Podcasts about budget minded traveler

This week's episode Kristin and Sofia talk to Jackie Nourse of Traveling Jackie and the Budget Minded Traveler! They get into what Jackie's number one reason for travel is, how traveling solo helps people grow and how traveling connects people. They also share stories of discouraging family and how to cope,  and how to take care of yourself when traveling solo and staying safe. Jackie also shares her favorite places for solo female travel and leaves us with a lot of words of wisdom. Lastly, our listeners share where they would travel solo if they could right now!   Follow us on Instagram: @catchflightsnotfeelingspodcast, @thekristinolivieri & @sofiasamarah and send us an email: hi@catchflightspodcast.com

In this episode we explore a great camping destination in sagana,central Kenya. Our dear friend Felix will be answering some of the key questions I’m sure you’d want answers to as to what makes Sagana a great camping and adventure destination in Kenya.

  Sponsored by ObozFootwear.com - see my partner page with them directly at TravelingJackie.com/oboz /  Leave No Trace: LNT.org /  5 Steps to Planning a Long Distance Backpacking Trip (on The Budget-Minded Traveler blog)  Dawn's epic guide to the Tahoe Rim Trail (https://dawnswinney.com/an-account-of-a-tahoe-rim-trail-thru-hike/) Connect with Dawn @dawnhikes on Instagram /  Be sure to always check trail opening/closures before you go - especially in California wildfire season. /  Sign up for trip updates at JumpExperiences.com /  See more at TravelingJackie.com/podcast  

Jackie Nourse is the host of the international hit podcast JUMP with Traveling Jackie and founder of JUMP Experiences, where she leads adventure trips and retreats for her audience. She explores living life with courage through her personal blog Traveling Jackie, and she is also the founder of The Budget-Minded Traveler blog and online community. We talk to Jackie about all manner of travel, inspiring others, and overcoming adversity.More Information:TravelingJackie.com JUMP ExperiencesJUMP PodcastInstagramFacebookYouTube

When you start your podcasting journey, you may begin with one idea that ultimately evolves into something else over the course of building your audience. That's ok. It's not always about teaching someone something physically tangible. Sometimes it's more about inspiring a mindset. Let your message evolve as you evolve. Welcome to Should I Start A Podcast  where each week Ronsley Vaz, with the help of a star-studded entrepreneurial guest lineup, explores why you should start a podcast; build an audience, and how to keep them hungry for more. If you're thinking about starting a podcast or simply looking for a better way to get your message out to your audience, then this is the podcast for you. In this episode of Should I Start a Podcast, Ronsley speaks with Jackie Nourse, creator of travelingjackie.com (with one L, for all you non-Americans) and host of the podcast JUMP. Jackie always loved travelling and wanted to create a space that other travel junkies could go to, or be inspired by. However, JUMP didn't start out that way. Her original podcast, The Budget-Minded Traveler, started out as more of a how-to format. As Jackie's life evolved, so did her podcast. She realised that it was more about making connections with people than teaching them step by step processes. As she began building an audience, she was struck by how she was able to inspire just by sharing real, authentic and raw thoughts and experiences. Ronsley and Jackie have a thought-provoking conversation all about the importance of being real with your audience. They discuss how essential it is to inspire others to “take that leap” for themselves and why evolution is vital in every part of the podcasting process. Also within this episode: How JUMP evolved to what it is today How JUMP got its name Why Jackie feels it's so important to put your mistakes out there Why Jackie journals every day The story of Jackie's first organised group trip Resources: travelingjackie.com Listen to JUMP Jackie on LinkedIn Listen to the Audiobook Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It (Highly recommended by Ronsley)

