Roaming the Earth with Drea Castro

Welcome to the Roaming the Earth podcast. In this short introductory episode, Drea Castro discusses her love for the outdoors, her passion to find other explorers with a similar need to roam the Earth and why she decided to start a podcast that delves into the lives of these nomads. The episode opens with one of her adventures at the Grand Teton National Park.  

Special Guest: Amado DehoyosYou don't have to be a rocket scientist to travel the world, but sometimes it helps. Having spent 8 years building a career testing rockets with SpaceX, Amado DeHoyos decided to leave it early in 2015 and spent the last 5 years circling the globe on a seemingly never-ending quest - the desire to see the world. A friend made the fateful decision early in that trip to gift Amado a book called "100 Wonders" and he would sweep the globe, attempting to visit as many of those as he possible could (currently at 97, those last 3 are going to be tricky…). The checklist of 100 Wonders would expand to the checklist of UNESCO world heritage sites and would then expand to just being and living in the moment among the cultures of the world. Show Notes:1:04 Amado discusses the book that changed the course of his life.Dehoyos has traveled to a 117 countries (including Antarctica), alongside 430 UNESCO sites. 5:33 A former engineer for SpaceX, Amado discusses the transition to following his dreams to explore the world. He discusses his travels to Rome and Machu Picchu.Amado discusses the history, culture, nature, and people of Iguazu Falls, Manaus, Ataturk dam and the Amazon river97 of the 100 wonders and what's left12:40 Amado shares his secrets to get to Antarctica.Wildlife in Antartica and the Polar Bear PlungeDiscusses his love for New Zealand and some tips and tricks21.15 Find out how to cover the trail while en-route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.Discover what it feels like to be connected.Interesting stuff to carry during travel.The desire to travel to Iran and visit the man-made and god-made beauty out there. 

Special Guest: Dominique RitchieDominique is a full time vanlifer with her blue heeler, Kaia. She travels the world in her van sharing her stories through her blog and her own podcast, Roaming Roads.  She wanders earth hoping to make a difference by empowering people to live a meaningful life, spreading awareness, kindness and love to each community she connects with. She is focused on sustainability practices and purchases products with an eco-conscious mission. Her goal.... is to spread awareness, kindness, and love with each community she visits.SHOW NOTES:2:13 Drea discusses how she found Dominique when she was searching for a Solo Female Van Lifer. 2:57 Dominique shares her passion for travel and van life living4:00 Dominique discusses exploring her own country, Canada4:39 Dominique tells us the life transition that pushed her to move into her van. She speaks about the documentary “Minimalism” 9:27 Dominique discusses some of the terrifying moments of living in a van/car and a few tips on how to stay safe11:37 Dominique talks about feeling safer with Kaia, her dog by her side12:30 Some challenges of living in a van. Dominique provides solutions on how to mitigate these challenges14:12 Free Camping and the importance of keeping the budget low15:21 Tips and Tricks for how to live in a van and avoiding dangerous situations like bears and people. 18:53 Dominique tells us her recent terrifying moose attack while she was hiking and a tips on how to try to keep safe27:28 Dominque talks about what she does in order to support herself on the road30:39 Dominque tells us advice she would give to her younger self32:03 Dominique shares her favorite trails with us: The three sisters & Pearly Rock in Glacier NP in Canada34:08 Dominique shares her favorite places that she has traveled to in her Van The Oregon Coast and The Kootnays37:14 Dominique tells us her most meaningful person that she has ever met on the road and how this person reignited her love for van life. 41:59 Dominique shares her plans for the Canadian winter after her plans for coming to warmer areas in the US has been derailed due to Covid and the border restrictions44:45 Tips and Tricks to Dominiques favorite destinations, Kootnays and Oregon CoastThe importance of booking ahead in British Columbia The Okanagan Wineries47:20 Dominique shares the thing that she purchases when she travels49:14 Dominque shares with us what her podcast “Roaming Roads” is all about

Special Guest: Soyla FlorSoyal was born San Diego, California and raised in Los Angeles. She has traveled to countries, lived in Paris, France to study Art History, and in Rishikesh, India to study Hatha Yoga. After working in the fashion industry and marketing as an entrepreneur, she made a very big career change. In 2015 Soyla was hired as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, where she discovered aviation. Since then her love for travel and adventure has married perfectly with aviation. She took my first ‘discovery flight’ in November of 201 8, and in February 2020 became a private pilot. Soyla is currently working on her instrument rating and commercial pilot license, and her goal is to become a Certified Flight Instructor and eventually an airplane pilot.SHOW NOTES:Introduction: Soyla shares her experience in Cuba when she decided to give back to the local community1:50 Soyla Bio7:10 Soyla tell us about her aviation journey and getting hired for Delta12:28 The challenges of being a pilot and finding “The 99’s”16:37 Soyla shares her love for india during her spiritual awakening, Hatha yoga training course she attended.  19:09 Tips and Tricks for traveling to India23:05 An adventurous trip to Honduras and a near death experience on a boat29:00 Soyla talks about her next adventure, Dubai31:22 Soyla’s favorite items to travel with32:30 Soyla shares the advice she would give her younger self

Special Guest: Vitnija SaldavaVitnija (pronounced as Whitney) Saldava is a true world citizen, born in the small Eastern European country of Latvia, but now living and working all over the world. She speaks 6 languages and has lived in 6 different countries, now residing in the UK. For the first half of her career she worked as an international news journalist covering news stories all around the world. At the moment, she works as a communications officer at NATO by day, and as a career adviser and a masters student at Harvard University by night.SHOW NOTES:Introduction1:10 Whitney shares her family's history with wanderlust4:55 Whitney shares her first solo trip to Finland at a really young age7:30 How Whitney chose to go to North Korea8:35 Whitney shares her experience sneaking around and getting caught in North Korea.17:55 Whitney shares her FAVORITE places that she has traveled with a few helpful tips on how to make your way over to these special places.19:30 Whitney shares her tips on traveling to Cambodia21:00 Solo Traveling and why29:05 Whitney shares her experience in Albania shooting Kalashnikovs36:30 How has Covid affected Whitney39:00 Feeling connected41:30 Whitney's favorite item to buy when she travelswww.instagram.com/whitneytheexplorer

