The Real Reason We Travel: People, Not Places | Jae Choi

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Welcome to the Holly Hughes
podcast.

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Today I am very excited to have
my friend Jay Choi, who is the

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founder of Good Mate Travel.
But really he's so much more

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than that.
And I'm very excited that you're

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reaching out from across the
world to have a conversation

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with me late at night for you
and early in the morning ish for

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me.
How are you today, Jay?

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Feeling great.
How are you doing, Ali?

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I'm good, I'm good.
I want to talk about so many

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things with you because I know
you because I traveled across

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the world to meet you.
I picked you, a stranger off the

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Internet, to go tour a country I
only had dreams about.

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I didn't have any expectations,
but I chose Goodmay Travel

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because you promised an
authentic like local experience

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of Korea and it is something
that you deliver and so much

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more.
So I am so curious like what

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made you start your company?
How?

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How did all of this come to?
Pass.

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I love to talk about my work and
how things started.

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OK, so looking back to my early
teens, like a youth, so in

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Korea, I think growing up I was
the person who really, really

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cared about other people.
And I think one of the reason is

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because we used to have our own
social media.

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So the first time that I was in
a social media with my friends

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were when I was what, like 12
years old.

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And because of that, after grown
up, when I was 18, I was up, I

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became the person who really,
really, really cared about other

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person.
And I had no idea what I want to

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do, but just wanted to be please
others.

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And that's when I was more like
panicking and didn't know what

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was going on.
So I ran away to the Army.

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And then I tried to find a way
to move forward and figure it

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out what I'm going to do for my
life in a way.

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And still I couldn't really
figure it out.

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So that's when I've decided to
write a letter to the random

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CEOs.
So I sent about 5 or 6 letters

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to random fields and
surprisingly most of them reply

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and I met a few of them.
And the conclusion was basically

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to tell me that I could take
some time and find my own

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happiness and go travel.
And that's when I sort of

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thought about go traveling the
word.

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But I didn't have any money.
I didn't know what to do and,

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and, and I wasn't able to speak
English at all like like

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nothing.
And I was like 20 years old.

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But the people that I met in
person, but the CEO, I think he

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gave me the encouragement and
that kind of I believe in

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myself.
And at the same time, I had

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nothing to to lose and I decided
to travel and I left the country

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with I think like $1000 and I
came back to Korea after four

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years.
So that's kind of, I'm just

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talking you asking how the
company started and I'm talking

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about my travel study.
So basically I no, that's good.

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That's.
Good.

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You were finding yourself.
I love that.

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But I didn't know you were gone
for three to four years like I

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knew you did.
You're in Korea, there's

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mandatory military service,
right?

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But that you explored and I love
that you wrote letters.

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It's very similar how I started
this, right?

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I was like, you know what, I'm
just going to ask people even

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before I know what's going on
because sometimes when you know

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too much, you stop and you just
went for it.

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I love that about you.
Thank you.

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So yeah, that's how I left the
country and then traveled.

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And after four years of
traveling and, and I visited

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many different countries, what I
realized was the people I met in

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the road changed me and my life.
And to me at least looking back

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my travels, it was not where I
went, but who I met.

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So that was what I learned and
experienced from my travels.

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And then I came back to Korea
and I used to work for corporate

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and one day I went to the
market, traditional market just

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to eat.
And then, you know, like it just

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became a food tour because I
went there with my friends and

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they really liked it.
And I just wanted to do some

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slide gig, some something
different.

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And my tour was mainly focusing
on not only food, but also

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people in the market.
And I saw that people really

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enjoyed it.
So that was a back in 2018 and

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9, 2019, I quit my job and
became a full time travel host

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and did a lot of tours and which
was a lot of fun.

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But at the same time it was a
challenge because I worked by

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myself.
But then still I was OK, doing

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pretty OK.
And I plan to expand my company,

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but COVID did.
So that's when I start to make

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content about this in Korean in
a fun way.

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It's in culture.
But then my plan and my hope was

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like through this content, you
know, connect with people and

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bring them to Korea and do the
tour with that.

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So that was the ideal.
And after two years of creating

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content and people actually
start to come visit to Korea and

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come back to me.
So that's why I could organize

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not only one day food at work,
but multi day chapels.

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So that's how things started.
And I think throughout those,

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here's what I realized.
I really, really like connecting

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people together and, and I see
that at least I'm happy when I'm

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connected with somebody.
And I believe that people need

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other people, even if you're not
people person and traveling is

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more like a excuse to be
surrounded by people.

