WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

In last week’s episode, Jost Kobusch, a 32-year-old German mountaineer who summited Denali in winter, said he had a 20% chance of summiting Everest in winter, alone, without supplemental oxygen, and following a rarely climbed route, the dangerous West Ridge.

In today’s episode, I begin by asking him for his odds of death.

Watch on YouTube

Timeline

00:00 Chance of dying

03:40 Climbing in the dark

08:45 Getting to base camp

12:30 Lessons from previous Everest climbs

15:30 Biggest worry

18:30 Acclimatization technology

Watch prev...

In a few days, Jost Kobusch will arrive in Kathmandu, Nepal. He will begin his multi-month preparation for his radical goal: to climb Everest alone in winter without supplemental oxygen via the challenging West Ridge route.

Watch on YouTube

Timeline

00:00 Jost’s origins

05:00 What is the % chance of succeeding on Everest

08:20 Krzysztof Wielicki’s 1980 Winter Everest climb

Subscribe to hear next week's episode where I ask Jost what is the percentage chance that he will die!

Background below…

At 8:20, Jost mentions Krzysz...

There are spoilers in this podcast!

Around 1980, Linda Gambia was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Gambia.

In 2026, she had reflected enough about the life-changing experience to pen a memoir about it. It’s called The Geography of Desire.

This is part one of a two-part podcast.

Watch the video!

Review of The Geography of Desire

‘The Geography of Desire’ is a quietly delicious memoir that transports you to a tiny Gambian village circa 1979–1981 with the vividness of mango-scented heat and the awkward charm of a Peace Corps vo...

In this video, I review Jared Diamond’s latest book, Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Matter? I also reflect on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Watch the video!

In this WanderLearn Show, I mention the following books:1) Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies2) Collapse3) Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

TIME STAMPS

00:00 Great Man Theory

01:54 Silent Spring

2:45 Botswana Seretse Khama

04:00 Resnick's Pomegranates

4:25 Bin Laden

05:55 Diamond's books

08:00 Justice and Forgiveness

Where were you on Se...

Scott Williams and I cover the following topics in 9 minutes:

00:00 Why Go to ALDHA West?

02:00 Aging Advice

05:40 Sweden's Green Ribbon Trail

Watch on YouTube!

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:<...

Use the discount code FTAPON when you buy your ticket to the Extraordinary Travel Festival.

Watch on YouTube!

Timeline

00:00 ETF3

06:00 How do ETF members travel?

11:00 Ric’s road to 193

13:00 Saving the best for last

16:45 Top ETF Speakers

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you like th...

Use the discount code FTAPON when you buy your ticket to the Extraordinary Travel Festival.

Watch the interview on YouTube!

The ETF is probably the best travel conference for adventurous travelers! I’ve spoken at two of the events, and you won’t want to miss the third!

Timeline

00:00 ETF3

06:00 How do ETF members travel?

11:00 Ric’s road to 193

13:00 Saving the best for last

16:45 Top ETF Speakers

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connec...

3-Step EMERGENCY for Bitcoin Coldcard users!

1) Move your funds from your Coldcard, especially the MK3 model.

2) Update your Coldcard firmware.

3) Generate a new seed phrase

Watch the video of this podcast

Get the new Coldcard firmware

Coldcard Status Update and Coldcard Firmware Downloads

If you want to get a new hardware wallet, consider the Ledger crypto hardware wallet:

Now that so many eyeballs have looked at the Coldcard code, it might be the safest hardware wallet now.

It's like after a...

What’s best: the AT, PCT, or CDT? I ask a 73-year-old hiker who has done all 3!

Be sure to watch last week’s episode featuring Scott!

Connect with Scott on FB!

Watch this episode

Timeline

00:00 Arizona Trail

1:50 Favorite Triple Crown Trail

Connect with Scott Williams on Facebook!

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign...

I talk with renowned long-distance hiker & Triple Crowner, Scott Williams, about his experience on New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail.

This is part 1 of a 3-part interview series featuring Scott.

Watch this interview!

Scott's buddy, Sym Blanchard, explained why he disliked the Te Araroa Trail here:

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you like...

Most of the questions focus on the Balkans, which is ironic since Nenad spends little time there!

Follow Nenad on FB & IG at whereisNenad.

Watch this episode!

Timeline

00:00 What's going on in the Balkans?

01:40 Book recommendations

02:35 Life in Serbia

3:34 Souvenirs

4:20 Best kept secret in the Balkans

08:00 Balkan vibe now

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can...

Nenad Stojanovic is 42. He's been traveling the world nonstop for nearly 20 years.