Is Solo Travel for YOU???  Afraid to travel solo – especially solo adventure travel? Today's guests share their insights as to the Pro's and Con's of solo travel and share what they consider the benefits and challenges, plus their tips to make adventure travel solo safe and fun.   Is Solo Travel for YOU???  Afraid to travel solo – especially solo adventure travel? Today's guests share their insights as to the Pro's and Con's of solo travel and share what they consider the benefits and challenges, plus their tips to make adventure travel solo safe and fun.   Today's Guest Interviews on Solo Adventure Travel  This episode is a rebroadcast of an episode on our companion Active Travel Adventures podcast.  Jackie Nourse of Traveling Jackie and the Budget Minded Traveler, Jason Waitkinsand Monica Arangurenshare their thoughts on taking a solo holiday and what it's like to travel by yourself.  See some of their solo adventures photos down below! Seven Reasons to Solo Travel There are lots of reasons you might travel solo: 1. Maybe you can't find anyoneto travel where you want to go, when you want to go.  If you want to go, but aren't comfortable going completely on your own, consider small group travel.  Be aware of any single supplements and look for companies that pair you with someone if you don't want to pay extra to travel alone. My affiliate, Active Adventures(different company with a similar name) does NOT make you pay the dreaded Single Supplement. 2. You need some time to yourself to just THINK! If you need to figure some things out in your life, consider taking a long distance hike or cycling trip.  You'll have all day to yourself, but will meet people along the way for when you could use a little company.  Check out my West Highland Wayand Cotswold Waylong distance walking holiday adventures for some inspiration. 3.  You want to develop your ‘Grit Bone'or what Jackie calls her “Courage Muscles”. There's nothing like adventure travel, and in particular, solo travel to test your mettleand to expand what you think possible for yourself!  It's a great way to boost your self esteem and self reliance, too!  If you want to feel empowered, try adventure travel, and in particular SOLO Adventure Travel! 4.  It's easier to meet new people when you travel solo.  Locals are more likely to come up to introduce themselves when they see you alone, so you'll have more local interaction. 5.  You'll develop better problem solving skills.  When it's just you, YOUhave to figure out what to do when something goes awry.  You'll learn that you are quite good at finding a solution, no matter how clumsy it is, when you know that you simply HAVE to! 6.  You'll discover what you really like and dislike:  when your schedule is completely your own, you have to make ALL the decisions, from what time to wake up, to what, when and where to eat, to how to spend your time, etc.  If you go someplace and decide you've had enough, you can simply leave without conferring with travel mates, or you can spend all day in a museum that rocks your boat, but would bore your normal partner. 7.  Traveling solo can sometimes be lonely, so even introverts learn how to strike up a conversation(my go to questions is, “So how was your day?”  People love to talk about themselves.  You'll always find other solo travelers at the bar next to a hostel, so head there at cocktail hour to find others that would love to chat.  For that matter, consider even staying in a hostel so you can meet folks in the common areas.  Many offer single rooms so you don't have to sleep dorm style.   Alternately, stay at an Airbnb where the people live there as well and the comments from previous guest indicate that the hosts like to be social with guests.  Consider Couchsurfing.  Also sign up to do a Walking Tour or other group activity to meet others.  See if there are any interesting Meetups going on while you're in town and reach out to the group organizer to attend. Solo Travel Tips and Rules I've been traveling solo for five years now and I've come up with some rules that help keep me safe and reduce stress (in no particular order): 1. When ‘winging it' while traveling, I make sure that I know where I am going to sleep before noon. 2. Whenever possible, I make sure that I arrive at the night's accommodations before dark. 3. When out, I never leave my food or drink unattended. 4. Don't drink too much or do any drugs.  Get back to your room at a reasonable hour. 5. Be careful of overly cautious locals who might be setting you up… does someone on the bus or train rush to try to share a cab with you?  This could be a setup: the cabbie could be a partner in crime.  Check the US State Dept Travel advisoryfor the country you are visiting to see what the current local scams are.  Register your trip with the Smart Traveler Program. 6. Ask your hotel to call you a cab or take highly ratedUber or Lyfts to avoid rogue cabbies.  7.  Ask a local to circle bad areas on a paper map. 8.  Be mindful of your surroundings at all times and have an exit plan.  9.  Hold onto your luggage, going so far as to bike lock it to yourself should you be on a long train or bus where you might sleep. 10.  Make sure someone knows where you are supposed to be and what time you are supposed to arrive AND when to sound an alarm should he or she not hear from you. Some of the adventures Jason has taken that have been covered by ATA include: Patagonia(Argentina & Chile) Ecuador Kilimanjaro Nepal Peru  [Machu Picchu] New Zealand South Island  Part I New Zealand South Island  Part II New Zealand North Island Part III Some of Monica's epic trips that ATA has covered: Dolomites Mont Blanc Galapagos New Zealand South Island  Part I New Zealand South Island  Part II New Zealand North Island Part III One of our guests today, Jackie, is also a travel blogger and podcaster. She did an excellent episode on Solo Travel you can access here.  You can also find her at Traveling Jackie, the Budget Minded Traveler(nowJump). Also be sure to check out my interview with Jackie on the Active Travel Adventures podcast on her adventures in Quebec! Other Links Mentioned in Today's Show: Travel Safety Tips Cotswold Way Mont Blanc Dolomites Galapagos Kilimanjaro Part I Kilimanjaro Part II Annapurna Travel Insurance When you buy travel insurance, please use this link to my affiliate World Nomads.  At no additional cost to you, you'll be helping to support this podcast and website - thanks! Training for your Adventures If you need some coaching and advice on how to prepare for your upcoming adventure, please consider using this link to Fit For Trips.  At no additional cost to you - in fact, use Promo Code ATAKIT10to get a 10% Discount, you'll be helping to keep the lights on - thanks!   Active Travel Adventures Podcast Be sure to check out our companion podcast,  Active Travel Adventures.  On ATA, I encourage you to lead a bigger life through adventure travel.  Each episode features an exciting adventure travel destination like the kinds Monica and Jason talked about today! Solo Adventure Travel We're going solo. That's right. Even if you have a partner, I want you to read this blog post because there are definite advantages and challenges to traveling solo. Even if you think, “There is no way I would ever travel solo,” please read on with an open mind. You might change your mind. I'll be interviewing three solo travelers about the challenges and joys of traveling solo. Since I usually travel solo myself, you'll hear my two cents worth as well. It's a great show. Even if you think, “No way, I could never travel solo.” I beg you please read on and see if you don't change your mind. If you're like me, you don't want to live an ordinary life. You want to live a kick-ass life, and one way to do so is to add adventure travel to your life. I find adventure travel brings out the best in me. It challenges me, it encourages me, it enlightens me, and it inspires me to lead a bigger life. On this program, you'll learn about amazing adventures from around the world plus get the tools and information you need so you could do these adventures with confidence. You'll come home feeling empowered and with amazing memories and stories that you can relive forever. Don't worry, the bar is such that my relatively fit 58-year-old body, particularly with some training, can do these adventures and you can too. This episode is a roundup episode. I've got three guests that I will be interviewing separately about their experiences with solo travel. Our first guest is Jackie Norris, who we met on one of our episodes. She is the host of Traveling Jackieand The Budget-Minded Travelerand has been traveling solo for a long time. She has a ton of insights to share with us. When I interviewed her in Quebec, I asked her casually about solo. We got engrossed in it that I decided to take that section of our interview and added to this solo episode. Our other guests are Monica and Jason. I'll let them introduce themselves. Let's start with my interview with Jackie. Jackie, why do you travel solo? The reason I do solo travel is that I'm solo. I don't let that stop me. For years and years, a lot of people struggle with the idea of getting out on their own. It's a necessity for me. It's what I have to do and so I do it. I never thought I would enjoy it, but I do love it now. You have to get to a point where you're comfortable with it. I've already been traveling for a number of years by the time that I went nomadic like fully solo nomadic a few years ago. Even after that much time of being comfortable traveling, it was weird to be on my own all the time. For the cons, you are by yourself. All of those travel decisions are made only by you. Even where you're going to eat for breakfast in the morning or if you're going to get a beer this afternoon, everything is solely up to you. There's no one that you can confer with. That also happens to be one of the advantages of it. Sometimes it depends on which perspective you have looking on it. Maybe it depends on the day. Sometimes it's amazing and sometimes you wish there was someone there. Loneliness is a real thing. I have written about that before and most solo travelers will face real loneliness. It's not just the point of being solo in a place, it's feeling alone. There's a big difference and that can get to you if it's a while. I traveled for months at a time and it can get draining on me to be alone. At the same time, this is where I am in my life and this is what I'm signing up for. This is also my work and this is what I'm choosing to do. It's part of the territory if you look at it that way. The freedom that solo travel provides is unmatched in this world. There is a feeling that comes with being on your own in some far-flung corner of the planet completely left to yourself and your own thoughts. What you want to do for the day, everything is your will. It is the most freeing feeling ever. It's incredible. You can do whatever you want. There are definitely pros and cons of solo travel. I always encourage people to at least try it out because you get to know yourself very quickly. Even if you think you know yourself, you don't, not until you solo travel. You could see what you're capable of and what your weaknesses are. It's an incredible tool for life to solo travel. Everyone should do it at least once. You had a quote in your the Budget-Minded Traveler episode number 63 that I loved. It was, “Lose yourself until you find yourself.” Could you talk a little bit about that? I thought that was excellent. It gave me chills when you read it. That came from a piece that I wrote on my Travelling Jackie blog. It was when I decided to leave everything behind and go out on my own to travel the world solo for real for the first time. This was many years after having traveled a whole bunch already and studying abroad and all that. This was different because I had a relationship, I had a house and I had all these things. I felt very lost at times, but it's because I had to recreate what my life looked like. That was my moment to decide what my new normal was going to be going forward. I did lose part of myself there in that in a good way though. It's like you have to go see what the world has for you and then figure out what you look like in that new normal. Figure out what the path forward is in this new reality that you've created. That's at least how it applied to me. It depends on what your situation is and why you're choosing to solo travel. Where you are and you’re like so much about experience outwardly when you travel, has to do what's going on inside. That was my experience at the time. I totally went out and lost myself until I started to rebuild and find what that meant to start over. It's obvious that travel in general and solo travel in particular, changed your life. I'm grateful for that because I feel so much surer of who I am. I'm so much stronger now. I have so much more confidence. These are the things that come with being on your own for so long in a place. It's not saying being on your own at home where you're comfortable with everything and you know the name of the store owner down the street, whatever. It's not like that at all. Everything is different. Everything is new. Foreign languages, foreign currency, borders, flights, hotels, everything is a challenge. When you add that element to being completely on your own for a long time, maybe for the first time, it changes everything. Your personal growth is expedited more than anything.       In the last few years since I lost my husband, I've been traveling solo. The one question I get over and over again is about safety and the Boogie Man at night. How do I deal with the safety issues? How do you respond to questions like that you get? Are you not afraid about those things at home? Bad things can happen anywhere. It doesn't matter where you are. In fact, US these days could be a lot less safe than a lot of other places that I travel. I don't dwell on that stuff at all. I have some tricks up in my sleeve to make sure that I'm safe and my belongings are safe. I pay attention. I always say that common sense is your best defense. I stand by that 110%. Don't leave your common sense behind when you walk out your door. The world outside of your comfort zone is not a place to invite fear. It's a place to invite curiosity. Go explore that and find out what it looks like because it's not about fear and safety, it's about adventure, life, growth, people, connection, culture, food, language, activity and beauty. That outweighs the fear. It's not a thing. I've been traveling for many years, knock on wood, but nothing's ever happened to me. I've never been in a situation I couldn't handle. Maybe that's because I carry my common sense close by. Maybe I've gotten lucky. Maybe a lot of things, but I do speak a lot about safety because I know that people ask about it and are concerned. You can't let that stop you from doing anything. Otherwise, you'd be stuck in your own house. What happens if there’s an earthquake and your house fell down? You can't be safe anywhere in this world if you look at it that way. Go do it, get out there and go experience it. You'll find the confidence over the fear the more you go. I want to go back to something you said about being more aware and things can happen to you even at home. It could be safer while you travel because you're more on red alert and you're more aware of your surroundings, whereas at home you’re lackadaisical. You know how they say that most accidents happen within our house like car accidents. You've got your guard down. You may be doing other things. Whereas when you're traveling solo, you're paying attention. It's an interesting metaphor. It's the same thing with hiking on a trail. If I’m on a trail I don't know, I'm acutely aware of everything that's going on around me and my surroundings. If I'm on a trail that I know very well at home, I'm not paying any attention whatsoever. I'm glad you made that point. It’s such a good point. Another question I get asked all the time is, “How do you eat dinner alone?”   It's great. I'm used to that by now. It's funny. A lot of the women I know are uncomfortable eating dinner in a restaurant by themselves. That is something you have to put your big girl pants on and go do it. What are you going to do? Not eat? Hide in a corner with your takeout? Go do it. Here's the thing. No one cares. I’ve finally figured out after all these years that if someone is staring at me, which does happen, I know why. It's because they're curious. They're curious about something. Whether it's why I'm wearing a backpack in this town or why am I sitting by myself or, “She's speaking French with an accent. I wonder where she's from?” People are curious. They're not out there like, “Look at that girl. She's by herself.” It's not like that at all. It's not like you're wearing a big L on your forehead. Think about it with you. If you see someone solo walking down the street of your town with a big backpack on, aren't you curious? “I wonder where they're going. What are they doing? Are they traveling?” It's all curiosity and it's not negative. If you're worried about what people are thinking, that's the first part. It is not negative. If you can figure out how to make that place comfortable for yourself, like for example, one of the things I love to do as I travel and as I'm at home is I love craft beer. I love trying different beers all around the world. You could do this with wines or cheeses or whatever, anything that has to do with a restaurant. What's your thing? When I get to a new place, a bar or whatever, I love to sit down and get a new beer. Beer is like home to me. I can do that anywhere in the world. I have the thing that I can go to that's my company. I work at breweries often. I will go to a brewery and get a beer. I call it a focus beer, #FocusBeer. I work that way. It's part of finding comfort anywhere I can be in the world. Those things matter. I will make sure if I'm going out by myself, I will get a drink. Something that makes me feel a little like maybe takes the edge off, I will get a beer and I will enjoy myself. I will people watch, whatever. You can choose to get out your phone and have a conversation with someone across the world if you want to or you can choose to put your phone down. You can bring a book. It doesn't matter. It's about you, it's not about what other people think. It's funny because sometimes I'll pass by a restaurant that's super full. I'm like, “I don't know if I want to go into that one all by myself.” If I pass by a place that I can see that there is a table where I might feel comfortable, that's where I'll go in because I'm still introverted. You’ve got to take care of yourself. That's what it's about, it’s taking care of yourself, making it comfortable for you, and adventure. I find too, if I'm traveling solo, I'll have more opportunity to meet locals because they feel more comfortable coming up to you when you're traveling solo than if you're with other people. If you're putting out an energy that says, “I'm approachable,” then people will approach you for sure. For people who don't want to be alone. Maybe you're only traveling solo because no one else wanted to go with you and you'd rather have a buddy. I highly recommend staying in hostels. It does not matter how old you are. You can find hostels with a private room, which is what I like to do. The beauty of that is you have an immediate community if you choose to have it. You can meet people in the communal areas. That's something that hotels do not offer. Finding either like CouchSurfing, staying at a hostel or staying at an Airbnb where there's a host on site and you can expose yourself to other people. If that's where you are in your travels, your life, and you want to be around other people, then put yourself in those positions. It's easy to retract and do things on your own if you want to be solo. That's easy. In fact, you'll probably still get approached because people are curious. There are other people who are solo who are going to sit down at the bar next to you and start talking about beer with you, and realized you're not Italian and be curious about where that accent comes from. I love that about hostels. I learned that for the first time about a few years ago because it is lonely. If you go to the hostel community rooms, you meet the people. If you're not staying in the hostel, my week time of being alone is cocktail hour. That's when I want to talk to somebody. I don't care the rest of the whole day, dinner, no problem, but at cocktail hour, I want to talk. Go find the bar next to the hostel because that's where they'll be and they're traveling solo too so they're looking for somebody to talk to as well. What advice would you give someone who's considering traveling solo for the first time?    