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Weight LossSolo Travel as a Woman – Lessons from Azores & Spain
November 5, 2024 By
Leanne Vogel
February 4, 2025
Transcript
Leanne Vogel
I had nothing. And that just had me consistently giving it off to God. Like, I am completely ineffective at this. Like I’m in a foreign place. I totally did this to myself. I didn’t think this through. Now I’m here. I’ve committed to this.
Leanne Vogel
I’m doing this. I know I can’t do this. I know that you can. So here, you just like take this because I can’t hold this burden because there’s just too many of them and I’m totally out of my comfort zone. I don’t even know what I’m doing.
Leanne Vogel
Hey, my name is Leanne and I’m fascinated with helping women navigate how to.
Leanne Vogel
Eat, move and care for their bodies.
Leanne Vogel
This has taken me on a journey from vegan keto, high protein to everything in between. I’m a small town holistic nutritionist turned three time international bestselling author turned functional medicine practitioner, offering telemedicine services around the globe to women looking to better their health and stop second guessing themselves. I’m here to teach you how to.
Leanne Vogel
Wade through the wellness noise to get.
Leanne Vogel
To the good stuff that’ll help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re seeking relief from chronic ailments, striving for peak performance, or simply eager to live a more vibrant life, this podcast is your go to resource for actionable advice and inspiration. Together, we’ll uncover the interconnectedness of nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management and mindset, empowering you to make informed choices that support your unique health journey. Think Think of it as quality time with your bestie mixed with a little.
Leanne Vogel
Med school so you’re empowered.
Leanne Vogel
At your next doctor visit, get ready to be challenged and encouraged while you learn about your body and how to care for it healthfully. Join me as we embrace vitality, reclaim our innate potential, and discover what it truly means to pursue healthfulness.
Leanne Vogel
Hey, friend. Oh my goodness. I am so glad to sit here with my notes, with my microphone. We’re not having a guest today, it’s just you and me and I want to open up about a big part of my life and a big part of healthful pursuit, which is my love of travel and adventure and challenging myself in circumstances that are really scary in the moment. But just help me learn just how strong of a human being I can be and how safe the world actually is. So I want to talk about some of my solo travel trips that I’ve taken this year, kind of my goals behind them. Why I recommend that every lady go on her own little solo trip, whether that’s for a weekend or Longer in some capacity. And even, like heck, if you have little ones at home, it might not be that you can take away for a long period of time, but even an afternoon can be quite an adventure without anyone around.
Leanne Vogel
So I’ll give you a little bit of backstory. I’m not new to the solo travel idea. When I was in my 20s, I did quite a lot of solo travel before I met Kevin. And when I met Kevin, he encouraged me to go on bigger trips, like road trips across Canada. I’ve done India. I did a couple of solo US Trips when we were in Canada. So I’m not. I’m not, like, new to it.
Leanne Vogel
But each trip has had its challenges, and I would never in a million years go to India by myself ever again. But I did it and that was cool. I was stupid and young and that was great and wouldn’t do it again. But, yeah, I want to kind of highlight some of the challenges. I want to talk about my most recent trip to the Azores, because it was just so much gold there and so, so much perspective that that trip gave me that I just want to share it. And that’s really what Helpful Pursuit has constantly been about since its little baby birth in 2010. When I started the blog to renaming the podcast Helpful Pursuit, it felt like such a natural progression to rename the show Healthful Pursuit, because that’s really what I do. I have been given a simple yet complicated life.
Leanne Vogel
The Lord has not given us children or the circumstances where children are able to happen. And so, yeah, my life looks probably different than many listening. Many of my friends have teenagers or are even grandparents at this point point. And because of the life stages that they’re at, traveling with a friend just isn’t an option. My sister is like this boss babe, and so she’s like, so busy. I haven’t personally seen her in real life in, oh, geez, at least a year and a bit. And so I’m really. I’m really solo.
Leanne Vogel
And I do have a husband whom I love very much. We’ve been together 16 years. His name is Kevin, if you’re new to the show. He and I met when we were in our early 20s and fell in love, and everything went very quickly, and here we are, and we have spent a significant amount of time together over the last couple of years. When Kevin and I met, we were working at the same company together, and when he would go to Europe, I would be in Canada, and when he would be in Canada, I would be in Europe. And we kind of like Tag team for. For years, back and forth with our job. And so we started our relationship being quite separate, but being very close and getting very good.
Leanne Vogel
At the time, it was Skype and we Skyped all the time. And we were very good at staying in touch with one another when we were on opposite sides of the world. But then there came this period in our life where healthful pursuit was growing. I really needed technology support, and Kevin is a technology guy. So he quit his job, which I’ll never forget that day that he handed in his resignation. And we were like, oh my gosh, are we actually, like, gonna rely on our online business to support both of us? What are we doing? And it worked out really great. And we did that for years and years and years. We ended up deciding, like, why are we staying in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada, when we can, like, do this from anywhere? So we bought an rv, we traveled.
Leanne Vogel
Then we had this crazy idea to buy a sailboat with no experience. Highly. Don’t recommend doing that. That was really stupid. It was a waste of money, time, energy. We learned a lot. I wouldn’t do it again. But we went from zero sailing experience to owning a 60 foot sailing catamaran that was 90ft in the air, 30ft wide.
