Backpack Digital

Hayden has finally produced the chat he had with Tony Lloyd from El Cafecito Travel Talks. After being interviewed on Tony’s podcast, Hayden realised that Tony may in fact be one of the most interesting people in the world - listen in to hear a story of truly following your heart. El Cafecito Travel Talks can be found on all podcast providers, including Apple Podcasts Get in touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Instagram: @backpackdigital

Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hello again

Join Hayden in Bali as he recounts the ridiculous motorbike crash and listen as he stubs his toe, making his bad knee bend and then complaining about it, without cutting it out of the podcast. Question of the Week: What advice would you give to a first time traveller? Get in Touch: Instagram: @backpackdigital

Join Hayden & Cat in Huế, Vietnam, where we talk about where we've been, where we are, and go down many ridiculous rabbit holes and tangents (That's mainly Hayden).  Question of the Week: Where are you now and where would you rather be?  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Join Hayden & Cat in Ha Long, Vietnam, where we talk about where we've been, why we're back and where we are.  Question of the Week: What is your biggest fear about starting up your own thing and not having a 'job'?  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Favelas, 30 for 30, traveling as a solo female traveler, and attempts and fails to do a southern American accent. It's Thursday, it's time to chat with Hayden.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Big snails, Little Chef, cheesy romance & a 1988 Renault 9 automatic, in silver.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Portuglish, Mötley Crüe, Brazilian food & the flat earth. It's Thursday, it's time to chat with Hayden.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The gym, motorcycle nostalgia, cubed to globe & being 'disappointed but hopeful'.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The absolute mission of getting to Brazil, a potential new season where we get people from zero to... travel... (we'll work on the name), and sings to the tune of a popular Wonder/McCartney song.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Loads of stuff. It's Thursday, it's time to chat with Hayden.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Tradition, Street Fighter II, being a labourer and gives a step by step guide on how to build a business that allows and affords you to travel. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: His old friend Ray who wasn't called Ray, his only nickname ever, the Hayden Lee show, and meeting people while travelling solo It's Thursday, it's time to chat with Hayden.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: order and chaos, contextualising travel, and how a garage full of tools and a tray of sandwiches is perhaps the meaning of life. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: travelling with a purpose, Salopian icons, wooing fictitious Italian girls, & omnipresent super-galactic oneness.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The aforementioned meeting, raffles, scotch, the universe, having unlimited money, and season seven.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Travel music suggestions from listeners!  It's Thursday, it's time to chat with Hayden.  List of songs in order: (Spoiler alert)  Judah and the Lion: Suit and Jacket  Brant Bjork: Biker No. 2  Mansun: Wide Open Space  Bully: Milkman  Tsunami Bomb: Dawn on a Funeral Day  NOFX: Lori Meyers  War on Drugs: Red Eyes  Chuck Ragan: Nomad by Fate  Brian Fallon: Goodnight Irene  Death Cab for Cutie: Trasatlanticism  Postal Service: Such Great Heights  Sigur Rós: Untitled #1 (Vaka)  Sigur Rós: Untitled #4 (Njósnavelín)  Xavier Rudd: Follow the Sun  José Gonzalez: Heartbeats  Alex Cruz: Follow the Sun  G. Love & Special Sauce: This Ain’t Living  The Cat Empire: The Rhythm  The Cat Empire: The Car Song  The Cat Empire: Sol y Sombra  Thinking about it now.. I reckon copyright stuff should be fine seeing as we're critiquing/reviewing. Right? Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: England, relationships, Harry Hill, how people write articles, The Hayden Lee Show & doesn't go on about UFC.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

It's Thursday, and Hayden has completed his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Bad days, german roads, Sean Connery, & figuring out what to do with your life. It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Adventure, Star Wars, Melbourne, women on mobility scooters & mindset. It's Friday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Travel songs, hostel friends, making the perfect hostel, travel food, work days & fibre.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Beetles, the Belarus border, 'real' travel, eating maggots, microphones, confidence and 'frames'.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

You guessed it; this trailer for Backpack Digital is a trailer for a podcast about backpacks that are digital. No wait, no it’s not. Digital things in backpacks? No... Something like that.

Hayden rambles about: Silent Uber drivers, punk rock, getting back to nature, not being a brazilian beach man, the difference between dreams and goals & reverse culture shock.  It's Friday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: A fly massacre, B*Witched, migration vs. travel, travel videos, & crablets.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: A bloke and his gun, wanting to marry a Moldovan girl and start a new life as a border crossing officer, Vlad the Impaler, the Transfagarasan,  it definitely being the end soon having pain in an unidentified organ, & flashing a masseuse.   Transfagarasan video: https://youtu.be/OtJXL5vYPGM  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden is on the move and instantly regrets recording a podcast walking through a city when a storm's a-brewing.  It's Friday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden answers listener questions, from relationship advice to location independence.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: A new theory about life. And Conan the Barbarian.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The last seven months on the road & instagram live.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden & his mom, Gail Faith, answer listener questions!   It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: This being his least favourite episode, his parents, swiggz, punk rock, authority, wearing lipstick, freedom, & travel apps.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Expletive correspondence, missing family, travel relationships, forming habits, the search for ALL, risk, confidence & introversion.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden & Jackie ramble about: Technology, AirBnb, language learning, Sprenchtalianish, how The Budget Minded Traveler and Travel Stories Podcast have changed & authenticity.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe and celebrating two years of TSP & four years of BMT.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Riding in the wind, jump starting the bike, Street Fighter II, changing your life through habits, removing restrictions, confidence & answers his favourite question.  It's Friday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: How to choose a backpack, writing a checklist, what’s in his backpack. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Waking up, planes, trains, automobiles, Create Loud, Van Hayden, American Psycho & working.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The most badass high-five in the world, naked sunbathing, rain, UFC (again) and how solo travel can change you.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The common travel fears and why he doesn’t have them, getting over a fear of flying, panic attacks, being robbed at angry-look-point, losing a leg, authenticity, why he doesn’t use profanity on the show, becoming Jacked Nicholson, the mediocre old future Hayden who forever fuels present Hayden’s life and what his travel fears are.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden and Sean ramble about: Working 9-5 (What a way to make a living), Carnaval, learning a language, first time travel, discipline, traveling on $500, nervous traveling, nervous riding, & the notion of memories > dreams. It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Being ill, being cynical, Russell Brand, the English class system, bikini girls in the Maldives, travel boredom & how you can afford a trip out this year.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Hippie markets, chance encounters, naked sea running, travel inspiration,  charlie boorman,  black sabbath, #vanlife, marlon brando & pesto.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Oil changes, man work, windy roads, the perfect picture, traditions, doing what you love, kelly clarkson & squash.  It's Thursday (let's just ignore the fact that it's actually Friday), we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden (& Irish Neil!) ramble about: Controversial bombs, Irish puns, solo travel, the ‘script’ (not the band), materialism, new experiences, saving for travel, ‘want’ vs. ‘need’ & the realities of travel.  It's Thursday (let's just ignore the fact that it's actually Friday), we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Rambling, christmas, dropping the bike, losing his cool, building a habit, the meaning of life, ikigai and answers listeners questions.  It's Thursday (let's just ignore the fact that it's actually Friday), we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The question “Where are you from?”, homesickness, age, the fear of regret, his ex girlfriend, star wars (no spoilers), expectations, mindset & stepping stones.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: The hippie commune, breaking Gloria, Linus' exit, hitchhiking across water, Van Halen, slow travel, travel romance, digital nomad advertisements, underwear, following the 'life script', learning how to talk to people, getting out of a rut & first time travel.   It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden rambles about: Being working class, the genesis of the podcast, networking, how he became location independent & his monthly wage.  Hayden breaks down: How much it costs to travel forever, how to afford it & how to start.  Hayden rants about: Living a life you don't want to live, society, the 'powers that be' & stolen time.  It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe. Hayden rambles about: Freedom, hitchhiking, goats, the riutbag, being nowhere, motorcycle maintenance, orange theft, dropping the bike & slow travel.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

How can one man make so many mistakes in such a short trip?  Well, how else do you learn lessons? Hayden discusses (rambles around): First aid, stolen wallets, introversion, trusting others, being in the nether-zone and much more.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hello again! It's been a little while. This inbetweenisode will explain a little and let you know what the future holds! What would you like to hear between now and Season Six?  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Cody and Nicole are back to help Hayden as he unpacks season five, discusses his favorite overarching travel themes, highlights his favorite moments of the season, and looks forward to the epic upcoming changes of season six. In this unpacking and season five finale of the Travel Stories Podcast, Hayden is joined again by Cody and Nicole to reflect on the past season of episodes. They discuss their highlights from the past few months and what they thought of their guests and the stories they shared this season.  They also share flashbacks to their favorite moments. You’ll remember this season featured Kinga Phillips, Rachel Rudwall, Amie and Matt Leichtfuss, Derek Loudermilk, Amanda Kendle, Juliana Dever, Yann Ilunga, Kristin Addie, Taylor Zajonc, Dana Newman, Eric Trules, Mark Wolters, and Rolf Potts. The gang shares their favorite episodes and moments from this season. In between ramblings that get entirely off-track, discussions about their lives, and opinions on travel, the gang actually discuss the themes that they see cropping up in every episode of the season, and how those travel motifs make the season and the journeys richer and more flavorful.  They talk about their own lives and goals, the connections Hayden made this season, how the gang makes adventures out of their everyday lives, how Cody composed his scores this season, and which animal Hayden should choose as his familiar. They also discuss how skepticism might play a hand in their understanding of travel stories, those that have inspired us this season, the power of solo travel, whether or not Christmas should be every day, and the concept of “being enough” for travel. Hayden, Cody, and Nicole tear this season apart and examine every bit they can reach while also teasing one another and joking until the main thread of conversation has been completely lost.  The team also discusses past guests and fans from previous seasons, travel opportunities for anyone and everyone, and their favorite themes from the season. Their finish of the season focuses on the upcoming season, and our biggest season-to-season changes to date. Coming up next season is a total shift, because Hayden will be traveling around mainland Europe on his motorbike, discussing his upcoming daily travel vlogs, his interviews with strangers he meets along the way, and his own explorations of themes he comes across in his travelers.  Listen to the whole episode to hear Hayden explain his goals for season six. We hope that you enjoy the break, and (even more so) that you enjoy our upcoming season six!  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

How do you become the traveler you know you can be? What is the first step on the road to travel? Rolf Potts has the answers to these questions in his back pocket, and he’s more than willing to share; in fact, he’s been giving people this advice for years. Rolf is also one of the reasons Hayden himself got into travel, as Rolf and his book, Vagabonding , crystallized what Hayden had been thinking about travel for his whole life until that point. It gave him the push to become the traveler he knew that he could be all along.  Rolf Potts - travel writer, adventurer, teacher, vagabonder, and legend - is the one you want to be at your side when you need that push into travel. He knows that vital first step to becoming the traveler.  Rolf Potts revisits us to tell a story about the people you meet when you travel - both those you want to meet, and those you dread meeting. Rolf traveled to Namibia, which he had heard was quite isolated and severe. What was most famous was the sand dunes, of course, but Rolf was intrigued by the Skeleton Coast, also commonly referred to as the Gates of Hell or the Land God Made in Anger. The road basically disappears, so it is pretty much impossible to drive the entire way along the Skeleton Coast to the border, and, as such, Rolf didn’t expect to see many people in this place. The coast is lined with shipwrecks, each of which has its own turnout off the highway. Ruin after ruin, all the way up the coast, giving a haunted, romantic feel to those who view the rotted ships and those very human feelings. Rolf visited one of these particular ships and encountered Namibian guys who wanted to sell him souvenirs, tribesmen who sell polished rocks to tourists to make a living.  He had a great conversation with a group of them that granted him an even deeper human feeling than the ships had, through the grace of human connection. He had never dreamed of this part of Namibia, this very real village life, until he turned away from the shipwreck and started talking to people. Rolf Potts, Vagabonding, and Saying Yes to Adventures Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding , the book that helps you along your path, doesn’t want to tell you who to be. Like travel, he doesn’t try to change you; he just wants to help you be a more authentic you. When you’re around people, you’re not your authentic self. If you go somewhere you’ve never been before, however, without anybody you’ve ever met before, you can get out of your comfortable and protective patterns and help reveal your true self as you change over time. Breaking out of typical patterns and thinking about the important parts of who you really are are inevitable results of travel. Saying yes to things can help contribute to this, as well, but you should analyze the reasons you might say no, and use those reasons to see whether yes would be a good idea first.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

When should one travel? When they are young, while they are unattached and have all the time in the world? When they are middle-aged, and in the thick of their “normal” lives? When they are old, and it seems that all things have passed them by? The answer, of course, is “yes.” An honest “yes” to all of the above, and Mark Wolters knows better than anybody how important it is to be honest. He believes that you should truly travel right now, because you never know what can happen later. If you get a chance, he thinks you should take it. He offers honest and genuine travel advice on his YouTube channel, Wolters World, and assists people as they begin their own travel adventures through the world. “As they say,” Mark reminds us, “you only live once.”  When Mark Wolters studied abroad in Argentina, his goal was to meet locals. Lucky for him, he did, and almost immediately, when he met two local girls who invited him to a gathering outside of town that weekend. Unfortunately for him, though, he abruptly got very sick that week; he managed to get himself under control long enough to go meet these girls for their party that Saturday, but, maybe, he should have just stayed. Having not gone to the bathroom in four days, Mark Wolters arrives at Saturday night with everything hitting him all at once, affecting him to the point of tears. He manages to get on a train (without a bathroom), reach a station (also without a bathroom), and make it into Buenos Aires (where everything is closed - ipso facto, without a bathroom). Everything is closed up except Mark that Sunday morning in Buenos Aires, so he just decides to take matters into his own hands - with a handful of wax napkins, a hole in the ground, and without any clothes.  From then on, Mark Wolters made sure to memorize all the maps of a location when he travels, because (in his words): “You never know when you’re gonna have to go.” Mark Wolters’ Travel Soundtrack Mark Wolters made himself into a human guidebook over the course of many years. Like so many travelers, according to Hayden, Mark began with a countercultural attitude. He grew out his long, luxurious hair as an original self-defining statement about himself, gathered a punk-rock attitude that may have contributed to his travel desires, and decided to explore the world in any way that tied into this life. The romantic nature of travel directly ties into the romanticism of rock music, he believes, which leads him to announce that the soundtrack to Mark’s travel life would prominently feature “Why Don't We Get Drunk” by Jimmy Buffett, and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.  Mark gives travel advice by being honest, throwing in little extra tidbits, and reassuring others that anything they do will be worthwhile if they make it so. Mark Wolters even manages to give the much-experienced Hayden advice for his ride through Europe later this year, spreading bike-related advice specific to various locations throughout Europe, flavored with anecdotes and jokes from his life and from his friends.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

