Town" as Joshua hilariously recounts his bizarre car wash saga that spirals into a conspiracy theory featuring missing mats and alternate realities. It's a wild ride you won't want to miss! Along with this quirky tale, we introduce a new travel trend coined as "raw-dogging" — embracing the thrill of spontaneous adventures. Anthony, our seasoned traveling guest, joins us to share invaluable tips for work-related trips, ensuring even the most planned traveler finds inspiration.
Anthony Pizzuto brings to the table a rich blend of expertise from his multi-faceted career in hospitality and his geeky passions. As someone who clocks 55,000 air miles annually, he's got the scoop on making the most of your travel time. From the hidden perks of airline club access to the importance of having backups for your gadgets, Anthony's insights are pure gold for business travelers. We'll also touch on managing multiple streaming subscriptions and the allure of driverless cars, ensuring there's something for every tech enthusiast and travel geek alike.
We're all about celebrating local gems and the unique treasures each town has to offer. From finding local dining spots over fast-food chains to reconnecting with old friends through social media, this episode is packed with heartfelt stories and practical tips. We also highlight the pride we have in our hometowns and encourage listeners to support our podcast through Patreon and social media. Join us for a show filled with laughter, travel wisdom, and a genuine appreciation for the places we call home.
There's a new trend going out of people having videos of themselves. And Josh, have you seen this? Yeah, they call it raw-dogging. I'm going to raw-dog this flight.
Speaker 3:Do you love to travel? Do you love road trips? Do you love finding hidden treasures in towns all over the USA?
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Joshua, and I'm Joshua and I'm Craig. Welcome to Treasures of Our Town. It's the podcast that explores the unique and charming towns scattered throughout the United.
Speaker 3:States. Join us as we venture into some of the country's most intriguing destinations, uncovering hidden gems and local secrets along the way.
Speaker 1:On today's episode, Josh, we've got a person who is actually you know what. He's a non-geocacher. Again. Like last week, like last episode, we didn't know he had more about the travel, and this time as well, this guy is all about the travel. He's got his own podcast not a travel podcast, but he will sound good for it, I'm sure of that and he travels all over the USA for work purposes, and that's what we're going to talk to him about today Because, as you know, Josh, you travel for work, don't you? Oh?
Speaker 3:yes, I do, yeah. And so I just want to say to all the geocachers listening now, don't just like scroll away, no, no, I guess you can't scroll away from a podcast. Don't just hit pause, don't just turn it off, don't go fast forward, forward. Yeah, don't do that.
Speaker 1:We're gonna tell we'll talk to him about geocaching, of course, just like we, just like we did with jack norton, uh, two weeks ago, but he's gonna give us some real fun travel tips yeah, some really good ones too for those people who aren't geocachers out there, who don't have the geocaching app or munzee app or whatever, and what they do when they go to these places, josh, and they don't know they're there for work purposes, you see, and they don't have the geocaching app or Munzee app or whatever. And what they do when they go to these places, josh, and they don't know they're there for work purposes, you see, and they don't know what to do with themselves, where to eat, where to drink, where to amuse themselves during these times. So there we go, right, yeah, right.
Speaker 3:But, craig, before we get to Anthony, we need to talk about our upgrades and delays. And let's just say this week there were a lot of actual delays. Yes, in the whole world. Yes, as people were stuck in airports and stuck in cities that they didn't want to necessarily be stuck in because of the Microsoft. I think it was like a Microsoft outage or something like that.
Speaker 1:It was some IT outage somewhere that affected a lot of places worldwide, including Australia as well. So, yes, there was a lot of delays in all. But, Josh, what is your personal delay for this episode?
Speaker 3:Oh boy, here we go. Are you ready? Yeah, I'm ready. Markle up. This is a mini story. I'll try not to make it long. Okay, I up. Yeah, this is a mini story.
Speaker 1:I'll try not to make it long okay, I went to a car wash this week. Oh, do you know where I'm going with this? I do I, because I follow you on your instagram, mate. Oh my god, it's all over your instagram.
Speaker 3:Yeah, keep going. Okay, so I'll try to make it quick. I go to a car wash. It's one of those full service car washes where they, they vacuum it out for you, they wash it. You know all the things. Right, I walk, I drive up a guy with the ipad says would you like the to have the add-on where you, we spray off your rubber mats. And I look down in my car and I look and look at my rubber mats and they're dirty. I was like, yes, add that two dollar extra.
Speaker 3:I pull up into the vacuum station, I get out of my car and then I head into the car wash, where you go down the hallway to wash, watch your car be washed. Yeah, um, they're vacuuming out, there's spraying the mats off. So I think, and I'm all done, they go through the. I watch my car go through the car wash. I get back in my car at the end of the car wash and I look down, craig, and the rubber mats are gone. What, dun, dun, dun, what.
Speaker 3:And I'm like, oh no, they must have given the rubber mats. Yeah, you know, accidentally put the rubber mats maybe in somebody else's car. Yeah, or they just forgot to put them back in, yeah, so I pull back around and I go to back to ipad, kid who, um, who I gave my money to, yeah, and he's like, oh, okay, uh, sorry, so he goes, gets the manager takes five minutes. The manager comes out. He goes, yeah, um, what, what's the? What's the seems to be the problem. Um, I, I went through. I was like I went through the car wash, yeah, and then the rubber mats. I'm looking at it, the floor is clean, but the mats are gone. It must have went to some other car that must be back back where the vacuum thing is. So he leaves, comes back. He goes, yeah, uh, you don't have rubber mats, what? And I'm like what, are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:there's a word for that, josh I was being gaslit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, gaslighting, exactly he was. He was making me think I was crazy. He's like no, they, you know, you don't, you didn't have them. There were no black mats. I was like what? I was like, a hundred percent from my memory, I paid for them.
Speaker 1:Here's the receipt oh, so you showed the receipt oh, yeah, here's the receipt.
Speaker 3:Yeah, says I paid the two dollars for it. He's like no, you never had them, they were never there I'm like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:then why would you ask if you want your mats done if they weren't there? And then why would you pay for them to have them done if they weren't there?
Speaker 3:That's the key. Why did I pay for them? Because I remember looking at them. Right Now, the iPad kid I give him a little bit of grace there because he's not necessarily looking inside my car.
Speaker 2:He's just trying to sell.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's trying to upsell me, right? So I mean, from that perspective, yes, but I saw them with my eyes. Craig, I was like and I kept explaining to the guy 100%, I had black mats and now they're gone. He's like, no, no, you can look at the video footage. I was like what? I was like I don't have time for this, so I left. I I was like I don't have time for this, so I left. I came back later that evening, when you did have time, when I had time to look, and I went into the back room a different manager. I look at the footage and the footage that they showed me of me. They showed me getting out of my car. Yeah, they pulled it up and, craig, I don't know what's going on, but they didn't pull any black mats out of my car. What?
Speaker 1:so maybe you are going the mat.
Speaker 3:So either I'm going crazy, yeah, or um, they didn't show me the complete footage of like when they took the mats out, like there might be, because they pull the forward again be a mat so I was like yeah, is there a difference? Where's the mat station? And they were trying to explain to me though their process, so maybe they did lose them and they're trying to cover their steps. Did they, craig? Did they edit the video?
Speaker 1:It's not an attempted assassination you know oh gosh Conspiracy theory. The conspiracy theory of the mats the geocaching vlogger conspiracy theory. The conspiracy theory of the mats the geocaching vlogger conspiracy theory has been created here's what.
