The Perfect Unplugged Vacation

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Nightly — "The Perfect Unplugged Vacation"

Host: Hatch Podcasts
Episode Date: December 27, 2025
Hosts: Sophia & Matt

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Episode Overview

In this cozy, late-night chat, Sophia and Matt dream up their "perfect unplugged vacation." The conversation takes a relaxing turn as they discuss their travel preferences, ideal destinations, perfect accommodations, and what truly makes a getaway rejuvenating—without the stress of constant connectivity. The episode exudes a gentle, friendly, and humorous tone, aiming to help listeners unwind and drift into sleep.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Airline Upgrades and the Myth of First Class (00:30–04:00)

• Matt and Sophia banter about never being upgraded to first class.
  • Both admit they've never experienced the elusive airport upgrade.
  • They joke about the idea of being "downgraded" instead—being sent to sit with the luggage for the greater good.
• Sophia brings up "volunteering" to be bumped from a flight.
  • Discussion about how compensation increases the longer no one accepts the offer to be bumped.
  • Both hosts agree they've never taken the opportunity, preferring just to get home.

Notable Quote:
"I want to be able to say, yeah, they just picked me out the queue to be downgraded. The way that I look, they decided to put me in the baggage hold." — Matt (01:48)

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2. Imagining the Perfect Unplugged Vacation (04:00–06:00)

• Sophia introduces the episode's theme:
  "I have a theme for the vacation, which is unplugged." (04:19)
• Both agree that being truly ‘unplugged’ is essential for a real vacation.
• Matt expresses dislike for passive beach holidays, preferring some activity without it being too strenuous.
• Sophia echoes a similar sentiment, differentiating between being on the water (preferring lakes) and just sitting on the beach.

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3. Defining the Ideal Pace and Activities (06:00–09:00)

• Both hosts seek a balance between relaxation and gentle exploration.
  • They want free time and no over-packed itineraries.
• Preference for unscheduled, “chill” time emerges.
• The hosts contemplate nature vs. city escapes:
  • Matt recently enjoyed city breaks, but craves the scenic countryside—especially spa retreats amidst mountains.
  • Sophia likes the idea of a cabin or resort with creature comforts (“not camping!”).

Notable Quote:
"It’s got to be somewhere between nothing and everything. Somewhere in the middle." — Matt (05:54)

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4. The Dream Location: Spa Resort in the Alps (09:00–12:22)

• They agree on an ideal setting: Austria’s Alps, especially around Zell am See.
• Discussion of whether to go in summer or winter—both lean toward spring for pleasant weather, greenery, and snow-capped mountains.
• Sophia imagines a place with a private chef and cozy, house-like comfort within a resort.

Memorable Moment:
Sophia Googles Zell am See live on air and gushes over the stunning scenery (11:08–11:21).

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5. Travel Companions: Solo vs. Small Group (12:22–15:41)

• Who to bring?
  • Matt considers the idea of fully solo travel, wondering if it would "make or break" him.
  • Sophia leans toward bringing a close friend or two for shared experiences and motivation to get out and explore.
• Optimal arrangement:
  • Separate accommodations for privacy, but opportunities to reconvene (“all have our separate homes”).

Notable Quote:
"You have to bring someone that you’re close enough with to be even able to say like, okay, let’s have a day… where we explore on our own and do our own thing." — Sophia (15:25)

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6. What Makes the Best Vacation Activities? (15:41–17:10)

• Favorite activities:
  • Gentle hiking, enjoying great food, people-watching, possibly the odd museum.
  • “Taking a dip in the lake” and “a good boat trip” are high on their lists.
• Reading outside in a beautiful landscape is a shared dream.

Notable Quote:
"I could take a good book and just sit on top of a hill somewhere. Oh, that sounds nice." — Matt (16:39)

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7. Vacation Personalities and Preferences (17:10–19:50)

• Revelations:
  • Matt admits he thought Sophia was more adventurous and upbeat; Sophia self-identifies as a “chiller.”
  • They agree that their ultimate getaway is not about partying, but recharging.
• Reflection on party trips:
  • Both find that a party-heavy holiday doesn’t leave them refreshed; it just leaves you “needing a vacation after the vacation.”

