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Explore the adventures, perspectives, and philosophies of experienced world-travelers. Each episode dives deep into unique travel experiences, lifestyles not confined by a 9-5 job, stories of growth through challenges and adversity, and insights into living a more fulfilling, exciting, & intentional life. Open-minded, explorative, and no topic off limits, these conversations are a way to not only expand our worldview, but our understanding of our inner self and true potential.
Episodes
Monday Nov 27, 2017
#7: Sophia Iaquinta Part 1 - Exploring Myanmar and Different Cultures
Monday Nov 27, 2017
Monday Nov 27, 2017
You can find the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp7/
"In Myanmar, there are times when you don't see any other tourists. You feel immersed in the culture and what's going on in daily life...It's also the land of five million trillion pagodas!" - Sophia Iaquinta
You are listening to Part 1 of 2. Listen to Part 2.
Sophia Iaquinta (@smiaquinta) joins the Edge of Comfort podcast during her exploration of Myanmar.
Originally from Nebraska, Sophia attended university in Minnesota to earn a dual degree in Nursing and Sociology & Anthropology. She stuck around Minnesota after graduation to work as a nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of a hospital.
Throughout two years in the MICU, Sophia often worked 12-hour night shifts for six to seven days in a row.
After deciding she didn’t want to spend her career in a hospital, Sophia looked for other alternatives. Ideally, alternatives that combined her love for traveling with nursing.
This led her to look into joining the Peace Corps. She applied to volunteer with them and was accepted mid-summer 2017.
Starting February 2018, Sophia is spending the next two years in Guatemala working as a maternal and child health specialist.
After quitting her nursing job, she had a four-month gap between the end of her lease in Minnesota and the Peace Corps start date.
She decided to pack her bags and embark on a solo trip around Asia.
Some of the topics we discuss in Part 1 include:
- Deciding to visit Myanmar despite high political tensions
- Surprising beauty and landscapes in Myanmar
- What to actually do in Myanmar
- Chiang Mai (Thailand) Lantern Festival
- Being a “cultural” traveler
- Attempting a technology detox
You can find the full episode description, show notes, and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp7/
Sunday Nov 19, 2017
#6: Isa Lindberg - Working in Australia for a Year
Sunday Nov 19, 2017
Sunday Nov 19, 2017
“Traveling alone is something you just have to do...It’s such a good thing to do for your self-esteem and confidence. You will be a whole new person.”
- Isa Lindberg
Work and Travel in Australia
On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast I talk with Isa Lindberg (@isalindberg) from Boden, Sweden.
Booking a flight to Australia on short-notice, Isa moved to Sydney during November 2016 to find work and travel.
Isa originally planned to only spend 6-months in Australia. Her plans changed along the way and she ended up working multiple jobs throughout Australia over the course of a year.
Throughout her year she explored places like:
- Indonesian islands
- The Australian Outback
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Other major Australian cities
- Thailand
She also found a dead kangaroo in an unlikely place while working on a sheep farm.
Some of the things we discuss include:
- Methods to find work abroad
- The appeal of working in Australia
- Finding a balance between saving and spending
- Work to pursue and avoid in Australia
- Safety for female travelers
- Extreme nature in Australia
And so much more.
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp6/
Monday Nov 13, 2017
#5: Advice & Tips For Your Travels
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Monday Nov 13, 2017
Let's take a moment to reflect and revisit snippets from past episodes with Lars Feste, Theo Moon, Ryoji Yoshimura, and Aqeel Karim.
Each snippet is a part of our conversation that offers a good piece of travel advice, tip, or mindset. If you have listened to all the podcasts already, fantastic! These are great reminders and snippets to revisit.
If you haven’t heard these yet, you will enjoy listening for the first time. Definitely go back and play the individual episodes once you finish this one.
Some of the travel advice and topics revisited include:
- Being confident in your sightseeing decisions
- The power of being present
- Developing a Pura Vida mindset
- Misconceptions of travel
- Easy ways to meet people
Scroll down for links and show notes...
Towards the end of the show, I join back in to share a few tips of my own. These tips are a sneak peek into a soon-to-be released "Tips and Resources eBook."
