390 Rodney George

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:00:00] Rodney George is a luxury travel consultant based in Naples, Florida. With over 15 years of experience in the travel industry, Rodney heads an agency of travel professionals with a combined 185 years of travel experience. His passion for travel and expertise in luxury accommodations and experiences have made him a sought after consultant for discerning luxury travelers.

With a keen eye for detail and dedication to providing personalized service, Rodney and his team work closely with their clients to curate perfect travel experiences. Whether it's a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a corporate retreat, Rodney's extensive knowledge of the best hotels, resorts, and destinations around the world allows him to tailor each trip to his client's specific needs and preferences.

Rodney's commitment to excellence and his strong relationships with top travel providers have earned him a loyal client base and a reputation for delivering unforgettable travel experiences. He prides himself on providing exceptional customer service and making the travel planning process seamless and [00:01:00] stress free for his clients.

In addition to his expertise in luxury travel, Rodney is well versed in the latest travel trends, safety protocols, and destination information. Ensuring that his clients have all the necessary information to make informed decisions about travel plans.

Whether it's a lavish European getaway, a relaxing beach vacation, or a luxurious cruise, Rodney is dedicated to making his clients travel dreams a reality.

His attention to detail, personalized approach, and wealth of knowledge make him a standout luxury travel consultant in Naples, Florida.

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Welcome to Deep Wealth Podcast, Deep Wealth Nation. I have a question for you. Do you have more things to do than time itself? Do you find that you're burning the candle at both ends? When's the last time that you took a much needed break or vacation? And if you're like most entrepreneurs out there, you're probably saying, Oh, I can't remember.

I don't know. I don't even know where to begin. Well, rest assured coming out of today's episode, you're going to have all kinds of strategies because as you know, at Deep Wealth, we believe that your health is your first wealth and everything else follows from that. So Rodney, welcome to the Deep Wealth Podcast.

It's a delight to have a fellow entrepreneur and even a podcaster on the show with us. Welcome to the House of Deep Wealth. And I'm curious, Rodney, there's always a story behind the [00:05:00] story. What's your story? What brought you from where you were to where you are today?

Rodney George: it's a simple matter of I retired too soon. I was a financial advisor for 30 years. I retired at 55. I was single at the time, bored to death. And a friend of mine said, why don't you go to work for a travel agency? And I thought that'd be the last thing I want to do.

And he goes, okay, then start your own. And I go, okay, now we're on to something. So. After a few months of retirement and my friends taking all the money from me at the golf course, I decided I need to to workforce the form of an entrepreneurial, one man shop, just something to do, luxury travel business, and we've 17 years.

I have 10 wonderful ladies that work with me. And combined, well over 200 years of experience booking luxury custom vacations all over the world, all seven continents, all seven oceans.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow, it's a terrific story. So, love it. You're out there, you quote unquote retired, bored out of your mind, and isn't that something? [00:06:00] The post exit life, as we say here at Deep Wealth, sounds like yours was a lot like mine. I just didn't find that happily ever after. No one feels sorry for you sitting home in your pajamas, bored out of your mind, and Here you go.

So you started off and you began going down that path, but I'm wondering, because along the way you could have just stopped and done something else or gone in a different direction, but you didn't. So what was it that really sparked your passion, not just for travel, but to create Lux Travel? What's going on with that?

Rodney George: Well, you hit on the right word there, you passion, and that's what it is. I am passionate about People experiencing the world we live in Naples, Florida, and the Naples Daily News did a feature article on us a few years back, on the front page of the business section, they spent a day in our office talking with everyone, taking pictures, doing all kinds of stuff, and the article came out, I had no idea what it was going to say, but it was on the front page of the business section, it said, take the kids and pick [00:07:00] up the tab, because we really do a lot of stuff.

Three and four generational family vacations.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Interesting. And so tell me what's going on with that. Someone comes up. What's the secret sauce? They're saying, okay, Rodney, here I am, haven't taken a vacation in ages, or you know what? I just took a vacation last month, but I want something different. I want something to remember, or as I like to say, I want some magic moments.

What's going on? Why you?

Rodney George: Why us? Because we spend the time that it takes. Because when you're drilling into three, maybe sometimes even four generations, and you're trying to make this age range from two year olds to 92 year olds have a great experience together. You have to understand what are their dreams and their goals and their ambitions about this trip, and why now, and what are we celebrating, and who's got health related issues, mobility issues, and who doesn't, and helping them plan really, the vacation of a lifetime, because the 92 year old's not going [00:08:00] to be around a whole lot longer, I'll And this is all about creating memories.