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Yeah, you're very humble.
You're this like, first of all,

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you're magical because you, you
all the changes you made for

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your life.
I think in your trips you

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provide for others, right?
So he and I were talking a

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little bit before the record
button hit and I was telling Jay

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that like in this room that I'm
sitting in right now, I'm

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surrounded by everything like
it's within.

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I could touch, right.
I got my I have like this.

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I got in the Korean food market
tour.

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My I got that there.
Like for me, every moment of

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see, I'll get sentimental every
moment of that trip, like it

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changed me.
Oh my God, I'm getting weepy.

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So, but it was because solo
travel, and I think I picked you

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and Chris, those random men on
the Internet because you looked

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fun and you looked like you
cared or for some strange reason

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I thought I was going to be safe
with you knowing that I was.

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I am still to this day, I'm
terrible at Korea.

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I always try and it just doesn't
stay in my brain.

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So you connected me to a place I
wanted to go and brought me

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places and brought me
experiences with women.

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In my group that was all women.
There's not always, but we were

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all solo travelers and now we're
all getting the same tattoo and

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now we talk to each other from
all over the world and we're all

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over the world.
None of us are in the same time

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zone right now and we have these
shared memories and desires and

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curiosities.
So when you say your food tour,

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I think the last time I looked,
I think you had over 2005 star

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reviews on, you know, some
TripAdvisor thing like you

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downplay it, but you walk in the
market.

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And for people who are obsessed,
it's the Netflix noodle lady.

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But really my favorite is the
woman who you get the small saw

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shell crabs from and you're in
the market.

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And as we walk through, it's
your personal relationships with

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each vendor that we come to that
it's just it's embracing.

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So you as a stranger someplace,
I feel also embraced because

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we're welcomed into a culture
that I want to learn about and

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that we get to literally get
bite sized pieces and like lured

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in more.
I think you lure people and you

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know, when you end the tour with
the chimac, right, Chimac and

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and octopus, right?
So it just it's, it's

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everything.
And that was that's like the

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first day.
I think that's the first day of

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the other tour, right?
So if you just do a food tour,

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you get all of these delicious
sensations.

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And if you do a longer 1, you
get to experience like diving in

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head first on day one, No dream
almost gets unfulfilled.

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So I just, I think you should
own that more.

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I think you're always very
humble, which is probably part

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of your charm, right?
But you've created these

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experiences based on your own.
I know like in your older social

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media, you talk about when you
were younger, how you felt

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self-conscious as a kid about
what is your expectations?

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So it was that like coming up as
an only like the only child, the

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son, Is it a Busan thing?
Is it a Korean expectation

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thing?
What?

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What do you think?
Like planted that seed in you.

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I think that's because I'm
Korean from the city called

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Orson, which is also one of the
conservative area.

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And a lot of our classmates, our
parents, you know, like, and my

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friends family, like 80% they
used to work for big corporate

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like Kortande, you know, so in a
way, like it was pretty similar,

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like a similar lifestyle.
And there was certain pressure,

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which is like at certain age you
got to do certain things and so

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on and so on.
And I didn't really fit into the

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box.
And I thought I was wrong, you

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know, but still I didn't fit it.
So it was so hard.

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And I think because of that,
here I am.

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Like what I'm saying is like,
even there are certain moments

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that because of my childhood and
the environment that where I was

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definitely something that helped
me to grow as a person who I am

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right now.
But also I think I travel at a

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young age and the whole world
was new to me.

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So I call myself because I'm
really Korean, Korean.

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I'm Korean that really care
about one another's tale or what

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I'm saying is like care about
others a lot and try to read a

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room and people.
And at the same time I traveled

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and then I saw more like a new
things and new opportunities.

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Now when you guys do the group
tour, which is a group activity,

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it's not always easy, right?
It's because it takes a lot of

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respect and care to each other
and in the rules and so on and

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so on, which is it's almost
training, right?

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Because you got to be in certain
time, you got to go from there.

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But surprisingly, after one week
of doing a lot of difficulties

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and we share this some strange
energy together and stay

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positive as a friend.
Because I grew up where I was in

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Rusan with this kind of
environment where I have to more

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like a care one another, it was
hard to be different.

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But at the same time, I travel
to work and experience something

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different.
And those two, you know, like

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environment sort of made me like
who I am right now.

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Yeah, your care, you do, you
give a lot of care on your

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tours.
There's, you know, balancing 15

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plus personalities.
I mean that that's a lot of

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work.
And you're very funny, by the

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way.
Like everyone should know he's

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like funny and joking.
And you can get to be serious,

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but you take time to try to meet
the needs of people right in

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where we are because not every
day is a good day for everybody.