Go and don't be afraid. I don't think you're going to regret choosing to travel solo. You're going to learn something that's time well spent. Getting out, seeing the world, any of these things, these are adventures. This is our one life. We get one shot so go do it. You'll find that you're much more resourceful than you realize. You're going to be the one with a story to tell afterward. I encourage you to try it, test yourself, get out there and make it happen. --- Next up, let's hear what Monica has got to say about solo travel. After her interview, we'll get a guy's perspective. Can you start by introducing yourself and perhaps telling us your age? I'm Monica Aranguren and I am 58 years old. How did you get into adventure travel? Quite honestly, I found myself single again. That was back in 2007, 2008. I started to do a lot of hiking on my own at that time. When I got to my 50th birthday, I decided I wanted to do something bigger and that's when I started to look into adventure travel and planned to go to New Zealand at that time. Was that your first trip to do the New Zealand hike? I take it that you were going solo because you were single again? Yes. I didn't want to leave adventure behind. That's great that you're adventuresome. How did you make the mind shift to say, “I'm going to go on my own?” because it's a scary concept for a lot of people to go on a trip all by themselves. The comments I've also gotten from friends when I've let them know what I'm doing. I've been an independent gal all my life and it's like let's push on through. I was like, “I'm not waiting for life to happen to me. I've got to do it. I'm going to go on these trips because I want to see these places.” That was my motivation. Did you do that on your own solo or did you go with a tour company or how did that work out?   The New Zealand trip I went with a group. I went with Active Adventuresthere and had been making different trips of that nature since. Our regular audience will recognize Active Adventures as one of my favorite companies and affiliates. I'm super excited that I will be going on the same trip that Monica went on. Monica, how do you decide where you're going to go? Sometimes I see a photograph and I’m like, “I want to go there.” I might get a vision in my mind of a place I had been thinking about and then I start to investigate the location and how I might be able to get a taste of it. Are you still traveling now? That's been many years since you were single. Are you still doing solo travel as your primary way? Is that all you do or do you mix it up with others? How does that work? I've made some group-led trips. I've also done some that are self-guided where I'm still with a company that's moving my belongings, setting up the itinerary and the maps and all of that, but I'm doing it on my own. I would imagine when you're in the group setting on the guided trips, that also gives you some more socialization. Can you talk a little bit about that? Each experience is a little different. Meeting people from different places and learning about them, joking with them, creating songs with them, eating with them, all kinds of things. It's a lot of social interaction with the group. When I'm on a self-guided hike, it's a little quieter, but I also tend to favor that sometimes because I like to be in the quiet of nature. Sometimes I like to interact with the culture on a different level. I enjoy that piece as well. What are the pros and cons in your mind of solo travel? The pros are that solo travel lets you expand a little bit more in "getting out of the box." It lets you meet new people that you might not otherwise meet when you're traveling with a companion that you've known for a while like a friend, family member, whoever that might be. Cons, I don't think there are any. I will say I choose a single room so that I don't get any snoring so I can sleep on my own. For me, that's important. That would be the only con for me if I can't sleep. That's why I tend to choose a single room. Other than something like that, I can't think of any, quite honestly. Since I lost my husband and now that I'm traveling solo, the thing I'm always getting is, “Aren't you afraid about the big bad wolf, getting raped, mugged or whatnot?” Can you talk a little bit about the safety issues?       I have never felt not at ease. I've always felt safe on these trips. With a group, you're surrounded by your group all the time because you're doing all the activities with that group. The only time you're separate is maybe if you have a specific day that you have in a particular town on your own. You might visit that, but never any concerns of safety in that sense. When I've been on self-guided tours, in the case of the company that I worked with, I had a GPS, I had instructions and I had a phone. I had a contact I could call 24 hours a day if there was an issue. I always had someone who would check on with me. I felt like I was supported in both styles of travel. How about loneliness? Is that ever an issue? I would say during the self-guided hikes because I might see something and not have anyone to talk about it. Other than that, not really. When I'm with a group hike, I'm with other people. I've always got companionship with me. Another thing I always get is how do you eat by yourself? I've been asked that as well. I carry a book with me and go with it that way. I've gotten used to it. I'm not very self-conscious about it and enjoy interacting with the waiters, waitresses and the hosts wherever I'm eating, and enjoy myself that way. There's also more attention and curiosity when you're traveling solo and that you get a lot more local interaction, which I enjoy very much and think of as a plus. That is true, especially if you're at little small restaurants. The host or the owner might chat with you more, which is great. I was on a trip where an older gentleman, I was walking around and I had my camera going, came up to talk to me in Italian. I was in Italy and he was talking to me about how he had owned a camera like that. We had a nice little chat and then I was back on my way. That was fun to be able to chat with him for a while. If somebody is sitting on their couch saying to themselves, “I’m like Monica, if I don't get off this couch, I'm never going to see the places that I want to see.” What advice would you give them so they get the courage and the confidence to go try this on their own? Don't wait. If you're attracted to making this trip, do it. It will open up a whole other level of possibilities, experience and independence. Do it and enjoy yourself and don't wait for another opportunity. Have you found that solo travel is important too, that it's somehow changing who you are?   I'd love the companionship, but it supports my being independent and doing my life. Living my life the way I want it and taking advantage of the opportunities, especially outdoor hiking opportunities, while I can do it. That's how it positively helps me out. It empowers me. When I get back from one of these trips, I'm like, “I did that.” If I can do that, then I can do this, whatever my current real-world problem is. It's self-empowering. If maybe a particular trip is going to be a little more challenging, I've got to rise to the occasion to work out and get read. It feels great when I'm out there and accomplishing it. It's an empowering experience and one that supports a good sense of independence and moving forward the way you want. Have you kept up with any of the people that you've met on your trips? I have. I made a trip in the Mont Blanc area of France, Italy and Switzerland a few years ago, back in 2016. There were four singles on that trip actually. The four of us have had a couple of reunions. Our last one was in Toronto. We always go out a little hike and then eat out and see wherever we're visiting together. It's a lovely experience and this time, we were also able to hook up with a couple that was from the Toronto area that had been on this same track and got to have a lovely dinner with them. It was a great time together. I found that usually in each trip, there are one or two people I'll meet that we ended up becoming friends. Even if it's just Facebook friends, we keep up that way. In fact, when I go to the UK, I will be staying with a gentleman and his girlfriend that I met in theWest Highland Way for a couple of days before I start the long distance trek on the Cotswold Way. I'm excited about that. Can you tell us some of your favorite stories about some of your trips? I know you went to New Zealand. When you look back on New Zealand, what's the one story you tell? It was deciding to do the bungee jump. There were only two of us in a group of ten that had the courage to do that. I'm glad that I did that and the rest of the group cheered us on. I had a blast doing that. It was a little scary and I was a little nervous once I got on the plank that I was supposed to drop off from. It was so freeing and so much fun to be hanging down on this large rubber band. I'm happy I had that experience, especially celebrating my 50th birthday then. You've also gone to the Galapagos. What's your favorite story about the Galapagos? What struck me is there are many amazing animals, penguins, sea lions, fish and iguanas. It's fascinating to be surrounded by these wonderful creatures that are not timid at all with humans. That was wonderful. I remember, in particular, going snorkeling and seeing manta rays, these giant ones underneath floating and then swimming below me. It was amazing to see their size and beauty. They were golden and had some black spots on them and they were moving on their leisurely pace. It was fantastic. We did cover the Galapagos episode. We also covered Mont Blanc, which you've done too. What's your favorite story there?       This is a social story. All the hiking was fantastic in particular because we were above the tree line a lot of the time. That was beautiful to see these huge snow-covered mountains in your face and you are looking at them. It was a splendor for me. The social story is that the group I was with, a few of us somehow got into rapping while we were hiking. They come up with these silly tunes and that made me start to create this particular rap, based on all the food that we were eating. I presented that at the end of our tour at our last dinner. One of my colleagues in the group backed me up, making all the funky little rap sounds. We put it together and it was a hoot. We had a great time doing that. That sounds fun. That's a great story. You've got another fun place you're going to, which also has been covered on the Active Travel Adventures Podcast. Tell us about that. I’ll leave to make a trip in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, north of Venice. I'm very excited about that. I'm excited to be back with a group because I've done some more self-guided hiking in the last couple of years. I'm going to be with a group again, which I look forward to. I'm looking forward to the scenery and the exercise because that's what we love about hiking is the workout too. It's going to be good. Annie, who I interviewed on the Dolomiteepisode, has traveled all over the world. She's done everything and she said that was the perfect trip.She said it was the best mix of exertion, the hiking, the scenery, the people and the foods. I’ll carry that with me for sure. Any other thoughts on solo travel or adventure travel you'd like to share? Seize the day. There's so much to see out there and so much to do. Get out there and do it. --- There's nothing like going on an adventure. Finally, for our last interview on solo travel, we're going to get a guy's perspective. Can you start by introducing yourself, please? My name is Jason Waitkins and I am 37. How did you first get into adventure travel?   My first trip was in 2003. I wanted to visit New Zealand. I was reading about it growing up and it sounded like a cool and awesome place. The Lord of the Rings came out and that propelled me even more. I'm like, “I have to go here.” In 2003, I went. I didn't want to go there just to sightseeing. I wanted to hike. That's what drove me into that being my first trip. Were you already pretty active before you got into adventure travel? Yes, I hiked. I grew up and my parent's house is right next to a section of the Appalachian Trail. I grew up knowing, “That's the longest marked trail in the United States,” and all that. I hiked the sections of it nearby. I then branched out from there. There are some pretty nice and interesting trails not far from where I live. Where is that? New York. I'm in what's called the Hudson Valley region. I grew up in Garrison, which is the town south of Cold Spring. It has become a hikers town because there are a few challenging trails near there. It's easily accessible from New York City. On the weekends, a lot of hikers come up on the trains because you can easily get off at the Cold Spring Station and travel around and you don't need a car. You can work your way back to the station. Our topic is solo travel. Is that something you've always done or is this something new for you? I pretty much always did solo initially because growing up, it was a small town. I was one of the few who liked adventure travel, so it was only me. I enjoyed it a lot. I always join a group usually. If it’s a tour, there's a group I usually end up joining. If they're not solo, then they are either with a friend or a spouse or whatever. We are there for the same thing. It's a good way to meet new people. What would you consider the pros and cons of solo travel? My best thing is I can pretty much go when I want. I can center around my schedule. There's no coordination. If there are two, three or more people traveling, it's going to be harder to get time off from work, for example. For me, I prefer solo traveling for the most part because it's easy to coordinate with myself. I look at the dates, “This trek is going here and I can go here at this point and I have a certain amount of time off I can take.” I did one adventure trek with my father not too long ago and we do have to coordinate. There was a little more work involved to make sure, “We're going to do this. We both have time off. We can both get there without issue. We’re both fit enough. We both know what we're getting into and all that.” There are pros and cons to each, but for me, I have a set of places I'd like to go, a set number of countries or treks that I'd want to do and want to visit. To me, it's easier. If I don't know anyone else who wants to do it with me, I go ahead and do it. You make an excellent point because not only do you have to coordinate the time schedules but also the physical difficulty rating is consistent for both parties and all parties. At the time, my father had some knee problems at the moment, but at the time, he was okay. It was a not too challenging trip, at least graded three. We always look at the gradings of the trip with a grain of salt. You have to know what you can and can't do. It's better to read the descriptions rather than just reading by the number they give. The company we were with, they assigned numbers one through six, six being the hardest and this one is graded two. Afterward, I say, “This was more like a three,” and it was because we were in Scotland. There are a few sections where there was no trail, it was pretty much bushwhacking and it was muddy. Walking through that section was quite difficult more so than it was. Even our leaders said that. You have to be careful. Make sure everyone can do it and make sure you know what you're getting into. Female solo travelers have a few different concerns than males. Can you talk about safety as a solo traveler from the male perspective? I personally have never been worried about my safety, but it is always a consideration. My first big travel was to New Zealand, which is generally a country more on the safe side. My next travel was in Peru, which is a developing country. I read up quite a bit on it. What vaccines do I need to get? What is the crime rate? I always read up on the countries I'm visiting, although you also have to take those with a bit of a grain of salt. A website I usually go to at least at first to check out the country I'm visiting is the US State Department website because it gives descriptions on visa requirements and any vaccines that are recommended. I always try to look that up. It also tells what the crime is. However, it is over-exaggerated to a degree. You always read about the bad things and I also look at what they say of the crime is. However, it tends to be over-exaggerated sometimes because you will only read about the bad things. They'll always say there are very high crimes and there are police corruptions or there's this or there's that. You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings is what I always do. When I was growing up because I lived close to New York City but not in it, going to New York City, I was always told like, “Put everything in your front pocket, not your back pocket. Watch out for muggers. Watch out for this or that, anyone who tries to bump into you.” You've got to be diligent and to do that. As a solo traveler, the first time where I was there ahead of when the official tour, I was joining started was in Peru in Cusco. I want to go there. I was worried about acclimatizing to the altitude and so I got there a day ahead of the main tour and walked around. I was feeling winded at least at first. I ended up adjusting perfectly fine. I was looking in all directions and making sure there were a lot of people around. No one ever came up and I never felt unsafe, but I was extra careful. The thing I do is a lot of the pants I wear for general walking around have zippers on them. I don't know if that helps or hurts. My biggest concern is my passport or my wallet getting stolen. Let's talk a little bit about what you feel when you're doing an adventure, whether it's hiking, paddling, cycling, and you do it solo. There's the possibility that you get hurt and there's nobody around to help you. Do you have any concerns about that or is that one reason that you do group travel? I experienced that personally. A couple of years ago, I was hiking in Acadia National Park in Maine. I ended up slipping and falling and not able to stand. I was traveling solo at that point. I had to take out my cell phone and I dialed 911. There were a few trekkers who walked by. This was a day hike. I wasn't backpacking or anything like that, but still, it was a very rugged terrain. A couple of hikers nearby stopped and said, “We'll wait until people come and get you.” They had to carry me off and that was a humbling experience. I kept thinking, “I'm not going to fall or this isn't going to happen. I'm still within civilization. I'm not in another country.” I can only imagine what would have happened if I was on the Inca Trail, where you have to hike for three