Zero To Travel Podcast

What does it actually take to give yourself permission to live unconventionally, and what's really standing in the way? 

I had the opportunity to be a guest on the My Most Authentic Life podcast with Fede Vargas, a conversation we recorded live on the rooftop at Podcast Movement Evolutions during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Fede interviewed me about the themes that run through this show, including unconventional paths, pivots, lifestyle design, and what it means to choose differently. 

This conversation pulls out some of my most honest thinking on what it means to give yourself permission to live unconventionally. We talk openly about my decade as a nomad with no fixed home, the internal and external forces that push back against unconventional choices, and how imposter syndrome never goes away but can be trained around. There's a lot here that I think will resonate if you've ever felt the pull of a different path but weren't sure you were allowed to take it. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why giving yourself permission is often the first and hardest obstacle on any unconventional path 


How imposter syndrome works as a muscle you can train, not a problem you solve 


What it means to "pivot" before you've actually made any outward moves 


Why the journey before the journey has more value than most people realize 


How lifestyle design is less about optimization and more about filtering decisions through your ideal daily life 


Why the "perfect average day" exercise is a practical starting point for anyone designing their life 


How I spent a decade as a nomadic tour manager, including driving the Meow Mix Catmobile across the U.S. 


What unexpected things can happen when you follow your gut, even last-minute 


Why my definition of authenticity comes down to one word 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


My Most Authentic Life 


Instagram 


The Perfect Average Day 


Laundry House 

Want More? 


How to Pivot to a Life With More Freedom (And Travel), Get More Free Time, and Unlock Your Intuition With Jenny Blake 


How to Navigate Transitions and Design Your Life (Without the BS) with Lauren Handel Zander 


Two Paths to Location Independence and Travel (No Skills Required) With Caitlin Sunderland and Janessa Klatt 

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What would it take for you to actually turn travel into a lifestyle, not just a vacation? 

Nick Wharton and Dariece Swift are the Canadian couple behind Goats On The Road, one of the longest-running travel and lifestyle blogs online. Since leaving Canada in 2008, they have lived and traveled full-time across Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean, funding their adventures through teaching English abroad, house sitting, freelance writing, and eventually building a successful travel blog and suite of online courses. 

In this episode, Nick and Dariece share the real, unfiltered story of how two regular people from a small town in Canada traded their office jobs and oil rig shifts for a decade of long-term travel, and how they've figured out how to keep it going. 

This episode covers what it really takes to make travel a long-term lifestyle, from the mindset shifts that keep you going to the practical ways people actually fund life on the road. Nick and Dariece have been doing this for over a decade and speak honestly about the challenges of traveling as a couple, building an online business from scratch, and knowing when to step back from work and just travel. I also share my own perspective on staying connected to your highest values as your life and travel style evolve. 

What has been your biggest mental or practical barrier to making travel a more permanent part of your life, and has anything ever helped you push past it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

*This is a previously released episode from the archives! Zero To Travel interviews are timeless, offering valuable insight whenever you listen.  

Tune In To Learn: 


What happened after their first 13-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia that set everything in motion 


The beach meltdown in Thailand that led to one of the boldest and most pivotal moves of their travels 


What it really takes to travel as a couple 24/7, and the specific things Nick and Dariece do to keep it working 


How Goats On The Road started and the shift in approach that became their biggest turning point 


Why they almost let video ruin the travel experience, and what they did about it 


How they've managed to avoid full burnout after more than a decade of living and working on the road 


The mix of jobs and strategies they've used at different stages to keep the travels funded and going 


How their travel style has evolved over a decade and what the lifestyle actually looks like for them now 


My three principles for keeping travel a lifelong priority, no matter where you are in life 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Goats On The Road 


Hash House Harriers 

Want More? 


Transition to Travel: From Burnout to a Year Around the World with Sofia and Teague 


Building a Travel Lifestyle: Digital Nomadism, Slow Travel, Exploring Latin America with Kyle Cohenour 


The Reality of Digital Nomad Life (Warts and All) With Steph and Dalt 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


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Oslo doesn't hit you the way other European capitals do. There's no single monument everyone leaves talking about, and yet people consistently walk away from this city with a feeling they can't quite explain. 

Curtis Rojak is an American expat who has lived in Europe for over 25 years and holds dual Norwegian-American citizenship. He is the founder of Viking Biking, Oslo's premier guided bike and hiking tour company, and has led more than 3,000 tours through Oslo on foot and by bike.  

This episode is a local's guide to Oslo, recorded in my living room with Curtis. We cover seven hidden gems in the city, from a haunting mausoleum most tourists never find to a private island cabin you can rent for a night on the Oslo Fjord. 

This episode covers what makes a place feel like home versus just a place you've visited, what it takes to genuinely know a city at a local level, and how to discover the experiences that don't make it into guidebooks. You'll also hear honest conversation about building a life abroad long-term, what draws people to certain places, and why the best travel experiences often come from knowing someone who actually lives there. Curtis brings real depth on Oslo specifically, but the broader themes about place, belonging, and authentic discovery apply to anywhere you're considering visiting or moving to.  