Memorable Moment:
"You would need a vacation after the vacation." — Sophia (19:08)

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8. Wrapping Up: The Unplugged Dream Vacation (19:53–20:12)

• The pair conclude they’d never want their dreamy vacation to end—“a good way to feel about a vacation.”

Closing Quote:
"I never wanna leave. I want to stay here forever. Which I think is a good way to feel about a vacation." — Sophia (19:56)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------|---------------| | Airline upgrade banter | 00:30 – 04:00 | | Kicking off the unplugged vacation theme| 04:00 – 06:00 | | Defining the ideal vacation pace | 06:00 – 09:00 | | Choosing the dream location | 09:00 – 12:22 | | Solo vs. group travel | 12:22 – 15:41 | | Ideal vacation activities | 15:41 – 17:10 | | Vacation personalities & preferences | 17:10 – 19:50 | | Wrapping up the dream vacation | 19:53 – 20:12 |

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Final Takeaways

The ideal unplugged vacation for Sophia and Matt is a springtime escape to a spa resort in Austria’s Zell am See–complete with a private chef, cozy self-catering accommodation, close friends (but with separate spaces), and plenty of time to hike, read, swim, and simply chill in nature’s beauty. No hectic tours, no parties, no pressure—a trip to return from feeling completely recharged.

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Podcast links and contact:
For questions or advice, email [e-mail].
For a phone-free immersive experience, visit hatch.co or follow @hatchpodcasts.

Note: Advertisements, intros, and outros have been omitted from this summary.

Transcript

[A]

Hello. You're about to drift into an episode of the Nightly, a podcast designed to help you unwind and relax. For the full phone free immersive light experience, visit Hatch Co. Enjoy.

[B]

Hey there. I'm Sophia.

[A]

And I'm Matt. Welcome to the Nightly on Hatch, where you always get upgraded to first class. Have you ever been upgraded to first class? I haven't.

[B]

I don't know if I've been upgraded. I'm always like, when does that happen?

[A]

What, you think you might have been downgraded?

[B]

Well, I just mean I'm like, I've flown first class, but I think that those weren't instances in which I was upgraded. Sorry to brag, but when do you get upgraded?

[A]

Because.

[B]

Cause it's so expensive.

[A]

It is so expensive. I'm beginning to think that it's nonsense when people say like, oh, yeah, no, they just upgraded me when I was at the airport. I've never seen that happen to anybody.

[B]

I don't know. That is actually something that I'm like, I don't know what that means fully. I don't fully understand what that means.

[A]

No. Also, to be fair, most of the airlines that I fly with, like, there's nowhere to really upgrade to short of flying the plane.

[B]

So, yeah, so, yes, you can go closer to the cockpit. That does not mean that you'll have a better experience.

[A]

Yeah, that is pretty much it. A little extra leg room, maybe.

[B]

So good luck. Yeah, I like the idea of being downgraded and you have to sit below with the luggage.

[A]

That's way funnier for all those people who say, like, oh, yeah, I just got picked at the airport and upgraded. I want to be able to say, yeah, yeah, they just picked me out the queue to be downgraded. The way that I look, they decided to put me in the baggage hold.

[B]

They just said it'd be better for everyone if I was down there.

[A]

Yeah, no one wants to look at that. They just thought it'd be better if I was just out the way I.

[B]

Feel like sometimes they'll be like, if you want to not take this flight or something and wait for the next one, we'll give you like $1,000. Have you ever done that?

[A]

No, I've never done. It's happened to flights that I've been on, but I've never been forthcoming because.

[B]

I want to home 100 same. But then I'm always like, is that something I should do? Because I feel like I've talked to people who do that and I'm like, well, it's Smart. Because you get, like, free trips out of it. And I think that you can get them to actually give you, like, more money. Like, I think if you. The longer you wait and the less people repeatedly don't take the offer, the price goes up that they offer you, which is amazing.