In this eBook, subscribers to Edge of Comfort gain access to a comprehensive collection of tips and resources to help you on your future travel adventures. The main categories include eating, accommodation, transportation, meeting people, and some other general tips.
The eBook is completely free. Your email is never shared with any third parties and you will not receive any spam. Just important updates and releases for Edge of Comfort.
You can enter your email here to subscribe.
Thank you for listening to this experimental episode and enjoy!
QUESTION OF THE EPISODE: Have you received any valuable travel advice you would like to pass forward?
Please leave your answer in the comments.
Want to hear another conversation with valuable travel advice?
Show Notes and Links
Connect with past guests - Lars Feste | Theo Moon | Ryoji Yoshimura | Aqeel Karim
- Being confident in your sightseeing decisions. [4:35]
- Saying "No" so you don't stretch yourself too thin. [5:15]
- Importance of being present and living in the moment. [6:40]
- Misconceptions of traveling. [13:30]
- Tips for meeting people on the road. [16:40]
- Free walking tours
- Or just Google search, “[City] free walking tour”
- Travel philosophies. [19:20]
- Preview of four tips from the Tips and Resources eBook. [23:00]
Explore more at https://edgeofcomfort.com/
Saturday Nov 04, 2017
#4: Aqeel Karim - Adventures and Insights From Over 250 Days of Travel
Saturday Nov 04, 2017
Saturday Nov 04, 2017
"I want to push myself to the limit, and this is what happens when you travel...When you travel, you appreciate what you’re doing. You get caught up in this traveling mode of, ‘Why not? Why can’t I go and do this?'
You start to get brave. You start to come out of your shell much more. That’s the beauty of traveling.”
- Aqeel Karim
Aqeel Karim (@muzzaabroad) is an avid and adventurous world-explorer pushing the boundaries of travel in the muslim community.
In 2017 he embarked on a 250-day solo trip to 22 countries throughout India, South America, Central America and Europe. Going "with the flow” for most of his travels, Aqeel highlights his incredible stories, adventures and insights from over 8 months abroad.
He spent the bulk of his time in South America despite knowing little to nothing about the area before arriving. Now, South America is no longer a foreign land.
Exploring all throughout the country. Attending intense football matches. Hiking multi-day treks on a whim. Befriending locals and other travelers. Dodging selfie sticks at Christ the Redeemer. Aqeel's stories from South America and beyond might cause you to spontaneously book a trip after listening.
Don't say I didn't warn you!
Overall, Aqeel is an outstanding advocate for travel with lessons we can all learn from. His mindset and outlook towards life is infectious. How he faced setbacks, uncertainty on the road, and challenges in keeping his faith strong can help anyone embarking on their own journey.
Some of the things Aqeel and I discuss include:
- How to make 250+ days of travel a reality
- Promoting travel in the muslim community
- Easy ways to meet people on the road
- Implementing values learned abroad into your life back home
- Travel philosophies
- Value of travel vs. price of travel
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp4/
Saturday Oct 28, 2017
Saturday Oct 28, 2017
"I never thought I was going to travel two or three years ago...it just came up to me...it was some sort of instinct saying 'Let's do it. Let's go for it.'" - Ryoji Yoshimura
Ryoji Yoshimura (@ryoji_o_yoshimura) is a veteran couchsurfing host based in Kitakyushu, Japan.
Since 2015, he has hosted over 40 travelers in his home. These travelers are commonly called "couch surfers."
A couch surfer is a person who stays at a local's place, often on their couch or extra mattress, for free.
Meeting travelers from around the world, Ryoji felt inspired to see a bit of the world for himself. After trips to The Philippines and South Korea, Ryoji took a year off from school to travel.
In order to do this, he first spent four months working in Australia. Once he had enough money he put these funds towards visiting places like the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, and Iran.
Ryoji has fascinating experiences from couchsurfing in different countries and continuing to host travelers in his home. The lessons he learned throughout his gap year changed his perspectives and helped him develop a deeper understanding of who he is.
He is now finishing up his university studies in Kitakyushu, which I think is a great testament to not put your dreams on hold.
