Zero To Travel Podcast

A Spontaneous Road Trip from Serbia to Vietnam + the Benefits of Unplanned Travel with Mia Kercher

Why would anyone choose to travel across two continents alone, with nothing but a cat and no real plan? Mia Kercher is a copywriter, marketing strategist, and hypnotist who traveled overland from Serbia to Vietnam as a solo female traveler. She crossed twelve countries by car, foot, bicycle, and tuktuk, all with her cat, Cleo, by her side. Prior to this trip, Mia spent two and a half years backpacking through Europe, eventually settling in Serbia, where she built her energetic copywriting business, Evoke Writing. She recently finished writing a book about her journey. In this episode, I talk with Mia about her journey, including the weeks she spent in Afghanistan, and how she kept her business running while living off-grid. This conversation is about what happens when you choose curiosity over a plan. Mia's approach to travel has never been about research or certainty, and that mindset gets tested in a big way on this journey. We talk about the discomfort of being an outsider, the surprising kindness that can meet you in the most unexpected places, and how solo travel builds a kind of trust in yourself that is hard to find any other way. It is also a conversation about intuition, and how tuning into your subconscious mind can change the way you make decisions, both on the road and in business. What would it take for you to say yes to an adventure with no plan and no idea how it would turn out? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Mia decided to leave her expat life behind and drive across two continents What it means to travel by "chaotic order" instead of a plan The single overlooked document that completely rerouted her entire trip How she prepared to enter a country most of her friends begged her not to visit What changed the moment she stopped fearing the attention she was getting everywhere she went The stranger who gave her a private tour most tourists never get to see A roadside encounter that turned from friendly to alarming in seconds How one man's dream of becoming an actor led to an unexpected fundraiser Her strategy for traveling with a pet without drawing a crowd, and when it backfired Mia's business strategy for making money on the road when she knows she's going to be off-grid or without wifi for a while And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Mia's website Instagram Substack Want More? Solo Traveling Europe and "The Stans" in a Campervan with Maria Glaser Overland Travel 101, the Pros and Cons of Full-Time Travel, and Favorite Hidden Gem Destinations With Eric Highland Road Tripping To India: Life On A Land Rover Overland Trip Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Belonging to the World: Turning Grief Into a Global Quest to Visit Every Country with Barry Hoffner

What would it take to visit every country in the world, and could a journey like that actually help you heal from unimaginable loss? Following the sudden loss of his wife Jackie in Botswana in 2017, Barry Hoffner set out to visit every country in the world, a journey that became the basis for his memoir, Belonging to the World. He has since traveled to 192 of the 193 UN member countries, an experience that included exploring his own heritage as an Iraqi Jew who grew up in the United States. Barry also founded Caravan to Class, a nonprofit that provides access to education for young women across West Africa through the Bourse Jackie scholarship program, named in her honor. In this episode, Barry shares how grief led him to a global quest to visit every country in the world, and what he learned about identity, connection, and healing along the way. This conversation is a reminder that grief doesn't follow a straight line, and that the way we choose to move through it can shape everything that comes after. There's a lot of honesty here about what it means to rebuild an identity from the ground up after everything familiar is gone. And there's a genuine sense of wonder in hearing how one goal, however unlikely it seemed at the start, can turn into a life fully lived. What might it look like for you to begin again from year zero? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why one spontaneous coin flip during high school set the course for a lifetime of travel How an early scam abroad taught a hard lesson about travel awareness Why working overseas early in his finance career reshaped his approach to life and work What it was like to survive a real plane hijacking How exploring his family's Middle Eastern heritage as an adult changed his sense of identity Advice for processing grief and using travel intentionally as part of healing Why he calls the period after his loss "year zero" and what that mindset can offer anyone starting over How a chance encounter with a stranger became one of the most meaningful moments of his journey Why the goal of visiting every country mattered less in the end than what he discovered along the way Advice on transitioning from decades of nomadic living to putting down roots in one place And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Belonging to the World Caravan to Class Barry's Instagram Want More? Finding A Quest That Can Change Your Life: An Interview With Chris Guillebeau The Power of Death in Life with Gentle Rebel Bronnie Ware A Personal Evolution Through Travel + Creating Your Own Path with Nikki Vargas Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring Namibia: The Ultimate Road Trip, Uncrowded Safaris, and a Slower Pace of Life with Tuta Nangolo

What makes Namibia feel less like a destination and more like an escape from everywhere else? Tuta Nangolo is the founder of Kamatjona, a coliving space and safari company based in Windhoek, Namibia. Founded in 2020, Kamatjona blends long-stay coliving for digital nomads with community-driven, self-drive safaris across the country. Tuta's approach to hospitality was shaped in part by years spent working in a backpacker hostel in London, an experience that inspired him to bring that same sense of connection back home. Tuta joins the show to talk about what makes Namibia's culture and landscapes so distinct, and he walks through a self-drive road trip itinerary connecting the country's desert, coastal, and wildlife regions. Namibia doesn't behave the way most people expect a safari destination to. This conversation captures a country defined by space, silence, and a slower pace of life, where the wild feels genuinely wild because so few people are around to interrupt it. There's a real sense of discovery running through this one, the kind that comes from a place still largely untouched by mass tourism. It's also a look at what it takes to build a sense of community in a country that's historically catered to a very different kind of traveler. Have you ever shown up somewhere expecting one thing and found the complete opposite? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Namibia surprises most visitors expecting a typical African destination How population density shapes the pace of life and the travel experience Advice for planning a multi-day self-drive road trip through the country Why safaris here feel different from more crowded destinations elsewhere in Africa What inspired the shift from working at a hostel abroad to building a coliving space back home How local culture blends European influence with African tradition What to know about weather and timing before planning a visit Budget-friendly tips for food, accommodation, and getting around The role of community in shaping a more meaningful travel experience And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Kamatjona coliving and safari Kamatjona on Instagram Namibia Road Trip & Hidden Gems List Want More? Top 7 Uganda Hidden Gems with Lynett Nakamanya Safari 101: How To Plan A World-Class African Safari (Without Going Broke) 5 Surprising Experiences in Africa, How to Transition to a New Career After Travel, and Exploring the African Diaspora With Jay Cameron Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unplugged Travel, Trekking Nepal, and Pushing Past Your Comfort Zone with Tony Fletcher

