WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

40 Episodes
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By: Francis Tapon

Take a profound and distant journey. Call it Deep Travel, Immersive Travel, Slow Travel, or Vagabonding. Francis Tapon guides you to the intersection of travel, technology, and transformation. The podcast will compel you to go beyond your comfort zone.

Benjamin Wallace On Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin's Creator
#363
Today at 4:13 AM

Benjamin Wallace's new book is The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto: A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto.  

It's the greatest whodunit. Whoever created Bitcoin became the world's richest person, yet we don't know who he is. In fact, we don't even know if it's one person.

There have been other cases where identities have been hidden for a while:

Mysterious Whistleblowers (Deep Throat)

Mysterious Authors (Ferrante, Klein, Publius)

Mysterious Artists (Banksy)

Mysterious Spies / Hackers (Cambridge Five, QAnon figureheads, Cicada 3301)

However, nothing tops the e...


Mary Roach Says You Are Not Easily Replaceable
#362
Last Friday at 12:10 PM

Replaceable You by Mary Roach is science writing with a mischievous grin. This book dives headfirst (and sometimes with prosthetic limbs) into humanity’s never-ending quest to patch, upgrade, and outright swap out our squishiest parts. 

Watch My Video Review

I've read all of Roach's books. Roach, as always, brings her snort-laugh wit to the party, dragging us through a parade of oddballs, surgeons, biohackers, and the occasional harvested cadaver limb. 

You’ll read about everything from organs grown in stem cell “hair nurseries” to attempts at 3D printing spare parts. 
Spoiler: not a single scen...


Why Derek Sivers Plans to Live in China & India - Episode 3/3
#361
09/05/2025

Watch this episode on YouTube! 

Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.

Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.

It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I receive a small commission. However, if you want a...


How To Change Your Point of View (POV) with Derek Sivers - Episode 2/3
#360
08/29/2025

This is episode 2 of 3 featuring Derek Sivers.

Watch it on YouTube!

Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.

Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.

It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I...


Derek Sivers On Things That Are 'Useful Not True' - Episode 1/3
#359
08/22/2025

Video #1: What's Useful, Not True?

This is episode 1 of 3 featuring Derek Sivers. 

Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.

Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.

It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I receive a...


Keystone Tablet Plus is a Reusable Metal Plate to Store Your Seed Phrase
#358
08/14/2025

Watch the Video

This podcast is an edited version of the video, where I have removed the unboxing section, as it's challenging to follow in an audio-only format.

After reviewing the Keystone 3 Pro, I wanted to inspect the Keystone Tablet Plus, a steel slab similar to the Coinkite Seed Plate and the Scaletron Crypto Seed Capsule, both of which I've reviewed.

Watch the video below for my review, but also read the text below, as it includes one additional PRO and one additional CON that I did not mention in the video.

Timeline

00:00...


Plan B's Bitcoin Stock-To-Flow Model Will Die in 2026
#357
08/11/2025

Watch Video on YouTube

Five years ago, I predicted Plan B's Bitcoin stock-to-flow model (S2F) would fail in this decade because it had 8 flaws.

During Bitcoin's spectacular 2022 crash, many analysts declared the S2F models dead.

I surprised everyone when I (one of Plan B's most prominent critics) said, "It's not dead yet."

The reason Plan B's stock-to-flow Bitcoin models are not dead is not because they're correct, but because they have a wide range of acceptable values that will allow them to survive until the next halving.

In 2025, the...


I Speak 10 Languages on YouTube!
#356
08/01/2025

I encourage you to watch this 3-minute podcast on YouTube.

YouTube is now dubbing my English videos into 10 other languages:

Dutch French German Hindi Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Polish Portuguese Spanish

In my "After the Spike" video, YouTube only offers 8 languages.

I don't know why.

I'm fluent in French and Spanish, so I can confirm that the translation is surprisingly accurate! I suppose it's the case for other languages that I don't speak.

Try it out!

Go to any of my videos. Click on the Settings Wheel in t...


Confusing Words: Liberal and Left/Right Politically
#355
07/29/2025

See 20 other misused terms or expressions

Rather than a left/right political spectrum, I prefer the 5 categories in the pictured grid. Take the test to discover where you stand.

The terms "left" and "right" on the political spectrum can be confusing, partly because their meanings have evolved significantly over time and differ across countries and historical contexts.

The same applies to the term "liberal."

Initially, "left/right" originated from the seating arrangements during the French Revolution, where those who sat on the left supported revolutionary change. At the same time, those on the...