What is there awaiting travelers in the desert? What is there out in nature, waiting to reconnect with man? Eric Trules has discovered it, he thinks. That nothingness that means something: a nomadic way of life, a connection to nature, a cooperation with the land, a lack of civilization that means an increase in humanity. Eric Trules has been a professional in the performing, literary, and filmic arts for almost five decades. He’s worked as a dancer, in the theater, as an actor, and even as a clown. In his life outside of his work, he takes what he’s learned in his decades of performance and applies it to his thinking about travel. Trules’ show, “e-travels with e. trules,” contains musical scores, sound effects, and everything in between, and his magnificent voice telling his amazing stories. Living in Echo Park, California, and traveling all over the world, Eric has learned how to make others laugh, how to help life happen, how to parent his nephew, how to make travel his medium, how to make oneself vulnerable, and how to connect people in challenging times reconnect again. Life awaits you in the desert, if you are brave enough to seek it on your camel safari.  It’s Israel, in May of 1999, and travel is easy. As a result, Eric has the idea to go out into the Sinai Desert, the home of camels, Moses, and the Red Sea, and have the sun bake the life out of him and suck the logic out. The best of Israel comes to the Sinai Desert to escape their day-to-day lives, because the sun, the earth, and the sea will slow you down until time is lost and you have no desire to return to civilization. He went to a camp on the Red Sea and adventured for himself, feeling the desire to walk in the steps of Moses and Joshua and to sleep under an endless starry sky. First, he needed to get enough supplies and camels to make the journey he wanted to take both possible and worthwhile. He composed a team of people willing to uncivilize themselves in the desert, and together they took a camel safari.  They followed the same path that the Jews followed all those years ago, witnessing the same journey they did, navigating broad spaces, narrow canyons, and the changing day as the sun shifted. Eric found an oasis here. He realized that there is nothing in the desert: no politics, no borders, no religions. There is only a nomadic, respectful, dependent way of life, which requires a cooperation with the land and which has existed for thousands of years. In the desert, modern civilization and its instant conveniences disappear. In the desert, you realize how distant we have grown from nature, and how much we have lost touch with ourselves in the process, and with the very things that make us human.  You gain independence from nature in civilization, disrespecting and ignoring mother nature and ourselves in doing so, and you lose your sense of awe in the power of the natural universe. Eric experienced a rare perfect moment under the orange desert moon. He remembered there was bloodshed in this land now, and that only hatred and history causes problems like these, nothing inherent.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Cultural differences are impossible not to notice once you have traveled as much as Dana Newman has. Language and these differences Dana has found between Germany and America have helped her make a home out of Munich, and to find herself in her surroundings. Dana Newman is an American expatriate, originally from Florida, in the United States, now living in Munich, Germany. Her YouTube channel, Wanted Adventure, explores the cultural differences between the U.S. and Germany and talks about the expat life, moving to a new country, and all that that entails. This conversation from two self-proclaimed chatterboxes covers cultural connections, environmental differences, how Dana got to where she is, and everything in between, as Dana shares pearls of wisdom from Germany.  After graduating from college, Dana Newman, like a lot of graduates, felt rather lost. She didn’t know what she wanted to do from her life, apart from have an adventure. She felt an invisible rope pulling her towards Europe, and so she packed up two duffel bags, obtained her very first pairs of boots, and bought a one-way ticket to Prague. Once she arrived in Prague, she felt distant, out of touch, and alone - before she took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was all part of the adventure that she wanted to have. She trusted her own process, and yet was still afraid that the Prague of her imagination was too different from the Prague in reality. She had to handle unexpected rooming situations and a topsy-turvy tunnel system, but, even though she wasn’t sure where she was going, she managed to make her way into the city center.  She knew something good had to exist out in her new world, and she found it - everything that she had been searching for when she came to live in Europe. She knew, deep in her core, that her adventure had brought her to exactly where she was supposed to be in the world in that moment. Dana Newman, Cultural Differences, and Language Barriers  What is a normal Monday for you? For Dana Newman, it changes, depending on the week. Most of her Monday is spent preparing for her Wednesday, because she dictates her own schedule. Upon moving to Germany, Dana was able to discover that autonomy, and the difference between living somewhere and traveling through that same place. It took three years for Dana to feel at home in Germany, because it took her that long to build up traditions and to know what to expect around the corner. She started to decipher the language, to adjust to the culture. She taught herself the language, which was a difficult adaptation, but conversation was a vital part of living in any new environment.  When you reach that understanding, you really connect to the people and to that world. Dana may miss the sun in Florida, and the ability to understand her environment entirely, but she’s happy in Germany. She loves the architecture, the ability to walk everywhere, and the home she has made for herself in Europe.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Knowing why you want to do something is half the way to achieving that something. Understanding and developing your passion is the drive a person needs to becoming who they truly want to be. Taylor Zajonc, a writer, father, maritime historian, Explorers Club member, and shipwreck explorer who has literally been to the bottom of the ocean and back again, has endless pearls of wisdom just like these. He knows that approaching your own life with an “open heart, a lack of cynicism, and as little ego as you can” will lead to amazing places. What would you be willing to suffer through for an experience? Have you discovered your life’s true passion? What would you find if you played soccer in Kenya? Taylor wants to help you find the answers. Taylor was involved in a deep sea shipwreck company years ago and took a trip to Africa. On the way back, he and his team stopped in Kenya, residing for the duration of their stay in a small rural camp, in a village where young warriors once trained. Due to this being an authentic slice of rural village life, there was a lot of downtime for Taylor to just sit down and think about what he wanted from himself, from his life, from his own future. There was also time to play soccer with the same little boy who showed up every day at the same time with a soccer ball. This, combined with the feeling of flying down a dirt road in a Land Rover, made Taylor want to be a father, and a writer. He wanted to capture that free feeling, and to make his life all about experiences like that. He decided to try harder to write, to get published, and to be a father. He now has two books out and a fifteen-month-old son, Sammy, all of which he can trace back to that little boy he played soccer with in Kenya.  Taylor, a native of the Pacific Northwest, is a firm believer in appreciating where you grew up and where you currently are. However, this has not once stopped him from diving to the deepest depths on Earth, a fascination which began at the age of nineteen. His father aided him in boarding a Soviet-era submersible on its trip to the ocean’s floor in the Bermuda Triangle, investigating an old wooden target. This target turned out to be an unexpected historical artifact, over sixteen thousand feet deep, and so, at the age of nineteen, Taylor was able to explore the bottom of the ocean with his own eyes. He had the sudden knowledge that no other human being had experienced what he was experiencing in that moment. He had a realization that changed the trajectory of his life, because he discovered his passion, and was able to understand, develop, and focus on this. When you come back from a journey like his, your overthinking, doubts, and second thoughts no longer matters.  What matters is your transformation, and your realization of what is truly important to your travels and to you.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Kristin Addis trusts the world, and she trusts her truest self, the one who hides inside and waits until she is alone to reveal herself. She knows a great deal about solo female travel, having adventured around the world since 2012, and she believes wholeheartedly in talking to strangers and in taking leaps. She offers support to anyone who will listen: if you don’t feel as though you’re understood, or if you don’t know where to look, there are people all around the world who will offer you opportunities to learn who you really are. Solo travel is the purest opportunity to discover yourself.  In March 2014, Kristin Addis found herself in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The snow was blasting her, filling up the grounds surrounding her with white, and Kristin herself was low on money. She had to hitchhike her way eight or nine hours back to her site, and she was in a small town, so not a lot of people were presenting her with travel opportunities. Being a foreign girl in China, though, does have its advantages, and one particular group pulled over their nice car and buckled her in for a white-knuckled ride. An hour outside the city, they stopped to eat with her, which is typically a normal experience, but this was not the case on that day. Instead, she selected a large, living fish to eat, and experienced an incredibly uncommon waitress. Her dinner was ridiculous, and her leftovers were maybe even a little dangerous. In the end, she was just this random girl from California, hitchhiking in a remote part of the world, who ended up with an unexpected gift or two at the end of the day.  Kristin Addis Advises: How Do I Know If I'm Ready to Travel? Kristin Addis is currently staying in Berlin before she goes to Africa, as she knew upon setting foot in Berlin that it would be the perfect environment for her new home base. She utilized a freelance visa, one of the many ways that a lot of the world is opening up when it comes to things like travel. The world, Kristin believes, is opening up travel and accessibility and opportunities to a large chunk of the world, which is better than the past circumstances. Kristin’s grandmother, like her, was a traveler, who shared her photo albums with Kristin. She was Kristin’s only traveling family member, and, in being so, she unconsciously inspired Kristin. After she passed away, Kristin and her mother found her journal and embraced her legacy, exploring the world as she saw it, and imparting their own experiences, as well. Any place exists how you experience it, how you document it, and what you get out of it.  Kristin firmly embraced her travel bug, spending summers abroad, saving her money, burning her bridges and returning to Asia where she felt she belonged. She wanted to learn about different cultures in depth; she moved without support and immersed herself. She stuck it out, and was amazing by her own ability to embrace different experiences and a new way of life.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

How can I connect with the world around me when I travel? How can I immerse myself in a culture? How can I share my experiences with the world? Yann Ilunga has the answer to each of these questions, and can help guide travelers to their own unique solutions. Yann Ilunga is an entrepreneur, podcaster, consultant, and all-around legendarily cool guy, in Hayden’s own words. He is the person Hayden trusts most with helping start blogs and podcasts, and he visits the Travel Stories Podcast to share his tips, to tell his stories, and to encourages an adventurous lifestyle and a community sharing experience.  Yann Ilunga has always been interested in adventure. He grew up outdoorsy, playing football (or soccer, if you’re in the States), and mimicking Indiana Jones and Jack Kerouac, his adventurous, traveling heroes. One of the most amazing things that ever happened to Yann was that he was able to live how his heroes lived when he traveled. Traveling by car along the Atlantic coast of the western part of Ireland with nothing but the ocean, but nature, around him was so powerful, not because he pictured himself as a character like the ones he wanted to become, but because these were the moments that he really felt that everything was aligned. He experienced this again traveling in California, creating an incredible experience where he could think absolutely nothing and just be. In moments like these, Yann became his passion.  He encourages all travelers to reach for this feeling, to belong to that world. The next time you go on a trip, whether it’s by car, by bicycle, by foot, whatever, try to be on the lookout, because in that kind of a moment that Yann experienced, there is nothing but you, the natural elements around you, and feelings of happiness and belonging. How Do I Immerse Myself in a Culture When I Travel? Yann Ilunga encourages you to be genuine and to be authentically yourself when you travel, because that is the foundation on which you can build great relationships when you travel. You can form strong, intense friendships when you travel by putting yourself out there. You have to be vulnerable, to be open, to step outside your comfort zone, in order to connect with amazing people all over the world.  Yann shares stories of being in Ireland, where, for no particular reason, he changed his plans, got in a car, and went in the opposite direction from what he planned. What he saw and who he met were incredible and unexpected, because it feels amazing to do something unpredictable, and to take a chance on that experience. Yann is in Finland now, and encourages travelers to immerse themselves in a culture in order to get all the tools that you’ll need to learn everything about that place and to become a part of that culture. Six years ago, Yann camped around Europe for two months; he believes camping is a form of travel that allows you to experience a location at a deeper level.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Can a person sustain their life on their passions? Can you do what you love and live off of it, too? It’s the perfect road to go down, and one that travelers often find themselves seeking. Juliana Dever has found the path. A travel blogger and an actress from the television series Castle , Juliana has thrown herself into world traveling and drawing experiences from her fears. When she’s not acting, she’s traveling, testing her limits. A self-proclaimed Russophile, Juliana Dever has had a fascination with Russia since childhood. She wants to act and travel, and has found a way to maintain this lifestyle, doing what she truly loves. Keeping that life of travel up is possible, and Juliana can prove it. “If you never meet a stranger,” Juliana says, “then that’s all they’ll ever be to you.” The world is your oyster (and to Juliana, Russia is the pearl).  The second time Juliana Dever went to Russia, it was as part of a language class. She was given the option to stay with a Russian family, which she took, it being a great opportunity and all. She had visions of laughing around a dinner table, speaking Russian; her reality, though, was a young man who spoke absolutely no English, herself, who spoke very little Russian, and nobody else. Already in a confusing situation, she was with this young man who was very much immersed in that bachelor lifestyle: keeping to himself, leaving out pasta and ketchup for dinner, which was a rocky start to Juliana’s stay. However, the chaos of the experience culminated in her getting locked in her bedroom one day with no way to contact her host. A bit of WiFi, a well-timed email to her friend Rachel, and some frantic Googling helped her survive.  Why Should I Travel to Russia? Juliana Dever is a self-proclaimed Russophile, and it shows in how she talks about Russia and her time there. Juliana is lived in Russia twice, the first time being for a couple of months in the winter, training with the Moscow Art Theatre. Growing up, Juliana was incredibly and inexplicably attracted to Russia, which didn’t make a ton of sense for her as a little girl growing up in rural Missouri. She considered the idea that she might be a reincarnated member of the Romanov family; after she went to Russia, made peace with it, and released it, she felt as though she was able to move on. For Juliana, Russia was like a painting in her head before she actually went. When she got there, though, all of a sudden, it crystallized into a glowing, beautiful, mythical place that hardly seemed real to her. Russia was what dreams were made of, for her. The smells, the sights, the sounds, the tastes - all are so hard to put into words, but they make up what Juliana loves most about Russia and about travel. How Do You Make a Living Doing What You Love? Juliana Dever believes that travel is about being in the moment.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Travel changes a person. Adapting to an entirely new culture and people not only alters the traveler while they live in that culture, but also changes them irrevocably when they return home. Getting used to the world around you is an important travel step, and one Amanda Kendle is intimately familiar with. Amanda lived in three foreign countries during her twenties, and is the master of slow travel. During her lifetime, she’s developed a travel mentality that can be summed up in one word: “thoughtful.” She fosters the more cerebral aspect of travel, using her thoughts to rationalize and relate to her experience.  Host of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, Amanda shares her thoughts on reverse culture shock, cultural adaptation, and returning home. Lessons from Japanese Vegetables Amanda once lived in the Kansai region of Japan, and, one day, was given an opportunity to visit this old home again. The only downside, though, was that she was sent with a guide who was to accompany her all week, and she was not the kind of person who liked to travel with others, preferring to do her own thing. As it turned out, her guide was a 68-year-old woman named Mariko who had spent thirty-odd years guiding foreigners around Japan. As such, she had amazing stories to tell, and words of wisdom for everyone. When Mariko and Amanda experienced an earthquake together, and visited the earthquake memorial in Kobe, Amanda learned that Mariko was a survivor.  She remembers well what she learned from Mariko and her Rincon vegetables that day: “You have to look through to the future, because that’s the only way to get through life.” Slow Travel: Experiencing a New Culture Abroad There is no one utopia in this world; there are good things and bad things about every place you can travel to. Hayden and Amanda talk about the pockets of the world they enjoy traveling to, and how they prefer to look for the reality of a place, beyond the plastic. Hayden enjoys going over to “the other side” for a day. Amanda discusses adapting your travel style to your life, and Hayden shares a well-executed metaphor comparing travel to experiencing a play on stage with the actors. The two of them explore the main differences between passing through somewhere, and living in the place.  Amanda discusses the reactions of people around her. The longer she lives in a place, the better she understands it, and she believes that spending a longer time in one space lets you better understand the nuances and quirks of a culture. Truly, travel wouldn’t be the same without the trial and error of learning new cultural experiences - learning what’s rude, what’s not, what’s the correct way to act. Getting over those cultural speed bumps is the best way to adapt to the realities of different places, and immerse yourself in a new culture.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Can a traveler have a home base? What does stability mean to an adventurer? Is the push-pull siren call of the two different traveling worlds surmountable? Derek Loudermilk, host of The Art of Adventure, answers all of these questions and more, unprompted and in depth. Derek is a father, a digital nomad, and a traveler who believes in the power of dichotomy and travels with his infant son, Axel. An adventurer and a businessman, Derek seeks to help others who have the elusive dream of becoming location-independent. Between the jungles of Bali, his wife’s nesting abilities, and his location independence set of skills, Derek is never far from home.  Derek Loudermilk’s story takes place in the jungles of central Bali, in one of his favorite regions - in the central highlands, in a place called Bedugul. This space is very primal for him, and he loves to spend time up there to connect with nature, which he believes can make a person more creative, confident, and self-aware. During one afternoon walk in the jungles, Derek experienced a surprising connection with nature: upon entering a clearing with an ancient, massive tree, and placing his hands on the tree, he got an electro-emotional shock. He says the tree was trying to tell him something. When he put his hands on the tree again, it happened a second time, with Derek experiencing a flood of emotions, sweating, and crying. What happened when he was given time alone with the tree would change Derek’s life from thereon out, as well as his work and his further wellbeing.  The Best of Both Worlds: Travel Edition Hayden met Derek Loudermilk when they both guested on The Budget-Minded Traveler, and Hayden realized how interesting, curious, and unique he was. Derek has lived on four continents, and he values traveling slowly and getting to know the culture. Derek is a wholehearted believer in the power of music. He and Hayden share their stories on the topic, with Derek giving a bit of insight into his father and different ways to make music on the go. In regards to his father and the rest of his family, Derek remembers the time he spent camping and traveling as a child. His family wanted to travel somewhere new every year when he was young, which led to his love of exploration, which he now wishes to pass onto his infant son, Axel, whom he travels with now.  Axel is a zen child who likes to travel, which leads Hayden and Derek to explore the effects of traveling from infancy on a person. Derek believes in showing Axel the best of both worlds. People’s lives can change in a single moment and take them on a new track in life, a new direction, and traveling can help people discover their own self-identity.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Letting the path ahead of you lead the way is a degree of control that some people struggle to let go of. Amie and Matt Leichtfuss encourage this degree of trial-and-error, though. On any adventure, letting the details reveal themselves as your journey unfolds can bring the most authentic experiences a traveler can experience. In telling their story, Michoacán: Don't Go There (You'll Die), they prove just how valuable that can be. Traveling with their dog, six surfboards, and a travel vlog, Amie and Matt let trial-and-error dictate their path, the details revealing themselves each step of the way.  In their story, Michoacán: Don't Go There (You'll Die), Amie and Matt tell of a time when they were traveling over a long bridge when they first saw the sign: Bienvenidos a Michoacán. Michoacán is a Mexican area known for its heavy drug activity; because of this, it is often avoided by travelers. Amie and Matt, however, wanted to experience the area for themselves, as they are not ones to let anyone stop them from doing anything. Inspired by In Search of Captain Zero , they were looking for some good waves. They started to run out of fuel, though, which wracked their nerves; they hadn’t found a station to stop at, so they pushed on through the jungle.  They saw something on the road ahead that completely threw them for a loop and began to terrify them, but what would actually happen was something they could never have anticipated. Can I Go on a Road Trip with My Dog and My Travel Vlog? Amie and Matt Leichtfuss are from The Traveling Together Journal, a travel vlog which some of you may have seen on YouTube. The two of them are travel bloggers, travel vloggers, surfers, and amateur engineers. They are presently in Central America, because they saved up to do a big road trip together with their dog. They started in Maui, then to California for a full-size pickup to drive all the way to Panama - along with their six surfboards, their masseuse table, their spearguns, and a collection of other odd objects. They travel with Jaeger, their mixed lab dog, who has been an interesting addition and brought them to a strange little Mexican town when he needed a veterinarian.  Powering them on their voyage is solar power, which provides them with the power to keep their refrigerator running, to run a fan at night, and to run LED lights. Their idea of trial-and-error, which helped them hotwire their solar power, sustains them throughout their trip. Making Travel Decisions and Starting Your Journey Deciding on a trip is not an easy task. It was overwhelming for Amie and Matt to think of everything they would want to do and everywhere they would want to go before they left, so, instead, they decided to play it day-by-day. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Are you enough? The answer, no matter how you feel in any particular moment, is always a resounding “yes.” Rachel Rudwall believes that every person is “enough” to start an adventure, that stories are born from the unexpected, and that childlike wonder has a place in the life of a traveler. Her optimistic outlook on life and her love of worldwide connections are a breath of fresh air in the travel world. With a travel story from Cuba and a bright personality, Rachel gives us a story and an interview to jumpstart our own travels. Secret Havana Rachel brings a travel story all the way from Havana, from the moment she realized that the whole world would open up to her the moment she recognized that other people existed. She was walking down the street in Cuba when she was struck by the impulse to tell a woman she liked her hat. After acting on this impulse, their conversation soon evolved into this stranger taking them to see some sweet street art.  On the way, they encounter a festival, amazing music, a celebration of a symbol of the revolution. This leads into a store, then to a ramshackle Havana building to buy a special item from a strange apartment. Their host told them all about her life, and helped them to explore the deepest parts of her world. Rachel’s experience never would have happened if she hadn’t commented on a stranger’s hat. Rachel believes you will never truly know someone or have a genuine experience unless you truly get to know the people. The Power of Storytelling Every experience is either a good experience, or a good story later on. Rachel and Hayden discuss not being able to predict what any journey will bring you, and Rachel adds on how she likes to be surprised, moved, taught, and connected to others in her travels. They talk about the different archetypes of travelers, and how confidence and vulnerability, working in tandem, can bring about the greatest experiences of all.  Rachel’s spirit for adventure began and was fostered in the midwestern United States, where mountains and oceans only existed on television and children like her found pleasure in the little journeys she took. She thinks it’s important to bring that childlike wonder and curiosity into your everyday adult life, rather than over-thinking and limiting yourself from exploring unplanned, pure experiences. She tells Hayden that stories are born from bad or unexpected things happening to you as a traveler; stories, she says, give us everything that might be a building blood for our lives. Storytelling enables us to see where we exist in our own lives, and in the universe. When you explore what is natural and real and inherent to life, you choose to leave behind what is familiar and instead have to listen to what your body tells you, because that animal instinct is all the familiarity you have left. The risk, however, is worth it; after all, what’s the worst that could happen? You Are Enough: Do I Have the Potential to Travel?  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Kinga loves sharks, so she went to Isla Mujeres, where whale sharks gather periodically in an afuera. She sailed the rough seas to the afuera, where she encountered one of the greatest scenes of her life. She could see the whale sharks’ dorsal fins, the manta rays swimming with them, and so she jumped into the water with her GoPro. The manta rays spun around her; the whale sharks swam around; she felt as though she was swimming in shark soup. Just then, the GoPro died, and Kinga had to be innovative on fixing her problem in order to document the experience. Between her GoPro, her phone, and her own two eyes, Kinga had to find a way to keep her memory for the rest of her life. What she discovered, though, was how to be properly present in her moment as it happened, leading to her best-ever travel experience - all while she was swimming in shark soup.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

