Zero To Travel Podcast

What if the best place for you to travel or live next isn’t on any of the “best of” lists?

VerDarLuz is a locational astrologer and business coach who has spent 20 years helping people use astrology to make decisions about work, relationships, and where to live. Through his consultancy, Destination by Design, he uses astrocartography to help travelers, digital nomads, and retreat leaders figure out where and when to go. He also offers Human Design consultations and coaching through Divine Timing Coaching.

In this conversation, VerDarLuz explains what astrocartography is, how it can help you choose destinations and timing for travel or relocation, and how to stay open to the signs and synchronicities that show up on the road.

Travel has gotten more expensive, more complicated, and busier than ever, so picking the wrong place costs more than it used to. Astrocartography has gone from niche to mainstream in the last few years, and VerDarLuz has been living by it for two decades. Whether you’re a skeptic or already know your rising sign, this is a practical look at how to use astrocartography for travel, starting with what you actually want instead of what everyone else is chasing. And it wanders into bigger territory too, like what it takes to let a trip lead you somewhere you never planned to go.

Have you ever landed somewhere that felt like it was meant for you, or somewhere that just never clicked? I’d love to hear your story, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

What astrocartography is and how it fits into the bigger world of locational astrology

Why chasing the “best digital nomad city” lists might be the wrong approach

How your rising sign can point you toward cities that feel like home

What the four angles of a chart say about a place, and why one planet can dominate your experience there

How a move from California to Colorado and a last-minute festival gig in Poland played out on VerDarLuz’s maps

How to prepare for a challenging location without turning it into a self-fulfilling prophecy

How a chance invitation at a Sufi shrine in Kashmir in 2003 changed the course of a trip

What kairomancy is and why travel makes it easier to notice the signs

Advice for protecting your mornings, practicing gratitude, and leaning on local community instead of money

What a live chart reading reveals about my time in Oslo and the Jupiter cycle ahead

Resources:

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Destination by Design Consultancy

Divine Timing Coaching

VerDarLuz Instagram

The Power of Intention

Braiding Sweetgrass

The Serviceberry

Everyday Utopia

Want More:

How To Find Your Power Places Using Astrolocality

Curiosity As Your Travel Guide + Exploring Overlooked Destinations with John McKenzie

Hiking the Camino De Santiago, Painting Your Travels, Letting Curiosity Rule, and Tiny House Living with Kari Gale

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What does hell on earth look like? Science writer and explorer Erika Engelhaupt takes us on a unique journey to “awesomely awful” destinations to explore the history, culture, and science behind seven of the most otherworldly locations around the world.

Erika Engelhaupt is a science journalist and expert on all things macabre. Her work in National Geographic, Scientific American, and elsewhere has revealed the spooky science behind many taboo topics, including rotting corpses, bodily fluids, and other things that make her popular at dinner parties. She is the author of Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science and her newest book, Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations.

We thought this previously released episode was the perfect one to share this week for Halloween! Erika shares insights into how cultures worldwide have visualized the afterlife, explores the natural phenomena behind these lesser-known “hellscapes,” and discusses her own experiences visiting places that challenge and redefine our sense of wonder.

What’s the eeriest or most otherworldly place you’ve visited? I'd love to hear about your experience, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

A city filled with death, a centuries-old “skull cult,” and the inspiration behind Dante’s Inferno

A small cave in Ireland linked to ancient folklore and the origins of Halloween

The fiery pit that’s been burning for decades and the surprising theory behind it (plus, you can camp here!)

Where you can witness surreal blue flames rolling down a deadly sulfuric volcano

An island with some of the most gorgeous yet hellscape-y features, geothermal pools, and more

The most electric place on earth and the fascinating science behind it

Where to find razor-sharp “stone forests” and navigate the devil’s obstacle course

Which charming but hellish US town you can be mayor for the day

Will our pets eat us if we die? The five-second rule (fact or fiction?)

And so much more

Resources:

Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport

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Visit Erika’s website

Grab Erika’s book, Go to Hell

Would your dog eat you if you died?

Want More?

What Happens When You Die? (Part One): A Journey to the Other Side with Peter Panagore

Top 10 World’s Weirdest Restaurants With La Carmina

Dark Tourism and the Complexities of Dark Destinations with Professor James Treadwell

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What are successful people like before they become big? Before The Moment is hosted by music icon Nile Rodgers, who sits down with some of music’s biggest names to uncover the turning points that defined them, and, importantly, what was happening before everything changed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Why does Wales so often get left off the itinerary while England, Scotland, and Ireland soak up the attention?