Have you ever discovered a hidden gem in a city that completely changed how you thought about that place? I'd love to hear your story, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why one of Norway's most extraordinary pieces of art is hidden in a mausoleum most tourists never find, and how to actually visit it 


How to spend a Norwegian summer day at a lakeside farm where animals roam free through landscape gardens 


Where to find secret sea cliffs near the city, and where locals actually jump from 


Why a restaurant on its own private island captures the Norwegian good life better than almost anywhere else in the city 


What makes one of Europe's best cocktail bars worth the New York-level prices you'll pay 


How to rent a private island cabin on the Oslo Fjord through a local organization almost no tourists know about 


Why Curtis believes Oslo's greatest strength is also what most tourists only notice on their last day 


What 25 years as an expat taught Curtis about choosing where to live and why gut feeling matters more than logic 


How the "Lego Country" exercise surfaces the best things about multiple continents and destinations 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Viking Biking 

Want More? 


https://zerototravel.com/viking-biking/ 


Hidden Norway: 7 Off the Beaten Path Gems You'll Love with Torunn Tronsvang from Up Norway 


Top 10 Reasons to Love Living Abroad with Botik Quest 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


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From destinations that challenge your assumptions to the routines and mindsets that make this lifestyle actually sustainable, join Caitlin and Janessa as they unpack what's been on their minds this month. 

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, Janessa reports back from a solo trip to a destination most travelers hesitate to visit alone, Caitlin shares a surprisingly simple tool for building calm and consistency into nomadic life, and both take a hard look at a habit nearly every long-term traveler has that might be doing more harm than good. There are also a few remote work stories from the community that prove people will go to remarkable lengths to keep living life on their own terms. 

Have you ever talked yourself out of a destination based on what you'd heard, or found a way to build more balance into a life that never really stops moving? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why Janessa says this distinction is one of the most important things solo travelers can internalize when traveling somewhere new 


How a single offhand comment on the podcast led Janessa to an unexpected scuba trip 


What solo travel in Egypt costs, why Cairo might not be your best nomad base, and what to consider instead 


A breathing technique that's worth adding to your daily routine while traveling 


Why you may want to create intentional seasons in your year even when the weather never changes 


The most committed remote work workarounds, and why it actually made sense  


And much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Caitlin on Instagram 


Janessa on Instagram 


Diving Nomads 

Want More? 


Remote Roundup: Solo Travel Hot Takes, Nomad Budgeting, Rookie Mistakes, Cape Town & Mexico City (March 2026) 


7 Epic Travel Fitness Adventures (For All Levels) and Solo Travel for Transformation with Heidi Nicklaus (+ Jason’s Ultimate Travel Blunder) 


7 Pro Tips For Traveling In Dangerous Countries w/ Bjorn Palsson 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


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What if the part of Brazil most worth exploring is the one almost nobody talks about? 

Eddie Lott is a Dallas-born expedition leader who has spent nearly two decades studying Brazilian history, geography, and culture. He rediscovered the Serra do Espinhaco in 2018 and has been documenting its trails and communities ever since. Elisa Oliveira is a Brazilian architect turned expedition coordinator who left behind her career and her previous life after a single weekend in the Espinhaco in 2019.  

Together, they co-founded Gift of Go, a company that builds and leads founder-guided expeditions through one of Brazil's most layered and least-visited mountain ranges, and they are also husband and wife. 

In this episode, co-host Paige McClanahan talks with Eddie and Elisa about how Gift of Go came to be, what their expeditions actually look like, and what travelers need to know before heading to this part of Brazil. 

This is a rewarding listen for anyone drawn to real adventure travel in Brazil off the beaten path. Eddie and Elisa spent three-plus years walking the terrain, building relationships with local communities, and living in the region before guiding their first traveler. You'll hear why going deep into one place beats skimming across a whole country, how arriving somewhere by foot after 17 days on the trail completely changes how you experience it, and what it means to share a destination that still has almost zero international tourism presence. 

Have you ever experienced a place that felt completely untouched by tourism? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Co-host Paige McClanahan is a writer, editor, and former journalist based in Paris, France. As the author of The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel, Paige is passionate about making sure our travels have a positive impact on the world. Learn more about her work here. 

Tune In To Learn: 


What makes the Espinhaco a microcosm of Brazil's most important ecological, cultural, and historical themes 


How Elisa left an engagement and a five-year architecture career after one weekend in a remote mountain village 


Why Gift of Go spent three years in the field before guiding their first traveler 


What the Veranico is, and why January might be the most spectacular and unpredictable time to visit 


How the expedition formats work, from 12-day group treks to fully bespoke solo journeys 


Why Brazil receives fewer international visitors per year than the city of Miami, and what that means for the right kind of traveler 


Practical tips for Minas Gerais: think in regions, know your biomes, expect limited English, and prepare for the warmth of the people 


What to eat and drink, from cachaça and UNESCO-recognized cheese to fig compotes with dulce de leche 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Gift of Go Website 


Instagram 

Want More? 


7 Chile Hidden Gems: Off-the-Beaten Path in Patagonia, Mapuche Culture, and More with Steph Dyson 


How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel With Paige McClanahan 


How To Get Off The Beaten Track with Gunnar Garfors 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel 


Get 20% of at Cozy Earth with code ‘TRAVEL’ 

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