What does it mean to explore your senses? What does a sense do for a person when they travel? Can you bottle your experiences and bring them home with you? Kinga Philipps, an adventurer currently living in Malibu with a passion for all things aquatic, discusses these points and more with Hayden. The host of The Wild Side with Kinga Philipps on the Travel Channel, Kinga talks mystery, senses, history, and sharks, the last of which she touches on with love and anger. Why Do Humans Travel? Kinga believes that people love mystery, and that they are fascinated by what they cannot explain. Humans, she says, pursue what they cannot fully understand. Things that have terrified people over the ages have also intrigued and fascinated them, luring them in and making them try things they never would otherwise.  This drive to go into the unknown is what pushes Kinga to challenge herself and to trigger personal growth through herself through travel. Her parents ingrained in her a spirit of adventure and of seeking something new, which became her driving force in adulthood. Through changing up her routines, following her own compass, and living by a Jack London credo, Kinga brings new experiences to herself every day, which are the greatest moments of her life. Exploring Your Senses and Memories Exploring your senses when you travel grounds you in the moment. It gives you a solid experience as a traveler, because your senses make something inherently magical go off inside of you.  Hayden and Kinga search for a name for the feeling of being in a strange place, coming into your five senses, and realizing how present you are. Kinga offers tips to trigger your own memories, like bringing a scent along with you from home so that you can train yourself to attach memories to scents. Senses were designed to keep humans alive, but they can also bring you back to your greatest moments when you experience them again in the future. Places have an energy that fills you when you’re there; you can jump into other lives, have new experiences, build your memories, and bring them back later, when it’s all said and done. Unique senses can bring memories crashing back. Advocating for Sharks and Worldwide Animal Welfare Kinga is a member of and advocate for Shark Allies, an organization designed to protect our oceans and the sharks that live in them.  Shark Allies founder and Kinga’s mentor, Stefanie Brendl, is a shark expert that Kinga met by bidding on her on eBay and taking her to lunch, which evolved into creating “action buttons” on shark conservation. Kinga discusses how shark fins are used unnecessarily as a status symbol, how brutally the fins are taken, and how she and Shark Allies fight to stop this from happening. In a fit of anger, she and Hayden want people to do their research and be aware; Kinga believes that people, at their core, are good, and want to do good. Kinga tells the audience that the experience of going out, stepping out of routine, and having magical moments is vital to travel.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