Speaker 3:Here's what I think happened. Craig, I'm sorry this is a long delay that's all right, it was really a big deal. Yeah, I think when I got out my car and went to that hallway, I entered a new timeline. Oh so you're like marty mcfly?
Speaker 3:well, like, yeah, like a timeline where I don't have mats didn't exist in my car, a glitch in the matrix it was, and that if anywhere of there would be a portal, it would be a car wash. I think so, yeah, so I you know, I was telling everybody at my work the story and I was like asking questions like who's the president?
Speaker 2:To make sure everything was the same.
Speaker 3:It was the same, because if there's something else that changed, here's a question for you though.
Speaker 1:Did any of your work colleagues or Tammy or any of your kids say to you oh yeah, you definitely had black mats in there, Did you ask them?
Speaker 3:Okay, they were uncertain what yeah Rhys was like, like I don't know if there were black mats in there and then I talked to my youngest yeah, I talked to my youngest, hayden, who has been, who has been um has this permit and he's like dad, I think in the front seat, at least in the driver's side, there was a black mat there, there you go, I was like thank you somebody, but most people were not validating me tell me, did tammy validate you or she doesn't know?
Speaker 1:she?
Speaker 3:thinks I'm crazy. She's like I don't. She's like I don't think we had black mats in the front well, there you go, there's your. Wow, it was there's your I just want to say craig it was disturbing and I want to know from the listeners, please reach out to us. Yeah, if you've ever had a moment like this where, like craig, 100, 100%, I saw them with my own eyes, yeah, it was a glitch, I was like they're dirty, they're messed up. They need to be sprayed off. I saw them, Craig.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like when you say you had deja vu.
Speaker 3:Is it the?
Speaker 1:same black cat. Is it exactly the same black cat that you saw? Again two seconds ago, black cat.
Speaker 3:Is it exactly the same black cat that you saw again two seconds ago? So I took so much time with my delay. That's all right, mate, that I'm not even going to share an upgrade.
Speaker 1:It was disturbing how about you craig your upgrade? Is you actually? You went out now and bought black pants, didn't you?
Speaker 3:I did, I posted it. Did you see me post it on instagram? They said I'm trying to return to my original timeline oh my, that mate.
Speaker 1:That really made me laugh. That really did. I saw that and I went oh, there he is. There you go, mate. All right, my delay is very, very quickly, and that is I've got FOMO, like you said. Remember, before Me too, I said to you about me attempting to go to Midwest Geobash in Ohio this weekend, know and having fun, but then my car and all that sort of stuff with the delay with the car. Well, now the delay has gone from all my car stuff because my car still isn't fixed, but that's okay. Uh, it's gone now towards me having the fomo about watching all the great action that's been happening in in ohio at the midwest geobash. All, everyone, everyone who's, anyone who's there. They're all camping on, they're having drinking nights in this place called Area 51, which is, after a certain time there's no kids allowed there, so it's literally alcohol and some dancing and some drinking and some fun. Yeah, so there you go, that's my guy.
Speaker 3:I have FOMO too. I saw the video of Shorty Nitz from the Geocaching Podcast. I love how they light all the fire pits with blowtorches.
Speaker 1:And they light them all with blowtorches. Make sure that they're lit. You know what I mean. That's the place, that's the Area 51. They class it as too, and a few good friends of yours and I are there as well. So you've got Jeff from Cash the Line. He was on the episode. We had an episode with him too. He's there as well. Hailmeister is there, uh, and a few others as well. So, and I would know I know a few of them listen to this podcast, and of course, jesse and and uh and scott were there too.
Speaker 3:So it's a great event. I've been there once. I've been there once. I want to get back. It's a huge event. Next to geo wood, it's the largest I believe it's the largest event in the United States. Wow, wow.
Speaker 1:It's thousands, and my car's perfectly ready to go for me just to drive in and set it up. It's already done, sorry, I've got a place to sleep, you know. Anyway, I'm getting along on the tooth now for my FOMO, because my upgrade, josh, though, is my travel needs. I've been stuck at home now for a few weeks, you know, stuck back in New Jersey, new Jor-eezy, as they say, and so now I've booked another trip to California next week for a few days, going to the northern California area of the Napa Valley sort of area.
Speaker 3:Oh, you're going to love it yeah.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, yeah, so just to get away, mate. You know what it's like. You need to get away with these things.
Speaker 3:So, craig, do do me a favor. Yeah, because I have now fomo, I have double thanks a lot, you're welcome I'm stuck in a new timeline where I don't travel at all, and so I want you to find a winery, sit down to have a glass of wine, and find a wine cat to sit next to but then you're not with me so they're not gonna to come walking over towards me, they only walk towards you.
Speaker 1:That wine cat from that video if people don't know what we're talking about we did a video, you and I, with Scott from Ojai Again, we did have him on the show.
Speaker 3:The other week as well, and we did an episode on Lompoc.
Speaker 1:On Lompoc, yeah that's it what we're talking about. Yeah, and we did an episode on Lompoc. On Lompoc, yeah, that's it what we're talking about. Yeah, yeah, exactly, so there you go. All right, josh, that's it for the time being. Do you want to just jump in straight away to Anthony? His name is Anthony and he works for Wyndham, the Wyndham Hotel chain, specifically Days In. Let's get to him, mate. So, josh, here we go. Anthony Pizzuto, mate, welcome, buddy.
Speaker 2:How are you? I am excellent, Craig and Joshua. I'm so excited to finally be here. I've been listening to you since you started, Craig. I've known you for a while and I've heard all about Joshua, and now I feel like I'm in geocaching greatness, which for me is odd because I'm not a geocacher, but I know you all are awesome geocacher.
Speaker 3:But but I but I know you all are awesome. Well, we'll get to this because, anthony, you are geocaching adjacent, because you've been seen around the world by thousands of geocachers and we'll get to that a little bit later. So there's a little, there's a little uh carrot for you geocachers that are listening exactly, exactly, and uh, yeah, I'll show you know again, josh.
Speaker 1:All these links that we're talking about are in the description anyway. So there you go, anthony mate. Before we get a crack on as well, let's just talk a little bit about yourself. I know you personally. I know you have several different side hustles that you do here, there and everywhere.
Speaker 2:Give us all of them, all of them, oh God all of them, okay, yes, I All of them, all of them, oh God, all of them, okay, yes, I guess I'm a renaissance man. I have my fingers in all kinds of different pies. So I do have a day job where I work in the hospitality industry for a hotel chain, days In by Wyndham. I'm an actor, I am a podcaster, I am a maker, I am a YouTuber, I am a fixer, I am a YouTuber, I am a fixer, I am a cosplayer. There you go, oh yeah, oh yeah. I'll send you all some pictures. And I am a husband and father to two amazing children. So, yeah, there's a lot going on in the land of Anthony Pizzuto.
Speaker 1:Well, mate, I know you personally through acting, actually Years ago when I first came over here, et cetera as well, and that's how you and I sort of met up from there. But then you said about your YouTube channel, but now you've gone into the podcasting world.
Speaker 3:And that's what I really enjoy too.
Speaker 1:I'm a big fan of the Geeky A Go Go. It's called Geeky A Go Go.