The CEO of one of the largest beverage companies on earth, I heard him speak one time about eight or nine years ago, and he said, dreams are far more important than memories. And he may know a lot about running a beverage company, but he knows nothing about reality because memories are what it's all about.

And that's what we create.

Jeffrey Feldberg: I'm with you there. And before you tell us about more of your secret sauce, your industry, I mean, my goodness, I thank goodness the pandemic is in the rear view mirror. Let's keep it there. But wow, what was that like for you when the world shut down and people were even saying, is there even going to be a travel industry?

Is there going to be anywhere to go? Are we going to be able to fly? And the cruise industry was just decimated at the time. What was it like for you as a business owner?

Rodney George: Well, it wasn't fun, tell you that, because all we were doing was canceling people, rebooking them thinking everything was going to be alright in a few weeks, only to find out a few weeks from now that things are still [00:09:00] bad. The cruise industry you mentioned was terrible. I mean, they were shut down longer than anyone and I think that's because the cruise industry at the time probably didn't have a really strong lobbying effort to talk to the senators and the congressmen and get the push to get us back in business because cruising's about half of what we do and so it was a very important component that was missing for quite some time.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so, Rodney, so clearly you guys bounce back. And from what I hear, it sounds as though the industry in general is just even stronger than it was pre pandemic. How have you been finding things?

Rodney George: We, as soon as you put the phone down, it rings again. That, our business is incredible right now. People are, people have learned that the world's a different place and it's not perfect. It never was perfect, but it's less perfect now than it was, say, three to five years ago. But nonetheless, people still have a lot of things left to do on their bucket or their [00:10:00] experience list, whichever they choose to call it.

And they understand the importance, especially the patriarch and matriarch of a family, at leaving some memories for their children and grandchildren, perhaps even great grandchildren, to cherish long after they're gone.

Jeffrey Feldberg: that's the key, leaving some memories, some legacy, having the future generations look back and remember that trip. So what would be your process, Rodney? I come to you, okay, Rodney, heard about you on the Deep Wealth Podcast, book me a vacation, I want it to be memorable. What are you doing to really create a unique travel experience as opposed to me going to some of the more popular websites that I can just put in some dates and they pick a few places for me and off we go.

What's going on?

Rodney George: have a saying in our office that the Internet's for looking and we're for booking and pulling it all together. And we start out just trying to get to know you, let's say you're totally new to us, is your lifestyle like, who's going to be traveling with you, is it just you and a [00:11:00] companion, or is it you and, 23 members of the family, and we spend a lot of time talking about each of the people that are going to be traveling with you, and we don't have time.

To try to identify, what their likes and dislikes and their perhaps restrictions on mobility that's always a big key, the older that we get, and we really just what do you want this to be and the clients that listen to us, I have a client right now, I was on her podcast about three or four months ago, and she wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday.

And so we had a long meeting with just her, and she goes, well, let me put this out to my children and see what they think. No. This is mom's 80th birthday. Mom's picking up the tab. So mom says, here's what we're going to do, who's in? And it works more smoothly like that because there's a thing of the, my children's generation, they call it FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, right?

Jeffrey Feldberg: yes.

Rodney George: And so when I do a multi generational vacation for my family, and I have three children and six grandchildren and their [00:12:00] spouses and everything, and it's a pretty big trip. I put it out, and within a half hour, I'm there. Everybody's two thumbs up, we're in, because we planned it a year and a half or so in advance, and up the tab for everything, and so who's going to say no to that?

AI

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah. Love that approach. Particularly the family members. They're just showing up and you've done the rest and you've planned that and curated that which is really something incredible. I'm curious, just off to the side, has AI affected what you do behind the scenes just yet? And if it hasn't, you see it?

Where is it heading?

Rodney George: is probably going to enhance our ability to deliver a more unique experience for the client. Right now, it's just kind of starting to weave its way into our business, and it's more for creativity and marketing purposes we're using it right now. But as AI expands, I think it'll be a bigger part, I mean, The travel industry was scared to death of this thing called the internet.

