Zero To Travel Podcast

5 Techniques for Relearning to Read: Opening Up New Ideas About Yourself and the World with Ann Morgan 15.09.2026 1t 3min

What happens when the way you were taught to read stops working the moment you step outside your own culture? Ann Morgan is a UK-based author, speaker, and editor best known for reading a book from every country in the world in a single year, a project she chronicled on her blog A Year of Reading the World and in her book Reading the World (published in the US as The World Between Two Covers). In her newest book, Relearning to Read: Adventures in Not-Knowing, she looks at what it actually takes to read well across cultural and linguistic lines. Ann returns to walk through five techniques for relearning how to read, covering how to notice your own hidden bias, why every reader fills in a story's gaps differently, what a book's assumptions reveal about who it expects you to be, and why this should all matter to us curious travelers. This conversation gets into something bigger than books: what it actually means to sit with not knowing, and why that discomfort might be exactly where the growth happens. Ann pushes back on the idea that understanding everything is the goal, and the reframe she offers reaches well beyond the page. If you've ever wondered what it actually looks like to get better at reading books from other cultures, this episode lays it out step by step. What's one time you filled in a story's gaps completely differently than the writer intended? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why the way Ann was taught to read stopped working once she started reading internationally How growing up in a culture that caters to you can hide how much of reading has been made easy for you Why she encourages readers to hold onto their questions instead of rushing to answer them How paying attention to what annoys you while reading can reveal a hidden bias Advice on knowing when to push through a challenging book and when to just put it down How noticing what a book explains, and what it assumes you already know, tells you who it was written for Why every reader fills in a story's gaps differently, and what that reveals about you How AI and shrinking attention spans are reshaping the future of reading and storytelling A story from Ann's recent trip to Greenland with her friend Tété-Michel Kpomassi, sixty years after his first journey there Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Relearning to Read: Adventures in Not-Knowing A Year of Reading the World Ann on Instagram Reading a Book from Every Country in the World with Ann Morgan Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland Want More: Traveling While Black with Nanjala Nyabola The Geography of Bliss With Eric Weiner The Vagabond's Way: Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel w/ Rolf Potts Thanks To Our Sponsors: Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Explore 100% human-made itineraries at exploreworldwide.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 7 Hidden Gems: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Focus on Sarajevo) with Local Experts Nermin and Kathrin Numic 08.09.2026 59min

With centuries of layered history and some of Europe's most uncrowded natural beauty, why isn't Bosnia and Herzegovina on more travelers' radars yet?  Nermin Numic grew up in Sarajevo and spent over a decade living and working abroad in South Africa and Europe, where he met his wife Kathrin, who is originally from Germany. In 2020, the couple returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina during the pandemic and decided to stay. They went on to found .Cheyf, a boutique travel agency built around the Bosnian concept of ćejf, showing travelers the local side of Sarajevo and the country beyond it.  Nermin and Kathrin share seven hidden gems in Sarajevo, Bosnia, that most visitors miss, along with the history behind the city's mix of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav influences. They also talk about day trips into the surrounding mountains, must-try local food, and starting a travel business together as a couple.  Sarajevo is a city where four major religions have lived side by side for centuries, where the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand helped ignite World War I, and where the Bosnian War left scars that are still part of daily conversation decades later. Nermin and Kathrin don't shy away from any of that history, but they also refuse to let it be the only story visitors hear. By the end of this episode, you'll understand why they believe this is exactly the right moment to experience it for yourself.  What's a place you discovered by accident that ended up being the highlight of your trip? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why Nermin and Kathrin decided to build their life and business in Bosnia after meeting abroad  What the Bosnian concept of ćejf means and how it shapes the way they run their tours  How Sarajevo's layout reveals itself once you leave the old town behind  Why a quiet riverside walkway just outside the old town is worth the detour  How a centuries-old bridge and a Viennese-style coffeehouse capture the city's cultural blend  A thousand years of Sarajevo history, from the Bosnian kingdom through Ottoman rule, Austro-Hungarian rule, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that helped spark World War I  Why Nermin and Kathrin built their tours around food and culture instead of the Bosnian War, and how that decision paid off  Why a mountaintop observatory and a rooftop terrace offer some of the best views in the city  How to see one of the world's most valuable religious artifacts during a narrow weekly window  Advice for exploring the mountains, canyons, and villages just outside Sarajevo  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  .Cheyf  Insgram  Want More?  Top 5 Alternative European Destinations (to Avoid the Crowds) with Joseph Reaney  Hidden Norway: 7 Off The Beaten Path Gems You'll Love, Popular Norwegian Concepts Worth Stealing, Trekking In Bhutan, & Living At The Crossroads of Magic & Science w/ Torunn Tronsvang from Up Norway  Tbilisi Travel and Hidden Georgia Gems with Local Guide Levan Giorgadze  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel  Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app  Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kayaking the Mangoky (Madagascar’s Longest River) + Balancing Career and Travel with Oscar Scafidi 01.09.2026 1t 8min

