1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,560 All right, welcome back to Hostel Road Trip podcast. 2 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:21,740 Super excited to be here with the World Packers founders, Eric Ferria and Ricardo Lima, legends 3 00:00:21,740 --> 00:00:27,000 of the industry and so much to talk about with how the awesome story of how they got 4 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,520 started and what they got going on and how they got there. 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,760 It's really a cool story, soon to be a documentary, I'm sure. 6 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:39,840 But I wanted to just start it off with, you know, one of the touching elements of your 7 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:48,640 company is having been able to watch it from a creation. 8 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:54,040 Work exchange and management at our first hostel in Lillie San Diego and seeing you 9 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,960 guys conceptualize the idea and take it from the ground up and build it into something 10 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:02,160 so fast or so inspiring. 11 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,760 And we still have the same picnic table that you guys hatched the scheme at underneath 12 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,120 the avocado tree. 13 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,400 It's folklore, legend, and stage as well. 14 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,520 And such a cool story that I always tell anyone that wants to hear. 15 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:24,720 But one thing I wanted to touch on and ask, Eric, I remember early on you coming with 16 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:31,960 the thought that this work exchange is such a profound experience that people should know 17 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:36,400 about as it can be so life changing and beneficial in so many ways. 18 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:41,320 We know from the language barrier of helping people learn languages, it's fantastic. 19 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:44,520 You're a great example of that itself. 20 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:49,200 And also just the fact that it's a great way to meet people and travel and it's such a 21 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:55,080 cool experience that I was always inspired and looked at it in that way. 22 00:01:55,080 --> 00:02:01,960 Participating at a hostel, doing a work exchange, so much of what you're receiving is that experience 23 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,000 and how cool it is and how life changing it is. 24 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,280 And sometimes as Americans, I find, especially with the younger Americans or Americans of 25 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:15,760 all age, they have a hard time putting evaluation on that experience. 26 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,000 And that's something that's so pivotal. 27 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,180 If you don't understand that as being such a high value to the experience, and a lot 28 00:02:23,180 --> 00:02:29,000 of people can often feel shortchanged or taken advantage of or think that it's not a fair 29 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,000 exchange. 30 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:35,440 From your perspective and World Packers, how do you deal with that element of really getting 31 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,440 them to value the experience? 32 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:39,440 Nice. 33 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,440 Can you hear me well? 34 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:43,440 Yeah. 35 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:44,440 Yep. 36 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:49,440 James was breaking up a little bit for me. 37 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:54,440 I don't know if it's for me. 38 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:55,440 I'm sorry. 39 00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:00,200 Yeah, no, I was just highlighting the experience based stuff like the work exchange, like the 40 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:06,080 value of the experience is so important to the work exchange program, which you facilitate. 41 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,240 How do you highlight that? 42 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:11,920 Or do you see that as a challenge with the younger people now? 43 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:13,760 Or with that American demographic? 44 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,480 I was just curious on how you deal with that internally over at your side of the world. 45 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,520 Yeah, nice, nice. 46 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:26,320 It's always a challenge for us to promote the exchange, right? 47 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:34,720 It's such a deep transformation that we can have in this experience that it's very hard 48 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,640 to put in words for anyone that's outside a hostile environment. 49 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:47,000 But what we do a lot at World Packers now, we're doing a lot of training videos, a lot 50 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,920 of certificate videos. 51 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:56,680 So travelers, when they are getting on board, on World Packers, they can watch some certification 52 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:02,040 videos so they can get prepared for what's coming for the experience. 53 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,440 Because they are new if they're first time travelers. 54 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:07,880 Nice. 55 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:16,080 Do you find that from culture to culture, just by your numbers, do certain cultures 56 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:23,800 or nationalities really thrive more or connect more with that experience based exchange than 57 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:24,800 others? 58 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,760 How do you see it from your side of the platform? 59 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:32,000 Is it like, oh, wow, the Australians really get this exchange, they value it, they want 60 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,320 to do it, they're happy about it, they feel fulfilled by it. 61 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:43,160 Do you have any one nationality that stands out more than the other? 62 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:49,240 I can't say about one nationality, but I can definitely say about a continent. 63 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:51,240 And that's Europe. 