Nate Menninger has chased experiences around the world, from running with the bulls in Spain to diving the Blue Hole in Belize. Most recently, he became one of the first foreigners to work as a Himalayan porter in Nepal, an experience he documented in his first-ever film, The Porter . In this episode, Nate shares the wild story of becoming a porter in Nepal, working side-by-side with local Nepalese porters on a 23-day trek. We talk about how he pulled it off, what it taught him, and the unexpect...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 25 min
What hidden stories lie beneath the surface of the places you travel? Clare Hammond is an award-winning investigative journalist currently working with Global Witness to expose the issues relating to natural resources, conflict, and corruption. In 2016 while working in Myanmar, she discovered an obscure map showing a web of railways that weren’t shown on any publicly available maps. This compelled her to spend three months traveling these mysterious railways to uncover their purpose and the stor...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 25 min
What is it about Sicily that makes travelers fall in love (and some never leave)? Linda Sarris is a Sicilian travel expert, private chef, and the author of three Moon Travel Guides covering Sicily and Southern Italy. After building her career as a private chef in New York City, she followed her passion for food and culture to Palermo, Italy, where she’s been based for the past eight years. Today, she runs a food and wine-focused travel business, offering immersive experiences that help travelers...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min
What makes Andalusia one of the best hidden gems in all of Spain? Lucas Peters is a tour operator and award-winning travel writer. His latest book with Moon Travel Guides explores the magic of southern Spain, sharing the must-see highlights, unique experiences, and the best local flavors of Seville, Granada, and Andalusia. In this episode, Lucas unpacks the culture and history of Andalusia and shares the top experiences that make this region of Spain a must-visit. Lucas shares fascinating insigh...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min
What if you could build a business that funds your dream lifestyle without sacrificing travel and freedom? Dan Demsky is the co-founder and CEO of Unbound Merino, a premium Merino wool clothing brand that has redefined minimalist, high-performance fashion. Dan has built Unbound Merino into an eight-figure global business while working fully remotely as a digital nomad. Since launching via a highly successful crowdfunding campaign, Unbound Merino has grown to be a $40M global brand beloved by tra...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 32 min
Is it time to rethink the “rules of life?” What if you could redefine success, family, and adventure on your own terms? Ingrid Alm is an adventurer, writer, and mom who has made it her mission to challenge the conventional rules of life. Ingrid has walked, paddled, and biked thousands of miles with her family in tow, proving that parenthood doesn’t mean putting dreams on hold. Her latest book, Vi Skulle Hatt Mer Tid (We Should Have More Time), dives into how families and individuals can break fr...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 9 min
How can moving abroad help solve a specific life challenge? How do you choose the right location-independent business to start? What's the best way to navigate traveling across longer distances? In this episode, I answer listener questions to help you take a more intentional approach to designing your travels and location-independent lifestyle. You'll hear my thoughts on why you should reverse-engineer your travels and choose a destination based on your unique needs. If you're feeling stuck on w...
Mar 27, 2025•27 min
What if you could travel the world without breaking the bank? What does it mean to be a traveler after nearly two decades on the road? Travel-blogging legend and best-selling author Matt Kepnes has been traveling the world on a near-continual basis since 2006. In 2008, he launched his site NomadicMatt.com to catalog his travel experiences and share his insights. Over the years, the site evolved into a valuable trip-planning tool for budding and savvy travelers alike. His writing has been feature...
Mar 25, 2025•56 min
Is studying abroad in Europe the ultimate travel hack? How can you get your entire college degree abroad for a fraction of the cost of U.S. tuition? Through her website, Beyond The States, Jen Viemont helps students and lifelong learners navigate the world of European university programs. In this episode, Jen explains how to study in Europe for free or at a much lower cost. She also shares her own story of moving abroad with her family and building a location-independent business. You’ll learn p...
Mar 20, 2025•59 min
How do you build the confidence to take off on a long-term solo vanlife journey, especially through lesser-traveled regions? Maria Glaser has been traveling solo in her self-converted van across 16 countries, from Germany to Mongolia. What started as a pandemic project turned into an epic adventure spanning thousands of miles, unexpected challenges, and even a surprise four-legged travel companion. Maria shares the highs and lows of vanlife on the road, from navigating tiny medieval streets in E...
Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 10 min
What does it really take to visit Tibet, and how can you have an authentic experience while you're there? My guest today is Robert Kelly, a seasoned travel writer who has co-authored multiple editions of Lonely Planet’s Tibet guidebook. With years of firsthand experience in Tibet and its surrounding regions, Robert shares his insights on what makes Tibet an unforgettable travel experience as we explore its culture, landscapes, and historical complexities. Robert shares what travelers need to kno...
Mar 13, 2025•59 min
Are you leaving free travel on the table? Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy, is one of the world’s leading experts on travel and loyalty programs. What started as a blog in 2010 has become a massive platform helping millions of travelers maximize rewards and travel smarter. In his new book How to Win at Travel , Brian shares everything he’s learned about the game of travel, from leveraging airline and credit card points to planning your dream itinerary so you can experience the world in ways you n...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Why should you explore Eastern Europe? Francis Tapon is a global nomad and author of Hike Your Own Hike and The Hidden Europe. With an inspiring travel resume, he has traveled to 125 countries, has walked across America four times, Spain twice, and Madagascar once (at the time of this recording). From 2013 to 2018, he even traveled nonstop overland to all 54 African countries. Francis shares his journey traveling through Eastern Europe, discussing what he learned about the region, the people, an...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 29 min
What does it take to turn a childhood dream into reality, even when it seems impossible? Alex Harz is an adventurer, filmmaker, and storyteller who took his dream of climbing Mount Everest and turned it into a powerful multimedia project, The Quest: Everest. With a background in acting, business, and international travel, Alex combined his skills to document the Everest experience like never before, bringing audiences up the mountain with him through both a documentary film and an immersive VR e...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 42 min
I’m bringing you some of the best insights from the past month’s newsletter—curated travel tips, trends, and ideas that deserve a deeper dive. If you’ve ever felt the sting of travel FOMO, wondered about the latest digital nomad visas, or wanted a better way to pick your next destination without overcomplicating it, this one’s for you. You’ll get my take on the antidote to travel FOMO that might change your mindset, what this new visa to an exciting destination means for remote workers, and why ...
Feb 27, 2025•30 min
How can moving abroad help solve a specific life challenge? How do you choose the right location-independent business to start? What’s the best way to navigate traveling across longer distances? In this episode, I answer listener questions to help you take a more intentional approach to designing your travels and location-independent lifestyle. You’ll hear my thoughts on why you should reverse-engineer your travels and choose a destination based on your unique needs. If you’re feeling stuck on w...
Feb 27, 2025•25 min
How can your hotel or accommodations change how you experience a place? Annie Fitzsimmons is a seasoned luxury travel expert and author of the National Geographic book 100 Hotels of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Retreats . Annie has covered hotels, travel, lifestyle, restaurants, and destinations around the world for the last 20 years, working with major travel media companies such as National Geographic Travel and AFAR, and is currently the editor-in-chief at Embark Beyond. Annie shares the ...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 29 min
How can access to travel transform someone's life? Brandon Miller is the co-founder and director of brand strategy for Too Fly Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide passports, travel grants, and educational experiences for students in underresourced communities. In this episode, Brandon shares how his travel experiences shaped his outlook and ultimately led to his work creating a world where every student has the opportunity to travel. We discuss the challenges of trav...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 1 min
What would it be like to cycle the entire length of Africa? What are the most important lessons that travel can teach us? Alex Hennock is a 28-year-old Australian who's already traveled to nearly half the countries in the world, mostly overland. At the time of this recording, Alex is on a life-changing journey, cycling the length of Africa while raising money for Pure Water for Africa. His travels have taken him from the deserts of Namibia to the jungles of Tanzania, and his thoughtful approach ...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 33 min
Join me for a coffee chat with my wife, Anne Dorthe, as we share the top 10 places we’re dying to visit. We break down our dream locations into five categories: mountains, cities, beaches, historical sites, and spiritual destinations. And since we didn’t share our lists ahead of time, we get to surprise each other along the way! We talk about the places that keep pulling us in, what makes a destination feel like a must-visit, and how personal experiences shape our travel wish lists. As we go thr...
