April Bielefeldt: 0:01

Just straight up, honesty is super important as a value. Sometimes that means saying no, sometimes that means just being honest with someone. You don't have space. You can't take everything on.

Porter: 0:15

All righty folks, welcome back to Transacting Value, where we're encouraging dialogue from different perspectives to unite over shared values. Our theme for season four is intrinsic values what your character is doing when you look yourself in the mirror. Now, today we're talking our October core values of creativity, simplicity and giving. So if you're new to the show, welcome. If you're a continuing listener, welcome back. Today we're talking with travel experience consultant, april Bielefeld. Now she leads tours in the United States, shares travel tips for mainly USA destinations, but also best products, what to see, where to go and also how to see it. So, folks, this is going to be pretty exciting and, without further ado, I'm Porter, I'm your host and this is Transacting Value. April, how are you doing?

April Bielefeldt: 1:07

Great Thanks for having me, Porter. I'm glad to be here today.

Porter: 1:10

Yeah, of course, I appreciate the opportunity. There's a lot of things, rather, that you've showcased on your YouTube channel and then now, more recently, as we've been discussing, also on Spotify that I think I just need to clarify a little bit, because when I hear travel and YouTube and Spotify, I think travel blogger or video blog or like magazine article writer or something. But what sort of a role are you seeing yourself filling? How does this fit and come together?

April Bielefeldt: 1:42

That's the big question I always ask myself. I think it's important to have the aspect of play in your life and I think happiness and play are kind of intertwined. But also, for me, that's always been of value and having that balance. A lot of people wouldn't consider me humorous or that type of a jokes or anything like that. I take life seriously, but I think I want to encourage travel as an opportunity to explore and experience life. And so when the pandemic hit, they basically told us like, stay in your house, you can't go to the beach. So fencing I mean, they were fencing off the beaches Crazy things were happening and it's for those of us that are connected to nature and play and being creative. I just had to get creative. So that's where I started going on YouTube and creating a podcast again and talking to other travelers, other people that have this need and passion to just get out and explore the world. And by exploring, most of us may not have a lot of money. It's not about money. It's not always about. Sometimes people say, oh well, you must get so much time off from work. No, it's not always that. It's how you set up your life and, if anything, so many of us now coming out of what we've been through, the world has opened up. We found we get more balance in our life through what we choose to do to make that money, including travel. And that I mean, unfortunately I didn't feel like I had that many options growing up pre-internet, so I didn't know about travel, jobs or careers that took me that way. But I always had this innate curiosity, this factor of play of, hey, let's just hop in the car. I mean, my best memories are my parents saying this summer we're getting in the car and grabbing some camping gear and a cooler and we're going to go to South Dakota. And you might think South Dakota doesn't come off as glamorous or exciting, but just the idea of getting out and exploring. And I think that's what I want to encourage others to do and that's through the podcast, the YouTube channel, helping people make travel accessible, making it feel doable, and it gives me so much joy. You can't imagine when my phone rings and someone says, hey, we're going to go to New England. I've never been, me and my husband, my family. Maybe they've been around the world, but they've never seen the fall trees in New England. They have no idea how beautiful it is? They don't know. It's overwhelming and I love to be able to share my favorite places and it's to me it's like play to create and share that, and I can't wait to get in the car and be with others that want to. Just they're willing to trust, like hey, what are we going to find around the next corner today and where are we going to pull over and take some pictures?

Porter: 4:40

You strike me as a pretty extroverted person. Is that fair?

April Bielefeldt: 4:43

See, that's. It's interesting. I don't consider myself super extroverted, oh really. Yeah, I think it's that weird balance of like being introverted and conserving the energy. So when I do meet people, yeah, I think it's a weird balance.

Porter: 5:00

Yeah, that is interesting, but you know what Well we're talking about you. Let's dive into this segment of the show. It's called developing character. Developing character. And so, for everybody who's new and you're maybe unfamiliar with this particular segment, the idea is we use it as a foundation or specifically April's answers to these two questions as a foundation for the rest of the conversation, because, april, we've only talked once before, we've never actually met, and for everybody listening, right now we're on a video call, but that's the extent of it. To try to foster some sort of commonality, we're going to use a value system or the fact that we both have some semblance of values we use to prioritize our lives, make decisions, that kind of thing. So, april, as vulnerable, as willing as you want to be, it's all fair game. Two questions, both of which about your value system. My first question what were some of your values growing up?