64 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,880 Europeans love travel. 65 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,080 It's part of their culture. 66 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:02,080 The hostile industry itself was born in Europe. 67 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:09,240 So I think Europe, a lot of places like the United States, Brazil, Latin America, Southeast 68 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:15,400 Asia, they are picking up the culture, the traveling culture, the traveling benefits 69 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:16,920 of this experience. 70 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,920 So they are understanding more now. 71 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:20,920 But it takes time. 72 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:27,080 It takes maybe, I don't know, a generation to really change a culture, right? 73 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,680 But in Europe, they know how to travel. 74 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,800 Travel is cheap for them. 75 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,320 Their passport is well accepted. 76 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,640 Their parents have traveled before. 77 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,320 So that's what we see at WAPAC. 78 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:51,040 But the European ones, they are more upfront when it comes to hostile environment, traveling 79 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:56,200 abroad, going to a country that speaks a different language. 80 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,920 They are definitely ahead of all of us. 81 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:00,920 Okay. 82 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,360 Now, last question for either you or Rick. 83 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,840 The last question on the nationality part of it. 84 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:13,560 How would you describe the American demographic nationality with the exchange? 85 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:20,280 How would you describe their reaction to your platform, the experience that they have? 86 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:21,880 What are they like? 87 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:26,080 Well, so first, very honored to be here. 88 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:31,680 James, Bobby, and you spoke before about the power of the experience and being at ITH, 89 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,240 being close to you guys. 90 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:38,800 I learned a lot and inspired me a lot to understand the power of the experience, the transformation 91 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,880 that an experience can bring. 92 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:46,400 So the connection and the magic of traveling and meeting people and encounter with people 93 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,040 from all over the world. 94 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,160 So I learned a lot with you guys about that. 95 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,720 I've lived in New York, Utah, San Diego, and Santa Cruz. 96 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,000 So different parts of US. 97 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,000 And I love them all. 98 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,040 They're very different in every aspect. 99 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:08,360 But what I found, the pioneer is the idea of discovering of connection of globalization. 100 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,080 I think it's in there. 101 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,160 So as Eric mentioned, Europeans are doing that for a long time. 102 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,160 The hostile culture started in Europe, right? 103 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:20,160 So when you see what's happening in Europe, I think it's a great inspiration for what 104 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:24,240 we can do in the whole American continent. 105 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,080 Beautiful. 106 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,000 Tell us a little bit about when you guys came up with the idea. 107 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,800 Take us back to that moment when you guys were sitting across from each other and said, 108 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,320 we might have something here. 109 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:40,320 Tell us about that story and how that conversation went and those first couple moments when you're 110 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,160 dreaming up the concept. 111 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:43,160 Nice. 112 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:44,160 Yeah. 113 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:54,040 So as James was saying, I did exchange at USA Hostels where you guys were, where we 114 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:55,720 first met. 115 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,560 That's how I learned the language. 116 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:08,040 Back then at ITH, it was very clear for all of us, the value of the exchange, right? 117 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:17,680 Not just for language learners, just as myself, but for any kind of skill, for self-development 118 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:19,000 as well. 119 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:25,440 So I did the exchange with you guys when you guys were working for USA Hostels. 120 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:26,440 That was very special. 121 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,140 It changed my life. 122 00:08:28,140 --> 00:08:36,920 When we were running ITH and I could host people and be on the other side of the exchange, 123 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:38,480 that was very valuable. 124 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:44,560 And that's when I think I saw the power in the whole world, right? 125 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:54,000 How about if anyone could travel and gather skills, learn the language, get self-knowledge 126 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:55,360 and learn about the world? 127 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,120 The world would definitely be a different place, right? 128 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,960 And Rick and I, we are friends from a long time, from Brazil. 129 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:03,960 He was traveling. 130 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:08,160 I quit my job to travel and he quit his job to travel as well. 131 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:13,120 He was traveling for three years and he saw the exchange at ITH. 132 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:14,760 He got interested. 