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The School of Travels is a podcast that interviews people in many different stages of their travel experience from people taking their first trips outside of their hometowns to digital nomads who travel continuously. What inspires us to travel in the first place? What does travel have to teach us? How does travel change us? Join us as we dive into these questions and share travel stories from the road with host Becky Gillespie, who has been traveling and living as an expat for over 10 years. We would love for you to subscribe and join us in our traveling community!
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In my interview today, I talk with Illeana Salvo, a new nomadic traveler with an incredible story of how she turned her love of languages at an early age into the chance to travel internationally, live in Japan, and then eventually become location independent through helping one of her online language students with a new project. From dealing with taxes when you’re not really based in one country to how to handle the feeling that you’re missing out on climbing the corporate ladder by being nomadic, Illeana and I discuss a number of issues that can come up for new digital nomads. I hope you enjoy Illeana’s story and find it useful for questions you may have about leading this nomadic lifestyle.
Hello listeners and welcome back to the School of Travels podcast! Today we are going to travel from America to Europe to Asia to the Middle East and all the way back to Europe with my two special guests Josh and Kalie, a couple from The United States. I first became familiar with Josh and Kalie when I came across their channel on their YouTube channel Expats Everywhere while preparing for my move to Portugal in 2020. Josh and Kalie were only a couple of months ahead of me in the get your residency in Portugal game, but they were also doing it with a young child and a dog. I wanted to bring Josh and Kalie on to share their story of traveling right after university, living in four different countries, deciding to become parents, and then continuing to travel and maintain their love of travel right along with their young daughter in tow. As you will learn, their daughter, despite only being two years old, has definitely inherited her parents’ love for travel. So what’s it like when you’ve been traveling for a while and then you add a child into the mix? Let’s get into my interview with Josh and Kalie and find out.
I introduced Akina Shu to you back in Episode 73 and she is back for Part 2 today to talk about being a digitial nomad in Japan. Akina Shu spent a year traveling around Japan working from different locations and we will talk about how she found accommodation, how coliving services typically work in Japan, and some of Akina’s favorite places to work around the country. Have you ever dreamed of working remotely from Japan? Well, let’s learn about how to do it right now.
Today, Naman Mehrotra is going to share with us his experience growing up in 7 different countries and attending 11 schools across Asia, Africa, and Europe before eventually moving to the US. Naman and I discuss his personal experiences with moving around so much as a child, what it is like changing schools so often and also his current position at Safety Wing helping develop new products and strategies for travel insurance around the world. Naman has had quite a unique upbringing with so much travel at an early age, but I personally believe his experience may be one that becomes more common as more jobs become location independent - so knowing how to navigate so much change whether it’s for yourself or your family is valuable advice before you get on the road.
Do you know what a co-living is? Have you ever stayed in one? I spent years living in sharehouses when I worked full-time in Tokyo, but as a location independent traveler I’ve never actually stayed in a coliving, so I was very interested to learn more about them – and better yet – discover what it’s like to design and build one from scratch with my guest Kate Shifman. Kate is a fellow American citizen residing in Portugal, although she is way ahead of the trend and has almost reached the 5-yr residency mark, which here in Portugal means that she can soon apply for her Portuguese citizenship. In our discussion today, Kate and I talk about why she chose the surf town of Ericeira on Portugal’s beautiful West coast to build her very first co-living space. We also discuss how she is implementing sustainability into all of her design and construction choices and the future events and collaboration with businesses in Ericeira she plans for her new space.
This week, we are going on a grand adventure to the high mountains of Nepal. In 2015, I was fortunate enough to go trekking in Nepal to Everest Base Camp with Hari Bohara of Himalayan Trekking Alliance as my guide, and I am happy to say that I have finally been able to get him on the show this week to talk about what it’s like to prepare for a long multi-day trek in Nepal. We will talk about how Hari became a guide, what you need to get ready to set off on your trek, what it’s like to land at one of the world’s most dangerous airports, and the day-to-day life of hiking at high altitude on your way to Everest Base Camp. Are you ready for an adventure? Then, tune in and let’s go to Nepal with Hari.
Today, I would like to introduce you to one of the rarest creatures you will find on the digital nomad scene—a Japanese digital nomad. Akina Shu is originally from Yokohama, Japan, and she has made it part of her mission to introduce the concept of digital nomadism to Japanese companies. Having an interest in learning English since university, Akina has also started her own podcast, Nomad University, which we have put a link to on theschooloftravels.com. Akina and I will discuss Japanese work culture and also what made her finally do that most unusual of things in a country obsessed with work: quit her job, leave the office, and get on the road. Within the first 3 months of her journey, Akina had already visited 5 continents. How did she do it? Let’s get into her story right now to find out…
Hello listeners and welcome back to the School of Travels podcast! Today, I am bringing you my 3rd interview related to cryptocurrency because I’ve got to be honest, I feel like it’s becoming more important than ever, despite the entire industry being in a huge downturn at the moment. Now, you may ask yourself, what does cryptocurrency have to do with travel? Well, cryptocurrency is a form of money and we all need money to travel - and my guest in this week’s episode, Anja Schuetz, is going to explain to you how we can use earn cryptocurrency to earn passive income and even as a way to find your next job. If we have more money, we can have more freedom, travel, and well-being in general, so let’s get right into Anja’s story and hear the important message about the future of money and investing that she has to share.