Speaker 2:Tell us what's the premise behind your podcast, mate, Sure yeah. So Geeky A Go Go. The website started back in, I think, 2017 or 18. And it was really, if we're all being honest, it was really a way for me to get press passes to Comic-Con Smart.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:It didn't work. It didn't work but I was writing, writing content and reviewing movies and things like that and and I had a few pals that were trying to help me out, but they they kind of fizzled out over time and and geeky go-go just became quiet over the last couple of years. And then every Friday I have lunch with a few pals of mine and we are nerds, we, we are cosplayers, we're star Wars geeks where and we talk about all things nerdy and finally it was like you know what, we just need to start recording these conversations and like what are we watching what's going on in the world of geekdom and things like that? And and just, we literally just said, ok, let's do it, and we recorded it and that was episode one. I think we talked about the Star Wars holiday special. It was around November of last year and we've been going every week since then. Sometimes we record while we're at lunch and so we'll be like a special live on location at such and such diner.
Speaker 2:But yeah, we talk about all things geeky. Mostly we talk about the things that are in our queues, like Netflix and Hulu, and we review them to inspire others' queues, others others entertainment tastes and to try something different. We have a disco ball rating system. One out of five disco balls. I don't know the concept of the geeky a go-go was like. I just I love that the 70s, I love the colors and the vibrancy of it and you know why not just picture a bunch of nerds on roller skates in a discotheque, you know like, so why not? Yeah, why not? So we went with the disco ball rating system. So, yeah, definitely, uh, check it out, uh, geekygogocom, and you can see all of our, uh, our upcoming episode or our previous episodes.
Speaker 3:But we get it out weekly. So, anthony, anthony, geocachers, and I'll just say this is not a geocaching podcast, but we have a lot of geocachers that listen. We we have, um, you know, people say geocaching is when, like, nerds could go outside. So, so, um, you know, we we've. We fully love the nerdy things. So, anthony, I'm just curious, what is your favorite fandom? You mentioned you've been talking about Star Wars a lot on your podcast because the acolyte that is currently out. But is Star Wars your favorite fandom or are there other? Give me your top three fandom's. It's my, my true passion, uh, my next fandom is, um, anything horror related.
Speaker 2:Uh, I love a good horror movie. I'm a big fan of, like the nightmare on Elm streets, like the classic horror, the nightmare on Elm streets, um, you know the the Friday the 13th, like the classic eighties monster uh type of films, um, and then the last, oh, a third one films and then the last or a third one, yep, oh, that's a tough one. Uh, fandoms, you know what I'm? I'm slowly getting into a studio, uh, ghibli, uh, they do a lot of anime. Um, it's uh like spirited away Um my neighbor Totoro, uh, so they're like 80s, 90s and even today, these wonderfully animated films, but they're not necessarily for kids. They're well balanced between kids and like, but a lot of grownup themes. There's one I recently watched that's very, very mature themes, um, very mature themes. Uh, you know there's this uh girl, it was um princess uh nakatomo and she grows up with the wolves and she trains to be a wolf and but there's like a lot of blood and gore and stuff like it. It's. It's really interesting. They play a fine line.
Speaker 1:So I'm really getting into that right now it's not, it's not your grandma's animation I just, I just can't believe anthony, because I know I follow you obviously you're a good friend of mine, etc. As well. I follow all your social medias and whatever as well. I can't believe you fit what you do in 24 hours a day, seven days a week, let alone you've actually got a real, a real full-time job as well, plus the, the, the fixer stuff that you do on your.
Speaker 1:he doesn't have josh. He doesn't have one YouTube channel. No, he's now got two YouTube channels Impressive. One's made by AP and the other one is fixed by AP, so he's got the two different ones from there as well.
Speaker 3:He's making stuff and fixing stuff. Thank, you. Wow, making stuff and fixing stuff, exactly, thank you. So tell us a little bit about it's a great way too, josh, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I was going to say it's a great way you think about it, fixing stuff. When we want to fix something in our house, what do we do? We always turn to YouTube. And that's where Anthony's come about, wasn't it? That's why you made it. The Fixed by AP is to try and get that evergreen video.
Speaker 2:Exactly, Exactly by AP stuff started out.
Speaker 2:The first episode was me making a costume for my daughter for Halloween, and I really wanted to be about just making practical things, whether it's props or cosplay or furniture.
Speaker 2:But then I started just to develop content, was posting videos about how to fix things how to change your laptop battery, how to fix your dishwasher, your sump pump and those are the videos that actually generate the income, the money.
Speaker 2:And so I was finding, as I was posting one or the other, I would start losing subscribers not a huge amount, but I noticed that I was like losing the people who came to me to see the model making stuff when I would post a video on how to change a laptop battery and vice versa. I was like you know what I think, at this point I need to split them off. And so now I'm moving all of every time I need to fix something and I make a video of it that goes to fixed by AP and that one I'm growing to be like the monetized channel, and then I'm really niching down on the made by AP to be more about the cosplay, the props, the models and stuff like that, so really waving the geek flag, so to speak on that channel and the Tim the Toolman Taylor on the Fixed by AP side.
Speaker 3:That sounds like a smart decision that you made. We're going to get to the travel stuff. I have one more question, because it's just very intriguing. You mentioned cosplay. Yes, do you enjoy cosplay? Is there a go-to cosplay or do you mix it up? Who do you cosplay?
Speaker 1:as.
Speaker 3:Top three, top three, oh, there's three.
Speaker 1:Top three. Oh, there's more than three.
Speaker 3:There's more than three.
Speaker 2:yes, Top three Darth Vader. So that's the one that kind of opened up the cosplay tube or the faucet. So Darth Vader and I do that with a group called the 501st Legion. They're pretty much professional costumers and we go to events to raise awareness for charities and things like that, but they're very screen accurate. It costs a lot of money, takes a lot of time to make these things, but you can't get more screen accurate than the costumes that we produce in the 501st Legion. So Darth Vader Plus, when you're dressed up as Darth Vader, you instantly become like Mick Jagger. Everybody wants your picture, everybody wants to hug you. It's like it's the most amazing experience ever. So Vader's number one, number two Robot man from Doom Patrol HBO Max is Doom Patrol.
Speaker 2:They're DC Universe comic book characters. The character is voiced by Brendan Fraser. It's a great show, very wacky show, but I did a did a cosplay for him a couple years ago at Comic-Con and he was. He was a hit and he's a fun character because he's a very mouthy character so you can say stuff that you normally wouldn't be saying and get away with it. Like you, you can flip off the camera and that's in character for him. So it's a lot of fun to be him. And then, finally, last year we debuted a pal of mine. He is a fellow cosplayer. He actually wrote a book about cosplaying. He plays Paul Bearer and I am the Undertaker.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's awesome yes yeah, and we're part of a cosplaying wrestling group called Worldwide Wrestling Cosplayers, I believe it's called. Yeah oh yeah, and there's a whole bunch of us, a whole bunch of us. There's a macho man, there's. There's a Yokozuma, there's a Hulk there's. There's a lot of people, so yeah, but but like these characters, the first two you're in a mask, so, but the last one you're not in a mask, so you really have to kind of act the character. But people just love it, they love getting you know, they love seeing a giant, thinner undertaker uh, not as beefy undertaker, uh, but no, it's, it's a lot of fun and uh, yeah, people just have a good time seeing us and taking the pictures.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and when he says giant Josh too. By the way, Anthony, he's not a small man, he's like seven foot three.
Speaker 3:How tall are you, mate? No, six foot three.
Speaker 2:I don't think he's that tall. I wish I was seven foot three. That would be amazing. I'm about six three. Yeah, yeah, six three. There you go.
Speaker 1:He's still six, three, josh. So I mean, I didn't realize. So when I see these photos of Anthony in his cosplay too, when he is Darth Vader. Darth Vader is known as being taller, more manly, more stronger than all the other players, and so he does suit the bill. Same with the Undertaker as well. He's this tall Undertaker there as well, so I knew I was hoping he'd bring the Undertaker up, anthony too, because I know how much Josh loves, loves, loves his WWF. Anyway, anthony, let's get on to why you're here and let's get into the travel content now. Shall we Now going back to your real job, your nine to five, whatever. You work for Days Inn at Wyndham. Is that right, correct?
