Baggage Claim

Evolutionary biologist Heather Heying isn't shy when it comes to controversy. She first rose to national attention when her and her husband, Bret Weinstein found themselves embroiled in a scandal at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Recently, she's been in the hot seat again with controversial takes on Ivermectin and Covid vaccination policy.But the mild-mannered Heying's true passion lies in uncovering the human condition, especially through travel. In this episode of Baggage Claim: travel stories no one tells, Heather describes the fickleness of memory, a mugging at knifepoint in Quito, Ecuador, an ill-fated road trip with her husband from the United States to Guatemala, an Ayahuasca ceremony in the Amazon and much more.This is Heather Heying's full interview on the Baggage Claim podcast: travel stories no one tells. New interviews twice a month. In the meantime, Baggage Claim also has plenty of immersive travel stories designed to transport you to another world - those come out whenever they're ready.SUBSCRIBE to Baggage Claim for more incredible stories about humans on the road. Or, better yet, text POD to (332) 877-9540 for text alerts on new episodes, stories and musings about humanity and a personal call from Will. If you're outside the US and Canada, visit http://www.heybaggageclaim.com instead.Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus questions from this and other interviews about amazing humans around the globe, long-form thoughts and essays and more. Outside the United States and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Music is by Kit Conway of Stello. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at: https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/heather_heying_mugged_ecuador

His book, "The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason" has earned him death threats that make a return to his childhood homes impossible. He's known as The Atheist Muslim to some. For others, he's the Secular Jihadist. Ali A. Rizvi was born and raised in a bubble inside a bubble: in a middle-class liberal family in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia (he also spent time in Pakistan and Libya). Today, he lives in Toronto, Canada with his daughter. His writing on secularism, jihad and rationality has appeared in The Huffington Post, CNN and more. He's been a guest on The Rubin Report, The Joe Rogan Experience, The Saad Truth and other podcasts, and he co-hosts Secular Jihadists. Will Conway and Ali Rizvi discuss the psychology of extremism (on both sides), the reverse culture shock of emigrating to Canada, Islam, standing up to the Twitter mob, cancel culture, the alignment between science and faith, and developing compassion for beliefs different from your own. This is Ali A. Rizvi's full interview on the Baggage Claim podcast: travel stories no one tells. New interviews twice a month. In the meantime, Baggage Claim also has plenty of immersive travel stories designed to transport you to another world - those come out whenever they're ready.Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus questions from this and other interviews about amazing humans around the globe, long-form thoughts and essays and more. Outside the United States and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Music is by Kit Conway of Stello. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at: https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/ali_rizvi_reading_bertrand_russell_pakistan

She did LSD once a week for ten months. Later, a stranger on OKCupid invited OnlyFans star and renowned rationalist Aella to a party in a castle in France. She went."I have a high risk-tolerance," she says with a smile.Understatement of the century.Will and Aella discuss Aella's travels in France, Turkey and other places, pickup artistry, risk tolerance and resilience, #MeToo, escorting, the relevance of dogs as a symbol of danger, ego death, the existence of other people, psychedelics and meditation, Buddhism, rationalism and more.This is Aella's full interview on the Baggage Claim podcast: travel stories no one tells. New interviews every two weeks. In the meantime, Baggage Claim also has plenty of immersive travel stories designed to transport you to another world.Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus questions from this and other interviews about amazing humans around the globe, long-form thoughts and essays and more. Outside the United States and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Music is by Kit Conway of Stello. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at: https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/aella_french_castle_ten_months_acid

Years before she starred on ABC's The Bachelor, Jacqueline Trumbull landed in Slovakia as a sheltered eighteen-year-old high school graduate."I wanted to be interesting," she says in hindsight.But she could have found "interesting" in France or Italy. Instead, she found a creepy janitor, a supportive host family who changed her life, and a certain maturity that's hard to quantify.Will and Jacqueline discuss loneliness, self-examination, the core purpose of travel, authentic experiences and connecting with expats, jacking off dogs and Kentucky Fried Chicken.This is Jacqueline Trumbull's full interview on the Baggage Claim podcast: travel stories no one tells. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same numberif you're interested in bonus questions from this and other interviews about amazing humans around the globe, long-form thoughts and essays and more. Outside the United States and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Music is by Kit Conway of Stello. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at: https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/jacqueline_trumbull_alone_slovakia

A traveler explores the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena in Arequipa, Peru, and meditates on religion, faith and freedom. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus material from the upcoming interview series. Outside the US and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at  https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode23_the_gilded_cage

She was nearly murdered in Sri Lanka. She accidentally joined a sex cult (an offshoot of the infamous Osho ashram) in Australia.When she was a child, all Bridget Phetasy wanted to do was travel and write. It mostly worked out. These days, Bridget is a successful political pundit, writer/comedian, YouTuber, and a general silly person who says important things. But there was a day not so long ago when she was struggling with addiction and alcoholism and failing to find her footing. She filled the void with drugs and sex. Later, she filled it with solo travel. She traveled around the globe: to Sri Lanka and India, to Australia and New Zealand. Somewhere in between, she found her sober self. She hustled all the while and built the brand we know and love. And, then, she met her husband in recovery. They were engaged and married and, in November of 2020, they spent their honeymoon on the savanna in South Africa, in the world-famous Kruger National Park. This interview is the story of Bridget Phetay's life through the lens of her travels. Enjoy.This is Bridget Phetasy's full interview on the Baggage Claim podcast: travel stories no one tells. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus questions from this and other interviews about amazing humans around the globe, long-form thoughts and essays and more. Outside the United States and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Music is by Kit Conway of Stello. Find them: https://www.stello.co/ Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at: https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/bridget_phetasy_two_years_around_world 

