The Trip That Changed Me

Latest Episodes:

Walking the Length of Africa with Mario Rigby: near-death experiences, walkabouts as a rite of passage, and becoming a modern explorer Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Today’s guest is Mario Rigby, an eco-explorer from Turks & Caicos who became famous in adventure-travel circles for walking the entire length of Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo. A goal-oriented mindset and ability to push his physical limits have always motivated Mario, who competed for the Turks & Caicos national track and field team in his youth. He was 30 years old and working for himself as a fitness coach in Toronto, Canada before the adventure itch sent him on a life-changing two-year journey through Africa, which he undertook solo and entirely on foot.

In this episode, Mario shares experiences from his epic journey, from life-affirming encounters with locals and wildlife to near-death experiences, and the mental and physical fortitude it took to complete his mission. Plus, navigating sudden fame as the news of his trip spread across the continent, storytelling as a tool for encouraging courageousness, and the power of walkabouts as a rite of passage.

You can find Mario on Instagram @mariorigby. Learn more about Full-Time Travel by visiting fulltimetravel.co and follow us on Instagram @full_time_travel. Be sure to rate, review, and follow so that you don’t miss out on travel tips, inspiration, and your potential next adventure!

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52 Places with Sebastian Modak: landing the dream job, leaning into serendipity, and finding universal lessons in every travel experience Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Today’s guest is Sebastian Modak, travel journalist and current editor-at-large at Lonely Planet. Born in the US to a Colombian mother and an Indian father, Sebastian was a world explorer from the get-go. During his formative early years, Sebastian’s family moved to new countries frequently, giving him an ability to bond quickly with others and an aptitude for observing and appreciating other cultures – qualities that would serve Sebastian well when he landed a coveted job as the New York Times 52 Places Traveler in 2019. In this episode, Sebastian shares stories and lessons from the 52 weeks he spent visiting 52 different places, making lifelong friendships, and inspiring thousands of people through a constant stream of storytelling. Plus, how 52 weeks on the road impacted Sebastian’s concept of home, his go-to tactics for finding a good story fast, and why being honest about your ignorance as a traveler is a shortcut to bonding with locals.

You can find Sebastian on Instagram @sebmodak. Learn more about Full-Time Travel by visiting fulltimetravel.co and follow us on Instagram @full_time_travel. Be sure to rate, review, and follow so that you don’t miss out on travel tips, inspiration, and your potential next adventure!

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Paris and Barcelona with Laura Edmondson: navigating van life, challenging the status quo, and diversifying the outdoor community Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

Laura Edmondson is a digital creator, educator, organizer, podcast host, and owner of Cosmic Market, an online vintage jewelry shop. She’s also one of those adventurous travelers living the van life dream, roaming around the US working remotely on projects she’s passionate about with her two dogs, Willy and Stan. But before Laura set off for a life of endless freedom in her van, she was following a more traditional path. After graduating, Laura took a 9 to 5 job in education and tried to get excited about the same traditional milestones of adulthood that many people from her hometown were pursuing; the house, the spouse, the kids, the linear career. That all changed following a trip to France and Spain with a friend, which brought Laura to the realization that a life of travel, a life on her own terms, was what really made her soul sing. In today’s episode, Laura and Esme discuss the logistics of life on the road, diversifying the van life and outdoor communities, and the importance of role models when we are seeking inspiration to go against the status quo.

You can find Laura on Instagram @laura.edmondson, learn more about her on her website lauraedmondson.co, and shop her jewelry @cosmicmarket.co.

Learn more about Full-Time Travel by visiting fulltimetravel.co and follow us on Instagram @full_time_travel. Be sure to rate, review, and follow so that you don’t miss out on travel tips, inspiration, and your potential next adventure!

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Hilton Head Island's Andrew Carmines: growing self-confidence in the wilderness, the ADHD advantage, and the importance of manners Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

Andrew Carmines is a successful business owner and pillar of the community on Hilton Head Island, where he was born and raised. As the President of Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, founder of the Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival, and a board member of multiple conservation organizations, Andrew has his hands full these days... but he wasn’t always so focused and together. After almost failing out of college, Andrew took a break from studying to train as a flyfishing guide in Cooper Landing, Alaska, a remote and wild area of the country ripe for adventure. Living in a trailer, experiencing close encounters with bears, and learning to navigate the churning Kenai River taught Andrew about his own capabilities, grew his confidence, and ultimately helped him thrive back at college and beyond. On this episode, Andrew and Esme discuss the ways Andrew’s polite Southern upbringing has been an asset on both his travels and in his career, the ways Andrew’s ADHD makes him particularly well-suited to extreme situations, and why you don’t know good seafood until you’ve tried shrimp from the South California ocean.

If you find yourself on Hilton Head Island, make sure to stop by @hudsonseafood and learn more about America’s favorite island by visiting https://www.hiltonheadisland.org/.

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Europe with Brian Malarkey: the beauty of simple cooking, finding your echo, and fitting in amongst misfits Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

You may already be familiar with today’s guest, Brian Malarkey. He’s a celebrated chef and TV personality, star of shows like Top Chef and The Taste, owner of multiple successful restaurants including the nationally acclaimed San Diego establishments Herb & Wood and Animae, and founder of Chef’s Life, a range of delicious oils that will change the way you cook. After attending culinary school and finding the entire experience too rigid and precise for his creative tendencies, Brian seized the opportunity to travel Europe with his best friend, interrailing from Paris all the way down to Marrakesh. After getting robbed and beaten up on the first night, the two slowly earned their travel stripes, living frugally, trading tips with other travelers, and cooking delicious meals for entire hostels of people. In this episode, Esme and Brian discuss why traveling on a really tight budget is a great way to get to know a place and its people, how Europe taught Brian that simplicity is often the key to good cooking, and why so many chefs have larger than life personalities.