Oh my gosh, how that changed our lives for the better. [00:13:00] And so I think that, we're close to putting our arms around and embracing it, but still just a little bit skeptical as to what it does. I still think and I'm going, I was in a conference, industry conference last week, and I've got one next week.

And the whole industry is very bullish on AI and thinks it's going to change the face and only make things that much better for those of us who have the passion to travel and the passion to help people experience the world in style.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Fair enough. And whether it's AI behind the scenes or your own experiences, Rodney, what do you look for in putting together a trip? So when a client comes to you, that's more or less open ended, Rodney, just tell us. Put together a trip that myself, my family is going to remember. We want to relax. We want to have some fun.

I want to get out of the daily grind. I want to recharge. What are you looking for? What's some of the criteria that you're looking at that we're probably not going to as someone from the outside in?

Rodney George: Well, you hit on a lot of the key factors just then, [00:14:00] but I think the most important thing is finding the right mix of planes, trains, automobiles, hotels, cruise ships, whatever, that are in the space that this particular client would want to be. And oftentimes, a question as simple as, when you're traveling across the country in your own vehicle and you plan to stop, every.

eight or ten hours for a place to spend the night. Are you staying at the Red Roof Inn or are you staying at the Four Seasons of the Ritz? And the answer to that question kind of gets us to where we want to be. Now, we happen to be very fortunate to live in Naples, Florida, which Naples is a very affluent place to live.

And there's also a lot of people over the age of 60, 65, which that means they probably have not only the money but the time. And those are Two really key components. And they want to spend quality time with the people that they love. And so it's a matter of understanding what that love's all about, where they want to [00:15:00] go what part of the world they want to see.

Like family, I know if I book a dive trip, because Almost everybody in my family, kids, grandkids, if they're old enough to be PADI certified, they're certified. So, if I book a dive trip, I know they're all in. If I book a trip to go to Europe and we're gonna tour 300 year old churches and that kind of thing, they might not all be in, but I'm smart enough to know what my children and grandchildren like, and so I plan that trip because I enjoy that as much as they do, and I just enjoy Putting the smiles on their faces and knowing that long after I'm gone, they're going to be talking about, remember that vacation Poppy, that's what they call me Poppy took us on when we went to the Turks and Caicos for the first time ever, and they'll be talking about that 30, 40, 50 years from now.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah. So special. And I really like how you're looking at it from their perspective. Hey, it's not just about me. This is really about them and what are they going to enjoy? Let me be sensitive to that. Working with [00:16:00] the clients, it really sounds like the expression, different strokes for different folks. If it's been a while and I haven't been on a vacation Rodney, and I know you do everything from land excursions to cruises to everything else in between, coming to you and saying, hate.

Help me with something. Before that, as I'm preparing to speak with you, what kind of questions should I be asking myself to really hone in on what I would most likely enjoy?

Rodney George: Well, I think first of all where do you think you want to go who would be going with you, what's your time frame, and most people go, we're going to go somewhere this year. 

So, we don't work on that tied in, under pressure thing. We help them expand their horizons and plan something that's going to be significant and meaningful and, most of all, memorable.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay, so part of it, from what you're saying, is timing. Give yourself lots of time. This isn't, hey, let's speak today and send me off somewhere in a couple of weeks. What's the ideal time frame in terms of how far out? Should I be giving myself and you [00:17:00] to put together that dream vacation?

Rodney George: We call that our booking window, and right now, it's out somewhere around 16 to 18 months. And I say that because, post COVID, there was no booking window. People came in and they said, we want to go somewhere in a couple of months. But now it's stretched back out to around, I'm guessing we're somewhere between 17 and 18 months right now that people are planning that far ahead.

What that means is some people are planning 12 months, but some people are planning 24 months further away, further out.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow! So what I'm hearing you say, and I'm picking myself up off my chair, Deep Wealth Nation, is that if I came to you today, you're saying it could be a year and a half for certain destinations to really put something together? Is that what's going on?

Rodney George: To click all the boxes, to check all the boxes that are important to you and to have the ultimate experience that you're looking for yourself and your traveling companion or companions, yeah, it pays to plan ahead.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay. So that's to [00:18:00] really check all the boxes, dial it all in, get the dream vacation going on. If I'm saying, well, you know, Rodney, I hear you on that, but you know what? I just want a place just to unwind and get away from the daily stress. And it's going to be more casual. I don't want to wait a year and a half.