Leanne Vogel
Like, talk about just sometimes it’s better to just not know how stupid your decisions are and just go forward with them like, full blown. And I’ve been so, so good at that in my life of just not realizing that there are limitations to the decisions I’m making and just going forward with it. I’m making the best of it. And sometimes, like, I think if I had known that it was a stupid idea to get a catamaran with zero experience and like, try to travel on it, I wouldn’t have done it. But I’m glad I did it. I just wouldn’t do it again. And so Kevin and I spent so much time together. So much time together, like every moment.
Leanne Vogel
We were together for years and years and years. He left his job in 2000. What would that have been? 14? So, I mean, almost 10 years together every day, without fail. And then he decided he wanted to be a pilot. Just kind of like out of nowhere, decided, I want to see where this could go. You know, he’s in his mid-40s and he was like, now or never. Let’s try it. And he’s really good at it.
Leanne Vogel
And he got a really good job, fresh out of school, flying a jet and just like, amazing. So we owned a different boat at the time, put the boat on the hard, which basically means you put the boat, like, on concrete. And we just needed some time to figure things out. We ended up listing the boat for sale. We found a buyer. The sale fell through. Now the boat’s sitting. We’re kind of just frozen.
Leanne Vogel
Nothing’s really moving on that front. If you remember to pray for us, that would be awesome, because we really need to either, like, we really need to sell that boat. And she’s such a beautiful boat. And if my husband wasn’t working as a successful pilot, now, we would be on it. But he’s doing that, and we feel very, very blessed with the opportunities that have been provided to him. Though there was a period of time for about three months, he lost his job. He wasn’t getting any bites. We were like, what are we doing? We just.
Leanne Vogel
We threw all resources into this flying stuff. What’s happening? But now he has an amazing job that he loves, and so we’re just so thankful for that. But if you know any pilots or any pilot wives or you are a pilot wife yourself, you know that there is a lot of time where you’re by yourself. I’m on day. What is it now? 22. Of not seeing my husband. After 30 days of not seeing my husband, I saw him for, like, four days, and then he left again. And so there’s a lot of solo time.
Leanne Vogel
And you might be with six kids at home. Like, husband is gone. You’re in the thick of things. You’re just like, Leanne, do not complain about your solo time. That sounds amazing. And I’m not complaining. I feel very thankful for my simple yet complicated life. And I know that I am being sanctified through this solo time.
Leanne Vogel
And it gives me a ton of time to work, a ton of time to reflect, a ton of time to give into other people’s lives and learn what it’s like to die to self. Because, like, let me tell you, after a day of caring for my clients and recording podcasts and just giving so much of myself to others, to then have a community of people that I know personally and giving myself to that community, it isn’t ongoing struggle for me, an ongoing struggle, because the last thing I want to do is give more. To be honest, like, that is not my default after a crazy day of giving that I continue to give. And so I know that God gives us certain circumstances to work through those. Those areas that we’re sticky in. And I have no doubt that the order of events that have occurred over the last, like, three months were orchestrated by God, it has been absolute chaos, too. I had booked a trip to the Azores probably like, nine months ago. Kevin was working.
Leanne Vogel
I have always wanted to go the Azores. He was like, I can’t get any time off. So, like, you go, you go, enjoy. And then I booked everything. Everything was paid for. He lost his job, and I’m like, oh, my goodness, I can’t even get this money back. I guess I’m going. So I actually went to the Azores.
Leanne Vogel
While Kevin didn’t have a job, he was trying to find jobs, going for interviews, all the things while I was traveling around. And the day I got back from my trip, he got a job and left. And so there’s just been a lot of back and forth and change and all the things. And I enjoy eating well, I enjoy moving my body. I enjoy thinking about my internal thought life and giving and all those pieces to a healthful life. And. And a big part of this is seeing my comforts as they are. And the solo travel has definitely pushed me in areas I didn’t think I needed pushing in.
Leanne Vogel
So earlier in 2024, I was turning 38 and I wanted to go on a little trip, and there was a seat sale going to Rome, and I was like, yeah, that sounds great. I. I never really looked into going to Rome. I really had no, like, desire to go to Italy. My sister had said that she really loved it because we’re both gluten free. And she was like, the food there is insane. You should definitely go. And I was like, yeah, sure.
Leanne Vogel
So I booked the flight. I went. It was 10 days. I almost didn’t get on the plane because I was so. I was so nervous to go. I wouldn’t say, like, terrified necessarily, but it was more just like, I didn’t want to go because my life had been going so well. My training was good, my food was dialed in. I just, you know, I didn’t want to change my routine, to be honest.
Leanne Vogel
I was just very happy being at home and having my routine. And I was really upset when I got to the airport. I was crying. I called my sister and I was like, I can’t do this. 10 days. It’s going to totally throw everything off. It’s going to be such a challenge. And, like, I just.
Leanne Vogel
I just. I don’t. I don’t want to do this. And she talked me into going. I’m so glad that she did, because when I got back, I was like, this was awesome. I really enjoyed this. I went to Rome for a couple days. I went to sorrento for a couple days, took a day trip to Capri, hiked the path of the gods in the Malfi coast, spent a day in Florence, went back to Rome, ate so many things.