Todd Snyder is the Founder / CEO of Lost Faces of Humanity Foundation, an NGO focusing on the refugee crisis in East Africa. Todd has traveled to over 90 countries as a businessman, trailblazing photographer, and father, whose socially conscious work sheds light on what many choose to ignore. His passion for capturing struggles and triumphs of the human spirit is the foundation of his unique artistic style. Todd leverages his relationships with over 20 years working in the international capital markets and finance to create pathways for significant change to assist the global refugee crisis while using his photography of over 5,000 refugees and thousands of internally displaced persons to create awareness of humanity. Show Notes:INTRO: Todd opens up with his visit with the Mursi Tribe when he was greeted with tribe members with AK47s1:10: Drea introduces Todd Snyder3:44 Drea & Todd discuss his journey to photographic refugees5:50 The beginning of his foundation focusing on the refugee crisis, “The Lost Faces of Humanity”7:13 Todd speaks about his daughter entering into the UNHCR camp8:16 Talking about the forgotten people at the camps and what he witnessed during his visit.  8:49 Todd went home and the first thing he did was start the process to create “Lost faces of Humanity”  11:35 Todd talks about the hierarchy of the camps and the struggle to retrieve water. 12:42 Todd discusses the UN providing education for the children, WHO providing basic health necessities, World Food program providing food, and the place of Lost Faces of Humanity. Lost Faces has the goal of providing education/technology for children at the camps as well as providing education of this refugee crisis for kids in the US.14:14 Todd and Drea discuss the importance of traveling and how much it teaches you. Todd talks about how his daughter met kids from the camp, and the relationship that was created. He wants to merge the kids from both worlds together.16:35 Todd discusses the beginning of his love for travel and how he likes to travel. 18:06 Todd tells us what he brings when he travels18:46 Todd discusses his current plans after Covid and the situation of Quarantine in Ethiopia19:35 Todd’s Favorite person he’s photographed - A boy in South Sudan and the homeless people in Los Angeles - Skid Row 21:36 Great guides in Tanzania and having them look after you22:13 Todd shares with us his favorite way to choose the people he photographs. 24:25 Lions rubbing on the tents at night in the Serengeti27:22 Todd goes on a sporadic trip to Morocco - Kasbah, Camel Riding, and Music 31:00 Sleeping outside of the tent in the cold Sahara 34:15 Todd gives us advice to his younger self35:58 The difference between how the media portrays the world and how the world really is. Todd and Drea discuss how amazing a place like Turkey is and how the media portrays it differently37:00 Tips for traveling with children and the challenges38:45 Sienna, Italy and the Palo Horse Race - and trusting a Carabinieri with his daughter40:15 Drea discusses the Kindness of people in the world as she has traveled40:45 Todd tells us his favorite location that he has traveled to 43:45 Tips and Tricks to traveling to the Serengeti44:15 Traveling through the migration and the Masai Mara47:20 Staying safe and registering with the State Department47:33 Drea and Todd’s Bucket list items48:16 Todd shares his information about Lost faces of Humanity and instagram 

Ruslan Sirota is a Grammy award winning pianist, composer and producer. Ruslan has been touring, performing and recording with major artists, such as Stanley Clarke, Black Eyed Peas, the Alicia Keys, Seal, Josh Groban, Ne-Yo, Chick Corea, George Duke, Kamasi Washington and countless others.Show Notes:Intro: The episode opens with an article about Ruslan Sirota and his musical journey written by Adam Renn Olenn called "Finding a Balance"3:04 Ruslan shares what it's like to share the stage with the Dalai Lama.10:46 Ruslan discusses finding his calling and the life of travel17:25 Ruslan shares his early life during Chernobyl & the Gulf War. He goes in depth about the conditions of the Soviet Union and how his family had to escape. Upon reaching Israel, they were greeted with the Gulf War.25:00 The melting pot culture of Israel and how it is to live there27:28 Ruslan shares what it's like to travel as Musician and the first time he was on a major tour33:12 Ruslan shares his mishap on his first tour.  35:14 Ruslan shares his favorite spots in the world, some food experiences and more1:10 Ruslan’s current plans during Covid1:14 Ruslan’s advice to his younger self Find Ruslan on: www.instagram.com/ruslanpianohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruslan_Sirotahttps://www.facebook.com/Ruslanmusic/

SPECIAL GUEST: Carsten ColesNew Zealander Carsten Coles has lived and worked across the world before settling in Sheffield, where he lectures in English and publishes travel mag Run Wild. The magazine was inspired by a course featuring talks by editors of Delayed Gratification and Cereal. ‘That was when I knew I really wanted to do my own magazine,’ he says. When asked to describe his magazine in three words, Carseten described it as “Travel. Adventure. And Environmentalism. This was an excerpt from a Magculture interview with Carsten. SHOW NOTES:Intro: Carsten shares his journey to climb a 12 pitch route to La Taillante (3,185m). 1:09 Drea introduces Carsten Coles1:57 Carsten continues to share his journey on this route. It was his third rock climb up real rocks up a 200 meter cliff3:15 Carsten started an Adventure Travel Based Magazine called RUN WILD. He shares why he created RUN WILD and what their mission is. 4:15 Carsten shares his inspiration in starting RUN WILD, his love for paper and dreams of being a writer7:45 Carsten started the magazine in March 2019 and what it looks like  to begin a travel magazine. 9:05 The importance of following your dreams no matter how big they are.  9:53 Carsten shares the many challenges in starting a travel magazine. Learning to do everything from soup to nuts. 11:26 Carsten shares the most fulfilling moments in starting the magazine, one of which is hiring female writers. 14:00 Carsten shares some tips & tricks to start a magazine.  15:45 Carsten shares the number of countries he had been to and his favorite places he’s been to which is Columbia and Svalbard. Carsten shares with us some Tips & Tricks of Svalbard is the Backpacker’s version of Antarctica.  20:23 Columbia Tips & Tricks. (i.e. how to find a cheaper tour, etc)22:34 More Tips & Tricks for Svalbard 24:57 Carsten shares what travel means to him and why he’s passionate about it. Carsten tells us his favorite way to travel. 30:07 Carsten shares the way he likes to travel - Camping & Backpacking31:16 Carsten just loved traveling and it started when he was young. 37:08 Carsten shares his 8 pitch climb in the Dolomites with his friend39:03 Carsten shares with us his most interesting travel story in Greenland when he went hiking around the country. 43:00 Carsten shares his exciting experiences in maneuvering in Beijing, China. 45:38 Chatting with inuit reindeer Hunters in Greenland, discussing climate change in the areas, and how it is effecting their food supply47:47 Carsten shares his favorite item that he brings on his adventurous trips - a Garmin Satellite Communicator. 51:52 Carsten believes in no regrets in life so his advice to himself is to take more risks, don’t get tied up with a job. Think about the life you want, and earn enough money to have that life.  52:29 Carsten’s favorite trails - The O in Patagonia & The Dusky Trail in New Zealand. He shares in detail about his love for these trails, and a few tips and tricks. 56:04 Carsten’s next plan - Hamburg and the issue with flights and covid and the Scottish Highlands!57:58 Carsten and his work can be found...