What are we talking about in terms of timeframes that I should be giving myself?

Rodney George: Well, you ought to give yourself at least 90 days just because, there's a lot of moving parts to Whether it's a week vacation or a month long vacation, I mean, we have clients that book a cruise every other year to go around the world. It's a 180 day cruise. They spent, the reason they only go every other year is they spend the entire year in between planning everything they want to do on the next world cruise.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, I've heard about that. And on the cruise side, we can just go there for just a moment. My goodness, I've heard about these, really, it's like a floating condo, if you will. And some people are just going on there and some of them are for six months, some of them are for a year. [00:19:00] So if someone hasn't been on a cruise ship for a while, what's been going on in the cruise industry?

What's changed?

Rodney George: I would say the most important thing has changed is, especially with the luxury product, is the cruise lines have gone over the top. I was on a new cruise ship about three weeks ago, and on this cruise ship, they had a full blown Rolex store. They had a full blown Cartier store and then a full blown Piaget store.

I mean, you wouldn't have seen that on a cruise ship. Maybe they got a jewelry store that's selling some stuff, but I mean, these were huge stores. These were stores like you would see on Fifth Avenue in New York City large stores. Because the market's there, it was a high end luxury cruise, they know their market, and they brought those three brands on board, and every time I walked by those shops, there was someone in there making purchases.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow. Okay. So it sounds like they've taken the big city, they put it onto a floating city, if you will, and we have all kinds of amenities [00:20:00] going on there. And I also understand that these ship sizes now were really where they, at one point, maybe it was in the hundreds into the thousands. It's significantly more than that.

What's going on there?

Rodney George: Well, that's the other end of the spectrum that we don't deal much with, because we're luxury, and the luxury ships are always going to be somewhere On the high end, 12 to 1500 passengers on the low end, 200, 250 passengers. The mega ships that you're referring to, Jeffrey, are like the, some of the newer mass market ships that Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and Carnival are coming out with five to 7,000 guests and a crew of three or 4,000.

So it's a small city in Nebraska, basically.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so interesting because you made an important differentiation. You're talking about luxury, hence your name Lux Travel. Lux Travel. And so for the listener Can you share with them luxury? We hear a lot luxury this, luxury that. It's the same word, but it can mean different things. In your [00:21:00] circles, Rodney, when it comes to luxury, what does that really mean for me and why would I want that?

Rodney George: One of the things that the luxury brands are doing is the culinary, Offerings, I mean, four, five, six specialty restaurants, a grand dining room one of the cruise lines, Oceana Cruises, their very first employee when they started the cruise line some 18, 19 years ago, was the legendary chef Jacques Pepin.

And he's still an employee today. He brought to that cruise line and elbowed out everybody else and made that this cruise line will always be about the culinary experience. And it's trickled down on all the other luxury brands and they've had to keep pace. But I mean, you can walk down Fifth Avenue in Naples, Florida, or you can get on a luxury cruise ship.

Either way, you're going to have culinary that's going to be very similar and very challenging and very pleasing to that luxury buyer.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Interesting. Okay. So we're talking culinary is one aspect of it. And if we zoom out for [00:22:00] just a moment, so we're talking right now about cruising and the luxury ships that are there. Let's talk now, the more traditional land destinations, I take it culinary is probably right up there. In terms of some of the luxury properties, the different hotels, the different kinds of excursions, what's going on there that I should know about?

Rodney George: I was in a four day meeting in Nassau last week. There were 550 vendors, mostly luxury hotels from around the world, and there were 500, what they call us, buyers, people who have the ability to fill their hotels up, and every 20 minutes, we had a 15 minute meeting, so we had five minutes to move from one appointment to the next, and that was for four days, if you can imagine.

I'm just now debriefing myself and putting my thoughts, dictating my thoughts, I've got a stack of business cards this tall, as to what these offerings were with each of these hotels or resorts from literally [00:23:00] every nook and cranny of the world, places that I've never even been as, as a travel advisor or a frequent traveler.

So, you have to stay out there, you have to keep sharpening saw, if you will, and keep learning about new things, new places. Because the one challenge we have in dealing with the luxury client is they've been there, done that, with so many places in the world, and they're always looking for something new.

We call those bragging rights trips, where you're the first person in your country club to have stayed in seven castles in 14 days in Ireland and played five of the world's most famous golf courses while you happen to be there.