Leanne Vogel
I continued with my training schedule though. It is very different when you’re in Europe. And when I got back I was like, wow, that was challenging. It definitely proved that I can travel by myself, even though I’d been on so many. Like I went to India for months by myself in my 20s and it was fine, but I was scared for sure. But it’s funny, like how quickly we just get tied into our routine that it’s just scary to not do that routine every day. Like, you know. And so when I got back from Italy, I have always wanted to go to the Azores.
Leanne Vogel
It’s been on my list. This is a chain of islands off the coast of Portugal. It’s kind of like in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I did so much research and I decided on a couple of the Azores islands that I wanted to check out. So I started doing research on like flights and how I was going to make all that happen. It is very expensive to fly into the Azores. Like a return ticket I was looking at was like $3,000 and I was like, no. If you’re looking for a snack that’s healthy, convenient and packed with flavor, you’ve got to try Paleo Valley 100% grass fed beef sticks.
Leanne Vogel
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Leanne Vogel
They also have teriyaki and jalapeno. So whether you’re hiking or working or you just need a quick snack in between meals, these sticks are the perfect choice. Check out Paleo Valley’s 100% grass fed bee sticks and enjoy a snack that’s not only good for you, but tastes incredible. Go to paleovalley.com leanne for 15% off your order. Or you can simply use the code leanne. That’s L E A N N E for 15% off. So I had this crazy idea to fly into the cheapest place that I could find in Europe and then just like figure out how to get to the Azores from Lisbon, which was really inexpensive. Like flights are a hundred dollars.
Leanne Vogel
So I found the cheapest flight. It was to Madrid. And so the, the trip started taking shape and the more it took shape, the bigger the trip was getting. And so I ended up on a 40 day trip to get like to experience the Azores, but there was like extra days in this place, in that place as I was making my way to the Azores. And then I found out that Madeira was nearby, which isn’t considered Azores. And so I added that to the trip. So it just became this like epic trip, which was such a great timing, even though at the end of the day, like Kevin didn’t have a job. And I was like, well, come with me.
Leanne Vogel
And he’s like, no, I need to stay here. I need to apply for jobs. That he had the time of me being away that he could focus on applications and the details of his employment. It was just like such perfect timing that I was gone while he was in the thick of applying for things and all of that. So it ended up working out really well. But the trip got bigger and bigger and bigger to the point where I’ll kind of share the itinerary with you because I’ve gotten a lot of questions about like where I went, why I chose those places. And then we’ll kind of get into some of the realizations and struggles and, and things that I experienced. So I left from Miami, I went to Madrid.
Leanne Vogel
I decided to spend a couple of days in Madrid to just climatize. I don’t deal with jet lag, thank goodness. But I do do a lot of things in preparation for this to avoid it. The number one thing is fasting. I do not eat on planes. I know that’s going to be like so weird for you to hear, but whenever I eat on a plane, I get, I get not okay, jet lag, terrible. And then I also use a lot of melatonin. So I’ll get on the plane.
Leanne Vogel
You know, the flight to Madrid didn’t leave until like 9:00 at night. So I, I ate, I worked out that day. I hydrated like crazy, got on the plane, sat in the very back where the seats are so uncomfortable. It’s how, how do we do this? I’m too old for this. But I did it. Got to Madrid took a bunch of melatonin gummies with me and did that for a couple of days at night before bed. I was. I still had a crazy cough from when I was sick over the summer.
Leanne Vogel
So I dealt with that and had to go to the pharmacy a couple of times to get some cough syrup. And the pharmacists over there are just like, so knowledgeable and amazing. And I just, I love, I love going to Europe to like, learn how they do health. It’s just so different. So I did a couple days in Madrid and then I took a train from Madrid to Granada. It was a couple of hours. Then I went from Granada over to Sevilla, which is also in Spain. From Sevilla, I took a plane to Lisbon and then stayed in Lisbon for a couple of hours.
Leanne Vogel
I was trying to do like a layover tour situation but couldn’t figure it out. So I found a quiet place in the Lisbon airport and fell asleep a couple of hours and then made my way to my first Azores island, which was Pico. I had done a ton of research and decided that Pico was going to be one of the Aur islands. I was going to check out Sal Miguel was the other one. And then I was going to do Madeira. I would do Aur again, but I would never do it by myself ever again. And we’ll get into why in a moment. So I went from Civila to Lisbon, Lisbon to.
Leanne Vogel
On a flight to Pico Island. I stayed in Pico island for about five or six days, I think Sao Miguel for a week, which I got to also buy plane. Now you can take ferries. But I didn’t. It was late in the season and I just chose not to do that. I felt like planes and were going to be easier. And then I spent another week in Madeira and ended up back on the mainland and spent like a week in Lisbon. So that was my trip and I love the way I planned it.
Leanne Vogel
I used ChatGPT actually a lot to plan the details of how do I get from here to here. What things should I check out? What’s important? Like, oh my goodness, chatgpt like planned this trip and it was fantastic. Highly recommend Highlights in Madrid. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this trip, obviously, because my husband wasn’t working. This was already all paid for. I couldn’t get a refund. So a lot of my activities were like super inexpensive. I only ate out twice.