In this season four  finale of the Travel Stories Podcast, Hayden is joined by Nicole (his writer) and Cody (his composer) to look back over the season, share outtakes, and talk about the upcoming fifth season. They weave through every episode and discuss what they thought about the guests and the stories, bringing in recaps and flashbacks to the highlights of each episode. You’ll remember this season featured Tom Butler, Sarah Miduski, Tania Aebi, Nate Buchanan, Britany Felix, Frank Salas, Leon Logothetis, Ladan Jiracek, Justin Walter, Cody Crabb, and Mike Corey. The gang shares their favorite episodes and moments from this season. In their rambling discussions, the gang talks about the same themes that they see cropping up in every episodes, and the vein they see running through all the themes and episodes this season.  They talk about what traveling means to them, then start devolving into a conversation about expectations versus reality, making experiences positive or negative, and how this plays into travel. They discuss traveling with children and travel aesthetics. The gang has fun together, bantering and joking around, as well as dragging each other and wholeheartedly (and savagely) mocking one another. The team also discusses the unreality of thinking they have actual listeners and actual fans. In their conversation, they revisit past guests and fans, like Billy from last season and what he’s been up to. Hayden brings some outtakes to share, as well - such as one where Hayden and Nicole roast Cody when his connection dropped during an episode. Their big finish features discussing what’s coming up in season five.  Coming up next season we have a name change: we are becoming Backpack Digital. Our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram handles, as well as our website name, are all changing to backpackdigital to reflect this. We’re also expanding to include more than just podcasts. We have more inspiring travel-related content coming your way, so stay tuned! The podcast itself is changing, as well: the intro is changing, we’re getting new artwork, and the format is going to be split up. We’ll break up the interview and the story into two separate episodes for easy listening. We’re also releasing a book during season five: Nicole’s novel Venus , a novel about two young women who go on an adventure, searching for an escape and for a way to discover who they are as people. Along the way, they figure out who they are, they fall in love, and they learn that the journey is sometimes better than the destination. If you stay tuned all the way until the end of the episode, you can find some bonus outtakes of Hayden being a mushmouth.  We look forward to bringing you forward to season five come late March. Have a good break!  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Once upon a time, a wise old Jedi claimed that “fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.” He stopped after suffering, though, so we have to wonder: what does suffering lead to? Is there a chance that suffering can lead to new possibilities? From suffering, there are opportunities for growth, for change, and for evolution. Suffering can be the catalyst for so many qualities necessary in a travel, and, sometimes, all that you need to do to obtain those qualities is to “rough it” when traveling. Tom Butler makes his triumphant return to discuss the benefits of “roughing it,” as well as his time in China.  Tom returns to Hayden to talk about his life since he last visited in season three, as well as how he has begun to settle down with his family, which includes his three-year-old daughter and will soon include another child, coming this summer. He talks about how the logistics of traveling have had to shift since he has started adding children to his family, since the travel bug has not been dissuaded regardless of how many kids he has. Tom also discusses how to manage your budget and finances when you travel. The highlight of Tom’s episode is in his story, based in China and given the alluring title of: “On the Right Track.”  He talks about his journey with his family from Shiyan to Beijing, how they decided to stop over in Pingyao, but also decided to take the most overpacked train directly following Chinese New Year. What followed was a lesson in not overbooking trains, and in trusting those around you when something goes wrong. Tom also discusses with Hayden cultural divides, differences from location to location, and how even the slightest deviation from your usual routine can count as a travel experience. They also continue their thread of how “toughing it” can make an experience that much more powerful and interesting to go through and learn from, as well as how to follow your own flexibility when scheduling and spending on a trip. When it comes right down to it, though, you will never know if you don’t give it a shot; “do or do not - there is no try.”  0:57 - In the last episode of season four, Hayden re-introduces Tom Butler, one of our most popular guests from season three. Tom has been around the world with his wife and is starting to settle down with a family, with his second child on the way this summer, but the travel bug has never left him.  8:05 - Hayden and Tom discuss the price spectrum of traveling and how to manage your budget and your finances when you travel. Tom mentions how your own comfort and experiences can play into your financial decisions, as well as how flexible you can be in your scheduling and your spending.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Knowing that you’re able to travel - able to afford it, able to hop on a plane and end up halfway across the world only hours later - can grant you a kind of appreciation you never realized before. Living in a place where travel is possible, where going on unprecedented journeys is possible, where listening to travel story podcasts is possible, is the ideal travel situation. How can you live a life of possibility, and how can you utilize the life of possibility that you have been given? Sarah Miduski of Obligatory Traveler joins Hayden to talk about life, health, and the pursuit of graciousness in travel. Sarah is a self-proclaimed “fangirl” of the show as well as a blogger, writer, and storyteller at Obligatory Traveler. She has three chronic illnesses, a rare heart condition, and an unwavering sense of adventure and wanderlust.  She joins Hayden to talk about breaking into writing, branding herself, and how she handles her chronic health issues in regards to her travel desires. She reconciles her “medical mess,” as she calls it, with her adventures. Hayden discusses with Sarah the importance of hindsight and looking back on your travels once you have experience to look back with. Sarah also talks about her list of where she wants to go and what she wants to do, which she has on her website. She talks about her epiphany surrounding her own mortality in her youth, and talks about how her realization of her mortality led her to her life of travel. Sarah shares her story, a Panama-based tale that she has ambiguously titled ‘Unexpected Wildlife.’ She spins a yarn about the time she was desperately searching for a sloth on her trip, but instead encountered an entirely different kind of fauna in the forest. She tried to escape unscathed, but, unfortunately, she saw way more than she ever intended to see that day. Luckily, she did live through the encounter, and took from it an important lesson: always expect the unexpected.  In the modern traveler’s life, it is expected that they live a life that they ought to be grateful for. Travelers can tap into the idea of gratitude to access a deeper level to their journey, as well as utilizing this gratitude in their traveling. Hayden and Sarah discuss the theory of the “space between,” meaning the space between stimulus and response, with positives and negatives, as well as control when traveling. Travelers have an obligation to themselves to express gratitude for their situations, and to access their gratitude for their adventures.  0:56 - Hayden introduces Sarah Miduski, a fan of the show and a blogger, writer, and storyteller at Obligatory Traveler; she has three chronic illnesses, a rare heart condition, and a strong sense of adventure. She discusses how she broke into writing on a blog, as well as how she got the “Obligatory” name, and how that ties in with her traveling.  5:35 - Sarah talks about how she handles her self-proclaimed “medical mess” (her chronic health issues) with her travel desires and circumstances.  11:00 - Sarah shares her story, taking place in Panama and intriguingly and ambiguously titled: ‘Unexpected Wildlife.’ Sarah was desperately searching for her first glance of a sloth when she came to the ideal Panamanian bridge.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Solitude, uncertainty, and unpredictable storms (both physical and metaphorical) are circumstances that every single human being experiences during their lifetime. When you have only yourself and a steadfast belief in luck to rely on, it can be difficult to throw yourself into a situation. If you keep moving forward, though, even the impossible can become possible - and this is especially true when you decide to trust in others and let them help you along your path. Tania Aebi is a living example of the truth behind this. In the late 1980s, starting at age eighteen, Tania Aebi successfully completed a solo circumnavigation of the entire world, making her the first American woman and the youngest person at the time to sail all the way around the world.  She wrote the book Maiden Voyage about her experiences, and visits the Travel Stories Podcast to share her stories. She and Hayden discuss her life-changing journey, the methods to her madness, and the importance of her father’s influence in her life. In between tales about Tania’s world-traveling cats and their wives, Tania also tells Hayden about the role that preparation needs to take in getting ready to travel. They discuss luck, too, and how you can never know what will happen to you until you take the first step and give something a try. She discusses her “day by day,” “mile by mile” approach to travel, getting from one location to the next. She also talks about her roots and the home she has made in Vermont. Tania also shares her own travel story, of which she had many to choose from, expertly called “The Fisherman.”  She discusses how she had been struggling as she came into port at Sri Lanka, but that the bad luck turned when a fishing boat with two guys approached her. Wary, as this could go one of two ways, Tania accepted the help, and trusted in human nature and in these two individuals to help her. Years later, she received something she had never anticipated as a result of that meeting. She now recalls these encounters as how strong human connections can be, and how important it is to trust in one another.  Traveling around the world is a massive undertaking. However, with a few cats, a couple fishermen in loincloths, a belief in human connections, and faith in luck, Tania Aebi was able to pull off exactly that. 1:25 - Hayden introduces Tania Aebi, the first American woman and the youngest person to sail around the world, as well as an accomplished author. 3:32 - Hayden and Tania discuss her epic journey, and her method of taking the trip “mile by mile.” Tania also talks about the influence of her father on her traveling, as well as the importance of the faith he had in her and the role of preparation in her journey. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Learning how to trust is something only you can teach yourself how to do. It can be one of the most important things that you will encounter during travel, but encounter it you must. Who do you trust in this world, though? Can you trust someone you’ve only known for a matter of seconds? How can you trust that you’re going to make the right decision? Hayden introduces Nate Buchanan of Kara and Nate to help him answer these questions and more. Nate Buchanan is famously from the travel vlog Kara and Nate, being one half of the titular pair - the other half being his wife, Kara. The two of them are looking to travel to 100 countries by 2019. In addition to this, Nate is also an expert in travel hacking.  In this episode, Hayden and Nate discuss to plan or not to plan, as well as the importance of being a bucket list maker. They also talk about how Nate became a travel vlogger, and how important accountability and documentation are to his lifestyle and to travel. Nate’s story is based in the Philippines, and which he has titled, spectacularly and simply titled: ‘The Cave.’ In it, he features the island of Siargao, the concept of motorbikes, an adventure under the sea, and, of course, the titular cave itself. Adventure is lurking around every corner; as Nate proves, you just have to be willing to trust yourself, those around you, and the adventure itself in order to access the deepest reaches of it. Much like Nate and Kara accessed the deepest reaches of the cave.  Hayden, of course, takes advantage of the motorbike portion of the story to weave a tale or two of his own, from his journeys on motorbikes to his adventures in Saigon. Hayden brings up trust in travel, too, and how to know you can trust your own decisions, which Nate relates to his own gut feelings. Nate also shares some travel hacks, as well as what travel hacking is and how even the simplest and least informed of travelers can travel hack. Trusting in yourself and others is a leap, not a baby step. It takes time to reach the point of being able to trust yourself to trust others and to trust your own gut. A long road though it may be, Kara, Nate, and Hayden are all living proof that it is a doable and, when achieved, worthwhile task. Trust in them. Trust in yourself. Trust in travel.  0:57 - Hayden introduces Nate Buchanan, one half of the travel-blogging duo Kara and Nate, a husband-and-wife team looking to travel to 100 countries by 2019. Nate is also an expert in travel hacking.  3:58 - Hayden and Nate discuss what works for them - planning, or not planning, as well as what plans to stick to while you travel and which plans you can ditch. They also talk about why bucket lists are so important to Nate.  9:47 - Hayden asks Nate to discuss his and Kara’s vlog and their travel goals.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Charlotte Ahern joins Hayden from her current home base in Vancouver to talk travel, life, Justin Bieber and Terminator 2. They deep dive into some of the more interesting aspects of life, such as why it's a good thing to be rebellious, living somewhere full time and whether it's a good idea to sometimes  not  take the road less traveled.  Charlotte Ahern also brings her story, entitled 'Cheating Death in Lao', documenting the time she had a crystallising epiphany about life and death alike. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it almost gets taken from us, something Charlotte Ahern knows very well.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Learning how to live a life that is exclusively yours versus the life that you believe you are supposed to live is an essential part of your growth, not just as a traveler, but as a person. Britany Felix has taken a long road to living her life as she wants to, but she has made it all the way to being the person and traveler she wants to be. Her message is to live unconventionally. Britany joins Hayden from Colorado, at the base of the Rocky Mountains. She talks about compromising on settling down when you travel with others, how to have adventures without traveling very far, and how to live your life the way you want to. Hayden brings up how he creates a checklist in order to decide what he will and will not do.  Britany also shares the story of her own life, and how she did research on the life she wanted to live and how she grew to achieve her dreams. Britany also brings her travel story, the aptly-named “Parisian Roller Coaster of Emotion,” in which she weaves the tale of her first trip out of her home country, to France. While she and her new husband were there, they immediately encountered several unfortunate incidents, then a few positive experiences, in a true roller coaster of highs and lows, ups and downs, a tumultuous ride through their Parisian vacation. Britany used the experience to teach herself how to use the negative emotions that come with such unfortunate events like these ones. Becoming the person you want to be is a long road, but, if you do not take the first step on the path, you can never reach your destination.  Britany is living proof that, with the right research and journey, you can be the traveler - and the person - that you want to be. All you have to do is live a little unconventionally. In this episode, Hayden and Britany Felix discuss: Traveling full-time versus traveling part-time. Hayden asks Britany how to compromise on settling down when you travel with partners or other companions. Finding adventures in the place you grew up in or the place that you were in at the moment. You can travel all over the world, because you never think of the place you are in as being a destination, but everywhere is a foreign place to people who are not from there. The concept of living your life the way you want to, not the way you are supposed to. Hayden brings up how he makes up a checklist to decide whether or not to do something. How to free up your life and to feel the freedom and happiness that adventurers who share their stories, like Britany, feel when they travel. Traditional ways of living, and how to incorporate your life with your desire to travel. Britany shares her personal story of how she was able to achieve her dream of traveling and adventuring, and how she made herself happy through research. Britany recommends The Art of Non-Conformity, by Chris Guillebeau, the book that really sparked the change in her. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Living on the road is the dream, the goal for many, but not for all. Everybody on the planet Earth is wired differently, and those varied wirings apply to every area of life, including travel. Figuring out how to live on the road, though, is a huge step on the way to learning how you, personally, are wired, regardless of your circumstances. Frank Salas, who prefers the title of The Talented Mr. Salas, joins Hayden to discuss the paths available to becoming an entrepreneur and a nomad like he is. Frank Salas is a serial entrepreneur and a digital nomad, who came from humble beginnings to become the Talented Mr. Salas that he is today. He joins Hayden to talk about how he first started on his path, as well as offering a peek into how he lives day-to-day now that he has reached this point. He also shares how he accomplished what he has achieved, and how commitment and discovery were enormous parts of his evolution.  Frank also explores how to make your budget and funding work for your travel adventures. Frank also comes to share his story, a tale with the appealing title of: “The Cancun Kidnapping Scare.” Frank recounts, in humorous, frightening, and vivid detail, the taxi ride he was taking in Cancun that seemed to go down a terrifying path. Once his driver started saying ominous statements into a walkie talkie, Frank started to panic, forming an escape plan, struggling to find an out. After a miraculous escape, a falling out, a call to his mother, and an incident of stalking, Frank eventually learned a lesson about Cancun. Starting yourself on the road to travel and adventure is one of the most difficult tasks a person can undertake. That level of commitment is not something taken lightly. Luckily, folks like Frank Salas, who have true “rags to riches” stories and the strength to back up their stories, are here to help those who want to travel find their way onto the right path. Living on the road is not easy to start doing, but, if you are wired for a nomadic life, it is the next best step.  0:56 - Hayden introduces Frank Salas, serial entrepreneur and digital nomad, who came from humble beginnings to become the Talented Mr. Salas. Frank talks about how he first got the idea to become a digital nomad and the resolution he actually followed through on, as well as giving a look into his lifestyle.  10:07 - Hayden asks Frank about how he managed to make his digital nomad and traveling life happen. Frank discusses comfort, commitment, discovery, and anxiety related to traveling and starting your adventure.  16:55 - Frank starts to tell his story, featuring the rather intriguing title, “The Cancun Kidnapping Scare.” Frank was on a ride when he realized the driver had locked the doors and gave a terribly ominous message into his walkie talkie. The drivers in the cars next to him were frightening, as well, and Frank automatically started to panic. He executes an entire plan on how to escape, which was nearly thwarted by a phone cable. A call to his mother escalates, the driver of the car will not leave him alone, and Frank learns a lesson about Cancun.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Allowing yourself to be vulnerable in any situation is not easy, but, in order to make complete connections with others, it can be very necessary. Granting yourself the freedom to be vulnerable gives you a freedom when traveling that is totally unparalleled. Hayden invites Leon Logothetis, an adventurer, motivational speaker, philanthropist, host of the television series  Amazing Adventures of a Nobody , and author of  The Kindness Diaries , to discuss vulnerability and kindness when traveling. Leon’s twin passions are kindness and helping people nurture their inner rebel.  He and Hayden discuss that inner rebel and how it can be coaxed out into the open, as well as what drives Leon to be kind and what motivates him to be empathetic to others. Leon also talks about how he puts himself out there when he travels, and how vital that vulnerability is. Leon also shares his travel story, titled in an excessively British way as: “The Ham Sandwich.” It is accurate in its grimness, as it ominously leads into Leon’s bad omens in Panama and experiences traveling to Ecuador. Besides a rough-and-tumble encounter with the locals, Leon also has a dangerous experience on board a boat that was entirely unexpected, and possibly feature a ham sandwich as an unlikely catalyst.   Though making yourself vulnerable is an exceedingly difficult task, it is vital to completing your travel experience. Without that openness and willingness to connect with others, you cannot totally engage with your environments as you travel. Allowing yourself that vulnerability makes both you and your adventures well-rounded.  1:20 - Hayden introduces Leon Logothetis, and the two of them discuss everyone’s inner rebel and how that inner rebel can be nurtured and coaxed out into the open.  5:43 - Hayden asks Leon about what gives him the drive to commit acts of kindness and what his motivations are. Leon discusses the role that empathy and putting yourself in another’s shoes can play in your life and in your travels.  9:53 - Leon starts telling his story, ominously and Britishly titled “The Ham Sandwich.” Leon went on an adventure to Panama, where he immediately had a rough experience with the locals, which he took as a bad omen for things to come. The captain of the ship he then traveled on was too forceful with him regarding their food choices, which Leon tried to sneak around by requesting a ham sandwich. What happened to him afterwards, though, on the way to Ecuador, was dangerous and completely unexpected.  14:49 - Hayden and Leon break down Leon’s story, how the story lived up to its title, and how the ham sandwich affected - or did not affect - his journeys in North and South America. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

It's been quite a year for us at Travel Stories Podcast and this rather small episode is merely a thank you to all of our listeners, and the wishing of a happy holiday season, wherever you may be.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Culture is one of the first things you might notice while you travel. While culture shock is a sizable and impactful thing, experiencing other cultures is vital to travel and vital to humanity as a whole. Learning about culture while traveling can help you learn about those that you share the world with, as well as learning more about yourself. Ladan Jiracek visits this week from his own podcast, the Travel Wisdom podcast. He has been to over ninety countries and loves to think about how travel can be a chance to learn. He and Hayden discuss how to learn from travel and how to find purpose and meaning from your adventures while traveling.  They also have an in-depth talk about how important it can be to learn a language while traveling. Ladan also mentions that relationship cultures are among the most drastic differences he has found internationally. The two of them agree that exploring cultures outside of one’s own society is vital. Ladan also shares what he believes has been holding people back from traveling, while Hayden brings up the topic of podcasts and their impact on the travel world. They talk about one-upping, travel as a learning experience, the impact of certain countries, and their thoughts on marriage and children.  Ladan discusses his time in Georgia, as well. “Cheating Death and Hitchhiking Africa,” Ladan’s tale of how difficult it can be to get from point A to point B, is full of conflict and twists. One summer, Ladan and his friends decided to hitchhike across Africa, and one thing after another started to go wrong while they were crossing the desert on a twelve-hour road trip into Somalia. Without water and with far too much sand, Ladan remembers vividly how journeying to Somalia was wrought with strife and amusing troubles. Culture is the most vital part of national identity. It is the root of language, of tradition, and of daily life in communities all around the world. Getting to know the cultures around you, and the cultures around the world, can drastically affect not only you as a traveler, but you as a person, as well.  0:55 - Hayden introduces Ladan Jiracek, who hosts the Travel Wisdom podcast, has been to over ninety countries, and loves to think about how travel can be a chance to learn. Ladan discusses how to find the purpose and the meaning behind your travels, as well as how important learning a language can be when traveling.  5:08 - Hayden and Ladan discuss exploring outside of their own societies, and how relationship cultures differ from place to place. Hayden asks Ladan what he has found around the world that he preferred to his own culture.  10:33 - Ladan talks about what he thinks holds people back from traveling. Hayden mentions how podcasts and the dissemination of information can provide a well-rounded perspective on travel and on the world.  13:30 - Ladan starts to tell his story, “Cheating Death and Hitchhiking Africa,” his go-to travel story. During the summer semester, Ladan hitchhiked across Africa, and found himself hunched over in a caravan to Somalia. Partway through the trip, they got stuck in the sand, and nobody had water. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Solo traveling is vital to finding oneself as a traveler. Be you at a hostel in Argentina, a farm in Brazil, or a crossroads in Vietnam, traveling solo and making decisions by yourself can help you find yourself both as a traveler and as a person. Lifting the veil off your eyes and being the purest version of yourself will aid you in losing yourself so far that you become found.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Travel is quite the ambitious venture. As Hayden says, “to travel is to live.” “The road is the best teacher,” he continues, and he could not be more right; what travelers can learn from their adventures can shape themselves and their lives from there on forwards. The things we learn about the world are not as important as the things we learn about ourselves. The most important question to ask oneself this week is: how does traveling alone affect what travel gives to us? Justin Walter joins Hayden to answer exactly this question. Justin, a television host, producer, writer, and traveler, hosts Let’s Go LA!, an outdoor adventure show, and writes the blog Around the World with Justin. He talks with Hayden about the time he won a trip to Wales, as well as how he got started as a world traveler. He discusses his travels and travel writings before Hayden mentions how important it can be to travel alone, and Justin agrees. In fact, he challenges listeners to travel by themselves at least once. He believes that it can force you to meet new people and encounter new things and to confront your fears.  Justin brings his story, a tale which he has titled “Letting Go,” which takes place in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He tells of how he and his friend journeyed to the Yi Peng Lantern Festival before they realized the crowd was entirely filled with people from all over the world, an unexpectedly diverse group. The ceremony and festival were incredibly symbolic and heavy with tradition, giving the entire experience another unique and beautiful layer. However, what was a surprise about the whole event was what happened to one of his companions to the festival. Traveling alone is not an easy task; however, for any world traveler - or, in fact, for any traveler - it is a necessary task. Solo journeys force travelers to interact more with the world around them and truly get to know the culture on a far deeper level. “The road is the best teacher,” Hayden points out, and the best road trips can be those where the car only holds the driver.  1:19 - Hayden introduces Justin Walter, a television host, producer, writer, and traveler who hosts Let’s Go L.A. and writes Around the World with Justin. Justin talks about his travels, his travel writing, the time he won a trip to Wales, and how he got started as a traveler.  7:30 - Hayden and Justin talk about how important it can be to travel alone. Justin challenges listeners to travel by themselves at least once. Justin believes that solo travel is an experience that everybody should have.  12:23 - Justin starts telling his story, which he has titled “Letting Go.” Justin traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he and his friend went to the Yi Peng Lantern Festival. When they were attending the lantern release, they realized the crowd was entirely diverse, with people from all over the world. He witnessed the entire ceremony, and realized the reflective properties of the traditions of the festival. He is able to watch as this crowd of people was connected in this completely unique and utterly beautiful way. What was unexpected, however, was what happened to his to one of the ESL teachers.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