April Bielefeldt: 5:55

I would have to say I really valued friendship and that aspect of play and friendship's a tenuous one, because I also valued alone time much, just almost as equally as having friends. There was a value in having friends, but unfortunately I can't be that person that's out every day, going to birthday parties and playing. I would hit after a while my energy level and just that excitement and that talking and sharing that comes off as being extroverted. I need it. Just I hit a wall. My body just says nope, you're staying in, you're resting, you're having private time, alone time, maybe time to reevaluate or just be quiet and kind of listen, whether that's sitting outside, not talking to anyone. Sometimes, if I'm going to lots of I go to a lot of music events, I can't always actually be the person out in the crowd. I get intimidated. It's too much, too many people, too much. I'd rather be the person behind stage, off stage, find my little space and that little comfort. So that's a real balance and growing up as a kid kids can be, they want to play. They're knocking on your door, let's go do something, and sometimes you just literally wanted to. Just I'm not answering the door today, I'm not talking, I just because I need that, I need to protect that alone time. So that value of taking care of yourself, being alone and then also that value of playing, I really think that's super important as an adult, of finding time, to quote play, do something fun, take care of you, know, foster whatever it is that you enjoy, just for the sheer joy of doing it. Yeah, if you don't have that balance, I mean we all know we have to pay our bills and be serious and be adult like, but you need some time to just literally whatever crazy play that is, whether it's running, kicking a soccer ball, or whether it's making cookies or everybody's got some maybe they collect stamps or something that's off the beaten path as that or sifting through thrift stores, whatever it is you need that element of something that's just fun and playful for yourself. Yeah.

Porter: 8:07

Well, I mean, there's only a few ways to get that level of creativity. And I think, well, you know what? Actually, I talked to your buddy Jeff just recently and for anybody who's listening to the show, by the time this conversation airs he will be the previous conversation from the week, just the week prior. But anyways, talk to your buddy Jeff, and as we were recording and we were talking through stuff, he actually said a lot of the same sentiments. He said that, as a musician in his case, to be able to make any sort of worthwhile contribution to a crowd or a group of people or an audience or whatever the size and qualifiers are, he said the first thing you got to figure out is who are you and what do you bring into the table, what do you have to offer, what are your strengths, what are your preferences, what are your biases, who are you, what are your values? And then you can more authentically put yourself into the music. And I think what you're saying is one of the ways to do that by effectively setting boundaries on your time or maybe even activities, what other people are asking of you to do to be able to identify that. And I'll tell you what April I've learned, man at least in the last two years alone more about myself and working through this podcast by staring at a wall and a blank whiteboard with nothing else happening, just me in my room, then I think I have in the 30 years of school before that, wow, and I'm 100% right there with you. Self reflection or just, I guess, introspection breeds a lot of creativity and helping you clarify and find a role you want to fill, and now you alluded to this, or actually explicitly, you said this earlier, but obviously that fun and happiness and spontaneity, in some senses are things that you value now. So, at the risk of your answer being nothing's changed, I do have a second question for you, though. All of those being your values growing up and that you were more exposed to and reliant on, what about now? What are some of your values?

April Bielefeldt: 10:01

I'd say honesty just straight up. Honesty is super important as a value and sometimes that means saying no. Sometimes that means just being honest with someone. You don't have space, you can't take everything on and that's a tough one. But honesty with yourself and with others, even if there's repercussions, even if it may in the end of the day too often, sometimes we push it aside. We push away the gut feeling that's telling you you know what. I got to turn this down. I need to say no, my plate is full, whatever it is, and I've sometimes, at the risk of additional income, sometimes even done that. Said, you know what? Overall, this is what I need to look at and I have to pass. I have to be honest and say no, or I have to be honest and step up and say I don't see it that way. Whether it's a supervisor, I worked a lot in customer service and that's a tough one because we often are told the customer is always right, but sometimes there are great areas. I think the biggest thing that's changed is really leaning into honesty and I think as kids sometimes we get kind of get away with things. I'd like to say I know I mean, I'll be honest. As a kid there were times I wasn't completely honest with my parents. They may not pre-internet, you might have quote gotten away with things, but long term you kind of sometimes maybe know that. And going forward, I can remember Claire as a bell to this day, an incident with I think it was my mom or something, where she did find out about something and she said you know what, if you'd just been honest and told me from the beginning you know who you were going to see, what you were going to do, whatever the thing was, we wouldn't be having. You know the repercussion. You know that was the gist of it. You broke that trust, that honesty, and that's tough to grow back.