What does it take to become the first person ever to complete a full source-to-sea kayaking trip down Madagascar's longest river?  Oscar Scafidi is a history teacher, travel writer, and expedition leader who has lived and worked across more than 30 African countries since 2006. He has written guidebooks to Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Tunisia, and holds a Guinness World Record for the first source-to-sea kayak expedition along Angola's Kwanza River. In 2022, he and a fellow expedition partner completed the first source-to-sea kayak trip along Madagascar's longest river, the Mangoky, an adventure now documented in his book and film.  In this episode, I talk with Oscar about his years living and working across Africa, and the story behind his recent Madagascar kayaking adventure.  This conversation moves between two very different worlds: the classroom, where Oscar spends his days teaching, and the wild, unmapped stretches of Africa where he pushes himself to the edge. There's a real thread of humility running through it, a reminder that no expedition succeeds without the people who make it possible along the way. It's also a great reminder that a regular person with a full-time job can still build a life full of big, audacious adventures. If you're drawn to stories of grit, humor under pressure, and what it feels like when a plan falls apart in real time, this one's for you.  Have you ever pushed yourself into a situation where you genuinely weren't sure how things would turn out? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  How a string of rejected job applications accidentally launched a two-decade career in Africa  What it was really like moving straight from Western Europe into a country facing serious political instability  How teaching and travel writing compete for Oscar's time and attention  Why staying humble matters when writing about places that aren't your own  What it takes to prepare for a multi-week kayaking expedition with almost no prior experience  How a mountain range with no water nearly ended the trip  Advice for handling corrupt officials and checkpoint shakedowns without losing your cool  Why local guides and communities deserve more credit than the explorers themselves  What's next for Oscar's expedition career  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Watch the documentary  Scafidi Travels YouTube  Kayak the Mangoky  Our Kids, Our Future Madagascar  Want More?  Top 7 Uganda Hidden Gems with Lynett Nakamanya  Reconnecting to Nature with Adventure, Purpose, Fun, and Travelers' Curiosity with Alastair Humphreys  Exploring Namibia: The Ultimate Road Trip, Uncrowded Safaris, and a Slower Pace of Life with Tuta Nangolo  Thanks To Our Sponsors:  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel  Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app  Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Spontaneous Road Trip from Serbia to Vietnam + the Benefits of Unplanned Travel with Mia Kercher 25.08.2026 1t 8min

Why would anyone choose to travel across two continents alone, with nothing but a cat and no real plan?  Mia Kercher is a copywriter, marketing strategist, and hypnotist who traveled overland from Serbia to Vietnam as a solo female traveler. She crossed twelve countries by car, foot, bicycle, and tuktuk, all with her cat, Cleo, by her side. Prior to this trip, Mia spent two and a half years backpacking through Europe, eventually settling in Serbia, where she built her energetic copywriting business, Evoke Writing. She recently finished writing a book about her journey.  In this episode, I talk with Mia about her journey, including the weeks she spent in Afghanistan, and how she kept her business running while living off-grid.  This conversation is about what happens when you choose curiosity over a plan. Mia's approach to travel has never been about research or certainty, and that mindset gets tested in a big way on this journey. We talk about the discomfort of being an outsider, the surprising kindness that can meet you in the most unexpected places, and how solo travel builds a kind of trust in yourself that is hard to find any other way. It is also a conversation about intuition, and how tuning into your subconscious mind can change the way you make decisions, both on the road and in business.  What would it take for you to say yes to an adventure with no plan and no idea how it would turn out? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why Mia decided to leave her expat life behind and drive across two continents  What it means to travel by "chaotic order" instead of a plan  The single overlooked document that completely rerouted her entire trip  How she prepared to enter a country most of her friends begged her not to visit  What changed the moment she stopped fearing the attention she was getting everywhere she went  The stranger who gave her a private tour most tourists never get to see  A roadside encounter that turned from friendly to alarming in seconds  How one man's dream of becoming an actor led to an unexpected fundraiser  Her strategy for traveling with a pet without drawing a crowd, and when it backfired  Mia's business strategy for making money on the road when she knows she's going to be off-grid or without wifi for a while  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Mia's website  Instagram  Substack  Want More?  Solo Traveling Europe and "The Stans" in a Campervan with Maria Glaser  Overland Travel 101, the Pros and Cons of Full-Time Travel, and Favorite Hidden Gem Destinations With Eric Highland  Road Tripping To India: Life On A Land Rover Overland Trip  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel   Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app   Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Belonging to the World: Turning Grief Into a Global Quest to Visit Every Country with Barry Hoffner 18.08.2026 1t 17min

What would it take to visit every country in the world, and could a journey like that actually help you heal from unimaginable loss?  Following the sudden loss of his wife Jackie in Botswana in 2017, Barry Hoffner set out to visit every country in the world, a journey that became the basis for his memoir, Belonging to the World. He has since traveled to 192 of the 193 UN member countries, an experience that included exploring his own heritage as an Iraqi Jew who grew up in the United States. Barry also founded Caravan to Class, a nonprofit that provides access to education for young women across West Africa through the Bourse Jackie scholarship program, named in her honor.  In this episode, Barry shares how grief led him to a global quest to visit every country in the world, and what he learned about identity, connection, and healing along the way.  This conversation is a reminder that grief doesn't follow a straight line, and that the way we choose to move through it can shape everything that comes after. There's a lot of honesty here about what it means to rebuild an identity from the ground up after everything familiar is gone. And there's a genuine sense of wonder in hearing how one goal, however unlikely it seemed at the start, can turn into a life fully lived.  What might it look like for you to begin again from year zero? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why one spontaneous coin flip during high school set the course for a lifetime of travel  How an early scam abroad taught a hard lesson about travel awareness  Why working overseas early in his finance career reshaped his approach to life and work  What it was like to survive a real plane hijacking  How exploring his family's Middle Eastern heritage as an adult changed his sense of identity  Advice for processing grief and using travel intentionally as part of healing  Why he calls the period after his loss "year zero" and what that mindset can offer anyone starting over  How a chance encounter with a stranger became one of the most meaningful moments of his journey  Why the goal of visiting every country mattered less in the end than what he discovered along the way  Advice on transitioning from decades of nomadic living to putting down roots in one place  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Belonging to the World  Caravan to Class  Barry's Instagram  Want More?  Finding A Quest That Can Change Your Life: An Interview With Chris Guillebeau  The Power of Death in Life with Gentle Rebel Bronnie Ware  A Personal Evolution Through Travel + Creating Your Own Path with Nikki Vargas  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel   Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app   Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring Namibia: The Ultimate Road Trip, Uncrowded Safaris, and a Slower Pace of Life with Tuta Nangolo 11.08.2026 55min

