The Travelers

This is part 2 of my conversation with Erik Paquet from The Abroaders. Listen to part 1. As just a hobbyist, today's guest has redeemed over one million points and frequent flyer miles for at least $30,000 in free travel. Nowadays, Erik Paquet runs the international travel consultancy The Abroaders, helping people around the world travel for as close to free as it gets. As a result, Erik’s created a location independent business for himself and his partners, coaching friends, family and his clients on how to leverage their credit to dramatically reduce the cost of travel. Explore further The Abroaders ErikPaquet on Twitter Flyer Talk Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We’d be grateful for a review. Leave one here. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Your Feedback If you have an

As just a hobbyist, today's guest has redeemed over one million points and frequent flyer miles for at least $30,000 in free travel. Nowadays, Erik Paquet runs the international travel consultancy The Abroaders, helping people around the world travel for as close to free as it gets. As a result, Erik’s created a location independent business for himself and his partners, coaching friends, family and his clients on how to leverage their credit to dramatically reduce the cost of travel. Explore further The Abroaders ErikPaquet on Twitter Flyer Talk Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We’d be grateful for a review. Leave one here. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Your Feedback If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, email m

Hey Explorers! Danny was kind enough to give us all a free audio version of his new book, Buy Your Own Island: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Free and Making Your Dreams Reality. You can download the audiobook here. After struggling to find employment out of college, Danny Flood instead decided to travel the world - and pursue a list of dreams that he’d written down on a piece of paper. Five years later he’s still traveling and living overseas and Danny’s ready to tell his story — and I’m excited to explore exactly where this decision has taken him, and the work that he’s become inspired to produce. Among a handful of his project, Danny is the founder of Open World Magazine, an online resource for travel, entrepreneurship and life hacking. And now he’s the author of his first book, Buy Your Own Island — the ultimate guide to breaking free and making your dreams reality. Explore further Open World Magazine Buy Your Own Island, Danny's new book Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a

Max Breckbill is an American in Germany, and together with his partner, Marcus Meurer, they’ve been embedding themselves into the entrepreneurial scene there in Berlin. Marcus founded DNX Global - The Digital Nomad Conference, which is happening on July 31st 2015, featuring a number of digital nomad speakers who have been on this show. In Berlin, Max runs series entrepreneurial community activities among aspiring and successful independent people in Berlin seeking support, help, and to spend time with like-minded people. So many travel shows focus on what people call location independence and lifestyle entrepreneurship - and while I cover these topics, as well as respect and practice them myself —  I say this a lot on this show — entrepreneurship may not be for everyone, but travel should be. And in this episode, we explore who these two guys are, and what the creative scene in Berlin might be like, particularly for digit and the role they see themselves filling in their lives there. Explore further Max Brec

Megan Jerrard is the mind behind the award winning travel blog and extremely helpful resource Mapping Megan. Meg and her husband Mike have been covering their own adrenalin-fueled travels for 8 years — since way back in 2007. Together they seek to let their own dreams inspire others to pursue their own — to get out there and explore, and become a better version of yourself. Adventure is the departure from your comfort zone, and in this episode we get into what it is that compels Megan to constantly do this, and keep doing this, for over 8 years now.   Explore further Mapping Megan @MappingMegan on Twitter Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We’d be grateful for a review. Leave one here. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Your Feedback If you have an idea for a podcast you would l

Jenna Davis is a travel blogger and freelance writer from Ontario who, since 2012, has been choosing a life of travel over the status quo. I’m going to quote something she wrote about herself that I can entirely relate to: “To be honest, I had no idea where I wanted to be in the future, I just knew I couldn’t be average. I couldn’t put myself into a position where I would go to bed every day unsatisfied with my life and worrying about the problems I have on my plate for the next day at the office. Life is so much bigger than that and I felt so sheltered living in this life I hated.” Now you can find her writing at Give for Granted where she focuses on meaningful adventure and giving back through sustainable travel — making a change in her life through dedication to the service of others. Explore further Life Out of the Box Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on

I met Alex Montoya in December of 2014 at The White House Travel Blogger Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship. He was the only student we heard from at the event. All being participants of study abroad and travel programs ourselves, this was okay but the reason was obvious: He was a recipient of the Gilman Scholarship, which helps connect underserved populations that might not have the opportunity to afford or find programs to study abroad with the ability to actually go and participate in internships and learning abroad. With encouragement from a professor, Alex found the guidance to discover the opportunities out there to study abroad, what it means to study abroad, and how to make it happen. In this episode, we explore his story, the transformation, and how it felt to be speaking on stage, at The White House, with the biggest names in travel and government. Explore further @alexxmontoya on Twitter Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscri

"Losing everything, as shocking as it was at the time, kind of sets you free because suddenly you know what it is to lose everything. So you don't fear failure and loss quite as much because you've already experienced it." Justin Tyers and his wife Linda lost everything they had in the middle of the night. But instead of letting this devestate their lives, they chose to see this as an opportunity to pursue the life they'd always dreamed of. Without any experience, they set sail to live on a boat to sail across the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. What happened at home in the middle of the night, well I'll let Justin tell that story... Explore further Justin Tyers website Canvas Flying, Seagulls Crying, Justin's latest book Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We’d be grateful for a review. Leave one here. If you d

Life Out of the Box, according to founders Jonathan and Quinn, started with a dream to travel the world, live their ideal lives and make the world a better place. Of all the many things that we talk about on this show, this is the story I’m most interested in: How to see the world and make a lasting impact? Quinn and Jonathon left California for Nicaragua with nothing but a bag on their back and a desire to make something. While there, they worked with local educational non-profits and artisans to launch a project they were calling Life Out of the Box, a lifestyle brand of clothing and accessories. For every product sold, Quinn and Jonathan give school supplies to a child in need. The customers even gets to see the exact child they’ve helped after a purchase has been made through the website. Since launching in November 2012, Life Out of the Box has taken them to Nicaragua, Guatemala and Morocco and brought thousands of school supplies to kids in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco and Kenya. Explore furthe

Today I get to sit down with a friend, who holds one of the most coveted gigs in the travel business as editor in chief of Yahoo Travel. Among the many hats worn over at Yahoo, Paula hosts A Broad Abroad, a must-watch travel series exploring the less expected stories hidden in places very few people think to go, like skiing in Afghanistan. Who knew? Before this gig, she was the deputy editor of the gossip column for the New York Post, authored multiple books and been featured in Vanity Fair, Glamour, the Post and many more. Here’s why I love Paula: From the second I met her at a party in Mexico, then again in Athens, she’s been high energy, enthusiastic, helpful, kind, and fun. And I wanted to bring all of that to this show today. Explore further Yahoo! Travel A Broad Abroad @pfro on Twitter Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple an

Suffering from a perpetual case of self-described sedentary life-a-phobia, Nikki and Jason move every 7-10 days. They do this with ease because they live in a RV. Jason and Nikki Wynn are documenting the journey as they live out of their RV in an effort to integrate just a bit more adventure and exploration into their daily lives. At 28 years old, they packed up and left Dallas and haven’t looked back for 4 years. You can follow this perpetual adventure at GonewiththeWynns.com where they go off the grid - both in destination and lifestyle, even with their 2 cats. Explore further Gone with The Wynns Gone with The Wynns on Facebook Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We’d be grateful for a review. Leave one here. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Your Feedback If you have an idea

"It's an incredible experience to go to Thailand for a month and sit on a beach... It's an entirely different experience if you build something in addition to that." - Ric Gazarian Fellow Boston-native turned world traveler and humanitarian, Ric Gazarian has visited 85 countries across all 7 continents. He documents his travels on his site GlobalGaz.com and most recently is the author of the book and documentary film, Hit the Road India: a road rally, and travel photo journal, through the heart of India. Anyone who listens to this show regularly has heard stories of the Rickshaw Challenge, a freelance adventure across India (run by The Travel Scientists) in nothing more than a small 2-seater with no doors and, if you’re lucky, an engine strong enough to get you there. This is not a safe thing to do but it sure sounds legendary. Ric let his curiosity of his ethnic background as an Armenian-American motivate him to begin traveling. After a few experiences overseas, Ric was hooked and began challenging himself f

Brad Bernard is a former-corporate-consultant-turned-writer by day, and extreme experience junkie by night — Brad is the guy behind My Wanderlist, a travel blog documenting his extreme travel experiences — such as dancing with corpses, eating tarantula, hitchhiking across Saudi Arabia, living with sea gypsies, and being arrested in Oman, as one does right? The world is a full of adventure and Brad is pushing the boundaries of what you might believe to be possible in the interest of genuinely interesting story. And that’s why I had to have Brad come on the show - because not only is he, quite extremely, doing the stuff of legend, but taking a journalists eye to craft the stories he’s telling in a compelling style on his blog. Explore further: My Wanderlist, Brad's travel blog Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. We

Today’s guest turned a 20-month trip around the world into a new career as a blogger, author, and entrepreneur. He’s traveled to more than 50 countries across six continents, founded two popular travel blogs, Go Backpacking and Medellín Living, written several books on the subjects, and on top of all that, most notably he created Travel Blog Success, the leading community for travel bloggers and media producers that want to earn a living from their blog, or at the very least, get their vacations paid for by doing work they love. But most recently, David’s just released his first app - Medellín Guide (download on iTunes), aggregating all of the best curated content from his blog into a single app. Right now, it’s free — so I’ve downloaded it and we’re going to do a sort of on-air breakdown of the app, while David takes us through what most consider to be Colombia’s most beautiful city. Explore further: Medellín Guide (download on iTunes) Medellín Living Go Backpacking Travel Blog Success Credits Music cre