133 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,520 He contacted me. 134 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:27,440 For us, ITH was very positive for us to have Rick with all of his experience coming to 135 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,160 the hostel. 136 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:37,200 But when Rick got to the hostel, he was transformed from his travel experiences, right? 137 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:41,920 And he was very impacted by what we were doing at ITH. 138 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:49,800 I had mentioned to James the value of the exchange and when I mentioned to Rick, Rick 139 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:58,640 actually asked to go to a coffee shop in Little Italy. 140 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,360 And he was saying, hey, you know, I've been traveling a lot. 141 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:04,760 I've been seeing some opportunities. 142 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,040 I want to do more than just travel. 143 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,560 I want to do something with purpose. 144 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:12,920 And he was in the exchange. 145 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:19,080 He was seeing all the value, all the transformation that can have in everyone's life. 146 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:28,640 And at that time, we were exchanging experiences and it was obvious for both of us that this 147 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:35,720 exchange had the potential to change the world, just as it was changing ourselves. 148 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:44,680 And that's why the vision at Workpackers is travel changes people, people change the world, 149 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:45,680 right? 150 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:51,640 Through the exchange, we can make more people travel and having more people travel will 151 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,840 definitely connect more to the world. 152 00:10:54,840 --> 00:11:02,400 We'll learn more about ourselves, about the world, we'll develop new skills and we'll 153 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,760 come up very different from the exchange. 154 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:09,600 And that's how I describe my story. 155 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:15,000 But I want to definitely hear Rick's story as well. 156 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,800 The crossroads are in the NIH, as you mentioned, but my background is in investment banking. 157 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,160 I used to do IPOs of Latin American companies. 158 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,440 So I quit my job when I was in New York. 159 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,720 I first met you guys at USA Hostel. 160 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:29,280 It was amazing there. 161 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:30,960 I spent one week vacation at that time. 162 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,440 At that time, we had big bags, no backpack. 163 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:41,440 Then I quit my job and spent the next three years traveling from Asia to Africa, Europe. 164 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:47,800 And then I was seeing Eric's experiences at USA Hostel and then ITH online. 165 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,120 And I was, wow, what I'm doing is so cool, like traveling the world. 166 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:55,120 But what he's doing there, it's so meaningful, so deep, the connections and the people that 167 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:59,440 you meet and the possibilities that it opened to you in an experience like that. 168 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,880 So I was very curious to be part of that. 169 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:08,160 So I was in Peru, Lima when I got my flight to San Diego. 170 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,740 I just left, I just had a breakup. 171 00:12:11,740 --> 00:12:14,800 You met my ex-girlfriend there. 172 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,680 So it was a very interesting time in my life. 173 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:19,960 I learned a lot in banking. 174 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:21,720 I learned languages while traveling. 175 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,480 I had so many experiences, but I didn't kind of fit myself. 176 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,280 I didn't want to just go to apply for a job. 177 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,400 I didn't want to initially. 178 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:34,560 My idea was to do surfing, Eric surfs so well, you guys know. 179 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:36,160 And I want to learn from him surfing. 180 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:42,280 So my idea was if we did video classes of surfing and then people could learn from like 181 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:44,420 professors and et cetera. 182 00:12:44,420 --> 00:12:45,420 But he had a better idea. 183 00:12:45,420 --> 00:12:46,420 And here we are. 184 00:12:46,420 --> 00:12:47,420 Nice. 185 00:12:47,420 --> 00:12:52,800 Do you ever tell people about the van that you both had parked behind the hostel or is 186 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,320 that omitted from your history? 187 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:01,040 That's one of the best parts of the history. 188 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:02,040 Awesome. 189 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:06,680 And then what did you guys learn 10 years later now, right? 190 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,000 World Packers is it the right there? 191 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,840 What have you guys learned over the 10 years that in this travel industry, what has it 192 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,360 taught you? 193 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:24,640 Man we had in mind at ITH that travel changes people, right? 194 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,720 That's how we were perceiving it, right? 195 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,200 That's what we were experiencing. 196 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:38,200 And after 10 years, I can tell you for sure that travel changed people for sure. 197 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:43,200 And we have many different stories that we can talk about. 198 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,680 But also, it's not easy. 199 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:56,360 I mean, you've been doing a big brand in the US for a decade as well. 200 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,160 And so you know all the challenges. 