days. What would have happened if that happened? Having a group and having a leader there who at least always had a radio or a cell phone to contact whoever that is, it’s quite comforting and more so now than it was many years ago. I did an episode on safetyon adventure travel and also another interesting story is the episode Part Two of the Kilimanjaroseries where our guest had to go down the mountain on a stretcher. It's a very interesting episode in that regard. Let's move on from the scary things and let's talk about how do you choose where you want to go next. When I first started this back in the early 2000s, I had a bucket list. The main two were I want to visit New Zealand, I want to hike there, and I want to hike the Inca trail. I was reading about how beautiful the trail is, how it's a great payoff ending up in Machu Picchu, which is also beautiful. After that, I started making a list of countries and places I wanted to visit and then looking at, “I want to visit here. I want to do this. Where's this located?” My biggest goal after making the Inca Trail was Kilimanjaro. I said, “Where is that? That's in Tanzania. That's in Africa.” I went from there. “What else is there?” Choosing that trip, there are a lot of tour companies that do Kilimanjaro and the one I ended up picking with was one that was doing a specific route up the mountain. It had extra days. It was more expensive, unfortunately, but it had extra days while climbing and it did a specific way. It did the Western Breach if you're aware of that trail, which most companies do the other way. This one, we did the Western Breach. We stayed in the Crater Camp, which is also rare for that, but I figured that was good for getting used to the altitude. That's why I ended up going with that tour company. Beyond that, there's a list of countries I'd like to visit. The main ones were Kilimanjaro, Galapagos was one, and the next one that I haven't done yet is the Alps, which is on my bucket list. Basically, I said, “Where can I hike that I haven't hiked before?” I started looking at the companies I've gone with before and a few other notable ones. I look at what they offer to see if it's financially feasible, if time-wise it's feasible. I pretty much go from there. I have a semi-life goal to visit every country in the world. I don't think I'm going to get there, but I want to visit and hike everywhere I can. I go with the ones I want to the most and I've done quite a few of them but there's still quite a few left. Have you found that solo travel has changed you in any way? Initially, I don't know if I felt different. I enjoy it like that's my vacation. That's how I get away from it. My first few trips, I wouldn't even take my cell phone with me. I'd leave it at home and that was my disconnection from the everyday hustle and bustle. As far as changing me, I don't know if I have an answer for you. It's helped me grow a certain way like enjoying because I live alone. I'm single and pretty much live alone. To me, it's a great way to meet new people because even if you're not with a group, you're always going to meet someone on the trail most likely. That's the way I interact with people, my fellow hikers. I don't know if it changed me in any way other than that. It's just something that drives me to continue going. I have places to visit. I want to keep going. Have you kept up with any of the people you've met on the trails? A few but not too many. There are a few like with Kilimanjaro because that was such a small group and that was a long track. It was a long trip. The whole trip was eighteen days, but to trek up the mountain was nine days total. We got to know each other well. We still communicate through email every once in a while. It’s usually around the anniversary, which is late January. We usually send emails saying, “It's been five years, it's been six years, how is everybody doing?” There are two people who I do send a Christmas card to because they send one to me each year. We write down what treks we've done or what we're planning on doing. They sent me one a few years ago and they said, “We finally made the Inca Trail that you talked about. It was as you described it. It was great.” I always write down what I did. “I did the Galapagos. I did Nepal and all that.” A lot of people, when they find out that I'm going to be traveling solo, say, "Aren't you scared or don't you get lonely?" What advice would you give somebody that's on the fence and trying to decide whether or not they should try a solo trip? Try to join a group of some kind, an adventure trekking tour where you'll be joined with other people, preferably a smaller group. A nice number would be between eight, twelve, fourteen people is probably ideal because then it's not too big and it's not too small. Do that. Try to look up an organized tour of an area where you want to visit, whether it's Machu Picchu or somewhere in Europe, wherever. See if you can find a tour company that has a group that you can join because of the way I see it, everyone is there to do what you're doing. We're here to hike this trail. We're here to visit this landmark or whatever it is. That's going to be a thing you have in common. Every trip I've been to, I'm nervous when I step off the airplane, especially if it's a country where English isn't the first language. I made it through passport control. I handed them my passport. They stamped and I went through. I'm like, “Where's the meetup point?” I'm always worried that I'm going to miss the meetup. It's never been a problem. Usually, they always say, “The leader is going to either hold a sign or they're going to be wearing a brand of shirt of some kind.” I came back from Ireland and we had to meet in Belfast in a small out of the way bus station. There was a bus station and the train station and they're both connected by a hallway. I was walking back and forth a couple of times through it because the leader was late by five to ten minutes. I was worried like, “Am I missing this tour? What's going on?” I ended up seeing, “There she is.” She ended up walking through and she was trying to find parking because parking was limited in that station. Everyone nearby walked up and said, “I'm part of this group.” I get nervous for the meetup, but once the meetup is done, we all say hello, and we're all like, “Let’s go. Let's do this.” By the end of the trip, we're all saying our goodbyes and saying, “It was a pleasure to meet you and this was fun,” and everything. If you're worried about traveling solo, to sum it up, it's good because you're going to be with other people who are like-minded, possibly other solo travelers, and you don't have to worry too much about the organization. Everything's planned out for you. You just got to get to the location. You make a good point. When you use a tour company, they pretty much take you by the hand. You don't have to worry about the logistics of getting to the different places, which can be quite complicated, particularly if you're traveling solo and you can't juggle cars or whatnot. It makes it a lot easier for you, plus you're solo but with company. In certain countries like I'm about to take an Italy trip. I was going to take a few days ahead of the tour to visit some of the cities and I sat and planned. That was fun now because I can quickly look up, “I can take the train from Rome to Venice. That sounds good.” What hotels are nearby and whatever? I'll just join. My whole plan is I've got to get to where I meet the tour in Venice. After that, all I’ve got to care about is my flight home is the day they drop us off like, “That's it, done. I don't have to plan anymore.” If you're new to the program, I do a Travel Planner for each of the destinations that we cover on the show.You can download these for free by going to the page for each corresponding destinationor go to the directory page and click on the destination and get it from there. If you sign up for my monthly newsletter, you will get them automatically for free. It's my way to help you plan your adventures with confidence. It will have weather information, safety information, recommended tour companies and suggested itineraries. Everything on a handy, usually a two-page printer-friendly with active links document so that you have on one piece of paper everything you need to know and do to plan your adventure. How about we finish up with you sharing some of your favorite stories from your trips. When I name off some of the adventures I know you've taken, can you tell us your favorite go-to story when you think about that destination? Let's start with Annapurna, which is one of my most popular episodes. For those unfamiliar with Annapurna, it's in Nepal. I wanted to see the Himalayas. I didn't want to do Everest because I had already done Kilimanjaro. I was climbing so high to see altitude for the sake of saying I climbed it. That's not on my bucket list anymore. Annapurna, that whole circuit was very beautiful. You see a lot of mountains one after the other. Each one beautiful and the highlight was completing it, getting to Annapurna base camp. I forget the altitude offhand, but that was actually a trek. We had pretty good weather and we got up early one day and saw the sunrise over. I got some great photos of the sunrise over the Himalayas and that was probably the best. It was maybe not of the hiking part, but it was interesting being in the city of Kathmandu, the capital city. It was quite interesting that it was organized chaos on the roads. The section where we went, the Thamel area, where there are a lot of trekkers. The roads are very narrow and everyone was walking around. It was quite a cultural experience to see how people every day get up and do this, but from a hiking standpoint, every day had more beautiful views than the next. What about your first adventure trip to New Zealand? My favorite location, I enjoyed the area where we went to Milford Sound. It was very beautiful. It rained that morning and then it stopped. Our guide had told us this is perfect. When it rains there will be a lot more waterfalls that you'll see because a lot of them just trickle or whatever while it's sunny out. When it rains and after the rain, you'll see a lot. That was beautiful walking around that area. I also enjoyed Mount Aspiring National Park. That one we walked in and we camped in a hut for a night. It snowed that night. On the way back it was snow covered. It’s not a lot. It was maybe an inch or two, but it was cool to have pictures going one way where it's all green grass and clear, and coming back, everything was snow covered. It was beautiful. How about your Galapagos adventure? Did you do just the Galapagos or did you also do mainland Ecuador? I did both. In terms of hiking, I enjoyed the mainland better without a doubt. I can't remember the town we were in, but it was a town down in the jungle. We did what was called reverse canyoning, which is climbing up waterfalls. These waterfalls aren't like the raging waterfall. They are not the Niagara Falls type waterfalls. It was an awesome and challenging, but not too challenging, hike through the rainforest. They told us ahead of time, “You're going to get wet. If your camera isn't waterproof, don't bring it.” It was nice. It was a three-hour hike to where we were going through rivers and up the waterfalls and whatever. It was an hour or two off the trail that was dry to get back to where we were. The Galapagos itself, honestly, the best thing was snorkeling and Kicker Rock. We came up close with hammerhead sharks and they said, “You don't need to worry.” There were quite a few times where I was like, "Are you sure we don't need to worry?" Swimming and seeing, I saw at least three types of sharks. There's a Galapagos shark. The whitetip reef was the other one. We saw quite a lot. There were tons of wildlife in this little area snorkeling. We spotted eagle rays. They are beautiful, that’s another thing. I can't say enough how awesome the sea turtles looked. Everyone that I saw was beautiful. Whether it was sitting still in the areas where we saw them resting or whether they're swimming. The Galapagos, hands down. It was the snorkeling. We did hike a couple of spots, but these hikes were nothing compared to the mainland. You've made some killer trips. How about Patagonia? The biggest accomplishment with Patagonia was definitely the W Trek. That was difficult. It was the second hardest trek I've been on because the way we did it was the first day we go up to Torres del Paine or The Towers of Blue. That was twenty kilometers total round trip. That was the first day and by the end of the day, everything was hurting. I was like, “We've got four more days of this? What did I sign up for?” After that, the next day was only eleven kilometers and it was mostly flat. That was a joke there. They always would say mostly flat. It was never properly flat. It was always ups and downs all over the place. That’s the whole completing the W Trek. After the second day, I was like, “This wasn't too bad. I'm going to do this.” I've never backed down from a hike before. “I'm doing this.” The very last day was beautiful viewpoints over the huge Grey Glacier. That was the biggest accomplishment and the best hike of the Patagonia trip. When is your next adventure? I'm going to Italy and hiking the Dolomites. It's my first trekking in mainland Europe. I've trekked in Ireland and I've trekked in Scotland, but I've never trekked in mainland Europe. It's been on my bucket list and I'm doing it. I'm sure you're going to enjoy that. Annie who I interviewed on the Dolomites, who has traveled the world and done amazing adventures all over the world, said that was the perfect trip. It was the perfect mix of culture, food, hiking people, everything. She said it's marvelous. I'm looking forward to it for that reason. Do you have any final thoughts for our readers? The only thing I can think of is if you're worried about solo traveling, just do it. Go with a tour company. You don't have to organize it completely by yourself. That sounds like a daunting task even for me now. Do it. You won't regret it. I agree because you can plan regular travel on your own but trying to plan the logistics for adventure travel is super difficult. I always recommend using a small group tour company. Seeing some of the trips I've been on, there's no way I would've been able to know to do some of these things or been able to organize it. There are a lot of logistics going on there with fees and permits and all that. Not only is planning an adventure trip logistically difficult oftentimes, particularly in foreign countries, but it can also save you money by using a small group tour company. You don't have to rent all the different vehicles and hire different guides in different places. It's all planned for you and you have the benefit of having other people help share that expense. It's been great having Jackie, Jason and Monica on the program to help share their insights in solo travel. I'd like to share with you some of the rules that I've made for myself now that I'm doing solo travel. These are in no particular order and many don't apply if you're with a small group tour because all this is taken care for you. If I'm truly traveling solo, here are some of my rules. I want to know where I'm staying that night by noon. I don't mind winging it and figuring out my itinerary and such when I get to a place, but I want to know where I'm going to rest my head. I'll make sure I book something at least by noon of the day that I'm going to be staying somewhere. I make sure I arrived before dark, in case I get lost or run into some other complication. I always keep my eyes on my food and drink, making sure they don't leave my sight. I don't go to the restroom and leave my drink on the table so I don't have to worry about somebody slipping a drug into it. I'm careful of overly friendly locals, particularly if they have no reason to be overly helpful. You might find somebody on a bus or a train that says, “Let's share a cab,” or they're all of a sudden your best friend. Often that could be a setup for a con that it's their partner in crime that you're “sharing the cab” with. Be a little bit cautious about that. Get your hotel to call you a taxi or take the ride share programs like Uber or Lyft and use somebody that's got multiple stars. When you get to an area, ask the locals about the area. Show them a paper map and have them circle areas that you should avoid. When traveling, always be aware and keep mindful of your situation. Be aware of who's around you and if the hairs rise in the back of your neck, your subconscious has seen something that you may not even be aware of. Take action and don't be afraid to make noise telling somebody to back off or make a scene. I know we're raised to be polite, but that is not the time to be polite. That’s the time for you to make a commotion. When you're in an area particularly if you don't know, always have an exit plan. Figure out how do you get out of the situation should something arise. Make sure somebody knows where you're going to be and what time you should be there and at what time they should raise the red alert. If you're traveling internationally and don't want to use up your data, still periodically turn on your phone so that your phone registers the GPS of your last known location. If you're not sure if solo travel is for you, try doing what I call doing the plus one. Wherever you are in your comfort zone, push it a little bit so that way you stretch your boundaries. Build up your courage, build up your self-confidence, and get the benefits that I keep talking about by doing this travel. You're not going to regret it. If you've never taken a trip by yourself, why don't you try going for a weekend? It doesn't have to be some big exotic place. Go someplace by yourself for a weekend and see what it's like. Maybe after that, you'll have the courage to try a week and then perhaps after that you might try going on some international trip. Each time you do it, push yourself just a little bit more outside of your comfort zone. In all the times I've traveled and all the places I've gone, I truly have never had an incident that I can even relay to a problem. You heard the same thing from our guests, particularly Jackie who has been everywhere, has never had an incident and she's been doing this for many years. We also talked about a whole bunch of destinations. You can go to the directory page and click on any of the different destinations and see all the cool places we've covered on this program. Finally, I'd like to ask you, as I'm planning the adventures that we're going to be doing, can you reach out to me? I don't care if it's email at Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com, via Facebookor our Facebook group, at Twitter @Kit_Parks, on Instagram, @Parks.Kit. Let me know where you do want to go so I can put together the programs that you need to plan your next big adventure. I will be back with another great adventure. Until then, this is Kit Parks, adventure on. Important Links: Traveling Jackie The Budget-Minded Traveler Travelling Jackie blog CouchSurfing Active Adventures Cotswold Way– Past episode Galapagos– Past episode Mont Blanc– Past episode Dolomite– Past episode Safety– Past episode Kilimanjaro– Past episode Directory Page– Active Travel Adventures Annapurna– Past episode Patagonia– Past episode Kit@ActiveTravelAdventures.com Facebook– Active Travel Adventures Facebook group- Active Travel Adventures Closed Group @Kit_Parks- Twitter @Parks.Kit- Instagram Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Active Travel Adventures Community: activetraveladventures.com Active Travel Adventures Facebook Page Active Travel Adventures Facebook Group Active Travel Adventures Twitter Active Travel Adventures Instagram Active Travel Adventures YouTube Kit Parks LinkedIn