What makes Namibia feel less like a destination and more like an escape from everywhere else?  Tuta Nangolo is the founder of Kamatjona, a coliving space and safari company based in Windhoek, Namibia. Founded in 2020, Kamatjona blends long-stay coliving for digital nomads with community-driven, self-drive safaris across the country. Tuta's approach to hospitality was shaped in part by years spent working in a backpacker hostel in London, an experience that inspired him to bring that same sense of connection back home.   Tuta joins the show to talk about what makes Namibia's culture and landscapes so distinct, and he walks through a self-drive road trip itinerary connecting the country's desert, coastal, and wildlife regions.  Namibia doesn't behave the way most people expect a safari destination to. This conversation captures a country defined by space, silence, and a slower pace of life, where the wild feels genuinely wild because so few people are around to interrupt it. There's a real sense of discovery running through this one, the kind that comes from a place still largely untouched by mass tourism. It's also a look at what it takes to build a sense of community in a country that's historically catered to a very different kind of traveler.  Have you ever shown up somewhere expecting one thing and found the complete opposite? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why Namibia surprises most visitors expecting a typical African destination  How population density shapes the pace of life and the travel experience  Advice for planning a multi-day self-drive road trip through the country  Why safaris here feel different from more crowded destinations elsewhere in Africa  What inspired the shift from working at a hostel abroad to building a coliving space back home  How local culture blends European influence with African tradition  What to know about weather and timing before planning a visit  Budget-friendly tips for food, accommodation, and getting around  The role of community in shaping a more meaningful travel experience  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Kamatjona coliving and safari  Kamatjona on Instagram  Namibia Road Trip & Hidden Gems List Want More?  Top 7 Uganda Hidden Gems with Lynett Nakamanya  Safari 101: How To Plan A World-Class African Safari (Without Going Broke)  5 Surprising Experiences in Africa, How to Transition to a New Career After Travel, and Exploring the African Diaspora With Jay Cameron  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel   Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app   Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unplugged Travel, Trekking Nepal, and Pushing Past Your Comfort Zone with Tony Fletcher 04.08.2026 1t 13min

What happens when you plan a trip with one goal: to disappear from your phone, your inbox, and the news for as long as you can stand it?  Tony Fletcher is a British music journalist and the author of seven books, including the bestselling Keith Moon biography Moon and the definitive R.E.M. biography Remarks Remade. He started the fanzine Jamming! as a teenager in London and has spent decades interviewing artists across the music world. He now lives in New York's Catskill Mountains, where he writes about music, travel, and running.   Tony just got back from a solo month in Nepal, where a big part of the trip was a deliberate digital detox: two weeks completely offline, no email, no social media, no news. He joins me to talk through how he planned it, what it actually felt like to disconnect, and the unconventional route he took into the mountains.  This is a conversation about what happens when you actually let go, not just of your phone, but of the need to always know what's going on. Tony went in with real doubts about whether he could pull it off, and those doubts followed him further into the trip than he expected. What came back out the other side surprised even him, touching habits and instincts he wasn't trying to change. There's also a quieter thread running through it about choosing the harder, lonelier path on purpose, and what that choice does to how you experience a place.  Have you ever taken a real break from your phone or the news while traveling, and what did you notice about yourself in the quiet? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  How he prepared mentally in the week beforehand, and how many times he nearly talked himself out of it  Advice for planning a trek that starts right from your hotel room instead of taking transport to the trailhead  Why he chose a quieter route over the two most popular options  How trekking solo and unsupported changed the pace of each day  What quitting coffee and alcohol on the trail taught him about resetting his habits  How stepping away from his phone opened up more conversations with strangers  Why he gave himself an extra week away from the news even after getting back online  Advice on budgeting, accommodation, and food costs on a multi-week trek  The story of nearly losing his phone for good, and what it says about staying present  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Tony's Substack  Nepal Trekking and the Great Himalaya Trail by Robin Boustead  CalTopo  Trekking Nepal: Your Adventure Guide podcast by Zero To Travel  Want More?  Life-Changing Trips, Interviewing Music Legends, Backpacking the World, and Fostering Transformative Connections with Tony Fletcher  Immersion Travel: Becoming a Porter in Nepal with Nate Menninger  Walking the World with Alexander Campbell and Tom Turcich  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel   Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app   Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Be Norwegian (Cultural Concepts Worth Stealing) with Lorelou Desjardins 28.07.2026 1t

