398: Visiting Every Country Without Flying: Thor Pedersen on Borders, Strangers & Human Connection

398: Visiting Every Country Without Flying: Thor Pedersen on Borders, Strangers & Human Connection

Learn what inspired Thor's impossible journey and why he now believes a stranger is a friend you’ve never met before. ============================ Get the Monday Minute [https://shrtlnk.co/BdDeq] my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Thor Pedersen shares the remarkable story behind his decision to try and become the first person to visit every country in the world without flying in a single unbroken journey. He explains how his experiences as a UN peacekeeper in Eritrea and Ethiopia, living in Libya, and working in global logistics shaped his outlook before embarking on what he thought would be a four-year adventure that ultimately lasted nearly a decade. Thor also recounts unforgettable experiences traveling on cargo ships, reflects on the profound impact of crossing borders and connecting with strangers around the world, and opens up about the heartbreaking moment in Libya that forever changed the way he thinks about global inequality, migration, and our shared humanity. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. [https://www.themaverickshow.com/podcast/398-visiting-every-country-without-flying-thor-pedersen-on-borders-strangers-human-connection/] ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/8ucCx] See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/OKfnO] See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business [https://shrtlnk.co/l7o0j] (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing [https://shrtlnk.co/Ip3iY] so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend [https://shrtlnk.co/Vyt1t] See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast [https://shrtlnk.co/hi5Ji] (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram [https://shrtlnk.co/qV3KL] and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review [https://shrtlnk.co/yygXW] — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee [https://shrtlnk.co/I9ql0] — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

397: Visiting Every Country by 25: Cameron Mofid on North Korean Marathons, Jail in Djibouti, and Finding Purpose

Hear how completing his journey to 195 countries inspired Cameron's humanitarian work & shaped his vision for the future. ============================ Get the Monday Minute [https://shrtlnk.co/BdDeq] my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Cameron Mofid completed his quest to visit every country in the world by age 25 and shares stories from some of his most extraordinary experiences across Africa, including practicing extreme exposure therapy with the Mundari tribe in South Sudan, spending time in jail in Djibouti, and navigating security threats in Somalia. We also discuss how his travels inspired the creation of Humanity Effect, the nonprofit he founded to support schools, an orphanage, and healthcare initiatives in Nigeria. He then tells the story of completing his final country by running the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea. Cameron also opens up about why achieving his lifelong goal left him searching for a new sense of purpose, and how travel continues to shape his life, humanitarian work, and his mission to inspire others through public speaking and storytelling. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. [https://www.themaverickshow.com/podcast/397-visiting-every-country-by-25-cameron-mofid-on-north-korean-marathons-jail-in-djibouti-and-finding-purpose/] ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/8ucCx] See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/OKfnO] See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business [https://shrtlnk.co/l7o0j] (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing [https://shrtlnk.co/Ip3iY] so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend [https://shrtlnk.co/Vyt1t] See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast [https://shrtlnk.co/hi5Ji] (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram [https://shrtlnk.co/qV3KL] and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review [https://shrtlnk.co/yygXW] — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee [https://shrtlnk.co/I9ql0] — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

396: From Debilitating OCD to Exploring the World’s Most Misunderstood Countries with Cameron Mofid

Learn how Cameron's quest to travel to every country served as exposure therapy and also ended up transforming his worldview. ============================ Get the Monday Minute [https://shrtlnk.co/BdDeq] my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Cameron Mofid became the youngest person to visit every country in the world, but his extraordinary journey began as an effort to overcome debilitating OCD through real-world exposure therapy. In this episode, Cameron shares how growing up with Egyptian and Iranian heritage shaped his curiosity about the world, how tennis first opened the door to international travel, and how solo travel ultimately transformed both his mental health and his worldview. We discuss his experiences traveling through Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Venezuela, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Suriname, the hospitality he found in places often portrayed negatively in the media, and why some of the world's most misunderstood countries became the places that changed him the most. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. [https://www.themaverickshow.com/podcast/396-from-debilitating-ocd-to-exploring-the-worlds-most-misunderstood-countries-with-cameron-mofid/] ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/8ucCx] See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/OKfnO] See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business [https://shrtlnk.co/l7o0j] (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing [https://shrtlnk.co/Ip3iY] so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend [https://shrtlnk.co/Vyt1t] See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast [https://shrtlnk.co/hi5Ji] (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram [https://shrtlnk.co/qV3KL] and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review [https://shrtlnk.co/yygXW] — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee [https://shrtlnk.co/I9ql0] — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