Leanne Vogel
I bought everything at grocery stores and cooked all my own food and like, kept things very, very cost effective. I’m actually so proud of myself with how little money I spent while I was there. So Madrid, I got a museum pass and I fell in love with art on that trip. I went to so many different art museums. I had such a blast. I determined that absolutely without a doubt, I hate contemporary art. Do not try to change my mind. I think Picasso is terrible.
Leanne Vogel
I don’t understand it. So there’s that. You can argue with me, I don’t know what I’m talking about. But when I look at it, I’m just like, I hate this, it’s terrible. And so I spent a lot of time in art museums and walking around with my little grail water bottle, filling up my water at free places and filtering it myself. I went to grocery stores for lunch and grabbed like gluten free crackers and meats and sat in the grass and ate them. It was very easy to eat well the whole trip. I didn’t have a problem finding food other than Madeira.
Leanne Vogel
Madeira was harder. It’s funny, I went to Madeira fully expecting for it to be my most favorite, absolute crazy place. Like oh my gosh, I could probably live here to being like, yeah, I don’t know if I would come back. So it was really good. It was really good to have that perspective. But Madrid was awesome. I noticed pretty quickly that it’s pretty challenging to connect with individuals in Spain when you don’t speak Spanish. It wasn’t like Italy where there was just a lot of English speaking.
Leanne Vogel
I found the places where I went to in Spain to be more Spanish speaking which made it more difficult to connect with other individuals. There were so many tourists there, but most of the tourists spoke Spanish also so it made it more challenging. I found a great, a great gym in Madrid and so I went to the gym. I kept up with my training schedule the whole time I was gone. I did a four day split which worked out really well with all the hiking that I did. And I really just used Madrid as a way to like climatize to being in Spain. Then I took the train like I said to Granada. And Granada was incredible.
Leanne Vogel
It was beautiful. I wish I had more time there. I feel like I’m not done with Spain. I would love, love to go back with my husband. I think it would be just such a beautiful trip for us to take together through Spain. Granada was incredible, like just so beautiful. The reason I went to Granada is that I wanted to climb the Sierra Nevada mountains. I wanted to hike all through there.
Leanne Vogel
So I found a tour guide and there was a group going and I’m so thankful I went with a group, because I would have turned around the first hour. It was a horrible day. It was a horrible day to do the mountains. Like, it was rainy and windy and just cold and terrible. And I. I would have turned around, Abs. I probably wouldn’t even left my house, to be honest. My Airbnb.
Leanne Vogel
I would have stayed and been like, I’m not going today. But I didn’t want to let the group down, so I kept going. And it actually wasn’t that bad at the end of it, but I’ve never been so cold in my life, and I’m Canadian, so that says a lot. I was freezing. I couldn’t feel most of my body. My ears hurt so bad on the inside. I just. I’ve never felt that way before.
Leanne Vogel
But I persevered, and I persevered because I was in a group. And that was the only hike that I did with other people. And this was the main purpose of me going on this trip, was to challenge myself physically and do a ton of hikes. And the Sierra Nevada hike was by far my favorite because the people made it worth it. The conversation was fabulous. I connected with a gentleman from Saudi, and we talked about all sorts of things for hours and hours and hours, and it was so good, and it distracted me. It challenged me. And Sadi sounds pretty great.
Leanne Vogel
I definitely wouldn’t have said that I’d want to check out Sadi, but after having a conversation with him, I was like, dang, that sounds pretty great. So it’s really nice to connect with people as you’re traveling and to push yourself out of your comfort zone and, you know, share and ask questions. And there was another lady on the hike that dealt with immigration law in Australia, and she shared some pretty crazy stuff with me, and it challenged me, and I asked really difficult questions, and she was just so open to answering them. And there’s just to be able to have different perspectives and to, like, go into conversations with people that you would never otherwise connect with and just ask questions of them and be open and answer their questions, like, not worried necessarily about what they’re going to say or how they’re going to react to your response. It was just. I learned a lot on that hike, both about the perseverance and the support of having other people around you when situations are absolutely atrocious, and also about the world and things that challenge individuals around the globe. So that was really. That was a really, really, really good day.
Leanne Vogel
And then I followed up that day with going to the Arab baths the next day, which was such an experience. It was quite stressful because I never knew when they were going to call me. And so I didn’t really know how it all worked, but it was totally worth it. I would do it again. I highly recommend you go. I ended up checking out the Alhambra and Nasrid palaces, but the. The guide that was doing. I ended up leaving the tour before I saw the palace, because the guide was just driving me nuts, and I just couldn’t even anymore.
Leanne Vogel
And that’s like, the really cool thing about traveling alone is like, I don’t even care how cool the palaces are. I just don’t even care. I want to go home. I’m tired. I don’t want to walk anymore. I want to get some gelato and go pass out. And so that’s what I did. So I never got to see the inside area.
Leanne Vogel
So I’ll have to go back maybe some other time and make sure that it’s not with that guide. Then I went to Sevilla and I took a train. The train didn’t have WI Fi. That really sucked because I was planning on working all day because I was. I was also working throughout this whole trip. And that was awesome. I connected with a family from Germany, and we just, you know, talked about their life. And again, I asked.
