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Momentary Encounters That Bring A Journey To Life With Nick Jubber

Hello travellers, I’m Jo Frances Penn, and in this episode, I’m talking to Nick Jubber about the momentary encounters that bring a journey to life.

We talk about how religion weaves its way into travel, especially in the middle east and north Africa, and how sometimes we can sense the intensity of faith, even when we are not religious ourselves. Nick talks about the nomadic life and the attraction of desert places, finding the roots of fairy tales across Europe, and how travel is changing, even while our desire to explore remains.

Nicholas Jubber is the award-winning author of five travel books, including Epic Continent and The Timbuktu School of Nomads. His latest book is The Fairy Tellers: A Journey Into the Secret History of Fairy Tales.

Show notes

How religion winds its way into Nick’s travel writing
Discovering spiritual moments and meaning even if not religious
The romance vs. the reality of the desert
Lessons learned from nomadic life in the desert
Assessing risk and safety while traveling
Finding the roots of fairy tale in Europe
How travel might change in the future
Recommended travel books

You can find Nick at NickJubber.com

Thoughts On Traveling To The USA Again Post Pandemic And Differences Between The US And UK Cultures

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I’ve been traveling to the USA regularly since the mid-90s, for family trips and then business conferences and book research. The pandemic years meant a long hiatus (for us all!) but recently I went back to the US for my first trip in a long time and it felt quite foreign in many ways. I’d forgotten so much about how our cultures differ, and I thought it might be interesting to record my thoughts before I get used to it all again.

Context and my history with the USA
Flying again post-pandemic
Arriving in Phoenix, Arizona, and some immediate differences
Visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, and a day trip to Sedona
Other things I’d forgotten about the USA

I’d love to know what you think about our cultural differences, so please leave a comment, or tweet me @thecreativepenn or contact me here.

The Nuances Of Colombia With Lachlan Page

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We all pick up ideas about a country from a lifetime of media consumption, and stereotypes can shape our opinions, persisting even once a country has changed, as Colombia has over the last 30 years.

Lachlan Page talks about how he ended up in Colombia after prioritizing travel first and work second, his recommended places to visit from jungle to coast, tips for safety, whether being bilingual changes your personality, cross-cultural marriage, recommended books, and more.

Lachlan Page is the author of Magical Disinformation, a spy novel with a satirical edge set amongst the Colombian peace process.

Show notes

Making travel the priority and fitting work around it, plus volunteering when you have useful skills
How stereotypes and media representations of Colombia are different from the reality
Recommended places to visit
Tips for safety, useful wherever you go
Does speaking a second language affect your personality?
On cross-cultural marriages
Recommended books

You can find Lachlan Page at LachlanPageAuthor.com

The Unexpected Road To An Unconventional Life With Brianna Madia

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How can we step away from the established patterns of life and choose a path that makes us truly happy? How can we redefine travel to find it in our own country, and choose a home in a place that calls to our soul?

Brianna Madia talks about her unexpected road to an unconventional life in the desert of Moab with her four dogs.

Brianna Madia is the author of Nowhere For Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life.

Show notes

Questioning the established patterns of life — even when that’s hard
The freedom and challenges of #vanlife
Travel as an attitude, even without your own country
Highlights of the desert in Utah
The power of feeling insignificant in the face of natural beauty and how it helps to find perspective
Traveling with four dogs — and redefining happiness
Recommended travel books

You can find Brianna Madia at BriannaMadia.com and on Instagram @briannamadia

Love, Wanderlust, And Sailing Around The World With Liz Alden

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What does it take to sail around the world — and stay in love with your partner? Liz Alden talks about how she and her husband circumnavigated the globe over four years, the places they loved, and how wanderlust and a love for the ocean is something that never leaves us.

Liz Alden is the author of the Love and Wanderlust series of romance books, as well as a travel writer. She circumnavigated the world over several years with her husband, which we’re talking about today.

Show notes

Planning to sail around the world as a couple
Highlights and favorite places from the circumnavigation
How romantic is it to be with a partner for so long on a small boat?
The challenges of sailing
Financing life at sea
Wanderlust and love of the ocean
Recommended travel + romance books

You can find Liz Alden at LizAlden.com for her books and Out Chasing Stars for the sailing information.

Traveling Carnivals With Michael Sean Comerford

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Sometimes you don’t have to leave your own country to find a culture that is different from your own. Michael Sean Comerford talks about the unique language, lifestyle, and attitudes of the carnies, the people who work on the traveling carnivals.

Michael Sean Comerford is an award-winning journalist and travel writer. His latest book is American OZ: An Astonishing Year Inside Traveling Carnivals.

Show notes

The differences between carnivals in different countries
The unique languages of carnies
Attractions and difficulties of the carnival life
The sense of belonging — and how that’s hard to leave behind
Darker side of carnival life
Recommended travel books

You can find Michael Sean Comerford at MichaelSeanComerford.com

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