Hey everyone, James here!

I recently spent a month travelling around Central America, and I have some amazing memories from my time there, which I will share later in this blog.

During my trip, I was still releasing episodes with guest interviews, and even though there were no blogs to accompany them, you could still find those episodes on my channel through your podcast player of choice.

Therefore, my blog has gotten behind schedule, so I am trying to catch up.

My 168th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Kristen Van Nest, a comedian, author and adventure traveller.

Welcome back to the Winging It Travel Podcast, where we celebrate the magic and chaos of travel!

My 163rd guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Amy Suto, a full-time digital nomad, freelance writer, published author, and ghostwriter.

In a world that often praises hustle culture and the pursuit of traditional career paths, it’s rare to come across a story that defies the norms with such grace and authenticity.

Amy Suto's journey is one of those rare stories—an inspiring evolution from the bright lights of Hollywood to the quiet, enriching corners of Europe as a freelance digital nomad. Amy’s path is not just about changing careers or moving across continents; it’s about reclaiming control over her life, prioritizing well-being, and redefining success on her own terms.

My 162nd guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Spencer Howard, the founder of Straight to the Points, which searches for premium award availability and flight deals to popular international destinations

Imagine jet-setting across the world in business or first class, staying in luxurious hotels, and creating unforgettable travel experiences—all without breaking the bank.

My 161st guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Doni Belau, the founder of Girl’s Guide to the World, which specializes in group tours for women.

This pioneering women-only tour company has been empowering female travellers since 2009.

Doni shares her personal travel experiences, recounting how her childhood adventures laid the groundwork for her passion for cultural immersion and adventure travel.

With Girls Guide to the World now boasting over 60 unique tours across 40 countries, this innovative company focuses on creating unforgettable travel experiences that foster connection and personal growth among women.

My 160th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Leah Arao from the Ticket 2 Anywhere Podcast and a travel creator with LAinFlight.

Leah’s heritage is Filipino, and in honor of American-Filipino month, we deep-dived into the Philippines to talk about the best places for you to see and all the tips and tricks needed to travel there.

Leah’s travel journey has been fascinating. She grew up in LA with Filipino parents and initially rejected a chance to travel to Argentina (more on that later) before traveling the world as a digital nomad.

My 159th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Laura, known as Lo On The Road, who comes on to talk about her food tours in Dublin and Florence.

Laura grew up in Northern British Columbia to Italian parents. At the age of 26, she made the leap to travel solo to Europe, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Growing up in a family restaurant, Laura was constantly exposed to excellent, especially Italian food.

After a stint nannying in Florence, owning a cafe in Dublin, and working for various companies, she now runs food tours in Dublin and Florence in her unique style; hence, the name ‘Unconventional’ is in the title.

My 158th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Lisette Alvarez who joined me for an in-person interview at Podcast Movement to discuss Cuba.

Lisette is a Cuban-American who has visited the country and shares about Cuban culture and how to travel there.

We discuss Lisette's background as a military kid, her cultural identity, and the historical context surrounding her travel to Cuba.

My 157th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Neil Laird, a TV producer, novelist, documentary maker, and avid traveller.

Neil Laird is LGBTQIA+ and a multiple Emmy-nominated director of historical films for Discovery, BBC, PBS, History Channel, National Geographic, and many other networks.

For 25 years, he has produced over 1000 hours of "non-fiction" films about the ancient world whilst travelling to over 70 countries. His films feature crumbling Egyptian tombs, lost Mayan cities, and mysterious shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.

My 156th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Chip Walter, the Vagabond Adventurer. Chip is a storyteller, National Geographic Explorer, and author who takes an epic journey, exploring all seven continents—never by jet.

Sharing it one day, one culture, one experience at a time. Chip has completed 600 days of exploring across seven continents and 120,000+ miles, with much more to come in 2024 going into 2025.

Chip has such a fascinating life story, having worked in the 24-hour newsrooms of the USA when it was in its infancy, traveled the world making documentaries, written multiple books, and now travels the world.

My 155th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Shafik Meghji, a returning guest and award-winning journalist, travel writer, author, editor, broadcaster, and photographer.

Shafik first appeared on the podcast in 2023 to discuss Bolivia, a place both of us hold dear to our hearts.

It was such a good conversation that we agreed to do another on Patagonia, so here we are.

Shafik is based in South London but has traveled extensively in South America for the last twenty years, writing guidebooks and articles for the region, which you can read on his website.

He also lived in Buenas Aires for a year in the early days, so he understands the vibes of places in South America and is an expert.

My 154th guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast is with Tony R. Vega, a legally blind creator with impaired vision. I was stoked when he asked me to come on the podcast to talk about his journey.

Tony explains his level of blindness to give us an idea of what he can and can not see. This is crucial to Tony’s life and his travel adventures in Hawaii, specifically Japan.

One of the most extraordinary journeys he has undertaken is the 500km Tokaido Road between Kyoto and Tokyo, a stunning achievement.

My 152nd guest episode on the Winging It Travel Podcast features Dave Seminara, the author of Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed, and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth, which I read a few years back.

Dave is a returning guest; honestly, he is welcome back at any point. I find Dave super fascinating to listen to, and one day, I hope we can collaborate on YouTube.

When planning my 2023 year-long trip, I wanted a book to pique my wanderlust, so I searched Google and found Mad Travelers. In 2022, I read the whole thing in a matter of days, and it is on my list to read again.

