Today we are speaking with Bruce Wallin, an award winning editor, writer and producer and the host of the podcast, Travel That Matters, which was named one of the 10 Best Podcasts for 2022 by Men's Journal. Bruce has made a name for himself as

Argentina with Kristin Newman: travel romances, the wanderlust gene, and taking a vacation from ourselves

Oct 19th, 2023 49m 51s

This week’s guest is TV writer Kristin Newman, who has spent the last 25 years working on shows like, How I Met Your Mother, That 70's Show and Only Murders in the Building. As a lifelong traveler, Kristin used the breaks between seasons to exp

A United States Road Trip with Blythe Roberson: seeking awe, reimagining the female travel memoir, and the American obsession with freedom

Oct 5th, 2023 52m 18s

Today's guest is the writer, Blythe Roberson, author of How to Date Men When You Hate Men. As you can tell from that title, Blythe is best known for her witty comedic voice and has contributed to publications like The New Yorker, New York Magaz

The Himalayas with Meg Stafford: the meaning of happiness, mother-daughter trips, and trekking in the Himalayas

Sep 21st, 2023 49m 32s

Today we are speaking with Meg Stafford, a clinical social worker, award-winning writer, and mother to two adventurous daughters. As a lifelong traveler, Meg has been on many expeditions with her kids over the years. One particularly meaningful

Thailand with Christine Winebrenner Irick: looking for magic abroad, responsible tourism, and building community through travel

Sep 7th, 2023 54m 7s

Today's guest is Christine Winebrenner Irick, the entrepreneur behind the group travel company, Lotus Sojourns and the host of The Soul of Travel podcast, which features guests making a positive impact on the tourism industry. In this episode,

Morocco with Yulia Denisyuk: the power of signs, misconceptions about Morocco, and a career-changing moment in the Merzouga desert

Aug 24th, 2023 51m 59s

Today we are speaking with Yulia Denisyuk, who was overworked and unfulfilled at her well-paid job as a brand manager when she took a trip to Morocco – a place she had always fantasized about visiting. It was an eye-opening experience from star

Rowing the Atlantic with Jimmy Carroll: surviving 36 days at sea, the growth opportunity of challenges, and the importance of therapy

Aug 10th, 2023 1h 14m

Today we are talking with Jimmy Carroll, a former British Army officer who now puts his precision planning expertise to good use as the co-founder of Pelorus, a travel company that creates bespoke trips for travelers seeking unique experiences.

China with Samantha Brown: travel show hosting, building confidence through rituals, and breaking bread with PB&J on it

Jul 27th, 2023 49m 4s

Today, Esme speaks with Samantha Brown, who is the host of some of TV's most popular travel shows. Samantha has been traveling the world professionally ever since landing her first job on the Travel Channel's show, Great Vacation Homes. She has

Prince Edward Island with Lane Moore: from loneliness to belonging through solo travel

Jul 13th, 2023 46m 8s

In this episode, Esme speaks with writer and performer Lane Moore. Lane juggles multiple creative projects at the same time and earns rave reviews for all of them. She is the award winning former sex and relationships editor of Cosmopolitan mag

Charleston with Lisette Austin: DNA travel, family reunions, and the challenges of tracing Black genealogy in America

Jun 29th, 2023 51m 45s

This week Esme is speaking with Lisette Austin, host of the award-winning podcast, The Globetrotter Lounge, which features diverse women sharing their most creative ways to travel. Lisette is best known for her travel hacking expertise – skills

Iran with Travel Writer Pico Iyer: the search for paradise, traveling with the Dalai Lama, and the appeal of complex places

Jun 15th, 2023 55m 3s

This week Esme speaks to Pico Iyer, the prolific travel writer and brilliant mind behind 16 books, hundreds of essays, and several TED Talks. Pico's work touches on globalism, Islamic mysticism, the Cuban Revolution, and the Dalai Lama - a pers

Cycling Around the World with Juliana Bühring: escaping a cult, learning to trust strangers, and cycling 18,000 miles across 19 countries

Jun 1st, 2023 53m 40s

This week Esme speaks to Juliana Bühring, an ultra-endurance cyclist, best-selling author, and children's rights activist. Juliana's life story is one of triumphing over adversity. Raised in a cult known as the Children of God, Juliana develope

Sri Lanka with Laurie Woolever: writing with Anthony Bourdain, traveling sober, and working with food

May 18th, 2023 53m 37s

Welcome to Season 4 of The Trip That Changed Me! Our first guest of the new season is Laurie Woolever, writer, editor, public speaker, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center) in New York, and former a

Bonus

India with Elizabeth Becker: discovering a new world, addressing overtourism, and life as a war correspondent

Dec 15th, 2022 55m 5s

Elizabeth Becker is an award-winning journalist and author who started out as a war correspondent at The Washington Post before going on to work for public radio and The New York Times. She is also the author of three books including Overbooked

Bonus

Around the World with Colin O’Brady: rejecting comfortable complacency, goal setting, and having a possible mindset

Dec 1st, 2022 1h 1m

Colin O’Brady is probably best known for being one of the world’s most recognized endurance athletes and explorers. He’s a 10-time world record holder and two-time Everest summiteer, and the first person in history to cross the continent of Ant

Iceland with Gabby Beckford: finding paid/free travel opportunities, female solo travel, and cultivating a ‘Why not me?’ mindset

Jun 16th, 2022 53m 6s

Gabby Beckford is the Gen Z travel opportunity expert behind Packs Light, a content brand designed to empower others to seek risks, seize opportunity, skip debt, and see the world ASAP. Although Gabby was raised in a family of travelers, it was

Burgundy and Paris with Rachel Signer: discovering natural wine, creating relationships with cities, and following inconvenient love

Jun 2nd, 2022 54m 56s

Rachel Signer was an aspiring author living in Brooklyn and cobbling together a living by freelance writing and working various jobs in hospitality when she was invited on a food and wine themed press trip to Burgundy and Paris. It was a trip t

The US by Train with Cheryl B. Engelhardt: creating music on a train, becoming a master passenger, and getting emotionally unstuck

May 19th, 2022 46m 11s

Cheryl B. Engelhardt is a composer and songwriter whose new age, ambient music has been featured in films, ads, tv shows, and on meditation apps like Insight Timer. Cheryl began music lessons as a toddler; since then, her career has taken her a

Los Cabos with Michael Baldwin: life after failure, speed-dating new places, and the best parts of Mexico

May 5th, 2022 1h 11m

Michael Baldwin is a luxury real estate agent who made a lucrative living in Texas until the financial crisis of 2008 temporarily derailed his career. Ever the optimist, Michael decided to use the opportunity to live abroad, and set about speed

New Orleans with Hilton Head Island's Ahmad Ward: the history of Historic Mitchelville Park, humanizing our stories, and creating "brave spaces"

Apr 21st, 2022 1h 16m

Ahmad Ward is the Executive Director for Hilton Head Island’s Historic Mitchelville Park. If you’ve never heard of Mitchelville, then prepare for an eye-opening history lesson. Established in 1862, a year before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emanc

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

Apr 7th, 2022 1h 10m

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 ha

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

Mar 24th, 2022 53m 19s

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, Sebas

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

Feb 24th, 2022 48m 59s

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

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

Feb 10th, 2022 1h

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 b

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

Jan 27th, 2022 1h

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 establis