[A]

Interesting. So, yeah, really, you want to. You want to get everybody on board to kind of really up the offer, and then you sneak in and just take a really high one. And I would do that, yes. I think it's always just been such a menial amount of money whenever it's been me or I just thought I'd be better off just going home.

[B]

Yeah, you really have to be going somewhere. It does not matter if you're there on time or not. I feel like I've been in situations where it's like I actually have to be there at a certain time. Yeah, I guess it would be preferable if you're, like, going home and have nothing to do at home and not on your way somewhere.

[A]

Yeah. If it's work, obviously, you can weigh it up, can't you? And just think, what was the fee that I'm getting for that gig?

[B]

Yeah. Well, you could tell them that your flight was canceled.

[A]

Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure there's a lucrative way of doing it.

[B]

I feel like I'm constantly leaving money on the table, but one day I'll start scamming airlines, and then I'll always be flying first class because I'll have so much money and I won't know what to do with it.

[A]

That's exactly it. That's all life is. It's just waiting to figure out which fraud is the fraud for you.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And you'll find out one day.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah. I would love to figure out what is the proper scam for me, but you know what I'm now thinking about? Because of all this airline talk.

[A]

Go on.

[B]

I think that we should dream up a vacation together.

[A]

Okay. This will be interesting. I think this will be two sort of different ideas converging here. We're gonna have to find some middle ground.

[B]

We'll hopefully find some middle. Okay, so I have a theme for the vacation, which is unplugged.

[A]

Nice. I like it.

[B]

And that's kind of our guiding light.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

A vacation where you're plugged in, that's not a vacation. That's a hell.

[A]

I do agree totally with that. Yeah. That totally defeats the object of any vacation, doesn't it?

[B]

I know. At least to me. I don't know anyone who Would disagree with that. But I'm sure there are. There's people who love to, like, game and stuff.

[A]

Yeah. Life support. Yeah. There's situations.

[B]

Life support. Totally. So there's different degrees of necessity in terms of being plugged in. Okay. So I'm curious to hear, like, what your kind of, like, necessities for your perfect vacation are, like, where you'd want to go, and the checklist of all the things that would make a vacation perfect.

[A]

I think for me, I was never a big fan of the beach holiday. I don't like sitting on a beach. I like looking at them.

[B]

I agree.

[A]

But just sitting on a beach, I can't do. I get really itchy feet. I've got to do something.

[B]

I agree completely.

[A]

I wouldn't go as far as activity holiday because that's too much. You know, people go like, whatever it is, like mountain biking or segwaying or rock climbing or. That's too much.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Can't do that.

[B]

The two of us scaling a wall together.

[A]

Yeah. That wouldn't be. Not be relaxing for anybody.

[B]

No.

[A]

Least of all mountain rescue. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. That would not be relaxing at all for anyone.

[A]

So I guess we're on the same page with that then. It's got to be somewhere between nothing and everything. Somewhere in the middle.

[B]

Yeah. I think everything you just said speaks to me. I feel like I've honestly probably said this on this very show before, but one of my unpopular opinions is that I'm not a huge fan of the beach. I like being on water. I really like being on a lake or something, but I feel trapped when I am on the beach, I guess, unless I'm like, it's a private beach and there's literally a house that's like, 20ft away. But I don't love the beach in terms of, like, often there is not enough shade for me. And guess what? I prefer to swim in fresh water.

[A]

Agreed.

[B]

And then I also am a chiller in the way that I like to be doing some stuff. But I definitely don't love a vacation that is, like, packed to the gills of we need to be doing this right now. Even, like, outside of just doing, like, an activity, as you said, I'm like, I want a schedule, an itinerary where there is, like, free time to kind of chill and lounge and do nothing. Because that is, like, one of the most important parts of being on vacation is doing nothing.

[A]

Yeah, I totally agree. That's what it should be about. It should be not answering to anybody and not doing anything.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Or at least not having to do anything. I think that's the thing. Not being locked into doing anything.

