132: How to Travel Deeper and Transform from a Tourist to a Townie with Gareth Leonard

Gareth Leonard shares his experience growing up outside Rochester, NY, studying abroad in college, working in a start-up that he wasn’t passionate about, and then deciding to change course completely and buy a one-way ticket to Argentina.

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He takes us on his journey of slow-traveling the world for 12 years, making local friends, and understanding foreign places by the people and cultures that define them. Gareth shares stories from his first 5 years in South America—Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires, learning to cook Peruvian food in Lima, volunteering to build libraries in Bolivia, helping small businesses get micro-loans in Guatemala, and working at the World Cup in Brazil. He also tells the story of how he got to perform in the Level 1 Samba School Parade Competition at Carnival in Rio. Gareth then talks about the techniques he has developed for traveling deeper and transforming from a tourist to a townie. He shares specific tactics on how to make local friends, develop a local social network, and immerse into the local culture. Gareth talks about how he currently determines his travel destinations and gives tips on how to travel deeper on shorter trips or vacations. He also breaks down the sustainability pillars for maintaining a healthy, fulfilling, substantive life of full-time world travel for 12 years. And, finally, he talks about his “why” for continuing to travel and, at this point in his life, what travel means to him. FULL SHOW NOTES AND DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IS AVAILABLE HERE.

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