 Hey, hey. Welcome. I think it's Monday, if you're in the States. It is Tuesday afternoon at 322 if you're in New Zealand, so I'll wait until some of you realize that I'm here. I feel like today we're gonna talk about traveling. I have reasons for this that I will explain momentarily. Not gonna be a long chat, but I have a few minutes and I could dive into a whole another project or I could just come on here with you. So that's what we're doing. Sorry, I'm getting all these messages. Of course, as soon as I go live. Oh my, okay. Oh, you're here. Cool. Okay. Welcome. So I think I fixed the ad situation was like on my last one when I was making turkey and Thanksgiving. It was too hard for me to figure it out. You guys are complaining. Hello from California. That there was too many ads. So like if I don't adjust it, it goes to like the max, some of ads. But honestly, that's the only way I make money. So like I'm not totally against it. But if you're getting constantly interrupted, then that doesn't work. So I fixed it to just be reasonable. Hopefully it's not like while I'm talking. I don't really understand that. Oh, you're a Kiwi living in California. How do you like it, Graham? Tell me the truth. Tell me what it's like living in California. So I was like, gonna tell you, we're gonna talk about traveling today because I don't like to do things without a purpose. Must be the teacher in me. But so yeah, I could jump into like another task, but I decided to just come on here before I have to go pick up the kids from school. Shout out to my American cookbook. I did find out that I can ship it to you if you're in Australia. So this is all of your favorite American recipes adapted to New Zealand Australia ingredients. So I'm not going to talk about tons of this. The link is in the description. It is, I think I'll have it next week and then I can ship it to you. And it's the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in there. So you can get the physical or the ebook version. If you want the ebook is that the link is in my description. Just go to that. Okay, abs are over. Okay, traveling. So because I live here and I talk openly on YouTube about it, I get a lot of people asking me about traveling and what they should do. And I'm totally happy to do that. But I was like, maybe that's what I should do. I could do like customized itineraries to people. I don't like doing generic things. This is why consulting works for me because I don't like doing the generic things. Because I don't think that anybody is the same. And so like what they need is different. And then I don't make any money because I try to customize everything. So there we are. But yeah, if you are traveling here, shout out your questions. It's busy. What is Auckland like? Well, I live in Wellington. That's my favorite place. Well, Queen's Town is pretty great. But Auckland, okay, so my feelings have changed about Auckland. So Auckland is the biggest city. And I don't really like how it's laid out various reasons. It's expensive. And it's just not Wellington. It's just nicer. I don't know what to tell you. It's beautiful here. But Auckland is nice in that it has so many things. So like when I go there, now that I've been in Wellington for eight years, I'm feeling like, ooh, there's lots to do there. I like that. So I would consider it. And plus, I do marketing consulting. I do like marketing for people. And so that would be a lot easier in Auckland. Because talking to people here in Wellington, it's like they don't understand digital marketing. So that's a problem. And so then I find that I'm getting lots of clients in Auckland because that seems to be more up to date, if you will. And I'll stand by that comment because I work in the industry and people are like, why would I do that? Why would I hate Facebook? Okay, that's fine. Whatever your personal feelings are about it, your customer is there. So it's okay. You can ignore it. And then all your competitors will be out there. That's my two cents. So Auckland is nice. And the weather is much better than Wellington, though. And it's really close to a lot of cool things. So you can go from really cool weekend holidays from Auckland as well. Not that there isn't from Wellington, it just probably feels to me that I've done them all. But what's so cool about Wellington is that like 20 minute drive in, probably Auckland too, 20 minute drive out of the city, and you're like a whole different landscape, a whole new experience. Auckland isn't like this big, big city feel like once in the US. I mean, the traffic is bad, but it's not the same. Okay, okay. Good questions. If you are moving here or considering a move, because a lot of times it's just like getting over it. So I have just put, I had put out a consulting option about two years ago for people that I just wanted to talk about. If they're thinking about moving, and then they generally will move into my membership where if they are moving, then like, this is how you set up life here, this is how you thrive here, this is how, so that link is in my description, if that's you, because there's a free 50 minute video that I put together to answer all of your questions. This is where you start if you're considering moving here. And you may still leave a chat with me and you can book appointments with me for that. Or you can just ask me right here, because this is a benefit, like if I'm up for talking, then you win. Is there any difference between Australians versus native New Zealanders? Oh my gosh, yes. So I'm going to speak broadly, and of course this doesn't categorize everybody, but Australia feels a lot more like the America and New Zealand is very British. So that's a big difference. The accents are very different. The humor is different. I'm just trying to think in broad like, yeah, they don't get sarcasm in New Zealand very well, and that's a broad statement. That isn't true for everybody, but I think that when I go to Australia, I love it because