[B]

Exactly. I'd love to, like, walk around and explore where I am, but I don't want it to be like, we have to go on a tour of this museum right now.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Or that's like, one thing that we do. It's not thing after thing after thing.

[A]

I'm fully with you on that.

[B]

Okay. So I feel like this might not actually even be that hard, which is amazing. But would you rather. In terms of, like, where you would rather go for a vacation, would you rather go to somewhere that's more like in nature, or would you prefer to be, like, in a city or something?

[A]

Yeah, it's a tough one. Recently, I've done a lot of city breaks in the past, and there's some places that I really loved. Like, Budapest was really good. Prague's really nice. But I had a real hankering recently to go to somewhere like Austria, where, like, I've gigged around sort of Switzerland and Austria, but never in the bits that I want to go. Like, it looks incredible when you fly over it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But all those bits around the Alps and stuff where there's like a really nice, new, fancy kind of spa hotel type thing, but it's within the big countryside, like the Alps and the mountains and the rivers and all that sort of stuff. So, like, a bit of both.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Like, not too. In nature. I still need the modern comfort.

[B]

We're not camping.

[A]

Definitely not camping. Are you a camper?

[B]

I don't camp a lot. I honestly would love to camp more, but I wouldn't say that that's like, my dream vacation, if that makes sense.

[A]

Yeah, sure. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I honestly would love to camp more, but it's just hard to do where I live. It's not like the most, like, accessible thing, and I just don't have a car or any of the equipment.

[A]

So that is a huge limiting factor that.

[B]

Yeah. So it's just not really a possibility for me right now. But in the future, I really like to be kind of like in a beautiful place outside. But I have also, like, a gorgeous cabin or as you said, like, hotel or something.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That I can stay in.

[A]

Where do you land with that? Like, in terms of hotel or cabin or like airbnb types? Have you got something that you. That would be your preference that you kind of go to time and time again?

[B]

I feel like I lean more towards, like, an airbnb cabin type situation. But I like, obviously what you said about the Spa. Yeah, that speaks to me. So I honestly think if I had unlimited resources, it would probably be a resort type place where you stay in your own like house basically. But then also there are people who would give me a massage.

[A]

Yes, that sounds perfect actually because I.

[B]

Also like being like cozy in a way that like a hotel is not often that cozy because it can be kind of austere or it's just like a room with a bed and I'm like. Well, as I said, as like kind of a chiller, I would love a place with like a couch and I also like having like my own kitchen and stuff like that.

[A]

Yeah, so you need like a sort of self catering, hotel y type place.

[B]

Yes, that would be awesome. That would be so awesome to me.

[A]

Okay, nice. So we'll go with like a resort kind of facility then. But in where are we leaning towards in terms of going? Have you got any places specifically in mind?

[B]

When you said the Alps, that spoke to me. Yeah, yeah, the Alps. The Dolomites are also like gorgeous. Anything I love, literally just like stunning views.

[A]

Yes, I think you definitely get that around there. It seems like one of those places that wherever you look there's either a mountain or a lake.

[B]

Literally. Yeah, that is my dream.

[A]

I was looking at doing a holiday there recently because I had a few days.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I looked at a hotel in a place called Zell am Sea which is in Austria. Do you know what Zelamc means?

[B]

No, what does that mean?

[A]

I don't know. I really hope that you might know. Actually, I've got no idea. But it's.

[B]

Wait, how do you spell Zelmc?

[A]

Z E double L am and then S E E But like three separate words. Zellamc.

[B]

Totally. Okay, so I'm looking into like an atlas in the pillow fort right now that has photos of Zel mc. Oh my gosh. It's so pretty. It looks stunning and I would love to go there.

[A]

Sold.

[B]

I would obviously lean towards when it's warmer. Are you thinking of a warm vacation or a wintry vacation?

[A]

I'm thinking in the theme of pretty much everything we've gone with so far. Somewhere in the middle. I don't like it too hot, but also I think too cold. That just like I've got mates who go skiing and I've never been interested. Cause you shouldn't have to layer up so much every time you leave the house. And I put a balaclava on. It's just too much effort. So. Yeah, somewhere in the middle.