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I don't envy you to do that.
Like I don't, I wouldn't have

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the energy to like do that.
But it's part of the magic that

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you provide for people like you
bring us to all of these places

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and then care like you just you
just care.

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So I think probably many people
fall in love with you along the

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way, you know, just because
you're so like kind and that's

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part of the magic sauce of it
all.

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But you're not just a tour
guide, right?

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You have a whole team of people
around you and you're always on

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the phone working, right.
You have you look at his face.

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You're.
Always busy.

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That's a shame, that shame that
I've shown you that I'm busy.

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I'm on the phone.
That's.

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Easy.
No, but I, I'm an observer.

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I I only really noticed more
because I got sick last time.

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So I wasn't able to be as up as
I wanted to be or energetic.

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I was like kind of watching.
I love watching, by the way, but

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I think when we were there, I
think you were getting calls

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from Netflix, right, to do that
Squid Game event that you did

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that, right?
So like, how does Netflix find

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you?
When I was doing a market tour

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and I posted a couple and again,
like I was genuinely enjoying

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the tour and and giving them the
suggestion and so on and so on.

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But apparently one of them was
the PR manager for Netflix and

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she really really enjoyed the
time with me.

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Once they plan their trip to
Korea, she asked me if we could

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host the Quantum Market tour.
But then back then she didn't

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00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,200
know that we actually do more
than just Quantum Market for the

225
00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,000
tour.
So it just extended like from

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00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:13,360
market war to another cultural
experiences and so on and so on.

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00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,000
Those last year like a December
and then this year for the Squid

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00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,240
Game Season 3 and we've hosted
the Netflix team and the

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00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,760
creators once again.
I remember I can see you

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00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,840
spinning like thinking a lot
about like what to do.

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00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,040
But then when I saw it all, I
was like, that's what he was up

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00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,160
to.
And again, you make it like it's

233
00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:39,560
not a big thing, but you have a
very creative side, right?

234
00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,960
And you've explored that.
I've read scripts of yours,

235
00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,560
right?
And you tried to also make a

236
00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,440
show similar to The Office, but
your version.

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00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:55,240
So I just want to, I'm curious
about that creative part of you,

238
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,920
right?
And how, how do you weave that

239
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,760
into running a company where
you're expanding people?

240
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,360
I want to like, also know about
how you manage people because

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00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,840
finding someone who inspires
people to work for you like

242
00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:12,600
that's, that's another whole
thing.

243
00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:16,400
By the way, your Squid Game 3
promos had some of the biggest

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00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,200
influencers in that little clip
and you're like, Oh yeah, you

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00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,240
know, I did a thing.
It's like, oh, I had you over

246
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,920
for tea, have a coffee.
No, you had like David saw was

247
00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,480
in there and like a few other
bigger.

248
00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:33,560
I don't they as big in Korea as
they are in the states, those

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00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,080
influencers or?
I think some, not everybody, but

250
00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:42,400
some people know them for sure.
OK, so did did Netflix gather

251
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:44,840
them all for you or is that
something you had to do?

252
00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:50,000
Yes, I mean, it was a their
promotion trip, so they invited

253
00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,880
like a bunch of creators from
all over the world.

254
00:16:53,960 --> 00:17:00,560
But then we worked with Netflix,
the US team, and they came with

255
00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:05,440
about 40 creators and they have
owned their official schedule

256
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,560
and also there were some
different activities and

257
00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,920
schedule and we hosted some part
of it.

258
00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:14,599
OK, so you've worked with
Netflix and you've gone on to do

259
00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:17,640
things like try to create your
own show.

260
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,440
Can you tell me what inspired
you to try to do that?

261
00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:24,680
OK, so it's not something big
again.

262
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:30,320
It's more like I think I like to
imagine and and and do it.

263
00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:36,320
That's kind of what I like.
And I love comedy and I want to

264
00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:40,320
be remembered as a funny person.
I like funny person, let's say,

265
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:46,280
so that I want to be funny too.
And often I watch comedy shows

266
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,600
and one of the favorite drama
sitcom as The Office.

267
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:57,520
So one day I was my friend and
we were making some fun content,

268
00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:02,720
but that's when we thought about
doing some fun project.

269
00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:08,480
And that was sort of Korean
style of the office because we

270
00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,160
were sitting in the office by
the time and we just got

271
00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:16,880
inspired and we did it and which
was a big fail, but it was good,

272
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,800
good, good try.
How to say?

273
00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:23,560
A big failure.
So funny.

274
00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:28,040
Well, you know, my podcast is
about talking to creative people

275
00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:33,320
about living a creative life.
So not everything we all do is

276
00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,160
the biggest success or whatever,
but it was a passion of yours.