Tim Stroeks is an avid thru hiker, adventurer, and outdoorsman who currently resides in the Netherlands. He comes from a family of travel enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, climbing and cycling. This wanderlust that runs through his blood, has been a prevalent theme throughout his life. Tim has cycled Southern Sweden, completed the coast to coast walk in England, hiked the King’s Trail in the Arctic Circle, Finished the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, the W trek in Patagonia, to name a few. And finally, in 2019, his long-desired dream to hike the Pacific Crest Trail was fulfilled…Show Notes0:00 Tim Stroek’s reads from one of his instagram entries when he climbed the Sierras during his Pacific Crest Trail thru hike in 2019. 1:07 Who is Tim Stroeks? Drea shares his extensive adventure bio with us2:31 25 years old and 32 countries. Tim shares his love for travel and where he found this passion. 4:41 How did Drea find Tim Stroeks? Instagram!5:17 Tim shares how much he loves to rough it and how he likes to8:08 Tim gets his love for travel from his parents and family. He started traveling adventurously very young and that love for the outdoors has stayed with him as an adult8:17 Tim shares with us his favorite trails and why he chose these trails. Spoiler Alert - the PCT8:41 The King’s Trail in Sweden - The Arctic Circle and camping under the midnight sun - Tim shares with us some an experience with the locals that give you rides across the many lakes on this trail.  10:35 Tim shares with us what a TRAIL ANGEL is on the PCT - The volunteers who provide their time, food, rides and supplies for hikers along the PCT14:01 What is the PCT - Tim explains what the Pacific Crest Trail - The whole hike is 2650 but changes from year to year. Tim shares the changes that happens in PCT that may increase the mileage16:14 Tim shares his Mt Whitney detour off of his PCT hike, the craziness of mountain weather, and what it’s like to stand on top of it. 20:41 Drea asks Tim the average mileage of a PCT hiker, the importance of keeping up your mileage to meet your window of hiking, and he shares his highest mileage count - 40!23:41 Tim discusses the excerpt at the very beginning28:35 Tim has always challenged himself and the PCT pushed his boundaries. This is what drove him to attempt this trail. 30:51 Drea asks Tim how he prepared for the long journey on the PCT - Permits, Getting a Visa as a foreigner, organizing the gear that works for you, the importance of planning and also not planning, delivering packages to resupply. 38:05 Talking to other hikers to figure out a plan, where to send packages, and planning on the actual trail. 39:20 Tim used a very helpful app - Guthooks, that aided in helping plan where to resupply! Very important40:42 Tim shares with us some of his fears in hiking the PCT. Tim was really afraid of failing and also getting injured early in the hike. 42:19 Tim tell us why he was unable to complete the PCT. He was only 150 miles short from the Canadian border. 44:37 The dangers on the PCT include some animals - Here is Tim and his rattlesnake story, a Black Bear and her cubs and a mountain lion! 46:50 Tim shares the challenges of crossing the Sierras during the high snow season - Having to break trail, The Snow Bridges, then the Higher River Crossings, etc. 48:20...

Charley Radcliffe grew up in London with a family who loved to travel frequently. But it wasn't until he was in university, that he began having the urge to not just visit places, but explore them extensively. For Charley, that came through living somewhere and learning the language. He lived in San Sebastian, in the north of Spain for a few years before moving back to London. He then discovered CLIMBING & ALPINISM. Naturally, the love for the mountains and the lifestyle that comes along with it, brought him to Chamonix, France, a town on the foot of the French Alps. The mountains of Chamonix caught his heart and soul. Six years ago, Charley moved to Chamonix full time to continue to pursue his love for the outdoors and the climb.Show Notes:00:00 Charley reads us an excerpt from March 26, 2020 - The beginning of Covid and how much he misses the climb. 00:50 Drea introduces Charley Radcliffe1:35 Charley expands on his March 26, 2020 and strict 8 week lockdown in Chamonix, France. People could not go 1 km from home and 100 meters vertically which needed to be put in place to restrict climbers from going up into the mountains that tower above the town. Drea and Charley talk about how Coronavirus has affected the world. 8:25 Charley shares his love for travel, why he is passionate about it and how it has inspired him.11:00 Charley shares his journey from London to living permanently in Chamonix, France the town right underneath the French Alps and why he moved to this adventure town16:58 Charley explains the European style of climbing that he prefers to do - The single push. He also explains the advantages of doing the Single Push. 19:00 Charley shares his love for the outdoors and the the value of working hard for that “view”22:04 Charley shares his goal to climb 82 peaks over 4000 meters (13123 feet). He has completed 52 because Coronavirus prevented him from climbing faster. He shares a rare winter climb in January above 4000 meters, watching the sunset and realizing that no one else was higher than them in all of Europe. 24:00 He expands more about his attempt to climb the 82 peaks24:56 Charley shares his introduction into Alpinism and Mountain Climbing - Mt. Blanc27:45 Charley shares his favorite peaks/climbs - The Matterhorn in 7 hours and 45 minutes29:13 Charley shares the three types of fun in the outdoors30:17 Charley shares an iconic climb with ice Axes and is very difficult. 34:08 Charley gives advice on how to find the perfect climbing partner39:15 One of Charley’s most challenging climbs - The monte rosa massif and the linking up 13 out of the 18 peaks46:22 South Face of Mount Blanc - Poor Quality Rock48:32 Charley and compartmentalizing - boxing up your fears, learning from your mistakes, and re-evaluating49:43 Charley shares some close calls - Gears, Crevasses, etc. 50:28 Charley shares how the mountains are falling down and the permafrost is melting. He is seeing Climate Change first hand in the french alps. 53:32 Charley shares how he prepares for his climbs 56:27 Charley shares his climbing heroes57:49 Charley’s shares the amazing feeling of his climbing accomplishments58:55 Charley shares his tips and tricks for someone who wants to climb and try alpinism59:49 Charley shares his most meaningful person he has met on his travels/climbs 61:01 Charley shares his favorite climbs, The Matterhorn and Mount Blanc - Tips and Tricks to do those climbs64:00 Charley shares his one thing he takes with him on his climbs - A happy snacks 65:00 Charley shares a piece of advice for his younger self66:00 Charley shares some advice on how to get sponsored as a climber and some his favorite brands that he has...

