Zero To Travel Podcast

What if the part of Brazil most worth exploring is the one almost nobody talks about?  Eddie Lott is a Dallas-born expedition leader who has spent nearly two decades studying Brazilian history, geography, and culture. He rediscovered the Serra do Espinhaco in 2018 and has been documenting its trails and communities ever since. Elisa Oliveira is a Brazilian architect turned expedition coordinator who left behind her career and her previous life after a single weekend in the Espinhaco in 2019.   Together, they co-founded Gift of Go, a company that builds and leads founder-guided expeditions through one of Brazil's most layered and least-visited mountain ranges, and they are also husband and wife.  In this episode, co-host Paige McClanahan talks with Eddie and Elisa about how Gift of Go came to be, what their expeditions actually look like, and what travelers need to know before heading to this part of Brazil.  This is a rewarding listen for anyone drawn to real adventure travel in Brazil off the beaten path. Eddie and Elisa spent three-plus years walking the terrain, building relationships with local communities, and living in the region before guiding their first traveler. You'll hear why going deep into one place beats skimming across a whole country, how arriving somewhere by foot after 17 days on the trail completely changes how you experience it, and what it means to share a destination that still has almost zero international tourism presence.  Have you ever experienced a place that felt completely untouched by tourism? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Co-host Paige McClanahan is a writer, editor, and former journalist based in Paris, France. As the author of The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel, Paige is passionate about making sure our travels have a positive impact on the world. Learn more about her work here.  Tune In To Learn:  What makes the Espinhaco a microcosm of Brazil's most important ecological, cultural, and historical themes  How Elisa left an engagement and a five-year architecture career after one weekend in a remote mountain village  Why Gift of Go spent three years in the field before guiding their first traveler  What the Veranico is, and why January might be the most spectacular and unpredictable time to visit  How the expedition formats work, from 12-day group treks to fully bespoke solo journeys  Why Brazil receives fewer international visitors per year than the city of Miami, and what that means for the right kind of traveler  Practical tips for Minas Gerais: think in regions, know your biomes, expect limited English, and prepare for the warmth of the people  What to eat and drink, from cachaça and UNESCO-recognized cheese to fig compotes with dulce de leche  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Gift of Go Website  Instagram  Want More?  7 Chile Hidden Gems: Off-the-Beaten Path in Patagonia, Mapuche Culture, and More with Steph Dyson  How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel With Paige McClanahan  How To Get Off The Beaten Track with Gunnar Garfors  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel  Get 20% of at Cozy Earth with code ‘TRAVEL’  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if one small act of kindness could completely change someone’s life trajectory?  Bryan Driscoll is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and the author of The Goodness Game. He built a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio while running a marketing company, and he’s now focused on helping people create positive ripple effects through simple acts of kindness.  In this episode, Bryan shares the story that inspired his kindness philosophy and breaks down his five-rule framework for making the world better in a practical, sustainable way.  This episode offers a simple, practical way to approach kindness without overthinking it, something you can use at home or take with you on the road. Bryan breaks down how small, intentional actions can create meaningful impact, and why connection is often more valuable than money. It’s a grounded guide to taking action in a way that feels honest, natural, and aligned with your strengths, while also having a little fun.  What’s one small act of kindness you could commit to this week, even if it feels slightly uncomfortable? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why a random act of kindness at age 18 changed Bryan’s life forever  How the “Goodness Game” turns kindness into a simple daily practice  Why giving without recognition creates a deeper impact  How to identify your personal helping style and use your strengths  Why not everyone is your “assignment” and how to stay in your lane  How to avoid burnout when helping others by creating boundaries  How Bryan used Craigslist to test the ripple effect of kindness  Practical random acts of kindness ideas you can try this week  Why overthinking stops people from helping and how to just start  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Goodness Game website  Want More?  Walking the World with Alexander Campbell and Tom Turcich  Bicycling Across the USA Without Money in Search of Human Connection With Daniel Troia  Connecting with Strangers in 21 Countries as an Introvert, Battling the Loneliness Epidemic, Building Community at Home with Adam Schluter  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/zerototravel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it actually take to travel well with a partner, and what are the hidden layers of that experience when you're also navigating the world as a queer couple?  Gabi and Shanna Meit-Sciara are a Brooklyn-based couple and the creators of 27 Travels, a platform launched in 2016 to document their adventures while building more visibility and resources for LGBTQIA+ travelers. Gabi is a photographer and graphic designer; Shanna is a videographer and video editor. Together, they've visited 40+ countries and built a full-time creative business rooted in their relationship and their shared love of the world.  In this episode, co-host Dianni Hall sits down with Gabi and Shanna to talk about what it really looks like to build a relationship through travel, how their partnership has been tested and strengthened on the road over ten years, and what the experience of traveling as a queer couple actually involves beyond what most people see.  This conversation is for anyone who's ever taken a trip with someone they care about and had to figure each other out in real time. Gabi and Shanna get specific about the roles they've each naturally fallen into, how they handle conflict during work trips without letting it ruin the experience, and the invisible, exhausting decisions queer couples make constantly on the road that most people never think about. If you've been wondering what traveling as a couple actually looks like when applied to a real, long-term relationship, this one goes deep.  What's a trip that revealed something unexpected about someone you were traveling with? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.  Co-host Dianni Hall is a queer, second-generation Latina, solo budget backpacker, freelancer, and host of the While She’s Away podcast, where she interviews women on their travel experience and expertise to help women live their best lives exploring the world. Learn more about her work here.  Tune In To Learn:  Why matching travel styles is one of the most meaningful early tests of a relationship, and how Gabi and Shanna discovered theirs on their first big trip to Arizona  How the roles partners naturally fall into on the road tend to emerge without anyone actually choosing them  Why adding content creation to a relationship and a trip is its own challenge, and what Gabi and Shanna have learned about navigating creative disagreements   What to actually pay attention to on a first trip with a partner, including the green flags most people overlook  How queer couples are constantly making decisions that straight couples rarely have to think about, from safety research to coming out to a stranger in a taxi  What the invisible labor of queer travel looks like in everyday moments: hotel check-ins, ride-shares, tour sign-ups  Why a loose itinerary almost always beats a rigid one, and why missing something can actually be the best thing that happens  New York City hidden gems from two lifelong locals: the case for Brooklyn, vegan food in Chinatown, and more  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  27 Travels  Instagram  YouTube  TikTok  Want More?  LGBTQ+ Travel and Making A Difference with Ravi Roth  Top 7 Cities for LGBTQ+ Travelers and Finding Your People Around the World with LGBTQ+ Travel Expert Alicia Valenski  Choose Travel NOW! Lessons from the World’s Longest Honeymoon with National Geographic Authors Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the key to planning your dream trip isn't choosing the right destination, but first figuring out what you actually need right now in your life?  Kelly Tolliday is the founder of Transform With Travel, a professional travel advisor and wellness travel expert with over a decade of industry experience, a retreat facilitator and 500-hour registered yoga teacher, and a podcast host. She has traveled to more than 45 countries and lived across four continents, including extended time in Australia, Thailand, and Costa Rica.  In this episode, Kelly walks through the step-by-step system she uses to plan bucket list trips and how anyone can apply the same framework to start planning their own dream trip today.  Kelly reframes the entire planning process in a way that most of us haven't considered, and it changes not just where you end up going, but how you show up when you get there. She also makes a strong case for why the best travel experiences often come from letting go, even when every instinct is telling you to hold on tighter. You'll not only get Kelly's framework, but destination recommendations and a call to action at the end that I hope you follow through on.  What's one destination that's been sitting on your bucket list for way too long, and what's actually been stopping you from booking it? I'd love to hear what they are, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message.  Tune In To Learn:  Why asking "what do I need right now?" is the most important first question in trip planning  How to use urgency as a real planning tool, and why some destinations carry a genuine now-or-never factor  Why mapping out your full route, including transfer time and cost, is often the step that saves the most money  How slow travel creates more space for the unscripted moments that people end up talking about for decades  Why booking independent, locally-owned tour operators almost always leads to more memorable experiences than going with the bigger names  How to approach accommodations with a "sense of place" mindset  Advice on when hiring a professional travel advisor makes sense versus planning a bucket list trip on your own  Why we both agree that physically demanding adventures should move to the top of your list sooner rather than later  Hidden gem destinations worth visiting now, including a little-known Thai island that has somehow stayed off the radar  How to reset your mindset when things go sideways on a trip  And so much more  Resources:  Sign up for our FREE newsletter  Transform with Travel  Instagram  Want More?  Live Your Bucket List w/ Ryan Jacobson  Curiosity As Your Travel Guide + Exploring Overlooked Destinations with John McKenzie  7 Must-Visit Destinations for 2026 (Get There Before the Crowds Arrive!) with Lyn Hughes  Thanks To Our Sponsors  Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacqui Kunz, a full-time traveler of 100+ countries, and Gunnar Garfors, a journalist who has visited every country twice, recount overland travel across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. They share wild border mishaps, shared-taxi chaos, sleeping between countries, navigating visas and consulates, and the moment they chose to fly after brutal roads. Short, practical, and unvarnished travel stories.

