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A tandem bike ride can look like a quirky travel story from the outside, until you realize it can also be a moving, three-month workshop in courage. We sit down with author and podcaster Teri M. Brown, who went from not riding a bicycle in decades to pedaling a tandem from Astoria, Oregon to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2020. Along the way, she and her husband Bruce camped through COVID closures, climbed real mountains that flatland training cannot prepare you for, and learned the hard truth about packing light: you do not discover what you need at your kitchen table, you discover it on the road.

We talk about the practical side of planning a cross-country bike trip, including why rigid day-by-day itineraries fall apart fast, how to choose flexible stopping points, and what happens when the wind turns, the terrain changes, or the tires go flat. Teri shares the moment in Montana when everything felt broken, and the rule that carried her forward: don’t quit on a bad day. That idea lands far beyond travel, especially when you are hungry, tired, angry, or scared and tempted to make a permanent decision in a temporary state.

This conversation also goes deeper than cycling. Teri opens up about leaving an abusive relationship, rebuilding self-worth through doing something wildly outside her comfort zone, and turning that new confidence into a writing life that includes award-winning novels, a memoir, a children’s book, and multiple podcasts. We also dig into another purpose behind the ride: raising over $35,000 for Toys for Tots to help more kids receive bicycles, proving that adventure travel and service can belong in the same story.

If you like stories about resilient travel, minimalist packing, healing, and bold reinvention, you’ll want this one in your queue. Follow the podcast, share the episode with a friend who needs a push, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.

Teri's Website: http://www.terimbrown.com/

The Teri and Edith Show Podcast: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/7458726

Online For Authors Podcast: https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6718184

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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Driving the full length of Africa sounds like a fantasy until you picture it the way Barry Maughan lived it: a Volkswagen Kombi bus, paper maps, no cell phones, no GPS, and a world where borders can close overnight. Barry spent decades as an international broadcast journalist focused on the African continent, and his memoir "Beneath the African Sun" captures the wild mix of history, work, and everyday survival that shaped him.

We talk through the chain of “happy accidents” that turned a simple roaming plan into a continent-spanning overland journey from Egypt toward South Africa, including the moment a Libya coup rewrote the route entirely. Barry shares what it was like to experience war-time Egypt, then stumble into an almost unbelievable Cairo welcome that unlocked once-in-a-lifetime access to culture, food, and the city itself. From there, it’s trains, boats, and improvisation to reach Ethiopia, where another stroke of timing lands him behind a microphone broadcasting news across Africa.

The practical side is just as gripping: crawling through mud where roads barely exist, carrying tools and fuel, and learning fast that “tomorrow” doesn’t always mean what you think it means. But the heart of the conversation is people, including a wordless moment between two mothers and two babies that says more than any translation app ever could. We also wrap with a real-world travel planning update on beating airline pricing with points and creative routing from Iceland back to Knoxville.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who dreams big trips, and leave a quick review so more travelers can find us. What’s the most ambitious journey you’d actually attempt?

Beneath The African Sun on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F32VZZ52

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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They sold the farm, let go of the stuff, and pushed off the dock lines with a shared promise: sail around the world together. From their boat in French Polynesia, award-winning author and lifelong sailor Alison Gieschen joins us with her husband Dan to tell the full story behind their liveaboard sailing life on their 43-foot sailboat, Equus, including what it takes to keep moving when the dream gets expensive, exhausting, and genuinely scary.

We dig into the turning points that make a circumnavigation real: how Alison’s horsewoman roots and an early “out of nowhere” sailing vision turned into skills, how they met during a sailboat race, and why they decided to sell everything and commit. Then we go straight into the hard part, including their worst storm experience in the Gulf Stream, the damage that forced a turnaround, and the PTSD that lingered long after the repairs. Alison also shares the moment a trusted mentor helped reframe the fear, and why that single conversation kept them out there for eight years and counting.

We also talk about the quieter day-to-day realities that rarely make the highlight reels: staying close to kids and grandkids from far away, how minimalism changes your priorities, and how life at sea can create the focus to write books across memoir, children’s literature, and adult fiction. We wrap with their current route plans across the South Pacific, favorite stops like the Azores, and a practical travel-planning lesson from our own Europe prep about booking early when thousands of travelers hit the same ports and airports.