277
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,880
You have to have a lot of
passion to do all the work,

278
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,280
especially because you were
basically producing and acting.

279
00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,040
I don't know if you had another
director.

280
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:48,440
Did you have someone else
direct?

281
00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:53,680
Yeah, we, we had one director
and he also like did a villain.

282
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,200
With you, how many episodes did
you actually shoot?

283
00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:03,280
Wait, the 10 episodes, so 10
minutes, 10 episodes, So it's

284
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,000
it's at 100 minutes, but none of
them are on live.

285
00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,480
You can ask me.
You can ask me.

286
00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:13,120
They're not on YouTube hiding
just a little.

287
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:17,640
Bit no, no, no, no, just a
little and it's somewhere in the

288
00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:20,760
high up driver.
I know I saw some though.

289
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,080
Did you take it down?
It was up for a little bit.

290
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:28,360
Really like I, I think we've
almost like some clips on social

291
00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:33,720
media on on Instagram, but then
whole app is so it's a stories,

292
00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,320
right?
And it's like a 10 minutes of

293
00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:40,480
app like a show.
But I've realized after doing

294
00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:44,240
all this work, I was like, OK,
I'm not the right person.

295
00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,440
It's not that easy job, I mean,
you know.

296
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:52,840
So still, I think I will do it
again, maybe in the future.

297
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:57,560
I've learned a lot.
But yeah, it was a good

298
00:19:57,560 --> 00:19:59,320
learning.
What do you think you learned

299
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,120
the most?
Was it like that logistics, like

300
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,520
putting it all together is can
be much harder than people

301
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:09,160
think?
Or was it being a character in

302
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,000
your own show?
I think it was about the story

303
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,560
and basically I'll just say
looking back at it wasn't one of

304
00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,960
the first teamwork that I've
done.

305
00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:27,000
And somehow the sense of humor
and the team didn't meet to each

306
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,440
other.
We had a writer and then he

307
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,920
wrote because his things are
funny and I found it funny, but

308
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:36,680
directly found that it's not
funny.

309
00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:41,040
So somehow, you know, so I think
rather than the technical

310
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:45,080
things, the whole storyline,
it's more like because it was

311
00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,680
like Korean style, which is the
sense of humor.

312
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,880
Korean sense of humor is
different to the Western sense

313
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,960
of humor, right?
And but then we the show was in

314
00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:00,680
English and and we tried to, you
know, like they wasn't people

315
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:02,600
watch.
I think you should do it in

316
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,120
Korean you.
Should do it.

317
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:08,080
You should do it.
For the Koreans, so tell me what

318
00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,840
what is on your list now?
What is your To Do List like

319
00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:15,800
this week?
Frankly speaking, right now my

320
00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,600
whole life is about what I call
work.

321
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,400
But like, you may travel the
brand and I truly, truly believe

322
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,560
that.
I mean, first of all, I feel so

323
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,680
lucky that I do something that I
really, really enjoy.

324
00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,000
So I'm so lucky that I can do
this as a work.

325
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,520
And now I'm no longer working by
myself.

326
00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:43,040
We have a team and I somehow
became a leader all of a sudden.

327
00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:48,520
And again, I'm lucky that I'm
surrounded by great people and

328
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:53,320
we are building something really
meaningful and, and, and, and

329
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,560
powerful to the world.
I believe as a leader, I think I

330
00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,680
have to work hard first of all,
for sure, but also be a good

331
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:06,520
leader, you know, And so I would
say I really enjoy the work.

332
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,800
I think about work this all the
time.

333
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:16,240
I was curious because so I know
you have other teams who helped

334
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,600
lead towards right?
You know you have a group of

335
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:25,880
people, so how many tours that
are the original could be tour

336
00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,080
in the Jeju tour, how many times
a year are those available now?

337
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,040
So good question.
Yeah, right now we are focusing

338
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:39,040
more like into more like a good
mate original tours.

339
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:45,520
And now we have only two tours,
which is 1 is a tip dies and

340
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,600
another to Jeju.
And then we are working on

341
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:53,400
something new right now.
Like we want to offer like

342
00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,760
different options, you know,
like they can be some, you know,

343
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:01,200
like budget friendly tour, it
can be or like food focus tour

344
00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:05,120
and and you know, like some
different kinds of tours, so.

345
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,440
I would like to say you give a
lot of food when you sit and eat

346
00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:11,800
with good meat.
I was like, I remember one time

347
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:13,440
you're like Holly, you're done
eating.

348
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:15,000
You're like, that's the
appetizer.