Leanne Vogel
I enjoy asking so many questions. Just learn about people and learn about their struggles and, you know, what’s on their mind and, you know, just all that stuff. It’s just so fascinating to me and helps me kind of get a different perspective of what’s going on in my life and what my priorities are. And then I had this really special bike tour with this tour guide. And it was supposed to be a group tour, but that everybody canceled last minute. So it was just her and I. And this actually happened a lot on my trip. Usually I use Viator to book little trips for the day.
Leanne Vogel
I enjoy kind of connecting with other people, and so I enjoy the aspect of the group dynamic. It is sometimes nice to just have your own tour guide and be able to just connect with them and ask them questions. And this specific tour guide, she had lived in a bunch of different European countries, and so I got to just ask her all about that. And she knew so much about the history of the city. And because she knew that I had lived on boats and loved boats, she saw. She showed me a lot of areas that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about. And so that was really, really sweet. I found the most amazing gym in Sevilla.
Leanne Vogel
It was incredible. Like, I’d still be there if I didn’t have that ticket that I needed to get. It was just such a great gym. I would move to Sevilla just for that gym. That was the best gym that I’ve ever been to. I really, really enjoyed my time at that gym. And I only got to go once. And it was such a bummer because it was by far the best gym that I went to my whole trip.
Leanne Vogel
Now, the thing about gyms in Europe, especially on the islands, is, like, everything is usually broken. You’re never going to find what you want, and you just got to make the best of it. But it’s a challenge and it’s fun. And I came back from this trip stronger than I’ve been ever. I think a lot of the hiking had to do with this, too. Like, just incredible gains at the gym when I got back. And so I know sometimes it can be really scary, like going to a new place and having a different routine. But it worked out really, really great for me, and I was really, really thankful to kind of switch it up.
Leanne Vogel
So, like I said then from Civila, I went to Pico. Pico was really special. So one of the main reasons I went to Pico is I wanted to climb the Pico Mountain. If you look it up, it’s a ginormous mountain. I got about halfway up and decided that I hated the hike and I was not having a good time and turned around and went down the mountain. And I don’t regret that at all. It was boring. I learned that I am not the type of person to just, like, climb a mountain with nothing to see.
Leanne Vogel
I really enjoy seeing things and trees and water and stuff. But this was literally just up a mountain with nothing to look at, with rocks to pull yourself up off. And it was just. It wasn’t fun. And I’m not, like, I’m not a mountain climber. I’m not here to win an award. I just want to have a nice time. And it was so boring.
Leanne Vogel
So I didn’t do it, and I have no regrets. And in fact, after I went down the mountain, a couple of hours later, the mountain was, like, covered in rain. And I was like, that would have sucked so bad. I’m so glad that I turned around. And that was a real turning point for me, too. I was really, really struggling with the preparation of that hike. I hadn’t really. I don’t like looking up trails before I go of, like, what it’s exactly going to be like and what it looks like.
Leanne Vogel
But then I did for this one. And I saw what it was going to be like and I was like, oh, man, this looks like it’s going to be really not enjoyable. And I was psyching myself out and then I was. I was chatting with Kevin and he’s just such a support. Support to me. He’s always encouraging me to push beyond my limit. Always that guy. And so he’s like, you don’t have to go.
Leanne Vogel
I mean, you could show up, see how you feel, try it, and if you don’t like it, turn around. Like, it’s not like, you know, you’re a mountain climber and you need to do this. It’s not like there’s a paycheck in it for you. Like, just try it out. And I think it’s the first time in my life where I’ve been like, I just don’t want to do this. You know, I. I push myself so much in areas where I don’t need to push myself in. What is the point of this? Like, just like, there’s some areas like eating well, where sometimes I don’t want to eat well, or I like.
Leanne Vogel
Or going to the gym where sometimes I don’t want to go to the gym. And I’m like, no, this aligns with your goals because xyz. But climbing this mountain or not climbing this mountain is not going to make a difference to my overall goals as a human being on this planet. So I was really proud of myself for turning around and actually not doing the hike. And then the next day and Pico, I went to a bunch of different hikes and kind of like picked around the island for a long time, just like, finding little trails to go on. And I really, really, really enjoyed. Enjoyed that day. I went on a whale watching tour, which was totally boring and I didn’t like it.
Leanne Vogel
I’ve never been on one. I don’t know if I’d ever be on one again. When you’ve been on your own boat and seen wildlife off your own boat, it, yeah, kind of just like ruins it for you. And I say that with, like, when I got off that little boat, I was so thankful for the life that I’ve had on the ocean. I hope that we get to have a phase two on the ocean again. But just that I can say, like, dolphins have literally come up to me while I’m swimming and I’ve played with them. I played fetch with adult. A wild dolphin.
Leanne Vogel
When you’ve had those experiences, it’s just like those cookie cutter tours just don’t cut it. And it really made me thankful for the experiences that I have had. And the, just the natural part of it all was just so incredible. I then went on this epic hike right after the whale watching up this crazy mountain. It was nuts. It was the steepest thing I’ve ever done. It was beautiful. The photos were incredible.
Leanne Vogel
I. This was a hike where I thought I was going to listen to a million different audios and like get through a book or something, but I literally just prayed the whole hike. And this kind of started. This was about a week and a half into my trip and this started my hiking and praying. And every time I went for a hike, I didn’t, I didn’t really do anything but just like talk to God. And it was so special. And I started to notice a couple of themes happening of just as I was hiking, I was constantly thinking of the next thing I had to do. Like, okay, so when I get off the mountain, I’m going to do xyz and then this and then this and this.
