Scott Gurian’s emergency evacuation in the Mongol Rally.
Scott during the Mongol Rally - photo credit Scott Gurian
Episode 145 - Travelling With Scott Gurian - Emergency Evacuation On The Mongol Rally
My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode features a fascinating and fun interview with journalist, podcaster, adventurist, and reporter Scott Gurian.
When I delved into my research for Scott, I quickly realized that I would be excited to interview him.
Scott has been a full-time reporter and journalist since his exciting early forays into interviewing locals in Mexico (you can hear more in the episode) when he should have been partying with his college peers.
This guy is different.
Many of Scott’s experiences have been documented in his podcast Far From Home, and when you listen, your ears are in for a treat as they export you right to the very location of Scott’s travels.
He makes you feel immersed in his own experience; that is the beauty of his podcast.
I am so impressed with this reporting and podcast production style that I have inserted a clip from one of his episodes into my own, a first for me!
I am a massive fan of Scott’s style of reporting. He wants authentic experiences, to get to know local people, and to be in the moment.
He is not going through the motions, which many of us can be guilty of.
So, what do we talk about in the episode?
We cover Scott’s history growing up in the USA, how he became interested in travel through maps (like me), his interesting Spring Break experience in Mexico (not Cancun, don’t worry!), his Mongol Rally adventure, the eerie experience at Chernobyl, and his Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru.
We could have talked for days.
Links are below for the episode.
For the rest of the blog, let’s delve into a few topics that piqued my interest.
I can’t find this place on the map! - Scott Gurian in Siberia, photo credit Scott Gurian.
Scott’s podcast experience makes you feel like you are there with him; it's magical!
When we were discussing the logistics of the podcast, Scott suggested that I embed some clips from his podcast, and I thought it was a great idea.
Also, a new one for the podcast.
What really gripped me was his recording of the Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru, which he visited. The rawness of the audio clip gave me the shivers.
I was on edge.
There is suspense, authenticity, ambience and even a sense of worry.
Ayahuasca is a hot topic. Gabor Mate is well known here in Vancouver and has written about his experiences with this kind of experimentation.
It is designed to help you confront your inner demons, let them out, deal with them, and cleanse your mind, body, and soul.
The experience can also make you sick physically.
There is potential for screaming, crying, purging, laughter and many more emotions.
If you want to hear more about Scott’s experience, check out his episode on it here.
Below is a snippet from his episode on my episode with Scott to entice you in.
To finish on Scott’s podcast, I am a huge fan, especially from a geeky point of view.
Producing this type of podcast requires immense creativity, plenty of stories, audio recordings in real-time, engagement with the listener not through many words, and satisfaction with being satisfied that the listener is alongside you in the journey.
Scott, great work!
Scott's experience with Ayahuasca in Peru, I have taken a sample from Scott's podcast episode and embedded it into our conversation for my podcast.
The Mongol Rally was an adventure for Scott, especially as he needed help from the Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency.
Back in my early college days, a group of people from my year at school planned to participate in an adventure called the Mongol Rally.
I did understand that people buy an old, clapped-out car, set off from the UK and head to Mongolia.
I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but now I regret not asking to go on the journey.
Scott did not waste such an opportunity.
The Mongol Rally is 10,000 miles across mountains, deserts, dirt roads and more, spanning multiple countries.
There's no backup, support, or set route; it's just you, your fellow adventurists, and a tiny car you bought from a scrapyard for £11.50.
We nearly didn’t touch on Scott’s evacuation, but with only a matter of miles to go to Ullanbataar, Scott and his brother got into trouble on their journey and had to call on some help.
Have you heard of the Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency?
Nope, nor have I, and I am not sure Scott had either until they turned up to rescue him and his brother from the valley.
Listen to the clip below to hear more.
When travelling along the route, you must expect mishaps as the terrain becomes difficult and the roads troublesome.
Scott even said that the novelty wore off pretty quickly when he was on his tenth time taking the car into the garage to get fixed.
The experiences gained in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia are unique as you drive through villages and towns where no one goes.