Alec Sills-Trausch's love for the outdoors stems from his family. At a very young age, he was introduced into the world of adventure. From being dragged kicking and screaming as a kid, to now waking up before sunrise or staying up through the night to snag the perfect shot. He combines adventure travel and photography to inspire others to enjoy mother nature as much as he does. In November of 2018, he was diagnosed with Gray Zone Lymphoma but it did not stop him from enjoying the adventures of the outdoors. Through treatment, he was able to appreciate and enjoy daily activities. In April of 2019, Alec was declared Cancer Free. On July 4th, 2019, he summited Mt. Whitney in a day, he also the Rim to Rim Canyon trek also in one day, explored the backcountry of Wyoming and the adventures continue. At 28, he's only been taking photos for two years but enjoys the perspective it has brought to his life and the ability to document the wonders of the world. SHOW NOTES:Introduction to Alec - He reads an excerpt from his blog entry in February 2020 post cancer treatment.  1:05 Drea introduces Alec2:47 Alec tells us about his love for traveling in the United States2:51 Alec shares with us a little backstory about the excerpt he read out loud in the beginning and his cancer journey, and how shortly after remission he went on to climb Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 and the rim to rim of the Grand Canyon and one day9:27 Alec shares his passion for travel, his love for small towns, and Boise, Idaho. He even thought about moving to Boise because of the proximity to Mt. Rainier and other beautiful locations.11:50 Idaho and the pristine landscape and milky way filled sky12:20 Alec loves to go on road trips and he explains his perspective on the importance of being on the road.13:35 Alec prefers to sleep in a tent and he shares the ease of what it can be once you learn the routine. 16:15 Alec shares a night at Island lake at 12,400 feet where he heard a howl at an elevation where there should be no life 17:40 Alec shares his love for backpacking and why he loves this type of travel. HE shares one of his favorite backpacking trips in Wyoming.18:48 The Wind River Range and the Titcomb basin is one of Alec’s favorite backcountry trails. He shares the some of the difficulties of this “worth it” backpacking trek (i.e. mosquitos)21:00 Alec shares his hike to the top of Whitney less than 4 months out of the Chemotherapy treatment. Alec summited Mt. Whitney through the infamous chute that people take when they cannot go up the traditional route on the 99 switchbacks due to snowfall.23:25 Drea shares her difficulty with elevation and how she almost every time gets elevation sickness24:45 Mt. Whitney after Trail crest - The longest last push up to the summit ever. Both Drea and Alec discuss that last push being the hardest part. Alec tells us how fast he got the permit and the last minute decision to climb the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.27:10 Alec shares us why he began this type of lifestyle29:53 Alec tell us the story of how he started to do photography. He bought his camera from Craigslist and it worked out great!  31:00 Alec also has a travel blog and journal in which he shares his adventures as well as his cancer journey. In the very beginning of his online blog, his purpose was to keep his family informed about his life but then it transformed into trying to help others experience the adventures he was having. Alec wanted to create a place where he can share advice to others. The blog started with wanting to share his adventures with his parents and now he gets 2-3000 new visitors to his site per month.ExplorewithAlec.com32:33 Alec shares his favorite...

Anastasia Gorelova is a producer and journalist for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. She is also a creative producer working in an international media company in Prague. She has worked with Reuters and the BBC. She has covered events such as the Pussy Riot Trials, the World Cup, the Olympics, and the NATO summits to name a few. She has a passion for music and many of her travels has been inspired by covering music events throughout the world.Show Notes00:00 Intro to Anastasia and Short Excerpt that she wrote1:02 Drea and Anastasia talk about how they met through AirBnb2:00 Anastasia talks about the excerpt she wrote. It was taken in Alabama Hills days before Coronavirus really hit the world. In the midst of airlines closing flights, Anastasia was traveling through California to get to Lake Tahoe during a snow storm.  7:59 “Travel is Life” Anastasia explains her reasons why she is passionate about traveling9:30 Anastasia loves traveling in nature. She loved traveling on the 395 in California past Death Valley and the Ancient Bristlecone Forest13:58 Anastasia shares her preferred way of traveling, via camper van. Anastasia and her fiance went to Iceland and toured the country in a camper van. During their visit, they were able to catch the northern lights twice! She explains what it’s like to see the northern lights in person.16:52 Anastasia’s next travel plan- going to Japan and traveling the country via Camper Van. She discusses the interesting roadside stops in Japan. Anastasia also shares that New Zealand is an easy place to travel in a Van because of their loose regulations on being able to park your van anywhere and sleep in it.   19:17 Anastasia’s favorite two countries in the world are New Zealand and Japan.   21:10 Tips about traveling to Japan from Anastasia. The advanced toilets in Japan are one of her favorties- The Toto Toilet Gallery. 24:25 Her advice for first time travelers to Japan is not cramming everything in one trip. Focus on a few specific things. She explains some tips and tricks on what to see, transportation tips. 26:15 Anastasia shares one of the best premium dining experiences she’s ever had in Japan and the world. She explains the art of sushi in Japan and the dedication it takes to become a sushi chef. She also explains the type of dining experience it is at this special restaurant, Kidoguchi in Omotesando Area in Japan.31:45 Anastasia shares her tips for New Zealand - New Zealand makes amazing Flat White Coffee. 31:50 Anastasia shares her favorite places in New Zealand - Lake Taupo and Waiotapu34:03 Anastasia shares why she began to travel. It all began with her parents sending her out to the South of France for educational purposes. It was here where she realized there was a new way of living. But music, and following the band, "30 second to Mars" began her love to follow music shows. 37:10 Anastasia talks about her life as a journalist and the truth about journalism42:00 Journalism and Music - The Difficulties of finding paid work for the music industry44:46 Interviewing Aurora, Bastille and other famous musicians 47:06 Anastasia’s tips on how to interview 479:27 Anastasia’s tips on how to Pitch for an article50:52 Anastasia shares her most fulfilling moments as a journalist - Seeing her work on the BBC53:16 Anastasia shares her most interesting person she has ever met during her travels. She also shares an interview she did with an athlete that changed her stereotypes of athletes.  56:25 Anastasia shares some advice to herself. 57:45 Anastasia shares her one item that she brings and purchases when she travels. 58:33 We can find Anastasia on instagram...