Speaker 2:Yep, days Inn by Wyndham. It's owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, based out of New Jersey. I focus my attention on the Days Inn brand. Days Inn is a 54-year-old brand that started in Atlanta, georgia, back in 1970. Wyndham, in one of its previous iterations, purchased it in 1990. And we have about 1,500 hotels just with Days Inn across the globe. In the US we have about 1,300 of them because it is a US-centric hotel chain and so I have hotels all over the place. I have hotels that are right off the highway, I have hotels in downtown Brooklyn and Washington DC. We're a very diverse product set but having that many hotels and that many franchisees, I find myself in an airplane or in a rental car all the time.
Speaker 1:That's what I thought. That's the reason why I said to Josh I said we need to bring Anthony on. He travels so much On average. Anthony, what's your mileage in terms of your travel?
Speaker 2:I average about $55,000 a year just in air miles. So it's almost every, almost every week. I probably travel 30 weeks a year, you know, if not more. Yeah, which is crazy. I've actually been kind of on a little bit of a travel break this last few weeks, which has been fantastic so I can catch up with things around the house. But yeah, it's typically like a Monday night through. You know, either Wednesday, thursday, depending on the need.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I'll do a day trip. I've done day trips to San Antonio, like I literally get off the plane, get into the Uber, go to the hotel, do my thing, get back into the car, go back to the airport and get back to the New Jersey, like it's. It's, yeah, there's, there's a lot going on, but you know we're we're we don't own any hotels, we don't manage any hotels. We're we're a brand. So you know a franchisee will enter into agreement with us to use our marks and our trades and our standards and things like that, and so 90% of it is client services. You know you're going to meet with a potential franchisee, you're meeting with a current franchisee who might be having an issue and you want to work through it with them, you know, or just checking in on like a renovation that they might be doing.
Speaker 3:So yeah, so it's a lot of client service stuff. So, with all the flights, would you mind telling us what is your airline?
Speaker 2:of choice. I always think this is interesting. Well, I'm New Jersey based and so I'm kind of stuck with United I it's. It's the airline. They have a hub in Newark. And so that's where all my status is, that's where all my miles are. Once a year, maybe twice, I'll have to fly a Delta flight. Okay, and I wish I could fly Delta more, because they seem to have their stuff together more so than United, and I know, craig, you're a United guy as well.
Speaker 3:And I'm in Minneapolis, so I'm a Delta guy.
Speaker 2:We have a. Minneapolis is a Delta hub and I'm happy about that, yes, you're very lucky, very fortunate, uh, but yes, I'm all invested in united.
Speaker 3:okay, very good and I'm curious with with the days ends. Like you said, days ends are franchises. So when you say you go to san antonio, is that mean that some individual has like a hotel that was maybe something else and they're like like, oh, or it was just not even like a brand and they're like, no, we want to become a days in hotel. Is that what you mean by that? That's the type of thing you do Totally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's part of it. So a lot of hotels, especially in like the economy space, which would be like Red Roof, days Inn, super 8, you know, comfort, things like that they just kind of switch hands over time so you'll have like maybe a 50-year-old building but it's been four different brands and so that's part of it going down and meeting with potential franchisees to share with them why they should be a Days Inn and, being, you know, one of the two people who lead the brand, it weighs a lot when someone like me or my boss goes to visit with them. So that's part of it. Another part is if it's an established franchisee and they're going through renovation and they need an inspection, you know, or they're having trouble with something that I can help them with. You know, the FaceTime is so much better than you know, trying to deal with something over the phone. Getting a, you know, a renewal of a contract or something like that is much easier in person than over the phone. So that's what I'll yeah.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:So, anthony, we've got to hear as well top 10, top 10 travel tips for businessmen like yourself, anywhere from the airport tips to Ubers and taxis to where you stay. What do you do if you've got downtime while you're away, things like that and if cause? This is obviously a travel podcast guided by geocaching, but if you're not a geocacher like yourself, you don't know that. Oh, hang on, look at that. There's an actual pill bottle under that lamp skirt in the in the car park. So you don't know that. So there you go. So give us your top 10 tips, starting with number one, if you've got them listed.
Speaker 2:All right. So, number one always have backups. And by backups I mean there is nothing worse than getting to the airport and realizing you forgot your AirPods. And so I have actually two sets of backup headphones, one in my backpack and one in my carry on, because I am a watcher, I am a listener, and if I don't have entertainment on these flights I will go insane. And so so I cannot recommend any more than to have a backup when you're when you're traveling, and so, and also in the vein of backpacks, I mean backups making sure that everything that you need is downloaded on your device, whether it's your phone, your iPad, your computer, because Wi-Fi can be very spotty on the airplane. Wi-fi can be very spotty in the airport, and you don't want to have to be working on something and realize it's still in the cloud.
Speaker 2:But in that vein, my number two tip when you're on the plane, if the Internet is spotty this is a great chance to get to inbox zero, because you're not connected to the Internet is spotty. This is a great chance to get to inbox zero, because you're not connected to the Internet, there's no emails able to get in when you're replying to emails. When you're offline, they just go into your outbox and they'll be sent when you reconnect, and so just being able to chip away at all that stuff and catch up without the distractions that you get every minute of the day is is wonderful. And then just being able to close your laptop and say there's nothing left in my inbox until I get to the hotel and connect to the internet, it's a great. Uh, it's a great.
Speaker 1:Um, it's a great thing and going back to, uh, you having, you know, entertainment, yes, whilst you're on the airplane. I've actually seen, especially on tiktok recently, there's a new trend going out of people having videos of themselves and they josh. Have you seen this? Yeah, call it raw dogging. I'm gonna raw dog this flight. And so they're so weird. They haven't got a screen in front of them. They don't have any ear pads, they don't have they're not listening to anything.
Speaker 3:Well, they do have a screen in front of them, but they're not using it no, they're all the screen they have.
Speaker 1:They're're literally watching. You know that map of the plane flying. So, yes, oh, I'm going to raw dog this flight. Can you imagine doing that all the way to Australia, 15-hour raw dog? No thank you.
Speaker 3:This is dumb, that's so dumb.
Speaker 2:Funny kind of raw dogging. So I was taking a flight from Newark to Oregon, to Portland Oregon, and my seatmate I was upgraded to first class and my seatmate was the guy who was in Portlandia Saturday Night Live oh, fred Armisen. Fred Armisen, he was my seatmate. Oh my gosh, that's awesome. And of course it was on a flight to Portland Oregon. But he was so strange, like uncomfortably strange, and he was kind of raw dogging the first part of the flight. He just had his hands on his, on his lap and he was staring straight forward and I was like is is he going to, is he going to hurt me? What's going on here? And then finally, like when they brought the meals around, he kind of relaxed for a minute and then he started watching something on his iPad, but it was a good like hour before like he broke. I don't know if he was like afraid of flights or something, it was very strange, uh. So, yeah, he started the raw dog.
Speaker 3:Um, I want to go back to your number one, to Anthony. So when you say, bring extra things, when I, when we talk about, uh, airpods, earbuds, all the things now united, I don't know, does united have most your flights, domestic flights, have screens in front of you that you can plug into uh not that you can plug into, no, okay, uh, yeah, uh, I mean you can they have, uh, the the in-seat charging, but there's, I don't think you have anything that you can plug into on the screen, yeah okay, so they, they don't, they do or do not have like a movie suite or a show suite that you can plug into on the screen.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, so they, they don't. They do or do not have like a movie suite or a show suite that you can watch on the it's 50 50.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, it's 50 50. Yeah, I feel like a lot of them are moving towards the screenless, but having like an ipad holder, which is really interesting, yeah, yeah, that's that's a really cheap way to do things.