they're so sarcastic and they get my sarcasm. I mean, I have made so many friends just on holiday because it's like the connection is there. They have a different vibe. I like them. I like Australians. And they all like, when you go to Sydney, like everybody is good looking. Like how is that? Like I'm getting on the streets with people and like everybody's good looking. Like I mean like everybody and they all dress nice. That's not the Kiwi way. This is the Kiwi dress. And they, you know, they'll look nice in the city, but it's not the same. The Australians like, wow, and they have good shopping there. That's part of the reason. But they're all so tan and thin and beautiful. And yeah, they are. At least in Sydney, I have been there multiple times. I have found that to be true every single time. So there you go. If you're looking for a mate, you might want to start there. Pros and cons of Auckland, but our traffic here is nuts. That's true. Working from home is better. That's true. I know, but how bad is the traffic like compared to Chicago? Like I'm sure it's not the same. Even if you're in a suburb of Chicago and you have to go somewhere that's five minutes away, it's still a minimum of 20 minutes. But okay, hard to work. Interesting. Found it very hilly in Auckland. Yes, you should definitely travel to New Zealand someday. What is the food and education like? Okay. Where does one start? Like I say, it's very British. So a very common British foods are here in Australia and in Canada. Anything that's like Commonwealth is very noticeably different than America. Kiwis are so sarcastic. Okay. Maybe like, yeah, they are, but not the same way. Like that kiwi humor, like it's, oh my gosh. I moved to New Zealand in 2013. I love them. Okay. Okay. They're saying, anyway, arguments about traffic and sarcasm. Okay. Oh, food and education. Yes. So I would say, you know, like when, if you're American, you come here, you're going to feel like it's bland. When Kiwis go to states and be like, why is everything so sweet and salty as a general rule of thumb? They have different food here. The meat pies is a new concept because Americans typically think of them as a sweet, not a savory. It took me a while to eat the food here, to be honest. Like I'm saying two years. Like first of all, it took me a while to get used to all the cafes and the things in the glass. Like it just didn't look fresh and like, why would I order that? But then you come to find out that when you take it out of the cabinet, then they like heat it up, sometimes put a side to it. And it was just made that day. But like, there are a lot of situations in America where they will put the food in behind the glass, but it's not meant to be edible. And so that's what I'm thinking of when I look at it. And so that's why it took me a while to do that, but they have really different baked goods. Like they have what's called slices, which would be the same as like bars, I guess in the US. You know, just completely different things. I have tried to make them. I have tried to get into it. And I don't, I like some of them and not others. Hi from San Diego. Hi, Jeff. Oh, yes. I think that there is a demand for restaurant cooks, so it could be good for you. Do you think I should move to Switzerland or New Zealand? Where are you from, Heidi? Are you in the US? Because I can tell you exactly how hard it is. And also, Heidi, tell me what you do. So immigration has opened up, but also a little bit more difficult. And so that's why I've been teaming up with immigration consultants to help my clients with that. So, but yeah, it's interesting because most of my clients come to me at the consideration stage. I kind of anticipated them like they're moving and they had all these questions like how to set up life. And that's not it. 90% of my clients are just like, there's so many questions and so many things to kind of overcome in order to determine if they want to move across the world. That ends up being, and they do book other appointments with me when they get closer to actually coming. But that thing, that kind of stuff seems to be quite figured out. It's that before questions like, should I move to this place or this place? Or will this suit me better than others? And so I understand like the American mindset about things and then the difference in the mindset here and the coming. And yeah, I've actually told people to not come here because I can tell that you're not going to like it here, that you're not going to thrive here. And so I feel like that's my benefit. People get, I get so much social for being like, don't tell people to move you. Don't tell people how great it is. I'm like, trust me, I'm helping you because I'm weeding them out. Okay. Anyway, yeah, the government is quite different. There's so many different parties. We have a new party that came into government. And I'm not talking about that because I'm not interested in talking about politics because I'm about to get 1000 questions about their new policies that came out last week. Healthcare is if you have a visa that includes the social services and the healthcare is include healthcare is great. I mean, they have a huge shortage. I have not had a problem. My daughter had knee surgery. That wasn't great. And we paid nothing. They also have something here called ACC is accidental, accidental compensation, I don't know, whatever. If you have an accident in New Zealand, whether you are, it's your fault or not, you get like 70 or 80% of your income until you're fixed. And then all your healthcare is free. Like, like you literally don't have to worry about anything. I mean, the mindset in the US that is not the case. Like my son is going to school in the US now and I'm he doesn't have health insurance. And I'm like so stressed. Every time he tells me he does something, I'm like, okay, but don't hurt yourself because I can't afford the insurance right now. And I'm like, Oh my gosh. So yeah, it's not the