Porter: 11:51

I mean, if even ever, yes, yes. Did you know that children who do chores to earn their allowance have more respect for finance and more of a drive for financial independence? Did you know that families who complete tasks together have stronger bonds? Did you know that cognition, sense of self and anxiety all improve if people have regular interactions with nature? Imagine what instilling self-esteem, resilience, family teamwork and an authorized sense of self could do for the growth of each generation. No matter the temptation At Hoofen-Kluck or Farm, that's just another Tuesday. Want to learn how to homestead or just more effectively develop your character for an unknown future? Follow our direct message on Instagram at hoofen-kluck or farm. Watch it happen in real time. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. A foolish man learns from his own.

April Bielefeldt: 12:49

You broke that trust, that honesty.

Porter: 12:52

And it's tough to grow back, I mean, if even ever yes.

April Bielefeldt: 12:55

Oh yeah.

Porter: 12:56

No, don't get me wrong. I think most parents are sort of feeling or what's the word empathizing with their kids, like I'm obligated to forgive and forget as a parent and give you the opportunity to earn the trust back. But there's still controls, there's still parameters, like you're not going to lose it completely for most parents, most kids in that relationship. Some, I'm sure, that happens, but most it doesn't right, and so that may be the case there. But I mean you brought up business earlier clients, consulting travelers, photographers, whatever. The first time you say this is a great place to go and the food's pretty good, and they go and that was a horrible experience and the food's not good at all. You can work around that. People are a little bit of leniency when it comes to travel because tastes are different and it's all subjective, experientially. But what happens in your opinion? What happens when it's not as subjective, like you're having an experience or recommending an experience, for example, where let's say it's two people going to a place they've never been before, it's foreign to them. Maybe it's in the US, but it's foreign to them the nerves, the anxiety, the stress, whatever financial management, or working in crowds with strangers staying at hostels. You're recommending some things that may very well jeopardize their survival, livelihood experiences. Oh, exactly, yes, it's subjective. And so then what? What happens then if you break their trust? Or how do you maintain it?

April Bielefeldt: 14:25

Yeah, that is an excellent point and that's why communication, along with that trust and honesty, is so super important. I mean, I'll be straight up with every client I work with. Have I stayed at this place? I'm suggesting to you, if I haven't personally stayed there and I have to recommend it, maybe because they're choosing to travel on the busiest weekend of the year in New England when there's not a lot of places to stay I just straight up and tell them I'll say, hey, you know what the places I've stayed, I've not stayed at this one. This is what I would choose for myself, but I can't 100% promise because I haven't stayed there, this particular place over here. I have stayed with Mary and Joe who run the place and I know that they will provide you with X, y and Z. It's being available I mean it's being available to answer their questions and kind of be from the get-go setup parameters to. I mean I literally have told people I haven't I'm not a hiker, I haven't hiked to the top of Mount Washington, so I'm not your best source of information on that. Because again, you break that trust, you're not going to have that client and, as a small business, that can deeply impact future business.

Porter: 15:39

Yeah, even as a startup, I think there's a little bit of grace most of the time, depending on your product or service. But I think there's a little bit of grace when it comes to startups because generally, your audience, your clients, your whoever the consumer is to your market maybe is aware you don't quite know what you're doing yet or you don't quite have enough clarity or there's some leeway. But as an established small business, not necessarily. And now you're competing with Google, you're competing with Instagram, or what would you call them? Hobbyist creatives, the people that go around on Instagram and just post these travel pictures and videos. Right, let me ask you this what would you recommend to them, trying to make essentially what you're providing as a service, a career? Just, maybe they focus on Instagram or something. How do you maintain the authenticity, the honesty, the communication? Yeah, all these things you just mentioned.