Jeffrey Feldberg: That sounds really terrific as you're describing that and getting me into vacation mode, but let me ask you this because I know for Deep Wealth Nation, there comes a point you're exactly right. In the entrepreneurial journey, hey, we put in the proverbial blood, sweat, and tears. The business is now at the point where It's providing some nice profits, it's giving us a lifestyle of [00:24:00] why we've sacrificed so much to begin with, and it's no longer, can I afford this, it's, hey, I've worked hard, I want to really go somewhere, I want to enjoy it, to your point, I only have so much time on this planet Earth, as they say, and I really want to make it count, and I want to have memorable vacations, and something that creates legacies, and all those wonderful things that go along with that.

At the same time, though, sometimes as entrepreneurs, we can't help ourselves and say, well, you know what, I'm just gonna book it myself, I'm gonna save on some of the booking fees and I'll just go out there and it's easy now, I'll find an internet site and I'll get all that going. So for someone in Deep Wealth Nation who's between the two, it's not an issue of writing the check, Rodney.

It's more about principle. And by the way, I'm right there with you of, hey, why not save the time, have an expert like yourself provide us a trip of a lifetime. But what should they know that they likely are in for, or they're not going to be able to do, or what that experience is going to be like on their own versus you and the team?

Rodney George: that's a publication that, that I need to send to you called The Five [00:25:00] Myths About Travel Consultants because you hit on something there about, I'm just going to book it myself online because I know it'll be cheaper. That is, nothing could be further from the truth. Now, I'll just give you one example.

It just happened a couple of days ago. One of our very best clients, she's on my advisory board, they travel eight to ten times a year on multi week vacations. she was online, saw a cruise that she wanted, saw the stateroom that she wanted, so she called up and booked it right then on Sunday afternoon.

she's well trained, because she came in our office on Monday, gave us the confirmation, We went through the hoops to claim that booking for our agency, and the price per person went from 15, 000 to 7, 800 per person, because we're part of Signature Travel Network, which is one of the largest travel consortiums in the world.

And they happen to have some extremely special rates with that particular [00:26:00] brand. And the lady was ecstatic because the savings paid for their business class round trip tickets. So, the one thing you'll find in the travel industry is that most of the vendors They price their product much like the brand Apple does.

This Apple watch, you can't find this watch at a discount anywhere, because Apple says if you sell it for less than we tell you to sell it for, we'll take the brand away from you. And that is pretty much how the travel vendors, be it land or cruise they fix their pricing. So when you call up the cruise line and book it, or you call us and book it, our initial price is going to be the same.

Whether we have deals and offers that they've given us because of our size, then becomes money back in your pocket.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay. So what I'm hearing you say is Nothing's for nothing, as the saying goes, there aren't necessarily the deals that you may think there are, because particularly for more of the luxury properties, whether that's land or sea. You [00:27:00] have early access to it. You may have exclusive access to it that I'm not going to be able to get, or if I'm going to get it, I'm going to have to go through the more traditional channels, deal with it myself, be on the phone, waiting back and forth, emails back and forth, whereas you and the team will just do it for me, and really, if there's the best price to be had, you're going to get that for me.

Rodney George: Well, not only that yes, all those things, but in addition to that, just knowing that when you pick up the phone and call our office, you're going to be directly connected to the person that you've been working with for the duration that you've been with a client with us. I had a client the other day said his friend talked him into booking with one of these online discount places and he said it's the worst experience I've ever had in my life.

Every time I call there, I talk to someone different. They don't know anything about me. They don't know what I like. I have to start from ground zero with everything I do. And with you guys you know me and we have this relationship that's so critically important. And he says, Please forgive me, but [00:28:00] I've come here to confess this to you, but I will never do it again.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, I hear you on that. I hear the horror stories with that as well. Rodney, You've obviously drunk the Kool Aid of travel is great, and let's take time to relax. You've heard it from your clients for the Deep Wealth Nation, and they shouldn't be thinking this. I know some of them are. And again, in our 90 Day Deep Wealth Mastery Program, we talk a lot about taking time out.

While you're running the business, take time out, relax, recharge. But for those that are still on the sidelines, can you share some personal experiences or what you've heard from clients of what it's meant to them in terms of their physical health, their mental health, what it's done for the business if they're not retired when they've come back from a vacation to remember.