Leanne Vogel
And I just realized how often my nervous system is just in total overwhelm over the next thing that I have to do and how much I lack presence in my day to day and how full I make my skills schedule for the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. And it. When I started to touch on that on my trip, I noticed just how much anxiety I had over doing the next thing and thinking of the next thing. That was just like so natural to me that I. It was a significant amount of anxiety I carry on a daily basis of, okay, you know, even as I’m doing this podcast, I’m thinking, okay, so then I’ll be finished this podcast. I have two hours before my next client. I’m going to make myself some lunch. I’m going to sit out in the center.
Leanne Vogel
Like, I can’t just be present. That was one big theme that just like carried out throughout the trip. Another really, really big theme and started to really take root on this first trip to Pico island was I had to rent a car to like, get around. And I guess I didn’t like, think about, I didn’t like, think about that ahead of time because, like, these roads are very, very narrow. You’re in Europe driving by yourself a standard vehicle, which I learned on stick. It’s not a matter of like, I can or can’t do it, but I learned in Alberta, where we like, we don’t have a lot of hills or mountains and these roads were very steep, like crazy steep. And There was just a lot of anxiety around where I was gonna find a parking spot if I was gonna be able to see because my hikes were. I was getting up at like 4:35am, getting to the trail, having my first meal, starting the trail and like finishing around 4pm So I had like all day to hike and I wasn’t worried about getting home too late or in the dark or whatever.
Leanne Vogel
So I was driving in the dark in the mornings and I just had a lot of anxiety and worry about the car situation. And every single moment I had those worries because I was so out of my comfort. Like, I didn’t, I had very little comforts, I didn’t have people, I didn’t have just my day to day practice, you know, I had nothing. And that just had me consistently giving it off to God. Like I, I am completely ineffective at this. Like I’m in a foreign place. I totally did this to myself. I didn’t think this through.
Leanne Vogel
Now I’m here, I’ve committed to this, I’m doing this. I know I can’t do this. I know that you can. So here, you just like take this. Because I can’t hold this burden because there’s just too many of them and I’m totally out of my comfort zone. I don’t even know what I’m doing. And this like muscle was used over and over and over, this faith muscle. And I was like working it.
Leanne Vogel
And when I got home, I felt not only like physically stronger from all the hiking because I hiked like 120km or something ridiculous, but also just spiritually stronger in my faith. And I spent just a lot of time mulling through so much. Like so much. The hiking was just my favorite, my favorite part, but also the loneliest part, but also the most communicable part when it came to spending time with God. So that really started in Pico and continued throughout the rest of my trip. Now when I got to San Miguel, this is a bigger island, more people, more. Like the roads were wider, but they were really busy and there was lots going on and lots of signs. And so there were more challenges on that front of just like making sure that I was in the right place and not going down one way, the wrong way, which I never did, thank God.
Leanne Vogel
I ended up staying downtown and the parking was very, very far away. It was like a 15 or 20 minute walk to the, to the apartment. So it was just a lot of like coordination and just again, out of my comfort. Like, what I want is my home, my Car out front, my groceries that get delivered, I go to the gym, I come home, I work, I, you know, see my friend, I go home, I make dinner, I, you know, easy ease. And I don’t think of my day to day life as easy. But when you’re in a foreign place with like a language that’s not your own, with a car that’s parked far away in a place that you don’t know, there’s nobody to really support or help and you’re kind of like, you know, solo, which was so good for me. So when I got to San Miguel, there’s this epic hike that I wanted to check out first because it sounded like I’m not sure I want to do it. So I actually rented a quad and did the hike with a quad and decided there’s no way that I want to hike this.
Leanne Vogel
But it was so cool. It went around the rim of two volcanoes, which was incredible. It was beautiful. I learned how to drive a quad, which felt very much like a land dinghy, which was just so fun. I did a day in furnace, which is like natural hot springs. The Zores is very in love with natural pools. Hot pools. I was in the ocean multiple times a day, either through a natural pool, where basically they have these like natural rocks that are around beaches that create just this environment that’s like a pool, but it’s ocean water.
Leanne Vogel
I was in the water so much. Like, so, so, so much. I was constantly wearing my bathing suit. I carried my bathing suit everywhere because I hiked primarily in my hiking sandals. I had those for the water, which was so great because Azores rocks are the slipperiest in the world and you cannot go in with your bare feet. Like, I am surprised I didn’t break my head open on some of those, some of those natural pools, because you got it, you got to be on top of it. And that’s another thing is, like, right now I’m physically capable. And there was one of the most challenging hikes that I went on.
Leanne Vogel
It was in Madeira, and it was ridiculous. And I remember walking down, eating my little Haribo candy because I needed more glucose in my body, thinking, like, there may come a point where I won’t be able to use these legs as I’m doing it now. And, like, how amazing is it that I get to do this stuff while I physically can. And these natural pools and just all of the experiences that I get to have with my body are just so special. Like, so special. Here’s a startling fact. 60% of American adults live with at least one chronic illness and 40% have two or more. Regular blood tests are vital for managing these conditions, but traditional reports often leave you confused.