Eugene Fogarty grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and studied history before earning a master’s in journalism. After two years living and traveling across the Americas, a year in Brussels, and a stint managing a walking tour operation in London, he moved to Cardiff and launched Fogo’s Free Tours in 2018. He has since led around 2,000 tours of Cardiff and South Wales, from free city walks to Doctor Who filming locations and the darker side of the city’s past.

In this conversation, Eugene shares how travel led him to tour guiding and walks me through his favorite hidden gems in Cardiff, Wales, plus the day trip he recommends most.

Cardiff has only been the capital of Wales since 1955, and plenty of visitors still treat it as a one-night stop to tick off another country. Spend an hour with Eugene, though, and the city starts to reveal layers most people walk right past, along with a playful streak you wouldn’t expect from a place built on coal. There’s also a quiet reminder in his story about what can happen when you take the trip before you have the plan. If you’ve ever rushed through a place and wondered what you missed, this conversation might change how you build your next UK itinerary.

Is there a place you rushed through and later wished you’d given more time? I’d love to hear about it, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

How a chip on his shoulder about being an Irish guide in Wales turned into an advantage

How two years across the Americas and a bar job in Brussels led Eugene to start his own tour company

Why not knowing what comes after a trip shouldn’t stop you from taking it

What locals say makes Cardiff feel different from other capital cities

A park in the center of Cardiff that even locals don’t know exists (and the two-week window to see it at its best)

Why a famous sci-fi villain is hiding inside an 840-year-old church

How a 19th century coal boom and a lot of rain shaped Cardiff’s shopping streets

The Viking roots, Victorian slums, and live music of one small side street

Where to hear Wales’s male voice choir tradition and its native language in the heart of the city

The add-on most castle visitors skip, plus the seaside town Eugene calls the perfect day trip

Resources:

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Fogo’s Free Tours

Fogo’s Free Tours Instagram

Cardiff Castle Tours

Clwb Ifor Bach

Want More:

The Real Scotland: Ancient Traditions, Secret Valleys, and Why You Shouldn’t Cut Your Haggis with Andy McAlindon

Hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland with Lynne Nieman

You’re Coming Hitchhiking Around Scotland With Me

Thanks To Our Sponsors:

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Begin your bilingual adventure with a free phrasebook with your first box at talkbox.mom/zerototravel

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What does it actually take to step away from work, home, and your phone for five months to walk from Mexico to Canada?

Nina Butler is originally from South Africa and is the founder of InRetreat, a boutique travel and wellness company that runs small-group and private retreats in eco destinations around the world. A yoga teacher with a PhD in philosophy, she spent several years living in Oslo, Norway, before moving back to South Africa. In 2025, she and her husband, Chris, thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, spending 150 days walking from Mexico to Canada.

In this conversation, Nina and I talk about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and the planning behind it, from permits and visas to stepping away from work, budgeting, trail culture, and what five months off grid did for her mind, her marriage, and a big life decision.

Most of us will never walk 2,650 miles, but plenty of us dream about carving out a real chunk of time to step away, and the logistics are usually what stop us. Nina’s story is a reminder that the planning phase can be its own kind of journey, and that the work of getting ready can leave your life better organized than you found it. There’s also something here about what happens to the mind when the noise falls away for long enough, and why a couple of weeks might not get you there. If you’ve been sitting on a big decision or a big trip, this conversation might be the nudge.

Have you ever taken a big chunk of time away from everyday life? What did it change for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

Why a single social media post led to a snap decision to hike from Mexico to Canada

What had to be locked in before Nina and Chris let themselves get excited

How Nina prepared her business to run without her for five months

What a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike cost them, and what drives the price up or down

Why daily, old-school map planning made the trail more meaningful, not less

What trail culture is really like, from trail angels to hitchhiking into desert towns

How long it took for Nina’s nervous system to truly settle off grid

How a months-long walk finally answered the question of where to live next

Advice for sharing a tent with your partner for 151 days (and the fight that broke out over food)

Nina’s top pick for a base town to get a taste of the PCT

Resources:

Sign up for our FREE newsletter

InRetreat

InRetreat Instagram

Pacific Crest Trail Association

FarOut

Want More:

Top 10 Health and Wellness Destinations (The Best Places to Live in the World) with Nina Butler

How to Craft Transformative Retreats (For Yourself or Others) with Nina Butler

Top 15 USA National Park Hikes: From Iconic Must-Dos to Hidden Wilderness Gems with Jason Frye

Thanks To Our Sponsors

Explore 100% human-made itineraries at exploreworldwide.com

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