April Bielefeldt: 16:30

It depends on the exactly what they're offering, like if they're offering tours or experiences. Just again, to be straight up, be honest, be forthcoming. If it's a, I think, then that's super important now in the age of internet, if you climb to the top of the mountain to get this shot, I think I'd want to tell people the backstory of this isn't a place I would recommend for someone that's not an experienced hiker. We've seen too many tragic incidents as out there happening in national parks. There's this idea and I don't know where it's coming from. We go into Yellowstone and all the Buffalo are let's get up close, let's go pet the Buffalo, and it's. I don't know where that changed or where that happened, but a Buffalo is still a wild animal and we have no way of knowing how it's going to react or interact with us. So again, just advising people. I know when I'm suggesting places for people to go or I sent include photos with maybe there are itinerary, I'll tell them. I'm like, if you're not good with doing a hundred stairs some of these locations have lots of stairs built in or an elevation gain I'll just say I wouldn't go, maybe, to this spot. I would choose this spot over here where you can pull the car over, maybe walk a little short distance and get a similar picture and not kill yourself over there.

Porter: 17:50

Yeah, I mean. So really it sounds like you're not even putting together the package like a traditional travel agent. It sounds more like you're putting together, like the human experience, the collective type, vibe and fuel, right.

April Bielefeldt: 18:03

Yeah, well, I do. I'm not technically a travel agent, so I'm not like booking airfare and that type of thing, but if someone wants me to, I will. Like I said, I'm more than happy to help them pick where to stay, based on places I've stayed, and again it goes back to that value. This is what I know it's like. But if I had to choose, I haven't stayed at these three places but through my research, through my local contacts, I would choose this one. Or I know you don't want to stay in a frilly Victorian bed and breakfast, so don't stay there. I would suggest you stay over here. But, yeah, start to finish. I've got a few people right now, in fact, that it's like here's what I would suggest on the day that you're in Portsmouth, here's what I would suggest when you get to our harbor, based on your interest.

Porter: 18:49

I assume it's a lot more fulfilling of an experience approaching it from your perspective like this for you and then for also whoever the traveler is. All right, folks sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to George Washington in 1787 that agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will, in the end, contribute most to wealth, good morals and happiness. Did you know that, even at a nearly $1 billion valuation, farmers markets nationwide still authentically serve their local markets as direct-to-consumer, farm-fresh models of freedom, self-reliance and teamwork? At the Keystone Farmers Market in Odessa, florida, those same ideals also cultivate an agritourism experience preserving the old ways of wholesome, family-oriented, sustainable growth of produce and people For premium-quality produce at affordable prices, opportunities for the kiddos to feed the baby cows or to simply wander the garden and watch your future meals grow. Visit Keystone Farmers Market on Facebook or come by in person to 12615 Tarbon Springs Road, keystone Farmers Market, the place with the boiled peanuts. I assume it's a lot more fulfilling of an experience approaching it from your perspective like this, for you and then for also whoever the traveler is right, because I mean you could, man, let me put it like this so I've got a friend and she travels all over the world. Now she has her own decentralized company, so it helps. She's able to work and maintain her lifestyle that way, but it gives her the opportunity to travel around the world her and her husband, anyway. So one of the things that her and I have discussed in the past is and you and I have even brought up the topic a little bit, but there's like a what did we call it last time we spoke breaching the fear factor. I think we said, or something to that effect. Yes, something like that, yeah, we're like in certain circumstances. If you don't know anybody there, you haven't met them before. No family, no friends, it's just you and maybe one other person. You don't know anybody there. Well, you've got to make friends, deal with a language barrier, cultural nuances, any good foods, bad foods on top of. Physiologically, how am I going to respond to the situation, the anxiety or diarrhea or anything in between, sleeping or offending? the host all these other considerations Like how do you tackle those things? Because it's one thing to say this place looks good and fits what you want, but what about working with the people in a people space? How do you work through advising some of that stuff?

