Zero To Travel Podcast

• Remote Roundup: Bangkok & Oaxaca, Remote Career Trends, Missing Out at Home, Practical Holiday Gift Guide (November 2025)

  How do you choose where to live, what to do, and when to go home when your life is fully remote? Remote Roundup is a monthly series hosted by Zero To Travel’s associate producer, Caitlin Sunderland, and partnerships manager, Janessa Klatt. Explore what's new in remote work and travel, including helpful tools and resources, need‑to‑know trends, destinations, and insight into what it really means to live and work around the world. In this episode, they’re reporting in from two wildly different corners of the world with stories, struggles, and insights about what it actually looks like to live and work abroad right now, plus a practical holiday wish list. Caitlin and Janessa open up about the hard choices digital nomads face around holidays, family, and missing big life events. They talk about the growing trend of unexpected remote careers and explore how people are adapting traditional jobs to fit this lifestyle, a conversation about the myth of the laptop-on-the-beach image that won't die, and more.  What has been your biggest struggle being away from home when you travel? We’d love to hear about it, and hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why Bangkok’s scale, café culture, and mall scene work so well for remote living How Oaxaca brings together community, creativity, and tradition, especially around Day of the Dead How Caitlin pulled off a cheap(ish) last-minute flight to Asia with an airport transfer hack What it’s really like to grieve major life moments from abroad, and insight into deciding when going home makes sense Thoughts on how to take traditional skills and repurpose them into location-independent careers An honest take on the “laptop on the beach” stereotype (and why it’s still everywhere) A holiday gift guide with digital nomads in mind Two travel fail stories that involve passports, bowel movements, and a nearly missed bus in the Italian countryside And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Caitlin on Instagram Janessa on Instagram Want More? Remote Roundup: True Costs of Long-Term Travel, Taxes & Borderless Living, an Underrated Productivity Habit, + More (October 2025) Building a Travel Lifestyle: Digital Nomadism, Slow Travel, Exploring Latin America with Kyle Cohenour From Expat to Digital Nomad: Finding Your Travel Rhythm, Balancing Burnout, and the Digital Nomad Lifestyle with Kristin Wilson Thanks To Our Sponsors Holafly - Get 10% off your annual Holafly eSIM with code “ZEROTOTRAVEL” Planet Visionaries - Listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:05:20

  --------

  1:05:20
• Top 10 World’s Most Difficult Countries to Visit (How and Why to Go) with Gunnar Garfors and Jacqui Kunz

  What are the most difficult countries to visit, and why do some require months of effort just to get in? Gunnar Garfors is an author, journalist, and the first person to travel to every country in the world twice. Jacqui Kunz was named “World’s Most Intrepid Traveler” in 2023 and is also well on her way to visiting every country in the world. In this Zero To Travel Host Collective episode, Gunnar and Jacqui go through ten of the world’s most difficult countries to visit from a visa and access standpoint. Gunnar and Jacqui share their personal experiences and insights navigating the world’s hardest-to-enter countries, especially from the perspective of American and Norwegian passports. You’ll learn not just where the access is difficult, but why - whether it’s politics, reciprocity, red tape, or safety concerns - and what it says about global mobility. They also explore the ethical side of “ticking countries off the list” and how that mindset can warp the meaning of travel. If you were to visit one country that you know is extremely hard to get into, which country would it be and why? We’d love to hear about it, and hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: Why your passport dramatically affects your ability to visit certain countries How political tensions between nations influence visa rules and travel bans Advice for Americans trying to enter countries that officially don’t allow them Why some countries like Turkmenistan or Libya require government approval before you can even apply What Gunnar did after being rejected six times for a visa to Turkmenistan How Jackie’s educational work raised red flags with the Iranian authorities How to travel ethically to countries with problematic governments or ongoing conflicts Tips for minimizing risk and maximizing cultural exchange in restricted destinations What it really means to have “been” somewhere (and who gets to decide that) And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter Gunnar’s website Gunnar on Instagram Jacqui on Instagram Want More? Independent Travel as a Female in Afghanistan, Hitchhiking Iraq, and Ex-Pat Life in Sudan with Jacquelyn Kunz How To Get Off The Beaten Track with Gunnar Garfors Traveling the Equator and Polar Circle (Top 5 Countries to Visit) + How Climate Change Impacts Locals with Gunnar Garfors Thanks To Our Sponsors Holafly - Get 10% off your annual Holafly eSIM with code “ZEROTOTRAVEL” Planet Visionaries - Listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:09:34

  --------

  1:09:34
• Independent Travel as a Female in Afghanistan, Hitchhiking Iraq, and Ex-Pat Life in Sudan with Jacquelyn Kunz

  IMPORTANT: This episode was recorded before the conflict in Sudan, and Jacqui has since left the country. For additional information and ways to support the Sudanese people, you can visit eyesonsudan.net and follow Jacqui on Instagram. Why would someone choose to travel to the world’s most dangerous places? Today I’m joined by Jacquelyn Kunz, the first female to travel independently through Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control. In this episode, Jacqui shares some of the toughest moments from her time in Afghanistan, what led her to move to Sudan, and her life as an expat. We also talk about what it was like to hitchhike in Iraq and how these experiences have shifted her outlook on life. *This is a previously released episode from the archives! Zero To Travel interviews are timeless, offering valuable insight whenever you listen. Do you consider yourself a risk-taker? I'd love to hear your thoughts and hope you will share them by sending me an audio message. Tune in to Learn: What Jacqui considers the ultimate traveler fantasy Her favorite places to visit and what attracts her to more extreme foreign destinations Insight into the experience of being a woman in Sudan How Government censorship and surveillance impact a society Why Jacqui chose to move to Sudan (and her family's reaction) Life in Sudan with political instability, and how she fits into society Why a foreign woman is considered an "honorary man," and how this impacts her relationship with Sudanese women How these experiences changed her perspective on life and relating to others Insight into finding the courage to take a different path Jacqui's best advice for safety and her thoughts on being a risk-taker And so much more Resources: Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport Subscribe to our FREE newsletter Learn more about the conflict in Sudan Connect with Jacqui on Instagram Listen to Laundry House on Spotify and follow us on Instagram Want More? 7 Pro Tips For Traveling In Dangerous Countries w/ Bjorn Palsson Travel In The Middle East with Genevieve Hathaway What Is “Happiness”? Discovering Meaning On The Silk Road w/ Will Rickard Thanks to our Sponsors Holafly - Get 10% off your annual Holafly eSIM with code “ZEROTOTRAVEL” Moon Travel Guides - Use code ‘ZERO’ for 20% off your order. Turkish Airlines Series - Listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify Planet Visionaries - Listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  1:30:25

  --------

  1:30:25
• Introducing Planet Visionaries

  Want to hear bold ideas and big solutions for our planet? We have been listening to Alex Honnold as he hosts Planet Visionaries, in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each week, Alex spotlights innovators who are not just imagining a better future but actively creating it. Go check it out and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

  --------  

  2:19

  --------

  2:19
• Introducing Planet Visionaries

  Want to hear bold ideas and big solutions for our planet? We have been listening to Alex Honnold as he hosts Planet Visionaries, in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Each week, Alex spotlights innovators who are not just imagining a better future but actively creating it. Go check it out and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

  --------  

  2:19

  --------

  2:19

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Zero To Travel Podcast

Zero To Travel Podcast: Podcasts in Family