Roaming the Earth with Drea Castro

Eric is a travel writer and photographer based in California. He’s lived in Italy, Norway, Germany and the US and traveled to 97 countries on 7 continents. Eric is passionate about the benefits of family travel and lets each of his three kids (11, 13 and 15) choose any destination in the world every year for a one-on-one trip with him. They also travel as a family during school breaks. His kids have been to over 60 countries. Eric is an accomplished photographer, winning Conde Nast Traveler’s Photo of the Year award. He’s an ambassador for AFAR Magazine, and his writing and photography have been featured by Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Yahoo Travel and Lonely Planet. He is a two-time NATJA gold award winner for family travel writing, Forbes has named him the World’s #4 Most Influential Traveler, and Fodor’s has called him the world’s best family traveler. SHOW NOTES: 00:00 * Eric reads an excerpt he wrote about traveling as a family. 2:00 * Introduction to Eric Stoen 3:20 * Eric explains how they make traveling with children happen to 60+ countries including countries that may be considered as particularly harder destinations to travel to * Eric allows his kids to choose where they go every year.  His kids determine the countries that they travel to which forces his kids to look at the world differently. 6:54 * His kids ended up bringing him to Antarctica and Easter Island - countries Eric didn’t really think about at first.  Eric shares the stories of how that happened. * Traveling with his kids gives a brand new set of eyes for countries that Eric has been to before and he finds that journey enjoyable 11:00 * The wonderful experiences his kids are having before they are adults are preparing them to be more empathetic with skills that make them ready for the world in such a unique way. 12:51 * The importance of every experience that in turn shapes and alters his kids. Due  to travel, Eric’s children are becoming very worldly and informed children. * Household traditions at the Stoen house also means having a meal from a different country. 17:22 * The solution to making a great trip when planning a family trip.  Making the trip about your kids is the solution to making the trip enjoyable.  Being flexible is important. 20:16 * Eric shares what travel means to him 22:05 * Travel Babo and where the name came from! 24:55 * Eric shares his fears when he first started and how mitigated those challenges 29:00 * Eric shares his most valuable thing he learned while traveling with his   kids 30:16 * Eric shares his most interesting stories while traveling - Getting lost in Croatia and having the journey turn into something really special 35:14 * Eric shares his most fulfilling moment - Hiking in Greenland with his son and the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil with his daughter - unplugging is his fave 38:38 * Eric’s most meaningful person he met while he was traveling.  He shares a story while he was in Oslo 42:32 * Eric talks about the award that changed his life, Forbes #4  Influential Traveler in the World 47:42 * Eric took a risk to follow his passion and it turned out to be the right path for him 50:02 * Eric’s tip and tricks for people who want to follow in his footsteps 54:30 * Eric’s favorite place he’s explored - Greece and the Greek islands * He shares why his family loved the islands so much and why! 57:19 * Guess where Eric is going next? …. GREECE * Discussion of about how the pandemic will affect his travels 62:00 * Eric shares the one interesting item he takes with them when they travel - Blue Painters tape.  He shares why 63:00 * Eric shares a piece of life advice to a younger Eric 64:00 * Find Eric on * www.travelbabo.com [www.travelbabo.com] * www.instagram.com/travelbabo [http://www.instagram.com/travelbabo] * www.twitter.com/travelbabo [www.twitter.com/travelbabo]