Why does a tiny Nordic nation with just 5.5 million people feel impossible to summarize in a single sentence? Lorelou Desjardins has been writing about Norwegian culture since 2013 at her blog and publishing house, A Frog in the Fjord. She has published six books in Norway and internationally, along with 250 articles in mainstream media including Norway's largest newspaper. Her latest book, How to Be Norwegian, offers a crash course into 55 essential Norwegian cultural quirks. She lives in Oslo and is now a Norwegian citizen. In this episode, Lorelou and I dig into Norwegian culture and what makes this country so unique, covering the surprising scale of Norway's geography, the country's cabin culture, social dynamics among Norwegians, food and drink customs, the quirks of Norwegian English, and a Norwegian concept worth stealing for your own life. Norway can feel like a country of contradictions: vast and remote in parts, intensely social in others, shaped by long winters and short summers that flip the whole rhythm of daily life. This conversation moves between practical travel insight and a more personal look at what it is actually like to live here long-term, even after becoming a citizen. Whether you are planning a trip, exploring your own Norwegian roots, or just drawn to borrowing a little wisdom from another culture, there is something here for you. What is one custom or tradition from somewhere else in the world that you have brought into your own life? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: How long Norway actually is, and which European capital it would touch if you spun it on its southern tip Why a growing wave of travelers are choosing Norway over traditionally hot summer destinations What Norway's "freedom to roam" law actually allows you to do How cabin culture works, and how travelers can access cabins most visitors never think to look for Why Norwegians have a reputation for being emotionally cold, and the bus ride that put that reputation to the test for me Why Norwegians are so eager to talk about their own cultural identity with outsiders The surprising history behind Norway's strict modern alcohol laws Why frozen pizza and Friday tacos became beloved national traditions The Norwegian concept that's similar to hygge, but with its own colder, deeper edge And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter A Frog in the Fjord Lorelou's website How to Be Norwegian The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) Want More? Cracking the Cultural Code, Ethical Travel To Indigenous Areas, & Life in Norway With Lorelou Desjardins Hidden Norway: 7 Off The Beaten Path Gems You'll Love, Popular Norwegian Concepts Worth Stealing, Trekking In Bhutan, & Living At The Crossroads of Magic & Science w/ Torunn Tronsvang from Up Norway Top 7 Hidden Gems in Oslo, Norway with Curtis Rojak of Viking Biking Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manifesting Your Ideal Lifestyle (Practical Tools and No BS) with Heath Armstrong 21.07.2026 1t 25min

What would it look like to build a life that reflects exactly who you are and where you want to go? Heath Armstrong is an entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Rage Create, a company known for its unconventional affirmation and oracle card decks that have raised over $200,000 through crowdfunding. He spent years living and working nomadically, including a period traveling full-time in a self-built van across the United States. He now runs Deck Creators, a community for people who want to create and launch their own card decks, from his farmhouse in the mountains of North Carolina. In this episode, Heath and I catch up on his journey from the early days of location independence to the businesses he's building now. We get into his approach to freedom lifestyle design, what it actually means to take inspired versus forced action, and the daily practices he's used to move from vision to reality. This is one of those conversations that works on multiple levels. On the surface, it's about entrepreneurship and building a life around your values. But underneath that is something more personal: how to recognize when you're operating from fear versus genuine alignment, and what it takes to keep moving in the right direction even when things get hard. Heath's been through real darkness, real financial uncertainty, and real pivots, and he's thought deeply about all of it. Whether you're designing a lifestyle business, mapping out your next travel chapter, or just trying to figure out what you actually want, there's something in here for you. What's one thing you could do this week to move closer to the version of your life you actually want to be living? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Heath draws a sharp line between inspired action and forced action, and why that distinction changed everything for him How the note card practice he started years ago still shapes his daily routine today Why visualizing your goals in the present tense only works if you actually believe them, and what to do if you don't How to tell the difference between resistance and intuition when they can feel nearly identical What Heath's "totem pole" framework looks like in practice, and why it brings long-term vision and daily action into alignment Why your environment and the people around you matter more than most productivity advice will tell you Lessons from van life that Heath still carries with him, including why nature and isolation sharpened his business instincts What Heath did when a tariff crisis threatened to sink a shipment, and why he frames problems like video game bosses Why Heath thinks moving toward the life you want and being happy in the present moment are actually the same thing Hidden gem destinations that left a real mark on Heath, including a spot in Oregon most people have never heard of And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Interested in the Being Box? Email Jason Heath's website Rage Create Deck Creators Community Heath on Instagram The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale Love Money, Money Loves You by Sarah McCrum Want More? Digital Detox: Downsizing Your Digital Life to Create Freedom + Reboot Your Lifestyle Business with Corbett Barr Building, Growing, and Enjoying a Successful 7-Figure Lifestyle Business with Dan Andrews from Tropical MBA How to Pivot to a Life With More Freedom (And Travel), Get More Free Time, and Unlock Your Intuition With Jenny Blake Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 7 Uganda Hidden Gems with Lynett Nakamanya 14.07.2026 56min