same. Nice. Well, Jeff, you won't have to work so hard when you get here because they have a really good balance here. Okay, so Heidi, you are in the US. Okay, so Switzerland. So I'm assuming I don't know how old you are. There's so many questions, you know, like, do you want to just come for a year? Like if you're under 30, you can come on a working holiday visa. That might be a nice option. That's a nice option if you're under 30, because then you can kind of see if you like it. And you're with that, you can work and live and study in New Zealand, or at least you used to, they're constantly updating it. So I am not giving you immigration advice. I'm not allowed to anyway. Hi from the Coromandel. Oh, chicken's on special in New World. Thanks, Greg. Now that I possibly afford New World. Okay, you guys, if you're on my live last week, I walk through New World. It's the most expensive grocery store in New Zealand. If you don't know, I mean four square, maybe two, but it's probably the same company. I don't remember. Oh my gosh, it was so expensive, I started laughing. I don't know what to do. I was like, okay, it's expensive. Oh yeah, very safe in New Zealand. And I'm going to say that, and I'm backing that everybody's like, the gangs are really bad. It's not the same danger as it is in the US, not even close. So yes, comparatively, you're fine. Do you recommend? Yes. So I have health insurance on the private. So what you get is, I'm a permanent resident, so I get access to the free health care, or you can use your insurance if you want to maybe get something done quicker. If you get, if you need surgery or you need something done, you can go to a specialist easier. And it's not expensive compared to what you pay in the US. So like for us, my family of six paid $75 a month for health care. That's like nice that I've rarely used. But I don't know, it must be because I'm American and I feel uncomfortable not having it. We have been trained a certain way. Sorry, are you having audio trouble? No, sorry, four kids. Did I say four? Did I? No, I do not have six kids. Can you imagine? I can't even handle four. Yeah, don't worry, don't worry. I'm not worried. I don't got. Yes, ambulance is free in Wellington. Although my son passed out and it took him an hour and 15, but glad it wasn't that serious. Yeah, I know. It's $75 a month. Like what? They're not used to paying for health care here. Like my son, yeah, so the ambulance came and got my son. He just was dehydrated. Like what? But we didn't know this. So they take him to the hospital. They run a million tests on him. They keep him overnight and monitor him and and he walks out with a little piece of paper. I don't owe anything. I mean, they did like every test on him too because it was really weird and out of the blue. And yeah, welcome to New Zealand. Yes, your favorite was Queenstown. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Do I have recommendations for, I think I got cut off, Jeff? Okay, there's a lot of questions. What school is like? Is it easy to make friends? Yeah, I mean, Queenstown is not going to be cheap. But honestly, like if my kids weren't settled in schools in Wellington, I would go there. I love it there. I have been to the Corps of Mandel and I'm going there again in December. Social life. This is what you got to do. Yeah, I would say I don't know. I feel like I can make friends anywhere. So I might not be a good judge of it. But basically, if you go and get involved, you have to get involved. You have to make efforts. You can't sit at home like just basic things. Like if you go out and you join clubs and you join activities that you love, you will find your people. This is true no matter where you live. So do that. And then you will find people that have the same interests. And there's a huge variety of things to do. Things that you can't even believe. Like my son was in a fencing club. I don't know. They have all weird activities here that I've never heard of. I'm sure you can get by on. Sorry. Gosh, this stupid little heart thing. What is this? I can't. Can I just scroll up? Anyway, lots of good questions. This is fun. For low income. Sorry, I'm missing the question. I mean, yeah, it would be expensive, I guess. I mean, New Zealand is expensive. I'm not going to lie. I mean, even if you make good money, you still have to budget. You still have to be careful. It's not cheap. But that's what happens when you're on an island at the bottom of the world. So it's just trade offs. You know, like there's things in the U.S., like healthcare, so expensive. I thought the food in the U.S. was actually more expensive than New Zealand, but maybe not anymore because New Zealand keeps going up that it's shocking to me. I mean, my turkey was $106. Do I like summer Christmas in New Zealand? No, I do not, Ethan. I do not. It was fun for like a year or two and now I'm over it and I would really like darkness and cold and fireplaces and hot chocolate. But I'm not going to complain. I'm having Christmas on the beach this year in the Coromandel. Yeah, the air quality is amazing. Education, sorry. That's kind of a loaded question. I have a lot to say on that topic. I've done videos on it if you want to watch, but I should probably update those because I've had kids go fully through primary, fully through intermediate, fully through high school, college, and then university here. So I have a full gamut. I also teach at the university. So I have a full picture of the difference because I taught at the university also in the U.S. Summary. Yes, we're sunscreen every day. Sorry. How about I go through some really big, I would say insights that you would only have from somebody that's been here for a while and who understands the American education system. Do I think it's worse than American public schools? No, but they're not good at spelling. Like they don't, they're math and they're spelling. You know, the fact that they don't do homework, I think in general gives you a disadvantage. Their NCAA that they do, am I going to get into it in high school is lame. The college level is, or sorry, university is definitely not as good as the U.S. Not as good. I mean, maybe in certain degrees at some of the Otago or Canterbury, but not overall not as good. I'm just saying like an A in the U.S. is not an A in New Zealand. It does not equal. So they're really good at other things though here in New Zealand. So there's pros and cons of both for sure. But yeah, my two that did primary school in the U.S. did better. Yeah, more sheep than people. Okay, I just got a message that ads are inserted. Are you seeing me or is there like an ad? Can you just click off of it? Like, I don't know. Yes, rugby and cricket are the big sports and they get all the advantages. We play valuable in our family and my husband and all my kids have coached and yeah, it's not valued here. It's a growing sport though. So that's good. Auckland has snow planet. What? Greg, what is that? What is Auckland snow planet? How are the living costs? So your housing I would say is your most expensive. The petrol is quite expensive. And the food, obviously. So living costs, I have done videos on the cost of living. I should probably do that. That was a couple months ago for like how I just broke down like how much I paid for everything for a family of six. So you can actually see it's went through like food, electricity, you know, all of like the basics, not like everything that I spend my money on because that will vary by people but all the things that you need and how much I was paying at that time, I probably need to update that. But just message me on YouTube and I will send you a link to that if you want to see that. Oh, it's indoor skiing. Really? Did I know this? I think the indoor ski place needs to pay for me to come up there and try that. Is it accepting of religions, races? Yes, I would say. I would say better than the U.S. Overall, there's a, you know, I'm not saying that there isn't racism here in New Zealand. It's just it's not as bad maybe to certain people. I don't like to represent how other people feel in their race or their experience. But I would say it's quite accepted. I'll be interested to know what other people feel. Oh, they just wear hats. People don't care about how they look here in New Zealand. So they wear hats and a lot of sunscreen when they're outside. Price difference on college tuition. Yeah, so it all depends because there's so many school options in the U.S. But my son goes to a state school, which ends up being in U.S. dollar. I mean, the U.S. dollar to New Zealand dollar isn't great. But it's not that much more because like even though you get fees free or first year free, you still have to pay for housing, which is 15,000 New Zealand, a student. And so my son going to the U.S. he probably pays 17,000 but in U.S. dollars. So it's not like this drastic amount of money. But of course, if you went to like Ohio State or Madison or, you know, an Ivy League school, then it's way more expensive. So it all depends. Okay, Jeff, I would really like I could go but I definitely want to highlight. I just want to talk about this because this is something I have been thinking about. So Jeff, Jeff commented, I'm sure it's not easy raising a family moving countries and still follow your advice of moving. So Jeff, have you are you moving here? Like what is your status? I just want to talk on this. I have been thinking about it. I have been reading. Yeah, I'm from Milwaukee. I think that moving countries is one of the best things you could do for your children. I can see it now that I have children in their 20s and the huge benefit while it was very, very hard for them and hard on mama, right? To watch them. Best thing I could have done. Definitely. Because here's the reality, guys. People don't grow. People don't learn how to handle change. People don't learn perspectives unless it's new, unless it's different, unless it's challenge. You know, you know that the best way for us to grow is to do something hard, something new. And that's why moving is the best for them. It just really is like the adaptability factor. I'm just saying like if you want to, I mean, what is the goal with children, right? Is to raise them very capable, functioning, healthy adults, right? And I'm saying that this plays a critical role in it while I am, comes across as being a bit crazy where I moved to New Zealand for two years, moved back to the US for two years, and now I'm back in New Zealand for six years. I think that what I am doing, and just because now I've seen the result of it and I'm feeling the result and I'm living it and I'm sure this isn't everyone's experience, but it's literally the best. I'm not seeing a whole lot of downside. It is good for them to struggle. It is good for them. It's only then that they become the best that they can be, is when they start to learn about themselves. And it's great because your family grows a lot closer because you only have each other and you only have, you know, sorry, I haven't figured out all of the words to say this, but this is what's been going on in my head and how really, really, truly beneficial it is for everybody, me and everybody, but also the children. So I talk to a lot of clients who are so concerned about, like, ruining their teenager's life. You're not. You're not. I think it's worse to stay in the same place because we don't grow unless we change. And it doesn't have to be another country. It could be another city. It just needs to be different and it needs to be a little bit hard. Okay. And that's when things really happen. Oh, gosh. Awesome. You love Wisconsin. I do certain times of the year. Anyway, I have to go pick up my son. So it was lovely talking with you. Don't hesitate to reach out to me with other questions. Just comment on YouTube and the American cookbooks available for Christmas if you're interested. And I won't talk anymore about that. See you guys.