April Bielefeldt: 21:24

It's really again gets back to communication and what they've experienced on their comfort level. And it is a good thing to be a little bit fearful because it teaches us boundaries, but it also you need to break through that fear to go to a place where we don't know the language. Get on that plane ride and international flight and know that you know what. On the other end, I don't know anyone. I'm going to figure the train system out. It forces you out of your comfort zone. It forces you to push through and realize we're all people on this planet, our preconception of who we think they are. I really believe, again, there's more good in this world. There's more. The internet and the news does terrible things. It forces a lot of that fear into us. Instead of being adventuresome and giving it a try and realizing it comes back to your own strength in yourself. I can figure this out. I can do this. Here's the tools being prepared. Prepare yourself ahead of time. You're not going to just go off and probably hike the Inca Trail if you're not prepared and do some work ahead of time, whether that's walking five miles a day or starting to work your body a little bit more. So again, it's that honesty with yourself, and I try to talk to my clients like that too. It's like, yeah, that looks amazing and wonderful, but the way they got that shot, you're going to have to be really prepared. I'm so saddened when I read these stories of just here in the United States. A young woman went off hiking on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. The weather immediately changed and she didn't come back. I mean it's sad it's still happening in our world today. Again, it's lack of knowing what you can and can't do, and accidents do happen. We can't protect ourselves 100% of the time, all the time.

Porter: 23:19

Sure sure, and it's like you said it's about. Yeah, it definitely did, and it's like you said. It's about establishing boundaries, right, not just in your position, for other people, but for us as individuals, for ourselves. Part of my job now in the Marine Corps we call it a force fitness instructor, but essentially it's just a coach. It's like a fitness trainer, essentially, and so part of what that involves is letting people know honest feedback your technique is wrong or you need to change this or brace this or breathe here or whatever it plus. But the other half of that equation is that person in their head owning these are my deficiencies, this is how I can fix this, how I can adjust, and physical conditioning is just as important as mental conditioning. And don't get me wrong, april, I was there. I get here's advice for when you deploy right. That happens every time we meet with somebody and they say here's what to expect when you're out there and you're like, okay, cool. 10 years ago a little more, I guess, but around 10 years ago, when I started more regularly deploying, I didn't care. I said I can get them on, I need to worry about a climatizing Please, we'll just carry this pack, because most of my career has been in the infantry, and so we'll just carry this pack. We'll go this distance. It'll be hot or be uncomfortable. It's already a shitty experience, not a big deal, can't get worse. But then you get there and you're like, oh my gosh, the humidity I can't breathe. We've been out here 30 seconds in some places. Or the dry heat that's here I've never experienced this. Or the altitude I don't know what to do. Or what are you talking about? There's 45 minutes of daylight a day. How do we? What are we supposed to do? Right, you know? And so all these places that I've been to in hindsight, I'm sure there's been people that have mentioned hey, you need to prep for this, you need to know your limitations, right, standing here now talking to you, I don't remember any of them. I don't remember anything. Anybody told me about them. I'm sure it happened. Right, it's just my perspective. Dod, nobody listening take offense to that. But there is a point right when you look back and you're like, oh my gosh, I was out of my element and I brought that on myself. You know there's a certain level of ownership and honesty, like you just brought up, that comes to traveling and it's easy to over. Here's a point too I had a buddy when we were younger. He was in Boy Scouts and he would bring this up from time to time. You know, if we were outside and there was a bird and he, oh hey, there's that kind of bird, or you know what you can do with this tree or whatever Things that I wish now I listened to because it'd be cool, it'd be a conversational starter or something. I don't know, maybe not, maybe it's on Jeopardy and I'm winning something, but like right. Then, when he brought up these things, I said, dude, you're such a nerd man, why do you care? Just go live your life. Stop worrying about being prepared all the time.

April Bielefeldt: 26:06

Right.