395: Seeing Life Through a Different Lens: Zaakirah Muhammad on Disability, Belonging & Travel in Africa

Learn how photography, resilience & travel to Africa helped Zaakirah navigate disability and find connection worldwide. ============================ Get the Monday Minute [https://shrtlnk.co/BdDeq] my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Zaakirah Muhammad shares the remarkable story of how a photograph taken when she was an infant helped detect a rare eye cancer and ultimately save her life. She reflects on how photography became her creative outlet, how her first international trip to Costa Rica sparked a lifelong passion for travel, and why extended stays in countries like Ghana and Kenya transformed her understanding of identity, community and belonging. Zaakirah discusses traveling through Africa as a disabled person, spending a year living in Kenya with her mother, reconnecting with the continent through DNA ancestry research, and navigating the world as a Black Muslim woman. She also shares insights on accessibility, cultural immersion, Afrobeats, entrepreneurship, and how travel can help us better understand both ourselves and the places we visit. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. [https://www.themaverickshow.com/podcast/395-seeing-life-through-a-different-lens-zaakirah-muhammad-on-disability-belonging-travel-in-africa/] ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/8ucCx] See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/OKfnO] See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business [https://shrtlnk.co/l7o0j] (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing [https://shrtlnk.co/Ip3iY] so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend [https://shrtlnk.co/Vyt1t] See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast [https://shrtlnk.co/hi5Ji] (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram [https://shrtlnk.co/qV3KL] and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review [https://shrtlnk.co/yygXW] — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee [https://shrtlnk.co/I9ql0] — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

394: Northern Lights, Sámi Culture and Raising a Family in Arctic Sweden with Jonny Cooper

Hear stories about life in the Arctic, from polar bears and midnight sun to dog sledding, ice hotels and Aurora magic. ============================ Get the Monday Minute [https://shrtlnk.co/BdDeq] my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE What happens when a life-changing trip to see the Northern Lights inspires you to leave England, move to Swedish Lapland, and raise your family in the Arctic? In this episode, Jonny Cooper shares his journey from UK DJ and IT professional to founder of Off the Map Travel and resident of Arctic Sweden. We explore the realities of life under the midnight sun, raising bilingual children in a culture deeply connected to nature, and what he has learned from the Indigenous Sámi people. Jonny also shares unforgettable stories from across the Nordic Arctic, including dog sledding with Inuit communities in Greenland, encountering the unique realities of Svalbard's polar bear country, staying in world-famous ice hotels, and witnessing the awe-inspiring magic of the Aurora Borealis. Whether you're fascinated by Arctic travel, Nordic culture, family life abroad, Indigenous wisdom, or the transformative power of immersive travel, this episode offers a rare window into one of the world's most extraordinary regions. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. [https://www.themaverickshow.com/podcast/394-northern-lights-sami-culture-and-raising-a-family-in-arctic-sweden-with-jonny-cooper/] ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/8ucCx] See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads [https://shrtlnk.co/OKfnO] See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business [https://shrtlnk.co/l7o0j] (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing [https://shrtlnk.co/Ip3iY] so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend [https://shrtlnk.co/Vyt1t] See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast [https://shrtlnk.co/hi5Ji] (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram [https://shrtlnk.co/qV3KL] and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review [https://shrtlnk.co/yygXW] — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee [https://shrtlnk.co/I9ql0] — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)