This book absolutely hooked me, so I had to ask Dave to come on the podcast. He duly did, providing a great episode about his book and the extreme traveler community. You can find that episode here.

My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode features Marie DeCosee, the founder and CEO of NOMAD Travel Groups.

Marie joined me for a conversation about her new venture, NOMAD Travel Group, a home exchange platform designed for everyone.

We all know the big hitters in this industry, such as AirBnb and Couchsurfing, but I was keen to hear more about how this platform will be different from those businesses.

My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode features Erin Hynes, also known as Pina Travels, who hosts the Curious Tourism Podcast.

Erin came on to the podcast to talk about her round-the-world trip in 2024, during which she visited countries such as Tanzania, Greece, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and more!

I was keen to get Erin back on the podcast (she is a returning guest) to hear about her trip, but I also wanted to ask some deeper questions about travel and how she views the world of travel after her trip.

Hello, and welcome to Episode 150 with Ross Borden, the founder and CEO of Matador Network. First of all, thanks for joining me on this journey to the 150th guest episode; it has been unreal!

So, what a way to finish the first 150 episodes with a special episode with Ross, who has created one of the biggest online travel brands in Matador Network? Matador is the leading online travel publisher with over 140 million monthly video views. Fast Company has named it one of 2024's Most Innovative Companies for its groundbreaking use of AI to create the most accessible and accurate AI travel assistance, Guidegeek.

In this episode, we will discuss Matador's humble beginnings at the top of a mountain in Peru, why Ross turned down a finance internship to work with a travel company in Kenya, how he befriended a travel agent in Madrid to travel Europe for free while improving the agent's sales, and one of his favourite experiences swimming with whales in Tonga.

We discuss Matador Network's current trajectory with Guidegeek, the AI travel assistant. We talk about how AI can change travel in the future and why we should embrace it. Ross is currently one of the leading people in travel using AI. 

It is an episode combining wanderlust and an ambition to share amazing travel stories with the world (Matador Network). Not only will you be inspired to travel the world, but you will also be inspired to write that first travel blog or start that first travel podcast or YouTube channel. Whether Ross is talking about his dirtbag travel lifestyle in Peru or his vision for AI in travel, there is something for everyone in this conversation! 

Thanks, Ross, for coming on! 

Enjoy. Be inspired!

Hello, and welcome to episode 149 with Rikimah Glymph. This week, we are talking about Rikimah's amazing journey of travelling solo to over 120 countries, 72 of which have been with her son, who is only 12!

She has hosted wellness retreats and logistics conferences all over the world. When not traveling she’s dreaming of her next trip! Having a career in the travel industry made it a natural transition for Rikimah to purchase a Cruise Planners franchise. Cruise Planners allows her to not only book the best travel itineraries for her wellness clients, but it also allows her to offer deals and top picks for people interested in other types of travel. 

In the episode, we discuss why Senegal is her favourite country and why she loves its national dishes the best! We also delve into the world of solo female travel, and there are some great tips here if anyone is looking for advice. Rikimah is a foodie and tells us why this is one of the most important parts of her travels. 

Rikimah is originally from California but is now based in Maryland. She tells us the reasons for her move to the East Coast of the USA. Her first international trip was six weeks in South Africa, and we chatted about that experience. This episode has so many nuggets, along with some classic wanderlust.

Rikimah's infectious laugh and outlook on life and travel made this a fun recording. If you want to get into the wellness space or need help booking a trip, Rikimah's services are below. Check them out and get travelling the world today! 

Enjoy. Be inspired!

Hello, and welcome to episode 148 with Will Hatton, more commonly known as the Broke Backpacker. This was such a super fun episode to record. There were so many laughs, quality anecdotes, and serious tips for budding travellers or entrepreneurs. 

Will has set up around 30 different businesses in his time, with some successes and failures along the way. He lays out all the lessons learned from those experiences. He talks us through how he created a tour in Pakistan on Snapchat, and in 24 hours, it sold out and how this helped him develop the Broke Backpacker brand. Towards the end of the episode, there is talk about his new business venture in Bali with Tribal Hostel. 

Will has travelled extensively over the last fifteen years and talks about his travels in India in the early days before social media. He talks about sending updates to his thirty-person strong email list about his travels. He survived on $3000 for two years in India and talked us through his techniques for this sensational statistic. We talk about Pakistan, Iran and South America for more travel wanderlust.

Thanks for tuning in, and be inspired!

This Monday, Meggan and Jenn interviewed me on the Travel Mug Podcast, and it was super fun! Check out the show notes below for more information. Happy wanderlust!

Enjoy. Be inspired!

Hello, and welcome to number 146. This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Orest Zub in Vancouver. Orest is based in Lviv, Ukraine, and has travelled to 130 UN countries to date. We sat down for just over an hour discussing his homeland of Ukraine, how the war has changed everything for everyone, how it has changed him, the tourism industry in Ukraine, people's day-to-day lives and his role in the war.

Since the war, he has changed as a traveller and how he wants to see the world. Nowadays, Orest travels to promote Ukraine and see other parts of the world suffering from war or persecution. He actively reports on situations worldwide, like his home country, on his social media, YouTube, and blogging websites. We also discuss how he uses tennis when travelling the world and meets locals to share a passion they both love and get to know them and their country. Orest is a partner within NomadMania, and he explains his role there, how this organization can help you as a traveller, and the future path for the organization.

Thank you to Orest for visiting me in Vancouver and for coming on the show!

Enjoy. Be inspired!