Hello listeners! Welcome back for another edition of the School of Travel podcast! Back in Episode 62, I shared my story of getting residency in Portugal during the pandemic and, this week, I thought you would enjoy another story of how to get residency in Mexico - a place much more familiar to those of you listening from Latin America and the United States. My guest this week, Kris de Leon, has quite a story to share with you as he started dreaming of travel very early on growing up on the tiny island of Guam with his efforts to follow his dreams ultimately taking him around the world, not only becoming proficient in Japanese and working the Japanese corporate life but also landing an international transfer to London which allowed him to travel to new places almost every weekend. Kris now considers himself a “hybrid nomad” and you will need to follow along with his story to find out just what he means by that and if it may be a future option for you. Finally, we discuss why Kris ultimately fell in love with Mexico City and how he ultimately ended up getting his residency in Mexico (and how you can too). Let’s dive into Kris’s story now.
Hello listeners – welcome back to The School of Travels podcast coming to you for the second and final episode from El Salvador! My guests this week took the Bitcoin experiment in El Salvador to the next level and decided to travel around the country for 45 days only using Bitcoin. This meant that they could only stay in hotels and eat in restaurants that accepted their bitcoin, even the gas for their rental car had to be paid for in bitcoin—all in a country that had only made Bitcoin its legal tender less than four months before they entered the country. Riccardo Frega and Laura Nori, otherwise known in this podcast as Rikki and Laura, both come from Italy and met during the pandemic on the popular Clubhouse app, bonding over their shared love of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. When Laura suggested that Rikky take his show on the road to El Salvador to really see what it was like for the first country in the world to use Bitcoin as legal tender, they both had their tickets to El Salvador within a week. Two months later, they are still here and spreading the message of how Bitcoin can change the economic lives of even those who have never had a bank account before. What is it like to only spend Bitcoin for 45 days and no longer have any access to cash or credit cards? How is El Salvador doing with the adoption of Bitcoin? We are about to find out…..
For those of you who may not be aware, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021 and I wanted to check out this first-of-its-kind financial experiment on a nationwide level with my own eyes. As part of my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting former CNBC reporter and current Youtuber Uptin Saiidi, who spent one week here documenting what happens when a country adopts Bitcoin as a legal tender. As I traveled with Uptin around different parts of the country watching him film his upcoming documentary, I got to have a first-hand look at what it takes to make videos on the road and tell compelling stories that make complex economic and technological issues more relatable to an audience (what Uptin likes to cover most in his videos). Before the pandemic, Uptin was based in Singapore working out of an office three days a week. However, as the world shut down during the pandemic, and field reporting moved to Zoom, Uptin decided to strike out on his own and start his own channel. Suddenly a guy who had previously announced in a CNBC video that being a digital nomad was probably not for him was now able to go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. The only problem? Making money was now going to be solely reliant on how much Uptin wanted to hustle. Let’s get on the road with Uptin and dive into his story now.
When it comes to buying real estate abroad, there are many things to consider – is it even legal for me, as a foreigner to buy property there, can I get a mortgage from a local bank, how safe is it really? Are there decent schools for my children? Etc. My guest today, Jon Sterling has leveraged his long career as a real estate agent and broker in the United States and the UK to create a network of international real estate contacts that can help you find the perfect foreign property to meet your needs. Jon and I discuss different reasons why it can beneficial to buy real estate abroad and also some of the things to watch out for. I also put Jon on the spot and ask him for his recommendations for the best places around the world to invest right now and we talk about some of the places where it is possible to get a mortgage even as a foreigner.
Hello listeners and welcome back to the School of Travels podcast. In my last episode interviewing a first time remote worker, Muj, I mentioned my friend Juliana Rabbi, a remote jobs coach who helps people find their first remote job in 90 days. As I’m sure you are all aware, the pandemic has created an unprecedented number of remote job positions and it’s now easier than ever to find 100% remote work. In my interview today with Juliana, we are going to first learn about her own experience with remote work and her tips and tricks for finding the best remote job for you. Spoiler alert: not all remote jobs are created equal. As you will learn with Juliana’s story, even though you may achieve your dream of going fully remote, it still may not be the best fit for you and it’s important to consider what you’re really looking for - whether it’s travel, more time at home with your family, or simply more flexibility with your day to day schedule - from the beginning. I hope Juliana’s energy inspires you to start your remote job search today. Let’s get into her incredible story.