Porter: 26:07

I'll tell you, though, it made a huge difference Because, for him now to this point and then for me in hindsight, learning how to be prepared, learning my limitations and all these other things, and, I'm sure, throughout your life, identifying your strengths and how you prefer to live, how you prefer to prepare, like you mentioned hiking earlier, it gives you a whole new level of authenticity and vulnerability to communicate with people. Alrighty folks, stay tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value. Intimacy, exclusivity, inner peace, business and pleasure are often associated words when the topic is travel, but what about courage, trust, vulnerability or bravery? According to tradegov, the US travel and tourism industry generated 1.9 trillion in economic output, supported 9.5 million American jobs and accounted for 2.9 percent of all US gross domestic product. Now what if we measured travel in more than distance or economic benchmarks and instead focused on the little moments, depth and richness of the experience of travel? With the travel collective, you can create a custom itinerary, detailed driving maps with must-see stops, reserve lodging and dining options and, of course, opportunities for belonging, reflection and growth To create your newest cherished memories. Head over to yourphototravelguidecom today. I assume it's a lot more fulfilling of an experience, approaching it from your perspective like this for you and then for also whoever the traveler is right. Have you had let's call them opportunities to travel outside the country yourself?

April Bielefeldt: 27:50

Oh, definitely, I've been to my dad and I did a trip in Germany where we rented our own car. We figured it all out, we plotted it, did it ourselves. Yeah, amsterdam, several places. Those have been trips that have really both my dad and I. There's that again, when it's your father, sometimes that relationship as an adult you're like you want to lean on them, but no, you're two adults, you got to figure this out together. It's a whole new dynamic of understanding each other's limitations, knowing when you got to just maybe stop. There's all kinds of things that come into play. But, yes, most definitely Travel outside the country and that whole thing of getting over, yeah, putting yourself in a different element.

Porter: 28:33

Yeah Well, so with trips like that, let's just say trips with family or even road trips, stay aside as a kid or as an adult, road trips in another country, like you just brought up, but trips with family in general, that's it. No friends, just family. What makes those in my experience at least what makes those things more special than just going to hang out with your friends? Why is that? You're a different vibe when you're with your family. You got any insight into that?

April Bielefeldt: 29:00

That's an interesting question. I think it builds. You build that relationship, especially if you're no longer a child. I think you start to, I think, as our parents know us. I had this come up yesterday in a conversation and, like someone said, parents know us so much more than we know them. Vice versa, you know, we were always the kid. We're always growing and changing. Yeah, we turned around and really know our parent as a person, not as a parent. But just how was it for them? What kind of work did they do? What were they passionate about? And some of those things that our personality is able to shine, wherein you're in a different situation, you're not in the same hometown you grew up in for 50 years or you're both out of that element. I give my dad as a good example, because growing up he was the breadwinner, so my mom, there was just a tighter bond with my mother and then, unfortunately, through my mother's illness and my mom unfortunately is no longer with us, my dad and I were able to connect. I never knew how much my dad and I had so many things in common. I enjoy spending time with my father as just a if I'm going to go travel. We both share so many similar interests and not all father, parent, child relationships get to that point. But to get to that and realize, oh my gosh, we both love reading books or we both love getting a map out and plotting the where to go, where we both are messy and disorganized, whatever the things are, you get to know them as a person and not see them in that role of the caretaker, the provider, the parent, the father figure. We're now more equals a little bit, and it's a beautiful thing, and I'm very lucky and blessed to have gotten to that point.

Porter: 30:54

Well, that's something that travel affords. That, for certain, not traveling cannot provide. Getting to know somebody outside of an element once everybody and it was the same thing for us, like when I enlisted bootcamp was something I don't really care to repeat, but everybody goes through it at least, especially in the Marine Corps. So it's an equalizer. Everybody is equally as uncomfortable, frustrated, stressed, tired, and it strips away whatever facade or roles, for example, we might be filling and holding and hiding behind or masking behind, and you get to know people differently. And in those examples it's not really geographic travel. I guess you could consider it mental or spiritual journeys more than anything else. But it gives you opportunities to get to know people as people, not people as Greg, gary, steve, whoever they are.

April Bielefeldt: 31:43

Yeah, Right, exactly.

Porter: 31:46

Okay, so for the second time, I really have one more question for you, and then we'll have to close this up. So my last question I guess, if you had to pick top three recommendations that people have asked for, based on place, based on people, based on culture however you want to qualify it If you had to pick your top three, I've recommended these the most. They're my favorites of whatever reason. What are your top three?