You can follow him on WhereisNenad on FB & IG.

Watch this episode now!

Watch previous episodes to learn more about this remarkable traveler!

Timeline

00:00 Travel plans

02:30 Favorite spots

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you...

Couchsurfing isn’t simply a way to save money when traveling, but it’s mostly a way to connect with locals, to understand local culture, and see what you’ll never see in a hotel.

Nenad seldom stays in a hotel. Watch this video to hear about his unique lodging experiences.

Timeline

00:00 Couchsurfing tips

04:00 Chilling in Indonesia

6:45 Longest wait for a hitch

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon...

Here are my 10 hitchhiking tips on Forbes. Nenad Stojanovic hitchhikes everywhere.

He shares the joys of hitchhiking and why it's more fascinating than public transportation.

At 9:00 he discusses money issues.

Watch the video!

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username...

I met Nenad Stojanovic in 2008 when he hosted me on Couchsurfing.com. He’s been traveling ever since!

This is a 5-part series featuring Nenad, one of the world’s most fascinating travelers. This is part 1!

Watch the video!

Timeline

00:00 Who is Nenad Stojanovic?

04:25 North American journey

05:25 Remarkable borders

08:20 China

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask ques...

I explained 6 years ago why Plan B’s Stock-to-Flow Bitcoin model was doomed and would fail.

Few believed me.

Most insulted me.

Today, I can confidently declare that I was right and Plan B was wrong.

Watch the video of this episode!

Also, watch my May 2020 video that started all the controversy and read the detailed article about why Plan B’s stock-to-flow model was doomed!

In mid-2026, with the price of Bitcoin languishing around $65,000, below the lowest stock-to-flow band, we can officially declare that Plan B’s stoc...

My mom often says, “If I die….”

I sometimes accidentally say the same thing.

The “if” is a cognitive security blanket I pull over my head so I can pretend that death — the only thing every single human being who has ever lived has accomplished — might somehow not apply to me. As though the universe looked at my particular assortment of questionable decisions and said, “This one, we keep.”

It will not say that. I am, biologically speaking, a disaster in slow motion. I have a weakening knee. I have eaten gas station sushi. Twice. I on...

Sym Blanchard & Joan Chan discuss the ups and downs of their parenting journey. They are both around 72 years old. Each had a boy and a girl with their exes.

Watch the video of this podcast!

They candidly share their mistakes and how things turned out decades later.

Timeline

00:00 Two parents made 4 children

02:00 Sym’s daughter

04:20 Teenagers

06:00 Cultural difference

09:00 Change after 40

16:20 Sym’s mistakes

21:50 Kids having kids

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comm...

Is grounding & earthing BS?

I interview two skeptical elders: Joan Chan & Sym Blanchard.

Hear what happened.

Watch the video!

Timeline

00:00 Car accidents

04:55 Intro to Earthing

08:00 Placebo effect?

11:30 The Limits of Grounding

14:50 How to start

What do you think?

Put your thoughts in the comments.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

...

Sym Blanchard has appeared on many WanderLearn episodes. In this 3-part series, Sym appears with his sweetheart, Joan Chan.

Both are in their early 70s. I love elders because they usually don’t give a f**k what others think of them. They’re the opposite of teenagers. Elders are genuine, transparent, and wise.

They’re also human, as this three-part series will reveal. Watch it:

Timeline

00:00 How they met

05:00 First night together

8:00 First trip

11:00 Downsides of nomads

16:00 Relationship management

Thank you, Sande, my 1,000th Substack subscriber!

Naturally, the other 999 of you are equally valuable!

Thank you to Adam Gasner for being my first Founding Member and Sym Blanchard for being my first paid member!

When you create content, you often feel like you’re speaking to a wall. Even when you have 1,000 Substack subscribers or 4,500 YouTube subscribers, it’s sometimes a lonely endeavor: crickets.

Still, I’m grateful for days like today.

So, thank you!

Next goal: 2,000 subs by August 2026!

Francis Tapon

Dr. Sten Odenwald discusses The Essential Book of Black Holes. See my review of the new book below.

But first, watch this video in which I interview Dr. Odenwald about his book!

Timeline

00:00 Intro

2:15 Math & Black Holes

5:00 Holographic universe

5:50 Hypernova

9:05 White holes

14:45 Is our universe in a black hole?

17:50 Gravity is NOT a force

25:45 Galactic Power Plant

Book Review of The Essential Book of Black Holes

At 159 pages and 12 chapters, The Essential Book of Black...