349
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,960
I was like, Oh my God, I'm so
full.

350
00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,480
I'm so full.
So if anyone is curious, curious

351
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:26,400
about Korean food, you really
get to taste and even learn to

352
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,720
cook some.
And I took that home with me.

353
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,520
And I, I make my kimchi and
green onion pancakes at home and

354
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,000
I have the right flour from the
recipe we got.

355
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,080
And I, I do the whole thing
because I love it so much.

356
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,360
But there's no shortage of food,
no shortage.

357
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,440
And it's delicious.
It's insanely delicious.

358
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,840
So I just wanted to tell people
now I'm getting hungry.

359
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,040
You have 8 day tours.
Like as someone who travelled

360
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,760
across the globe, right?
So I think my total travel

361
00:23:55,760 --> 00:24:02,000
including getting to the airport
and transfers was 2526 hours for

362
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,040
me.
And there's a 13 hour time

363
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,880
difference.
I would offer to people come a

364
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:12,360
few days earlier to just kind of
get in the time zone because

365
00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,480
once the tours start they're
busy, he says.

366
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,760
There's free time, but really
you'd like devour everything and

367
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,160
there's like no free time.
There's more time to hang out

368
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,120
and connect, but you're not
going to nap.

369
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:29,600
I think the first day on the
first tour I did, we were in in

370
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,040
Sadang and I was like, oh, I
just need like 1/2 hour because

371
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:34,760
I wasn't quite on the time zone
yet.

372
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:37,920
But by the time I took the bus
and got back to Myong Dong, I

373
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,720
had like 5 minutes and then I
had to get back on the bus to

374
00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,520
come meet up.
When I was like, well that

375
00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:47,160
wasn't the smuggle.
I was like right, Because I

376
00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:49,880
didn't, I didn't know anything.
Now.

377
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,240
Now when I go, I was like, oh, I
get on that bus line, I'm going

378
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,600
to pass that.
It's funny, I have no sense of

379
00:24:55,600 --> 00:25:00,120
direction like where I live, but
you put me like in a few

380
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:03,920
neighborhoods in Seoul and I was
like, oh, I know that place.

381
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,200
I know that place.
Even when I went back this

382
00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,120
spring, I was like, oh, I know
where I am.

383
00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:12,040
And, and my family was like,
there's no way you know where

384
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:13,880
you are.
I was like, I know even Sarah,

385
00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:17,800
who's my friend that I made on
the trip when we first met on

386
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,960
the day before the first trip,
she had been there.

387
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,360
And Sarah is a powerhouse and
she's like 4 inches shorter than

388
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,160
me.
And she basically dragged me

389
00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:29,960
literally because I was out of
my tree.

390
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:31,920
I was like, not in the time zone
at all.

391
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,640
Mentally.
She's like, are you OK?

392
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,600
I'm like, I don't even know my
name right now.

393
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,840
She just dragged me everywhere.
And we forced ourselves to kind

394
00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,160
of stay awake to get on the time
zone.

395
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,080
But she has a sense of
direction.

396
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,960
So I just blindly followed yet
another stranger that I had just

397
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,000
texted with on WhatsApp.
And we went up to Nam sum and we

398
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,360
did all this stuff.
And now she's like one of my

399
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,960
dearest people in my life, but
no sense of direction.

400
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,760
But now this time I was like,
Hey, that's that.

401
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,560
And hey, that's where that is.
And I know I turned left here.

402
00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:08,160
So I don't know what it is and
why I feel so at home there

403
00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:12,440
because I shouldn't, right?
I'm terrible at the language and

404
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,960
I'm not there all the time, but
it's part of why I want to spend

405
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:20,080
a month and, and not just like
visiting or doing things like,

406
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:24,600
but like to live, right, Like to
work there, like a little bit of

407
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,480
travel.
I would totally go back to a

408
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:32,440
pension and like just a slower
pace to see what it, that

409
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,360
experience would be like because
I know I will always be a guest.

410
00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:38,360
I will always be a tourist
there.

411
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:43,600
But there's also different, I
think degrees of like what that

412
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,800
entails, right?
Would, would, would you guys

413
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,520
ever do that because you make
all these people fall in love

414
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,360
with the country?
Would you ever be like, Hey, we

415
00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:56,360
have a bunch long thing and we
meet once a week and we'll see

416
00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:58,240
you once a week.
That would be fun.

417
00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,160
I'm going to.
I'm going to make you do more

418
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,200
for me, is what I'm saying.
Just like that would be so fun.

419
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:06,440
You put that in your noodles so
you could think about that.

420
00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,040
I think you're expanding
countries too.

