What’s it like to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, especially if you're doing it later in life? Philip Gibbons is a 68-year-old traveler, podcaster, and former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire winner who just got back from hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at the time of this recording. In this episode, Philip walks us through the whole experience, from the planning process and permit system to the physical demands, group dynamics, costs, and what he'd do differently next time. Philip share...
Aug 05, 2025•1 hr 7 min
What changes when you give your travels a singular mission? Conor Knighton is an Emmy Award-winning correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and the bestselling author of Leave Only Footprints. After a personal breakup and some professional uncertainty, Conor pitched an idea that turned into a once-in-a-lifetime journey to all 59 national parks - a mission that transformed his life. In this episode, Conor shares how the trip came to be, the people and parks that changed him, and why structure and si...
Jul 31, 2025•1 hr 54 min
What does it really mean to get beyond the clichés in Paris? Paige McClanahan is a journalist and author of The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel . She’s spent years reporting for The New York Times and has lived in France for seven years. Her work explores tourism’s power to shape communities and how we can all travel more consciously. In this episode, Paige shares five unexpected and meaningful things to do in Paris that you’re not likely to find in a guidebook. We also ...
Jul 29, 2025•59 min
Have you ever considered doing a digital detox, but were unsure where to start or how it would impact your life or business? Corbett Barr is an OG in the lifestyle business world, being a seasoned entrepreneur, creator, and technologist. After stepping away from the startup grind in search of a more balanced life, Corbett did a complete digital reset. He wiped away all the digital noise, keeping just one social media platform, which helped him refocus and recommit to ONLY the things that genuine...
Jul 24, 2025•1 hr 19 min
What is hiking a camino really like? Can you do it even if you’re not a hardcore hiker, or don’t have a big, life-changing quest in mind? Shawn and Lainey are the husband-and-wife team behind Days We Spend , where they share stories and videos about their experiences walking Caminos and slow traveling across Europe. Both are experienced travelers -Lainey is a swing dance teacher who once built a global dance tour from scratch, and Shawn is a writer and creative whose love for "not hiking" someho...
Jul 22, 2025•1 hr 37 min
What if chasing happiness meant giving up everything you thought you wanted? Will Rickard is the author of The Silk Road to Happiness , a book born from his solo journey through the “Stans" - Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan - on a quest to explore happiness through travel, conversations, and culture. After leaving a prestigious corporate career in Sydney, he hit reset, taking only a backpack and a big question on the road: What is happiness? In this episode, Will and I unpack...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 25 min
Are you craving an adventure that’ll connect you deeper to Scotland’s wild places, warm people, and timeless legends? Andy McAlindon, better known as Andy the Highlander, is a Scottish tour guide, author, actor, and storyteller whose passion for Scotland’s history and culture has captivated millions online. From learning to sword fight on the set of Outlander to guiding travelers through hidden villages and ancient rituals, Andy’s journey is all about bringing Scotland’s living traditions to lif...
Jul 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Why should you travel to Tbilisi, Georgia? While you might come for the 8,000-year-old wine, you’ll want to stay for the wild hospitality and a city full of surprises. Levan Giorgadze is a theater-trained tour guide and founder of Tbilisi Free Walking Tours, where he shares Georgia’s rich history and culture with travelers from all over the world. A passionate ambassador for his homeland, Levan’s deep knowledge and playful storytelling have made him one of the most sought-after local guides in t...
Jul 10, 2025•1 hr
Could the least-visited places offer the most rewarding travel experiences? Jonty Crane is a New Zealand-based traveler, guidebook author, and longtime advocate for meaningful, off-the-beaten-path travel. With over 75 countries under his belt, he’s currently volunteering in Timor-Leste, where he’s helping promote sustainable tourism while living the slow travel lifestyle. In this episode, we unpack what makes Timor-Leste one of the most under-the-radar travel destinations in the world. From cora...