The term “Global South” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a geographically illiterate phrase. Australia is in the Global South. So is New Zealand. Both are fabulously wealthy, stable democracies with excellent dental care.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is in the Global North.

The “Global South” term was invented by diplomats who needed something that sounded neutral but meant “the countries that got colonized and are still annoyed about it,” which is fair, but the compass metaphor fell apart immediately upon contact with a map.

“Developing countries” is perhaps the most optimistic euphemism in the history o...

Rapido Trimarans Founder Paul Koch reveals the truth about their fast trimarans. There are many myths and misunderstandings that Paul seeks to shatter. Listen to this 30-minute interview with one of sailing’s greatest innovators, shot in Vietnam.

Watch my interview with Paul Koch of Rapido

Background

Trimarans are boats with three hulls, whereas catamarans have two hulls, and monohulls have one hull.

I have a long-term dream of sailing around the world, so I’m looking for the best boat to make that happen.

I’ve crossed monohulls off th...

Warning: this show has spoilers!

Watch the video of this podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd-jGXonSzM

TIMELINE

00:00 Spoiler

01:00 Three positive features

02:00 Fatal Flaw 1

03:30 Fatal Flaw 2

05:10 Sleep schedules

06:00 And then there were 2

08:00 Confirmation bias

10:20 Hal Finney is NOT half of Satoshi

18:00 Widows

19:33 Benjamin Wallace's 5 points

22:00 Conclusion

Watch the trailer for Finding Satoshi.

In April 2026, Finding Satoshi is the only place where you can see the full...

See the video:

https://youtu.be/3kGTgRjpcRw

Last week, John Carreyrou and Dylan Freedman of The New York Times reported that Satoshi Nakamoto is Adam Back.

Read the full New York Times article (and to bypass the NYT paywall legally).

Or if you have a NYT subscription, read the original.

Last year, I interviewed Benjamin Wallace about his remarkable book, "The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto."

Watch the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0KVOcLJe50X post by a pro programmer comparing Adam Back's code...

Corporations are often seen as evil, selfish entities. We overlook that they allow billions of parents to feed, educate, and heal their kids. Jobs also generate taxes that allow governments to build roads, hospitals, and schools. Taxes fund welfare and protect national parks.

None of this would be possible (or at least easy) without corporations.

Don’t believe me? Consider humanity before corporations. Our global standard of living was far lower than today.

Still don’t believe me?

Listen or watch this episode with Sawyer CEO Kurt Avery.

https://yout...

Sometimes a brief meeting with one human can change your life. Lauren Speeth, President of Elphenworks Productions, met US President Jimmy Carter decades ago.

Watch!

Lauren Speeth, PhD, combines a lifelong background in Silicon Valley technology with a commitment to educational, pro‑social storytelling. A classically trained violinist and longtime member emeritus of The Peninsula Symphony’s first violin section, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy and has produced films and media projects that address poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis while aiming to foster hope.

Her work in soci...

Watch this interview to enjoy the b-roll

https://youtu.be/35UMP6SV-zw

Hal makes informative videos about Vietnam.1st video of the series:

Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channel

B-Roll credit: @HalOnEarth

Timeline

00:00 Do The Vietnamese Like China More Than The USA?

03:20 Learning the Vietnamese language

05:00 YouTube channel goals

07:00 What Hal Loves & Hates about Vietnam

10:00 Sexism in Vietnam?

13:00 Religion

14:45 Educational system

19:00 Vietnam's future

Hal's videos mentioned in the interview:

...

Watch the video version of this podcast

Hal makes informative videos about Vietnam.

See my previous video with him:

Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channel.

Connect

Send me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:

* Facebook

* X

* YouTube

* Instagram

* TikTok<...

Hal makes informative videos about Vietnam.

Watch the video of this podcast

https://youtu.be/RFcLm9fe4a0

Hal gets credit for the B-roll in the video!

Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channel.

Timeline

00:00 Who is Hal Medrano?

04:00 Pittsburgh, PA

06:30 Why Hal Returned to Vietnam

08:00 Hal On Earth Channel

Hal's videos mentioned in the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo0mkcMbDHI

SE Asia 30 years ago

Connect

Send me an...

Jost Kobusch, a 32-year-old German mountaineer who summited Denali in winter, is attempting what some experts give a 1% chance of success: he wants to summit Everest in winter, alone, without supplemental oxygen, and following a rarely climbed route, the dangerous West Ridge.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1QtNL4CqJo

In this WanderLearn Show, Jost discusses his overall goal, the extreme winter conditions at Everest’s altitude, being blown off the mountain on past attempts, why he chose the West Ridge, details on route maps, filming mishaps, rope use, when he might change his plan, th...