Angel Castellanos, (Castayanos) (www.AngelsTravelLounge.com [http://www.angelstravellounge.com/]) is a passionate world traveler, freelance travel writer, content producer and nationally recognized speaker dedicated to helping people travel smart, well and often. Traveling to over 80 countries on 5 continents (and counting), Angel travels 12-14 weeks internationally each year and draws on his experience and frequent travels to teach “Smart Travel” and equip travelers with the skills they need to make travel easy and enjoyable. Angel is a multi-media travel personality and travel expert that has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Fox News, CBS, ABC, Univision, Frommers Radio, USA Today & Travel & Adventure Show and New York Times Travel Show.  Angel is also the executive producer and host of the travel and adventure tv show Hot Spots debuting in Europe in Asia in late 2021. SHOW NOTES: 00:00 * Angel reads an excerpt he wrote in March of 2020 - at the beginning of the pandemic 00:45 * Intro to Angel 4:01 * Angel discusses the excerpt at the beginning and talks about his retrospective post while he was in Brazil 4:57 * Drea asks about the transition from traveling so often to a halt once the pandemic kicked in.  Angel talks about mental health and how much he realized the isolation at home really affected him.  He traveled to Mexico in the summer and he realized how important it was for him and for the local economy there. * The global effect of the pandemic and how everyone was feeling the same way all at the same time * Some of the positive effects of the pandemic * How the pandemic affects connection when you travel 9:27 * Angel defines travel and what it means to him 10:20 * Angel discusses where his love for travel all started 12:45 * Angel is a renowned travel expert who has spoken on news channels and has offered sound advice for many outlets.  He explains that journey to that title. * He talks about his company, Travel Ambassador 15:40 * Drea discusses Angel’s incredible ability to speak well. * Angel shares that he actually speaks 3 languages 17:38 * Angel talks about slow travel and how that all started for him * What is slow travel?  Angel shares what that looks like and the meaning of slow travel * His best slow travel trip was from Beijing to London on the train - And stopping along the way in Mongolia. Siberia, Poland, etc in 7 Weeks! 23:59 * Packing tips from Angel 25:59 * Angel talks about the beginning and the lack of fear he had.  He was fearless because he was young and really ambitious 27:59 * Angel talks about some of the challenges he has faced when he has been traveling * Flexibility * Pandemic and the lack of connection * Angel shares some interesting stories in Brazil and a passport situation in Turkey, Bribing his way out of Egypt TWICE! 35:00 * Angel shares the two most valuable things he has learned while traveling 36:00 * Angel talks about Traveling with a purpose and his evolution of travel * Eco Tourism 41:00 * Angel talks about his most fulfilling moment when he travels 42:00 * Angel shares his most meaningful people he’s ever met while he was traveling.  He is still friends with them today. 46:00 * Angel shares how much he loved Costa Rica * Talks about some of his favorite locations he went 51:30 * Angel shares tips and tricks on where to start doing what he does 52:00 * Angel shares where he goes next 54:00 * Angel shares the one thing he takes with him when he travels - A moleskin journal 54:55 * Angel shares the one piece of life advice he would give to a younger Angel 56:36 You can find Angel on www.angelstravellounge.com [http://www.angelstravellounge.com] Www.instagram.com/angels_travels [Www.instagram.com/angels_travels]

In this episode, I interview Digital Nomad Taylor Wallace. She shares some of the struggles she had living this lifestyle and how she found balance. SHOW NOTES: 00:00 * Taylor reads an excerpt from her travels 2:30 * Taylor talks about the excerpt from her travels 4:13 * Taylor defines what a digital nomad means 4:43 * Taylor shares with us what a regular day living her nomad life looks like 8:37 * Taylor shares how she defines traveling and the difference between being a digital nomad and traveling 13:03 * Taylor shares the decision when she decided to become a digital nomad * The importance of finding a community so you can thrive 20:53 * Taylor shares one of her fears when she had - The feeling of falling behind and how she dealt with that challenge 24:51 * Taylor shares how she moved into the mindfulness space and her journey to moving into the importance of mindfulness as a digital nomad 33:26 * Taylor’s most valuable thing she learned was that nothing is important * Taylor explains what this means to her 37:19 * Taylor shares her most dangerous moment she’s ever experienced while being a digital nomad - She shares a story in Mexico where her group of friends and their acquaintances almost got arrested. 44:13 * Taylor shares her most fulfilling moment on a Greek Island getting invited on a massive luxury yacht 50:15 * Taylor’s favorite place in the world is Japan and she shares some of her favorite locations and experiences 53:19 * Taylor shares one piece of advice that she would give to her younger self. 55:00 * Find Taylor * www.instagram.com/taylorwallace [http://www.instagram.com/taylorwallace] * www.thefitfounder.com [www.thefitfounder.com]