Vitor Rodrigues began taking photographs only three years ago and his photographs will stop you in your tracks. He has an obsession with photography and it shows in his work. He is avid traveler, backpacker and outdoor enthusiast. In this episode, he shares some of his tricks and tips, his camera & backpacking gear, and favorite locations. Show Notes:00:00 Vitor reads an excerpt he’s written when he climbed Mt. Rainer00:48 Drea introduces Vitor 1:08 Vitor shares why he is passionate about travel. 1:25 Vitor tells us how traveling runs in his family.4:06 Vitor discusses his love for the outdoors and the beginning of his love for hiking 5:30 The most challenging hike Vitor has ever done was up to Iceberg Lake in the Sierras but he shares his love for the exhaustion6:46 Vitor shares his favorite tips and tricks for backpackers.  He is a big advocate about planning and Vitor shares his techniques on how he does that. 7:40 Vitor shares his favorite gear that he takes with him when he backpacks 9:02 Vitor shares the kind of camera gear he brings with him on the trails and how he creates the types of photos he has10:29 We talk about how Vitor got started taking his incredible photographs.  He has only been doing it for 3 years and his instagram is amazing. 12:03 Vitor’s biggest tip is shared right here.  If you want to do what he does, he reveals his biggest secret on how he takes his stunning photographs14:52 Vitor times his photographs according to the place.  He doesn’t favor sunsets or sunrises, but favors how the location looks best in certain times of the day12:52 Vitor’s favorite place that he has photographed13:17 Vitor shares his love for photographs and how he approaches his photos with the intention of his edits. 14:51  Vitor shares one of his first hikes as a novice hiker and the decision to climb Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the east coast. 17:08 Vitor shares his most fulfilling moment - the top of the mountain. 17:30 Vitor talks about his favorite mountain he’s climbed - Temple Crag19:33 Vitor has a love for Yosemite and he shares his first experience at his favorite park - Tunnel ViewViltor also shares the need to watch “Free Solo” the documentary with Alex Honnold, if you ever plan on going to Yosemite 21:31 Tips and Tricks to travel Vitor’s favorite spot, Yosemite.  He also shares the importance of picking up your trash23:01 Drea and Vitor discuss the advantage of limiting the amount of people that can go into the park because of Covid restrictions and  the beauty of winter in Yosemite to avoid the crowds. 24:31 Vitor shares his next destination - North Carolina and the Smoky mountains. 25:25 Vitor shares his one interesting item that he buys - a hoodie 26:25 Vitor’s favorite hike - Mount St. Helens29:05 Vitor Life Advice  29:37 We can find Vitor on instagram onwww.instagram.com/V_Outdoors

Special Guest: Kristy SumnerIn 2014, Dr. Kristy Sumner coupled her passion for travel, history and the paranormal when she formed Soul Sisters Paranormal, an all-female team, made up of Sumner, her two sisters and two friends. The investigators of Soul Sisters Paranormal travel to some of the most historic and, reportedly, haunted locations in the U.S. in an attempt to determine for themselves if spirit activity does exist and to highlight the rich history of each location. Individually, each member of the team is an accomplished professional in her respective field, and each holds a Masters, PhD or JD degree. To date, the team has traveled to and investigated numerous US locations, including: the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (WV), The Lizzie Borden House (MA), the Villisca Ax Murder House (IA), the St. Augustine Lighthouse (FL), Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary (TN) and many others. Prior to forming Soul Sister Paranormal, Dr. Sumner, who holds a PhD in Public Affairs with an emphasis on Criminal Justice, was a senior director for a Registered Traveler company focused on biometric clearances for the traveling public, she was a senior consultant for a biometric credentialing company, and she was college professor at Metro State College of Denver and the University of Central Florida. Show Notes: 00:00 Kristy opens the episode with a part of their video when they investigated the grounds of Fort Mifflin.  00:58 Intro to Roaming the Earth and bio of Kristy Sumner, the paranormal investigator who travels the country investigating haunted locations.3:28 Kristy talks about the excerpt she read and Fort Mifflin. She explains the importance of the fort during the revolutionary war. 6:50 Drea expresses her fear of the paranormal and Kristy tells us about the team's lack of being afraid despite the startling noises, voices and other paranormal experiences that they witness. Kristy explains that they approach every investigation from a scientific approach where they attempt to debunk the claims before deeming it paranormal or unexplainable. 8:28 Drea asks about the Fort MIfflin experience where a shadow figure broke the laser grid on camera. Kristy and her team saw it happen in front of them and successfully capture this remarkable unexplainable experience in front of the camera. Kristy shares the very active experience of staying overnight at Fort Mifflin and the interesting approaches they have in order to speak to these entities.  12:29 Drea asks Kristy the reason why and how “Soul Sisters” started traveling the country for these paranormal investigations. It all started with the idea of going on a girls getaway that turned into a visit to the Moundsville State Penitentiary in West Virginia. 14:40 Drea asks Kristy about the kind of gear they bring on these investigations.17:40 Kristy shares her favorite haunted location - The old Gilchrist County Jail in Trenton, Florida. She explains the small footprint of the prison built in 1928. She found this location to be very active and she shares some of her stories.They talk even further about the shadow figure that walked across the hallway twice, broke a laser grid that was set up and when asked to cross again, it did.21:28 Kristy shares more of the things she has seen - Balls Moving, the laser grids moving, k2 meters that measure energy go off. She explains another paranormal experience at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, the former maximum security prison where they once held James Earl Ray, the man who shot Dr. Martin Luther King.   24:00 Drea explains her own experiences with the hauntings happenings in her home after her mom’s recent death.  25:02 Kristy tells us her theories of why she believes an entity...