Feb 13, 2025•33 min
What would it be like to travel the world alphabetically or create a YouTube channel that inspires millions? Paul Barbato is the creator of Geography Now , the first YouTube channel dedicated to covering every UN-recognized country in alphabetical order. Since its inception in 2014, the channel has featured episodes exploring each nation's geography, culture, history, politics, and quirks. With a unique blend of humor and educational content, Paul has built a global audience, making complex geog...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Are you thinking about living abroad? Join me as my friend Botik and I talk about the top 10 reasons why we love living abroad and what you can expect if you decide to take the leap. Botik Quest is an American who has lived abroad for over a decade in countries like South Korea, Germany, and Norway. He brings a unique perspective as someone who has experienced the ups and downs of building a life in a foreign country. Botik and I share candid stories, unique insights, and practical tips about wh...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 38 min
I wanted to put together one of my dream episodes for you and now it’s finally here! In this special episode, you’ll hear a conversation between two of my all-time favorite travel writers. I’m handing the mic over to guest host Eric Weiner, an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, to interview Rick Steves—the travel legend whose work has inspired millions to see the world, including me. Rick’s latest book, On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a T...
Feb 04, 2025•55 min
Listen in to find out what new and epic conversations you can expect to hear on Zero To Travel this month! What topics and themes do you want to learn more about on the podcast? I'd love to get your thoughts, 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 Passport Sign up for our FREE newsletter Thanks To Our Sponsors Defende...
Jan 31, 2025•5 min
Do you ever get sucked into those “best places to visit” lists and start daydreaming about your next adventure? Same here! That’s why I decided to go through six of the top travel lists for 2025, pulling out 14 of my favorite destinations and highlighting why they’re worth a visit. I share my thoughts on trending destinations, personal travel stories, and trip ideas that take you off the beaten path. Plus, you’ll hear some tips for planning your next adventure, whether it’s escaping the crowds o...
Jan 30, 2025•55 min
What happens when you allow curiosity to drive your work and travels? Ben Buckland is an adventurer, photographer, and human rights advocate whose life has been shaped by curiosity. As a senior advisor on torture prevention for the Association for the Prevention of Torture, his work has taken him to over 100 countries, including war zones, logging camps, and some of the worst prisons on earth. In 2023, on a quest for novelty, Ben trekked across France, Switzerland, and Austria, relying only on h...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Have you ever dreamed of learning how to sail and setting off on a global adventure? What if I told you it’s more achievable than you think? Brian Trautman is the captain of SV Delos, a 53-foot sailing vessel that’s been his floating home for over a decade. What started as an 18-month sailing trip in 2008 turned into a lifelong adventure as Brian explored six continents and 45 countries by sea (at the time of this recording). Along the way, he started documenting his journey on YouTube, becoming...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Are you in the midst of a big change or dreaming of one? Do you feel stuck in transition and want to know how to move forward? Lauren Handel Zander is a renowned life coach, author, and creator of The Handel Method®, a groundbreaking coaching framework taught in over 35 universities and institutes of learning worldwide, including MIT, Stanford, and NYU. With over 25 years of experience in life coaching and consulting, Lauren has worked with high-profile clients such as Hugh Jackman, Questlove, a...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Are you tired of waiting on everyone else to be able to travel? Does solo travel strike fear in your heart, but you want more freedom in your life? Do you spend too much time coming up with excuses for why you can't travel instead of reasons why you can and should? Manjinder Kang, or "Manny," is a seasoned solo traveler with nearly two decades of experience exploring 37 countries. A full-time professional and self-proclaimed introvert, Manny wants everyone to know that if he can do it, so can yo...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 13 min
What does it mean to truly understand a place—and how does walking help uncover the heart of its culture? Chris Arnade is a writer, photographer, and former Wall Street banker who left the financial world to pursue a deeper connection with humanity. Known for his Substack Chris Arnade Walks the World , Chris documents his immersive walking journeys through cities and towns around the globe, exploring themes of culture, community, and belonging. His work offers thought-provoking insights into the...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 27 min
