Zero To Travel Podcast

What if the travel mindset you bring to far-off places is exactly what's needed right where you live?  Alastair Humphreys is a British adventurer, bestselling author, and speaker named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. He spent four years cycling 46,000 miles around the world and has since canoed 500 miles down the Yukon River, rowed across the Atlantic, walked the length of India's Kave...

Molly McDonald is a London-based YouTube producer and founder of Blue Door Productions, a YouTube-first content agency that brings broadcast-level production to digital storytelling. She studied journalism at Boston University and later earned a master's in Irish studies from NYU before building her career in television production in New York City. Her client list includes Red Bull, BBC, and Natio...

This week, I'm sharing a bonus episode from a brand new podcast called Y We Travel, co-hosted by my friend Eric Weiner, who has joined me on the show a few times over the years. Eric is a New York Times bestselling author and former foreign correspondent, and his co-host Erica Vella is an award-winning podcaster and former broadcast journalist.  There's no shortage of travel advice out there — who...

Matt Gray is the founder and CEO of Pangea, a free social travel app built to help people coordinate travel plans, share recommendations, and connect with their network around the world. After a decade in product development and corporate M&A at a global fintech company, he left the corporate world in 2023 to become a full-time digital nomad and build Pangea full-time. He is on a personal mission...

What would it mean to stop measuring your life by the conventional yardstick and start building one that actually fits?  Blake Boles is a writer, experiential educator, and the founder of Unschool Adventures, a travel company for self-directed teenagers, which he has run since 2008. He is the author of several books on alternative education and self-directed learning, and his newest book, Dirtbag...

Ever considered traveling to or working from Uruguay?  Lucia Krygier is a Uruguayan entrepreneur and innovation consultant based in Montevideo. In early 2025, she spent two months working remotely from Cape Town, South Africa, an experience she describes as a turning point in her life. That trip led her to found Work From Uruguay, a community-driven workation program bringing together remote worke...

What do you do when the adventure ends?  Tom Turcich is a motivational speaker, author, and the tenth person in history to walk around the world. Over seven years, he and his dog, Savannah, covered 28,000 miles across 38 countries and six continents, completing the journey in 2022. He is the author of the memoir The World Walk and the children's book Savannah's World of Adventure.  In this episode...

What does it actually take to give yourself permission to live unconventionally, and what's really standing in the way?  I had the opportunity to be a guest on the My Most Authentic Life podcast with Fede Vargas, a conversation we recorded live on the rooftop at Podcast Movement Evolutions during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Fede interviewed me about the themes that run through this show,...

What would it take for you to actually turn travel into a lifestyle, not just a vacation?  Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift are the Canadian couple behind Goats On The Road, one of the longest-running travel and lifestyle blogs online. Since leaving Canada in 2008, they have lived and traveled full-time across Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean, funding their adventur...

Oslo doesn't hit you the way other European capitals do. There's no single monument everyone leaves talking about, and yet people consistently walk away from this city with a feeling they can't quite explain.  Curtis Rojak is an American expat who has lived in Europe for over 25 years and holds dual Norwegian-American citizenship. He is the founder of Viking Biking, Oslo's premier guided bike and...

From destinations that challenge your assumptions to the routines and mindsets that make this lifestyle actually sustainable, join Caitlin and Janessa as they unpack what's been on their minds this month.  Remote Roundup is a monthly series hosted by Zero To Travel's associate producer, Caitlin Sunderland, and partnerships manager, Janessa Klatt. Explore what's new in remote work and travel, inclu...

What if the part of Brazil most worth exploring is the one almost nobody talks about?  Eddie Lott is a Dallas-born expedition leader who has spent nearly two decades studying Brazilian history, geography, and culture. He rediscovered the Serra do Espinhaco in 2018 and has been documenting its trails and communities ever since. Elisa Oliveira is a Brazilian architect turned expedition coordinator w...

What if one small act of kindness could completely change someone’s life trajectory?  Bryan Driscoll is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and the author of The Goodness Game. He built a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio while running a marketing company, and he’s now focused on helping people create positive ripple effects through simple acts of kindness.  In this episode, Bryan share...

What does it actually take to travel well with a partner, and what are the hidden layers of that experience when you're also navigating the world as a queer couple?  Gabi and Shanna Meit-Sciara are a Brooklyn-based couple and the creators of 27 Travels, a platform launched in 2016 to document their adventures while building more visibility and resources for LGBTQIA+ travelers. Gabi is a photograph...

What if the key to planning your dream trip isn't choosing the right destination, but first figuring out what you actually need right now in your life?  Kelly Tolliday is the founder of Transform With Travel, a professional travel advisor and wellness travel expert with over a decade of industry experience, a retreat facilitator and 500-hour registered yoga teacher, and a podcast host. She has tra...

What would you do if your bus driver bought six Coca-Colas at the border, cost you your exit stamp, and forced you to sleep outside in malaria country between two countries?  Co-hosts Gunnar Garfors and Jacqui Kunz are back to share part two of their overland travel adventure through West Africa, covering the final stretch of their seven-country journey through Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Ivory...

What if the secret to a truly meaningful travel experience starts not when you land, but long before you ever pack a bag?  Dr. Kristina Wachter is an award-winning professor, bestselling author, and CEO of Cross-Culture Connections. With over 25 years of experience in cross-cultural communication and education, she developed the Culture SPIN Method, a four-step framework trusted in 54 countries to...

What are you really looking for when you travel?  Sarika Bansal is a travel writer, editor, and former editorial director of Afar magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice, and she focuses on ethical storytelling, global perspectives, and the deeper impact of travel. She currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with her family.  In this episode, Co-host Paige McClanah...

If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term), so we can see how it all panned out and how travel has changed them. Sofia and Teague are a couple who l...

Have you ever felt the pull to do something BIG, but weren’t sure if you were “that kind of person?” What if the bravest thing you could do is take the first step before you feel ready?  Lauren Roerick is a long-distance hiker who has traveled more than 12,000 kilometers on foot across countries and continents. Since 2019, she has completed trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, the Colorado Trail,...

Do you have dreams of long-term travel? What are you willing to "give up" in pursuit of it?  If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term), so we can s...

What happens when talking to strangers while traveling becomes the thing that helps you feel less alone?  Adam Schluter is an award-winning, National Geographic published photographer and writer, and the founder of Hello From A Stranger, a project built around spontaneous travel, portraits, and conversations with people he has just met. Through that project, he has traveled across 21 countries, cr...

Dreaming of quitting your job and becoming a digital nomad? Planning a career break to travel the world? If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term),...

What happens when you try overland travel in West Africa across seven countries using only local transport?  Gunnar Garfors is a Norwegian traveler, journalist, and author who became the first person to visit every country in the world twice. He is known for seeking out unusual routes and lesser-visited destinations, often traveling far beyond typical tourist paths. Jacqui Kunz is a full-time trav...

Join Caitlin and Janessa in this Remote Roundup as they catch you up on where they’ve been lately, the travel mistakes they’re learning the hard way, and the systems that keep long-term travel from turning into financial and emotional whiplash.  Remote Roundup is a monthly series hosted by Zero To Travel’s associate producer, Caitlin Sunderland, and partnerships manager, Janessa Klatt. Explore wha...