You are bound to have stories, and Scott certainly does.
Scott’s Far From Home Podcast details all the stories and feelings of the Mongol Rally in Season 1, which can be found here.
When you hear Scott’s stories on this episode, I promise it will make you want to try something similar to this adventure.
Episode 145 - Travelling With Scott Gurian Trailer
Scott’s travel philosophy is how I want to be when travelling the world.
Scott’s natural ability to hone in on a story or to find an angle for one wherever he goes in the world is inspirational.
In the age of people only travelling to increase their country ‘number’ or to get that viral reel on social media, or to be paid only for travelling, it can be soul-destroying.
However, Scott bucks this trend.
He will only slow travel.
He will find a story, which he can then pitch to any of the publications he has written for in the past. He won’t wait to be paid or for someone to give him the green light on an idea.
He will make an idea a reality.
Scott is not interested in the number of countries travelled to as the experiences mean more to him.
Everything Scott said about travel resonates with me, and I don’t find too many people like that in relation to myself.
Thanks, Scott, for taking the time to come on the podcast.
See you somewhere in the world someday.
Check out my latest YouTube episode in Oman.
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Who is Scott Gurian?
For me, being a journalist isn't so much a career as it is a vocation. Granted, journalism is rarely a 9 to 5 profession for any busy reporter, but I try to go even further by focusing primarily on stories that get me and my audience out in the field and into the middle of the action, from trailing the Zapatista Indians across Mexico to interviewing protestors while choking on tear gas in Quebec, waking up at 4am to speak with tourists making a sunrise pilgrimage to Cambodia's Buddhist temples, or sleeping on a couch in a shelter with storm victims in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in expanding my horizons and pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, whether it's trying strange foods, learning new languages, or venturing to unusual places where typical travelers rarely go.
I'm not just trying to do participatory journalism for my own thrill and enjoyment, though. Rather, I've always felt a need to venture off the beaten track to seek out people and places whose stories and voices are rarely presented -- at least to American listeners and readers -- so people can hear what they have to say.
When I first started out in radio, I learned that the best sound is that which takes listeners places and forces them to use their imagination -- conjuring up vivid mental images of the people and places they hear -- so I'm also on a constant mission to find interesting and creative ways to use audio and good writing to make my stories come more alive.
Conflict is the heart of any good story, and I don't always necessarily agree with everyone I meet on my journeys, but I revel in the challenge of putting myself in their shoes and trying to understand why they feel the way they do.
Here's a little about my background:
Currently, I’m the host and producer of Far From Home, an immersive, first-person, documentary-style travel and culture podcast that aims to take listeners outside their comfort zones and bring them along on unexpected adventures and chance encounters with interesting people around the world. On past episodes, I’ve driven 18,000 miles from the UK to Mongolia and back, visited Iran as an American tourist, wandered through abandoned buildings in Chernobyl, and participated in a hallucinogenic healing ceremony in Peru.
Before launching my podcast, I worked for nearly two decades as an interviewer, reporter, editor, and producer, covering everything from breaking news to features, investigations and documentaries, on topics ranging from politics to arts and culture.
Between 2012 and 2015, I reported extensively on New Jersey's long-term recovery from Superstorm Sandy for both NJ Spotlight and WNYC/NJ Public Radio. Along with a series of stories from my colleagues at WNYC, my investigation into the state's misallocation of storm resiliency money was recognized with a Peabody award.
Prior to Sandy, I was a producer at The Takeaway, a national, daily radio news program co-produced by WNYC and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The New York Times and WGBH Boston.
I also spent five years as News Director at public radio station KGOU in Norman, Oklahoma, where I covered everything from the Oklahoma City bombing anniversary and political wrangling at the state capitol to tornadoes and the annual prison rodeo.
I learned much of what I know in the radio documentary program at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.
My reporting has taken me around the world, including to Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Mongolia. It's aired on NPR, the BBC, and dozens of public radio programs, as well as stations around the country.
You can check out my LinkedIn profile at the link below or check out my complete resume.
This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Spreaker, and anywhere you get your podcasts!