"The Media" is More Diverse Than You Think
#354
07/19/2025

Do you know people who wail about "the media"? Whenever that happens, it's always an incomplete sentence. They should say, "The media I disagree with."

Saying "the media" implies there is only one media or that they have a united message. 

Media isn't unified. Just skim the Internet for a few minutes, and you'll get wildly different points of view and reporting.

In the mini-episode, I elaborate.

This mini-episode is another Public Service Announcement from a grammar Nazi. It's my simple effort to clean up sloppy English.

Connect

Send m...


Is It Good or Bad News If We Depopulate "After the Spike"?
#353
07/13/2025

Simon & Schuster provided me with an advanced copy of the superb book After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, scheduled for release on July 8, 2025.

The University of Texas authors, Dean Spears and Michael Geruso, have written a mind-blowing book! It's my second favorite book of 2025! My favorite 2025 book is They're Not Gaslighting You.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-JfpjJRkok

Podcast

 

The Population Whimper

When I was born, Paul R. Ehrlich's book, The Population Bomb, was a mega-bestseller. Although I never read the book, my generation believed the b...


Exercising Your Explorer Muscle. Exploring vs. Exploiting. Exploration in our DNA
#352
07/04/2025

Happy 4th of July, 2025! Celebrate your independence by exploring outside!

In 3 WanderLearn episodes, Alex Hutchinson and I discuss his new book, The Explorer's Gene. This is the 3rd of 3 episodes.

The Explorer's Gene examines human exploration broadly, going beyond traditional expeditions to investigate why humans explore everything from new foods to music.

Watch my First Video Interview with Alex

 

Video #2: Does Tech Impact on Our Desire to Explore? Is Exploration Required for Fulfillment? Video #3: Exercising Your Explorer Muscle. Exploring vs. Exploiting. Exploration in our DNA.  Timeline for Episode 3

0:00 Tips
02:00 Endurance & Exploring
05:30 Exp...


The Fastest Traveler Looks to the Future
#351
06/26/2025

Michael Zervos is the fastest traveler ever!

Watch the Video

Now that Michael Zervos has traveled to all the countries faster than anyone else, what's next for him? 

Additionally, what advice would he offer to anyone who wants to break his speed record? 

Did you know Zervos has a book deal? Exciting! 

We cover it all in 13 minutes!

Timeline

00:00 Advice to the next person who tries to beat the record

04:50 Next steps

Michael Zervos has visited every country faster than anyone else while rec...


Fastest To Travel to Every Country: Michael Zervos of Project Kosmos
#350
06/20/2025

I'm celebrating the 350th podcast episode with Michael Zervos! He did it!

Many people try to travel to all the countries in the world quickly, but most fail.

Therefore, when I met Zervos in Côte d'Ivoire in February 2024, when he was just 10% into his race, it seemed highly unlikely that he would succeed where so many others had failed.

Still, there was something about Zervos that made me believe he would pull off this stunt. 

Although many things impressed me about Zervos, the most important was his level of organization. He...


Nomadic Matt's Best Travel Tips
#349
06/13/2025

Nomadic Matt is a pioneering travel blogger. One day, we'll call him the grandfather of travel blogging during the Golden Era of travel blogs.

He's not known for his travel feats but rather for the extensive tips he's provided on his popular website, which focuses on budget travel.

Watch the Video

The book's budget used to be $50/day, but inflation and a post-COVID world forced Matt to update his book.

In 2025, he refreshed his bestselling book, which is now called How to Travel the World on $75 a Day. 

As part of h...


How Nomadic Matt Travels on $75 a Day!
#348
06/06/2025

Nomadic Matt is a pioneering travel blogger. One day, we'll call him the grandfather of travel blogging during the Golden Era of travel blogs.

He's not known for his travel feats but rather for the extensive tips he's provided on his popular website, which focuses on budget travel.

Watch the video interview

The book's budget used to be $50/day, but inflation and a post-COVID world forced Matt to update his book.

In 2025, he refreshed his bestselling book, which is now called How to Travel the World on $75 a Day. 

A...


"Battle of the Big Bang" author Phil Halper reveals competing theories
#347
05/28/2025

Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins examines the most profound idea: how did the universe begin?

Watch the video, as it includes illustrations in the final 10 minutes.

Although I'm not a physicist, I have read many books about the Big Bang, physics, and the universe.

This book is an in-depth exploration of the competing models that hypothesize about our origins.

I appreciated learning about the Ekpyrotic universe and Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC), two novel ideas. For instance, CCC posits that "the universe is cyclic but never re-collapses. E...