Leanne Vogel
That’s where Cyfox Health steps in. Cyphox Health offers an affordable, convenient, and comprehensive blood testing solution that requires no appointments and no travel. With regular biomarker testing, personalized assessments, and tailored action plans, Xyfox helps you take control of your health like never before. They even create custom supplement packs based on your blood work so you’re getting exactly what you need. Ready to take proactive health decisions? Go to psypox health.comleanne that’s S I P H O X health.comleanne for 20% off your first order. There are a couple of days in San Miguel where I just had, like, chill gym days where I just, like, went to the gym, kind of tried to create structure that I would have at home. And that was just really good because I think too, when you’re traveling, there’s this pressure of just like, I have to see the next thing. I have to do this, I have to do that.
Leanne Vogel
I have a, like, a list of activities. So it was really good for me to realize, like, I can’t see it all. I have the pressure that I want to see it all, but I’m not even sure I want to see it all. I just feel like since I’m here, I need to see it all. And so actually, like, slowing down and saying, like, no, I’m just going to have a boring day. I’m going to eat, I’m going to go to the gym, I’m going to come back, I’m going to work, I’m going to read. At this point, I was reading, like, a book every one or two days. I went through so many books, which was just fabulous to have that time.
Leanne Vogel
And this was around the time that I decided, okay, I’m gonna, like, sign off work and social media and just, like, have solo time. And it was just so special to get that time alone, which I don’t think a lot of us actually get. And it was really, really special, really challenging. I wouldn’t do all these hikes and a trip to Azores again by myself, But I’m so thankful that I did it. And to fast forward, when I got home, I started dealing with pretty epic joint pain. Like, the minute I got home, my joints were, like, not happy. And after a week, I realized that there was water damage under our windows. And the joint pain and nervous system responses I was getting was not because I just Had a hard trip.
Leanne Vogel
It was because I was dealing with mold illness. And so next week we’re going to cover kind of what happened when I got back, which has been a total crazy, fast, like absolute insane what’s happened since I got back from my trip, which is so cool because in retrospect, God was absolutely preparing me. Like, this trip was to massively work those faith muscles because I needed those muscles the minute I got back. The minute I got back. So it was so good. Sal Miguel was a bunch of hikes. I went to a pineapple plantation, which everyone said was incredible. I thought it was lame.
Leanne Vogel
I didn’t enjoy it. The pineapple was delicious. I paid like €9 for it. I’m happy I got it, but, like, not sure it was worth the trip. But you live and you learn. Then I got to Madeira. Madeira was really unique, so it’s not part of the aur. So in aura, the food is incredible.
Leanne Vogel
Just like the different. The culture is very different than when you go to Madeira. Madeira has a lot of Europeans that have moved there. There’s a lot of different cultures that I noticed. All the roads are basically in tunnels. The roads are the steepest, most intense roads out of the islands that I visited. I’m so glad that I started in Pico, which was a quieter island to like learn how to drive. And then San Miguel, which was more busy.
Leanne Vogel
Madeira was not. So Madeira was like, Madeira was crazy. And I actually met a lady from California who rented a car and she lasted a day with her rental car. She’s like, I can’t do this. I’m like, is this your first time driving, like on the islands? And she’s like, yeah. I’m like, I would have thought the same thing had I started here. It was nuts. The driving was crazy.
Leanne Vogel
And all these hikes, like I said, especially for Madeira, I was waking up really, really, really early. I initially had a plan to stay in the city, and last minute I changed the plan to stay in the country. And I’m glad I changed the plan because the country house was like 10 minutes away from most of the trails that I wanted to check out. So instead of driving like a two hour drive in the morning to get to my trail, it was like a 10 minute drive. And gosh, did that make a difference? It made a huge difference. And these were the most epic hikes. These were the hikes that were like 9 to 12. The longest was, I think 15 or 16 hours.
Leanne Vogel
And so it was nice to be that close that when I was done, it was a pretty short drive back home. Madeira, a couple of weeks before my trip had had some pretty crazy wildfires. So the actual hike that started this whole trip, this whole idea, was actually closed. So when I got to Madeira, I couldn’t even do the hike. That kind of started the whole plan to go to Azores and do the islands. But like I said, Madeira is not part of Azores. It’s close. I think the flight was like, an hour and a half or something from San Miguel.
Leanne Vogel
But I would say it was worth it. I just. Like I said, doing these islands by yourself, a lot of people only speak Portuguese, and so it was just very isolating. And many of the tours were older people. There weren’t many younger people. Like, I didn’t see any real younger people. And Madeira was a lot of cruisers, which kind of, like, takes away from the experience and just reiterates the fact that, like, for cruises, it’s so hard to get a flavor of where you’re staying because it’s such a short trip. And it just made me really thankful that I got more time in the areas that I did when traveling through Azores and these islands.
Leanne Vogel
The. Because you’re in the Atlantic, the weather changes quite often. I was really lucky in that it was pretty consistent. And I just. Everyone says, like, you need to check, you know, the travel or the. The weather reports and their cameras all over the islands. You need to check in, and blah, blah, blah. I didn’t bother with that.