Gary Arndt is not your regular traveler - He is a photographer, a world renowned travel blogger, a podcast host for “Everything Everywhere” and he even owns an NFL Franchise. He embodies traveling and garners an impressive list of places he’s been to - including visiting all 7 continents of the world, 204 countries and territories, 50 US states and every US territory, 220 US national Park services, and 400 UNESCO heritage sites, and even explored the vast Canadian provinces. He began his traveling quest in March of 2007 when he sold his home and decided that he was going to live out of his suitcase. Gary has an impressive list of awards and accolades but here are just a few to name.  He was in Time Magazine Top 25 Blogs in the World in 2010, earned a gold medal and two silver medals for Best Travel Blog by North American Travel Journalist Association, 3 Lowell Thomas Awards, which are the most prestigious prize in travel journalism and over 40 lifetime NATJA awards - holding the recording for travel bloggers, and he was named one of the 100 Most Influential Photographers in the World.Show Notes:00:00 Gary reads an excerpt that he wrote in his travel blog1:16 Drea begins to read Gary’s extensive traveling bio2:25 Gary talks about the excerpt and people’s futile quest for an authentic experience4:40 Gary talks about an experience in Cambodia when he knew that being poor didn’t mean that they didn’t have anything.  The number of people in the world who live in extreme poverty has decreased dramatically over the last 20 years and he thinks that this is a good thing.  7:38 Drea asks Gary about how he became nomadic starting when he sold his house in March 2007.  9:49 Gary shares his own advice on how to overcome the many fears of chasing the Nomadic life dream. Gary speaks to the fear of not being able to speak the language and how it is so much easier to travel the iphone than ever before. 17:50 Gary shares how he created this impressive bucket list.  He shares his journey of how he began this journey.19:54 Gary discusses over tourism and how most people don’t know about the many, many places you can go travel to.  He believes that there are many secret locations and he shares a few of them.20:28 Gary speaks about the best national park he’s ever visited, Nahanni National Park Reserve21:22 Gary then describes another less visited National Park - Torngat Mountain National Park which has fantastic Fjords.  It is run by the local Inuit community and they said that they caught arctic char.22:22 Gary speaks about Padua in Italy which is only a 20 minute train ride from Venice.  Everyone skips this beautiful town and they skip it. 24:25 Gary talks about Nevada and the  Great Basin NP 25:55 Gary shares his top challenge which was trying to work while traveling. He then shares how he mitigated that and found his solution. 28:25 Gary shares his most exciting travel story - which is when Gary visited an active war zone in Cambodia on the back of the motorcycle.33:07 Gary tells us a story of being in the middle of a protest in Bangkok when the protesters were going to try to dump human blood on the prime minister's home. 33:41 Gary also changed a law in Kiribati and he tells us the story of how that happened. 36:53 Micronesia, Palau, and  Marshall islands and the few tourists that live there.  Gary discusses how easy it is to visit.  He shares the tip on how to get there. 39:19 Drea asks how Gary started his successful blog and how it became so huge.  Gary began his blog in 1994 and he discusses the start of his podcast - and touches on his career. 44:28 Gary suggests to never buy a travel guide, but instead buy a history book on that...

Alexys is a 27-year-old Los Angeles native who’s gotten really good at traveling on a budget, loves going outside of her comfort zone to experience new cultures, & says “yes” to any new type of food abroad. Within a 6 year period she had ventured to 50 countries, while going to school and then later working full time. She started her instagram page and blog because she wanted to provide honest destination tips to show just how affordable travel can be, and help others to spend less time behind the computer screen trip-planning and more time out exploring."Show Notes:00:00 Alexys begins our episode with reading an excerpt she wrote about traveling to Havana, Cuba. :40 Drea introduces the show and tells us about Alexys, a young traveler who enjoys exploring on a budget.  1:31 Drea asks about budget traveling to Havana and Alexys shares with us in further detail the Havana, Cuba trip she started the episode. It was originally supposed to be a 3 day domestic trip somewhere but after finding cheap flights to Cuba, it quickly became a 5 day trip to Havana.  2:41 Drea asks Alexys when she booked it and how she prepared for this trip 4:13 This was Alexy’s first true budget trip. 5:30 Drea asks Alexy’s budget to go to Havana, Cuba. She breaks down her flight costs, food costs, and Mojito costs.  6:24 Drea talks about her Cuba trip in February 2020 before Coronavirus hit. It was a last minute trip. Both Alexys and Drea provides some tips on the visa situation9:15 Alexys Shares how she prepared for the trip to Cuba and the “Supporting for the Cuban people” 13:04 Alexys shares some of her activities that she did in Cuba. She talks about the convertible tour and her tour guide Alan. 15:19 Talking about Cuba and exchanging money17:23 Alexys talks about the Charles Schwabb Debit card, which is one of her favorite travel tips. 20:30 Drea asks Alexys why she started traveling and how she started traveling to 50 countries. Alexys talks about how much travel runs in her family and how her mom really influenced her adventurous spirit. She believes travel really has brought her closer with her mom.23:57 Alexys shares what travel means to her - and finding your Right Travel Buddies29:48 Alexys shares her most dangerous travel stories when she was drugged in Budapest during a pub crawl. 35:33 She shared her most exciting experience which happened on her trip to Havana when she met Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino. 37:46 Alexys talks about the importance of Budget Traveling and how she got started38:51 Alexys shares her favorite places she’s traveled to and she talks about Thailand. She speaks about street food in Thailand and all the flavorful dishes the country has to offer. 42:55 Alexys shares some tricks and tips about traveling to Thailand44:40 Buy the Local Bug Spray - Top Tip from Drea and Alexys!45:49 Alexys shares her most fulfilling moment in Oktoberfest in Germany meeting the local college students.   48:20 She also shares another fulfilling moment in Cinque Terre, Italy50:00 Alexys talks about how to budget travel53:39 Alexys talks about what she purchases when she goes abroadAlexys has an impressive wall full of beautiful artistic pieces and crafts from around the world. 55:05 Alexys shares a piece of life advice to herself which is “Stay at Hostels more” She talks about meeting amazing people at hostels. She even met a singer at a hostel in Portugal who was incredible.  58:01 Find Alexys on