Jackie Nourse is the host of the international hit podcast JUMP with Traveling Jackie, and she is the founder of The Budget-Minded Traveler, an award-winning blog and community designed to encourage and equip US-Americans to travel overseas. She also hosts adventure trips and retreats for her audience, leads mentorship programs for women, and blogs about adventure travel and lifestyle at TravelingJackie.com. She is a four-time study abroad alum, a linguist (with five languages and counting), and a serial expat. Her work has been featured by Self, Business Insider, Forbes, and more.

Jackie Nourse is a serial expat, linguist (5 languages and counting!), and four-time study alum. She is also the host of the hit podcast JUMP with Traveling Jackie and the founder of the award-winning blog, The Budget-Minded Traveler. Through the Budget-Minded Traveler platform, Jackie provides comprehensive online courses that teaches helpful and practical tips so others can travel the way she does. Having mastered the art of traveling and living on a budget has allowed Jackie to continue traveling on a consistent basis. Nowadays, she hosts retreats and adventure trips for her audience, blogs about her life and adventure travels at Traveling Jackie, and leads mentorship programs for women. Fueled by an insatiable wanderlust, Jackie is passionate about helping and encouraging others (particularly US citizens) to get out and see the world in a realistic, rewarding, affordable, and sustainable manner.   This week’s episode talks about ways to effectively (and easily) learn a new language, understanding blogging as a business, and establishing one’s brand and name. Jackie also shares how she discovered the adventure travel scene, what people get when they flex their courage muscles and put themselves out there, and how she deals with loneliness. For those who want to learn a new language, Jackie offers the following insight, “Listening is the key to fluency.”