What if one of Africa's most diverse and rewarding destinations has been hiding in plain sight — and most travelers only ever see a fraction of what it has to offer? Lynett Nakamanya is a tourism professional and Kampala native who has worked across the East African travel industry for over a decade. She holds a master's degree in management science with a focus on project monitoring and evaluation in tourism, and is affiliated with the Uganda Tourism Board. She also runs her own trip-planning platform focused on sustainable and meaningful experiences across the region. In this episode, Lynett shares her list of Uganda hidden gems and travel recommendations, the state of tourism in Uganda today, and the real impact that responsible travel can have on local communities. Lynett brings a perspective that's hard to find — someone who grew up in Uganda, has spent her career inside the tourism industry there, and thinks seriously about what travel can and should do for local communities. She makes a compelling case for doing a little research before you arrive, because the gap between a standard itinerary and a genuinely memorable one often comes down to simply knowing what to ask for. She also shares a Ugandan saying about travel at the end of this one that's worth sticking around for. What experience from this episode most surprised you, and has it changed how you think about where you want to go next? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why a beautiful crater lake just 20 minutes from Uganda's most famous attraction is almost never visited — and why it's worth the detour How one of East Africa's most rewarding mountaineering experiences sits in Uganda, largely off the radar of international visitors Why Uganda's 56 tribes make cultural immersion more rewarding when you focus on just one or two What one of Uganda's most historically significant religious sites reveals about the country's layered cultural past How a massive collection of islands right next to the airport offers everything from white sand beaches to wildlife encounters that most visitors drive straight past Why one eastern Uganda destination pairs three waterfalls with some of the world's highest-graded Arabica coffee Why doing your own research before a trip is the single best way to unlock experiences that never make the standard itinerary How responsible travel creates a ripple effect through local families and communities that most visitors never see What cultural mistake tourists commonly make in Uganda that creates more harm than help And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Uganda Tourism Board Uganda Wildlife Authority Explore Uganda Want More? Top 10 Hidden Gems: East Africa (Beyond the Safari) and Transitioning to Travel With Sasha and Megnote Lezhnev 5 Surprising Experiences in Africa, How to Transition to a New Career After Travel, and Exploring the African Diaspora With Jay Cameron Safari 101: How To Plan A World-Class African Safari (Without Going Broke) Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reconnecting to Nature with Adventure, Purpose, Fun, and Travelers’ Curiosity with Alastair Humphreys 07.07.2026 1t 21min

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 Kaveri River, and crossed Iceland on foot and pack raft. In recent years he has become one of the most well-known advocates for microadventures and local exploration, and his newest book is Unwilded: Finding Our Way Back to Nature. Alastair joins me to unpack the ideas in his book, including why our growing disconnection from nature matters personally and planetarily, and how a travel mindset and nature connection can be tools for changing both. Alastair has made this case before on the show, but Unwilded takes it somewhere new. This isn't just a conversation about microadventures or getting outside more. It's about a specific kind of blindness that builds slowly across generations, and what it costs us without anyone quite noticing. Alastair brings the same practical, adventure-first framing he always does, but this time it's in service of something bigger: a way to take the traveler's curiosity you feel on the road and put it to work where you actually live. The episode ends with a surprisingly simple exercise that can help you turn the world's overwhelming problems into something personal, actionable, and genuinely fun to pursue. What's one small thing in your immediate environment that you've stopped really noticing? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why the traveler's curious, enthusiastic mindset is exactly what's needed at home, and why most of us leave it at the border What "shifting baseline syndrome" is and why understanding it changes the way you see the world around you How two apps transformed Alastair's relationship with his daily run, and how to try the same thing Why spending 15 minutes in nature daily is harder than it sounds, and why that's actually the problem How connecting with even a tiny patch of local nature can deliver the same buzz as a far-off adventure What the Overton window has to do with how we approach climate change, travel, and everyday behavior Why Alastair stopped flying and moved to a vegan diet, and the surprisingly positive effect it had on his life What the 5-25 exercise is, and how it can help you identify the issues closest to your heart and take action without burning out How the Netherlands transformed its streets in a generation, and what that says about what's actually possible The vision Alastair wrote for the world 25 years from now, and why it's closer to reality than it might seem And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Alastair Humphreys' website Unwilded: Finding Our Way Back to Nature Adventure + Purpose newsletter by Alastair Humphreys Follow Alastair on Instagram Merlin Bird ID app Seek app by iNaturalist 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Want More? How To Have An Adventure On Any Budget With Alastair Humphreys Exploring A Single Map: A Travel Adventure For Everyone With Alastair Humphreys Is Your Summer Vacation Destroying The Planet? w/ Seth Kugel Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adventure Filmmaking for YouTube, the Art of Storytelling, and Life on the Road with Molly McDonald 30.06.2026 1t 11min