201 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:06,840 But I've learned that once you get a small group of people very committed in a shared 202 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,240 purpose, amazing things can happen. 203 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:18,720 It happened with me when I was with you guys at USA Hostels, at ITH, and it happened at 204 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,920 World Packers with Rick and all the team as well. 205 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,760 So I don't know how Rick would be describing it. 206 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,440 I would bring two words that I definitely learned with you guys as well. 207 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:32,840 Resilience and passion. 208 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:34,760 So resilience, it's a long journey. 209 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:35,760 It's tough. 210 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,480 There's a lot of way more lows than ups. 211 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,720 And then it was like, what was that for us? 212 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:46,520 So resilience and passion, like the passion for what you do. 213 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:48,840 I remember Jimmy making barbecue there. 214 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:52,080 I was sure that he had a lot of stuff to do and to work on. 215 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:53,080 That was in the early stage. 216 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,320 You guys were still didn't have the other host as well. 217 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:00,200 But it's still very engaged and enjoying doing barbecue for us. 218 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,720 So the passion and the resilience for me, it's like without this two, like to be an 219 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:08,960 entrepreneur in the world and to survive so long with a company. 220 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,080 And I think we both share that resilience and passion. 221 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,480 Wow, I agree. 222 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:16,480 Well said. 223 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:22,800 How about when you guys, before you created the company, you were living the experience. 224 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:27,080 Is there an experience that you guys recall that comes to your mind when you were like, 225 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:28,960 wow, this is a magical moment? 226 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,960 Or like, what is the biggest, yeah, what is it an experience that comes to mind when you 227 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:36,400 guys were world packing before it even got started? 228 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,720 Your best experience? 229 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:48,620 Before, I remember a USA hostels, something that just came to my mind. 230 00:15:48,620 --> 00:15:52,760 I was at reception and everyone was out partying and stuff. 231 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,960 And one guy, one Canadian guy, he didn't go out. 232 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,600 And I asked him, it's like, hey, why don't you go out with people? 233 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:05,000 Like, you've been so busy the whole week and you're like, man, I just invented this machine 234 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:10,160 that you will not swipe your card anymore. 235 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:16,120 You just touch the credit card machine and you make the payment go through. 236 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,720 I was like, what? 237 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,960 And that's how we pay stuff right now. 238 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,320 I'm like, wow, I met the guy when I was traveling. 239 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,960 That's the one that comes to my mind. 240 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:35,480 And also like when I met James and you, I didn't speak English. 241 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:42,560 And I clearly remember some situations, some circumstances I was with you guys, like at 242 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,320 your house, for example. 243 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:48,540 I didn't understand what people were saying. 244 00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:55,320 But as I was in the exchange, as I was talking more to people, being exposed in the house 245 00:16:55,320 --> 00:17:06,160 environment, I remember myself improving my English skills as we were talking, as we were 246 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,160 developing our friendship. 247 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,800 And for me, it was very special. 248 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:11,800 That's awesome. 249 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:12,800 Yeah. 250 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:13,800 Travel changes people, right? 251 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:14,800 You learned English by living that experience. 252 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:15,800 How about you, Rick? 253 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,160 What's a memory that comes to mind or story from your time? 254 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:23,120 Yeah, it came to memories, if I can say two. 255 00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:30,320 When I was in France, I was in a kind of a campground called Aubert de Jonès. 256 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:35,000 It's like a young, a youth hostel, but usually they have camping as well there. 257 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,920 So I spent almost three months there. 258 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:39,800 And at some point I wanted to learn French. 259 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:45,860 So the receptionist of that place, she was Scottish and she was volunteering there. 260 00:17:45,860 --> 00:17:50,600 So I was having classes, afternoon classes with her, drinking wine, French wine, and 261 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:55,360 I learned French with her, so she was volunteering there, but she was making some pocket money, 262 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:57,680 helping me and learning French there. 263 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:05,440 So for me, that moment of me, I was in a campground, so I had a lot of privacy and I had all the 264 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:07,040 time in the world. 