What's going on in Thailand?

[laughs] Uh, Jason, I, uh, some, some other great questions on your end.

Uh, Thailand, one of the top touristed countries in the world.

Uh, 35 million or so, I think, last year, uh, tourist arrivals.

And there's al- A- as an outsider or a person always kind of looking at the situation, there's always this push/pull I think of the Thai government, the Thai p- people, and tourism.

Of course they want tourism because it powers, give or take, 15% of the GDP.

That's a big number.

What are... what's some of your advice around safety, which I think when it comes to... it's, it's related to the topic we just covered because that's probably the primary concern, right? There's some kind of element of fear, like something's gonna happen.

So to me, that is what makes the whole event so special.

Agree 100%.

The, the three pillars to come to ETF, as you said, number one is the community, finding your tribe, like-minded people, the most traveled people in the world, the top travelers in the world.

That's the community, the network, old friends, new friends.

Second, which you also pointed to, is the content, and I'm obviously very biased.

I think I've gathered up some amazing individuals, some amazing travelers who will be sharing their stories, whether it's inspirational talk or whether it's actionable information.

Just y- you're drinking from a fire hose, in my opinion.

Anyway, the bottom line is people go the extra mile is what I'm trying to say, don't you think?

So, so yeah, I'll take you up on that, Rick.

Yeah, but what you guys are getting at, I agree with.

There's just so many pros and cons.

Do I wanna live in Chiang Mai? Do I wanna live on one of the islands? Do I wanna live in Bangkok? Do I wanna live in a village? And I think we all have this weighing machine, and we're trying to find that precise balance that meets your own personal needs and expectations.

I've lived in Koh Samui for a couple months.

I've lived in Phuket for several months.

I love both of those islands.

I'm not aiming to visit every country in the world," should they go as well?

How was your experience with them?

It, yeah, I mean w- [laughs] when...

Y- you know, chasing 193, sometimes you're like, "God, I..." Like, I don't know anything about Burundi.

I wasn't excited about going to Burundi.

But you gotta go there to check the box at some level.

And I, I'd heard of them, but I didn't know anything about them.

My guide brought me to, I think it's Gitega, the, the new capital, and we go to this little hill.

Okay.

Is that the reason why you decided to do that and, and not in Lesotho? [laughs]

Well, Lesotho would be interesting.

The black and white reality is the price you pay for the ticket doesn't actually pay for the event.

I have three revenue streams for the event.

One is buying the ticket, which does not cover the cost of the event.

The second are sponsors, meaning it could be a, a tour company, an eSIM company, et cetera, et cetera.

And the third revenue stream is the support of a government.

How were you able to, um, put her on the speakers list?