Rodney George: There are all kinds of studies. If you just go out and Google, is travel good for your health? It's good for your mental, your physical. Over and over again, these studies keep coming back with the same answers, that we all need some time away. We all need [00:29:00] some time to get away from the computer, get away from the cell phones, get our toes in the sand, or whatever it is that makes your toes happy.

And relax, because my good friend Dr. Philip Randall who's a gerontologist, I met him about 45 years ago, and he had a piece that he had written and it's called Enjoy Yourself.

It's later than you think, and Dr. Randall nailed it, because it is later than we all think. I mean it. Two days ago, Pete Rose was alive. Today, he's gone.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, so true. No one knows what tomorrow brings. That's such a timely reminder. And Rania, I don't know about you, just putting myself under the microscope.

Some of my biggest, I'll call them breakthrough moments, came when nothing to do on the business side. I was relaxing. I was recharging, taking some time off. And then suddenly, Poof. I don't know where this idea comes. Get back to the office after the time away, after the vacation, next thing you know, market disruptions are created, we're creating new services, new products, [00:30:00] but we're also restoring back our energy, our focus, our health, and we're the best version of ourselves for our team, for our clients, for the daily demands of what's coming up on the business, so I'm right there with you in terms of why some time away makes all the difference.

I'm wondering for yourself, you're successful at what you're doing, you have a growing business, what's your secret sauce, Rodney, in terms of taking time out for you to be able to experience some of these new destinations or these new enhancements that are going on in the industry?

Rodney George: Just like most people I think to some level or another, we all enjoy what I call bragging rights. I want to be the first person to do something that's totally unique. I want to be the first person that's been on this new ship. I want to be the person that is out in front of what we believe the change curve that's coming to our industry.

And my staff knows that some of my most creative times. Our times when I'm at 35, 000 feet with a glass of good [00:31:00] whiskey in my hand and a legal pad by my side, and I get so creative about new and different things that we can do to really be. Break out of something new, like right now we're working on a whole Pickleball offering that's going to be on a variety of different cruise ships for people that love Pickleball, because you don't have to run as far as you do when you're playing tennis, but pickleball is huge. So we're doing a whole series of pickleball cruises.

Jeffrey Feldberg: That's interesting what you're doing just to stay current and to stay on top of things. And speaking of staying current, best guess, I mean, who knows, but best guess based on where you've been, where are things heading, particularly in the luxury travel space? If you had to take a guess of three years out, five years out, 10 years out, what would you say is going to be different then than what we have today?

Rodney George: Well, I think the majority of the luxury brands just keep trying to outdo each other. They keep tweaking and fine tuning and coming up. I mean, who would have thought 10 years ago that you could go on a luxury [00:32:00] ship. And there was a place called the culinary center where you and. Twenty five or thirty other people could be at their own cooking stations doing what this rock star chef from some well known restaurant around the world is teaching you to do at the front of the room.

I mean, they're always coming up with new and innovative things to do while you're on board the ship, well as making that experience even more satisfying and luxurious and more getaway. I just planned a honeymoon for a couple, and they said, we want to go to Hawaii, where can we go where there's absolutely no television, no cell phones, they said, but we do want air conditioning. And so there's actually a resort on the big island of Hawaii on the Kona coast called, Kona Village. And Kona Village when I was there 10 years ago, didn't have air conditioner, didn't have TV, didn't have even Wi Fi.

They do have Wi Fi now, and they do have AC. They were bought by bigger brand, and they upscale. [00:33:00] Gail, it's a five star resort but they still have no TV. And I said, I can't control the internet, but you don't have to turn it on. it's a totally dropout place. And if you need some touch with society, there's a Four Seasons Hotel less than 500 yards down the beach.

It's

Jeffrey Feldberg: Nice. Let me ask you this because I know when I'm speaking to members in the community, I'm hearing different stories. Jeffrey, I took this incredible trip and it happened to be a more traditional land based trip. Someone else will be saying, Jeffrey, we just got back from a cruise of a lifetime. Let me tell you about that.

And so for someone who's really appreciating, okay, it's time to put a pause on things, take a vacation, get away. It now becomes a question, well, do I go on a luxury cruise? Do I find myself at a luxury resort? What would be some questions, Rodney, based on your experience that I could ask myself to really help me land on which direction?

Because I'd imagine there's advantages and disadvantages to both.