421
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,440
Aren't you going to expand?
Yes, that's another exciting

422
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,760
part of the journey.
We are expanding to Japan and

423
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,520
hopefully we can open a tour
sometime in spring or it's not

424
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,920
that sometime often.
So tell me about a little bit

425
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,440
about your team, Like who the
people who work for you now?

426
00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:35,640
Well, we are group of 15 people
including the office numbers and

427
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:41,440
also like inside for host.
Fun fact about our team is the

428
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,040
majority people are like
friends, you know, so the people

429
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,800
that I know people are friends
of friends and we just become a

430
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,320
team, you know, so always
there's a somebody that I know

431
00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:56,200
in between.
So, yeah, and everybody has

432
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,800
different backgrounds and a lot
of them also used to work for

433
00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:02,640
big corporate and and different
fields.

434
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:09,320
But then I think they saw the
vision, the possibility of what

435
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:15,000
we are building and you know,
they sort of really aligned with

436
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:18,600
our company vision, which is
connecting people through

437
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:22,920
experiences.
So it's fairly new team and we

438
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,920
do little things together, the
team and yeah, so it's been

439
00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,120
really fun.
So if you could tell something

440
00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:35,920
to your younger self as you are
now like to that person who is

441
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,600
feeling lost, would what would
you tell them?

442
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,520
Would it be like the same
information you got from those

443
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:44,680
CE OS?
Yes.

444
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:51,760
So I would say, I think what I
realized when I met the CEO was

445
00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:55,160
I've never done something on my
own before.

446
00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,160
I've always did something
because what my family tell me

447
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,840
to do what the society tell me
to do and so on and so on.

448
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:08,520
But once I start to make my own
choice, my own decision and make

449
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,440
mistakes and and two little
things, I think that's kind of

450
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,680
where when I realized about
myself, about the words about

451
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,720
society.
So even if and I feel like I'm

452
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:25,360
lucky that I went into travel
when I was young and did a lot

453
00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:33,320
of litter, dumb things and
realize about myself, about the

454
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,320
place where I am, about the
word.

455
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:42,600
So I think 2 little thing is
what I would say, what I would

456
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,440
advise to my younger self if
possible.

457
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,840
What advice do you think you
would give yourself in 10 years

458
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,960
to who you are now?
I would say take care of people

459
00:29:53,960 --> 00:30:00,840
next to you, which is family.
And I think the biggest

460
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,920
challenge right now is the
balance between the work and the

461
00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:11,040
family.
And I do everything I do because

462
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:16,640
of my family and, and also, you
know, like me.

463
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:23,800
But often when I'm working, I
forget about this.

464
00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:31,640
So I think it's not easy still,
but I want to be aware of this

465
00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:38,640
fact all the time.
I think is am I your unni or

466
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,840
nuna Am I your unni like older
sister right.

467
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:48,800
I think for someone, I am Hyis
manic sometimes where I focus

468
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,680
very intense on work and then
family.

469
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:57,840
So I don't believe in balance.
I think that's a lie we've all

470
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,360
been told.
But I think there's rhythm,

471
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:04,640
right?
Where some days you might have

472
00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:10,680
to focus more on work or solving
problems and other days I think

473
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,080
I mean what I know about you and
what I think people listening or

474
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,000
learning is like.
You come from your heart in

475
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,640
everything you do, right?
You.

476
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,560
It starts with care that you
care.

477
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:27,360
It's easy to disappoint that
part who's always caring, right?

478
00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,240
Because oh, I didn't do enough.
Or that can be a thought.

479
00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:35,280
Or I could do more depending on
how you think or next time I

480
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:39,000
should, or how do I do both and
how do I not upset someone.

481
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,880
And I think it really comes down
to the words you choose more

482
00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:48,600
like I'm thinking about you.
But until I finish this thing

483
00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:52,360
right here, I won't be giving
you my full attention.

484
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:54,560
And I want to get better at
that.

485
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,960
So I'm going to work on that.
But I think working with anyone

486
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:03,280
who works a lot or living with
someone, any artist or creative

487
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,880
person who gets on a roll,
meaning like where you're in it

488
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,560
and you want to finish it.
And you see, sometimes we don't

489
00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,040
see the people around us as much
or they could be annoying that

490
00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:19,320
they're around us, right?
Because we just want to finish.

491
00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:24,480
And I find that learning the
right words to communicate that

492
00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,280
you need that also takes
pressure off and you can finish

493
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:31,160
the work sooner.
I mean, I have always been

494
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,000
freelance.
I tried working in corporate

495
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,560
twice and it was it was awful
both times.