Subscribe for more conversations about long-term travel and real-world ways to make it happen, and if you found value here, share the episode and leave a quick review so more travelers can find us.

Alison's Website: https://alisongieschen.com/

Also check out: https://sailmates.org/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sailingequus

Download full-color PDFs of my book at prices below Amazon paperbacks. Visit my store at https://shop.jimsantosbooks.com

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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Life doesn’t follow a map, and neither do the journeys that shape us. We’re joined by Shannon Lamkin, author, speaker, and host of the internationally listened to podcast Travel Time Stories with Shannon, for a conversation that starts with travel and quickly gets more honest. Shannon shares how a show built around destinations evolved into a space where people tell the stories that changed them, and why one good conversation can be the first step toward healing.

We talk about what it means to rebuild yourself after trauma, including surviving abusive relationships and learning the hard truth that leaving isn’t the same as being healed. Shannon opens up about anxiety and panic attacks, and how a first solo trip to New Orleans became a surprising milestone in confidence and self-trust. We also get into parenting through serious mental illness, the lifelong ripple effects of childhood experiences, and Shannon’s adoption story and search for birth family long before DNA kits and social media made it easier.

Caregiving and identity come up in a big way as Shannon describes supporting a spouse through chronic illness, kidney failure, and dialysis, plus the pressure of holding everything together without losing yourself. From there, we shift back to the power of travel as reinvention, including cruising as a way to explore and a Scotland road trip that raised the bar for what felt possible. Shannon also shares what she’s writing now, including her memoir "Map Back to Me" and her novel "Wrong Turns, Right People", built around the idea that detours can bring the right people into your life.

If you’re drawn to travel, midlife reinvention, storytelling, mental health, and finding your own travel style in the real world, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us.

Shannon's Website: https://www.traveltimestories.com/

Shannon's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-time-stories-with-shannon-real-journeys-real/id1821032644

Download full-color PDFs of my book at prices below Amazon paperbacks. Visit my store at https://shop.jimsantosbooks.com

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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You can’t “budget” your way to a better trip if you don’t know where the money leaks actually happen. We sit down with Australia-based author, travel writer, and travel coach Linda King to unpack a practical approach to budget travel that feels empowering, not restrictive: save with intention so you can travel more often and for longer stretches.

We get tactical on the big pre-trip wins, including smarter research, price monitoring, and why paying upfront can sometimes unlock better rates and extras. Then we move into real-world daily strategies that keep your travel budget intact, like free activities, free walking tours, and the simple meal math that adds up fast: breakfast included, supermarket meal deals, and choosing when to splurge on restaurants. If you’ve ever come home to a painful post-trip bill, this conversation is built to prevent it.

Next, we dive into points and miles and credit card rewards without the hype. Linda explains how to choose loyalty programs, learn partner options, and build a redemption strategy that fits your routes. We also talk about the non-negotiables that make travel hacking work: understand annual fees, use the card enough to justify it, and always pay in full so interest doesn’t erase your rewards. We even address those “point multiplier” offers and why doing your own research usually wins.

Finally, we explore AI travel planning, solo travel confidence, and what mindful travel and sustainable travel look like in practice, from better prompts to “leave no trace” habits. Subscribe, share this with a travel buddy, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

Linda King's Website: https://www.thesmarttravelista.com/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thesmartravelista

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Thesmartravelista

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmartravelista/

The Smart Travelista Guide Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F5NHMYGQ

Antics Abroad Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRV1YT5F

Download full-color PDFs of my book at prices below Amazon paperbacks. Visit my store at https://shop.jimsantosbooks.com

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jim@jimsantosbooks.com

"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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You can live overseas for years and still feel your stomach drop the first time you travel alone. That tension between “I want to go” and “what if I can’t handle it” drives our conversation with Paula Barnes, the travel creator and expat storyteller behind Truly Expat Travel, joining us from Sydney.