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 National Geographic, and her films have accumulated over 200 million views on YouTube. This episode covers Molly's journey from Irish-American New Yorker to YouTube travel documentary producer, including her work on some of the most extreme human endurance expeditions ever filmed and what she learned along the way. Travel has a funny way of dismantling the stories we tell ourselves about the world, and Molly McDonald has lived that firsthand, from the pubs her family built in Manhattan to the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. She grew up straddling two cultures, and that dual identity turns out to be the exact foundation for the kind of storytelling she now does for a living: finding the human truth inside extreme, unpredictable adventures. There's a real conversation in here about what it means to travel to places that scare you, why the media often gets destinations wrong, and how following a story you can't fully control is actually what makes it worth watching. What place have you avoided visiting because of how it's been portrayed in the media, and has anything ever changed your mind? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why growing up Irish-American in New York shaped Molly's approach to storytelling and travel How Blue Door Productions brings TV-level production quality to the "wild west" of YouTube What it was actually like to cross into Iraq during a live expedition, and what happened to all the fear Why Kurdistan challenged everything Molly thought she knew about the region How to capture authentic moments on camera when you can't predict what's coming next Advice for aspiring YouTubers on what to cut, what to keep, and why most people share too much Why the title and thumbnail of a YouTube video matter more than people realize How to think about storytelling structure even when the story is still unfolding in front of you What the concept of "soul places" reveals about how travel changes you over time Why starting from zero on YouTube is actually an advantage, and what consistency really means And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Learn more about Molly's work at Blue Door Productions Follow Molly on Instagram at @mollybmcd Watch Mitch Hutchcraft's expedition on YouTube Want More? 100 Documentaries Project: Traveling the Globe to Find Extraordinary Humans + Changing the World One Story at a Time with Robin Danehav Transition to Travel: West Africa + Canoeing the River Gambia with Will Hunt Independent Travel as a Female in Afghanistan, Hitchhiking Iraq, and Ex-Pat Life in Sudan with Jacquelyn Kunz Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Y We Travel Podcast: To Meet The Neighbours (Bonus Episode!) 25.06.2026 40min

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 can save us a buck, what to do, when's the best time to go, where to go. But one fundamental question often gets left behind: why? Born from an award-winning magazine series of the same name, Y We Travel explores the deeper motivations behind our journeys. The show unpacks the emotions, discoveries, and purpose that give travel its meaning. In this episode, Eric and Erica discuss the origins of the series and their own motivations for travelling. Eric interviews author and Y We Travel essayist Pico Iyer, trading travel anecdotes from Japan to California to North Korea and discussing themes from Pico's piece in The Walrus magazine, which argued that we should travel to meet our neighbours. Erica continues the conversation with a selection of Toronto Pearson passengers, asking: "Why are you travelling today?" Resources: Sign up for the Zero to Travel FREE newsletter Listen to Y We Travel on Apple, Spotify Read the companion essays at ywetravelmag.ca Contact Y We Travel: [email protected] Learn more about Pico Iyer Want More?: The Geography of Bliss With Eric Weiner How To Live a Long and Useful Life (The Wisdom of Ben Franklin) With Eric Weiner Rick Steves On the Hippie Trail (The Making of a Travel Writer) with Special Guest Host Eric Weiner Thanks To Our Sponsors: Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Travel Tech Trends Worth Knowing in 2026 + 3 Emerging Hot Spots to Spend Quality Time with Matt Gray 23.06.2026 1t 18min

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 to visit every country in the world. In this episode, we get into seven travel tech trends shaping how people plan, book, and experience travel, including why most travel apps fail, the rise of social travel, and what AI can and can't do for travelers right now. We also dig into destination recommendations, advice for running a remote business on the road, and what it means to bridge the nomad bubble. These are genuinely fascinating times to be a traveler and a builder in the travel space, and Matt sits at the center of both worlds. He's thinking seriously about why travel tech has such a high failure rate, and what it would actually take to crack the code, and he brings a perspective that is grounded in years of on-the-ground experience across dozens of countries and travel styles. There is a real conversation here about the gap between wanting to travel and actually doing it, and I think it will stick with you. The travel tech trends for digital nomads piece is insightful, but the human thread running through it all is what makes this one worth your time. Have you ever had a piece of technology genuinely change how you travel or connect with people on the road? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why so many travel apps are built to solve a single problem, and why that almost always leads to failure How being a "multifaceted traveler" is reshaping what a useful travel platform actually needs to do Why AI wrappers on ChatGPT are not the same as AI-powered travel tools, and how to tell the difference How social travel is changing the reason people book trips in the first place Why off-the-beaten-path destinations benefit most from the rise of connected travel communities How to break out of the nomad bubble and go deeper in the places you visit Why the people you travel with may matter more than the places you go Destination recommendations for regions quietly gaining traction in the nomad world Advice for running a remote team while living a location-independent life What it looks like to bring urgency to travel, not just talk about it And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Download the Pangea app Pangea on Instagram Couchsurfing Workaway Want More? From Expat to Digital Nomad: Finding Your Travel Rhythm, Balancing Burnout, and the Digital Nomad Lifestyle with Kristin Wilson The World's Most Traveled Person on the Ethics of Gamifying Travel, Best Regions in the World, and Why To Keep Traveling With Harry Mitsidis of NomadMania Top 5 Reasons For "Slomading" + The Benefits Of Boredom With Tim Marting From Citizen Remote Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Live an Unconventional Life of Adventure and Purpose by Becoming “Dirtbag Rich” with Blake Boles 16.06.2026 1t 27min