[B]

Of course. So maybe a springtime Getaway, I think, would be perfect, because I agree.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like that the photos that I'm looking at are so pretty. When it's, of course, pretty no matter what, but when it's, like, lush green, I'm like, that is just amazing.

[A]

And you'll probably still have the snow on top of the mountains at that point as well, but you'll have the spring flowers coming through.

[B]

What a dream.

[A]

There we go. Also, Zellamsi means village by the lake.

[B]

Oh, that is my dream vacation.

[A]

That was easy.

[B]

Easy.

[A]

Okay, so we've got a resort in Zellamsi.

[B]

Yes. We've gotten highly specific. Also, something else that I was like, part of my dream vacation, of course, is I'm like, there would be a private chef there. And I'm just going to say that.

[A]

Yes. Yeah, 100%. Private chef is in. Yeah, I'm with you.

[B]

Totally. Okay. And then who would you take on your dream vacation?

[A]

It's a tough one.

[B]

It is a really hard question because I'm like. In some sense, I'm like, it'd be so fun to be with all my friends. And then I'm like, how relaxing would that be?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you know what I mean?

[A]

It never ends up being relaxing when it's all your friends, does it?

[B]

When it's everyone, it's hard.

[A]

Yeah. I think in the spirit of this trip, you've got to put fun to the back and just think about what's gonna be the least stimulating thing possible.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Which is why I'm leaning towards. And I've never done it, but I've always been curious how I would do on my own. Oh, it would either center me and relax me to the point that I would be a different person afterwards and it would do me the world of good, or I would drive myself insane and be home within sort of 48 hours.

[B]

It would either make or break you.

[A]

I think so. Yeah. But I'm kind of curious to know which way it would go. So I'd be leaning towards just me, I reckon. What about you?

[B]

I've never done solo travel either. And I've thought about it. I think I would honestly really like it. I don't really fear that it would break me. I can just go days, like, without talking to people.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And of course, by the end, I'm like, oh, I need to see my friends and I really wanna see them. But while it's happening, I'm like, chilling, vibing. So I do think that maybe it would be better for me to actually take a person with Me. So that one, I'm like, I want someone to watch my shows with, period. And two, I think, like, if there's another person there, it will get me up and out at least. Because I'm like, I want to chill. But of course it's. If we're going to such a beautiful place, I want to explore and I want to see about stuff and it's fun to bear witness to awesome stuff with someone that you love. So I think I'd probably just take like one friend, maybe two friends.

[A]

Yeah, that seems like a sensible compromise, I think, because that is the biggest part for me. I think whenever I do go anywhere on my own, which I suppose I do travel on my own a lot actually, but it's never holidaying, it's always work. But I'm a terrible for just shutting myself in a hotel room and just being like, oh, I can't be arsed. I've gotta be out the hotel at like 6 for the show. So I'll just sort of watch Netflix or, you know, just hang out on my own all day and not go out. So maybe you do need that other person just to kind of cheer you up and get you outside. I can agree with that. Taking a friend or two is probably a pretty smart move actually.

[B]

Yeah. But I do think that we would all have our separate homes.

[A]

Yeah, that's the perfect compromise.

[B]

Yeah. I want my alone time in the night also. It's like you have to bring someone that you're close enough with to be even able to say like, okay, let's have like a day. If we're there for like a week or something, it's like, let's have a day or two where we explore on our own and do our own thing. And that's kind of my ideal vacation, I think.

[A]

So in terms of when you say going out and doing stuff, what kind of things are we talking? Like museums, walking, that sort of stuff?

[B]

I love to walk. If we were going somewhere this beautiful as zellamc, I would hope that there was like a hike that I could do. I would definitely love to hike. I really like to eat good food, so I would love to go to a really good restaurant. People watch. I'm sure I would enjoy going to like a museum or something. But if I'm being completely honest, I'm like, that is not what my heart would say that I want to do.