You can find Brian on Instagram @brianmalarkey, learn more about his cooking oils at www.chefslife.com and @chefslife.co, and next time you’re in San Diego, be sure to visit @HerbandSea, @HerdandWood, and @Animae.SanDiego.

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The UK & Ireland with Remy Ruesenberg: Vegas behind-the-scenes, the kindness of strangers, and popping the question Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Remy Ruesenberg is a born and bred Las Vegan who grew up around the hospitality industry; Remy’s mother worked at the Bellagio from the time he was born and Remy eventually followed in her footsteps, steadily working his way up from pool lifeguard to his current role: Director Of Hotel Operations at Park MGM & NoMad Las Vegas. In this episode, Remy shares a story that helped shape his ethos as a leader in the hospitality industry — a road trip through the UK and Ireland planned by his wife’s grandfather. However, Grandpa’s preferred way of traveling was to mostly wing it; walk up to a new village, stop into a pub for a pint with the locals, and ask around for places to stay that night. For Remy, it was a lesson in the joy of serendipity and a reminder that the ultimate hospitality is kindness from strangers. This was also the trip when Remy got down on one knee and asked his partner to marry him... in a Scottish castle, naturally!

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Lebanon & Beyond with Rose Previte: sharing culture through food, bringing flavors back home, and international culinary adventures Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

Chef and restaurateur Rose Previte was raised in a food-loving, Sicilian-Lebanese family in Ohio, and grew up working for her mother’s Middle Eastern catering business. Her own first endeavor, Compass Rose, is a restaurant inspired by the extensive travel she did while living in Russia with her husband, who was posted there as a correspondent for NPR. Since then, Rose has opened a second critically acclaimed restaurant in DC called Maydan which earned a Michelin star in 2019.

In this episode, Rose and Esme discuss the ways that identity and culture are expressed through our cuisines, the amazing food-focused trip through North Africa and the Middle East Rose took with her Maydan team, and the experience of revisiting Lebanon with her twin aunts who, like many second-generation immigrants of their age from that part of the Middle East, were returning to their maternal homeland for the very first time.

You can find Rose on Instagram @roseprevite and visit her restaurants Compass Rose and Maydan next time you’re in DC.

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Annecy and New York with Jodi Ettenberg: embracing spontaneity, becoming a full-time traveler, and cultivating resilience Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Celebrated travel and food blogger Jodi Ettenberg shares not one but two life-changing trips on this week’s episode. The first, a solo jaunt to Annecy while she was studying for her master's in France, signaled the start of Jodi’s life as a devoted traveler. Jodi got the travel bug following Annecy, and after briefly taking a job at a law firm in New York, she began traveling full time, making a successful living from her blog Legal Nomads. The second trip, a visit to Brooklyn in 2017, during which she wound up in the ER, would effectively end a decade of international roaming. Jodi underwent a lumbar puncture to rule out a suspected condition, a fairly routine procedure that didn’t go according to plan, leaving her virtually bedbound and in constant chronic pain from a spinal CSF leak. In this episode, Jodi and Esme discuss the power of storytelling, retraining the mind using Vipassana meditation, and making the choice to find gratitude, meaning, and beauty when life unspools in the most unfair way.

You can learn more about Jodi by visiting her website legalnomads.com and following @legalnomads on social media.

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Belize with Jessica Blotter: sustainable tourism, becoming a conscious tourist, and making a positive travel impact Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Jessica Blotter is a born entrepreneur and journalist who spent her early 20s trying to figure out how she was going to leave her mark on the world. The answer came during a cruise trip to Belize with her partner’s family. Jessica adored the Central American country but was struck by the poverty, animal exploitation, and lack of sustainable ways to offer support. From this experience sprung Kind Traveler, the world’s first socially conscious give-and-get hotel booking and media platform. When travelers book a hotel using Kind Traveler, they donate $10 to a local non-profit and in return, they receive exclusive rates and perks from the hotel; it’s a win all-around. On this episode, Jessica and Esme discuss the moment some stray dogs gave Jessica the idea for Kind Traveler, how the heart-opening effects of travel encourage a more giving mindset, and why leading with a curious spirit is the best way to find your purpose.

You can learn more about Kind Traveler by following them on Instagram @kindtraveler and visiting their website kindtraveler.com.

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Cambodia with Scott Neeson: making it in Hollywood, following your instincts, and the secret to a life well lived Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Scott Neeson has lived many lives. He was born in Scotland and raised in Australia in a small industrial town with a high unemployment rate. As a young man, he managed to get an entry-level job as a movie theater projectionist, and from there had one of those legendary ascents to the role of President of 20th Century Fox International. It was as glamorous as you’d imagine - think private jets with Hollywood’s biggest actors - but suddenly seemed insignificant after a trip to Cambodia in 2004. Shaken by a visit to a landfill where he saw hundreds of children scavenging to survive, Scott left his Hollywood career, moved to Phnom Penh, and founded the Cambodian Children’s Fund, an organization that now educates almost 2000 children and supports families with community-based projects. Scott and Esme discuss the celebrity tantrum that gave him the nudge needed to quit and pursue his calling in Cambodia, the meaningful milestones that make the anxious, sleepless nights worthwhile, and the real secret to a happy life well lived.

You can find Scott’s non-profit organization, Cambodian Children’s Fund, on Instagram @cambochildrensfund and visit their website Cambianchildrendsfund.org.

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