A stressless travel mindset is not an easy thing to cultivate, but it is necessary for travelers. Skipping to the end can be a good trait to adopt as a traveler, because you can skip to the moment where something bad seems less drastic and concerning. Bad situations will always come up; when they do, an adventurer needs to be prepared to take the positive from the negative and keep moving forwards.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

When bad things happen, humans, in essence, have two response options: they can worry about it, stress about it, and live in a place of fear, for one. Their second option, though? They can pre-accept that bad situations might happen and live in a place of learning and gratitude instead. It is nearly impossible to stop bad situations from happening, but one thing that can be controlled is the response. Hayden welcomes Cody Crabb, a composer based out of Salt Lake City. He has worked on a number of full-length films, YouTube channels, and shorts, and is currently composing scores for the very Travel Stories Podcast. He and Hayden talk about how the location of a story influences his scores, how important body language can be, and the significance of learning and understanding the local language when you travel. Cody shares his story, which took place in Sinaloa, Mexico.  He calls this story, “The Ambulance Story.” He spent two years in Mexico, but he still remembers vividly the day that he and one of his new companions saw an ambulance and a truck squeal around the corner while they were walking down the street in Sinaloa. It was not the speed or the recklessness of the vehicles that surprised him - no, it was what he saw and heard on the back of the truck that surprised him more than anything else. The lessons learned in another country when one travels can stay in memory and actions for years after the adventure is over. Cody and Hayden talk about how important it is to attempt to prepare for any situation when you travel. Hayden talks about how he likes to fly by the seat of his pants, and how instincts can be changed. Composure is a powerful trait to possess when traveling, and keeping oneself in a state of pre-acceptance can lead to a stressless travel mindset.  0:58 - Hayden introduces Cody Crabb, a composer based out of Salt Lake City who has worked on a number of full-length films, YouTube channels, and shorts, as well as for the Travel Stories Podcast. Cody talks about how the location of a story influences his scores for the podcast.  5:09 - Hayden points out how Cody always mentions Mexico, and Cody shares his Spanish fluency. They discuss how knowing the native language as well as body language can affect your travel experience.  16:08 - Cody begins to tell his story, taking place in Sinaloa, Mexico, which he has titled “The Ambulance Story.” Cody spent two years in Mexico; one day, when he was in Sinaloa one day, walking down the street with one of his new companions, he saw an ambulance and a truck peel off, squealing around the corner. What was truly shocking, though, was what Cody saw on the back of the truck. Cody’s companion was so alarmed, he froze up, but Cody knew they still had work to do.  22:34 - Cody talks about how the lessons he learned in Mexico will stay with him for as long as he lives, and he and Hayden talk about how to prepare for any situation when you travel, good and bad, and how the body knows how to respond in a frightening situation. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

The only way traveling can come to be is through curiosity. Fostering your own curiosity, which is the root of all travel, is the only way to activate your active mind. Curiosity transforms your thinking about a location, about a culture, about yourself. It drives you to dive into new projects and to keep on asking questions, which can change your life, if you play your cards right. If you attempt to keep your mind open and practice being curious, you can cultivate your curiosity and have your own travel experience.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

A proverb known around the world is “curiosity killed the cat,” but few know the rejoinder: “but satisfaction brought it back.” The risk that satisfying curiosity brings is well worth the fulfillment that comes from gratifying curiosity. Curiosity, that force that drives the human race in all they do, and has done so since their birth, is the reason behind most human activities: reading, walking, and, of course, traveling. Mike Corey joins Hayden to further explore the topic of curiosity. Mike is a breakdancing marine biologist and travel videographer who declared that he “captures our world with a curiosity that comes from never growing up.” He shares with Hayden his three core values, which both of them are strong believers in. Mike and Hayden also discuss how important it can be to self-discovery to travel by yourself, and what travel can teach you.  Mike shares his story, “Hypothermia in the Desert,” a tale of danger in the Outback. Mike visited the Olgas, a series of incredible, tall mountains that happen to be out in the middle of nowhere, in the Australian desert. The desert, however, happens to get deathly cold at night; Mike thought it was worth the danger to witness the stars in a land with no light pollution, but danger lurks around every corner, even where it was least expected. Mike and Hayden also share several tangents, the most prominent of which regards social media and technology, and how these aspects of modern life can impact travel and how people think of and see traveling. Curiosity fuels most actions humans accomplish, but the satisfaction of a gratified curiosity is worth the risk of taking the leap in the first place.  1:15 - Hayden introduces Mike Corey, a breakdancing marine biologist and travel videographer who “captures our world with a curiosity that comes from never growing up.”  4:14 - Mike talks about his three values, which Hayden strongly believes in and which Mike is more than willing to share with the audience.  11:43 - Mike starts telling his story, which takes place in the Outback, and which he has named “Hypothermia in the Desert?” Mike journeyed to Australia to see the Olgas, a series of incredible, tall mountains in the middle of nowhere, where there was no light pollution. He thought it was worth it to sleep under the stars, but the desert gets deathly cold at night. The cold may not end up being the biggest threat that night, however.  18:15 - Mike and Hayden break down Mike’s story before returning to Mike’s three values. Mike shares his final value and what, exactly, it means to him. They also go on tangents that mention how important it can be to self-discovery to travel by yourself and what travel teaches you.  31:02 - Hayden brings their tangents back around to social media and technology, and Mike weighs in on how these aspects of modern life impact travel and people’s opinions on traveling.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Season three has been a roller coaster ride of emotions, from Laura Bingham to Travis Merrigan and everything in between. Of course, Hayden, Cody, and Nicole have to answer for the questions that Hayden has been pushing for the listeners to send in all season, and they come together to do just that in the final episode of season three - the Q&A.  Hayden reads questions from Chris Williams, Pete James, Jan, Lakshmi Prahlad, Tom Griffiths, Billy Chavez, Mike Cowl, and Nikola Nováková. The team answers questions about overcoming a lack of social skills, finding a way to collect and organize your travel bucket list and online content, and whether or not travelers should be going off the beaten path when in an untouched environment. They also talk about finding things you never knew you were looking for through travel and how to travel on your own. Cody answers a question specifically about composition, and the whole team answers questions about their favorite music to listen to while traveling. The team is excited for the upcoming season four and all of the new aspects that are coming with it, including a weekly email and weekly Facebook live videos. Thank you for sharing season three with the time, and enjoy season four when it comes!  2:27 - Hayden reads the first question, from Chris Williams: “What would you say is the best way to engage in conversation, to overcome lack of social skills whilst travelling throughout a completely foreign land?”  6:57 - The team answers the second question, from Pete James: “Love the show. Question about the tools you have come across to discover and collect travel inspiration. I often find travel blogs have loads of great info about destinations and I copy the interesting information I find into a (messy) doc and a bookmarks folder knowing that someday I will visit. There must be a better way?!? How do you collect and organise your travel bucket list and awesome content you find online?”  10:13 - Cody, Hayden, and Nicole talk about the third message, from Jan: “Hello Travel-stories-Team, I just listened to an episode of your podcast and I wanted to give you a quick feedback to a topic which I think is very important. Sean Whitehead mentioned in the podcast episode 10 from season 2 (Somebody ‘Alp’ me) that he went to Iceland and drove off the main roads to find this cool place in the mountains. I just came back from a trip to Iceland as well and as I was traveling through the country I saw a lot of trails, that lead from the main road into untouched nature. These scars do much damage to the surface, because the ground on Iceland is very soft and mushy due to its porous volcanic stones and ashes; it takes decades to heal and you can see these trails very clearly even after many years.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Season three has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions and adventures. Best of all, it has been a tapestry of stories, featuring a broad range of different types of stories and an in-depth exploration of the art of storytelling. Hayden, Cody, and Nicole arrive to unpack their favorite moments from the past season. Among their favorite standout moments are features from the episodes of Evan Hanson, Laura Bingham, Marissa Brown, Richard Bruschi, and Jeff Baker. A few other mentions belong to Tom Butler and Johannes Koeppel. The crew also talks about standout discussions from the season, including those regarding confidence, how deserving an individual is of their life, and how to seek opportunities around every corner. Also featured is a brief blooper reel with an unfortunate mistake by Cody himself. Season three may be coming to a close, but the Travel Stories Podcast is revamping and coming back bigger and better than ever. With season four will come an expanded platform and more goodies than we ever thought we could deserve.  3:12 - Hayden introduces the unpacking of season three and how this season has had a broad range of different types of stories. Cody and Nicole chime in with their thoughts on stories, the art of storytelling, and the stories of season three.  8:30 - Hayden, Cody, and Nicole start dishing about standout moments, including Evan Hanson, Cody’s musical scores, Nicole’s words, confidence, and Laura Bingham.  16:30 - Cody brings up one of his top standout moments, from Marissa Brown’s episode about traveling in Mexico. Nicole chimes in with a couple of favorites from Richard Bruschi and Jeff Baker.  27:44 - Hayden shares a voicemail from Tom Butler, who can never seem to quite get to his point. He also mentions a memorable time from Johannes Koeppel, and the crew discusses where opportunities might be lurking when you travel. Hayden mentions Glogor Carik, an incredibly real place he visited in Bali.  37:53 - Hayden introduces a brief blooper reel, primarily featuring an outtake from Cody from the Halloween episode.  40:38 - Hayden talks about the new stuff coming to the Travel Stories Podcast in season four, including Facebook Live sessions, a new blog, and much, much more.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Establishing a human connection is the base of the most important things in this world. Hayden shares what he believes to be the three things that best cultivate these connections between separate human beings before he welcomes Travis Merrigan, one of the founders of Grayl, creator of the infamous Grayl Ultralight Purifier Bottle.  Travis Merrigan visits to talk about how excited he is about life and being alive, and how his travels have made him that way. He discusses solo trips, and how awesome that can be for the traveler and their experience. He believes in turning away from what you know and embracing what you do not know. He also thinks that one can enjoy genuine moments of human closeness by learning a new language or immersing oneself. in a new culture. He and Hayden talk about vulnerability and gaining human closeness through one’s willingness to be open when they travel. Did you know that people like to share, so it is not too hard to connect to people when you’re traveling? Sharing food is one of the easiest ways to make that connection. Travis shares his story, named, “River to the Deepest Amazon,” which he considers his single most powerful travel experience. He traveled to Latin America, to Brazil, and took a boat up the Amazon.  On the trip, he and his fellow travelers on the boat formed a community of neighbors. He believes that if you just say yes when you are offered a piece of kindness by a local, you might just experience the most powerful ten days of your life. Travis also talks about how he cultivated his open mindset and his own vulnerability. He also talks about Grayl and the Grayl Ultralight Purifier Bottle. He even offers up the offer code TS25 - if you use it at the Grayl website in the links below, you can get 25% off through the end of November and get hooked up with a purifier. Human connections are all around you, if you just think to look around and seek them out. Offer a place to say, or a meal to share. You might be surprised by the friends you make.  0:44 - Hayden introduces the concept of human connection, the base of the most important things in the world. He talks about what three things that best cultivate the connection between two separate human beings.  2:02 - Hayden presents Travis Merrigan, one of the founders of Grayl, who is excited about life and about being alive, and talks about why his travels have made him that way.  8:58 - Travis and Hayden talk about vulnerability and gaining human closeness through one’s willingness to be open when they travel.  13:53 - Travis introduces his story, which he considers his single most powerful travel experience, and which he has named, “River to the Deepest Amazon.” When Travis was in Latin America, he visited Brazil and took a boat up the Amazon. On the trip, he and his fellow travelers on the boat formed a community of neighbors. They became rather close; some even became Travis’ lifelong friends. One of these friends invited Travis to her remote village, and her family taught him a great deal about their culture. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden brings on Cody, Nicole, Remy (his sister), and Gail (his mother) to share stories of fear and fright from around the world. Remy visits to talk about the haunting of Havisham Court by the ghostly Elizabeth Parker, who was destroyed by grief while living in that house. In fact, some say you can still see her roaming the grounds of the house, skeletal in her wedding dress. Nicole shares stories from the haunted graveyard in her Massachusetts hometown - the Quaker Cemetery, also known as Spider Gates, the eighth gate of Hell. Cody talks about the friendly, mischievous usher who haunts the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The highlight of this episode is Gail Faith and her story, “Havisham’s Goonies,” in which she recounts the time she and her friends broke into the abandoned Havisham Court house. They were possibly hunted by the ghost of Elizabeth Parker, who locked up doors and windows on them while they were in the unoccupied and haunted house. They were terrified by what happened to them that night, and by what they found at the house only a few days later. In addition, the crew shares stories and urban legends from around the world. Nicole brings in the legend of the Kuchisake-onna, or the slit-mouthed woman, of Japan. Cody talks about the chupacabra, a bizarre South American creature that kills sheeps and goats and sucks out their blood. Hayden shares the history of the island of Poveglia in Italy, a place which has a history consisting almost exclusively of various forms of death. This includes plague, lepers, mental hospitals, and so on. Travel does not take a holiday, but it does celebrate it. Scary stories come from all corners of the globe to terrify us, but by no means should that stop us from traveling. In fact, the possibility of a spooky adventure is, more than anything, a reason to keep on looking for a ghost around the corner or a fright under the hostel bed.  2:20 - Hayden introduces Cody, Nicole, and Remy in this special edition of the Travel Stories Podcast for Halloween. The four of them will be sharing spooky tales and urban legends for this Scary Stories Podcast episode.  5:42 - Hayden and Remy start telling their story about the haunting of Havisham Court by Elizabeth Parker, who was destroyed by grief while living in that house; some say you can still see her roaming the grounds of the house, skeletal in her wedding dress.  7:54 - Nicole shares stories about the haunted graveyard Spider Gates in her hometown of Leicester, Massachusetts, where you can, supposedly, speak to a spirit and enter the eighth gate of Hell.  11:53 - Cody talks about the Capitol Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City, haunted by a mischievous undead usher who likes to mess around with the crews and performers in the building.  14:07 - The crew talks about Slenderman, Stranger Things, their all-time favorite Halloween movies, and whether or not scary movies are genuine forms of entertainment. Hayden and Remy share stories from their childhood, as well.  21:49 - Hayden introduces the special Halloween story, courtesy of his mother, Gail Faith, who titled her story, “Havisham’s Goonies”. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