Speaker 3:Uh, yes, um more efficient, more efficient joy and well, and I know it's like I have uh, just a tip for me, because I I do fly delta oh, yes, very nice, mr fancy pants.
Speaker 3:Yes, very nice very nice airline um. But I have, you know, I have bluetooth um noise canceling headphones, which I enjoy. But the cool thing about these noise canceling headphones is that you can do the bluetooth, which means you can connect your phone, typically easy. But also it has a an aux cord out of them, so it's a dual. I don't know if most bluetooth headphones have it, but because that aux cord you can plug it right into the entertainment. So you have the best of both worlds. Or I know some people get a little adapter for their Bluetooth so they have a Bluetooth converter that they can plug into the screen and then now they have wireless headphones.
Speaker 2:So I don't have that, but that would be like next level. Oh yeah, oh yeah, but always have a backup. You don't want to be without sound and don't raw dog. That's just strange for everybody.
Speaker 3:No, it's just crazy. I'm so tough. It just reeks of like trying to be like macho, exactly.
Speaker 1:My backup, anthony, personally as well, because I've got my AirPods themselves for, obviously, bluetooth reasons et cetera as well, but sometimes obviously their batteries go or whatever else as well. So like I've actually got a corded one as well that goes into my ipad uh, like corded headphones, so smart. So that's my backup too. So there you go, mate. Yeah, good tips, good tips what do you?
Speaker 2:well, do you guys travel with uh battery banks as well? I don't, but I'm curious.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah it's a geocacher thing as you can. You can imagine the GPS in the phone really takes a lot of power from the phone. So, yeah, we just walk around with them in our everyday life, these giant power banks.
Speaker 1:If you see, Anthony, any events whether it be geocaching events or Munzee events as well, Munzee is the same you'll always see everyone on their phones doing the walk or whatever, and they've always got a cord going into their pocket. It's true, it's stock standard. Yeah, Got it. Got it, Stock standard.
Speaker 2:All right. So my next one, number three, and this is still in the vein of like entertainment, and this is a relatively recent one With like Netflix and Disney and HBO going to their ad-supp. If you're on your their lowest tier, which is the ad supported, you can't download content, so, so what we do is if I know I'm going to be so, we we do the ad supported normally, but if I find that I'm going to be traveling a lot and I just want to load up my iPad, I'll actually upgrade my plan for the month to the next tier where I can do that. Or if I'm going to be traveling and my family's traveling somewhere else, which happens in our household my family went to Paris for spring break while I was slumming it in Orlando for work, but if they're traveling and they all have iPads as well, we'll upgrade to the next plan up where you can do multiple devices, but it's only temporary. The thing with that, though, is you need to be on top of it so you don't get charged $30.
Speaker 2:The next month as well. But I found that kind of playing, that game of subscription changing for Netflix or Disney or whatever, has been a lifesaver for me.
Speaker 3:I just do that, even outside of travel, just everyday life. I'm like, ok, my kids are like we want to watch a show on on Netflix or, I'm sorry, disney Plus. I was like, ok, what, what subscription are we going to cancel to? Exchange it, because we're just adding on subscriptions, I'm sure, I'm sure you can relate, anthony. Oh yeah, being a fandom of many things, it's just like one subscription after another.
Speaker 2:It's like why not just get cable again? Right, exactly, that was way cheaper we were for years.
Speaker 3:For years we were begging I want to a la carte, a la carte sort of uh, entertainment experience.
Speaker 1:And then now we have it and we're like, yep, yeah, it's now 200 a month exactly, exactly we've never had cable in australia, just saying, I mean, we've got some some form of cable, but uh, it's extremely minimal in comparison to what you guys had here, like I'm talking. I'm talking maybe 10 channels on our cable, that's it. On our free-to-air television in australia, we only had, we had four channels in total on our free-to-air, but again free-to-air television. In Australia, we only had four channels in total on our free-to-air, but, again, free-to-air. You can't download anything, none of that sort of stuff. It's only when Netflix came about that in Australia we have Netflix. There's another thing called Stan which is like your Hulu, things like that. So there you go.
Speaker 3:Wow, that reminds me Craig of National Lampoon's European vacation. When the kids go to Europe and they're in the hotel room and they're like what do you want to watch? Cheese or snow? It's just like documentaries on how cheese is made. That's it.
Speaker 1:You probably know, anthony, by listening to the show, obviously that Josh is a pop culture fan, when it comes to movies and songs, et cetera, as well.
Speaker 3:So we can, we can hang out Anthony for hours.
Speaker 2:Well, we're going to have you both on the geeky go go podcast, so don't, don't you worry, I got some geeky things to talk about. And actually before we, before we end today, I do want to see your fancy YouTube play button that I keep hearing about. Yes, we end today. I do want to see your fancy YouTube play button that I keep hearing about.
Speaker 3:Oh yes, I'll take you upstairs. I got permission from my wife to put it in a common area, not down here in my office.
Speaker 1:I was like I want to show that baby off.
Speaker 3:That took years.
Speaker 1:Not many people have got that actually play button, let's be honest, especially YouTubers as well. So yeah, see how we go from there. Or am I moving on to your?
Speaker 2:number four yes, okay. So if you travel a lot and this is something I just took advantage of too sign up for your airline's not just their credit card but also, if they have one, a club access card. So I just signed up for like $500, $600 a year, but I got the United upper end credit card, which gives you club access. So, oh, yeah, so it's great. So now, so if you have their lowest end one, you get two passes a year. But if you travel, you know 30 weeks, 40 weeks a year, you're in 80 flights a year. You know you run out of those very quickly.
Speaker 2:But with this, you just kind of scan your boarding pass and you get in. And what's great about that is you, you get all the power that you need to charge your stuff. You get a quiet space to sit and work. You get free beverages, you get free food and check with your company that you work for because they might actually reimburse you for that, that fee, because it saves them on the per diem, you know. So if you have like a $75 per diem, well, I'm going to eat for free in the lounge. That's saving them money. So something to ask if you go that route. Yeah, that's one I definitely suggest taking advantage of.
Speaker 1:Here you go, Josh. You're ready for this? Give you some more jealousy, mate.
Speaker 1:I know what's coming before I went on my recent trip to montreal. Uh, yes, anthony, I was, uh, I was escorted by my wife who, like you, is a high-end, you know traveler and a united person, and yet her and I we went into, we got there three hours before. It was a obviously international flight, technically, so we got there just over three hours beforehand and and then our flight was delayed by an hour. Did we care? No, I was getting free drink, free food, relaxed area, I was doing some TikToks, I was doing some other Munzee stuff and all that sort of thing too and doing some work on the computer. Oh, mate, I'm telling you, I've never been there before to these lounges, anthony, and I think when you have been to one, you want to be to all Like you can't. Once you have it first, you don't know what you're missing out on until you actually do it. So, yeah, yeah, absolutely the airline lounges. They're brilliant, nice bathrooms too.
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. That's another big pro of the club access, and I bet Delta has some pretty nice lounges in their uh and their hubs.
Speaker 3:never been, never been never been maybe just once, josh, just just do it once. I know no, if I go once, then I'm going to be like I want to go all the time and then all of a sudden I'm paying six hundred dollars a year. I don't fly.
