The Wake and Wander Podcast

Will answers listener questions and discusses his recent trip to Mt. Rushmore.

More reading:
Were the Airline Bailouts Really Needed? - The New York Times
The West - Thomas Jefferson | Exhibitions - Library of Congress

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Will discusses airlines overcharging certain passengers, the sole survivor of the Indian Airlines plane crash, the growing conflict over vacation rentals, and one of the worst cruises in the history of cruising.

More reading:

Maui Council set to begin deliberations on short-term rental phase-out bill : Maui Now
Maui Council hears another 70 testifiers on vacation rental phase-out bill; still more to come : Maui Now
Housing vs. tourism: Maui Council weighs vacation rental phase-out amid tears and warnings : Maui Now

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Will reacts to the barrage of news about Southwest Airlines abandoning some of its fan-favorite policies and a report suggesting that international travelers will avoid the U.S. because of Trump. He then shares some highlights and insight from his first trip to Belize.

Disturbing discovery at bottom of The Great Blue Hole (New York Post)

Largest 'blue hole' discovered is 1.3K feet deep and counting (New York Post)

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Sixteen months ago, Joe sold is house and left behind a career as a winemaker to travel the world. He sits down with Will while on a week break (before heading back out for another year of travel) to discuss his round-the-world trip, what it's like to travel continuously for 16 months, advice for planning such a journey, and to share various stories, such as how he only spoke with 2 people his entire month in Japan, saw bodies burning in India, traveled overland in Africa for two months, and why he loves Southeast Asia. You can follow his travels on...

Luiza Coqueiro is a wildlife guide at Caiman Ranch in the Pantanal, one of the world's largest wetlands in the interior of Brazil. Luiza joins the podcast to discuss the rise of wildlife safaris in the Pantanal, the "Big 5" animals you can see, why it remains relatively unknown, what makes it special, and what it's like to guide in such a remote area. Plus, some info about Brazil, its large cities, and how it came to be part of Portugal. 

Recording location: Pantanal, Brazil

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Basti Knobel is the co-owner of Rebel Tours and a walking tour guide in Vienna, Austria. He joins Will on the podcast to discuss his Brazilian roots, Austrian humor and the tendency for them to complain, why young Germans flock to Vienna, the difference between Austrians, Germans, and the Swiss, how tour guides tend to be older, the lengthy process to become a tour guide in Europe, Hitler's legacy in Vienna, first timer tips for Vienna, the most famous address in Vienna, famous Viennese, why the Catholics made their churches so epic, favorite Austrian cuisine, and more! Find Rebel...

Uriel Alcántara is the Founder of Raíz Ayuuk, a regenerative tour operator specializing in cultural hiking trips in the Sierra Mixe of Oaxaca. He joins the podcast to discuss the explosion of rooftop bars in Oaxaca, how it feels at the end of a trip for a guide, the history of the Mixe people resisting colonization, why the Mixe people were never conquered, the Spanish conquistadors’ most feared weapon, the cycle of life and seasonal calendars, the opening of the Mixe region for tourism, the overwhelming amount of Mexican drinks, and more!

Recording location: Oaxaca City...

Tim Wenger is a Senior Editor at Matador Network. He joins Will to discuss his transition from playing in a punk band to travel writing, how much it would suck to be a political reporter, Canadians boycotting travel to America, countries you wouldn’t travel to because of politics, Saudi Arabia opening up to the world, heliskiing in Canada, the string of commercial plane crashes, the odds of being killed in a plane crash, the payout fliers received from the Delta crash in Toronto, the rise of autonomous vehicles, greenwashing in travel, to pay or not to pay for ca...

Jason Latimer is the Director of Public Relations for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida. Previously, he worked as a public relations specialist for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He joins Will on the pod to discuss the growth of podcasts, life on the road with a professional baseball team, the unique way he met his wife, why people don't trust public relations reps, the recovery from last year's hurricanes, how destinations balance disaster recovery with the return of tourists, Miami versus St. Pete, the transformation of downtown St. Pete, how it may or may...

Scott Grasser is the owner of Lost Trail Ski Area in Montana. He joins the podcast to discuss the unpredictability of ski travel, what it's like to own a ski area, weather anxiety, why lift tickets keep increasing in price each year, Lost Trail's unique operating schedule, how decreasing snow totals may or may not affect the ski industry in the future, the trend of big corporations buying up smaller ski areas, the pluses and minuses of corporate takeovers, whether he wants a big corporation to buy Lost Trail, and more.

Recording location: Lost Trail Ski Area...

John Holman is a professional executive coach, speaker, and world traveler from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He joins the podcast to discuss how to travel to Antarctica on a budget and makes the claim that it's easier to visit all 7 continents than it is to travel to all 8 Hawaiian Islands. Also in this episode, Will expresses his frustration with getting denied Global Entry and the rising popularity of TSA PreCheck.

Recording location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

John Holman is the Founder of Evolution Coaching (www.johnpaulholman.com) and has traveled all over the world (60+ countries) and to al...

Matt "Boy" Pierce is a rapper and producer in New York City and the creator of the "Ambient New York" YouTube channel. He is a live performer and freestyle rapper on a bus tour called The Ride NYC.

He joins the podcast to discuss his inspiring journey of going from a New York marketing and advertising specialist to a full-time hip-hop artist, his role as a freestyle rapper on a bus tour, how The Ride is changing the way bus tours do business, the evolution of bus tours since their inception in the early 1900s, how bus...

Brad Ryan is a veterinarian, travel influencer, and the creator of the Grandma Joy's Road Trip Instagram account. He joins the podcast in Antarctica to discuss the surprising reason he began traveling with his grandmother when she was 85, the trials and tribulations of traveling with your grandmother to every single National Park, the personal growth that intergenerational travel can spark, and his upcoming book about their journey and the lessons he has learned from it. You can find him and his grandma at @grandmajoysroadtrip on Instagram.

Recording location: Antarctica

More Reading:
Grandma Joy, 93, toured 63...

Sunniva Sorby is an expeditioner, historian, guide, citizen scientist, speaker, and the "Godmother" of the HX Nansen, an expedition-style vessel exploring the Arctic regions. She is best known as a member of the first women's team to ski to the South Pole in 1993. She joins the podcast to discuss this harrowing, near 700-mile journey as well as her thoughts on tourism to the polar regions.

Recording location: Antarctica.

Read more about Sunniva:
The Arctic explorers locked down in a tiny hut in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago | CNN
About — Sunniva Sorby
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