[A]

I think particularly in that area. I do think you're right. I think there's other stuff. Like, I mean, taking a. I feel like taking A bit of a dip in the lake there. I bet that would be nice.

[B]

Yes. Or like, if there's a boat ride or something. That would be so cool.

[A]

Oh, yeah. I'd love a good boat trip. Yeah.

[B]

I feel like I just want to be, like, outside seeing everything. What about you?

[A]

I'm inclined to agree. I could take a good book and just sit on top of a hill somewhere. Oh, that sounds nice.

[B]

Literally, I did that in Norway the summer before this one. Like, we went on a hike and then I just, like, read my book on the side of a grassy hill and it was literally like the most beautiful thing I've ever done in my entire life.

[A]

Yeah. See, that sounds amazing. What a great place to do it as well. Norway. Amazing.

[B]

I know. It was awesome. Okay. I like how compatible you and I are on this.

[A]

Yeah. For some reason I thought we'd be into a different holiday. I thought I'd just be too miserable and you'd be quite happy.

[B]

Yeah. So what did you think, like, and I won't take this in any type of offense, I'm so curious as to what you thought my ideal holiday would be.

[A]

I thought would be camping.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

No, I thought you'd be up for, like, adventure, kind of going out, doing stuff.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

I just generally more upbeat, I think. But you're just as miserable as I am. Who'd have thought?

[B]

I'm not as miserable.

[A]

I knew you'd eat that.

[B]

I self identify as a chiller.

[A]

Yeah, no, you do.

[B]

And I think that you should take on that title as well because you can release a lot of judgment.

[A]

Maybe I've been misidentifying myself all along. Maybe I am, and I've just been sort of reading that wrong. I've been reading it as Misery, when actually it's just chilled.

[B]

It's just chill. But yeah, I would love to camp and do stuff like that. But that's not like my dream vacation. If I had like, unlimited resources, I'm like, no, I'm going to go somewhere and like, literally chill the hell out. Camping is, like, fun, but it seems. And it is a vacation, obviously, but it also seems to me like something different where it's like, that is like the activity in itself.

[A]

Yeah, that's so true.

[B]

I would never say, like, my ideal dream vacation would to be like, go somewhere and like, party. I'm like, I want to go to Ibiza.

[A]

I mean, as someone who has been to Ibiza a couple of times, but admittedly the last time was maybe like eight or nine years ago. It's very fun when you're at the right point in your life where you can put up with it.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know if I've ever been at that point in my life.

[A]

Maybe it's coming. Maybe it's coming. It'll be later.

[B]

Maybe. I do keep wondering that about myself. I'm like, maybe when I'm like in my 30s, I'll really want to party for once.

[A]

Yeah. Maybe it's like a Benjamin Button kind of thing.

[B]

Yeah. But I don't know. I don't know. It might just not be in my DNA because all those things, of course, are, like, fun. But I don't feel like I would return from a trip where I was, like, raging and feel, like, recharged, which is kind of like what I want to feel. You would need a vacation after the vacation.

[A]

That is exactly it. Yeah. I did, like four days in Spain with some of my mates about three or four months ago, and I bumped into a friend of mine who went about two weeks later and he looked horrendous and he was like, yeah, I'm still feeling it.

[B]

It's just.

[A]

It's not pleasant in any way. It's just a bit of a slog. You gotta get to the end of it.

[B]

At a certain point you're like, when is this over?

[A]

Yeah, but not with our holiday to Zell Emc.

[B]

No, that will be. I'm like, I never wanna leave. I want to stay here forever. Which I think is a good way to feel about a vacation. I think that's how you know it was successful.

[A]

Agreed. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. Well, Matt, I'm feeling pretty sleepy after talking about our vacations.

[A]

Yes, me too. Very much looking forward to whenever this dream vacation happens. And I will see you in the Alps. I'll talk to you next time. Good night, Sofia. Good night, Matt. Sa. Sam. Foreign. To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch Co. You can also follow us at Hatch Podcasts.