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 20 min
What if you could flip your thinking, let go of old scripts, and start showing up as the hero in your own life, right now? Derek Loudermilk is a coach, adventurer, podcaster, and bestselling author who helps coaches, healers, and creators become global thought leaders. After leaving behind a PhD program, surviving a life-threatening blood clot, and traveling the world for years, Derek rebuilt his life on his own terms. In this episode, Derek and I explore five “thought reversals” to help you in ...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Why does it take a brush with death for some of us to finally do the things we’ve dreamed of? Stephan Kesting is an accomplished martial artist, firefighter, wilderness explorer, and the author of Perseverance: Life and Death in the Subarctic . You might know him from his popular jiu-jitsu videos and teachings at Grapplearts, but Stephan’s story goes far beyond the mat. After surviving a life-threatening kidney disease and receiving a transplant from his brother, Stephan set out on a 1,000-mile ...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 20 min
What does it really take to build a life abroad, and what happens when travel pushes you far outside your comfort zone? Jackie Nourse, aka Traveling Jackie, is an adventure travel pro, host of JUMP podcast, tour leader, and storyteller who’s built a life around helping people explore the world boldly and authentically. With over 20 years of travel under her belt, Jackie’s led countless group trips, launched two podcasts, and built a passionate community of travelers who seek adventure and growth...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 19 min
What if the best way to explore Copenhagen isn’t in the guidebooks, but in a cemetery, on a bike hunt for trolls, or over a plate of smørrebrød with locals? Rikke Bisgaard-Svensen is the co-founder of Copenhagen Free Walking Tours and a self-described travel addict whose life has revolved around two things: taking off to faraway lands and sharing her love for her hometown. What started as a side hustle born out of winter-season job loss turned into a 13-year journey building one of the most belo...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 16 min
Trigger Warning: This episode contains honest discussions about depression and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline ( 1-800-273-8255 ). Is debt stopping you from traveling? What if the life you’ve been told to want is actually the thing that’s breaking you? That was the reality for Annette and Daniel Fortner of Chase for Adventure, a couple who sold everything, paid off $70,000 in debt, and hit the road full-time - not because they had ...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 1 min
What does it really mean to feel seen, safe, and celebrated as an LGBTQ+ traveler? How can understanding other people’s travel experiences help us feel more connected, wherever we go? Alicia Valenski is an American writer, editor, speaker, and author of the groundbreaking new LGBTQ+ travel guide with Lonely Planet that explores 50 of the most queer-friendly destinations around the globe. Now living as an expat in the Netherlands, Alicia brings a unique and deeply personal lens to her work as an ...
Jun 17, 2025•59 min
Have you ever thought about what your travels would look like without alcohol? After eliminating alcohol, Margaret rediscovered her joy for travel, so much so that she started Alcohol-Free Adventure Retreats (AFAR), where she helps women rediscover and challenge themselves by embracing travel without alcohol. In this episode, Margaret shares her 10 expert tips on alcohol-free travel, and we talk about why this may be something you’d want to consider trying yourself. Whether you’re sober-curious ...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 13 min
What’s it like to trade the hustle of NYC for a slower life in Iceland? And how do you explore its volcanic landscapes without getting stuck in the tourist crowds? Jewells Chambers is the creator and voice behind All Things Iceland , a podcast and YouTube channel that helps people experience Iceland beyond the tourist trail. Originally from New York City, Jewells moved to Iceland in 2016 after falling in love with an Icelander and has since carved out a meaningful life abroad, blending creativit...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 25 min
What can we actually learn about climate change when we stop reading headlines and start listening to the people living it? Gunnar Garfors is the first person to travel to every country in the world not once, but twice. He’s a Norwegian adventurer, journalist, and author whose latest project took him across the equator, the Arctic Circle, and the Antarctic region to explore the lived experiences of climate change. His new book, Mellom Linjene (Between the Lines), captures these human stories beh...
Jun 03, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Why do some conversations leave you feeling seen and understood, while others fall flat? Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Power of Habit and his latest, Supercommunicators . He's spent years exploring the science of communication to find out what separates those rare, magical conversations from ones that leave us disconnected or misunderstood. In this episode, we explore how communication really works - what’s happening in our brains during conv...