When you're buying a flight, do you ever feel that twinge of stress when you're about to click the "purchase now" button? How do you know the price won't just drop tomorrow? Or maybe you found a great price but you're worried the price will jump before you have a chance to run it by your travel companions? The airline's definitely not giving you any assurances. It's too bad you can't use a crystal ball while buying airfare. Or can you? Alexander Mans is the CEO and founder of Flyr, a new website that predicts for you whether or not a the price of a flight might go up or down, to help you feel more confident about knowing whether or not to do what just about every guest on this show says: Buy that ticket! Alexander was born in the Netherlands and has been a computer programmer from childhood. So when the time came for him to move overseas to San Francisco to try his hand in the startup world, it felt like a natural step. Three years ago he started on Flyr and today it’s live and ready for you to use. I’ve been

Today’s guest quit her job to travel the world. But unlike the common narrative you might have heard from many of the guests on this show, Lauren wasn’t just escaping the mundanity of routine for new experience. She was suffering from frequent anxiety attacks and had just had her heart broken. For a 6-month period, Lauren wouldn't even go outside. Listen to her share her story and explain the immense value that travel has had on her and the personal exploration she's discovered simply by embracing the decision to book a one-way flight away from home and live nomadically. Since then she’s created her own life on the road as the senior writer and editor for two publications, the student travel expert for About.com, and the founder of her own website, NeverEndingFootsteps.com, which chronicles her travels, and especially her stories, challenges, and incidents from her adventures. Explore further: Never Ending Footsteps @NEFootsteps on Twitter   Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a

Today I’m sitting down with a former broker from London who escaped the dull nagging ache of routine to answer for himself the question that so many guests on this show are compelled to explore: What else is there out there? In doing so, Leon Logotheetis has become a proponent for your inner rebel, a global adventurer, filmmaker, motivational speaker, television host on National Geographic and an author of two books. He’s been through over 90 countries across all 7 continents, completed the Mongol Rally, and hosts the National Geographic Channel’s Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, and completed a global circumnavigation on a little yellow motorbike for his new show, The Kind Way Around and his new book The Kindness Diaries - in case you’re looking for a healthy dose of inspiration to kick off 2015. Explore further: Leon Logothetis Leon's new book The Kindness Diaries Credits Music credit: Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Become a Friend of the Show: Please subscribe and review! It just takes a second and yo

This is part 5 of a 5 part series on The White House Travel Blogging Summit. Start from part 1. On December 9th, 2015, The White House hosted the top 100 bloggers and digital media influencers in travel to hold a conversation about their study abroad initiatives to foster global citizenship. In the room were some of the biggest names in travel, from online to television, along with senior White House administration officials, including the Chief of Staff. I still can’t believe I was included. I want to be able to share the entire summit experience with you so I created a 5-part podcast miniseries designed to bring you with me to the event. In it we’ll cover why The White House did this, what it was like to be there, and dive into the ideas and thoughts around the topic of study abroad and travel in general. But above those things, my goal is simple. I want this show to inspire  just one person to study abroad. To go from thinking, “That’s something I’d like to do” to actually taking the steps to applying or b

This is part 4 of a 5 part series on The White House Travel Blogging Summit. Start from part 1. On December 9th, 2015, The White House hosted the top 100 bloggers and digital media influencers in travel to hold a conversation about their study abroad initiatives to foster global citizenship. In the room were some of the biggest names in travel, from online to television, along with senior White House administration officials, including the Chief of Staff. I still can’t believe I was included. I want to be able to share the entire summit experience with you so I created a 5-part podcast miniseries designed to bring you with me to the event. In it we’ll cover why The White House did this, what it was like to be there, and dive into the ideas and thoughts around the topic of study abroad and travel in general. But above those things, my goal is simple. I want this show to inspire  just one person to study abroad. To go from thinking, “That’s something I’d like to do” to actually taking the steps to applying or b

This is part 3 of a 5 part series on The White House Travel Blogging Summit. Start from part 1. On December 9th, 2015, The White House hosted the top 100 bloggers and digital media influencers in travel to hold a conversation about their study abroad initiatives to foster global citizenship. In the room were some of the biggest names in travel, from online to television, along with senior White House administration officials, including the Chief of Staff. I still can’t believe I was included. I want to be able to share the entire summit experience with you so I created a 5-part podcast miniseries designed to bring you with me to the event. In it we’ll cover why The White House did this, what it was like to be there, and dive into the ideas and thoughts around the topic of study abroad and travel in general. But above those things, my goal is simple. I want this show to inspire  just one person to study abroad. To go from thinking, “That’s something I’d like to do” to actually taking the steps to applying or b