A woman sings in a bathroom high in the Andes Mountains. Two men take beautiful sights for granted. Will hikes the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus material from the upcoming interview series. Outside the US and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com. Nicole Allen (the wonderful singer in today's episode) can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nicolemusicnstuff/ Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode22_andes_by_morning

A traveler tells an epic story of love and death and warfare as Will struggles to reassimilate into city life after weeks in the Amazon Rainforest.Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number if you're interested in bonus material from the upcoming interview series. Outside the US and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com.  Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode21_reintegration

One-on-one with a shaman at an intimate Ayahuasca ceremony deep in the Peruvian Amazon, a traveler frees himself from undue psychological suffering. He uncovers truths about love, ego death, consciousness and spirituality. This is for those interested in the subjective human experience of psychedelics: it's an intense, immersive first-person recounting of a true story. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers and definitely get a call from host Will Conway. Text MEMBER to that same number for more on how to keep Baggage Claim ad-free (and, y'know, existing). Outside the US and Canada or just not into texting strangers? Fair. Visit heybaggageclaim.com.  Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode20_ayahuasca_found

At an Ayahuasca ceremony deep in the Amazon Rainforest, a traveler comes face-to-face with serpents and jaguars and a mythical woman, but nothing quite as intimidating as the inside of his own mind. This is a psychedelic first-person recounting of a true story. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to join a wonderful community of travelers. You can also text MEMBER to keep Baggage Claim ad-free. Outside the US and Canada? Visit heybaggageclaim.com.  Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode19_ayahuasca_lost

Surrounded on all sides by endless jungle, a man named Carlos has an odd reaction when his boat's motor cuts out in the middle of the Amazon River. Maybe life isn't so serious after all. Text MEMBER to (332) 877-9540 to keep Baggage Claim ad-free, or text POD to that same number to join a wonderful community of travelers. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode18_carlos_and_a_canoe

Two men spend days on a rusty cargo ship crawling along Amazon River, moving slowly from Leticia in Colombia to Iquitos in Peru. They're late for an appointment. Will reads a few chapters of One Hundred Years of Solitude to pass the time and finds the lines between reality and fantasy blurrier than he'd imagined.To keep Baggage Claim ad-free, text MEMBER to (332) 877-9540. If you don't want to do that but you do enjoy the show, text POD to that same number to get a call from the host. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode17_scenes_from_a_slow_boat

In this exclusive intermission episode, Will discusses why the podcast exists, a movement of compassion and the future of Baggage Claim. He also answers listener questions and has a hard time deciding on background sounds. If you're interested in supporting Baggage Claim, text MEMBER to (332) 877-9540, or visit heybaggageclaim.com/support

Lost deep in the Amazon Rainforest with a drunk veteran of the Colombian guerilla terrorist organization FARC, Will and Geoff must keep themselves together to find safety. Text QUESTION  to (332) 877-9540 to submit a question for next week's Q&A episode. Also, text POD to that same number just to be friends. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode15_lost_in_the_amazon

Trapped in a Brazilian strip club with two women from his hostel, Will makes an unlikely connection. Have a question you want Will to answer on the forthcoming Q&A intermission episode? Text QUESTION to (332) 877-9540 to submit. Otherwise, text POD to the same number for friendship.  Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode14_strip_club

Sidetracked in Rio de Janeiro with a friend from his past, Will misses Colombia, blissful ignorance and the blessings of magical realism. He also reads a passage from a book and doesn't find it particularly interesting. If you have a question for Will to answer on the show in the intermission Q&A, text QUESTION to (332) 877-9540 to submit. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode13_city_of_mirrors

Confronted by difficult truths from his past, Will seeks time alone for stargazing in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert, where the weather takes a surprising turn. Deliberate solitude, mental hurdles and the difference between running and searching. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 for friendship, or text COMMUNITY to the same number to join the Authentic Travelers community. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode12_where_rain_doesnt_fall

Two men traveling South America discuss privilege, growth, learning and failure. Text COMMUNITY to (332) 877-9540 to join the Authentic Travelers Facebook group. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode11_white_men_colombia

Four white guys walk into a salsa bar in Cali, Colombia. It goes roughly as you'd expect. Will is humbled and takes dance lessons. Text COMMUNITY to (332) 877-9540 to join the Authentic Travelers Facebook group. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/episode10_two_left_feet

Will wakes up disoriented in the Amazon Rainforest in the early morning hours. He has a rough time navigating wildlife (both real and imagined) and does something he promises never to tell anyone. And then he released this podcast, of course, so it didn't work out. This is the goofy first installment of the 60-Second Travel Shorts series from Baggage Claim. Text POD to (332) 877-9540 to be our friend. Show notes, weird trivia and credits are available at https://www.heybaggageclaim.com/travelshorts1_invisible_snakes