The Travelers Blueprint: Episode 11-20

On today’s episode we sit down with Mike Fargnoli, who was awarded the Joseph J. Lalli Fellowship to study the public transit systems of Pacific Northwest cities like Seattle, WA and Portland, OR in hopes of applying his observations to improve the cities of South Florida. While on his solo trip, he spent two weeks exploring various urban environments via light rail, train, busses, bikes, and scooters. He is currently working on a book to present his research conclusions as well as a video that captures the entirety of the experience and is expecting it all to be presented early 2019.

Inside the Episode: 

• Mike’s travel history and how each location impacted his career and research projects
• The benefits of the light rail system in urban areas and the stigma of these systems in American cities
• Mike’s Public Transit Research with the Joseph J Lalli Fellowship
• Mike’s experience in the Pacific Northwest and how cities like Seattle and Portland are setting the bar for the light rail system
• Mike gives us some great stories from his trips around the country and leaves us with a very important travel tip. 

*EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW* with Santa!

Inside the Episode: 

• The logistics behind Santa's incredible travel statistics
• How does Kris Kringle do what he does?
• How does the famous Santa Clause prepare for the big night?
• Find out where he likes to vacation

In this episode we talk to Vitomir Maricic, a professional free diver from Croatia, an endurance athlete, freediving trainer, and active world traveler.  

Inside the Episode: 

• How Vitomir picked up his free diving hobby as a child and how it evolved into a full time job
• Vitomir’s free diving experiences and techniques
• Implications with holding your breath for a long time
• The worst case scenarios a free diver experiences as he rises to the surface
• The importance of training, the buddy system, and mental toughness as it relates to free diving

On this podcast, two best friends sit down and swap some of our favorite travel stories in the format of “The Most Memorable Place You…” Reminisce with The Traveler's Blueprint duo and discover some of our own travel stories, including the time Bob encountered an aggressively rude monkey in Thailand, the night Elliot was scared of getting eaten alive while going to the bathroom in Tanzania, Bob’s unfortunate fall into a very sharp bush in Croatia, and Elliot’s most memorable swim in the heart of the Costa Rican rainforest.  We had a blast exchanging some of our favorite times abroad and hope you enjoy it as much as we did!! 

On this podcast we talk to Marianna Le Donne whose love of travel likely began when she was two years old, having her first gelato in Italy. Since then, she’s been to Italy many times, has traveled throughout Europe while studying abroad and recently just came back from her first trip to the Middle East and Asia. 

Inside the Episode: 

• How Marianna started traveling at a very young age and how those experiences helped shape her time traveling as an adult
• Some of the online platforms used for planning her trips including SkyScanner and TripAdvisor
• Marianna’s preferred planning techniques
• Marianna’s steps to achieve location independence

On this podcast we talk to Lizi Stephens where we discuss her unique experience growing up in Turkey and returning to the US as a young adult.  

Inside the Episode: 

• Lizi’s childhood in Turkey, learning the language and growing up with Ex-Pat parents; 
• We dive into the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Izmir and the progress that has been made on such a fragile ecosystem; 
• Lizi discussing her time adjusting to the societal differences between living in Turkey and the United States

On this episode we talk to Paulina Dao and her experiences hiking and rock climbing in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. She is the founder of the Bay Area Outdoor Women club and a member of the Bay Area Climbers Coalition. Paulina has a wealth of knowledge on rock climbing and public lands which translated into a great conversation on the outdoors, hiking, and National Parks. 

Inside the Episode: 

• How to get into rock climbing and some of the equipment required;
• Issues facing access to public land and Land Managers; 
• Challenges facing the raise in prices for some National Parks around the country.

On this podcast we talk to Mike and Anne Howard who left for their honeymoon in 2012 and ended up turning their travels into a full-time business. Mike and Anne are now on the World’s Longest Honeymoon and together they have explored 620 regions of the world in 54 countries across all 7 continents. Check out their National Geographic book “Ultimate Journeys for Two, Extraordinary Destinations on Every Continent”! 

Inside the Episode

• How the idea to go on a permanent honeymoon came about 
• Planning financially
• What it was like leaving their “normal” lives behind 
• We discuss their new book, being released next year 

Anthony Shibley (Elliot’s Uncle) gives us insight on some of his incredible life experiences. Our conversation beings with Anthony telling us how his time as a member of the US Merchant Marines led to his eventual residency in Metropolitan Maynila. Anthony has now lived in the Philippines for the past 25 years of his life and was an integral part in forming the company Gigawatt Power Inc. which helps bring electricity to homes and businesses throughout the Philippine islands. One of our biggest takeaways from this conversation was the unique perspective Anthony has on the United States as an Ex-Pat.  

Inside the Episode:

Living in Metropolitan Manila and the life experiences that led Anthony to be living in the Philippines;

• His time touring the world on a US Merchant Marine vessel;
• How Anthony had spent 8 years with Enron in the Philippines setting up power plants;
• How this led to his integral part in the company Gigawatt Power Inc. which focuses on getting power to the off grid areas in the Philippines;
• Some of the details surrounding Anthony’s 25 year experience in the beautiful tropical country and;
• Some of Anthony's favorite spots in the Philippines, in addition to some of the areas to avoid;
• Finally we talk about Anthony’s overall experiences as life as an Ex-Pat and gain some valuable insight from a now outsider looking at the places he grew up;

On this podcast we talk to Wade Moore, who has taken up residence in Costa Rica as a sustainable farmer. Wade has dedicated his life to developing a eco-friendly farm deep in the Costa Rican rainforest. Wade has a driven ambition for spreading the word of sustainable farming and the benefits of being in touch with the natural environment. We hear about some of the challenges Wade has faced, not only on the farm, but also in his attempt to promote a sustainable way of life.  

Inside the Episode:

• How Wade came to be living in Costa Rica and how the farm came into fruition;
• Sustainable development and environmentally conscious lifestyle habits; 
• Bad habits we’ve developed as westerners and we contemplate the how to break free from those habits; 
• “Eco-tourism” and the educational experiences Wade provides for those that volunteer (aka farm trainees) on his farm; 
• The future of sustainability in the world; 
• Other countries who are in the process of industrializing and the impacts this will have on the environment.