They're NOT gaslighting you! Dr. Isabelle Morley on the weaponization of therapy speak
#346
05/20/2025

I’ve never highlighted a book as much as They’re Not Gaslighting You: Ditch the Therapy Speak and Stop Hunting for Red Flags in Every Relationship. 

It's my favorite book in 2025!

Watch the Video Interview

Author Dr. Isabelle Morley gives us a timely book that rejects the reckless proliferation of the following terms: 

Sociopath Psychopath Love bomb Narcissist Boundaries Borderline Toxic Gaslighting Who is Dr. Isabelle Morley?

Dr. Morley is not a chronic gaslighter trying to convince the world that she doesn't gaslight by writing a book about it. Here's her resume:

Aut...


Why have a travel checklist? Why use the MTP app?
#345
05/16/2025

Charles Veley explains why having a travel checklist can be beneficial and how the MTP app helps.

Charles Veley is often referred to as one of the world's most traveled people, but whether he is definitively the most traveled depends on the criteria used. 

I've met Charles Veley four times, and for the fourth time, we recorded our conversation! 

In 2005, Charles Veley founded the Most Traveled People (MTP) community. MTP divides the world into 1,500 areas. As of May 2025, Charles Veley has been to 1,322 of them! That's why he's been called the Godfather of Sy...


Charles Veley's adventure at the Bolivia-Chile border
#344
05/09/2025

Charles Veley and I discuss his mini-adventure at the Chile-Bolivia border. It illustrates how no matter how much you travel, you keep having fun and unexpected moments.

Charles Veley is often referred to as one of the world's most traveled people, but whether he is definitively the most traveled depends on the criteria used. 

I've met Charles Veley four times, and for the fourth time, we recorded our conversation! 

In 2005, Charles Veley founded the Most Traveled People (MTP) community. MTP divides the world into 1,500 areas. As of May 2025, Charles Veley has been to 1,322 of...


Will the Kessler Syndrome keep us stuck on Earth? Blue Origin's Brendan Rousseau opines
#343
05/02/2025

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau are the authors of Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. The new book explains the business side of space.

Watch all four videos about Space to Grow

I interview Brendan Rousseau, one of the two co-authors.

In this episode, we dive into the Kessler Syndrome, which might keep us stuck on Earth! 

Watch our interview on YouTube!

In our second episode, Brendan Rousseau discusses how close we are to having space hotels and joyrides. Is space tourism around the corner?

See the video interview.

...


Space Tourism, Hotels, and Joyrides
#342
04/25/2025

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau are the authors of Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. The new book explains the business side of space.

Watch all four videos about Space to Grow

I interview Brendan Rousseau, one of the two co-authors.

In this episode, Brendan Rousseau discusses how close we are to having space hotels and joyrides. Is space tourism around the corner?

See the video interview.

In our first episode, Brendan Rousseau shares his origin story and how he ended up at Blue Origin. He discusses why space isn't w...


Does Tech Impact on Our Desire to Explore? Is Exploration Required for Fulfillment?
#341
04/18/2025

In 3 WanderLearn episodes, Alex Hutchinson and I discuss his new book, The Explorer's Gene. This is episode 2 of 3.

The Explorer's Gene examines human exploration broadly, going beyond traditional expeditions to investigate why humans explore everything from new foods to music.

Watch my 1st Video Interview with Alex

 

#2: Does Tech Impact on Our Desire to Explore? Is Exploration Required for Fulfillment? #3: Exercising Your Explorer Muscle. Exploring vs. Exploiting. Exploration in our DNA.  Timeline for episode 3

0:00 Tips
02:00 Endurance & Exploring
05:30 Exploiting vs. Exploring
07:00 Exploring in our DNA
09:00 Many ways to explore

Abo...


Michael Zervos Will Soon Be The Fastest Person To Travel To Every Country
#340
04/09/2025

I interviewed Michael Zervos in Côte d'Ivoire 14 months ago. He was 10% done with his every-country-speed tour. 

I interviewed him today, April 8, 2025, when he's over 90% done!

Watch the Video Timeline

00:00 Only 23 countries to go

05:20 Time left

08:15 How he gets tourist visas

16:16 Greek Passport

20:00 Finish line

Follow him on Instagram

 

More info

To leave an anonymous voicemail that I could use on the podcast, go to SpeakPipe.com/FTapon

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


Is There An Explorer's Gene? Alex Hutchinson Responds
#339
04/05/2025

In 3 WanderLearn episodes, Alex Hutchinson and I discuss his new book, The Explorer's Gene.