265 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:13,960 So I was there for three months, I had time to learn and I was just, that's amazing what 266 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:14,960 has happened. 267 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:21,880 That just happened because she was volunteering, it was good for her to teach French as well. 268 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:26,820 And another one, when I was in India, I spent almost six months in India. 269 00:18:26,820 --> 00:18:32,720 And when I remember the ashram that I stayed there, it's everyone helps in the place. 270 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:38,160 So people cook, people clean, and there is a community, there is some powerful vibes 271 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,320 on that. 272 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:45,840 And that's what I saw at ITH, like the vibes that you guys fostered. 273 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:53,600 So people were very happy and very, there was self-learning, there was community, there 274 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:54,600 was everything. 275 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:59,480 So the experience for someone, especially young people, but all the ages, young in the 276 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:05,960 heart, to that specific experience, I found that is one of the things that most can transform 277 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:06,960 the world today. 278 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:13,240 In a world that there is so much loneliness, so much addiction to screens, so much fear. 279 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:17,320 So the experience really changes everything. 280 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:18,320 That's amazing. 281 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:19,320 Yeah, Bob. 282 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:29,600 Another good one for me was at ITH when we started doing dinner, because we had about 283 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:33,320 like nine travelers or something like that. 284 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:40,280 And then we decided, okay, so we're gonna buy like basic food, and we're gonna teach 285 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,480 people how to cook. 286 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:48,800 And if all of us cook one day per week, and we clean up all the mess, we'll all have six 287 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,520 days of week with three restaurants. 288 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:57,200 Like collaboration, you know, like it's collaboration working in our favor. 289 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:04,000 So the dinner time was very special, and you are a very good chef, right? 290 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,840 And I got inspired by you. 291 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:13,080 And then I was like, okay, if I'm gonna cook every week, one day a week, I'm gonna choose 292 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,320 a specific meal so I can specialize. 293 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,640 I can get very good at it. 294 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,280 And I chose vegan Japanese food. 295 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,000 Those are big nights at the hostel. 296 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,000 Big nights, big nights. 297 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Sushi with tarts. 298 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:31,000 I knew it. 299 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,000 Nice. 300 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,040 All right, fast forward to today. 301 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,960 What's on the forecast for World Packers in 2024? 302 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,160 And what's the next chapter, the next vision? 303 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:42,720 Where do you guys want to go? 304 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:47,720 And where do you see it going? 305 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:53,000 Go, go, go. 306 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,200 No, go, go, go. 307 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:58,840 So it's always surviving and growing, right? 308 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:03,440 I think for all the interpreters in the world, when I connect to like interpreters, creating 309 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:07,520 things, building things, connecting lots of expansion. 310 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:13,560 So there's so many people that don't know about the experience that it can be done. 311 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,240 Like so many people are not used to that, right? 312 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:21,520 So there's a lot of people to be impacted all over the world. 313 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:25,320 There is the new products to be launched. 314 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:31,920 So we've been focusing a lot the last few years in more social environmental impact. 315 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:36,720 So there is a lot more to be done in that, in the current world. 316 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:42,680 And other products where the experience can be easier or more convenient to the people. 317 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:48,880 So I would say products that are there to serve the people that are in the community, 318 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,960 expand the community, new features, improve. 319 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,920 So it's a constant at some point. 320 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:57,480 In the beginning, there is this magic of the beginnings and the new. 321 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,160 And then at some point, and I'm curious to know how it is for you guys, but as an entrepreneur 322 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:10,640 is really dealing with the conditions of the marketing, creating and launch. 323 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,360 Building the community, always building the community and growing and delighting the guests 324 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,440 or your customers with a great experience. 325 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,800 Yeah, Eric, how about you? 326 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,280 And I love to hear also if you how you like, what kind of travel are you seeing trending 327 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:28,640 right now from people maybe applying to be world packers like in the upcoming year? 328 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:29,640 What's popular right now? 329 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:41,120 Yeah, I mean, we just in 2000, last year, 2023, we launched the review process. 