Paula shares how a “six-month” move from Australia turned into nearly two decades across Asia, raising three kids in places like Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. We talk about the real-life logistics that shape confident travelers: language barriers before smartphones, how Google Translate changed everything, and why cultural context matters more than snap judgments. Along the way, we compare notes on how travel reshapes kids, families, and the meaning of home.

Then we get practical for anyone considering solo travel, especially women over 45. Paula breaks down how to start small, when a tour can be the perfect bridge, and how to handle the surprisingly hard parts like eating alone at restaurants. We also dig into the tools that make modern travel smoother and safer, from WhatsApp communities to TripIt itineraries and using AI like ChatGPT and Claude without letting it overstuff your days. Plus, Paula gives guidance on planning Australia the right way and shouts out destinations that deserve more attention, including Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

Subscribe for more thoughtful travel stories, share this with a friend who needs a nudge to book the trip, and leave a quick review so more travelers can find us.

Paula's Website: https://trulyexpattravel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trulyexpat

Podcast: https://podcast.trulyexpattravel.com/

Download full-color PDFs of my book at prices below Amazon paperbacks. Visit my store at https://shop.jimsantosbooks.com

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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You can spend a fortune on a “once-in-a-lifetime” family vacation and still come home thinking, we barely connected. That’s why we sat down with Paul Partridge, a former financial advisor and retirement planner who now designs multigenerational trips as a different kind of investment: time together that turns into stories your family repeats for years.

Paul shares the planning mindset behind his company, Travel Villa Guide, including a simple but powerful tool he calls travel type matching. He breaks down four common travel styles immersers, adventurers, experiencers, and relaxers and explains how conflict happens when one style sets the agenda for everyone. We talk about how to give each person space to enjoy what they love, then pull the group back together for the moments that actually matter, like meals, mornings, and unhurried time under one roof.

We also dig into the practical side of group travel planning: why starting with the people and the purpose beats starting with the destination, how to avoid the “vacation from vacation” feeling, and when a villa rental can deliver more value than booking multiple hotel rooms. Paul explains why vetted homes and local travel concierge support reduce risk, fix problems faster, and keep small issues from hijacking the whole trip.

If you care about family reunion travel, legacy, and building memories that last, this conversation will give you a clearer plan and a better reason to travel. Subscribe, share this with your favorite travel planner, and leave a quick review so more people can find us.

Visit Paul's Site: https://www.travelvillaguide.com/

Get a Free Guide!: https://gift.travelvillaguide.com/

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"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon

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Travel technology is changing so fast that it can feel like you need a new degree just to book a flight. We sit down with Madison Rolley, a travel content creator and entrepreneur with a tech background, to bridge that gap and make modern trip planning feel simple, practical, and worth your time.

Madison shares how studying abroad sparked her travel confidence, how she became a digital nomad at 22, and why moving too fast can burn out even the most excited traveler. From there, we dig into the real reason her audience grew: people kept asking how she could afford it. That question led to clear, repeatable tactics that anyone can use, including price alerts, deal subscription emails, and smarter ways to search when you care more about value than a perfect date.

Then we get into AI travel planning and what is actually changing right now. Madison explains why Google’s AI overviews increasingly pull from video platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and how that shifts the way we discover destinations, hotels, and experiences. We compare tools like Google Flights beta and ChatGPT for itinerary building, including how AI can quickly suggest routes, pacing, side trips, and free activities, while still requiring human judgment to confirm details and avoid bad assumptions.

We also talk about solo travel, the rise in female solo travelers, and how social media can reduce fear by showing real experiences and practical safety context. You’ll leave with a better framework for using travel tech without feeling overwhelmed: start small, ask better questions, and treat AI as a tool that saves research time, not a robot that replaces your instincts.

If this helps you travel longer or travel better, follow the podcast, share this with a friend who’s planning a trip, and leave a quick review so more people can find us.

Madison's Website: https://hoo.be/madisonrolley

Madison' YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@madisonrolleytravel

Madison's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@madisonrolley

Madison's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonrolley

Download full-color PDFs of my book at prices below Amazon paperbacks. Visit my store at https://shop.jimsantosbooks.com

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jim@jimsantosbooks.com

"Wherever We May Roam: Finding Your Travel Style" - On Amazon