Zero To Travel Podcast

When Terry Repak and her husband moved to West Africa with two small children at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, she seized the opportunity to connect with people of other cultures and bear witness to the ravages of the disease.  Today, Terry shares what she learned from this experience and the countless ways that living abroad can be both rewarding and challenging, especially with t...

Ever wish you could just slow down? Long-time digital nomad and founder of Wandering Earl Tours, Derek "Earl" Baron, joins me to talk about the best countries to settle in and spend quality time. Derek set off for his first trip in December 1999 and has traveled the world nonstop since. Having visited over 100 countries and spent nearly 8,000 days on the road (at the time of this interview), he ha...

Do you want to create a life or business that allows for freedom and flexibility? Matt Bowles is the host of The Maverick Show podcast, where he travels the world full-time to find the most fascinating people on the planet, draw out stories of their most epic adventures, and unpack the skills, tactics, and strategies they use to build their remote businesses and design their lifestyles. As an entr...

What’s better than getting out on the open road and blasting your favorite jams? I’m with my buddy Jason Law to break down our top 10 road trip albums to fuel your next adventure. Jason and his wife Kelly run Festy GoNuts and GoNuts Marketing, the ultimate resource for enhancing your music festival experience. In addition to our list, you’ll hear about his experience building these businesses and...

Want to kickstart your digital nomad adventure or work and travel on your own terms? Janessa Klatt and Caitlin Sunderland are podcast managers and two of the core team members here at the Zero To Travel podcast. They’re with me today to share about the unique and nonlinear paths they took to achieve location independence and offer insights on how you can do the same. Caitlin and Janessa share advi...

Do you want to get off the beaten path and visit obscure destinations? Entrepreneur, podcaster, and travel junkie Dylan Thuras joins me to discuss some of his favorite lesser-known wonders and delicacies from all seven continents and why they’re worth the visit. Dylan is the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, a global community of explorers who have together created a comprehensive database of the world...

Why should travelers care about crypto? Nat Eliason joins me to talk about crypto's impact on the world's financial system, how to find fulfillment and success in your work, and how to create “unlimited upside” situations for yourself. Nat is a writer whose first book, Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance, documents the wild inside story of crypto’s get-r...

What destination could you visit over and over again? What do people from other countries love the most about USA travel?  In this episode, my lovely wife Anne Dorthe is with me to chat about our family trip to the USA.  As a native of Norway, Anne Dorthe shares her unique perspective on traveling to America and gives us her top six favorite things about visiting the States—some of which are sure...

What are the things that help you flourish on a deep level? Nina Butler joins me to explore this question as she outlines her criteria for the top ten health and wellness destinations and why these may also be the top places in the world to live.  Nina Butler is the founder of InRetreat, which crafts transformative journeys to exceptional eco-destinations around the world. She joins Jason in perso...

We have another epic theme this month on the podcast! Tune in for a sneak peak. What topics and themes do you want to hear about on the podcast? I'd love to hear what they are, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message. Premium Passport: Get ad-free episodes, exclusive content, and access to all episodes for only $3/month. Subscribe now! Resources: Join Zero To Travel Premium Pas...

What is a country? American journalist and author Eric Czuleger set out to answer that very question with his recent book, You Are Not Here: Travels Through Countries That Don't Exist, which shares about his year living in only unrecognized nations, such as Iraqi Kurdistan and Kosovo. The goal of this book is to invite readers to ask big questions about what it means to be a citizen of their own n...

What is the #1 fear of most travelers, and how can you reign that fear in? Today’s Greatest Hits episode is about changing your perspective, worldview, and life through factfulness. Anna Rosling Rønnlund is the co-founder of Gapminder.org, whose mission is to fight ignorance by providing a fact-based worldview (for FREE). She is also the co-author of the NY Times Best-Selling book Factfulness: Ten...

