Zero To Travel Podcast

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

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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

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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

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Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel

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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 happens when you plan a trip with one goal: to disappear from your phone, your inbox, and the news for as long as you can stand it?

Tony Fletcher is a British music journalist and the author of seven books, including the bestselling Keith Moon biography Moon and the definitive R.E.M. biography Remarks Remade. He started the fanzine Jamming! as a teenager in London and has spent decades interviewing artists across the music world. He now lives in New York's Catskill Mountains, where he writes about music, travel, and running.

Tony just got back from a solo month in Nepal, where a big part of the trip was a deliberate digital detox: two weeks completely offline, no email, no social media, no news. He joins me to talk through how he planned it, what it actually felt like to disconnect, and the unconventional route he took into the mountains.

This is a conversation about what happens when you actually let go, not just of your phone, but of the need to always know what's going on. Tony went in with real doubts about whether he could pull it off, and those doubts followed him further into the trip than he expected. What came back out the other side surprised even him, touching habits and instincts he wasn't trying to change. There's also a quieter thread running through it about choosing the harder, lonelier path on purpose, and what that choice does to how you experience a place.

Have you ever taken a real break from your phone or the news while traveling, and what did you notice about yourself in the quiet? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

How he prepared mentally in the week beforehand, and how many times he nearly talked himself out of it

Advice for planning a trek that starts right from your hotel room instead of taking transport to the trailhead

Why he chose a quieter route over the two most popular options

How trekking solo and unsupported changed the pace of each day

What quitting coffee and alcohol on the trail taught him about resetting his habits

How stepping away from his phone opened up more conversations with strangers

Why he gave himself an extra week away from the news even after getting back online

Advice on budgeting, accommodation, and food costs on a multi-week trek

The story of nearly losing his phone for good, and what it says about staying present

And so much more

Resources:

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Tony's Substack

Nepal Trekking and the Great Himalaya Trail by Robin Boustead

CalTopo

Trekking Nepal: Your Adventure Guide podcast by Zero To Travel

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Life-Changing Trips, Interviewing Music Legends, Backpacking the World, and Fostering Transformative Connections with Tony Fletcher

Immersion Travel: Becoming a Porter in Nepal with Nate Menninger

Walking the World with Alexander Campbell and Tom Turcich

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!