What is one of the most important habits you can develop that will allow you to live a life of travel? Tune in today as my friend Jackie, from Jump Travel Podcast (formerly the budget minded traveler podcast), stops by for a series of pop up travel questions. We each came up with 3 different travel questions that we are going to riff on....but neither of us knows each other’s questions. On today's Zero To Travel episode, you'll hear Jackie answer my 3 questions. And then over at her Jump Travel Podcast, you'll hear me answer Jackie's 3 questions. This is going to be fun so be sure to check out both podcasts to get some off the cuff insights on creating the best travel experience. You'll Learn: How to build courage muscles. What can totally reframe the things you are uncomfortable with. Ways to open up someone else's entire world to you. One thing that has the potential to change even the smallest situations. What can be so freeing when you travel. And so much more! Resources: AeroPress. The Budget Minded Traveler. Lakes Route | Switzerland Tourism. BikeTours. Location Indie. Looking for more Z2T Podcasts? Check out the archives now! Featured image courtesy of @travelingjackie

Many people visit Quebec City for its 400 year old architecture and historical charm, but did you know it is an amazing outdoor adventure travel destination.  You can hike Quebec's hundreds of miles of trails, bike Quebec province for miles upon miles of dedicated trails (including the Blueberry Trail),  you can paddle in Quebec's stunning fjords plus challenge yourself on the via Ferrata.  Quebec takes adventure seriously and has an amazing array of experiences for you to explore! Multi-Sport Adventure Travel Quebec Province Hike Quebec: Quebec province has HUNDREDS of miles of hiking trails in its STUNNING National Parks Bike Quebec: North America's longest cycling network with over 5000 km of bike trails and paths Kayak Quebec: Sea kayak the Saint Lawrence river or through the Sagueney fjord Whitewater Raft Quebec: Jacques Cartier river Horeseback ride Quebec: on a ranch or even along the International Appalachian trail Plus ALL the winter sports! Quebec Province National Parks The Quebec province is blessed with absolutely stunning landscapes and showcases them through its well maintained National Parks. Be sure to allot time to explore Jackie Noure's (our guest) favorite park:  Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.  Here's a link to more park info. Quebec Adventure Travel Itinerary Jackie recommends renting a car so you don't waste precious time going back and forth each day from the city.  She suggests the following intineray: Day One:  Explore Quebec City Day Two:  Day trip from Quebec - bike to Mt. Morency Falls Day Three through Six:  Charlevoix  Day Seven and Eight:  Saguenay National Park and the fjords Montmorency Falls Jackie recommends taking a day trip biking to Montmorency Falls from Quebec City. It's a great place for a picnic! You can readily rent a bike, so no need to pack your own. Jackie Tackles her Fear of Heights Need an adrenaline rush? Consider one of the Quebec area's eight via ferratas! A via ferrata is a rock face that you climb using metal supports.  You are harnessed in and use carbunkles so it's pretty safe, even though your heart pounding will tell you otherwise. Choose from beginner, intermediate or advanced via ferratas. We first learned about via ferratas in our Dolomites episode of the Active Travel Adventures podcast.  Check it out here. Build Your "Grit Bone" in Quebec! Here at Active Travel Adventures, I encourage you to push yourself...  to do a  "+1" of your previous experience to help grow your Grit Bone (and Jackie calls her Courage Muscle"). Areas you can push yourself include longer distances, slightly more challenging heights or elevation gains.  You can also challenge yourself by perhaps roughing it more than you are used to. Every time your stretch yourself, you build your self confidence and feel an exhilerating empowerment, all while enjoying spectacular landscape and wildlife. Quebec's Annual Music Festival : July If you love the music scene, Jackie recommends timing your visit to coincide with the music festival held each summer. You'll most often find Jackie hanging out on Instagram at Traveling Jackie, a travel and lifestyle blog. Be sure to follow her incredible adventures!  @travelingjackie  Jackie's other portal is her Budget Minded Traveler blog and podcast. Here you'll find all sorts of practical travel and money saving tips. Be sure to subscribe - it's one of my fav's! Jackie's Budget Minded Traveler Facebook Community   Here's a great place to ask questions and makes friends with other travelers.   Other Resources: Here are some other good resources to help plan your trip. Quebec Tourism Board [Quebec Region] Quebec Province Toursim Board Quebec Adventure Outdoor I'd love to learn more about how you like to travel so I can provide the most helpful information  Could you please spare less than three minutes to take a quick, ten question multiple choice anonymous survey ?  Thanks!!! Thanks and never hesitate to email me if I can help in any way. Adventure On!  Kit www.ActiveTravelAdventures.com Host of the Active Travel Adventures podcast Twitter @Kit_Parks Facebook Group: Active Travel Adventures Instagram: parks.kit Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-parks-82b99498/