496
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,960
But there are Times Now even
when my man candy, which is

497
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:42,360
everyone knows is what I call my
husband is like, it's Sunday

498
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:44,760
stop.
And I'm like, but no, I have to,

499
00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,520
I have to know more about the
person I want to talk to.

500
00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:48,880
I want to read all of their
work.

501
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,080
I want to understand more or if
I'm writing, it's like I have to

502
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,680
finish getting the idea out
before it goes away.

503
00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:01,640
So that I think is the hardest
part about living with creative

504
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,560
people is that we have this
drive and it's different and we

505
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:10,320
usually have big hearts.
So it can be like in conflict,

506
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,560
but that and you know, unplug
your phone an hour before you go

507
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,720
to bed away from you.
Oh.

508
00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:18,480
Which no one does.
That's like like when I work

509
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,480
with clients, I'm like, so
where's your phone?

510
00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:21,840
They're like, it's my alarm
clock.

511
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:27,640
I'm like, I dare you to plug it
in the kitchen an hour before

512
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,240
you go to bed and don't look at
it.

513
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:33,320
And that also helps you connect
and unwind.

514
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:38,160
So I'll just offer that up to my
favorite travel person.

515
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:45,000
So I think you have so much like
in you and you're curious about

516
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:50,200
all the people you encounter.
And I find it very fascinating

517
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:57,480
that you have a very
international group every time

518
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,960
in your tours, right?
It's not, they're not like

519
00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,120
locals at all, but they're not
just Americans.

520
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:09,679
It's a lot of Europeans, a lot
of so is there, are there what

521
00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,719
is in common with all the people
who come on your on your tour?

522
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:19,239
I think it's depends on the
tours because we have a lot of

523
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:25,040
inbates tour.
So if it's about K drama, then

524
00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:30,159
people who Oh yeah, you do 10
drama, right, right, right,

525
00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:31,600
right.
So it really depends on the

526
00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,480
topic, like the theme.
So people who really enjoy the

527
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,560
topic, then they come from all
over the world.

528
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:42,560
I forgot about that one.
He was in our hotel and I didn't

529
00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,679
even see him.
I was very upset because Vera

530
00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:47,159
got a picture with him.
But yeah, but like, like even

531
00:34:47,159 --> 00:34:50,080
your original tour, is there
something that you find that we

532
00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:53,480
all have in common?
I think people who joined the

533
00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:55,600
tour, they are open to try
something new.

534
00:34:55,600 --> 00:35:00,760
I, I think being in a group tour
takes a lot of courage because

535
00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,480
it's, it's not something easy.
And I, I have a lot of friends

536
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:05,800
who've never done the group
tourists.

537
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,440
And I think there's a way more
people who've never done the

538
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,000
group tour than the people who
actually did a group tour.

539
00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:16,320
And that's because travel is
something that you do whatever

540
00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:19,040
you want to.
And it seems like you just go

541
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,720
somewhere you want to and be
free.

542
00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:25,520
That's kind of a traveling that
we know kind of right.

543
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,280
And the group tourist is in a
way like you go with the group

544
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:32,960
of strangers that you don't
know, which is already a little

545
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:38,280
bit, you know something, it's
not always easy, but then you

546
00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:42,920
decide to be in a group and do
things together and try to get

547
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,880
to know one another and bring
things together.

548
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:50,400
So I think a lot of people who
join the tour because

549
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:53,400
everybody's different, but then
one thing that for sure is that

550
00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,480
they come with open minded and
try open minded.

551
00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:59,960
Well, you can't say that phrase.
What are you saying?

552
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:02,720
What are you saying?
And and not hung day.

553
00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:04,320
Not hung day, boy.
Open minded.

554
00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:05,520
Different.
Very different.

555
00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:09,280
All right.
I'd also like to offer like my

556
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,320
experience of it, why it was
such a good choice for me was

557
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:18,920
being unsure of the language.
You treat us like adults, right?

558
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:21,600
You're like, we meet here at
this time.

559
00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,360
The tour starts On this date, so
you can come before the tour

560
00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,040
again.
I would recommend that so you

561
00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:30,680
can get on the time zone or just
sleep for 30 hours, which is

562
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:32,080
what I think I did the first
time.

563
00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:36,640
And then what's amazing about it
is you're like, be here at this

564
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:42,600
time, but you take care of the
hotels and they're very nice and

565
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,840
transportation like.
There's no figuring things out.

566
00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:51,440
You can just be childlike in
your wonder and enjoyment

567
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:55,400
because I'm not responsible like
I was like I don't have to

568
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:58,720
figure out where to eat for
dinner or where to get a coffee

569
00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,640
or or who I should go see that
with.