Rodney George: Well, the biggest advantage of a cruise is you're able to wake up in a new port [00:34:00] of call virtually every day and not have to pack and unpack. So if you want to get the cliff notes version of some major ports, like I've got a group right now that sailed out of Venice about a week and a half ago and they're on their way to Athens, but they had six ports of call along the Amalfi coast.

And then three or four Greek islands. they're doing cliff note visits one day in each of those places. And maybe you find a place, Oh, I'll have to go back to Dubrovnik. I want to go back there and spend some time. I really like Dubrovnik, or I really like Santorini. So it gives you a chance. On the other hand, a fully orchestrated custom trip is going to give you the time that you want in all these different places, and then you pack up and move.

I've got clients that leave tomorrow. With some people they met on a vacation 15 years ago, and they always go on a nice trip every year. They're doing Italy, Sicily, and Greece, and they're spending four or five days everywhere they go. It's about a three week trip. It's all custom, [00:35:00] even the restaurant reservations each night have already been made for them.

So, it's a matter of your preference. What do you want? What makes you happy? Some people go, went on a cruise one time and there was like thousands of people there. I never want to do that again. Well, we have the conversation about what's available now versus then, and if they still don't want to do a cruise, then we, okay, we'll just leave the cruise ship in the harbor and figure out how we're going to get this done on land.

Jeffrey Feldberg: So really what I'm hearing you say, it breaks down to, do you want the convenience of seeing a lot of places in a short period of time, not living out of a suitcase? You have the same room, it's Go to a cruise, or hey, if you want to really go deep and see what it is really like to live in a particular location, be with the locals, or just really get into that experience, then perhaps you want to go on a more traditional land based kind of vacation.

How am I doing with that?

Rodney George: Very good. You're hired.

Jeffrey Feldberg: You never know how things pan out, so I know at least I have this

Rodney George: You got a fallback.

Jeffrey Feldberg: I got the phone. Just be careful. You might get that knock at the door. Hey, [00:36:00] I'm here. Let's go. And so, Rodney, before we go into wrap up mode, I mean, there's so many different areas that I could have gone into time.

We're starting to bump up against that. Let me ask you this. Is there a question I didn't ask or a topic that we didn't cover or even a message that you'd like to get out to Deep Wealth Nation?

Rodney George: I think the most important message is my friend Dr. Randall, and that is simply enjoy yourself, folks. It's later than you think, because it truly is. We're not guaranteed anything after today. Matter of fact, we're not even guaranteed the rest of this day. So, don't sit there and go, you know, maybe next year we'll do this or maybe, when the grandchild is five, we'll do this.

Don't wait. Don't wait. There's too many uncertainties in our world. If you have any doubt about that, just turn the TV on the news channel and see what's going on in the Middle East right now.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Rodney, you're so right. And Deep Wealth Nation, I want you to think about this because Rodney, you've To your point, we've had really the good fortune of having all kinds of diverse [00:37:00] guests come onto the show and very successful with what they've done because the temptation as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, say, you know what, I'll do that family vacation, but I want the business to grow.

Once we get to this size, I'll take some time out and I'll go do that. And to your point, no one knows what tomorrow brings. And I've had guests come on the show and they shared, Jeffrey, some of the biggest regrets of my life. I didn't spend the time with family members. I was too busy on the business and now that I've reached the pinnacle of success, I have all the zeros in the bank account, I have all the accolades, some of those family members are no longer with us.

I can never go back in time and be with them. And at the same time, some of the relationships, family relationships, friendship relationships that I've lost over the years is very difficult to rekindle. There's anger, there's resentment, all because I thought a meeting. It was so important and I got to tell you, they say, I don't even remember what those meetings were.

That's how important they were. I thought they were at the time, but looking back, it was nothing. [00:38:00] And so to your point, hey, put the family first, put the friendships first and take the time out and really enjoy it because you're right, no guarantees about anything. That's why it's called the present moment.

Yesterday's gone. Tomorrow's not here. It's a present. And so, good message on that, Rodney. Well, that said, let's go into wrap up mode. It's a tradition here on the Deep Wealth Podcast where every guest, I have the privilege, the honor of asking the same question. And Rodney, it's a really fun one. Let me set this up for you.