Speaker 1:I mean, I fly a lot, but not that much email delta with this episode, josh and we've said Delta that many times in this episode and you may get one or two passes for free.
Speaker 3:This is not sponsored, but Delta if you're listening, anthony, will you listen Every episode? We're like Miller High Life. I don't even know why we want to be sponsored by Miller High Life although that's a big brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and really, let's be honest. Honest, it's only you that really likes me, it's the best cheap beer, it's the best.
Speaker 2:What else have we got, anthony? All right. So now we're getting to the hotel, so I have to. I normally wear blazers and a button down as part of my normal get up. The irons at hotels are consistently unreliable. Most of the time they're dirty. I have damaged more than my fair share of shirts in ironing. So I picked up this past year actually my wife got it for me for Christmas, I think a steamer, a portable steamer, and so I travel all over the world with that thing. It's great, and so I don't use an iron anymore. I just hang my stuff up and I steam it, and it's compact. It's great, and so I don't use an iron anymore. I just hang my stuff up and I steam it, and it's compact. It fits really nicely. I have been stopped at TSA a couple of times now because they're like what is that? It's a steamer. Okay, move along, it does look suspicious when it's in the bag.
Speaker 2:But, yes, don't damage your shirts. If you're traveling for business, don't damage your outfits, just get the for business. Don't damage your uh, your outfits, just get the steamer. It's it. I highly highly recommend it that's a great tip.
Speaker 1:I mean, josh, we all know you with your hairdryer, you know. At least you're not like this sort of thing where you have to wear fancy clothes, you know, and get them well get them cleaned.
Speaker 3:And yeah, this is. We're talking to a hotel guy right now and I'm just gonna. I'm now, I want to be validated, anthony, it is ridiculous. If you go into a hotel or an Airbnb and there's no hair dryer, hair dryer is standard. That's just ridiculous. Every place needs a hairdryer.
Speaker 2:Agreed or disagree, so I do use a hairdryer as well. All right. And I'm happy to share that. Days In's has a standard that you have to have a hairdryer. So if you go to one of our 1,300 Days In's in the United States, you'll find a hairdryer.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm the old one out.
Speaker 3:Sorry, Craig.
Speaker 2:Sorry, friend.
Speaker 1:That's all right. That's all right, but no great tip, Anthony, there on the steamer mate. I like that, I really do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it. I wish I had been doing it a lot earlier. I would have saved a lot of shirts. So, moving on to number six, so and this is I've kind of picked up over the years too Uh, so I use Uber all the time.
Speaker 2:Uh, whenever I'm on the road, I use it here, uh, for car service to the airport, but it's towards the, the area I start ordering my car and, and if Uber's taking a little while, I'll fire up Lyft and order a car. Whoever gets to me first is the one I'll take. I'll cancel out the other one. So, like, there was a time I was in Nashville and I was, I was waiting for, and an Uber actually accepted my ride, and then he just kind of was going back and forth somewhere and I finally had to cancel it. But then I ordered a Lyft and it was like right there, and so come to find out Nashville is a Lyft town, not an Uber town. So, yeah, having both apps on your phone to figure out who's going to get you first is going to save you time in the long run.
Speaker 1:Sorry, Josh was going to say I'll take it. Then you're an Uber Lyft fan over a taxi fan, then oh yeah, who takes a taxi.
Speaker 2:And I feel terrible saying that because you know taxi drivers I mean salt of the earth work really hard In London. They have to take what a 20,000 question test or something like that. You know there's great work to be done with the taxis but there's just nothing better than opening up your phone and ordering a car.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't want to talk to a human, I don't want to call anybody Nope Exactly.
Speaker 1:Josh I saw that actually on my last trip as well that there's a toggle button now on Uber whereby you can actually ask them not to talk to you. Really, yeah, you can request what music there is and request not to talk Yep. So there you go, awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the conversation switch. I love talking to people, but let's be real. It's just like why are we writing? Why are we doing this? We need to get somewhere Exactly, and, as a former driver, that would be a very great tool to have because you're always trying to read the energy.
Speaker 3:It's like a skill. It's a skill set to read the energy of the person riding, and a good Lyft or Uber driver can read the energy and not talk or talk. So it's actually that's a great tool for the drivers as well. Anthony, have you taken any of those Uber or Lyft? I know they're not Uber or Lyft, but the self-driving Ubers are. Oh my God, I can't wait to do that Me too.
Speaker 2:Yes, I have yet to go to a place where they have it readily available, but I cannot wait for that.
Speaker 3:Yes, I think Phoenix has it.
Speaker 2:Do they really?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think Phoenix has that. I think some places in California as well. Craig, you haven't taken one yet.
Speaker 1:No, I don't know about these things. Have you seen? Oh my gosh, I'm going to send you a video. There's no driver.
Speaker 3:There's all kinds of videos of people using them. It's, they're fascinating. It's like an Uber, but you get there and the car pulls up. Nobody's driving, it's the robot. The robot is driving and, sure enough, it'll take you right to your place. And it's a little creepy, a little scary, but most people that I've seen that have taken it. They're like. I actually felt safer than I did with a real person.
Speaker 2:Oh, really, sure Was it this show where you guys were talking about something in Virginia. There was like a pod thing that at a university.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right. Yes, craig, you did that.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, but that wasn't, that wasn't, that was yeah, but that was actually on actual tracks, like a designated track, so there's no other vehicles involved in this. They were like little mini buses per se, because they were seriously. They're very small and, josh, you will see it too when we go to, uh, to geo woodstock next year in morgantown. Um, yeah, and they've got their own. It's not actually a track, but it's a roadway yes, but it's its own little uh road, you know so the crazy thing is it's super old.
Speaker 2:It seems like the future, but it's so old it's like built in like the 50s or 60s or something like that, don't come home with more weight than I left with, and so I try to eat healthy and well. But it's hard when you're traveling in a rental car. You know hundreds of miles a day and all there is is Culver's or McDonald's or Zaxby's and things like that. So what I try to do is find not branded places or not franchised places Like I'll pull over, or if there's something very unique to the area, I'll try that. So, for example, I was driving from paris, texas, to, uh, dallas, texas, and I saw this sign for a barbecue place and I was like I've never heard of this place. So I just pulled.
Speaker 2:It was like something soul barbecue or something like that, and I pulled over and it's literally like this ramshackle building with a dirt parking lot and pickup trucks galore. And then I pull in with my little Toyota Corolla from from Avis and but you know you walk in and you know it's just, it's a great old barbecue place. I can't remember the name of it for the life of me, but it wasn't a McDonald's, it was. It was really good food. Name of it for the life of me, but it wasn't a mcdonald's, it was. It was really good food. Yeah, probably wasn't the healthiest of choices but I did grab, you know, the okra and that kind of balanced out the uh, the fatty beef that I was having what fried, fried okra right, well, yeah, I mean is there any other way to have okra?
Speaker 1:I mean, I've never had okra until I came here just saying so there you go, fried okra is so we don't really have it in Australia.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a. It's a very distinctly like Southern United States dish too. Um, cause it's biggest, uh, the South again. I was driving from Savannah to Atlanta and I saw a billboard for like, uh, you know, the pecan best pecan Pie in Georgia, or something like that. And so I took a diversion and went and had, you know, lunch at this and again, I try to get salads, but I also imbibed in the Best Pecan Pie and it was really good. But it was like this offbeat town that I would never have considered if I had just stuck to the highway and stopped at a rest area.