The Explorer's Gene examines human exploration broadly, going beyond traditional expeditions to investigate why humans explore everything from new foods to music.

Watch my Video Interview with Alex

 

#2: Does Tech Impact on Our Desire to Explore? Is Exploration Required for Fulfillment? #3: Exercising Your Explorer Muscle. Exploring vs. Exploiting. Exploration in our DNA.  Timeline for episode 3

0:00 Tips
02:00 Endurance & Exploring
05:30 Exploiting vs. Exploring
07:00 Exploring in our DNA
09:00 Many ways to explore

About the book, The Explorer's Gen...


Who is Most Traveled People Founder Charles Veley?
#338
03/29/2025

Charles Veley is often referred to as one of the world's most traveled people, but whether he is definitively the most traveled depends on the criteria used. 

I've met Charles Veley four times, and for the fourth time, we recorded our conversation! 

Watch it on YouTube 

In 2005, Charles Veley founded the Most Traveled People (MTP) community. MTP divides the world into 1,500 areas. As of April 2025, Charles Veley has been to 1,322 of them! That's why he's been called the Godfather of Systematic Travel!

Download the MTP app or create a profile on MTP's website.

...


What's different about outer space today?
#337
03/21/2025

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau are the authors of Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. The new book explains the business side of space.

Watch all four videos about Space to Grow

I interview Brendan Rousseau, one of the two co-authors.

Brendan Rousseau shares his origin story and how he ended up at Blue Origin. He discusses why space isn't what it used to be. Watch the Video About Brendan Rousseau 

Current Role:

Strategy Manager - New Glenn, Blue Origin: Focuses on orbital launch strategy.

Education:


Nothing is Ever Very Full or Very Unique
#336
03/13/2025

This mini-episode is another Public Service Announcement from a grammar Nazi. It's my simple effort to clean up sloppy English.

I explain why you should never say something is:

Very Full Very Unique 

Perplexity.ai elaborates:

Very Full or Very Unique

This mini-episode is another Public Service Announcement from a grammar Nazi. It's my simple effort to clean up sloppy English.

I explain why you should never say something is:

Very Full Very Unique 

Perplexity.ai elaborates:

Why You Should Never Say Something Is "Very Full" or "Very Un...


USA Champs vs. World Champions
#335
03/08/2025

Major League Baseball, an exclusively North American league, says its best annual team is the "World Champions," having won the "World Series." No other continent is invited to compete.

Similarly, the NBA's top team is called the "World Champions," even though, once again, only North American teams can compete.

In 20 seconds, I complain about how North American leagues use the term "World Champs."

For a more in-depth analysis, consider what Perplexity.ai wrote:

The terms "World Champions" in NBA basketball and "World Series" in MLB are contentious but widely used for...


Space Business with Authors of 'Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier'
#334
03/01/2025

Matthew Weinzierl and Brendan Rosseau are the authors of Space to Grow: Unlocking the Final Economic Frontier. 

The new book explains the business side of space. I interview both authors. 

Here's my interview with Matthew Weinzierl.

Watch the Video Timeline

00:00 Intro

02:00 Low-hanging fruit

07:00 Surprises

09:30 Space is vast and crowded

11:30 Kessler Syndrome

16:30 What won't happen in space?

21:45 Moon and Mars predictions

25:21 Advice for Entrepreneurs

28:00 New news

30:00 Co-authoring advice 

 

 

 

 

About Matt We...


Nobody is Humbled When They Say, "I'm Humbled..."
#333
02/20/2025

When people win awards or are honored in some way, they often say they are "humbled" to receive the recognition.

That's absurd.

It's the wrong word.

Say you're thrilled, happy, or honored, but don't say you're humbled!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! 

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

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr

My Patrons spo...


Are Vegans Unhealthy?
#332
02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day 2025!

Matthew Halteman and I discuss his book Hungry Beautiful Animals.

Professor Halteman mentions NutritionFacts.org.

See/Hear all four episodes with Matthew Halteman.

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! 

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

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a pat...


Tips on Taking Baby Steps To Becoming Vegan
#331
02/07/2025

Matthew Halteman and I discuss his book Hungry Beautiful Animals. Here's the timeline of our discussion in case you want to skip to a section.

00:00 Know yourself

05:15 Negotiating and compromising

09:15 Cognitive Dissonance 

 

Have you tried lab-grown meat?

