Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers

There’s a reason Colombia is at the top of so many ‘must-see’ travel lists this year. Forget about Pablo Escobar. This beautiful — and affordable — Latin American country has moved on. Get ready for some beautiful colonial villages, Caribbean coast, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.    In this episode, American expat Andrew Dier, who’s also author of some of the most popular books on visiting Colombia, chats to us about the villages we should see, the empanadas we should eat…everything we need to know to enjoy a vacation in Colombia, from Bogota to Cartagena and beyond. (for photos and links, visit postcardacademy.co)     I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.   This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via audibletrial.com/postcardDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

There’s one question that American listeners of this show keep asking: How can I live abroad?    It often feels like you’re stuck at home if you’re not from the EU or a Commonwealth country. But there’s hope! You have options to live abroad that don’t involve marrying some random.     In this episode, I talk to Tim Leffel, a travel writer and author of A Better Life for Half the Price. We get into specific options that are open to you, how to test out a country before committing, the questions you need to ask yourself before becoming an expat, and more.    Thanks to this conversation, I’ve added a few more countries to my ‘must visit’ list for this year. I hope find some inspiration, too.   I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.   This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via audibletrial.com/postcardDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

How much do you know about Romania? If you’re like most people, the answer is almost nothing. On this episode, Debbie Stowe enlightens us about this former Communist country filled with castles, cobblestones, and Dracula impersonators. Debbie is a native Londoner who’s been living in Romania since 2002. She wrote the Culture Smart Essential Guide to Romania and several other books, and pens expat articles and reviews for Bucharest’s Business Review.    We talk about where to find the best food, music, and museums when traveling in Bucharest and beyond. And Debbie shares some hilarious cultural shock stories that are truly cringe-worthy — especially if you’re a Brit.    If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Author Jen Glantz — you may know her as the world’s first Bridesmaid for Hire — and her boyfriend Adam Kossoff don’t always know where they’re headed, but they know it will be a different city every 30 days.    A few months ago, they gave up their New York City apartments to become digital nomads who would spend every month experiencing life in a different American city.   We pack a lot into this episode, including dealing with getting laid off, starting over, building a location independent lifestyle, making friends in a new city, fun things to do in Portland, and more.    Of course, we talk about what a Bridesmaid for Hire is!! Visit postcardacademy.co to see a video of Jen at SXSW, where she talks about how she built her brand and offers lots of actionable tips to do this yourself.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   Have a beautiful week, wherever you are ❤️ Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

In the last episode, we talked about how the Great Depression had positives for many women.     Because of the financial crisis, people were putting off marriage and single women were going to work, and living and traveling independently for the first time. They needed advice, and 1930s author Marjorie Hillis became their celebrated guru to the single girl.    In this episode, I continue my conversation with Joanna Scutts, who just published a book on Marjorie’s life titled: “The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It.” Today, we’re sharing some New York travel advice — what women would have heard in the 1930s, and then some updates based on Joanna’s recommendations.   Enter to win a copy of Joanna’s book before January 10, 2018, by going to postcardacademy.co/extra-woman   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Before the TV series Girls or Sex and the City, Marjorie Hillis was America’s favorite bachelorette. But she wasn’t fretting about finding ‘the one.’ She was teaching women how to stand on their own two feet and enjoy their independence — and this was in the 1930s.    An editor at Vogue, Marjorie enjoyed living by herself, living by her own rules, and she wrote several guidebooks, including How to Live Alone and Like It, for women joining the workforce during the Depression.    Present-day author Joanna Scutts joins me on the Postcard Academy podcast to discuss her new book on Marjorie titled The Extra Woman: How Marjorie Hillis Led a Generation of Women to Live Alone and Like It. We explore Marjorie’s unlikely rise to celebrated guru to the single girl; New York life in the 1930s and 40s; why Marjorie’s advice is more relevant than ever; and why even President Roosevelt was photographed reading her book.   Enter to win a copy of Joanna’s book on Marjorie before January 10, 2018, by going to postcardacademy.co/extra-woman   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

When flames were scorching the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions in October, vineyard owner Amelia Ceja was speaking up for the California farm workers she saw picking grapes in the smoke. Amelia is the first Mexican-American woman ever elected president of a winery, and she was once a farm worker herself.   Amelia immigrated to America in 1967. Her father had come a few years earlier as part of an agreement between the United States and Mexico, which sent millions of laborers north of the border. With the Vietnam War going on, the U.S. had a labor shortage and needed people to work the fields.    I had to learn more about this woman who came to America without knowing English, and who went on to become the owner of a multi-million dollar winery. In this episode, we talk about pairing wine and Mexican cuisine; Amelia meeting Cesar Chavez; her involvement in helping the Smithsonian National Museum of American History tell a more diverse American story, and more.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co   Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Have you ever seen a photo so beautiful, you thought, “I’m going here.” I feel that way about Lake Bled in Slovenia, which is one of the six former socialist republics of Yugoslavia.   This summer I traveled through a few of those other countries: Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Montegro, but I ran out of time to see Slovenia. Now I’m kicking myself because, increasingly, stunning photos of this hidden gem are cropping up everywhere. That’s it. In 2018, I’m making a trip happen! So I called up Slovenian expert Noah Charney for a little background research.    Noah is an American writer and art history professor who has lived in Slovenia since 2006. He’s written several books, including The Art Thief, which was an international success. Most recently, he wrote Slovenology: Living and Traveling in the World’s Best Country.    In this episode, we chat about Noah’s life in Slovenia, and come up with some great ideas on what to eat, drink, and do when traveling through its capital, Ljubljana, and Beyond.    If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover us. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co     Instagram, Twitter, FacebookDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

After last week’s conversation with Artful Baker author Cenk Sönmezsoy, I wanted to dive a little deeper into Turkish food, so I contacted Robyn Eckhart, author of the new book: Istanbul and Beyond, named one of this fall’s top 10 cookbooks by Publisher’s Weekly.    Robyn writes about food and travel in Asia and Europe for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet, and other publications. She also publishes the award-winning food blog EatingAsia with her husband, photographer David Hagerman.    In this episode, we discuss how Turkey’s diverse geography influences the diet of the different regions, from the leafy greens of the Black Sea coast to the chili peppers of Hatay province. We also talk about what you should eat in Istanbul and Beyond and where to go to find the best food in Turkey.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this episode to a friend.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover us. 🤗Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the American listeners! If you haven’t made dessert yet, check out The Artful Baker, the most luscious baking book you’ll ever feast your eyes on. In today’s episode, I talk to its author, Cenk Sönmezsoy, an award-winning blogger, photographer, and food stylist based in İstanbul.    We chat about the success of his 11-year-old food blog, Cafe Fernando; why he’s obsessed with the Golden Girls; Dolce & Gabbana requesting a brownie recipe; travel inspirations; foods you must try when you travel to Istanbul; and more.   You’ll find interview highlights, and a mouthwatering recipe on postcardacademy.co   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this episode to a friend.     You can follow Postcard Academy on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.     If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on iTunes. This helps people discover us. 🤗Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.