There are two types of traveling - solo traveling, and group traveling. Both have their benefits, depending on the person, but neither one can be easy to accomplish. Johannes Koeppel, the CEO of WeTravel, visits Hayden to talk about his website, which helps travelers create and join group trips around the world. Hayden and Johannes also talk about Johannes’ travel experiences and why he wants to travel and give back to the world. They also discuss putting life in perspective, shifting your mindset, spending appropriate amounts of time in other cultures, and how traveling can shape a child’s open mindset.  Johannes shares his Moscow-set story, titled, “From Russia With Love,” in which he attends Moscow State University and, while he still didn’t really understand the country, lived through a fire alarm that was an indicator of a much larger and more terrifying event. This experience left Johannes with the feeling of danger, of never feeling safe, of a constant unease. This wake-up call changed his outlook on life and his attitude while he lived in Russia. Before he leaves, Johannes talks about the traveling “itch” and the thrill that comes from not knowing where tomorrow will bring you. He also shares how he came up with the idea to create WeTravel, who uses it, and how to use it. There are two types of traveling, and Johannes Koeppel may be able to help you figure out the best choice for you.  0:42 - Hayden talks about the two different types of traveling - solo traveling, and traveling with a group, and the benefits of either one.  2:40 - Hayden introduces Johannes Koeppel, the CEO of WeTravel. WeTravel helps you create a group trip and join other group trips.  3:57 - Johannes and Hayden talk about Johannes’ travel experience, where he joined Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross. After growing up privileged, Johannes wants to give back, and he wants to travel, as well. They also talk about putting life into perspective.  9:35 - Johannes discusses values and how important it is to spend an extended amount of time in a country, because this can drastically shift both your perspective and your mindset. Hayden agrees, and talks about how travel can make you question your own life and mind.  12:14 - Hayden and Johannes discuss traveling with children and how travel can shape a child’s life going forwards from their childhood. They talk about the traveling “itch,” not knowing where you might be tomorrow, and how difficult it can be to settle down.  15:00 - Johannes starts telling his story, set in Moscow, titled, “From Russia With Love.” Johannes arrived at the Moscow State University, to his tiny room, with his tiny bed; he didn’t really understand the country yet. A fire alarm went off in the freezing cold late March, and he made a startling discovery as to the origins of the alarm. It left him with the feeling of danger, of never feeling safe, of a constant unease. His experiences left him with a wake-up call “from Russia, with love.” Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Many people share the same dream - the yearning to sell everything you own, buy an RV, and just drive. Just live, just be, and enjoy the freedom that comes with that nomadic lifestyle. Hayden lived that way as a child, and Paul Kortman lives that way now. He and his family of six live in an RV, traveling around America and Mexico, making Paul a veritable fountain of knowledge and wisdom when it comes to RV-ing. Paul visits Hayden to discuss his digital nomad lifestyle, how he decided not to settle and why he thinks nobody else should have to, and what the benefits of his nomadic lifestyle are. Paul also talks about how important it is to find a balance with those you travel with, and answers a few crucial questions one might have if they were thinking about becoming location independent.  Paul also shares his story, titled “Why You Should Never Trust Google Maps,” which takes place in Mexico in his RV and features a 57-foot-long rig, a steep slope that might be a bit more than Paul and his RV can chew, and a Google Map that has no concept of just how impossible it will be for this rig to follow its directions. Becoming location independent is not an easy task, but Paul offers some helpful advice and ways of tackling the difficulties of his life. Though it was a long road to get to where he is now, Paul knows that making the decision not to settle was the best decision he and his family ever could have made.  0:43 - Hayden discusses the motor home he and his family traveled in when he was young, and how that led to a dream many people have had - where you can sell everything you own, buy an RV, and just driving, living, being, and the freedom that comes with it.  2:46 - Hayden introduces Paul Kortman, an avid RV-er who travels around America and Mexico with his family of six in an RV. Paul discusses maintaining positivity in your travels.  6:02 - Paul and Hayden talk about Paul’s digital nomad lifestyle and how he manages this with his family of six. Paul discusses how he makes hard decisions in this life and how he gets the word out that nobody has to compromise or settle in their lives. He decided not to settle, and it was the best decision he and his wife ever made.  16:02 - Paul mentions the benefits of his nomadic lifestyle, and how the travel bug is in his family’s blood. He also talks about starting a home base in the next couple of years, that he would then travel from, combining the best of both worlds and doing what they most want to do.  20:32 - Paul starts telling his Mexican RV story, titled “Why You Should Never Trust Google Maps.” Once Paul and his family got their RV, they decided to travel for their first camping trip. They spent six months driving their RV, which was so large that they could barely fit in highway lanes, with their minivan and trailer pulling behind them. They traveled for six months this way, eventually ending up in Mexico, through the use of Google Maps. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Spontaneity is one of the most important parts of having a truly incredible travel experience. Going on an adventure means doing things without thinking, damn the consequences; the best thing one can do is trust their gut and do what feels good. It can turn out badly if common sense is not employed, but trusting your gut feeling when opportunity arises can bring the adventures so longed for. Kristen Sarah of Hopscotch the Globe knows a thing or two about spontaneity, and brings her travel experience along for the ride.  Kristen Sarah has a YouTube channel and a blog, but even between all that she manages to continue traveling and provide herself with content. She and Hayden discuss culture immersion, how to make a life fun through travel, and getting into the adventurous side of travel, like through food adventures and sports. Her story, “Dancing for an Indian King,” finds Kristen in Rajasthan, where a drumming class spontaneously led her to a village where anything unexpected could happen - including performing for a king. Spontaneity is important, because it could lead to the best adventures of a lifetime - trusting your gut feeling, meeting someone new, taking a drumming class, or even dancing for an Indian king. Learning to just say ‘yes’ when an opportunity arises is vital to any travel adventure.  2:07 - Hayden introduces Kristen Sarah, and they discuss Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, why Kristen travels, and cultural immersion.  7:11 - Hayden and Kristen talk about feeling nomadic and what feels like home when you travel as much as they do.  10:28 - Hayden discusses how much fun Kristen brings into her life, how she makes her life fun through travel, and how important it is to make your own life fun, regardless of how you achieve it.  11:41 - Kristen Sarah starts telling her story, “Dancing for an Indian King.” When Kristen was in Rajasthan, she spontaneously went to a drumming class, which led her into the desert to a village where anything could happen. Kristen and her group came upon a pre-wedding party, where she learned the drummers were going to perform for the king of the village. Little did she know that she, too, was expected to perform for the king.  18:36 - Hayden and Kristen break down Kristen’s story, discussing the rather interesting parts of Western culture that Kristen brought to the village, as well as the importance of spontaneity and just saying ‘yes’ to things.  22:02 - Hayden asks Kristen about her YouTube channel; she talks about how she loves to show the adventurous side of travel, getting off the beaten path, food adventures, adventure sports. She also likes to give travel tips and advice on her channel. She talks about her travel preferences and why she likes to go where she does.  27:50 - Kristen discusses her blog, Hopscotch the Globe, which brings the fun aspect of travel to the forefront. She also talks about her course on how to make a living traveling and making travel videos. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Adventure travel is only one possible facet of travel, but it is also one of the most exciting. The challenge of adventure traveling - of climbing mountains, of whitewater rafting, of staying alone in the desert - is enough to get any traveler to try it. Evan Hanson, however, is not just any traveler. Evan Hanson may be sixty-four years old, but he has lived the lives of at least seven men. He has traveled for many, many years, he considers himself a consummate explorer, and he has come to visit Hayden and bring wisdom to share with the world. Evan shares his definition of adventure, as well as what got him into adventuring and advice on how to start adventuring. Evan’s story, “Two Summits in Seven Days,” details Evan’s journey as he and his friends decided to hike both the Matterhorn and Kilimanjaro. It was expensive, difficult, took place in two different hemispheres, and they hit a great deal of roadblocks along the way. Despite the odds, though, he succeeded, and counts it among his greatest achievements. “Be ambitious when you’re planning, but plan well,” Evan says. “Don’t let obstacles deter you from reaching your goals, and you will be successful.” Evan shares the two biggest obstacles of adventure, as well as the two main elements to making travel work. Hayden and Evan discuss overcoming roadblocks and the importance of a sense of challenge. Incorporating your passion into your adventure travel is not an easy task, but it does build character, which is vital to adventure traveling. 0:41 - Hayden begins discussing adventure travel and why people adventure travel. 2:42 - Hayden brings on Evan Hanson, who Evan has been traveling since his 20s; Hayden asks what makes him still do these things. Evan talks about his definition of adventure, which he sums up as “certain uncertainty,” as well as what got him into adventuring. 10:26 - Evan gives advice on how to start adventuring. He says the two main elements are balance and prudence. If you keep pushing the envelope, the envelope eats you. 15:52 - Hayden and Evan discuss the history of the location that you’re in and how you can stand in the same spot something incredible happened and feel what happened in that spot. 17:26 - Evan starts telling his adventure story of climbing two different mountains in two different hemispheres, titled “Two Summits in Seven Days.” Evan was a desert survival instructor in Saudi Arabia, and he and his fellow instructors decided to climb both the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was going to be expensive, and difficult, but they were determined. When they went up in the mountain to get acclimated to the elevation, it snowed, in July. When they were finally ready to climb the Matterhorn, it took them six hours, but it was worth every moment. They had to immediately head out to Tanzania after their descent and a night of sleep, and when they arrived, they had lost their food bag, so they decided they had to climb even more quickly than the normal...

Countless things can go wrong in travel, and even in life. There is no way to stop mistakes from being made and terrible situations from arising; there is, however, a way to control your own response to these mistakes and situations. Tom Butler, a great friend of Hayden’s, has spent many years of travel solving problems, and has a lot of advice to give. Tom is not only a friend of Hayden’s, but also a friend, bus driver, and groupie to Hayden’s band. The two of them discuss living a life of travel, what it means to settle down, and how to incorporate travel into your everyday life. Hayden was inspired by Tom’s travels, and the two of them talk about their inspirations and origins as travelers. Tom offers advice to those who do not have confidence in their own ability to travel. Tom’s story takes place in Nepal, and is titled “Without a Paddle.” In it, Tom backpacks through Nepal to Kathmandu, goes on a rafting tour, and befriends his fellow travels and a puppy named Bob. However, Tom also had a terrible time with his borrowed wetsuit when he had to wait six hours and climb a hill before he could use a bathroom. The trip to Nepal taught Tom what he believes is the epitome of travel. For him, travel is not what you think is going to happen, or how you act with who you meet - sometimes, you are just a subject of the environment around you, and you just have to roll with it and have the right attitude, and you will have a positive experience. Dealing with bad things that happen, in travel as well as in life, is not always easy. Rolling with the punches and keeping a positive attitude, however, can get you anywhere.  0:42 - Hayden wonders how different people handle situations that have gone wrong, that you have no control over, that take everything out of you.  2:17 - Hayden introduces Tom Butler, a great friend of his, and the two begin to discuss living a life of travel and how to cope with settling down after that life.  5:23 - Tom reminisces on the time he viewed England from an airplane and realized this was his home; it could never give him everything he needed, but it was still beautiful, lush and green.  8:38 - Hayden was inspired to travel by Tom’s documented travels. He and Tom then begin discussing Tom’s own inspirations and origins, and Tom offers advice to those who do not have confidence in their own ability to travel.  14:10 - Hayden starts introducing Tom’s story, which takes place in Nepal, and is titled “Without a Paddle”. Tom went to Nepal and sought out adventure sports - specifically, a rafting tour. In their tour, spending a good six hours on a raft, they befriended their fellow travelers and learned a great deal about the rivers and the cultures. They also met a puppy, name of Bob. Tom also almost had a terrible time with his borrowed wetsuit, where he was in a bad place - but had to wait six hours in the raft and climb a hill before he could use a bathroom, and he started to laugh when the relief actually came.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Beliefs and rhythm are the common threads that connect people all over the world, from Utah to Chichen Itza, from the ancient Mayans to the modern Americas. Marissa Brown, a Utah, United States native who studies music and enjoys world percussion, comes to Hayden to share the stories that taught her how similar humans of different cultures and times really are. Hayden and Marissa discuss world percussion and the beats that cultures bring to the worldwide table of rhythm. They toy with starting a band, but move on to talking about how music fits in with travel in Marissa’s life.  She learned a while ago that the best way for her to find herself was to lose herself, just for a little while. Marissa discusses the feelings brought to her by visiting ancient sites, how those feelings changed her afterwards, and the levels of happiness she experienced at the time. The not-so-hidden gem of this episode is titled “The Mystical Mayans” by Marissa; in it, she talks about the time she visited the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, to the heavily-populated site called Chichen Itza, an ancient Mayan city, which had a huge temple. She went on a tour with a local who gave her a personal perspective on the area, his home. She also went to Ek’ Balam, a true hidden gem, and climbed a thousand steps to the top of an ancient ruin. While Marissa was in Mexico, she saw temple sites, marriage altars, baptismal fonts, and realized that these people, who lived so far away from Jerusalem, believed such similar things to the people there, and she saw the people living in Mexico, and she learned that people all over the world weren’t so different from one another. Beliefs and rhythms connected them, and Marissa could feel a new beat starting in her heart.  1:50 - Hayden talks about how every place in the world has a different beat, a different rhythm to play and dance to.  4:23 - Hayden introduces Marissa Brown, a musician who caught the travel bug. She participates in world percussion, the rhythm that brings the group together. Hayden and Marissa discuss drum beats from different areas and how their distinct beats can be associated with certain cultures and feelings.  10:00 - Hayden and Marissa talk about how music fits in with travel in Marissa’s life. Marissa thinks the best way to find yourself is actually to lose yourself, just for a little while, as she learned on her mission call to Louisiana.  16:26 - Marissa introduces her story, “The Mystical Mayans”, in which she travels to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. First, Marissa goes to a heavily-populated site called Chichen Itza, an ancient Mayan city, which had a huge temple. She also went on a tour with a local who was able to give his personal perspective on his home, including a history of the area and how it compares to the area now. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Solitude, silence, and peace are craved by many when they are traveling. However, many others desire companionship instead, wanting someone to share their experiences with. Richard Bruschi has a healthy dose of both, but it was solitude that helped him to truly find himself. Richard Bruschi is a writer for Sonderers Magazine, which functions on the idea that everyone has a story, no matter how modest their experience is or unexciting their life is. Everybody has a story, everybody has a life, everybody has thoughts, and that is a beautiful thing; Sonderers operates under that belief. Richard is, as described by Hayden, very cerebral in nature, and he and Hayden deep-dive into a variety of subjects throughout the interview, eventually ending up in a rabbit hole of conversation.  Richard has done a considerable amount of traveling in his life, from the United States to Italy to Nottingham, and his experiences have impacted him greatly. Richard believes that there are opportunities everywhere if you just know where to look and how to prioritize. “Money is always out there to be made and caught,” Richard says, roughly paraphrasing Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , “but experiences - once you miss them, you’re not sure you can have them again.” Richard’s adventure, titled “Finding Myself,” takes place in Alaska. While Richard was backpacking in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, in an effort to be alone in nature for as long as possible, he cautiously realized a great deal about himself. What he found out about himself also led him to realizing how well he and his brother really knew each other. In this, Richard realized that finding himself also involved finding someone else along the way. Richard believes that he is a person first, and he is everything else second. Traveling and focusing on one worry at a time while you do it can really simplify your life and help you discover who you truly are as a person. Solitude can come in handy when the only person you really need to be alone with is yourself.  0:41 - Hayden discusses the longing for solitude and peace that some have, as opposed to the desire for companionship that others have. Richard Bruschi is a writer for Sonderers Magazine. You may remember (from S02E05) that Jeromy Slaby is a writer for the same magazine. Bruschi is very cerebral in nature, and he and Hayden deep-dive into a variety of subjects throughout the interview, eventually ending up in a rabbit hole of conversation.  3:35 - Richard, speaking from the city of Nottingham, starts to discuss the metropolis and why he chooses to live there with Hayden.  6:40 - Richard talks about his reasons for moving to Portland from Italy when his brother moved to Jerusalem, and his experiences while living there. This includes how the move led to his marriage and, soon, his baby.  10:20 - Hayden and Richard discuss how to overcome making excuses not to travel, or not to move, or not to have experiences outside of your typical days. Richard believes there are opportunities everywhere if you just know where to look and how to prioritize. Hayden agrees, and also thinks that you need to remember that, at the end of the day, you’re going to be fine. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Finding the opportunity to travel is a struggle in itself. Finding the chance to also sustain yourself and control your own work life is an even more rare happening. Chris Duncan talks with Hayden about how to have your own mindset shift that can give you a life of travel outside of the corporate ladder. Hayden reminds everyone to contact him or to visit the Travel Stories Podcast website if you would like to send in questions for the end-of-season Q&A if you want your questions answered, and/or if you want to try to win a GRAYL water filter. He discusses his reason for traveling before he introduces Chris Duncan, who he describes as a digital nomad and the master of building online businesses that can give you a life of travel. Chris and Hayden discuss the mindset shift that helps a traveler run a freedom business, as well as how freedom businesses work and how to start one. They talk about breaking free of the script society has given you that everyone else around you seems to be following. Another hot topic is how to obtain both location freedom and financial freedom. Chris’ story, “Detoxing in Thailand the Wrong Way,” is a captivating tale of Chris’ trip with his fiancee to a health retreat in Thailand, where they fasted and detoxed on an island. He had a unique experience, where he juiced and cleansed and had a mind-blowing trip that he remembers only bits and pieces of to this day. His humorous take on detox has to be heard to be believed. Becoming a self-sustaining traveler and a freedom business owner is no small job. Chris Duncan offers advice on how to begin to live the life he has led, and how to follow your true passions while also running a business. If you want to travel, Chris can give advice; if you want to experience true travel freedom, Chris can get you started.  2:04 - Don’t forget to contact Hayden or go to our website and send in questions for the end-of-season Q&A for the chance to get your questions answered and win a GRAYL water filter!  3:44 - Hayden discusses his reason for traveling, which he believes is wanting to chase the freedom to go wherever you want. He wants to hear your reasons for traveling, too.  4:35 - Hayden introduces Chris Duncan, who can be described as a digital nomad. Chris brings not only a story, but also tips for traveling, since he teaches people how to get paid to travel.  7:14 - Hayden and Chris discuss how to obtain both financial freedom and location freedom. Chris also talks about “freedom businesses,” as well as how they work, how to start one, how to reduce your expenses, and what your work week should look like.  13:49 - Hayden talks with Chris about having a mindset shift, where you have to move into a more entrepreneurial mindset in order to run a freedom business. They also discuss the possibility that travelers are more apt to move into that mindset.  16:47 - Hayden and Chris talk about breaking free of the script that is given to you, since you do not necessarily have to follow any of the script that society gave you, that everyone else is following.  19:36 - Chris begins to share his story, “Detoxing in Thailand the Wrong Way.” Chris went to a health retreat in Thailand with his fiancee, complete with a detox and a juice fast on a scorching island. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