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 Rich: High Freedom, Low Income, Deep Purpose, was released in March 2026. In this episode, Blake and I get into the philosophy behind "dirtbag rich" living, including what it really means to pursue a high-freedom, low-income lifestyle while still navigating the demands of modern capitalism. We also dig into the practical side of how to make a non-traditional financial model actually work, and talk about purpose, downward mobility, unschooling, outdoor adventure, and so much more. If you've ever wondered whether there's a middle path between grinding toward a distant retirement and going full dirtbag with no financial safety net, this conversation is going to give you a lot to think about. Blake shares a lot of real practical substance in this one, alongside some genuinely fresh thinking about how to measure wealth, what freedom actually requires, and what gets in the way of most people finding their version of a dirtbag-rich unconventional life. What does "enough" look like for you, whether that's money, time, adventure, or something else? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why the original dirtbag culture offers a useful framework, even if you'll never live in Yosemite full-time How Blake figured out a way to earn good money in short bursts and stay free the rest of the year Why "how do you know when you're wealthy?" is a more useful question than you might expect What the FIRE movement often gets wrong about making a clean break from work How to think about "downward mobility" as a feature rather than a failure Why having freedom from something isn't enough without also knowing what you're free to do What the real risks of a dirtbag rich lifestyle actually are, and how to go in with clear eyes How purpose shows up differently for different people, and why measuring it in "I get to" days works Advice for attracting the ideal clients and building work that doesn't eat your life Why getting your ideal client to feel genuinely excited to work with you is the job before the job And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Blake’s website Dirtbag Rich book Unschool Adventures Want More? The Vagabond's Way: Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel w/ Rolf Potts The 5 Best Hacks of “All the Hacks”: Travel, Money & Life Optimization with Chris Hutchins Digital Detox: Downsizing Your Digital Life to Create Freedom + Reboot Your Lifestyle Business with Corbett Barr Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uruguay: Top 7 Hidden Gems (That Most People Miss) + Testing the Remote Work Lifestyle with Lucia Krygier 09.06.2026 1t 6min

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 workers, digital nomads, and entrepreneurs to co-live and co-work in Uruguay. In this episode, Lucia shares her journey from first-time remote worker to budding business owner, and makes a strong case for why Uruguay deserves a spot on your radar. There is something worth sitting with in this conversation about what happens when you stop waiting for the right moment and just go. Lucia's path touches on trusting yourself through uncertainty, building a life around how you actually want to live, and what travel to Uruguay's hidden gems can unlock when you give a place more than a few days. If you had the chance to spend a few months working and traveling somewhere completely new, would you take it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Lucia's first remote work trip to Cape Town changed the direction of her life How she decided between constantly moving and staying in one place for an extended time The hidden costs and benefits of spending more time in one place instead of country hopping The mindset shift that helped her leave a stable job and launch a business from abroad How she handled the uncertainty of starting a consulting career while traveling across Europe Why she built her business around her home country instead of continuing to travel indefinitely What Uruguay's digital nomad permit is and how it works for long-term visitors The off-grid beach village that gets a "wow effect" from every single visitor who goes there Seven specific places in Uruguay worth visiting, from a colonial port town to a bohemian surf village What to eat in Uruguay, from the national sandwich to a dish tracing back to Italian immigrants Advice for testing the work-travel lifestyle before committing to a full nomadic year And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Work From Uruguay Instagram Want More? Building a Travel Lifestyle: Digital Nomadism, Slow Travel, Exploring Latin America with Kyle Cohenour From Expat to Digital Nomad: Finding Your Travel Rhythm, Balancing Burnout, and the Digital Nomad Lifestyle with Kristin Wilson Creating A Life Abroad + Expert Remote Work Advice with Chase Warrington Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Transition to a “Normal Life” After Travel with Tom Turcich (10th Person to Walk Around the World) 02.06.2026 1t 16min

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, Tom shares what returning home after long-term travel actually looks like, from the mental and emotional toll of losing the road, to the financial catch-up game, to the harder question of who you are once the adventure is over. If you've ever come back from a trip and felt a strange kind of grief you couldn't quite name, this one is for you. Tom is remarkably open about the difficulty of that first year back, and the conversation gets into territory that doesn't often get talked about after a big journey ends. There's real honesty here about what it takes to find your footing again, how to rebuild adventure into a life that isn't handing it to you every day, and how to make peace with the constraints that come with settling down. What's one thing you've held onto from a big trip that's hard to explain to people who weren't there? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Tom describes his first year back as the only depression he's ever experienced How the world "stops coming at you" when you settle down, and what it takes to rebuild that muscle The unexpected mental and emotional challenge of no longer having a North Star Why consistency beats passion when it comes to making progress, in travel and in life What two years of walking in the Atacama Desert taught Tom about happiness Why your traveler identity matters less than the values underneath it How walking became a years-long meditation practice Tom didn't see coming The one mindset Tom would give anyone coming off the road for the first time Why building community after a big adventure takes longer than most people expect What it means to choose your constraints rather than just accept them And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Tom’s website The World Walk book Microadventures book Want More? Walking the World with Alexander Campbell and Tom Turcich The World Walk (Trilogy): Lessons From A 7 Year Walk Around The World w/ Tom Turcich Exploring A Single Map: A Travel Adventure For Everyone With Alastair Humphreys Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Check out Morning Brew Daily for business news that's actually fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Give Yourself Permission to Choose Differently: Jason Moore on the My Most Authentic Life Podcast 26.05.2026 50min

