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Travel, it has been said, is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. On this week’s Story Untold, hear from some of the most memorable conversations on the podcast about travel and the things to keep in mind when seeing the world — from questions of whether we’re changing the places we love, why to treat travel as a percentage game, stories from Myanmar’s Death Train, and lessons learned from seeing the world by motorcycle. Highlights from Chris Burkard, Stephan Orth, Hilaree Nelson O’Neill, and Spencer Conway.
At 32 years old, Chris Burkard is still learning. The self-taught photographer and Pismo Beach, California native has become one of the most prominent storytellers of the social media age, amassing over 3 million Instagram followers with his stunning landscape shots from around the world. He has become a published author eight times over, a TED speaker, and creative director of his own studio.
“I aim to go to locations that inspire me, that make me excited — make me want to share a story. And I think when you get into those situations, you realize that’s where the best version of yourself is going to come about.” – Chris Burkard
Stephan Orth has a rule when travelling: say yes to any and all opportunities. So it is that when the award-winning travel writer continued to hear stories from fellow travellers about Iran, he decided it was time to see the country for himself — a trip that has since become the bestseller Couchsurfing in Iran: Revealing a Hidden World.
“If you’re really interested, and if you ask lots of questions, I think you can learn much more than expected about a place, even if you’re not fluent in the language.” – Stephan Orth
Dubbed one of the most adventurous women in the world of sports by Outside magazine and “the matriarch of mountaineering” by the Seattle Times, Hilaree Nelson O’Neill has seen her fair share of expeditions. The Pacific Northwest native has piled up a list of accomplishments over a 20-year career that would put her in the conversation with the most seasoned of adventurers.
“You have to have a mindset where you go in with the expectation that things are going to go as you planned, but the flexibility and the relaxedness to adapt, and change, and laugh at things.” – Hilaree Nelson O’Neill
Many dream of seeing the world. Spencer Conway has done it from atop a motorcycle. Since leaving his job as an English teacher behind at the age of 41, the Biddenden, Kent resident has logged over 100,000 kilometres on his Yamaha XT-660 Tenere, circumnavigating Africa and South America — becoming the first person to complete the Africa bike trek solo.
“As long as you’ve got water, fuel, and a tent, the world’s not as big as people think.” – Spencer Conway