What is the long-term travel yo-yo and how can it enhance your life? Today you get a special visit from a fellow travel podcaster, Jackie Nourse.  She runs The Budget Minded Traveler and you can find her adventures in travel and life at Traveling Jackie. She stops by to share: The value of solo travel How your mode of transportation changes the travel experience Going from settling to nomad and nomad to settling How she built her life around travel and tips on how you can do it too Tune In To Learn: The best mindset for adventure travel What forces you to reflect on big life questions How to be comfortable and embrace the long term travel lifestyle Ways to stay true to who you are How solo travel expedites your reflection process How to create the best content And so much more! Resources: Pimsleur Learning- free 7 day trial (for those based in the USA) The Paradise Pack The Budget Minded Traveler Traveling Jackie My Italian Kitchen: A REAL Pasta Carbonara Recipe BMT 63: Find Your Courage Through Solo Travel: Jackie’s Story Bike Tours The Budget Minded Traveler Blueprint Featured image courtesy of @travelingjackie Head over to the archives for more Zero To Travel Podcasts!

Hayden & Jackie ramble about: Technology, AirBnb, language learning, Sprenchtalianish, how The Budget Minded Traveler and Travel Stories Podcast have changed & authenticity. It's Thursday, we're checking in with Hayden and his nomadic motorcycle journey through every country in mainland Europe and celebrating two years of TSP & four years of BMT. Resources: Follow Hayden on Instagram: Podcast Masters (http://www.podcastmasters.net/) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/backpackdigital/message

This was such a fun interview! Being an avid traveler, I wanted to find out all of the secrets to traveling without breaking the bank. This week, Jackie Norse tells us how to do it! Jackie Nourse is the founder and host of The Budget-Minded Traveler, an award-winning blog, podcast, and community designed to encourage and equip Americans to travel overseas. Oh and she is also a three-time study abroad alum, author, linguist (four languages and counting), and serial expat. Traveling is such a big part of my life. I want it to be a big part of yours as well, inexpensively while still being fun! Jackie's wisdom will help you get there. We jammed on: How to get started with planning a trip How to save money for your dream trip Learn how to save money on the booking process and accommodations The perks of traveling alone Which airlines allow your friend to fly for free Learn all about Jackie's nomadic lifestyle Show notes: http://www.margaretromero.com/episode60  

“The mission of the group, in one sentence, is that this is a place to ask travel questions, share travel advice, and ultimately encourage one another to travel the world sooner than later.” – Jackie Nourse Today's guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is a traveler, an adventurer, an explorer who has mastered the art of traveling and living on a budget. She is on a mission to bring more people into the world of travel and experience the power of wanderlust. Jackie Nourse is the founder of The Budget-Minded Traveler, a space for travelers with diverse experiences to share their journey and learn from one another. She is also known as Traveling Jackie, which is the name of her second blog, where she recounts all her travel experiences for the world to witness and be inspired. Living a nomadic life for several years, she acquires vast knowledge on the “how”, “what”, “where” of traveling. During the episode, she explains why she has two blogs and what these blogs are for. She gives out amazing tips for those who wish to travel and see the world. She will be leading an adventure to Patagonian – and she welcomes everyone to join. What you will learn on this episode: Why does she have two travel blogs How her blog evolved over the years Difference between The Budget-Minded Traveler and Traveling Jackie How much money she makes out of her blog How she uses SEO to drive her business How she runs adventure events How she gets sponsorship Tips for Oktoberfest How she runs her Facebook community Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode): The Budget-Minded Traveler on Facebook on Instagram on Twitter on YouTube on Pinterest   Traveling Jackie on Facebook on Instagram on Twitter on YouTube on Pinterest on LinkedIn You might also like these episodes: AOA 157 | Mike Spencer Bown | The World's Most Traveled Man AOA 163 | Travis Sherry | Travel More, Spend Less | Extra Pack of Peanuts AOA 153 | Matt Bailey | Travel Hacking and the Limitless Lifestyle AOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every Country AOA 055 | Ladan Jiracek | Travel Wisdom From 80 Countries AOA 118 | Chris Guillebeau | Born For This – Find the Work You Were Meant to Do AOA 052 | Ben Keene | Creating Tribes Around The World When Jackie and I met up in Baja, Mexico

Jackie Nourse – better known as Traveling Jackie – is a woman-of-all-trades in the budget travel arena. Through her website and podcast “The Budget-Minded Traveler,” she is on a mission to inspire Americans to travel sooner rather than later. She is a wealth of information when it comes to taking the leap to travel abroad, and as a global craft beer seeker, she has seen more than her fair share of great brews throughout her own journeys as well. A new resident to Boulder, CO, Jackie took us to Upslope Brewing Company for this episode where we plowed through a flight as we discussed beer, travel, beer mixed with travel, and plenty of other best practices from booking accommodations to the only proper technique for shotgunning a beer…

In today's episode, I have Jackie Nourse from Budget Minded Traveller on the show to share some of her travel stories... Yes this is a travel stories episode!!Jackie Nourse is a lifestyle adventurer and multimedia traveler. She writes at Traveling Jackie and is the founder and host of The Budget-Minded Traveler blog, podcast, and community. She is a three-time study abroad alum, author, linguist (four languages and counting), and serial expat. Her work has been featured on USA TODAY, Forbes, Yahoo, and more.I loved chatting with Jackie! She's such an interesting person!We got to talk a lot about Argentina! Jackie spend some time living in Patagonia and I use to be a semi-pro Argentine Tango dancer so of course I'd love to visit Buenos Aires at some point.I know you've all been looking forward to another travel stories episode... And here you go!Enjoy dudes and dudettes!*fist bump*Show Notes: https://TMDshow.com/32FB Community: http://DudeBrood.com

In today's episode, I have Jackie Nourse from Budget Minded Traveller on the show to share some of her travel stories... Yes this is a travel stories episode!!Jackie Nourse is a lifestyle adventurer and multimedia traveler. She writes at Traveling Jackie and is the founder and host of The Budget-Minded Traveler blog, podcast, and community. She is a three-time study abroad alum, author, linguist (four languages and counting), and serial expat. Her work has been featured on USA TODAY, Forbes, Yahoo, and more.I loved chatting with Jackie! She's such an interesting person!We got to talk a lot about Argentina! Jackie spend some time living in Patagonia and I use to be a semi-pro Argentine Tango dancer so of course I'd love to visit Buenos Aires at some point.I know you've all been looking forward to another travel stories episode... And here you go!Enjoy dudes and dudettes!*fist bump*Show Notes: https://TMDshow.com/32FB Community: http://DudeBrood.com

Can a traveler have a home base? What does stability mean to an adventurer? Is the push-pull siren call of the two different traveling worlds surmountable? Derek Loudermilk, host of The Art of Adventure, answers all of these questions and more, unprompted and in depth. Derek is a father, a digital nomad, and a traveler who believes in the power of dichotomy and travels with his infant son, Axel. An adventurer and a businessman, Derek seeks to help others who have the elusive dream of becoming location-independent. Between the jungles of Bali, his wife’s nesting abilities, and his location independence set of skills, Derek is never far from home. The Magic Tree Derek Loudermilk’s story takes place in the jungles of central Bali, in one of his favorite regions - in the central highlands, in a place called Bedugul. This space is very primal for him, and he loves to spend time up there to connect with nature, which he believes can make a person more creative, confident, and self-aware. During one afternoon walk in the jungles, Derek experienced a surprising connection with nature: upon entering a clearing with an ancient, massive tree, and placing his hands on the tree, he got an electro-emotional shock. He says the tree was trying to tell him something. When he put his hands on the tree again, it happened a second time, with Derek experiencing a flood of emotions, sweating, and crying. What happened when he was given time alone with the tree would change Derek’s life from thereon out, as well as his work and his further wellbeing. The Best of Both Worlds: Travel Edition Hayden met Derek Loudermilk when they both guested on The Budget-Minded Traveler, and Hayden realized how interesting, curious, and unique he was. Derek has lived on four continents, and he values traveling slowly and getting to know the culture. Derek is a wholehearted believer in the power of music. He and Hayden share their stories on the topic, with Derek giving a bit of insight into his father and different ways to make music on the go. In regards to his father and the rest of his family, Derek remembers the time he spent camping and traveling as a child. His family wanted to travel somewhere new every year when he was young, which led to his love of exploration, which he now wishes to pass onto his infant son, Axel, whom he travels with now. Axel is a zen child who likes to travel, which leads Hayden and Derek to explore the effects of traveling from infancy on a person. Derek believes in showing Axel the best of both worlds. People’s lives can change in a single moment and take them on a new track in life, a new direction, and traveling can help people discover their own self-identity. Saying yes to opportunities can open doors to potential paths, but saying no can create a permanence that allows you stability; this dichotomy, Derek says, is an interesting push-pull that can be necessary to create the life you want to live and to get stuff done. Going on your own hero’s journey and experiencing and learning and growing is a path only you can take for... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/backpackdigital/message