With over 650,000 followers across his personal brand, Luke has nailed social media travel content down to a science. He showcases areas around the world that aren’t typically visited and loves to connect with the local people, showing how they live and what occurs on a day to day basis. Uploading his adventures to Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube have allowed him to connect with others around the world, and set-up a life of travel SHOW NOTES: 00:00 * Luke reads an excerpt about his travels 00:30 * Drea introduces Luke * Luke having the goal of producing videos that make people feel like they are in the moment with him. 2:28 * Luke shares what he meant with the beginning excerpt and the story about his love for travel 3:16 * Luke shares the beginnings of his travel life * He talks about knowing the travel lifestyle * His first place he went to Sri Lanka * He talks about the growth of his social media starting in India * Having parents that supported him at such a young age to purse his dream really helped in his success. 9:53 * Luke talks about the importance of mindset 11:17 * Luke talks about being 18 and some of his fears he had * Traveling with no plans 13:56 * Luke talks about what his day looks like 16:00 * Luke shares his biggest challenge when he travels and how he mitigates those challenges 19:37 * Luke shares the most valuable thing he had learned during his travels. 20:27 * Luke shares the most meaningful person he’s met on his travels * How luke found his meaningful person through instagram 24:24 * Luke shares his most interesting story during his travels when he got hurt and a firecracker blew up on his hand in India during Diwali * He had a full recovery of his hand and he tells the whole story on how to get his hand back. 31:40 * Luke shares that his most fulfilling moment is going back when he recovered a few months later to see the people who took care of him and give thanks to the doctor and his team. 33:40 * Luke gives advice on how to do what he does to a younger version of himself. 35:48 * Luke shares what makes good content and his belief on what good content means * He shares what his older videos vs what his videos look like now. 42:14 * Luke shares his favorite place - Southern India and how to travel to that location 44:14 * Luke shares a piece of life advice to a younger Luke * After sharing some positive advice, Drea asks Luke where he got this positivity from - Luke’s answer… Gary Vee 50:19 * Luke’s next destination is Pakisatan.  He shares why 52:10 * Luke shares the one special thing he brings with him when he travels 53:15 www.LukeDamant.com [http://www.lukedamant.com] www.instagram.com/lukedamant [http://www.instagram.com/lukedamant] https://www.facebook.com/LukeDamantt/ [https://www.facebook.com/LukeDamantt/] https://www.tiktok.com/@lukedamant [https://www.tiktok.com/@lukedamant] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWm__g4cPmX-umorqM8VfWw

As the founder of Expat Empire, David McNeill is focused on inspiring people to move abroad and showing them how to do it. In addition to producing books, podcasts, blog posts, meetup events, and more, Expat Empire offers personalized consulting services to give everyone the opportunity to achieve their international dreams. David started Expat Empire because he has a genuine passion for living abroad. He left the United States in 2014 and has since lived in Tokyo, Berlin, and Porto. SHOW NOTES 00:00 * David reads an excerpt her wrote about his travels 00:40 * Introduction to David McNeill 1:38 * David shares the story behind what he opens the episode reading. 3:16 * David shares where he is located right now in Portugal * David talks about meeting his wife abroad and the things they had in common that brought them together 9:54 * David shares what travel means to him being a digital nomad 13:31 * David shares the decision to move and how this passion started 17:18 * David shares some of his fears about his lifestyle and moving to a foreign country * David shares some of the difficulties and challenges while living on the road * Prioritizing travel 24:56 * David shares the most valuable thing he has learned while traveling as a nomad 26:00 * David shares his podcast and business, Ex-pat Empire and why he started this personalizing consulting service helping people make the move. 30:00 * David shares his favorite place - Budapest and why * David shares of his favorite tips and tricks * The Ruin Pubs 38:00 * David shares a dive he did with sharks in the Philippines * David also shares another interesting trip he had in Guatemala and having a problem with the border crossing 43:41 * David shares his most meaningful person he has met abroad - A friend in Japan 45:52 * David shares his most fulfilling moment while being abroad - Getting Lost 48:39 * David shars his tips and tricks on following his footsteps as an Ex-pat 52:00 * David shares a piece of advice that he would give to a younger himself 53:54 * David shares the one thing he takes with him on many of his trips 56:45 * David shares his next plans with his wife 58:22 www.Expatempire.com www.facebook.com/expatempire [http://www.facebook.com/expatempire] www.instagram.com/expatempire