Hello listeners – I’d first like to wish you all a very happy holidays wherever you are in the world! I hope you’ve been able to spend some time with friends and family and do something special. I am lucky to currently be in Buenos Aires, Argentina where the summer has just started and I have been enjoying all the outdoor dining options that we have in the city. If anyone is looking for a great place to escape winter in the Northern Hemisphere, I’ve always found Argentina to be a great option. I first met today’s guest, Muj, on the Nomad Cruise in November 2019. What really struck me about Muj when I met him, besides the fact that he was charming and handsome, was that he actually wasn’t a digital nomad YET he was on a Nomad cruise. What I later learned was that Muj had already been on a mission for over a year to surround himself with digital nomads in the vacation time that he had from his corporate job and see if digital nomad life was for him and if he could get inspired to finally take the plunge and become a digital nomad himself. Little did we know that when the cruise ended, we were only a couple of months away from corporate office workers around the world being forced to work from home, and it was his experience during the pandemic that really convinced Muj to get serious about becoming fully remote. What I really love about this conversation with Muj is how practical we get on the many things that can come up when you consider actually starting to work from the road including time differences, relationships, and how to find new community. Without further ado, here’s Muj.
Today, I am super excited to finally bring you an interview with Peter Galante, my long-time friend and the founder of Innovative Language, a company that I’ve now had the pleasure of working with for over 5 years. Innovative Language produces online language learning content for 34 languages. If you’ve ever searched for how to learn a language on Youtube or Google, you’ve very likely come across one of Innovative Language’s websites or Youtube channels known as Japanesepod101.com, FrenchPod101.com, Turkishpod101.com, etc. Not only has Peter managed to continue to grow his business over time and adapt during the pandemic, but he also continues to be a curious, generous soul traveling around Japan and satisfying his foodie heart in search of his next great meal in Japan. We will also share what inspired Peter to come to Japan in the first place, why we love Japan, and what makes it a great and also challenging place to start a business, along with some tools that remote companies can use to stay efficient.
My guest today, Carlos Gonçalves, has been in the office business center and coworking industry in Lisbon, Portugal for 17 years and is the CEO and founder of Avila Spaces, the most award-winning business space in Portugal. Over these 17 years, more than 1000 companies have chosen to work from Avila and allow their employees to work in this shared business space in both free desk and fixed desk plans. Carlos is an expert at adapting to the rapidly changing needs of his clients and by the easing of the pandemic restrictions in Portugal, he has found his space so busy that he is actually expanding to a second location for the very first time. Carlos and I talk about the future of work and the explosive growth of remote work and how it will continue to change the industry going forward. There now seems to be a new normal for how to work online and Carlos gives us a great example, with Avila Spaces, of how to make new spaces comfortable and refreshing for people to work in. We may no longer go to the same physical space to work as our coworkers but that doesn’t mean that we can’t find great spaces to get our work done away from home. Join me for this interesting case study on the future of work with Carlos.
Hello listeners! Welcome back for another edition of the School of Travel podcast! This week on the podcast I'm joined by Lorenzo Primiterra. After growing up in a medium-sized Italian town and studying abroad during university, Lorenzo had his eyes opened to the possibilities of how travel could change his life and eventually made travel his primary focus while working on the road. During the pandemic Lorenzo had time to refocus on the cryptocurrency industry and he found that cryptocurrency seemed like a better bet than ever for navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic and the excessive money printing of governments during that time. We will talk about Lorenzo's journey to becoming a digital nomad as well as his new book, "Hey Mom, I Bought Bitcoin!" If you've always wondered about crypto, but never taken the time to look into it, then this is the episode for you!
Hello listeners! Thanks for joining me for another episode of The School of Travels podcast. Today, I’m speaking with James Ellsmoor, serial entrepreneur, writer, and the founder of Island Innovation, an organization that helps island communities become more sustainable and resilient by providing virtual events, workshops, public speaking opportunities, and digital marketing communications. As part of his university studies, James started visiting remote island communities and began to see the links between them and the need to help them become more sustainable in this rapidly changing global environment. James and I discuss islands that you may not have considered visiting before, especially in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and what makes these islands so special. If you’ve never spent much time visiting islands beyond stopping off on a cruise or as part of an all-inclusive tour, I hope this interview will help you see islands with a whole new set of travelers’ eyes.
Since the age of seven, Djuppe Debourse had dreamed of owning and living on his own sailboat. In 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, the right opportunity presented itself, so he took action, bought a boat, and achieved his dream! Join me for this episode--recorded from Djuppe's boat in the Lisbon Marina--for the entertaining story of how Djuppe achieved his childhood dream, his plans for the future of his boat, and how he created his life and career as a builder. If you’re interested in sailing, adventure, or re-connecting with building and doing hands-on work, you’ll love Djuppe’s story!
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