May 27, 2025•57 min
Is co-living the secret sauce to building community and staying inspired on the road? Fabio and Juls are the co-founders of Casa Basilico, a pop-up foodie co-living experience designed for digital nomads who crave meaningful connection, delicious food, and a vibrant sense of community. As full-time travelers and friends-turned-business-partners, they’ve hosted over 200 nomads around the world, using shared meals and creative adventures to turn strangers into family. We dive deep into the world o...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 8 min
What happens when you take a grand piano into the wild and let nature lead the performance? Hunter Noack is a classically trained pianist and the founder of IN A LANDSCAPE , a one-of-a-kind outdoor concert series that brings a 9-foot Steinway grand piano into the great outdoors. Instead of setting up traditional speakers at every show, audience members are given wireless headphones, allowing them to wander freely through the landscape while listening. Since its launch, the project has reached ov...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 25 min
Would you skateboard nearly 1,000 miles across the U.S. with no real plan, just to see what would happen? Mike Kosciesza did just that with three friends and a dream to make a documentary out of it. Back in 2008, these four 20-year-olds set off from Chicago with their skateboards pointed toward New York City. A decade later, that wild ride became Shred America, a raw, DIY travel film packed with lessons they never saw coming. We’re digging into Mike’s adventure, the long road to making Shred Ame...
May 15, 2025•50 min
What makes Baltimore, Maryland, one of the best US cities to visit? Brian Oliver is the founder of BMore See More, a nonprofit organization empowering minority male students in Baltimore City to become local and global leaders through education, mentorship, and travel. A seasoned traveler who’s visited over 60 countries, Brian always finds himself returning to Baltimore and has become a voice for reframing how people see his home city by highlighting the stories, neighborhoods, and experiences t...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 5 min
What adventures have you been dreaming up but haven't done yet? Lynne Nieman is the founder of Wander Your Way , a podcast and website dedicated to helping you explore off-the-beaten-path destinations throughout Europe. As a professional travel planner, Lynne combines her passion for Europe and off-the-beaten-path exploration with her expertise in creating personalized travel experiences. In this episode, Lynne shares her experience hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland - what the trail is li...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Almost two decades after The 4-Hour Workweek was published, what does lifestyle design look like now, and where is it headed next? Travis Sherry is a longtime traveler and entrepreneur who’s spent over a decade building a life centered around freedom, travel, and location independence while helping thousands of others do the same. He’s the founder of the Extra Pack of Peanuts blog and podcast, co-founder of the Location Indie community, and co-creator of Camp Indie, an adult summer camp for digi...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 18 min
What can thinking about death teach us about living life? Bronnie Ware is an author, songwriter, speaker, and free spirit devoted to helping others find the courage to embrace life on their own terms and live without regrets. Her international bestselling memoir, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying , has been translated into 32 languages and has a movie in the pipeline. Bronnie spent much of her life traveling nomadically and now has a home base in rural Australia. In this episode, we talk about w...
May 02, 2025•56 min
What road trip songs get you pumped for your travels? Rob Harvilla has been a professional rock critic for 20+ years whose writing has appeared in Pitchfork, Spin, and Rolling Stone. He is also the host of the hugely popular podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s and author of a book by the same name. In this episode, Rob shares his ultimate 90s road trip playlist along with a fun conversation about the inevitable intersection of music and travel. Rob shares his thoughts on how music embeds itse...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 26 min
I’m bringing you a roundup of the most popular and community-loved highlights from the Zero To Travel newsletter this month, offering practical travel tips, lifestyle insights, and some good old-fashioned wanderlust inspiration. You’ll hear science-backed strategies for boosting happiness, why now might be the time to take action on a second passport, a few under-the-radar travel destinations you’ll want to add to your list, why college towns can make great travel destinations, and more. What’s ...
Apr 27, 2025•23 min
Have you traveled just to go to a music festival? What one realization can lead to a life of travel? Jason Law and his wife Kelly are the duo behind Festy GoNuts and GoNuts Marketing, the ultimate resource for enhancing your music festival experience. They’ve been to countless festivals, created a tight-knit community of festival lovers, and know exactly what it takes to go from a good time to a legendary one. In this episode, they're sharing their top 11 music festival tips to rock the experien...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min
What is it like to hike over 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail… with your teenage kid? Jessica and Largo are part of the adventurous WorldTowning family, who’ve been living a full-time travel lifestyle for over a decade. From sailing across the Atlantic to road-tripping Europe in an RV, they’ve redefined “home” and “school” many times over. Jessica and her son Largo share their experience tackling one of the USA’s most iconic long-distance hikes: the Appalachian Trail. We talk about what led ...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 16 min