Some of the things we discuss include:
- Experiences from couchsurfing: both hosting and being hosted.
- Hitchhiking around Taiwan
- Tools for learning a new language
- Developing a better understanding of yourself
- Global connections and relationships
- And so much more
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp3/
Saturday Oct 21, 2017
Saturday Oct 21, 2017
“We don’t have to stay the way we are. One of the most beautiful things about humanity is we can wake up everyday and choose what kind of person we are going to be.”
- Theo Moon
Theo Moon (@theo.moon.vs) is on a mission to create a passionate lifestyle around his love for music, travel, and writing.
Dealing with expectations throughout his life to follow a typical corporate career track, he studied aeronautical engineering at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach.
Despite doing well and having a safe path ahead, Theo knew he would not be happy. So, he decided to drop out during his third year to chase what he loves. Theo spent the next few years soul searching, bouncing around jobs, and trying to make it through his "darkest years."
After 25 years of rarely leaving his hometown in Florida, Theo started traveling in small steps by heading to Miami, Arizona, and Texas among other places.
He quickly discovered a love for adventure while seeing sites like the Grand Canyon and experiencing cultures overseas in places such as Spain and Puerto Rico.
In May 2018, he departs to Europe to backpack and perform music for a year.
I really hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did. I found it incredibly mind-opening as we go way beyond travel and touch on topics we both find important in our lives.
Some of the things Theo and I discuss include:
- Dealing with expectations from parents and peers different from your own
- The necessary evil and dangers of social media
- How being present impacts our memories and enjoyment
- Why you shouldn’t shy away from introspective questions and searching within yourself
- Adopting a “Pura Vida” (Pure Life) mindset
- How Theo incorporates “Adventure Sparks” into his life to boost creativity
And so much more.
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp2-theo/
Saturday Sep 23, 2017
#1: Lars Feste - Driving Across Iceland, Level 9 Northern Lights, and Saying "No"
Saturday Sep 23, 2017
Saturday Sep 23, 2017
In the first podcast episode of Edge of Comfort I talk with my long time friend, Lars Feste (@lars_feste / IG), about his experience in Iceland.
Lars and I have been friends since grade school and lived a few blocks away from each other most of our lives. We traveled together to countless summer camps, ski trips, family vacations, and even church choir tours during high school. Yes, I was in church choir...
Although our younger travels were in the United States, we've both branched out and traveled internationally since. During the summer of 2016, Lars went to Europe for a month to visit Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, and Spain.
Lars's most recent travels include a 9-day trip to Iceland with his girlfriend, Alyson. After spending a few days in Iceland's capital, Reykjavík, they set out to explore other parts of the country in their rental stick-shift car.
In our conversation, we discuss:
- Lars's decision to rent a stick-shift car despite not really knowing how to drive one
- Seeing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and factors for visibility
- Iceland's incredible and diverse natural landscape
- The authentic feel of Iceland's culture despite a recent tourism boom
- Why you don't always need an explanation and the power of saying "No"
- And much, much more
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp1/
Thursday Sep 21, 2017
Edge of Comfort Podcast: Introduction with Lee Thornquist
Thursday Sep 21, 2017
Thursday Sep 21, 2017
Welcome to the Edge of Comfort Podcast (EOCP)!
Get a look into the adventures, perspectives, and discoveries of world travelers. Explore questions and lessons from life on the road to help you navigate your own path.
I believe in exploring the world through different perspectives. Challenging what we think we know about life. Pushing boundaries. For the next nine months and beyond, I plan to explore these beliefs in-depth while traveling through Asia, Australia, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
Throughout this time, I will interview other interesting travelers to share their best experiences, adventures, stories and travel tips from the road.
This is technically not my first true episode since I do not have a guest with me. This episode is to give you a quick introduction and what to expect from the podcast moving forward.
Listen to the first real episode with my friend Lars Feste.
I'm so ecstatic to meet new people and learn some amazing things through future conversations. I hope you are too!
Please comment any suggestions, questions, topics, or anything else to discuss in the comment section below. You can also send an email to lee.t@edgeofcomfort.com
Enjoy and thank you for listening!
You can find the full episode description, show notes and links at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp0/