When you reach a certain age, many people think it becomes their job to settle down at home and leave the living to the young people. Jeff Baker is not one of those men. When Jeff and his wife reached that certain age, and they saw their kids doing fun and exciting things with their lives, they said to themselves, “Why can’t we have fun?” So, they gave away most of their belongings, sold their house, and decided to travel while they still could and share their adventures as they went. “It’s like we’re 25 again,” Jeff said of their travels, and he was right - their lives are not average, but they are adventurous.  Jeff is a radio host in his “typical” life, hosting the show Savory Road, which is part of an NPR public radio-affiliate station in Southern California. His philosophy is that everyone partakes in food, even if they do not partake in travel, so logic dictates that everybody who listens to his show can relate to it. Jeff knows that people seek narrative and reflection, just like they do when they come to the Travel Stories Podcast, so he strives to put that into each of his shows. In between talking with Hayden about starting your travels, working through your financing, and managing the travel lifestyle, Jeff shares a story which he believes addresses expectations. While he considers expectations to be a double-edged sword, he also knows they are important to any travel experience. His story, titled, “Can an Ocean Rise Up From the Desert?”, follows Jeff as he visits the less-traveled parts of Peru and realized that reaching the “next level” of travel does not necessarily need to be any specific event, but can just be what it is. Jeff Baker knows that bravery, optimism, and having an open mind while you travel are vital to having an enjoyable experience.  Even though you may reach a certain age, and society may expect certain things of you - in the end, you live your own life, and travel is an essential part of that rebirth.  1:16 - Stay tuned for live streaming on our Facebook while Hayden is in Brazil, and you can ask questions for the end of season Q&A at our website .  2:32 - Hayden introduces Jeff Baker, who hosts a travel and food show on a local NPR affiliate radio station. He’s one of those people who reached a certain age and thought, “What do we do now?”, and the answer was, inevitably, “travel.” Jeff also has a great, baritone, radio-esque voice that Hayden very much enjoys.  6:27 - Hayden and Jeff talk about starting your adventures and your fun, exciting travel life even when other people your age think you should not be. It all started with a family backpacking trip through Europe in 2004, and Jeff caught the travel bug from there.  9:00 - Hayden talks about working with your finances and making big decisions in order to figure out how to travel in your life, and how not to give in to excuses. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith when you travel. Oftentimes, that faith has to be in humanity itself, and in the humans who inhabit the places you are traveling to. Those people are the ones who can make or break your trip - and, sometimes, they are the ones who prove that humanity really is not all that bad.  Laura Bingham visits Hayden and proves to be not only “incredibly fun to talk to,” to quote Hayden, but also incredibly brave and strong in her faith in humanity. Laura traveled from one side of South America to the other, on a bicycle, with no money, in six months. She depended on the kindness of strangers to help her survive. Laura discusses not only this trip, but also her documentary, how she learned to be patient, and “imposter syndrome” - believing you are an imposter because you feel like you do not deserve something you have or something you are doing. Laura’s story, titled “7000 Kilometers, No Money, What Now?”, starts in Peru, and proves Laura’s faith in humanity correct when she meets people who prove to be the best of her entire journey. Laura and Hayden also discuss trusting strangers, and Laura goes on to discuss Operation South America. Operation South America is a charity based in Paraguay, created by an Englishman named Phil Granger who met a married couple who had lost their nine-year-old son to a rare type of leukemia because they did not have the money or the treatment to save him. After they met, they started this organization for young girls that are from broken, violent, or poor backgrounds. A leap of faith is required when you travel, but if you just take that leap, your adventure might turn out to be something you never expected - and prove to reveal the best of the people around you.  3:19 - Hayden introduces Laura Bingham, who happened to have been born in the same hospital as him.  5:48 - Laura discusses her documentary, in which she is trying to showcase the kindness of strangers and of humanity by crossing South America with no money.  9:06 - Hayden and Laura talk about “imposter syndrome” - believing you are an imposter because you feel like you do not deserve something you have or something you are doing.  12:48 - Hayden and Laura discuss how Laura decided not to return not to England, even when she earned enough money to return home, and then had to take a boat home over two months, which forced her to learn patience.  16:25 - Laura begins to tell her story, which started in Peru, which she calls “7000 Kilometers, No Money, What Now?” Once Laura was with people who showed her kindness, she did not want to return to life all by herself again, but she knew she had to finish her journey. The relationships she made there were so strong that they still exist today. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of something you love is always welcome; Hayden wanted to grant you that opportunity in the season two closer. Cody Crabb and Nicole Mello (the musician and the writer, respectively) join Hayden in unpacking the entirety of season two, looking back at funny, inspiring, and memorable moments from past episodes. Featured primarily among them are Guy Earnshaw, Sean Whitehead, Richard Phu, and, believe it or not, Hayden Lee himself.  The three of them also discuss how the scores are created, how the show notes are written, and how each other’s accents sound to one another. The crew also looks forward to season three, discussing upcoming social media, post-season Q&As, and what else Hayden wants to go down in season three. Stay tuned!  2:23 - Hayden talks about the upcoming post-season Q&As and the upcoming opportunity to win a GRAYL purifier filter.  4:06 - Hayden discusses social media and how to follow Travel Stories Podcast throughout season three.  6:35 - Hayden and Cody discuss how the scores are created for Travel Stories Podcast.  8:04 - Hayden and Nicole discuss writing the show notes for the podcast.  10:07 - Hayden, Cody, and Nicole get distracted and start doing accents that none of them are particularly good at.  12:24 - Hayden gets everyone back on track, and the three of them get back into discussing and unpacking Season Two.  13:58 - Hayden, Cody, and Nicole talk about coming up with a team of people that works for you.  17:35 - The crew gets back into looking back on season two and unpacking it, including looks at Guy Earnshaw, Sean Whitehead, Richard Phu, and Hayden Lee.  27:24 - Hayden starts talking about what’s going to be going down in the upcoming season three.  32:47 - Hayden plays outtakes from season two.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

In this episode of Hayden's Travel Journal, we rejoin Hayden on his motorcycle journey as he enters the mountains in central Vietnam.  It's not all easy riding, as Hayden finds out, encountering buses, trucks and realising why everyone said "DO NOT DO THIS JOURNEY" on the research he did before going. The roads are certainly not for everyone, and one small mistake can mean either a devastating accident or a memorable story. Plenty of stories about the views and experiences on this journey coupled with tips about doing this type of travel make this journal entry an interesting instalment.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Putting your faith in the universe, and letting your mind and body take over in order to free your soul, can sometimes be essential to traveling. Your adventure may not be complete if you are too aware of yourself. Katharine “Kate” Elliot had an angel in pink tell her she had to learn to let the universe guide her, and that has granted her some of her greatest travel moments. Let Hayden tell you about how some cool stuff that will be going down next week before Kate brings up her book, A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers . Her and Hayden discuss paying attention to all the messages the world is sending you, and how to follow those messages and listen to the universe. She talks about she wrote her book, and what led her to discovering her writing.  The highlight, her story “Angel in Pink,” follows Kate as she hits a dark moment, believing she had lost her path in the universe. She felt like she was drowning, aching, and her doubts and fears started to choke her; the world around her started to lose meaning, after her divorce, during her Camino, and she wanted to be able to cleanse herself of her hurt. An angel in pink - an elderly Spanish woman dressed in a light pink Sunday suit and pearls - spoke to her, more in spirit than in language, and told her to walk her path in faith. Kate’s faith in the universe was restored by her angel. Hayden and Kate continue into discussing how to let your brain and your body take you over, and how to let your spirit float free and be at the whims of yourself and of the universe. If you put your faith in the universe, you can be guided along your path to adventure to your destined destination.  1:30 - Hayden talks about how some cool stuff will be happening next week!  4:00 - Kate talks about how she started paying attention to all the messages out in the world, and how that led to her learning to listen to the universe, follow her heart, and write this book. Kate encourages listeners to be in the now; if you accept things as they happen, then, someday, you will know why they are happening.  9:33 - Kate talks about her book and how she started writing it when her mother-in-law and close friend passed away, and how it carries through her walking Northern Spain’s Camino.  12:07 - Kate’s story begins; it takes place in Spain, just outside León. It’s a Camino story, and she calls it: “Angel in Pink”. Kate was walking the Camino, and, for the first time, she was starting to feel like she didn’t belong; she was beginning to lose her belief in her path in the universe. She stopped outside a cafe, and she heard a voice greet her; she looked directly at an elderly Spanish woman dressed in a light pink Sunday suit and pearls. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Traveling yourself is vastly different from hearing stories, or seeing pictures, even though those are fine substitutes. However, nothing can pair up to the real thing, a fact Hayden learned for certain while he was in Vietnam. Hayden shares a message from Billy and calls for people to send him messages, and lets us know about his intentions towards Snapchat and Facebook Live while he is traveling in Brazil. He also introduces Cody Crabb, the composer for Travel Stories Podcast, and they discuss scores Cody has done for past episodes, how Cody writes the scores for episodes, and how important scores and music are to stories and media. Most importantly, however, Cody answers Hayden’s question of, “John Williams or Danny Elfman?” Follow Hayden as he tries cacao for the first time, sees the most spiders he has ever found in one place, tells a waitress she is beautiful, and gets a scroll illustrated by a blind monk. He also visits a very “businessman” hotel to treat himself, and shares his experiences with synesthesia - in Hayden’s case, the ability to see sounds. You may not be able to visit Vietnam, but Hayden’s travel journal entry just might be the next best thing.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

If you change your thinking, you can change your actions. Hayden wholeheartedly believes in this philosophy, and it was this philosophy that led him to trying to never say no. It was his decision to always say yes to adventures that led him to his love on the Ganges. Hosted by Jackie Nourse of The Budget-Minded Traveler, Hayden Lee shares how he started the Travel Stories Podcast, how sharing stories can help bring a place or a feeling to someone who has never experienced it, and how to integrate your travel life with your daily life.  He also talks about catching dengue fever, the growth travel can bring you, and the way to capitalize on the roles you take on while you travel. He believes in “minis,” or mini-romances, as much as he believes in saying yes to everything, and finding perfect moments while traveling. Most of all, though, Hayden believes in love at first sight. Hayden’s main attraction is his story, “Love on the Ganges,” a riveting tale of the time Hayden nearly died in the Ganges River while in the Himalayas, and how survival meant making a soul connection with a woman who did not share his language, but did share with him her name. Hayden nearly died on the Ganges, but he came away with a story that brings indescribable feelings of wonder welling up. A soul connection was born in the Ganges, and left Hayden with the belief that if you just say yes, you will experience what you are meant to live.  4:10 - Hayden talks about where it all started, and how he got into traveling in the first place.  6:45 - Hayden goes on to discuss how he got dengue fever, as well as how much India has impacted him as a person.  11:45 - Hayden talks about how stories can help to bring a place or a feeling to someone who has never experienced it. As he tells it, all of your senses go into an experience that can’t be contextualized without your story; when you tell the story to someone, you’re sharing all of your senses with them, and even sharing it with yourself.  14:37 - Hayden considers coming back to normal life and integrating into your daily life the experiences that have changed you and molded during your travels. Primarily, he talks about attempting to hold on to your growth when you come back home.  17:27 - Hayden discusses his goal in starting the Travel Stories Podcast, and how you hold on to the feeling of being a traveler through sharing your stories with those on the same wavelength as you. He believes you experience things differently than everyone else in your life and anyone else traveling and having their own adventures, so he likes to think of his listeners - and himself - as being able to live vicariously through the travel stories told on the podcast.  22:21 - Hayden considers the roles that you have when you travel, and how best to foster your personal growth within your role when traveling and having your adventures. He and Jackie also talk about traveling on your own versus traveling with others, and “exploring yourself as you explore the world.”  27:07 - Hayden starts to tell his story, titled by Jackie as “Love on the Ganges”. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Realizing that you may be seen as an ignorant or privileged traveler can be a blow, but if you just put yourself out there and try new things, you can overcome that image in a heartbeat. Hayden does exactly that as he drives in Vietnam, meets a snake “as thick as a Pringles tube, and twice as daunting,” and rowed a boat for a woman who had not taken a break all day. Hayden also has some serious adventures with food, including learning that you can live off just coconuts or just chili water, and finding a variety of American pets to snack on at a food market on the Mekong Delta. Show notes writer Nicole Mello also stops by to answer questions about what to do in Boston, and to explain the Boston Tea Party to Hayden.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Fear is a paralyzing emotion, but, in the end, it can truly be your best motivator, and Sean Whitehead has firsthand experience with both ends of that double-edged sword. Sean is not only a friend of Hayden’s and the singer of the band that Hayden and previous guest Guy Earnshaw were once in, but he is also an avid traveler. Sean wants to share his story of traveling in the Alps, and how fear, a good friend, and a bar of Snickers got him to the top of a nearly sheer-faced mountain.  First, Sean shares a tale of traveling to Brazil and ending up in a weird, dodgy neighborhood, where he was served an Americana pizza that came, not with meat and cheese on it, as you would expect; no, instead, it came with egg and peas on it. It was in Brazil that Sean learned that there is more to life than just doing things the easy way. He found that doing things you have never done before can only lead to adventure. He also tells a story about a self-drive tour he took with his friends in Iceland, how they took their own route around the country, and the amazing place in the mountains they found to watch the Northern Lights from. Sean shares what he thinks on talking to new people when you’re in a new place in order to figure out where to go and what to do while you’re there, and when you should follow their advice.  He also discusses how to decide what you are going to do when you are traveling. The highlight of Sean’s episode, however, is his story from Austria, aptly titled “Somebody ‘Alp’ Me,” a predictably punny name from Sean. Along the way, he and his friend John end up hiking in the Alps with no gear, a bottle of water, and a Snickers. Between them, they hike a kilometer and a half upwards, eat their one Snickers, drink their one bottle of water, have two panic attacks, but they manage to make it to the top alive. Though the fear was like nothing Sean had ever experienced, the adventure influenced his decisions in future travel, and he thinks he would not be the same now had it not been for that day.  0:45 - Hayden shares a letter he got from a listener, and sends out a call for podcasts that discuss what there is to do in Boston.  4:54 - Sean Whitehead comes into play after a long intro; he is a traveler, a friend of Hayden’s, and the singer of the band that Hayden and Guy Earnshaw were in.  7:21 - Sean shares a tale of traveling to Brazil, his language barrier, ending up in a weird, dodgy neighborhood, and eating an Americana pizza that was not quite right.  12:45 - Sean starts telling a story about a self-drive tour he took with his friends in Iceland. During the trip, they took their own route around the country, and found this amazing place in the mountains to watch the Northern Lights.  14:53 - Sean discusses what he thinks about talking to new people when you’re in a new place in order to figure out where to go and what to do while you’re there, and when you should follow their advice.  17:47 - Sean starts to share his story from Austria, which he calls “Somebody ‘Alp’ Me.” Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden recounts his last day in Bali, and what makes Indonesia such a peaceful place to be, away from the advertisements, money and stress of daily western life.  He goes on to Vietnam, meets and has connections with a lot of people that just moments before were complete strangers, and comes to revelations about life in Vietnam compared to other countries. He then gets given the opportunity to do something 'magical'. He doesn't know quite what it is yet, and has to make the decision to trust someone he just met.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

