TTB 100: The Roman Guy

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Brandon Shaw is the Co-Founder of one of Italy’s most popular tour companies, The Tour Guy/The Roman Guy. From how to navigate the city, where to grab a slice of pizza, to where to stock up on the best wine, Brandon was able to provide us with detailed information on the how, when, and where for all things Rome.  

Inside the Episode:   

• Rome Tip of the Day: Once you arrive in Roma Termini, take the subway straight to the Colosseum. The view of the Colosseum as you come out from the subway will be a jaw dropping introduction to the ancient city. 
• Did you know the Colosseum was equipped with elevators? They’d carry up exotic animals and gladiators up to fight for the entertainment of the city….Are you not ENTERTAINED!! 
• Our idea going into this conversation with Brandon was to create a “one stop shop” conversation on everything and anything you can do in Rome. From the Colosseum, to his favorite slice of pizza, to the wine. 
• As a longtime resident of Rome, Brandon recommended the neighbor of Monteverde to get off the beaten path. A 15-minute train ride outside you can grab a bite to eat, “as the Romans do”. 
• The very informative Brandon Shaw, Co-Founder of The Tour Guy was able to provide us with an overwhelming amount of logistical information for those visiting Rome. Whether it’s your first time ever visiting Italy, or the 10th, check out our conversation with him and let us know what you learned! Grazie 
• The Tour Guy has thoughtful interactive tours for young children, so you, the super cultured parent can enjoy the architecture, statues, and museums. Incorporating scavenger 

While living in Spain for four years, Andrew developed fluency for the language and fell in love with the culture. His time there has given him the ability to create a local’s experience, highlighting some of the best- kept secrets that cannot be found in a guidebook. After moving back to San Francisco, he worked in the Spanish food and wine industry. In this role he was able to build relationships with the best restaurants, wineries, and Mezcal producers in Northern Spain and Mexico. It was shortly after this, in 2012, when he launched Coast to Costa to share his love and insider knowledge of all things Spanish. Since then his passion for travel has expanded Coast to Costa’s roster to include several destinations in Mexico and Cuba. With years of travel under his wing, he’s sure to make you feel like you’re traveling like a local, not a tourist! 

Inside the Episode:   

• Have you heard of Oaxaca, Mexico? As Andrew explains, this often overlooked town is a cultural centerpiece to Mexico with great authentic food, beautifully colored architecture, and an experience that brings you away from the coast and deep into the center of the country for a unique experience. 
• You have a week in Oaxaca. What do you do? We’ll let Andrew tell you directly in this short clip of what ended up being a very detailed explanation on what you can see and do in this beautiful Mexican city .
• Who doesn’t want an authentic travel experience? We want to see, eat, do, and experience just as the locals do. Now, not to knock Cancun, but if you go to Mexico and only visit a resort destination, did you even go to the real Mexico? Let’s put it this way, if you visit the US and only go to Disney World, did you really experience the USA?
• Ok people, we’re going to be loud and clear on this one: Just because dangerous things happen in Mexico it does not mean the entire country of Mexico is unsafe. Actually, use this logic for almost any country around the world. Think about it - if you were an outsider looking to the US for your next vacation, what would you think? We’ll leave it at that. 
• Oaxaca is a small city with art, music, photography options, and tons of cafes and restaurants. It’s big enough to deserve its own trip but not overwhelming like a larger city may be. It’s sort of this perfect little destination to just explore and learn from locals who don't see tourists too often. 
• Andrew, owner of Coast to Costa dedicates ALL of his time to creating incredible itineraries through Mexico, South America, and Spain. His tours have a strong emphasis on culture, including coffee, food, art, and music.

Scott Lite is an ethnobotanist, herbalist, adventurer, seed-saver, plant hunter, explorer and apprentice to the shaman of the world. He was trained as an herbalist at the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism in September 2011. Scott is an associate of the Botanical Preservation Corps and was on the 2010 expedition to Peru collecting seeds and information on medicinal, edible, and sacred plants throughout the Andes. In 2010 Scott opened the Ethnobotanical Conservation Organization or EthnoCO which is a company based in Peru that leads expeditions and sells cultural wares. 