Speaker 2:So I try to find, you know, these non-branded, non-franchised places to dine, because usually they have a better assortment of food too. If I do and my boss makes fun of me if I do have to eat at a fast food restaurant, I will try to find the healthier option. So he took me to a Culver's for the first time to try a butter burger. I guess Culver's is like your neck of the wood, Joshua. Yes, wisconsin, it's like a. It was like a, your neck of the wood, joshua.
Speaker 3:Yes, Wisconsin, yeah Wisconsin.
Speaker 2:Yeah and uh, but they serve broccoli, and so I got a butter burger with a side of broccoli. I have not lived that down. He actually was like. I'm going to go sit over on that side of the. But yeah, I think it's a good rule. You know, try not to come home with more weight than you left with. Uh, I mean, that should be a good road warrior rule.
Speaker 1:I love that, love that. And also I love the fact that you're actually supporting local. You know other local vendors, et cetera, and restauranteurs and stuff like that too, which is awesome. And also I'm the same, anthony. When I go to a place, I actually research what food are they known for here. And Josh, I place, I actually research what food is are they known for here? And josh I've been to you with you several times, right, and josh's favorite thing before he even looks at the menu, he says to the waiter, waitress, whatever. He looks at them directly and says what's your biggest seller here? Because what are the locals eat? That's what's going to be good yeah, right yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 3:I think, I say what do people get here?
Speaker 2:What makes your restaurant so special, exactly?
Speaker 1:Well, what, or what's your? What's your recommendations?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's true. What do you recommend?
Speaker 2:Although I will say I, I I have had to stop at a Bucky's uh and I did that for the first time a couple of months ago uh ago, because I heard about their jerky, their wall of jerky, and I am now addicted to their Korean barbecue and bohemian garlic jerky. Oh, so good. Next, time.
Speaker 1:Next time you go, anthony, you've got to get their dark chocolate coffee beans. Ooh, okay, and what they are is basically like your dark chocolate balls that normally have a peanut or whatever else, but they've actually got a coffee bean inside, and so you get that sweetness and yet you get that strength of the coffee bean flavor coming through. Oh man, they are so good, they're bad.
Speaker 3:Craig, I just had a brainstorm. We need to do a whole show on Buc-ee's. Oh, we do. You can do a whole show on Buc-ee's and maybe we could get somebody from Buc-ee's to talk to us. Wouldn't that be amazing? That would be cool. Sorry, anthony, we're planning other podcasts during your interview.
Speaker 2:Do your thing, do your thing.
Speaker 3:But I would listen to an episode all about Buc-ee's 100 Buc-ee's.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent. Especially if you could get someone from Buc-ee's, that would be amazing to get all the tips and tricks.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Totally, Totally. I've got five Buc-ee's left to visit Josh. That's all, oh my God.
Speaker 1:Well, that number is going up because Buc-ee's is known as a southern kind of a southern thing, but get ready to add some more to your list, because they're building one in wisconsin as we speak. Oh wow, so that's far this north, I think. Well, rumor has it too. They're actually building up one in new jersey, apparently. Have you heard that rumor? I have not okay that's, and up near your way too, in the north, in the north of jersey so there you go, the cold part of jersey, yes.
Speaker 1:Exactly when people actually say Jersey anyway. Oh man, I know, bring him on as a guest, joshua. Look, I'm ribbing him already. So, there you go. All right, mate, moving on. What else do you need to do? What are we up?
Speaker 2:to. We're up to number eight. I think eight and nine kind of go together, but so it's really making the most of your time, especially if you're only there for like a night or a day. So, going back to San Antonio, I was there for a couple of days and so my first night there I had nothing to do and so I just went for a walk and ended up walking by the Alamo and so I went to go check out the Alamo and then across from there was a Ripley's, believe it or not? So I went to the Ripley's and I just, like you know, you're by yourself, you find things to do.
Speaker 2:I was in Atlanta and there was a indoor skydiving place right across the street from the hotel. So I like I'm not going to sit in my hotel room, let's go do something fun. So I went to go indoor skydiving, but and or skydiving, but they're not planned, they're almost like your equivalent to the golden nugget. They're my little golden nuggets of inspiration when I'm on the road. So just kind of identifying what's around you in the area and just doing something cool. I mean, don't be stuck in your hotel room.
Speaker 1:No, definitely not. And watching the movies and stuff that's on there. That's it. That's all you do, really.
Speaker 3:And your hair, josh speaking of the animal alamo, I've been there myself and um, anthony, you've been there as well. Isn't the basement part of it? Awesome? The basement.
Speaker 2:It's like the best part, like there's so much to explore there in the basement it's almost like
Speaker 1:you could find missing things there missing things and then as we're talking as we're talking, josh anthony's in his own basement, I dare say, like you know. Let's be honest.
Speaker 3:I don't even know if craig uh, anthony, I don't know if craig even knows what we're referencing, right? Now no see, I told you because he didn't have cable. He doesn't know you didn't have cable. Yeah, look look it up, craig. After the podcast, look up um basement of the alamo, exactly.
Speaker 1:All right, I'll look it up there are listeners right now laughing their heads off and you're just so lost and I and I love it and what I'll do is whatever I find, josh, I'll put a link for everyone else in the world apart from the US in the show notes Smart.
Speaker 2:All your bicycle fans will really appreciate it. Yes for sure, yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:Oh, is this the thing you always talk about? With that, unfortunately, the guy God rest his soul. He just passed away, didn't he? Josh?
Speaker 3:Yes, okay, you got it. There you go.
Speaker 2:I got it. Sorry, I spoiled it, it's okay. No, I still haven't seen it.
Speaker 1:I still haven't seen it, but Josh, I know what Josh is like. You can't say his name, because Josh will start to do it, oh yeah. Oh my God, so ready for this.
Speaker 3:Ready for this Peewee Herman?
Speaker 1:Let's go to the Alamo. That is good, and whenever he hears that name, he has to do him. That's just in his nature. He can't even. It's like he's being hypnotized to some degree, whereby he hears that word and that's what comes out of his mouth. So that's what he does.
Speaker 3:I'm proud to say I not only have one Peewee Herman doll, I have two. Oh my God. One of them is a puppet.
Speaker 2:Wow, you're like deep in the Pee Wee, herman, okay cool and it's not even.
Speaker 3:that's not even my top three fandoms.
Speaker 2:It's not. It really isn't Well, and I mean speaking of nerdy fandoms and things like that. That kind of leads into number nine, which is find nerdy things to do. So one of the things that I like to do when I'm in my hotel room and nothing immediately in my vision is inspiring me to go do something. I will actually Google nerdy things to do in Houston. Nerdy things to do in.
Speaker 2:San Diego. Oh, and what's great is that because of Reddit and because of TripAdvisor and all these other you know kind of crowdsourced data places, lots of nerds have kind of contributed to little guides of what nerdy things to do. So like, for example, I was in Texas a few weeks back and I was in Corpus Christi. I was like nerdy things to do in Corpus Christi and like the number one thing was check out the Harry Potter coffee shop and so I like went out of my way and I went to this.
Speaker 2:It's literally like in this weird strip mall in a very depressed area, almost like a very war zone-y feeling kind of place in Corpus Christi. But then you walk in and it's I forget what it was called, it's. It's like it's like the Harry Potter coffee shop. That's the thing. I don't remember the names of these places, but I remember being there and I have the pictures. But you walk in and they have like big stuffed spiders on the walls and they have like the Harry Potter houses flags up and they all the menu items or spells or character names. Like you feel like you're in a harry potter world coffee shop, anthony, yes sir anthony, do they serve the coffee in a muggle?