Matt Wild is a lifelong adventurer who spends most of his free time outdoors... from hiking, backpacking and camping, to trail biking, all the way to kayaking, and even surfing. When it comes to travel his preference is always a good old fashioned road trip to somewhere new and exciting. His mission over the past decade has been to find the balance between managing the demands of day to day life with exploring the wild and to help others do so as well.Show Notes: 00:00 Intro to Matt - Matt reads an excerpt about the beginnings of his love for the outdoors1:06 Drea reads Matt’s bio 1:53 Matt explains the excerpt at the beginning that he read3:02 Matt says that he lost his love for the outdoors when he got older but the Canadian show “Departures” about two guys who decided that were going to quit their jobs and travel the world for a year inspired him to change his own life.  He walked away from corporate in 2012 and took a gap year.  He hit 21 states starting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and didn’t really have a solid plan. 6:27 Drea talks about her love for loose plans and admires Matt for being able to do that. Matt discusses the sporadic trip to Italy and the fun loose plans that ended up happening. 9:12 Matt shares the most valuable thing he learned traveling loosely within the United States.  He talks about the infrastructure for road trips in the US being much easier than Canada.  Drea and Matt discusses in detail the highway infrastructure that lends to the American Road trip lifestyle. 14:19 Drea asks Matt which state was his favorite and his answer was Oregon.  Matt explains his reasoning why he chose this gorgeous state16:46 Matt tells us why he’s passionate about travel and what it means to him  19:02 Matt shares his love for the Pacific Coast Highway19:59 Shares his favorite tip for the CA-1/Pacific Coast Highway20:28 Matt shares with us why he decided to choose the mountain and outdoorsy lifestyle - He talks about living in Vancouver and the outdoor lifestyle that is so prevalent in the area.22:46 Matt shares his most challenging thing he’s faced as a hiker which is the high cost of gear.  Matt also shares some tips on how to mitigate those costs28:17 Matt shares his current hiking boot.29:14 Matt shares the importance of trying on gear 31:06 Matt discusses how he prepared for the GAP year and the steps he took to go35:23 Matt shares his favorite moment during his GAP year36:13 Matt shares his most fulfilling moment during his GAP year - He was inspired by a Jackie Chan quote and shares it 37:40 Matt shares his most dangerous moment when he went to Winnipeg and was driving back to Thunder Bay, Canada.  He saw a bunch of moose all over this highway and they needed to stop for the evening to camp. 42:44 Matt shares the most important people he’s met during his travel.  He talks about finding his best friends on the trails in Vancouver. 47:25 Talking about spending time on the mountain during sunset and sunrise50:45 Matt shares his favorite hike - Mount Garibaldi in Canada. He talks about jumping in the glacier fed lake.  He also shares a few tips on how to do this hike. 59:00 Lake Lovely water is one place that Matt wants to go to via helicopter1:36 Matt shares his piece of life advice he would give to himself which is that he should do this sooner. 1:02  www.instagram.com/mattoutwildwww.facebook.com/mattoutwild

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world serving others? This episode explores the life of Ashlee Redd on one of her many trips around the world to Uganda. Her faith based mission trip took her on a mission to spread her faith as well as provide education and water to communities in Africa. She discusses the problem that the community faces with the lack of clean water and the challenges that women often face in those communities as a result.Special Guest: Ashlee ReddNative New Jerseyan, former Brooklynite, and now currently by the mountains, she settled in Fort Collins, CO. Ashlee is a graphic designer with an incurable case of wanderlust. She loves to explore new places, foods, cultures, and take in the beauty of the world around her. Ashlee started her love of travel at a young age has been to 20+ counties And counting. In 2013, Ashlee went on her first mission trip to Honduras w the non profit organization Run4Water, founded and ran by her cousins in Tennessee. Since then, she has traveled to Central America and Africa with Run4Water. She has become part of the leadership team helping expand a new branch called 84Days, a women’s ministry whose goal is to spread the love of Christ, empower women, teach feminine hygiene workshops and self defense classes.Show Notes:00:00 Excerpt from Ashlee Redd:45 Ashlee Redd’s Bio2:15 Ashlee shares why she loves to travel and how travel began with her mother being originally from Chile.  She also shares how they had foreign exchange students that would live with the family.  4:00 Drea asks her about why she travels the way she does - What draws her to travel the way she does - which isn’t your typical vacation? Ashlee shares traveling to Africa and that experience.  She shares her love for being out of her element and immersing herself into a completely different culture.  6:22 Ashlee discusses how she got involved in Run4Water and how she got involved. She speaks about how her experience with Honduras and how it changed her perspective on her life.  She explains what Run4Water is and what the organization is about. 9:22 Ashlee talks about the length of time she typically spends on missions.  She also discusses what Run4water does in the countries that they go to. 10:30 Ashlee talks about the issue of water in countries like Uganda and how hard it is to get water for many people.  She explains how women or children are usually carrying jugs of water to their villages, and the many, many issues of bringing water in that way.  Ashlee talks about Run4Water and how it is their mission to help bring sustainable and safe drinking water to their villages. Ashlee also shares the difficulty of many women in Uganda and places like Uganda wherein the responsibility to bring water lies on their shoulders.  They also began a branch of the non-profit mission called 84 days which is a women’s ministry that helps the fight for Period Poverty which helps supply the women with sustainable feminine hygiene kits that supplies them for 10 years as well as workshops and self defense classes. 14:42 Ashlee starts to talk about period hygiene in Uganda and explains that there are 1.2 billion women that suffer from “period poverty”16:17 Ashlee shares what is in the kit that is in the hygiene kit that they provide for the girls.  20:14 Drea and Ashlee discuss assault in Uganda and the viewpoint of the men in the country in regards to women.  She talks about the Self Defense classes and the importance of the classes.Women get raped, abducted and sexually assaulted - so the self defense classes are so important24:18 Ashlee shares her most meaningful person she’s ever meant - which is a woman in Uganda named Vivian, the daughter of a preacher. She talks about a couple that inspired them to start another...