What happens when you plan a trip with one goal: to disappear from your phone, your inbox, and the news for as long as you can stand it? Tony Fletcher is a British music journalist and the author of seven books, including the bestselling Keith Moon biography Moon and the definitive R.E.M. biography Remarks Remade. He started the fanzine Jamming! as a teenager in London and has spent decades interviewing artists across the music world. He now lives in New York's Catskill Mountains, where he writes about music, travel, and running. Tony just got back from a solo month in Nepal, where a big part of the trip was a deliberate digital detox: two weeks completely offline, no email, no social media, no news. He joins me to talk through how he planned it, what it actually felt like to disconnect, and the unconventional route he took into the mountains. This is a conversation about what happens when you actually let go, not just of your phone, but of the need to always know what's going on. Tony went in with real doubts about whether he could pull it off, and those doubts followed him further into the trip than he expected. What came back out the other side surprised even him, touching habits and instincts he wasn't trying to change. There's also a quieter thread running through it about choosing the harder, lonelier path on purpose, and what that choice does to how you experience a place. Have you ever taken a real break from your phone or the news while traveling, and what did you notice about yourself in the quiet? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: How he prepared mentally in the week beforehand, and how many times he nearly talked himself out of it Advice for planning a trek that starts right from your hotel room instead of taking transport to the trailhead Why he chose a quieter route over the two most popular options How trekking solo and unsupported changed the pace of each day What quitting coffee and alcohol on the trail taught him about resetting his habits How stepping away from his phone opened up more conversations with strangers Why he gave himself an extra week away from the news even after getting back online Advice on budgeting, accommodation, and food costs on a multi-week trek The story of nearly losing his phone for good, and what it says about staying present And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Tony's Substack Nepal Trekking and the Great Himalaya Trail by Robin Boustead CalTopo Trekking Nepal: Your Adventure Guide podcast by Zero To Travel Want More? Life-Changing Trips, Interviewing Music Legends, Backpacking the World, and Fostering Transformative Connections with Tony Fletcher Immersion Travel: Becoming a Porter in Nepal with Nate Menninger Walking the World with Alexander Campbell and Tom Turcich Thanks To Our Sponsors Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Be Norwegian (Cultural Concepts Worth Stealing) with Lorelou Desjardins

Why does a tiny Nordic nation with just 5.5 million people feel impossible to summarize in a single sentence?  Lorelou Desjardins has been writing about Norwegian culture since 2013 at her blog and publishing house, A Frog in the Fjord. She has published six books in Norway and internationally, along with 250 articles in mainstream media including Norway's largest newspaper. Her latest book, How to Be Norwegian, offers a crash course into 55 essential Norwegian cultural quirks. She lives in Oslo and is now a Norwegian citizen.  In this episode, Lorelou and I dig into Norwegian culture and what makes this country so unique, covering the surprising scale of Norway's geography, the country's cabin culture, social dynamics among Norwegians, food and drink customs, the quirks of Norwegian English, and a Norwegian concept worth stealing for your own life.  Norway can feel like a country of contradictions: vast and remote in parts, intensely social in others, shaped by long winters and short summers that flip the whole rhythm of daily life. This conversation moves between practical travel insight and a more personal look at what it is actually like to live here long-term, even after becoming a citizen. Whether you are planning a trip, exploring your own Norwegian roots, or just drawn to borrowing a little wisdom from another culture, there is something here for you.  What is one custom or tradition from somewhere else in the world that you have brought into your own life? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  How long Norway actually is, and which European capital it would touch if you spun it on its southern tip  Why a growing wave of travelers are choosing Norway over traditionally hot summer destinations  What Norway's "freedom to roam" law actually allows you to do  How cabin culture works, and how travelers can access cabins most visitors never think to look for  Why Norwegians have a reputation for being emotionally cold, and the bus ride that put that reputation to the test for me  Why Norwegians are so eager to talk about their own cultural identity with outsiders  The surprising history behind Norway's strict modern alcohol laws  Why frozen pizza and Friday tacos became beloved national traditions  The Norwegian concept that's similar to hygge, but with its own colder, deeper edge  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  A Frog in the Fjord  Lorelou's website  How to Be Norwegian  The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT)  Want More?  Cracking the Cultural Code, Ethical Travel To Indigenous Areas, & Life in Norway With Lorelou Desjardins  Hidden Norway: 7 Off The Beaten Path Gems You'll Love, Popular Norwegian Concepts Worth Stealing, Trekking In Bhutan, & Living At The Crossroads of Magic & Science w/ Torunn Tronsvang from Up Norway  Top 7 Hidden Gems in Oslo, Norway with Curtis Rojak of Viking Biking  Thanks To Our Sponsors   Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel   Experience intelligent trip planning for calmer travel with the TripWaffle app   Earn points on rent and mortgage payments. Apply at joinbilt.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices