Zero To Travel Podcast

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:

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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

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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:

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Belonging to the World

Caravan to Class

Barry's Instagram

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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

Want to hear a podcast about one my favorite parts of the US? The Via Podcast by AAA paints a picture of the Western United States. If you love American history, road trips, wildlife, and Western folklore you’ve got to check out the Via Podcast. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

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:

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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

Want to hear a podcast about one my favorite parts of the US? The Via Podcast by AAA paints a picture of the Western United States. If you love American history, road trips, wildlife, and Western folklore you’ve got to check out the Via Podcast. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!