A Travel Interview with Lindsay Dollinger

Over the weekend, I had the privilege to interview my old high school Spanish teacher, Lindsay Dollinger! This was a rather wholesome moment for me because she is the reason why I really developed a passion for the Spanish language.Not only that, I also took my first trip abroad to Europe with her and had an amazing time! She is the reason I fell IN LOVE with Spain and the culture.

She helped to open up new worlds and perspectives for me that I would have never experienced without her. She was and is still an amazing teacher and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to reconnect with her and thank her for all that she has done for me. On that note, follow her on Instagram and check out her Podcast, Purpose & Pixie Dust!

Lindsay Dollinger in Prague

Who is Lindsay Dollinger?

She just completed her 14th year teaching high school Spanish and she runs her own business coaching business and she has a top rated podcast, "The Purpose and Pixie Dust Podcast". Not only does she run her own business and podcast show, she also does speaking gigs and hosts a yearly retreat.

Dollinger loves all things Disney and just completed her first marathon at Disney World in January. But the sole purpose why I asked to interview her was because she loves to travel. She has traveled to over 20 countries and is always finding ways to travel on a budget or low/no cost through applying for programs, leading trips, and other ways.

Now that you know more about Lindsay Dollinger, let's get to the fun questions.

Can you tell me a little about your experience with traveling?

I started traveling domestically with my family when I was in school--my dad wanted to visit every national park so we started doing that. I've now been to every state but Oregon! My first time abroad (not counting Canada and Mexico) was my high school trip to France and England when I was 16, so 20 years ago this past March. I took Spanish but our Spanish teachers never traveled so I signed up for the France trip. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to travel abroad, especially to Spain. My next time abroad was to Spain studying abroad in 2008, and I absolutely loved it--the culture, the people, the history and the language.

After that, I started working at Alder and looked online for other ways to travel and found a Master's in Spanish program through CSUS that traveled three Summers and then you'd have your Master's, so I did that. I went to Guatemala in 2010, Peru in 2011 and Spain in 2012. After that I started leading student tours abroad and got to return to Spain four more times on tours, plus to France, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and England.

I also applied for a scholarship to two different conferences in Spain and won them, and applied to be an adult mentor with the State Department on a trip to Chile and Argentina, and also won that award. With my direct sales company, I earned two trips to the Dominican Republic and one to Mexico, so all those trips I got essentially free, which was awesome. Without groups, I've gone with my family to Cuba, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand.

How many trips a year do you like to take?

We go somewhere at Spring Break then usually 1-2 (sometimes three) during the Summer. It depends on the length of the trips. I would do more if I could! It's hard with school to take off--and I have had to take some days off without pay. I also like to attend conferences that are away to really get a full experience.

What is your top travel tip?

Dollinger responded to this question saying, "Be over prepared but also flexible. No trip will go perfectly how you envision but it can still be a perfect trip."

I love this tip! If you read my blog, A Beginners Guide For New Travelers, I mentioned being prepared but also expecting the unexpected. You can't always be prepared for everything so instead of stressing about it, it is better to embrace it.

How do you budget your trips?

Dollinger said, "I like to over budget for things because I know I usually spend more money than I plan. But I also try like I mentioned to look for opportunities that I can get things free or paid (or even with my business as a tax write off sometimes). I also join all the rewards programs I can and use my credit card for rewards."

I am always trying to find new ways to budget for trips, so I will have to use this trip in the future and let you all know how this works for me.

What is the best travel advice you've ever received?

This is a hard one! It really depends on the type of trip, but I think in general being five minutes early means you're on time and on time is late, has always served me well. I hate having to run through airports and to meet up with guides when we could just leave early and get there without the rushing.

I will be sharing this advice with my mother. She always likes to be "on time" and I like to be early. You never know what is going to happen so being early is always great advice to give - especially to knew travelers.

What's your favorite and least favorite place you've visited?

Favorite is a three way tie: I love Spain. It's always probably my number one. But the safaris in Kenya and Tanzania were magical and just really brought me back to feeling how in sync with the land we were as humans. And then I LOVED Cairns, Australia, with their rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef--so cool! Least favorite--Probably the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The whole place just felt evil and I couldn't shake the feeling afterward. I think everyone needs to go once--but not more than that.

What place is at the top of your bucket list?

I really want to visit Egypt and China. Egypt will probably happen in 2025--I have my eye on some trips. And then I want to visit all the Disney parks around the world!

What is one thing you can’t live without when you travel?

My portable battery pack for my phone so I can take all the pics! And check on my dog at home.

Do you have any horror stories from traveling abroad?

Oh for sure--which one you want? LOL. For me the worst has been getting sick abroad. I've had traveler's stomach in Guatemala and Spain and it was awful. I also lived with a bad host family in Peru--they hardly fed us (we'd get broth and they ate the chicken lol), their dog would eat our clothes, the family acted crazy--it was absurd. But luckily I was rooming with my best friend from Chicago and we had each other so it wasn't as bad as it could be. My dad also got sick coming home from Africa and got an antibiotic resistant infection from a bug bite, and had to get a liquid IV drip for weeks after we got back. That was pretty scary. I also had to send a kid home from a trip for self-harm--that was also pretty awful. But everything ended up working out.

How have you found the confidence to lead a large group of people abroad?

You know I never really questioned that until this year when I had so many things on this last trip go wrong. I think just knowing everything is figure-out-able and being over prepared with medicine, being knowledgeable about our itinerary and customs, etc. helped a lot.

End Note

To end the interview, I asked her if there was anything else she would like to add?

She answered this question saying, "Travel is always worth it if you can be prepared and go with an open-mind."

I think this was the perfect ending. Travel is ALWAYS worth it. You learn grow so much as a person. You learn to immerse yourself in different cultures and I find that to be such a beautiful thing.

I am so thankful to have been able to keep in touch with my Spanish teacher after all these years. You never know how your path will reconnect with others. My advice to you is to always make connections, travel responsibly, and keep wandering.