Inside the Episode:   

• Once again Scott brings us detailed information on psychedelic South American flora and how those plants were used by the continents most iconic ancient civilizations. 
• As Scott explains, disease played a major role in the Spanish’s conquest of the South American continent. It’s interesting to contemplate what the Americas would be like if disease didn’t have such a significant effect in wiping out the native populations.
• Peyote is a small round low growing cactus which grows under rocks in the southern US and northern Mexico. It’s also an incredibly powerful psychedelic drug, utilized by Native American tribes for centuries. This drug is no joke. In a 5,000 year old cave in Mexico they found the plant still contained the psychedelic compound. 
• Scott provided us with incredibly interesting and detailed information on psychoactive drugs used historically in South America, breaking down chemical properties and how these compounds alter the functionality of our brains. 

Joshua Biggers is a travel blogger, travel author, and digital creator living the Digital Nomad Life. Joshua creates informative travel content that helps people around the world see the world as affordably and as efficiently as possible.  

Inside the Episode:   

• Joshua figured out early on that you can get your accommodations paid for by restaurants and hostels by using your social media following as leverage. Now, as his following has grown so has his ability to negotiate accommodations and ultimately travel for super cheap and sometimes completely free. 
• Joshua is a hustler. Ambitiously sending emails to hostels, hotels, and restaurants in order to exchange free accommodations for social media promotion. It works, and as a result Joshua has turned to helping others follow in his footsteps with several travel books and blogs. 
• Let’s face it Americans - we got the short stick when it comes to time off. Our 2-3 weeks isn't cutting it. Don’t believe us? Talk to an Australian about their vacation time. Or someone from France or Denmark. They put us to shame, and as a result travel more and for longer periods of time. We’re jealous. 
• This hedgehog saw a beautiful 41 states on the road with Joshua as they influenced the online travel community with their postcard-esque photographs and travel stories. No travel partner? Fear not. Your travel companion can be a furry (or spiny) pet. Your travel pictures will be way cooler that way. 
• Joshua shared several horror stories when things went wrong while he was on the road. From broken bones to cancelled flights, he explains that travel insurance is a great way to protect yourself. As you’ll hear on the podcast - not having travel insurance set back one of Joshua’s friends $10,000. Yea, book the travel insurance. Thank us later. 
• Have you put your travel plans on hold because you didn't want to travel alone? Well, you wouldn't be...alone...in that thought process. We were glad that Joshua cleared the air on this and made it clear that people (and women) from countries outside of the US travel alone on a very regular basis. So, when COVID clears up, GO. Just GO
• Joshua is a hostel guru. He’s experienced hostels around the world and has written several articles and blogs that allow you to understand and navigate websites like hostelworld.com. If you’re curious to learn more, reach out. Josuha would be happy to help. 
• Josh literally wrote the book on travel tips and tricks! “How to Travel Cheap on a Budget: 101 Travel Tips to Travel the World”. Even experienced travelers who think they know it all will learn something new. It's pretty affordable on Amazon too. 

Continued from our conversation in TTB 092: Ash Dykes is an explorer, extreme athlete, motivational speaker and 3x World First Record Holder. 

Ash recently head-lined global news by becoming the first person to hike the entire length of the Yangtze River in China. A 4,000-mile journey that took him 352 days to complete, he faced bears, altitude, wolves, landslides, blizzards and had to send 10 of the 16 team members (that joined him for short stints at different locations) home, due to altitude sickness, fear of wildlife and/or injury. 

Inside the Episode:   

• Bandits, corrupt militia, and malaria. Ash describes his time avoiding the bandits by heading deep into the jungle. Then, malaria hits. Ash tells us about his experience with malaria, and honestly, I think we’d prefer the bandits
• After completing his 155 day trip through Madagascar, Ash explains that the most challenging thing about this adventure was the terrain. Surprisingly, Madagascar was surprisingly mountainous. Add in the thick jungle and you'll find yourself in quite the challenging situation. 
• “We’re all hacking through our own kind of jungle”, Ash explains. Something we really took away from this conversation was an understanding of Ashs’ ability to fixate on the job immediately in front of his face, and push all of thoughts to the back of his mind. It's this skill that has allowed him to climb to rankings as one of the top adventures in modern history.  
• Who else is a visual learner?? Ash, utilizing photographs, videos, and by speaking on his first hand experience in countries directly impacted by climate change is bringing a new way to approach the ever warming planet. 
• Ash’s access was granted with the help of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), for whom he has been appointed Ambassador. Ash’s ultimate goal is to spread awareness of biodiversity and ultimately slow down and reverse various forms of pollution and ecological stresses.