Speaker 2:oh, oh. Yes, I know there is the tie-in with the, with your world, in the harry potter world.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly and feel free, anthony, uh, to use that on your next podcast. Just saying because I know you do. They start, josh. They start their podcast with a dad joke, normally.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you for the inspiration. I will absolutely make that happen, you're welcome.
Speaker 2:Houston has a Lord of the Rings themed restaurant. They have an 80s themed restaurant. So, like just finding nerdy things to do to check out, highly recommend it. And then also, like when I'm in town I'm also a collector of nerdy ephemera I'll go to like Facebook, marketplace or Craigslist and I'll search like, therefore, sales sections like star Wars or movie props or things like that, just to see if there's anything unique in the area that I might want to pick up and take home. I haven't yet. I've seen some interesting things, but I haven't yet actually purchased anything. But that's a good tip for like card collectors or even like smaller antique collectors, to see what's for sale in your area.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's a great tip and also that way you can actually physically see it before you actually purchase it and it gets shipped over and then it's not the right card or not as good a quality as what it looked and all that sort of stuff. So, yeah, that's a that's a great tip as well. So, there you go, there you go. So is that your number 10, anthony I have I have one more. I have one more, all right, this is it, number 10.
Speaker 2:Catch up with old friends, all right. So, yes, this is something so Facebook. Obviously, you know you get to connect with people, but, like we have, I have friends that I grew up with that are living all over the country, all of the world. Now, if I'm going to an area where I know someone's at, I'll reach out to them, say, hey, want to grab a cup of coffee, and then I'll see someone that I haven't seen in 15, 20 years. The same thing about being part of the 501st Legion, the Star Wars costuming group. We have 10,000, 15,000 members across the globe. We have representation in every state, and so it's a great way to also reach out to them and say, hey, I'm going to be in your town, would love to connect, and so you have, like your fellow nerds, that you can meet up for a beer with and talk about Star Wars. So, really taking advantage of Facebook, linkedin or any like you know kind of groups that you're part of and connecting with people while you're on the road.
Speaker 3:That's. That's a really also a great tip for geocachers as well, because as a geocacher, you know somebody all over the world and the geocaching community, I'm sure, like a lot of communities, is just really friendly. So you could be looking for geocaches that are really amazing geocaches. You can literally on the website, click on their name and that could take you to a messaging center where you could actually connect with them and, if you know you're going to be going to a place two weeks in advance, you can actually create an event in a coffee shop where a bunch of locals will just show up and and hang out with you, um, wherever you are in the world. That's awesome, which so in geocaching, the, the ecosystem is set up for that, which is really cool. Love that, love that and it's.
Speaker 1:It's similar with other games as well, like, for instance, in munzee. I myself I'll be traveling through and as soon as you, as soon as you're capping or finding these munzees, the owner gets a notification that you've capped it or found it, etc. So I've been going in my travels, I go through a town or whatever, and this person gets like you know a hundred caps from me and they're like you know, oh, are you still in my area? I'll meet you for coffee somewhere. I'm like, oh, sorry, I'm just passing through. Or you know, yes, I am saying you know where can we meet up for coffee? So that's a yeah, great thing.
Speaker 3:So any community I like. When that happens to me, I just say stop stalking me no, you don't.
Speaker 1:Josh normally says you know. Oh yeah, follow me on my youtube channel, anthony. Thank you so much, mate, but before we, before we leave you and before we end the actual, follow me on my YouTube channel, anthony. Thank you so much, mate. But before we leave you and before we end the actual, this episode itself, we said before at the beginning of this episode, that you do know a little bit about geocaching and that is all thanks to me. I'll say, now I sound like Josh. Josh, it was a few years ago now. You would remember this too, and you probably remember Anthony's face now, and that is.
Speaker 1:I reached out to Anthony because obviously he's a great actor as well and he's a good nerd, so he was geocaching accepting, I'll say that. And I wanted to film my GIF my Geocaching International Film Festival theme one at a beautiful silver diner Like it was old school diner up near where Anthony lives as well, up in North New Jersey, and I held a geocaching event there for extras. But then Anthony and then I had another girl as well who were my two co-stars. They played the role, and Anthony played the role as the main character for a geocaching video that he's not actually a geocacher for. So there you go what do you think?
Speaker 3:yeah, that was one of my. That was my favorites, craig, that was a great video. Thank you, mate.
Speaker 2:Thank you it was a lot of fun and I and I and I loved being part of it. Thank you for including me. Uh, it was nice to meet some other geocachers, so so I got to see that you weren't the only geocacher in the world which was really cool. There was a bunch of you, there's a bunch of you, but it was a really. It was a really fun day and you know it's funny. Every time I do travel I do think of you and I'm like you know I should install that app, will?
Speaker 3:I will commit to you both on this podcast right now.
Speaker 2:The next next work trip I go, I'm going to get the app and I'm going to look for a geocache, Okay.
Speaker 3:There we go All right, all right, and you will have to when we go on your podcast, you'll have to tell us a little bit about the experience.
Speaker 2:Yes, how many strange looks I get while I'm creeping on someone's barn, you know, to find a pill bottle and it's interesting.
Speaker 3:You know there is a little bit of a learning curve. You know a lot of people the first cache they look for, they just can't find it because they just don't know what they're looking for. And so it'll be interesting to see. But you know you're kind of geeky, so I think you're going to figure it out, and and and very observant to Anthony.
Speaker 1:You're very observant person, so he, you do make and build great things, so we do appreciate that. So thank you again, josh and Anthony, thank you so much. And links are in the show notes from the geeky go-go podcast to his youtube channel, to the geeky website uh, the made by ap website as well, um, the fixed by ap youtube channel, like everything. And even josh, I've even got a link. I've even got ready for this. I've even got a link to his imdb page. There you go, whoa, and I will say this as well i'm'm very proud, josh, that one of our collaborative works is actually featured upon his IMDB page. So there you go.
Speaker 3:Wait a minute, is the geocaching film on there?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, we did. It's not non-geocache related. I actually did all the filming and editing and Anthony was one of the main star of this particular monologue. So there, or scene study, it was, I think. So there you go. So, yeah, that's what it is. So thank you again, anthony. Anything else you want to add before we?
Speaker 2:finish up, mate. No, thank you so much for having me. This was a lot of fun. Like I said before we started recording, I feel like I am in the presence of geocaching and travel royalty, so it's been an honor to share these tips, and thanks again, we'll have you on our show very soon. Thank you very much, mate.
Speaker 1:And Josh. As I said before, anthony very proud for us as well to have him as a patron. Anyone else that they want to be a patron? How do they do that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, if you've been enjoying our podcast, we'd really appreciate your support. By supporting us, you're helping us create even better content. Keep it free for everyone. No annoying commercials, but delta if you're listening. United, I'm united. I'm willing to cross over if you give me a free pass into your whatever. It's called lounge lounge, thank you. So anyway. But we don't need them because we have amazing patron patrons. So join us at patreoncom backslash treasures of our town and how else can people find us?
Speaker 3:josh, feel free to reach out to us at treasures of our town podcast at gmailcom, or you can follow us on facebook, instagram, x and youtube.
Speaker 1:so that's it for our show today.
Speaker 3:Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcasting app and, as always, josh, may your travels always lead you to the most unexpected and amazing hidden gems around the world. Thanks, anthony, I bet you are. You know you're from jersey and I bet you. You know you travel all over. But I bet you and the reason you stay in jersey because you're proud of your town and that is a damn rare thing these days. All right, I got it in there. See you later. Bye.