Dr. Kristina Wachter, award-winning professor and CEO who created the Culture SPIN Method, helps travelers turn cultural differences into real connection. She explains why looking inward first matters. Short, practical strategies include pre-trip research, building a cultural Venn diagram, recovering gracefully from mistakes, and knowing how to plan for immersion and cultural shocks.

Sarika Bansal, travel writer and former editorial director of Afar now based in Nairobi, brings ethical storytelling and global perspective. She discusses moving to Kenya and raising a family outdoors. She recounts trekking in the Everest region, climate risks and slower routes. They debate country counting, the value of returns, DIY safaris, and quieter Kenyan coasts and islands.

Sofia Antigue, a former personal trainer who quit to travel the world for a year with her partner, shares their transition from burnout to long-term travel. They talk downsizing, saving $25K, budgeting $1,000/mo each, work-exchange experiences, relationship shifts, traveling apart for growth, and the surprises of returning home.

Lauren Roerick, long-distance hiker and adventure filmmaker who has walked over 12,000 km, shares stories about resilience and self-trust. She explains how to start thru-hiking by breaking big goals into small steps. Listen about her ‘how hard can it be’ mindset, life on long trails, coping with fear and discomfort, training priorities, essential gear, and how trail community forms fast friendships.

Becca Hall, a long-term traveler who left a high-paying nonprofit tech job to roam indefinitely. She explains how she saved $30,000, adopted a no-frills travel mindset, and used bartending and festival work to earn on the road. Conversations touch on solo travel safety, van-building after backpacking burnout, and the emotional decompression that followed quitting.