It has many other names:

Cultivated Meat: This term is increasingly favored as it accurately describes growing meat from animal cells in a controlled environment. Cell-Based Meat: This name emphasizes that the meat is derived from animal cells rather than whole animals, highlighting its scientific origins. Cultured Meat: Like cu...


What Do Vegans Think about Lab-Grown Meat?
#330
01/31/2025

Lab-grown meat has many other names:

Cultivated Meat: This term is increasingly favored as it accurately describes growing meat from animal cells in a controlled environment. Cell-Based Meat: This name emphasizes that the meat is derived from animal cells rather than whole animals, highlighting its scientific origins. Cultured Meat: Like cultivated meat, this term refers to meat produced through cellular agriculture techniques. Clean Meat: This term was popular among early advocates, suggesting a more ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional meat. Synthetic Meat: This name indicates that the product is artificially created, which can evoke mixed consumer...


Does Going Vegan Have To Suck?
#329
01/25/2025

Vegans have a marketing problem: they're perceived to be annoying, self-righteous, judgmental, and inflexible.
Author Matthew Halteman's book Hungry Beautiful Animals is designed to fix that perception and make veganism more appealing and less threatening.

Visit his website about Hungry Beautiful Animals.

Matthew Halteman and I discuss his book Hungry Beautiful Animals. Here's the timeline of our discussion in case you want to skip to a section.

00:00 Intro

04:30 Marketing Problem?

07:00 Practical Tips

10:00 Kindergarten Values

12:00 Abstract food

16:30 Aspirations

20:40 Fish

Watch...


DB Cooper's Background & the Cash Found at Tena Bar
#328
01/17/2025

Who was DB Cooper? Did he have a military background? Where did the cash found in Tena Bar come from? What's a plausible explanation for what happened on the night that DB Cooper jumped? Did he survive?

In part 3 of 3 about DB Cooper and Flight 305, Dr. Robert H. Edwards delves into that and more.

Watch the Video Timeline

00:00 Who was DB Cooper?
07:00 Military background
13:30 Cash in Tena Bar
19:20 Plausible story
28:20 Did he survive?

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://w...


DB Cooper's Planning, Prep, & Precursors
#327
01/10/2025

DB Cooper was cunning. What were the various considerations he had to contend with to pull off the only unsolved act of air piracy in US history?

Watch the Video DB Cooper needed a: Plane with an airstair Short flight Terminating flight Late afternoon flight

In part 2 of 3 about DB Cooper and Flight 305, Dr. Robert H. Edwards delves into that and more.

Timeline

00:00 Planning and Prep
08:30 Three precursors

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this p...


Jimmy Carter's 2024 death fulfills my prediction
#326
12/30/2024

I've always recorded my annual predictions on December 31 or January 1.

However, on December 28, 2024, I started a two-week trip to Dalat, Vietnam. 

I wanted to travel light, so I recorded my annual predictions on December 27, allowing me to leave my audio and video gear in Ho Chi Minh, where I planned to return on January 15, 2025. 

In my podcast a few days ago, I said that my prediction that Jimmy Carter would die in 2024 was wrong.   

Sadly, my 2024 prediction was correct.

See my 1-minute video

The only good news in this sad...


2025 Predictions about Bitcoin, Trump, Ukraine, Unemployment, Economy, Stocks, & more
#325
12/27/2024

In my Annual Prediction Show, I review my horrible 2024 predictions before making my new predictions. I got 4 out of 10 points, my worst year ever! I hope to do better this year!

My 2025 predictions Watch the Video

 

1. A global recession crushes the US economy. In July 2022, the yield curve inverted and stayed inverted for 783 consecutive days, marking the longest period in U.S. history. In early September 2024, it un-inverted. Usually, a recession occurs about 12 months after the un-inversion. Admittedly, the recession can occur between 6 and 24 months after the un-inversion, so we could postpone it until 2026. However, disaster w...


How the FBI Screwed Up the DB Cooper and Flight 305 Case
#324
12/21/2024

In this three-part series, Dr. Robert Edwards and I discuss the fascinating mystery of DB Cooper. In 1971, a man hijacked Flight 305, received $200,000 in $20 bills, 4 parachutes, and skydived into the darkness over the Pacific Northwest, never to be seen again.   

Watch the Video

Subscribe to my YouTube channel and WanderLearn podcast to get the three episodes. 

Buy Dr. Robert H. Edwards's book about DB Cooper & Flight 305. 

To see photos and evidence related to the DB Cooper Case, visit Robert's Flickr site. 

The FBI has more information about the DB Cooper and Flight 305 case...