Leanne Vogel
I just couldn’t even. There was just so much stimulus, like, without all of that, that I just decided, no, I’m not doing that. I’m not doing it. So I didn’t do it. It was great work. Fine, whatever. And, yeah, so I did. I did travel, or I did hike on days where it probably wasn’t, like, ideal to hike, but I just couldn’t.
Leanne Vogel
I knew my limits, and I knew that if I was also caring that much about weather and all the things, it would just, like, absolutely overwhelm me. So I just decided not. And I’m so glad I made that decision. And that has translated also to when I came back, kind of dealing with the mold stuff, I realized, you know, people would say, well, what are you doing next? And what’s happening? I’m like, I have no idea. I know that today this is happening. And my mom was like, but where are you staying tonight? I’m like, I don’t know. Come nighttime, I’ll know where I’m staying. I.
Leanne Vogel
Right now, it’s just not. It’s not a Thing that I’m thinking of, I haven’t even thought about it, and I will think about it before I need to sleep. And so, like I said, just this training my faith and just knowing what my limits were was just really nice. Madeira was a lot of, no, actually, I don’t want to do that. And a lot of hiking. I went to Funchal for the day, which was fine. I stayed there for a couple hours and was like, nah, this is lame. I’m going back to my place and just reading my book.
Leanne Vogel
It was a lot more solo by the time I got to Lisbon. I was. I was so relieved to be back on the mainland. And I realized that I’m not sure that I would do a European trip like that again. I was so thankful to be in a busy city. And I toured Lisbon, and I got stuck in a rally that kind of, like, popped up out of nowhere, which was so fascinating to ask the locals, like, what was going on politically and why they were protesting certain things. And that was, like, super fun. And that was kind of, like, the trip.
Leanne Vogel
It was incredible. I would highly recommend anyone, like I said, go on some sort of solo adventure. Getting out of your comfort zone or even an adventure with your family where you’re out of your comfort zone definitely taught me, like, where, Like, a lot to do with anxiety, where I hold anxiety, where I hold expectations that are just, like, stupid. Like, why am I holding on to this? It literally means nothing to the course of my life. I don’t know why this is so important to me. And that is just, yeah, carried with me through these next couple weeks that I had when I got home. So I hope something in there that I shared was helpful. Many of you have asked, like, how my trip went and what happened, and food wise, it was great.
Leanne Vogel
Like, I was eating a substantial amount of carbohydrates because I was hiking all the time. It was hard to get that amount of fuel in. But I came back, like, stronger and more determined and also, just, like, in love with hiking to the point where I’ve always, always, always wanted to do Patagonia. It’s been on my list for quite some time. The O trek specifically. I was thinking about doing it solo. It’s always kind of been in the back of my mind, but after this trip, kind of doing it all by myself, hiking, I was like, no way I will ever do a trek by myself. No, thank you.
Leanne Vogel
I need people. I need that challenge, the motivation, the conversation. So I booked Patagonia Otrek for March with a group which I’m really excited about to be around people, and that’s going to be a challenge in and of itself. Physically. There is hiking. It’s every day. There’s no rest. So I’m going to start training for this in December.
Leanne Vogel
And I’m just so glad that I get to use my body in this way and that it’s showing up for me because years and years and years ago, I could not have done this. Like, there’s no way. I remember on some of those hikes in the Z, I was thinking, like, there’s no, there’s no stinking way that my body could have done this a couple of years ago. And now look, yeah, it’s hard, but it can do it. And so I’m excited to challenge myself with the O track. So we’ll kind of see where this goes. It’s fun. It’s a, it’s a new chapter for Kevin and I as he works on his piloting stuff and flying and where I fit into all of that and how we fit together.
Leanne Vogel
It’s such a fun, fun season of life, learning how to support one another in a different way. And that’s what’s so, so beautiful about marriage, that we don’t stay the same and we get to support each other and challenge each other in new ways. So I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day and we will chat next week about the whole mold situation and then we’ll go back to regular programming with some guests that we have planned. Okay, we’ll chat then. Bye.
Leanne Vogel
Thanks for listening to the helpful Perspective podcast. Join us next Tuesday for another episode of the show. If you’re looking for free resources, there are a couple of places you can go. The first to my blog, healthfulpursuit.com where you’re going to find loads of recipes. The second is a free parasite protocol that I’ve put together for you that outlines symptoms, testing and resources to determine whether or not you have a parasite, plus a full protocol to follow to eradicate them from your life if you need to. That’s available at healthfulpursuit.com parasites and last but certainly not least, a full list of blood work markers to ask your.
Leanne Vogel
Doctor for so that you can get.
Leanne Vogel
A full picture of your health. You can grab that free resource by going to healthfulpursuit.com labs. The helpful pursuit podcast, including show notes and links, provides information in respect to healthy living recipes, nutrition and diet diet and is intended for informational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor is it to be construed as such. We cannot guarantee that the information provided on the Healthful Pursuit podcast reflects the most up to date medical research. Information is provided without any representation or warranties of any kind. Please consult a qualified health practitioner with any questions you may have regarding your.
Leanne Vogel
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Hi! I'm Leanne (RHN FBCS)
a Functional Medicine Practitioner, host of the Healthful Pursuit Podcast, and best-selling author of The Keto Diet & Keto for Women. I want to live in a world where every woman has access to knowledge to better her health.
