WanderLearn Podcast

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Check out the latest WanderLearn episodes!

Take a profound and distant journey. Call it:

Deep Travel
Immersive Travel
Slow Travel
Vagabonding

I will guide you to the intersection of travel, technology, and transformation.

The WanderLearn podcast will compel you to go beyond your comfort zone.

I wander all over the world and I share what I learn with you! In so doing, I hope you'll be inspired to do the same. Travel is the best university.

How to Subscribe to the WanderLearn Podcast

Search for "WanderLearn" in your favorite podcast player.

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While I fix the problem, copy and paste this feed into your favorite podcast player:
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Although subscribing is essential, two other things help the WanderLearn podcast:

Download every WanderLearn episode as I produce them! That's what helps get it noticed! It's better to have 100 subscribers and 100,000 downloads per episode than 10,000 subscribers and 100 downloads.
Share the episodes! Word of mouth is gold!

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Don't just listen, watch!

Some WanderLearn episodes will also be videos, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel too.

I welcome comments and questions for each episode, which are listed below, from the most recent to the first one. I promise to answer any question from one of my Patrons. That's just one way to get rewarded for supporting the show!

Listen to the latest episodes below!

The show notes and comments for each episode are below

Podcast

Boyd Varty's TED talk about "What I Learned From Nelson Mandela" made Varty famous. His talk has nearly two million views.

His newest book came out this week. It's called The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life.

Varty is a fourth-generation custodian of the Londolozi Game Reserve. Unlike his ancestors, he's never hunted a lion. Now he just tracks them for eco-tourism. I ask him:

What would his lion-hunting ancestors say about his conservation efforts?
Does he think that hunting helps or hurts animal conservation?
What does having a "sit spot" mean and how can it help you?
How exactly does a male lion's mane protect the lion?
What's the first story that we told ourselves?
What can we learn from tracking a lion?

Listen to the 60th WanderLearn episode!

This episode is also important because it marks the one-year anniversary of the WanderLearn podcast, which has gotten 20,000 downloads since we started!

That makes me happy because few podcasts achieve that audience in one year.

So THANK YOU to you, my wandering listeners and to my sponsors!

Few people expect to get kidnapped, but it's good to have some education on how to avoid kidnapping and what to do if you are kidnapped.

In episode #59 of the WanderLearn podcast, I interview Olav Ostad, who wrote Surviving Kidnappers: Precautions, Influence, Strategic Tools, which I reviewed on my website.

You can buy it on Amazon.

I ask Olav to share:

A kidnapping story with a happy ending.
A kidnapping story with a tragic ending.
What can we learn from these two stories?
Why did he write this book given that he's never been kidnapped?
Should you cry when you're captured? Beg for mercy?
What can we do to avoid getting kidnapped in the first place?
Is kidnapping and ransom insurance worth it?
What should they do during the moment of the assault?
What should they during the transportation phase?
What should they do during the captivity phase?
How do you get over PTSD that may arise from surviving a kidnapping?

Visit Kidnapping Survival to learn more.

Podcast

Donna Colson is one of the five City Council members in Burlingame, California. Currently, she's serving as Burlingame's Mayor. Burlingame is an affluent city with 30,000 residents near the San Francisco Airport. I grew up next to Burlingame.

Mayor Colson is running for re-election to the City Council on November 5, 2019. We chatted for 30 minutes about a variety of topics, including:

What does a mayor do every day?
How much does she get paid?
Why do such a job?
What surprised her once she became the mayor?
How much time does she spend fund-raising?
Will we ever go beyond the two-party system?
What political party is she in? (The answer will surprise you.)
Why can't national politics be less tribal and more like local politics?
Besides voting, what should citizens do?

Three candidates are running for the two council seats in Burlingame.

Her re-election looks like a slam dunk for Donna, but she thinks of Hillary Clinton's surprising loss often to keep her humble.

Watch it

Listen

Podcast

Jack Kennedy got malaria in Sumbawa, Indonesia.

After that tough experience, a lightbulb went off in his head.

He wondered if, at the cost of a few thousand dollars, he could eliminate malaria in Sumbawa.

He founded Health Access Sumbawa to eradicate malaria in Sumbawa and far beyond.

Can we eliminate malaria plasmodium?
What's the best bang for the buck? Bed nets? Spraying?
Is there a malaria vaccine on the horizon?
What tips does he have for someone thinking about starting a nonprofit?

Right now, TourRadar is running a special promotion for WanderLearn listeners at tourradar.com/wanderlearn. Each month, listeners can sign up for the chance to win amazing travel prizes. Prizes include everything from $1,000 in travel credits to a trip for two to Europe to a free river cruise in Asia! Visit tourradar.com/wanderlearn to sign up for your chance to win today:

Share, rate, and review the WanderLearn podcast!

Podcast

What would you do if you were caught in an avalanche? How do you minimize your risk when you're traveling in the snowy mountains?

Robert Hahn has studied avalanches and still managed to get caught in one.

He works for the Northwest Avalanche Center.

He shares his personal avalanche survival story.

He also shares tips on how you can avoid repeating his fate.

After 50 mins, we shift away from talking about avalanches and we talk about his harrowing experiences in the Himalayas.

After 70 minutes, we talk about his fascinating time in Africa, which includes two years in the Peace Corps in Uganda, climbing the 3rd tallest peak in Africa, and several cultural insights, including the importance (or lack thereof) of honesty.

I briefly mention my podcast with Sym Blanchard, who talks about how to live a meaningful life.

Podcast

WanderLearn fans get a special chance to win $1000 in travel credits on TourRadar by going here:

https://www.tourradar.com/wanderlearn

About this episode: Jessica Husson was one of two people (out of thousands who applied) who won a round-the-world trip sponsored by TourRadar and Intrepid travel.

Jessica and Joan (a Spaniard) starred in some superbly produced videos about their travels. I watched all 8 episodes,

Today, the 8th episode, which takes place in Thailand, came out.

Questions I ask Jessica:

You had traveled extensively before, so what did you learn from this trip?
Do you now look at reality TV shows with a new lens?
What fun things happened off-camera?
What would you do with $1000 to spend on TourRadar?
Can you pick who is on your tour?
What can you do if there is a personality mismatch in your group?
What did you learn from Travis, the CEO of Tour Radar, who traveled with you in Italy?
What percentage of your waking hours were free?
How was Thailand like?
What's your next destination?

This is my 55th WanderLearn podcast episode.

The most popular podcast episode was the podcast I did with the CEO of TourRadar, Travis, whom we mention in this episode.

Although I encourage you to listen to the podcast, you might enjoy it more to watch it since there's a ton of superb footage that is shown during the interview.