April Bielefeldt: 32:09

Well, I definitely would say Woodstock Vermont for Fall Follage. There is so much to do in Woodstock Vermont, which Woodstock is not to be confused with the concert venue of the sixties, because the first time I brought up Woodstock my dad actually almost slipped. I'm not going to Woodstock, that's where all the mud slopping, music was and it's like no, every state has a Woodstock, but Woodstock Vermont is, it's like stepping back in time. There's a lot of fall experiences right in that one place and I tell people, if you have a limited amount of time, you got to get to Woodstock Vermont. I think it's incredible. I would also, right now, I think, put Alaska up higher on that list than I might otherwise, because I think Alaska is a place where seeing just immense changes, the glaciers melting, a climate is changing there, the permafrost is literally melting, which is what kind of happened underneath Denali. You can't even take the park road back into Denali. They've had that major slide up polychrome point. So just getting to see these places, I mean, for a lot of people, alaska they view it as a cruise, but I'm talking about getting your car, rent the car and drive. Even if it's just that route between Anchorage and Fairbanks, you would just be amazed. I mean, it's just a place that still is awe-inspiring and will make you feel. If that doesn't make you feel like you're only three inches and we're just a speck on this revolving ball, I think that's one of them. The third place that I often recommend would be this is a tough one only three, especially since I keep choosing places in the United States, but that's just the air places I know best. I would say Charleston, oh really.

Porter: 33:59

South Carolina.

April Bielefeldt: 34:00

Yeah, South Carolina. There's a lot of beauty there. It's a very different place.

Porter: 34:05

Alrighty folks, sit tight and we'll be right back on Transacting Value. Alrighty folks, here at Transacting Value, we write and produce all the material for our podcast in-house game perspective alongside you, our listeners, and exchange vulnerability and dialogue with our contributors every Monday morning. But for distribution, buzz brought the platform to use. You want to know how popular you are in Europe or how Apple is a preferred platform to stream your interviews? Buzz brought can do that. You want to stream on multiple players through an RSS or custom feed, or even have references and resources to take your podcast's professionalism, authenticity and presence to a wider audience. Buzz brought can do that too. Here's how Start with some gear that you already have in a quiet space. If you want to upgrade, buzz brought us tons of guides to help you find the right equipment at the right price. Buzz brought gets your show listed in every major podcast platform. You'll get a great looking podcast website, audio players that you can drop into other websites, detailed analytics to see how people are listening, tools to promote your episodes and more. Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. The team at Buzz brought is passionate about helping you succeed. Join over a hundred thousand podcasters already using Buzz brought to get their message out to the world Plus following the link in the show notes let's buzz. No, we sent you. Gets you a $20 credit if you sign up for a paid plan and help support our show. You want more value for your values. Buzz brought can do that too.

April Bielefeldt: 35:37

Yeah, south Carolina. There's a lot of beauty there. It's a very different place, I think. Unfortunately, in the United States, we still identify having these differences. I hate to say it, but there was a time when I left college and it's like, oh, you're from the north and that was the first time I ever encountered that. And it's the people are people. There's a lot of warmth, there's a lot of great people there and again it's stripping away the facade and what you think asking for help, being kind, being open and I think being open is it takes a skill not to look around and assume someone's out to get to you know something bad is going to happen, but to be open and be curious and look like you're interested and truly engaged with people. Talk to that person behind the cash register, behind making your sandwich. That person oh my gosh. I've had the most amazing conversations with the guy or the person or the young woman that's doing something you know that's just as mundane as checking out your groceries. These are really people just like you and me. They're just trying to get from day by day and we have the same goals and the same, but those are also the people that are going to tell you. If you ask them like where's the, where are the flowers blooming today, where's the most colorful, best fall trees, or where's the best maple syrup, they're going to point you to where they're going to go. The best little off-beat restaurant Go down here, go there. And sometimes it's the places that are, like you said, the rundown dump that's serving the best food in town.

Porter: 37:10

Yeah.

April Bielefeldt: 37:11

If you don't get over your fear, you won't open that door and go inside and sample it.

Porter: 37:16

Sure, and that's assuming it's not outdoor, for example, not to play on words, but like some of the coolest spots I've been to, I spent three days. Well, me and me and a handful of guys spent three days feeding MREs to a goat in southwestern Afghanistan and, oh wow, intentionally, right, like the Afghans who were working with, brought the goat into the base or into the patrol base where we were, and then that was why they brought him in, because the goal was by the end of the week, after all the patrols. It was going to be like, call it, like a mixer type thing, and he was a scrawny goat and so we just kept feeding him these meals and whatever else the Afghan guys would give him as well. But he was pretty plump in about three or four days and then outside right the whole time and after that I would call it about four days. It was by the end of the week. That was the festivity. That afternoon we got back from patrols, everybody cleaned whatever they had to clean and then the guys went over to the goat, processed the goat and then we cooked it on a fire and then we sat around, we had tea and goat and bread and rice and it was like a really cool bonding thing, but it had nothing to do with a formal environment. It just happened to be the primal nature of being able to, like we've been alluding to strip away whatever it was. You strip away whatever pretensions and biases we had. But I'll tell you, the other hand, I thought for sure I was going to get sick. So you got to put some of that out of your head too, because you want to be a gracious guest. I totally agree, April. Though, for the sake of time, if people are interested in getting in touch with you, if people are interested in hearing more about your story, watching some of your videos, listening to your podcast, where do people go? How do they do that?

April Bielefeldt: 38:56

Yeah, you can find me on my website at yourphototravelguidecom and you'll see some of the pre-planned tours I lead that are small group you can. There's some pricing for itinerary so you can do it yourself, and there's a contact place to drop me a note, ask me questions and the other place to see all the videos is the-travelcollectivecom, and you can find that on YouTube also. And, yes, I'd love to help people answer questions. Get them outside, get them enjoying what we have to offer right here in the United States and get out and explore. I mean, there's just so much right here we have. It's not super expensive. Get in your car. Yeah take a day trip.

Porter: 39:41

I remember growing up yeah, exactly, there's a quick side note in Florida on the news I don't remember which channel, but on the news they would talk about what do they call them Like tank trips or something like that, and it was as far as you could get from the city center on one tank of gas around trip, but on one tank of gas, right and they would play it once a week. Here's where you can go. Here's what's happening in the area. Yeah, super cool opportunities. Speaking of opportunities that are super cool, I really appreciate your time coming out to talk about some of this stuff and the amount of beauty that we have as people not all places, but as people to be able to share that with each other and, frankly, the amount of responsibility that we have to be able to do that and identify what we have to offer. I thought it was a great conversation. I appreciate you bringing it up and so thank you for your time.

April Bielefeldt: 40:26

Thank you Porter? Yeah, no problem.

Porter: 40:28

And for everybody listening, the links to April's website and websites. If you click see more, if you click show more, depending on where you're streaming this conversation look into the description in the bottom. You'll be able to see those links and it'll take you right there. If you have an issues finding it or getting to it, that's another option for you as well. Now say in that, though, thank you guys for listening. I appreciate the opportunity to have you guys here and listen to our conversation, especially our October core values of creativity, simplicity and giving. I've also got to thank man, the random road trips, the quality time with families, the opportunities for crazy car games and the ways that we have to create to get to know people better. I'm grateful for those opportunities as well Because, frankly, without them, I don't know if we would have had the inspirations we did for this conversation. So that was cool. And then, obviously, our show partners, keystone Farmers, Market, hoof and Cluck are farms Buzzsprout. Thanks for your distribution. But, folks, here's the point If you're interested in joining our show, the conversation, any merchandise or whatever you've got skills, time, feedback, finances, whatever you've got available feel free to contribute back. That's how we know you appreciate the show and you appreciate the message and obviously, appreciate the contributors as well. You can check out our website and our other conversations at transactingvaluepodcastcom. Follow along on social media and we'll continue to stream new interviews every Monday at 9am Eastern Standard Time on all your favorite podcasting platforms, and we'll meet you there. So until next time, that was Transacting Value.