How is tourism impacting communities, and what can we do about it? Paige McClanahan joins me to talk about the dualities of the tourism industry and how we can have deeper travel experiences while benefiting the world. Paige McClanahan is the author of The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel. She is an American journalist based in France and a regular contributor to The New Yo...

How would you describe your current level of happiness, and what would need to change to improve that?  Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Eric Weiner joins me to explore the many themes of his book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World and get into the nitty-gritty of what it means to be happy. If you want to transform your outlook and increa...

Did you know Ben Franklin was an extensive traveler for his time?  Today, I'm joined by New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner to talk about his new, incredibly unconventional biography, Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life, a guide for living and thinking well. We talk about Eric's unique way of weaving travel into his writing, explore the life and wisdom o...

What do you love about your home country? What do you think could be better? After moving to America in 2008, Anu began to notice how much more complicated and stressful things seemed to be in the States compared to her home country of Finland. Anu Partanen is a Finnish journalist and author of The Nordic Theory of Everything—In Search of a Better Life. The book shows how the Nordic way of doing t...

How can one simple concept or decision radically change your life? In 2017, Jen Ruiz set out to take 12 trips in 12 months before her 30th birthday while employed full-time as an attorney. By the end of the 12 months, she had taken 20 trips and discovered a new career path, empowering others to change their lives through travel. Jen is a five-time Amazon bestselling author, three-time TEDx speaker...

What epic episodes are we dropping this month on the podcast? Listen in to this quick announcement and find out. What topics and themes do you want to hear about on the podcast? I'd love to hear what they are, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message. Premium Passport:Get ad-free episodes, exclusive content, and access to all episodes for only $3/month. Subscribe now! Resources:...

Do you have a fear of flying or get stressed and anxious while you're traveling? In today’s Greatest Hits episode, you'll learn how to run your brain instead of letting your brain run you with Lawrence Leyton and Mark Wein, experts in overcoming the fear of flying. Through their work with the Fear of Flying TV show in the UK and easyJet's Fearless Flyer course, phobia expert Lawrence and ex-phobic...

How does full-time travel impact your mental health? What happens when the novelty of full-time travel begins to wear off? Today, I’m joined by Will and Jessica Sueiro to talk about the rewards and challenges of living this lifestyle.  Will and Jessica Sueiro have been traveling full-time with their two kids for the last 10 years. They are the duo behind WorldTowning, which was started by their fa...

Today, we have a special episode from Utah: Life Elevated. This documentary podcast takes you on an unforgettable road trip through the Beehive State with travel writer and host Aaron Millar. You can't really know a place without hearing from the people who have always been there. Utah is the sacred and ancestral home of eight different tribal nations, including the Paiute, Navajo (Diné), Shoshone...

How can one trip entirely change your life? Jay Cameron joins me to share about the life-altering trip he took to Ghana when he was 40 years old. After having this experience, Jay left his career running summer camps for kids and founded Maximum Impact Travel, a tour company connecting people to the magnificent continent of Africa and the African diaspora in the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe. Ja...

This is part two of my interview with Peter Panagore, who is sharing the incredible stories of his not one but two near-death experiences. In this episode, you’ll hear about what happened the second time he died and how it’s changed how he goes through life. We talk about the difficulties of living as your new authentic self after having a transformational experience and go even deeper into questi...

Is there any bigger journey we take than the journey to the other side? Today’s guest is Peter Panagore, who is sharing the incredible story of his first (yes, first) near-death experience. In part one of this two-part series, you’ll hear the harrowing tale of how Peter froze to death and came back to life while ice climbing and why it’s important for him to continue to tell his story years later....

Do you ever find yourself overcome by stressors in your daily life? Today, I am joined by Integrative Health Coach, Wellness Consultant, and expat Kirsten Pontius to talk about how you can reduce stress and increase happiness in your life no matter where you are or what you're doing. If you've ever wondered how you can better manage and overcome difficulties at home and on the road, then you do no...