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 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.

Hello, and welcome to number 142. This week, I am joined by Joel David Bond, who has just returned from living in Kurdistan, Iraq, for the last seven years. The FBI/CIA evacuated Joel in October 2023, and we talk about that story but also Joel's love for the country, his life there, what he learned from being in that culture, and the shocking ending to his stint. In COVID, Joel was stranded on a Greek Island that housed hundreds of asylum seekers an hour's bus ride from his resort apartment; we talked about those two worlds coming together in the most unlikely scenario and some uncomfortable truths. Also nestled into the conversation is Joel's two-year stint at British Airways, and we hear some funny tales about a career that is not so seemingly dreamy.

A lot is packed into this one, and we barely touched the sides with Joel's other travels, which are hitting the 90-country mark. Right now, Joel is back in the USA figuring out his next moves, and there are many funny stories, reflections and laughs in this episode. Check out Joel's stuff below.

Hello, and welcome to number 138! Today, I am joined by Matthew Baxter, who has written the book series 'Super Cheap,' we talk about his latest release, Tokyo Outdoors, and living in Japan. Matthew has completed work visas in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan but has decided Japan is the home for him. We cover various topics such as the non-tourist local areas to take a walk, what not to say when speaking to Japanese people, the best food, Japanese culture, how Japan is an introvert's paradise, the logistics of travelling in Japan, and so much more. A real deep dive with a unique angle of an expat from the UK who has been living in Japan, specifically Tokyo, for more than ten years.

Hello, and welcome to number 141. this week, I am joined by super traveller and author Karen Gershowitz. Karen has travelled to around 100 countries spanning seven decades, starting with living in London during the Swinging Sixties. So, of course, I asked her about London in the late 60s and early 70s, and then I asked about her adventures in Japan, Venezuela, the Galapagos Islands, Tibet, and Myanmar. Karen has released two books, Travel Mania and Wanderlust, filled with amazing stories from Karen's travels over the years. Karen also writes for several publications specializing in people over 50 travelling—a wonderful and inspirational story.