330 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:47,320 Hostess now can say what sustainable goals they help. 331 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,100 And exchange can can help. 332 00:22:49,100 --> 00:22:55,280 So travelers now can see, oh, OK, so I want to make an impact on like local community. 333 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:01,080 I want to be in an international environment so they can they can filter opportunities 334 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,320 that were backers based on that. 335 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:12,640 We've been running beach cleanups in Brazil for the last three years and being very successful 336 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:13,640 so far. 337 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:22,840 We've got have a young sponsoring it ways from Google Bank of America, a lot of different 338 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:30,800 big companies joining us as well, because I think we all understand now the impact we 339 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:37,360 are having in the planet and we are we're doing our best to adjust the product, the 340 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:42,240 community to end those those kind of goals. 341 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:43,240 That's beautiful. 342 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:47,000 We were chatting the other day, we're excited to collaborate on some beach cleanups and 343 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,840 try to get it kicked off in Mexico. 344 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:55,280 We think it's a beautiful destination for backpackers and it definitely would be great 345 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,880 to give back there and help the community of so. 346 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:06,000 Yeah, because you were asking about the what's the trend. 347 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:11,400 And that's what we've been seeing running the beach cleanups and implementing all those 348 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:16,240 sustainable goals for our community. 349 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:21,920 The young generation, they are like, OK, so I just got here. 350 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,080 It's my time to enjoy Earth. 351 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:25,560 But now everything is destroyed. 352 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:35,440 So we are seeing a different type of travel that they they are prioritizing environmental 353 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:36,440 impact. 354 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:37,440 Sure. 355 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,480 Looking more into that. 356 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:45,920 You know, and we've been we've been adjusting the experiences we've been going after more 357 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:57,080 experience from NGOs, from environmental hosts to to make sure we support. 358 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:03,080 It's beautiful because, you know, like we all we all understand the climate situation 359 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,680 we are having right now. 360 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:13,920 This is something that you brought all always brought to me, you know, about permaculture 361 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:15,760 and all of that. 362 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:23,360 And I think now young generation are very interested because that's how we saw like 363 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:27,720 people would be first time travelers going to a hostel. 364 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:28,720 Right. 365 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:34,480 Just like myself, they learn a new language, meet international people, have the time of 366 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:35,480 their life. 367 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:36,480 Right. 368 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,480 They will be discovering about themselves. 369 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:45,000 But then after they do like a couple of different experiences, they understand the impact that 370 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,680 they can have and the hostess have. 371 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:53,160 And that's when they decided to go more into like, OK, so now I'm going to make like an 372 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:54,160 environmental impact. 373 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,600 Now I'm going to make a social impact. 374 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:04,520 So they will after they they goes to like the first experience, they open up more for 375 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,800 like, OK, what kind of impact I want to have in the world? 376 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,120 I just I don't want to have just fun. 377 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:12,320 I want to make sure I do good. 378 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,640 That's the that's the trend. 379 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:15,640 That's awesome. 380 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:16,640 All right. 381 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:17,640 We got a couple of minutes left. 382 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:18,640 James, you want to bring it home? 383 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:19,640 Any final questions? 384 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:29,200 I'm super excited to work with world packers and continue to collaborate with world packers 385 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,200 and I.T.H. 386 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,080 It's got such a cool story passed with each other. 387 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:43,760 And I think that with these beach cleanups and hooking up more in Mexico, it's super 388 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,880 for Eric to come down on holiday with waves and good weather. 389 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,360 So I'm happy that we've succeeded in doing that. 390 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:51,360 So you lead to. 391 00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:52,360 Beautiful. 392 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:56,840 I was a little choppy there, but he was just saying how excited we are to be partnering 393 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:02,440 on these cleanups and continue to collaborate in twenty twenty four. 394 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:03,440 So yeah. 395 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,520 Well, thank you guys so much for joining us today. 396 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:22,520 We wish you all the best.