Check out the latest WanderLearn episodes!
Take a profound and distant journey. Call it:
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.
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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!
Many believe Africa is teeming with wildlife. Others believe seeing gorillas and other wildlife must be cheap because Africans have a low income. Both of these ideas are myths.
In eight minutes, I answer a Patron's question about seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda. I mention Uganda.
The cost estimates mentioned in the video are the cheapest possible mountain gorilla treks. You have to hunt to find a deal for $800. But they exist. What also exists is the $8000 deal. African safari prices vary tremendously.
Furthermore, you could consider seeing the lowland gorillas in the Republic of Congo. The price is about a quarter of what the mountain gorillas cost, but they are far away. So bring binoculars.
Lastly, I answer the question about the abundance of African wildlife. The reality is much more depressing than you imagine. African wildlife is rare & usually hunted.
You debate someone daily. It could be your partner, friend, co-worker, boss, or an anonymous asshole on social media.
Debates can be exhausting and unproductive, especially if you're debating someone close-minded and inflexible. I've made controversial points about:
Therefore, I have plenty of experience debating intransigent people.
In the past, I would waste time debating religion (I have a BA degree in Religion) and other taboo subjects, but lately, I've developed a new technique to avoid having useless discussions.
I reveal my simple tactic below that you can employ when you're talking about:
Lastly, look in the mirror! Make sure you apply the same question to yourself! Maybe you're the stubborn one! Tell the other person what evidence you would like to see before changing your mind.
Sym Blanchard is a 70-year-old thru-hiker who completed America's Triple Crown hike in 2023! He's section-hiked all the sections of the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail!
Watch the three 2023 episodes featuring Sym!
Sorry that the audio quality is mediocre. Future episodes are better!
00:00 Finishing the Triple Crown
01:30 Israeli Trail
04:20 When age slows your hiking down
11:20 Rating trails
Sym Blanchard has been a vegan for the last 10 years. He just got diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Although I still encourage veganism and vegetarianism, his tale emphasizes the importance of carefully watching your nutrition.
00:00 Vegan gets osteoporosis
02:50 Diet changes
05:50 Long-term decline
13:13 Plans for 2024
Sym Blanchard & I look into our crystal balls to assess global politics. Sym listens to countless political podcasts during his long hikes. I love to debate his reflections.
00:00 Presidential Election 2024
02:40 Ukraine War
04:00 Israel & Palestine
09:50 Taiwan
Listen to my first interview with Sym.
Connect with Sym Blanchard on Facebook and Instagram.
Terry Repak has written an expat memoir, Circling Home: What I Learned by Living Elsewhere.
Candid, thoughtful, and instructive, Circling Home explores the notion of “home” and how our bonds with people from other countries and cultures can profoundly change us.
I ask her:
Watch three videos about South Africa's Drakensburg Traverse!
Two of my business school classmates, Brad Graff & Sam Sliman, have a spreadsheet listing the top 40 Global Hikes. On that list is South Africa's 205-km Drakensberg Traverse.
Since Sym Blanchard & I hiked the Grand Traverse, Brad & Sam wanted to pick my brain on the experience.
00:00 Brad & Sam's hiking experience
03:30 Drakensberg Traverse Safety
10:00 When to go
10:40 Trail GPS GPX Tracks
15:00 Section hiking & logistics
If you've hiked the Drakensberg Traverse in the 2020s, comment below!
Brad & Sam return to the WanderLearn Show to report how their 5-day adventure on South Africa's Drakensberg Traverse went.
The short answer: it was a wet, sloppy, cold mess!
Watch the video to get the long answer!
You may wonder, "Why are they complaining about the rain, snow, and sleet when all their photos show good conditions?"
That's because when the weather sucks, nobody wants to take a photo.
Brad Graff & Sam Sliman share advice on the Drakensberg Traverse in South Africa.
We discuss what are some worthy backpacking trips for 2024 and beyond.
00:00 Drakensberg Traverse Advice
06:40 Candidates for the next trek
Eric Gilbertson is attempting to climb every country's high point. He's two-thirds done.
His clone (Matthew Gilbertson) is joining him for most of the mountains. You can follow these twins on Instagram.
Eric uses the United Nations' definition of a country. There are 193 countries. He tosses in Antarctica to make 194.
This page features all my interviews about this extraordinary quest!
Subscribe to my WanderLearn podcast & YouTube channel to get the latest episodes.
Eric's K2 summit documentation
Eric's Kangchenjunga Summit story
Each high point has either a technical/physical challenge (e.g., K2 & Everest) and/or a bureaucratic challenge.
In this episode, Eric discusses three country high points that mainly have a bureaucracy that is stopping him, not the lack of oxygen.
I've climbed Chad's and Libya's high points, so I know what he's talking about.
Listen to discover why I could do it but why Eric has been blocked.
Let me know if you want to join us on a future hike up these two mountains.
He also talks about Bhutan's sacred summit.
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