The Wake and Wander Podcast

Kevin McDonald and Allie Jacobs are American ex-pats who recently moved to Costa Rica. They join Will to talk about their new life living above Lake Arenal as well as the inspiration and logistics behind the move. "Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypiercemusic)

Jessie Krebs is a survival expert, outdoor educator, and former SERE instructor. She is best known for her appearances on Alone (Season 9) and National Geographic's Mygrations . She is the founder of O.W.L.S. Skills, an outdoor education program offering survival courses and retreats for women. You can follow her on Instagram @owls.skills 'Whole Wide World' soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypier...

Will discusses his recent article on Forbes entitled, For Better Or Worse: Five Ways AI Is Transforming The Airline Industry . 'Whole Wide World' soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypiercemusic)

Hampton Sides is a bestselling author and historian whose narrative nonfiction books explore adventure, exploration, conflict, and the complicated figures who shaped history. From Captain James Cook’s voyages across the Pacific to Kit Carson’s brutal campaign against the Navajo, Hampton’s work blends deep reporting with cinematic storytelling. His latest book, The Wide Wide Sea , tells the story o...

Dr. Megan Seitz is the Paleo Collections and Lab Manager at the Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita, Colorado. She joins Will to discuss her active dig in Western Colorado, the ins and outs of modern paleontology, how the study of dinosaurs is carried out, what we know about dinosaurs, how dinosaurs behaved, dinosaurs in pop culture, common misconceptions, where to experience dinosaurs in natural ar...

Zach Rice is a sailor living in Honolulu. He joins Will to discuss his adventures delivering sailboats across the Pacific and share what it's like to sail across the world's largest ocean and spend months at sea.  "Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypiercemusic)

Aaron Bible is an artist, writer, and photographer with three decades of experience as a multimedia developer, content specialist, curator, and award-winning journalist. He is a father, yogi, cyclist, runner, angler, and skier. He joins the show to chat about a variety of travel topics, including airline credit cards, the future of the ski industry, Utah versus Colorado, the peculiar drinking laws...

Will discusses the evolving class warfare happening in the airline industry. Want to understand the K-shaped economy? Go fly on an airplane | CNN Business "Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypiercemusic).

Ted Baird lives, works, and travels in his van with his wife. He joins Will to discuss the ins and outs and everyday realities---the highs alongside the lows---of "van life." "Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce Music (@boypiercemusic).

Will discusses the administration's plans for healthier and family-friend airports, airlines moving to non-reclining seats, the "Jetway Jesus" phenomenon, bad local news reporting, and his trips to the Everglades and Grand Teton.   Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Suggests Putting ‘Workout Areas’ in Airports (People) They get wheeled on flights and miraculously walk off. Praise 'Jetway Jesus.'...

Will discusses the recent reports of increased flight delays due to the government shutdown. Flight Statistics: https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homedrillchart.asp "Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Dan Ovryn is a custom furniture maker and the owner of Rust & Root Furniture on Oahu. He joins Will to talk about why he hates traveling, his travels to Arkansas, New York, Vermont, and Japan, how travel cuts through government propaganda, Mongolia building a Mars simulation site for tourists, and more! Follow him on Instagram @rustandrootfurniture. Recording location: Honolulu, Hawaii "Whole...

Could not talking for a couple days benefit you? What about a break from responsibilities, and the onslaught of advertising and iPhones? John Holman returns to discuss his recent adventures on a multi-day silent retreat in California, including the benefits and challenges he encountered along the way. He and Will also discuss Buddhism and how its basic practices could help you while traveling and...

Chris Powers is a founding member and the bassist of The Hip Abduction, a reggae band from St. Pete currently on tour with Stick Figure and Stephen Marley. Chris joins Will on the pod to discuss seeing a show at the Sphere, how technology has changed the quality of live performances, teaching in Micronesia, what makes a song timeless, the challenges of being authentic in music, life on the road wi...

Will discusses tipping while traveling, a variety of news articles and listener mail, and his trip to Mesa Verde National Park in Southwest Colorado. Why You Should Put Your Luggage in the Hotel Bathtub (Travel & Leisure) Greenpeace: Train travel often more expensive than flying in Europe (DPA International) Why 'best time to visit' no longer applies (BBC) "Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy...

Will discusses Joe Biden taking Ambien during his presidency, airlines announcing the use of AI to price flights, how autopilot might be making flying more dangerous, the TSA teasing the end of the liquid limit in carry-on luggage, and his experience dodging tsunamis and nuclear bombs in Hawaii. News Clips: Joe Biden puts little Delaware in big tourism spotlight | CNN Delta moves toward eliminatin...

Will answers listener questions and discusses his recent trip to Mt. Rushmore. More reading: Were the Airline Bailouts Really Needed? - The New York Times The West - Thomas Jefferson | Exhibitions - Library of Congress "Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Will discusses airlines overcharging certain passengers, the sole survivor of the Indian Airlines plane crash, the growing conflict over vacation rentals, and one of the worst cruises in the history of cruising. More reading: Maui Council set to begin deliberations on short-term rental phase-out bill : Maui Now Maui Council hears another 70 testifiers on vacation rental phase-out bill; still more...

Will reacts to the barrage of news about Southwest Airlines abandoning some of its fan-favorite policies and a report suggesting that international travelers will avoid the U.S. because of Trump. He then shares some highlights and insight from his first trip to Belize. Disturbing discovery at bottom of The Great Blue Hole (New York Post) Largest 'blue hole' discovered is 1.3K feet deep and countin...

Sixteen months ago, Joe sold is house and left behind a career as a winemaker to travel the world. He sits down with Will while on a week break (before heading back out for another year of travel) to discuss his round-the-world trip, what it's like to travel continuously for 16 months, advice for planning such a journey, and to share various stories, such as how he only spoke with 2 people his ent...

Luiza Coqueiro is a wildlife guide at Caiman Ranch in the Pantanal, one of the world's largest wetlands in the interior of Brazil. Luiza joins the podcast to discuss the rise of wildlife safaris in the Pantanal, the "Big 5" animals you can see, why it remains relatively unknown, what makes it special, and what it's like to guide in such a remote area. Plus, some info about Brazil, its large cities...

Basti Knobel is the co-owner of Rebel Tours and a walking tour guide in Vienna, Austria. He joins Will on the podcast to discuss his Brazilian roots, Austrian humor and the tendency for them to complain, why young Germans flock to Vienna, the difference between Austrians, Germans, and the Swiss, how tour guides tend to be older, the lengthy process to become a tour guide in Europe, Hitler's legacy...

Uriel Alcántara is the Founder of Raíz Ayuuk, a regenerative tour operator specializing in cultural hiking trips in the Sierra Mixe of Oaxaca. He joins the podcast to discuss the explosion of rooftop bars in Oaxaca, how it feels at the end of a trip for a guide, the history of the Mixe people resisting colonization, why the Mixe people were never conquered, the Spanish conquistadors’ most feared w...

Tim Wenger is a Senior Editor at Matador Network. He joins Will to discuss his transition from playing in a punk band to travel writing, how much it would suck to be a political reporter, Canadians boycotting travel to America, countries you wouldn’t travel to because of politics, Saudi Arabia opening up to the world, heliskiing in Canada, the string of commercial plane crashes, the odds of being...

Jason Latimer is the Director of Public Relations for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida. Previously, he worked as a public relations specialist for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He joins Will on the pod to discuss the growth of podcasts, life on the road with a professional baseball team, the unique way he met his wife, why people don't trust public relations reps, th...