570
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,440
Or will I be there alone?
The answer is you're never alone

571
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,800
unless you need some time away
and then you can just take it

572
00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:14,880
and there is always something
interesting and and there's

573
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,840
always an experience waiting and
you don't have to work for it.

574
00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,520
So I, I know you and Chris both
discussed like, you know, the

575
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:25,560
cost of the trip.
I think it's very reasonable for

576
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:30,120
everything that you get.
So I appreciate also that you

577
00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:35,640
both that you as a company
consider that is an expense for

578
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:39,720
people to do this and then you
treat it respectfully that way

579
00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:43,840
as well.
So that was kind of, that was a

580
00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,240
little bit, you know, magical
so.

581
00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:47,440
Thank you.
Thank you.

582
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:52,200
No, like you said, a lot of
people make a lot of decision in

583
00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,600
a daily life basis.
But then making decision, it

584
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:59,720
takes energy, right?
So being a group tour, one other

585
00:37:59,720 --> 00:38:02,000
fun thing is because we take
care of everything.

586
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:06,880
So you don't have to worry about
making decision but just be a

587
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:09,480
child and just come along and
have fun.

588
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,160
I giggled.
I giggled especially on the

589
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:15,960
first one when I first met
everyone.

590
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:18,760
For me it was, Oh my God, these
people.

591
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:22,040
I finally met people who are
curious about the things I'm

592
00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:25,320
curious about.
I met people like, so I don't

593
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,600
have a lot of that around me.
I'm just kind of weird, which is

594
00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:29,840
fine.
I'm used to it.

595
00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:32,480
But like, you know, for me it
was like, oh, you wait.

596
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:35,200
Oh, and you can actually, Oh my
God, and you and what have you

597
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:37,640
been there?
And I went, it was like when I

598
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,360
have when my mother even saw me
dressed up in my humbook.

599
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,600
And she's like, I haven't seen a
smile like that on your face

600
00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:47,440
since you were a little girl.
Yeah.

601
00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:50,160
And that is always.
She's like your smile when

602
00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:53,920
you're there is ridiculous.
And I always get a little sad

603
00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:59,240
when I come home because then
it's back to work and life and

604
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,880
like all the things and
responsibility.

605
00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:07,360
But there, it's just magic.
And really, I laugh.

606
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:13,320
I I, I like stamp my foot, slap
the table, laugh like even I

607
00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:17,240
think we were playing foosball
and Jeju and we were awful at

608
00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:18,960
it.
Like you probably were playing

609
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,360
bad on purpose.
But like I couldn't stop

610
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:23,640
laughing that night.
And it's just the, it's the

611
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:28,960
little things in life that
become so big and in and

612
00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:34,760
wonderful again when you get a
chance to escape your everyday

613
00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:39,800
normal routine.
So if anyone out is listening, I

614
00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,760
think I highly recommend travel
because first of all, you find

615
00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:45,760
out the world isn't as awful as
the Internet tells you that

616
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:50,840
there are plenty of really good
people and there's so much that

617
00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:55,840
we don't know about each other.
And it's fun to learn.

618
00:39:55,840 --> 00:40:01,080
It's fun to experience a culture
and a place that is not like

619
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:04,240
your own.
You will make more friends than

620
00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:07,960
you can imagine.
I think that was also the magic

621
00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:13,560
of going there for me and why I
always tell my warning label,

622
00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:16,520
right, which is, I will talk
about Korea.

623
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,520
Obviously you can pick up on
that.

624
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:22,440
But I want to say thank you to
Jay for coming because it's very

625
00:40:22,440 --> 00:40:25,520
late at night for him.
But I want to ask, I like to

626
00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:29,240
wrap up every interview with
what is your warning label?

627
00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:32,440
So, Mr. Jay Choi, what is your
warning label?

628
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:38,720
Once you ask me this question, I
thought about it, and then I

629
00:40:38,720 --> 00:40:44,640
wrote easily excited, frequently
exhausted, and.

630
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,240
That is good.
That is you.

631
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:52,960
I'm very kind and very kind.
Frequently excited.

632
00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:55,400
I love that.
OK, well, I'm looking forward to

633
00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:59,720
like what you create with
Goodmate Travel and the Korean

634
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:03,080
version of your show.
Thank you, Jay for being on my

635
00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:06,160
podcast, The Holly Hughes
Podcast, and I will be seeing

636
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,880
you again in person soon.
I will see you sometime soon.

637
00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:13,480
Thank you so much for having me.
It was a pleasure to be talking

638
00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:13,800
to you.