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, including unconventional paths, pivots, lifestyle design, and what it means to choose differently. This conversation pulls out some of my most honest thinking on what it means to give yourself permission to live unconventionally. We talk openly about my decade as a nomad with no fixed home, the internal and external forces that push back against unconventional choices, and how imposter syndrome never goes away but can be trained around. There's a lot here that I think will resonate if you've ever felt the pull of a different path but weren't sure you were allowed to take it. Tune In To Learn: Why giving yourself permission is often the first and hardest obstacle on any unconventional path How imposter syndrome works as a muscle you can train, not a problem you solve What it means to "pivot" before you've actually made any outward moves Why the journey before the journey has more value than most people realize How lifestyle design is less about optimization and more about filtering decisions through your ideal daily life Why the "perfect average day" exercise is a practical starting point for anyone designing their life How I spent a decade as a nomadic tour manager, including driving the Meow Mix Catmobile across the U.S. What unexpected things can happen when you follow your gut, even last-minute Why my definition of authenticity comes down to one word And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter My Most Authentic Life Instagram The Perfect Average Day Laundry House Want More? How to Pivot to a Life With More Freedom (And Travel), Get More Free Time, and Unlock Your Intuition With Jenny Blake How to Navigate Transitions and Design Your Life (Without the BS) with Lauren Handel Zander Two Paths to Location Independence and Travel (No Skills Required) With Caitlin Sunderland and Janessa Klatt Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Get 20% of at Cozy Earth with code ‘TRAVEL’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turn Travel Into A Lifestyle With Goats On The Road 21.05.2026 1t 17min

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 adventures through teaching English abroad, house sitting, freelance writing, and eventually building a successful travel blog and suite of online courses. In this episode, Nick and Dariece share the real, unfiltered story of how two regular people from a small town in Canada traded their office jobs and oil rig shifts for a decade of long-term travel, and how they've figured out how to keep it going. This episode covers what it really takes to make travel a long-term lifestyle, from the mindset shifts that keep you going to the practical ways people actually fund life on the road. Nick and Dariece have been doing this for over a decade and speak honestly about the challenges of traveling as a couple, building an online business from scratch, and knowing when to step back from work and just travel. I also share my own perspective on staying connected to your highest values as your life and travel style evolve. What has been your biggest mental or practical barrier to making travel a more permanent part of your life, and has anything ever helped you push past it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. *This is a previously released episode from the archives! Zero To Travel interviews are timeless, offering valuable insight whenever you listen. Tune In To Learn: What happened after their first 13-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia that set everything in motion The beach meltdown in Thailand that led to one of the boldest and most pivotal moves of their travels What it really takes to travel as a couple 24/7, and the specific things Nick and Dariece do to keep it working How Goats On The Road started and the shift in approach that became their biggest turning point Why they almost let video ruin the travel experience, and what they did about it How they've managed to avoid full burnout after more than a decade of living and working on the road The mix of jobs and strategies they've used at different stages to keep the travels funded and going How their travel style has evolved over a decade and what the lifestyle actually looks like for them now My three principles for keeping travel a lifelong priority, no matter where you are in life And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Goats On The Road Hash House Harriers Want More? Transition to Travel: From Burnout to a Year Around the World with Sofia and Teague Building a Travel Lifestyle: Digital Nomadism, Slow Travel, Exploring Latin America with Kyle Cohenour The Reality of Digital Nomad Life (Warts and All) With Steph and Dalt Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Get 20% of at Cozy Earth with code ‘TRAVEL’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top 7 Hidden Gems in Oslo, Norway with Curtis Rojak of Viking Biking 19.05.2026 1t 27min

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 hiking tour company, and has led more than 3,000 tours through Oslo on foot and by bike. This episode is a local's guide to Oslo, recorded in my living room with Curtis. We cover seven hidden gems in the city, from a haunting mausoleum most tourists never find to a private island cabin you can rent for a night on the Oslo Fjord. This episode covers what makes a place feel like home versus just a place you've visited, what it takes to genuinely know a city at a local level, and how to discover the experiences that don't make it into guidebooks. You'll also hear honest conversation about building a life abroad long-term, what draws people to certain places, and why the best travel experiences often come from knowing someone who actually lives there. Curtis brings real depth on Oslo specifically, but the broader themes about place, belonging, and authentic discovery apply to anywhere you're considering visiting or moving to. Have you ever discovered a hidden gem in a city that completely changed how you thought about that place? I'd love to hear your story, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why one of Norway's most extraordinary pieces of art is hidden in a mausoleum most tourists never find, and how to actually visit it How to spend a Norwegian summer day at a lakeside farm where animals roam free through landscape gardens Where to find secret sea cliffs near the city, and where locals actually jump from Why a restaurant on its own private island captures the Norwegian good life better than almost anywhere else in the city What makes one of Europe's best cocktail bars worth the New York-level prices you'll pay How to rent a private island cabin on the Oslo Fjord through a local organization almost no tourists know about Why Curtis believes Oslo's greatest strength is also what most tourists only notice on their last day What 25 years as an expat taught Curtis about choosing where to live and why gut feeling matters more than logic How the "Lego Country" exercise surfaces the best things about multiple continents and destinations And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Viking Biking Want More? https://zerototravel.com/viking-biking/ Hidden Norway: 7 Off the Beaten Path Gems You'll Love with Torunn Tronsvang from Up Norway Top 10 Reasons to Love Living Abroad with Botik Quest Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Get 20% of at Cozy Earth with code ‘TRAVEL’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Zero To Travel Podcast

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