Special Guest: Drew GilmourDrew Gilmour is 58 years old and is a retired  U.S. National Park Service Chief Ranger with 32 years of service.During his Career in the NPS he worked in ten National Park as well as detailing to many other sites and other government agencies on law enforcement, wildland fire, Homeland Security and other risk assignments including the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and hurricanes on the gulf coast. He has traveled to 28 countries and all 50 States. He has a variety of interests including Travel, Bird watching, Backpacking, Hiking, Camping, History, Aviation, Kayaking, SCUBA/Snorkeling, Dog Sledding and Ocean Voyages. He enjoys traveling by small expedition vassals and ships and has even traveled across several oceans, seas and rivers across the globe.Following retirement in 2017 he started section hiking the Appalachian Trail. He has completed 725miles of the AT from Harpers Ferry WV to Hanover NH. He has plans on finishing the other 1427 miles in three section hikes once the Covid -19 Pandemic is over. When He is not traveling He lives with his girlfriend Stacie in La Crescent, Minnesota with their two Alaskan Malamutes and one Alaskan Husky Two of which are retired Sled dogs. Together they enjoy traveling and exploring the world. Show Notes:00:00 Drew reads an excerpt from something he wrote00:24 Drea does her intro and then goes into her Drew Gilmour’s biography2:23 Drew shares why he read those quotes and where the National Park Rangers gets their authority.  2:57 Drew starts to talk about how parks pose different challenges for park rangers3:55 Drew shares what travel means to him from the perspective of a National Park Ranger5:34 Drew shares about how travel ran in his blood.  He discusses about his parents who were also world travelers. He talks about how his parents really introduced him to the national park system and exploring the world.  8:04 Drew shares his love for the Arctic and how he is really in love with that area.  He recently went on trip on a ship in the Arctic8:59 Drew continues to travel because he loves exploring the unknown. 10:00 The pandemic has taught Drea that there is so much to explore your own backyard. 10:43 Drew shares what inspired him to go into the park service.  He started a seasonal job at the age of 21 in Maintenance at a historical National Park in Morristown, NJ.  It was there that he was convinced that working as a ranger was an exciting opportunity. He starts to talk about working for Glacier National Park and “living among the grizzly bears and mountains.”12:46 Drea talks about how much she fell in love with Glacier NP.13:24  Drew was a backcountry ranger in the East portion of Glacier NP.  He talks about some of his duties in the backcountry and the encounters he had with wildlife. 15:12 Drew shares his favorite park - The Grand Tetons.  He shares what it was about the Tetons he loved. He was there 1988 during the major wildfire and how he experienced fighting the fires there.  16:15 He shares his most valuable lesson he learned while fighting these fires.  17:44 Drew shares more stories about the Yellowstone Fires. These were the first modern fires that went out of control20:55 Drea asks Drew if he ever felt afraid.  Drew says yes there were quite a few times.  He goes on to explain a situation that scared him22:30 Drea asks “What is the most challenging that you have faced as a ranger?”  He shares the moment when he changed parks and he was moving to Florida to Big Cypress NP during a hurricane26:10 A park ranger is called during national disasters according to your...

Special Guest: Mary CallisteMary's love for travel started at the age of 16 when she left the Spice Island of Grenada for an extended visit to the U.K. Mary has traveled to several countries since and has been sharing her travel and faith journey by way of story-telling with hopes to inspire, empower and equip others for moments in their own journey.Mary's life is filled with more little moments than big, more abundant with quiet moments than loud, and colored by more lessons than losses. Having to navigate and survive challenges at a young age, Mary is choosing daily to live a life of meaning and inspiration. Travel inspired Mary to share stories with the world. She recently founded the Moments Unplugged Collective to provide a safe space for a global community of women who are interested in travel, not just external travel, but a deeper travel within themselves to find real connection and emotional healing.Show Notes: 00:00 Mary reads her excerpt from one of her instagram posts about #TravelingWhileBlack1:49 Drea introduces Mary and shares her biography3:07 Mary explains the instagram post she read about Traveling while being black.  She has had many experiences that she found as an opportunity to educate different cultures. 6:27 Mary talks about an experience where she changed a man’s mind about using the “N” word so casually. She used it as an opportunity to educate this man who had no idea the history and origin of this word. Drea and Mary discuss how it’s just a lack of education why moments like this happen and how as Americans we also enter into countries where what we do might be considered insulting - Education is the gap to all of these differences. Mary talks about in Sri Lanka she loved the food so much that she licked her fingers.  But in Sri Lanka that means you do not like the food and is very disrespectful. 9:15 Mary shares how she balances her work life/career and travel.  She gives the advice of how to approach a full time job and make them aware of your priority for your passion for travel. 14:32 Mary shares what travel means to her - She is really passionate about meeting people and really understanding who they are.  She enjoys spending the time to really talk to them and get to know them on a personal level.  This passion for connection is what she loves about travel. 17:18 Drea talks about her trip to Nepal, talking to her Sherpa, Raj and hearing about his life.  19:38 Mary talks about how she discovered traveling and how it serves her. 23:40 Mary talks about living in England 24:08 Mary discusses her travel blog, Moments in Square and what she shares on her travel blog. She talks about her experiences on her travel blog vs. what to see or do. 26:08 In her blog, she also talks about her healing journey and how she used travel to help her.  She speaks about traveling solo and reflecting on her life when she does travel. 30:02 Mary gives a piece of advice to someone who wants to go on a healing journey. 36:50 Mary loves to travel to a hotel but not a hostel (only nicer ones).  She made a commitment to herself that if she can afford nice things, to treat herself.  She doesn’t do luxury hotels usually but she does do the mid range hotels.  She stayed in a tree house once called Rumah Pohon in Bali.  40:47 Mary talks about traveling solo and what that means to her.  43:43 Finding the ideal travel partner and the importance of finding your tribe44:44 Mary talks about the challenges she’s had when she travels.  One challenge she faces is her friendly personality.  She talks about a negative experience she had in Morocco.  Drea also shares her story in Fez, Morocco. Mary talks about the difference between Casablanca and...