When you think of the movie Back to the Future, you have that. Fabulous DeLorean car that can take you to any point in time. So imagine now it's tomorrow morning, Rodney, you look outside your window. Not only do you see the DeLorean car curbside, the door is open and you're going to hop on in. You're now going to go to any point in your life, Rodney, as a young child, a teenager, whatever point in time it would be, Rodney, what would you tell yourself in terms of life wisdom or life lessons or, hey, Rodney, do this, but don't do that?

What would that sound like?

Rodney George: It would take me as fast as I could get it to go back to when my [00:39:00] kids were little and they were playing Little League and having swim meets and dance recitals and piano recitals and all those things that we chased our tail running from here to there because I had four small children.

I would go back there in a heartbeat, yeah, going back to college might be fun and the four years you had in the fraternity and all that, but no, I would go back to when my kids were little because those kind of times, I don't think we realized how enjoyable they are until they're gone.

Jeffrey Feldberg: So really what I'm hearing you say is. Enjoy every moment, even the seemingly so called boring moments, or the not so special moments. There really are special moments.

Rodney George: They're very special.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Rodney, as you say that, you remind me. I will be at a family dinner, and the extended family will be there, or even with friends, and I'll say, hey, everyone. I want you to look around, because here tonight, you're probably saying, yeah, it's just a family dinner, not a big deal, I have so many hopes and dreams and goals that are ahead, but I guarantee you, if we took a picture right now, [00:40:00] and 20 years from now, fast forward, we looked back at this picture, what would you say to yourself?

And chances are, you'd be saying, wow, look how young I was, or look at so and so. in that picture right now, they're no longer with us. Oh, I wish I could have another moment with them. Soak up the moment. It really is a special moment and that's terrific advice for Deep Wealth Nation to come out of this episode because we like every episode to be actionable.

And so Rodney, what I'm hearing you say is, hey, before you go into your next meeting, your next phone call, your next commitment, whatever that is, look around you, look at the very moment that you're in right now. Enjoy it, make the most of it, who's in your life that you haven't told them that you love them or you thank them for doing something special or what they mean to you.

Love that advice.

Rodney George: By the way, talking about love,

I finish every phone call, every face to face conversation, no matter who it is, it's somebody in my life that I love. The last three words I say is, I love you.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Ah, so nice.

Rodney George: So that they know if we don't ever see each other again, the last thing [00:41:00] that dad or granddad or my business partner or whatever, the last thing he said to me is he loved me.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Yeah, that is so, so nice and so true in terms of saying that and some terrific advice out there and some insights for Deep Wealth Nation. And Ronnie, let me ask you this. Somebody has a question, better yet, you've sold them on, hey, take some time out, let Get a vacation. Get a luxury vacation.

They want to speak with you. They have some questions. They want to book something. Where is the best place to reach you online?

Rodney George: a couple of websites. We have one called luxtrav. com, L U X C T R A V. com, or they can just type in on the URL on the browser, Rodney. travel, and that'll take them to our other website.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Love it. And Deep Wealth Nation, it is point and click. Go to the show notes. It's all there for you, including some of the resources that we spoke about today that Rodney was kind enough to share with us. It's all there. And Rodney, as we love to say here, congratulations. It's official. This is a wrap. May you continue [00:42:00] to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe.

Thank you so much.

Rodney George: Thank you, Jeffrey. It was a pleasure. 

Jeffrey Feldberg: So there you have it, Deep Wealth Nation. What did you think? 

So with all that said and as we wrap it up, I have another question for you.

Actually, it's more of a personal favor. 

Did you find this episode helpful? 

Have you found other episodes of the Deep Wealth Podcast empowering and a game changer for your journey? 

And if you said yes, and I really hope you did, I have a small but really meaningful way that you can actually help us out and keep these episodes coming to you.

Are you ready for it? 

The dramatic pause. I'll just wait a moment. Drumroll, please. Subscribe. Please subscribe to the Deep Wealth podcast on your favorite podcast channel. When you subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast, you're saving yourself time. Every episode automatically comes to you, and I want you to know that we meticulously craft Every one of our episodes to have impactful strategies, stories, expert insights that are designed to help you grow your profits, increase the value of your business, and yes, even optimize your post exit life and your life right now, whatever you want that to [00:43:00] look like.

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So all that said. Thank you so much for listening. And remember your wealth isn't just about the money in the bank. It's about the depth of your journey and the impact that you're creating. So let's continue this journey [00:44:00] together. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for listening to this episode.

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Thank you so much. 

God bless.