I bumped into Erik while visiting Big Basin National Park in Nevada, USA. He's been a nomad, living out of his Subaru on a modest budget, and vlogging about his experience. He shows us how he does it.

youtu.be/BhUD0pjITsU

https://youtu.be/BhUD0pjITsU

Follow Erik's YouTube channel Why Erik Ditched His Teardrop Trailer

Loneliest American Road

CREDIT FOR THE TWO EMBEDDED VIDEOS:Kenai Pop-Up Truck Camper Tour - Scout Campers

Overland Ready! 2024 Toyota Tacoma with Kimbo Camper Walkaround - Salty Gears Off Road<...

Dr. Isabelle Morley is a couples therapist and author of "They're Not Gaslighting You."

https://youtu.be/cPahcRnG_Fg

The kiss cam moment exposes much more than a couple’s private drama—it reveals how we judge, label, and punish one another in the court of public opinion. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Isabelle Morley to unpack why cheating feels unforgivable to most people, how labels and “therapy-speak” get weaponized online, and what gaslighting really looks like beyond the memes. We also explore when it makes sense to set boundaries, walk away from tox...

WanderLearn explores travel, tech, and transformation. This is a tech-related episode.

Aleksandar Svetski is the CEO of Satlantis.io, which began as a travel app but has pivoted toward events, including travel-related events.

Satlantis is a new kind of social network for “Sovereign Individuals.” It aims to become the go-to place for people who want more out of life and refuse to conform to the mainstream.

Satlantis is part map, part directory, part aggregator, and part social app. Imagine elements of Instagram, Google Places, Meetup, TripAdvisor, NomadList, and Facebook Groups, but built for the...

Dr. Robert Edwards, author of The Last Step but One, proposes 5 hypotheses about Mallory and Irvine’s final ascent of Everest.

Two of the hypotheses have sub-hypotheses, bringing the total number of conjectures to 8.

Robert Edwards's Mallory & Irvine book.

Watch the YouTube video

Timeline

00:00 Hypothesis 1

06:10 Hypothesis 2

09:00 Hypothesis 3

12:20 Hypothesis 4.1

19:30 Hypothesis 4.2

23:00 Hypothesis 5.1

25:35 Hypothesis 5.2

28:30 Hypothesis 5.3

31:50 Reflections

DISCLOSURE: I used AI to generate the thumbnail for this video. So if you're wondering why the image is...

It’s easier to watch the episode because of all the slides. The comments on YouTube will be interesting to read, too!

TIMELINE

00:00 Exclusive announcement!05:00 What we know10:30 Odell sighting14:00 Ice ax17:00 Oxygen bottle19:25 Mallory's body23:45 Irvine's boot29:30 What we do NOT know

Robert Edwards’s Mallory & Irvine book

DISCLOSURE: I used AI to generate this video's thumbnail. So if you're wondering why the image is inaccurate, you'll know why.On the 100th anniversary of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine's death on Mount Everest, I interviewed Dr. Robert Edwards, author of Mall...

Buy Dan’s book, Waterborne.

Dan Rubinstein undertakes a 1,200‑mile solo stand‑up paddleboarding journey from Ottawa through Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back, traveling rivers, lakes, and canals over ten weeks.

Along the way, he explores the concept of “blue space”—how being in, on, or near water can promote healing, enhance mental and physical health, and foster care for the natural world—while meeting a diverse range of people connected to these waterways.

Blending research, interviews, and a reflective, anticolonial adventure narrative, the book argues that water can reconnect fractured communities an...

In this two-part interview, Canadian Dan Rubinstein discusses the logistics and surprises of his stand-up paddleboard (SUP) journey!

Buy Dan’s book, Water Borne.

Dan Rubinstein undertakes a 1,200‑mile solo stand‑up paddleboarding journey from Ottawa through Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back, traveling rivers, lakes, and canals over ten weeks.

Along the way, he investigates the idea of “blue space”—how being in, on, or near water can heal, improve mental and physical health, and inspire care for the natural world—while meeting a wide range of people connected to these waterways.

I made several gloomy predictions for 2025 that did not occur.

So, now, like a lousy gambler, I am doubling down on those gloomy predictions and reiterating some of them for 2026!

A broken clock is correct twice a day! I will be a glorious Nostradamus in 2026!

1. Global recession strikes.

I incorrectly predicted that we’d have a recession in 2025, so how about 2026? I asked Perplexity.ai, and most experts say my prediction is wrong. Screw them. I say that the US unemployment rate will rise above 7%. Tariffs send the world into a do...