What is the secret to becoming your own Ultimate Man? What is the key to living a life with no regrets? How do you learn to follow your heart over your head? Richard Phu, of The Ultimate Man and the Forge Your Life podcast, comes with answers to these questions, along with questions of his own. How would you describe an ultimate man, and what is your purpose in life? These two are more tangled up than you might think. Richard leads us forth. Richard Phu visits Hayden from Australia, where he is currently working on his online coaching business.  The founder of The Ultimate Man and the Forge Your Life podcast, Richard discusses what the Ultimate Man really is; the true ultimate man is not any one set person, he tells us. Instead, this man is exactly what you want it to be. As long as you follow Richard’s five pillars - purpose, wealth, health, mindset, and love - you can achieve your own ultimate man. Richard discusses with Hayden how his realization that he had to commit himself to living the most fulfilling life possible was connected to travel and freedom, and vice versa. He also brings forward a discussion featuring charity: water, a charity that works to bring sustainable, community-owned clean water projects around the world. Hayden and Richard go on to talk about how important it is to relinquish control and put trust and faith into the situation. Along with feelings of regret and disappointment regarding an experience you feel you missed while traveling, they talk about learning to listen to your heart and follow what it tells you. The star of this episode, however, is Richard’s travel story, aptly named “Am I in the Movie ‘Hostel’?”, recounting a time when Richard visited Vienna, Austria by himself and got hopelessly and terrifyingly turned around in a hostel. It does not help that he keeps seeing men turn corners right ahead of him. The moral of Richard’s story? Sometimes, you get pushed into really scary situations, but it’s how you deal with it, how you fight through it, and how you deal with it that truly matters.  4:48 - Richard asks Hayden, how would he describe the ultimate man? As it turns out, the ultimate man is what you want it to be, and not anything specific.  6:10 - Hayden and Richard discuss the five pillars of the Ultimate Man, how to achieve each, and why each is so important to becoming your own ultimate man.  10:24 - Richard answers the question, how is the commitment to living the most fulfilling life possible connected to travel and freedom? He discusses whether his realization of living a fulfilling life came from travel, or vice versa - did travel come from his realization?  16:08 - Richard talks about coming home from traveling and feeling like you can no longer relate to the people you left back home.  19:20 - Richard starts telling his scary story from the time he went to Austria by himself, aptly named: “Am I in the Movie ‘Hostel?” Richard details his real-life horror story in Vienna, where he got lost in a hostel and could only just keep catching a guy turning the corner - or did he? Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden’s continued journeys, as recounted by his past self through his travel journal, begin with him being told: “This is where I kill you and tell everyone you were eaten by cow.” Hayden travels to a secret shipwrecked beach, to a place seemingly untouched by civilization. He journeys through a forest filled with monkeys and snakes, and comes to a tropical island, where time ceases to exist. He also finds another island with as many brothels as they are cows and five hundred of those monkey-and-snake-filled forests. After encountering a real-world version of the Hog Wild level of Crash Bandicoot, and getting wrestled by waves, Hayden even has an island romance - but let him tell you about those adventures, in his own words.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

What is the key to success? For John Lee Dumas, the one aspect of success that all entrepreneurs share is setting a good, specific goal for themselves. He shares tips and tricks, as well as advice in just getting out there and getting to work. John Lee Dumas, host of Entrepreneur on Fire and author of The Freedom Journal, calls in from Puerto Rico to talk with Hayden. He shares his unique step-by-step process that he details in the Freedom Journal, a guide that helps you to accomplish goals in a set time frame of one hundred days. He also discusses his podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire, sharing his mantra with us: “Do what you can’t not do.” It was this mantra that led him to creating a daily podcast in 2012, and it is this ideal that led him to doing his job well, providing his audience with free, valuable, consistent content, and seeing how the road has unfolded before him ever since. John also recounts a story, fondly titled “The Golden Palace,” detailing his journey from law school to India, where he spent four months traversing the country.  His story takes place in Amritsar, in northern India, where he visited the Golden Palace, an awe-inspiring holy and sacred place, filled with religious shrines and shining with gold. Join John as he accompanies a couple of locals to a flag-lowering ceremony at the border of Pakistan and India, and views the unbelievably intricate ceremony, with about forty soldiers on both sides of the border gates where they lower the flags of their respective countries. “When I look back on India,” John shares, “there was a lot of highs, were definitely some lows, as anybody will experience traveling/backpacking for four months in a third world country. But when I do look back, that is definitely the memory that stands out most in my mind, and something that I will always treasure.” John also shares tales of being in a Bollywood movie (search for John Lee Dumas Bollywood on YouTube - you can see the trailer for the movie), of breaking free of his scripted life, and of making the transition into the life he knew he wanted to live. He advises to start planning your trips now, and to start knocking them out as soon as possible. “So many of us think that we have an endless amount of time to travel the world,” John says, “but we don’t.”  4:22 - John discusses the Freedom Journal and tells us the one factor that all successful entrepreneurs share.  6:25 - John begins to share his story, called “The Golden Palace”. Years ago, John was in law school, and he was miserable. So, he did the most courageous thing in his life up until that point - he quit law school.John then traveled to India, and spent the next four months traversing the country.  This story takes place specifically in Amritsar, at the Golden Palace, a holy and sacred place which rendered John speechless when he visited it. He then journeyed on with a couple of Indian guys who studied at a local university and who invited him to part of a famous flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremony.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Hayden returns with his travel journal, pulling an entry from when he arrived in Bali, Indonesia.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

When you travel, you never know who you will meet, or what kind of experiences you will have. Half the fun of adventuring is not knowing where you will be lead next, and Jason Moore is a firm believer in trying new things while you travel. Jason Moore, a resident of Oslo, Norway, hosts the Zero to Travel podcast, because he hopes to help people achieve their desire to live a life of travel, and help them travel on their own terms. He also runs Location Indie, a podcast based on the community support system of people who want to work while they travel, work remotely, and live independently. Jason’s story, which he calls “Thumbs Up,” gives us an inside look at the life of a hitchhiker, through the eyes of Jason, his friend, Gary, and their hitchhiking race around Scotland. Join Jason on a 546-mile quasi-circumnavigation grassroots race around Scotland, where he goes wild camping, visits eight iconic Scottish checkpoints, and meets a number of people who changed his life, who you can hear about in detail in the story. Jason’s adventure traveling through Scotland was an experience which he called, in a word, “transformative”.  When you travel, you can give as much as you take; you can give energy, stories, a listening ear, and, most importantly, companionship. You learn to trust, and you realize that people really are awesome. “Many things happen when you step out on the side of the road and stick your thumb out,” Jason says, “but I think the best thing is the reminder that we are all connected, and this world is filled with wonderful and kind souls.” If you ever see Gary, or anyone else, hitchhiking, consider pulling over and giving them a lift; you might be pleasantly surprised by what happens. And if you are the one traveling, try putting your thumb out sometime, and you might just learn something new about humanity.  Join Jason and Hayden as they learn to trust humanity and travel around Scotland for a time. You never know what you might learn about trust, humanity, and the energy that comes from hitchhiking.  10:10 - Jason shares his thoughts on the traveler’s mindset, and how anyone in any position can have the traits and mindset of a traveler.  13:38 - Jason discusses his podcast, Zero to Travel, which helps people achieve their desire to live a life of travel, and travel on their terms. He believes a love of travel is a value in life that everyone shares, and that a passion for travel isn’t really something that really ever goes away.  15:55 - Jason tells us more about his community and his other podcast, both named Location Indie. He tells us about the community support system of people who want to work while they travel, work remotely, and live independently.  18:37 - Jason Moore begins to tell his story, which he has titled: “Thumbs Up”. He reminds us that, if you don’t make time for travel, it just doesn’t happen.  The main part of Jason’s story features a Scottish hitchhiking race, beginning on May 1, 2014, and continuing for several days on an epic 546-mile quasi-circumnavigation around Scotland. He had to visit eight iconic Scottish checkpoints on the way and get photo evidence of each checkpoint. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

When we last left Hayden and his travel journal, he was leaving Queensland for Brisbane, with the intent to catch a plane to Indonesia. With nowhere to be and nothing to his name but what he has on his back, he spent the entire day in Brisbane on foot. It was here that he learned to pay it forward from a busy mother who wanted to do something kind, along with encountering a couple other kind characters who populate this rich, inspiring tale of humanity in Brisbane.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

To make a difference in the world, you do not have to make a major impact. You do not have to bring water to an entire country; you do not have to feed entire villages; you just have to make someone smile once a week. This is exactly what Daniel Venn does with his nonprofit organization, Helping Kids Round First, which he discusses with Hayden. Daniel Venn works with Helping Kids Round First, doing fantastic work with kids. They collect donated baseball equipment in the United States, and give the donations to children in Nicaragua. They give children the opportunity to have a childhood in a country that does not often afford that chance, and gives them the opportunity to escape poverty through baseball. Dan also discusses the book he wrote and published, Beyond Baseball - Rounding First , representing his trip to Nicaragua with Helping Kids Round First. They work with the nonprofit organization to bring baseball, sustainable agriculture, and hospital supplies to Nicaragua. Join Daniel Venn as he describes the smell of his childhood (warning: it is not a pleasant one), recounts how baseball brought him around the world, and shares anecdotes that detail why it really is important to learn the specific language of the area you are visiting before you go, just in case. Make sure you know how to say “towel” and “uncle” correctly, and have suitcases with children’s books and old men’s underwear on hand, or else you might not end up on the trip you thought you were going to go on. Daniel handed out equipment village by village, meeting the young kids and adults whose lives he was changing through Helping Kids Round First. He realized how you could change the world with just a baseball bat and a smile. “Travel has become less about the places that I see,” Daniel shares with us, “and more about the people that I meet and the relationships that I form.”  5:35 - How did baseball bring Daniel Venn all around the world, and how did his “what the heck” moment that originally brought him to Costa Rica - and then eventually to Nicaragua with Helping Kids Round First?  8:20 - Daniel discusses the nonprofit organization, Helping Kids Round First, and his book, Beyond Baseball - Rounding First .  13:00 - Daniel is a rambler, but he does start to tell his story, which he calls: “May I Have A Towel, Please?” Daniel had to stay at a hotel in Costa Rica and believed he had enough Spanish to confidently ask for a towel from the attendant, but he mixed up a couple of his words. This language experience made him hesitant to speak to the Nicaraguan border agents, when they were getting all of their bags searched by security, and had to protect all their equipment from getting taken. A suitcase filled with children’s books and a bag filled with an old man’s underwear ended up saving the trip. Daniel and his team handed out equipment village by village, meeting young kids along the way who had been training hard for just this chance to come. Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

In a more adventurous and intimate turn, Hayden starts to read straight from his travel journal in the beginning of his Hayden’s Travel Journal series. As Hayden is a notorious journalist, the details and the personality really come through, following him and his journals from gold-mining, to island romances, to biking through Vietnam, and even further beyond. He almost died twice, but lived to tell the tale, here in these podcasts. Hayden is the type to go off-script (or, off-journal, as it were), but he figured, why not share his stories with the world? And this one starts in Melbourne, when he gets a call from his friend in Queensland, who was going into gold-mining full-time. Join Hayden as he tries to avoid a venomous demise from a redback spider, encounters a pig truck that makes it easy to be a vegetarian, and recounts one of the most horrific anecdotes he believes he has ever recounted.  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Have you ever realized that someone walking past you in the street has a life of their own? A passerby glances at you, and you realize - they have loved, they have lost, and they have a wild life of their own, just like you. Jeromy Slaby, a Chicago resident and the co-founder of Sonderers Magazine, named his online travel magazine after exactly that phenomenon. He has a goal - to bring humanity back together, one step at a time. Jeromy shows up to discuss the definition of “sonder”, the smell of his childhood (and how that led him to some truly great gelato), and why millennials travel the most out of any generation, nowadays. Jeromy’s feature is his travel anecdote about his adventure to the jungles of Panama in the summer of 2014, when he volunteered to build a sustainable community with the Outdoor Recreation Program. The story is titled by him as “A Failed Search,” and he recounts trying to find the Mother Tree, making a choice when you come to a fork in the road, learning to trust another person, fighting a giant tarantula mound, and learning to trust yourself. Jeromy offers advice on experiencing travel, the emotional impact of being in the middle of nowhere, and properly executing your travel plans. He helps you to make the realistic decision to travel, and teaches you what to prioritize. Join Jeromy and Hayden as they discover the further reaches of Panama and learn what it means to truly trust a stranger.  3:45 - What is the definition of “sonder”, the inspiration for Jeromy’s travel magazine, Sonderers ?  6:30 - What does your childhood smell like, as smell is one of those things that is so linked to memory?  7:30 - Jeromy shares an anecdote about getting lost, his childhood smells. and Nutella gelato.  8:50 - Why is it that millennials travel the most out of any generation? The world is becoming more international - is it a major cultural shift, or is it something else?  14:16 - Jeromy Slaby starts to recount his story of Panama, self-titled as “A Failed Search”, and detailing Jeromy’s time volunteering in the jungles of Panama in the summer of 2014, hiking, and learning to trust yourself. The primary goal of his expedition was to find the Mother Tree, but he ended up learning what it means to make a choice when you come to a fork in the road. What allows you to go out on a limb and trust another person - a stranger, even?  25:45 - Jeromy answers the question: ‘Does being a writer change how you experience travel?’  26:51 - What is the impact of the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere? Most importantly, what is there to this experience that makes it so special and freeing?  Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital

Everyone has a healthy dose of paranoia when traveling - it can be a very good thing to have, because it means you tend to keep yourself safe. But it can be hard to know how, exactly, to keep your belongings safe from theft and scams. Hayden wants to make sure you stay safe, and that your money and your important stuff stays safe, too. He offers you five travel tips here for avoiding theft and scams while you travel, sharing personal stories and anecdotes and speaking from experience as he does. Your travel stories should never have to be cut short due to an unexpected mugging, scam, theft, stolen identity, wallet grab, or, God forbid, all of the above. Take advantage of these five travel tips to ensure your absolute freedom and peace of mind while adventuring. Tips like how to use a money belt, what fake items to carry with you, and popular scams that you might have otherwise fallen victim to can help you more than you know while you travel. If you take Hayden’s tips into account while traveling, and if you are prepared against travel scams, then you will absolutely enjoy your travels more, because you will not be nervous the whole time. His advice can give you peace of mind and a much better time traveling.  2:58 - Tip #1 - Use a money belt. If you have a wallet in your back pocket, it’s gonna get swiped fast, so you better start hiding that money belt under your t-shirt. Hayden even offers some bonus suggestions on the best ones to own and how to make sure you don’t lose them.  4:44 - Tip #2 - Carry a fake wallet. When you get mugged, you can ju