If you change your thinking, you can change your actions. Hayden wholeheartedly believes in this philosophy, and it was this philosophy that led him to trying to never say no. It was his decision to always say yes to adventures that led him to his love on the Ganges. Hosted by Jackie Nourse of The Budget-Minded Traveler, Hayden Lee shares how he started the Travel Stories Podcast, how sharing stories can help bring a place or a feeling to someone who has never experienced it, and how to integrate your travel life with your daily life. He also talks about catching dengue fever, the growth travel can bring you, and the way to capitalize on the roles you take on while you travel. He believes in “minis,” or mini-romances, as much as he believes in saying yes to everything, and finding perfect moments while traveling. Most of all, though, Hayden believes in love at first sight. Hayden’s main attraction is his story, “Love on the Ganges,” a riveting tale of the time Hayden nearly died in the Ganges River while in the Himalayas, and how survival meant making a soul connection with a woman who did not share his language, but did share with him her name. Hayden nearly died on the Ganges, but he came away with a story that brings indescribable feelings of wonder welling up. A soul connection was born in the Ganges, and left Hayden with the belief that if you just say yes, you will experience what you are meant to live. 4:10 - Hayden talks about where it all started, and how he got into traveling in the first place. 6:45 - Hayden goes on to discuss how he got dengue fever, as well as how much India has impacted him as a person. 11:45 - Hayden talks about how stories can help to bring a place or a feeling to someone who has never experienced it. As he tells it, all of your senses go into an experience that can’t be contextualized without your story; when you tell the story to someone, you’re sharing all of your senses with them, and even sharing it with yourself. 14:37 - Hayden considers coming back to normal life and integrating into your daily life the experiences that have changed you and molded during your travels. Primarily, he talks about attempting to hold on to your growth when you come back home. 17:27 - Hayden discusses his goal in starting the Travel Stories Podcast, and how you hold on to the feeling of being a traveler through sharing your stories with those on the same wavelength as you. He believes you experience things differently than everyone else in your life and anyone else traveling and having their own adventures, so he likes to think of his listeners - and himself - as being able to live vicariously through the travel stories told on the podcast. 22:21 - Hayden considers the roles that you have when you travel, and how best to foster your personal growth within your role when traveling and having your adventures. He and Jackie also talk about traveling on your own versus traveling with others, and “exploring yourself as you explore the world.” 27:07 - Hayden starts to tell his story, titled by Jackie as “Love on the Ganges”.

What affects you most about travelling? Is it the smells, the tastes, the sounds? Or is it the sights? As travellers, we cannot help but reminisce to those awe-inspiring views that our eyes have had the good fortune to gaze upon, and their memory never fades. Our guest for this episode, Jackie Nourse (Formerly Laulainen) from the Budget Minded Traveler and TravelingJackie.com gives us her insight into travel, with a fascinating story that will take you on an emotional journey.  As always, she is accompanied by music and sounds that really allow the story to come to life and take us along the journey with Jackie. If you enjoy the show and you’re on iTunes or stitcher, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review. Being a new show, it really does help out a lot, and we do appreciate it! Get in contact: EMAIL: hayden@travelstoriespodcast.com (I answer everything) TWITTER: @travelstoriesuk WEBSITE: www.travelstoriespodcast.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/travelstoriespodcast INSTAGRAM: @travelstoriespodcast Links for episode: BMT on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/budget-minded-traveler-podcast/id847606288 Jackie’s Blog: www.travelingjackie.com Jackie on Twitter: @travelingjackie --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/backpackdigital/message

Today Jason from Zero to Travel, Jackie from Budget Minded Traveler, and Nathaniel from The Daily Travel Show join me to ask each other questions about travel! We discuss food, offices, whether we actually enjoy flying, and a ton more! Get ready for some good stories!

“No matter where you go, make sure you go for at least a year.” After receiving that advice from another traveler, Jackie Laulainen took off for Costa Rica to spend an academic year abroad at just 18. She was immediately enamored with the country and experience, and the effect travel had on her. Today, she is the host of The Budget Minded Traveler’s Podcast, which is helping you to travel more for less. Jackie studied abroad when she was 18, and got hooked on travel as a teenager. She’s lived in Italy, as well as nomadically, moving on every 6 months to somewhere new. She’s been to at least 35 countries, and is an expert in budget travel strategies. Her podcast and website are helping her audience save money in a very practical way while making their travel dreams come true. She also wrote The Aspiring Travelers Handbook, striving to inspire and equip others to travel this beautiful world as well, on a budget. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Soundcloud or TuneIn Explorer's Quote: "There are so many people who go through this world without even trying to see it that if you're one of the few who wants to do it, you have got to do it. You've gotta just go." Jackie's Best Travel Advice: The First Step: “The first step is just deciding to go, and then you have to do it. The hardest thing is the logistics of leaving things behind and once you get there, but don’t worry about that. You are way more resourceful than you realize. You will figure it out. The biggest thing is if you have an interest, even in the slightest, you’ve gotta go… There are so many people who go through this world without even trying to see it, that if you’re one of the few who wants to see it, you’ve gotta do it. You’ve gotta just go. Money Saving Tip: Concentrate on airfare. Aspiring travelers don’t have miles but there are many things you can do to save hundreds or thousands. Packing Tip: Don’t get a huge backpack. Get a small one that fits in overhead luggage. Jackie uses a 50 gallon backpack. Here's her article about how to choose a backpack. Internet Travel Resource: Booking.com and XE Currency Favorite Travel Book: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts Travel Gear: Her travel skirt! Weirdest Food: Guinea Pig Links and Resources mentioned on this show: Jackie's book, The Aspiring Traveler's Handbook  The Budget Minded Traveler website @budgetmtraveler Jackie's episode on how to find the best airfare Credits Music Credit: Move Slow by Felxprod ft. Jess Abran (Myriad Remix), Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static Like the show? I’d love a rating and review! Take action and please share the show! All you have to do is click one of the social sharing buttons at the top of this post. Also please leave a rating or review on iTunes! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple and quick gesture. If you do, click here to let me know so I can personally thank you! Thank you so much for your support! See you next time! The post 48: Learn Languages to Unlock the World with Jackie Laulainen appeared first on The Daily Travel Podcast.

In this episode of The Budget Minded Traveler podcast I interview Sarah Field about her experiences on a year-long hiking trek through South America. Sarah and her friends focused on two unconventional things during their trek: getting sponsors for travel and giving back through science! Find out how they were able to get their gear sponsored and give back by volunteering through Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, collecting data for Pacific Biodiversity Institute along the way. This episode is so jam-packed with good, unique content that your mind will be reeling with possibilities as you listen, just like mine was!  

In this episode of The Budget Minded Traveler podcast, I get into the specifics of exactly how you can use your smartphone abroad. Whether you'd like to take advantage of its Wi-Fi capabilities alone, or enjoy a fully-functioning cell phone in one way or another, this is the ultimate guide to getting the most out of your smartphone overseas.  

This episode of The Budget Minded Traveler podcast is all about one of the traveling world's best kept secrets: Workaway. Find out how the program provides volunteer abroad and cultural exchange opportunities for travelers and hosts worldwide. Easy on the wallet, rich on the experience. If you're interested in budget travel, you must find out about the Workaway opportunity.

In this episode of The Budget Minded Traveler podcast I interview IRONMAN triathlete and world traveler Megan Doerr about eating healthy on the road. Megan has become an expert in packing just the right foods to counter her food sensitivities while she's traveling to the far corners of the world, and she shares all her tips about the foods she packs and why they are the best for travel.

Interview with Jackie Laulainen (founder of TheBudgetMindedTraveler.com) Location-independence is a dream for many entrepreneurs. Being able to work from anywhere in the world—at your home, on the beach, in Thailand or ANYWHERE else—is a sign you have achieved ultimate freedom in your life. I’m guessing you’d jump on a plane tomorrow if you knew the bills were going to be paid while you were gone, right? But here’s what you might not know—you don’t have to be making a ton of money to get started living a life of freedom and traveling the world. On this episode of GFY, I’m chatting with Jackie Laulainen who’s designed her life and business so she can make money while having one amazing adventure after another. Jackie Laulainen a travel blogger at The Budget-Minded Traveler. She has been to more than 37 countries in the last 12 years and is passionate about inspiring and equipping others to travel the world as well…on a budget. She is also the author of The Aspiring Traveler’s Handbook, a step-by-step preparation guide to planning an international trip. Besides traveling the world as often as she can, Jackie does freelance web design from her home in Bozeman, Montana. Today, she’s joining me on the show to talk about what it was like to quit her day job as a legal assistant to work for herself and travel the world full-time. Don’t miss hearing her inspiring story! Cool stuff mentioned in this episode: TheBudgetMindedTraveler.com Simple Start Web Design The Aspiring Traveler’s Handbook (Jackie’s book)   Did this podcast rock your world? If you liked this podcast, leave a review on iTunes!! You will be immediately showered in gold and diamonds and all things sparkly. You’d be a moron to miss out on that, right? Visit www.gofireyourself.com/review to check out the iTunes page. Plus…sharing this episode on social media will undoubtedly add to the glitter fest. Satisfaction is guaranteed. The post GFY 046: Go From a Boring Desk Job to Self-Sufficient World Traveler appeared first on Go Fire Yourself.