In this podcast Fred describes how he became a sea plane pilot. As the host, I know almost nothing about the subject. Therefore, we approach the subject from the perspective of a novice. I hope you find this useful if you’re seeking to become a recreational pilot. Enjoy!

Fred Welsh is a friend I met in 2010 when I first visited Australia. On that trip he taught me to surf and showed me a great time in Yamba, Australia. He is awesome.

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How to Become a Sea Plane Pilot Time Stamps

* 6:50 – History & Categorization of Recreational Pilots Licensing

* 8:30 – Understanding the Cost and Process of a Recreational Pilots License

* 15:10 – On the Economics of Purchasing an Airplane

* 17:00 – The Benefits of a Sea Plane

* 24:30 – Thoughts on Securing, Parking and Operating a Sea Plane

* 28:30 – Sea Plane Endurance

* 31:12 – Radio Communication Endorsement

* 33:20 – Why Fly?

* 40:00 – On Sea Plane Speed

* 40:30 – Why a Sea Plane is Better than a Trailer/RV

* 42:20 – Mapping out Sea Plane Adventures

* 48:17 – Can You Do Work on Your Own Plane? – Maintaining a Sea Plane

* 54:07 – Can Australia Sea Plane Pilots Fly Internationally?

* 1:06:04 – Where You Inspired by Jimmy Buffett?

* 1:16:40 – Lifestyle Questions – Weddings in Australia

*  1:17:15 – The First Step to Becoming a Pilot

We call that tiger county. It’s when there isn’t anything down there to land on and you just hope nothing goes wrong

It is a life or death situation. If you run into a huge storm, it can put you down hard. If in doubt, you stay home.

The pay-off for me is… I’ll say to my wife, “I think the whales are breaching today, let’s fly out and have a look.” You see sharks and dolphins… the rewards outweighs the costs of getting a license and a plane.

When you’re flying long distances, you want to make sure you have plenty of room where you don’t have to get back for something.

Out of all of Australia, there are only 100 sea plane pilots. Of that, only 70 are operational. It’s a very, very small fraternity of pilots.

The beauty of my category is that they have made the books more easy to understand for laymen. I found it enjoyable and not overly difficult. I found the process of learning to be exhilarating.

Related Links

* Petrel – Check out the Company that Built Fred’s Sea Plane

* Jimmy Buffett – No Plane on Sunday | A Pirate Looks at 40

* Riverside Ranch Website

* Riverside Ranch Instagram

* Learn more about Sea Planes

* Want to Contact Fred? Email him at [email protected]

A Note on the Sound Quality Of This Podcast

I apologize for the poor sound quality on this one. Fred and I spoke while he was in Australia and I was in the United States. We suffered during the conversation because there was a second delay from us speaking to when the other woul...

Welcome to ? a podcast about art, adventure, enterprise and more.

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This first episode is me my attempt at a unique podcast. Currently, I have three formats in mind:

1. Traditional Interviews

Traditional interviews will be around an hour where we learn about interesting people who have interesting behaviors. These interviews will focus on the subjects of art, adventure and enterprise.

2. The Linked Series

The idea for the linked story started on the Nomad Cruise while I was talking with my friend Becky. We parted ways in Dubai and she took one of my microphones. We did a podcast while she was in Chiang Mai and I was in Bangkok. Now that our conversation is complete, Becky will pass the microphone onto someone who she finds interesting.

The great thing about this is that the guest selection will be entirely up to Becky. Once Becky hands the microphone to someone else, that person will be the next person to be in charge of guest selection.

I hope they pick interesting guests.

3. ? Riffs

Question mark riffs are segments where I splice together a collection of interesting audio based on a theme. I’ll attempt to provide some context and commentary to link them together.

For instance, I hope to do one on investing in which I can pull audio from people like Ray Dalio, Warren Buffett and Mark Cuban. Other topics could include:

* Surfing

* International relations

* Mountain climbing

* Style

* War

* Country Reports

…or whatever else I become inspired by.

The following podcast is a rough example of how a ? riff would sound like:

Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to click the image below and you’ll be able to record a voice message link for the show. I’d be honored to hear from you.

In my last podcast (the Love Affair Travel Podcast), I never heard back from the audience. That was a huge problem. My statistics were telling me that around 1,500 people were listening to each podcast episode, but I never heard from anyone. I think that is largely responsible for why I stopped creating them.

If you’d like to be part of the solution, please let me know who you are and where you are listening to the show. You can either email me an .mp3 file ([email protected]) or you can click the image below:

Episode Credits

* Val Kilmer Played Doc Holiday in Tombstone

* Muhammed Ali Speech

* Bruce Lee Lost Interview

* Nelson Mandela Last Speech at South African Parliament

* Love and Light – SoundCloud | Website

* Ben Chaplan – YouTube | Website | Twitter | Instagram

Wish your road trips never ended? For Brent Rose, they don’t.

Brent Rose is a freelance technology journalist who has spent the last 17 months living out of a van and road tripping around the United States. For Brent, what started as a year-long road trip has turned into an open-ended lifestyle.

Brent tells us about how he decided to start his van life, how he equipped his van to be able to work from anywhere, and what his nomadic life is like. He also gives us some pointers and great stories and information about his career as a tech journalist.

“I’ve been on the road for the last 17 months now. I’ve put about 35,000 miles on the thing. It was originally going to be about a year-long thing, and now I don’t know how or where to stop. I don’t know if I want to stop – so the adventure continues.” – Brent Rose

Travel Topics:

* Why Brent decided to convert to van life [5:27]

* What to look for in a vehicle for long term travel [8:19]

* How to convert a van to fit your lifestyle [8:47]

* How to get into tech journalism [10:18]

* What is Gizmodo? [11:43]

* What it means to be a good writer [13:39]

* The transition from office life to van life [24:43]

* How Brent’s location independence influences his professional output [27:03]

* Kayaking from Cuba to Florida [28:47]

* Benefits of a press trip [37:29]

* Making that important decision… what do you write about?! [38:45]

* Most memorable moments on the road [43:13]

* How a pearl in an oyster can lead to a great pick-up line [45:35]

Brent Rose Talking Points:

* Watch Brent’s Wired Teched-Out Van video

* Read Brent’s van life article for Gizmodo

* Learn more about #vanlife on instagram

* Check out Connected States Project

* Subscribe to Brent’s YouTube channel

Connect with Brent Rose:

Website | Instagram |  Facebook | Twitter

“I love the freedom it affords me.” – Brent Rose

Music Credit:

* Float by Giiana

Take Action:

Brent drives his van on a constant road trip to balance work with adventure. What can you do to bring more adventure into your everyday life?

Have you struggled with making your dreams a reality? Do you feel stressed out trying to find a compromise?

When Jake Heilbrunn realized his passions and his life were not aligned, he left for Central America to help find fulfillment and discover his purpose. What he found was an incredible community of people, a beautiful expansive world, and the determination to bring his visions to life.

Today we’ll be talking about traveling in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, writing his book Off The Beaten Trail, holistic healing, and the many amazing people he encountered on his journey.

“I was living a disconnect. What I really wanted to be doing, traveling and experiencing other ways of life and volunteering, was not what I was doing.” – Jake Heilbrunn

Travel Topics:

* How Jake went to Guatemala to teach English and soccer [4:30]

* Need to make friends and don’t know the local language? Carry a soccer ball [6:38]

* When he was attacked by ‘dinosaurs in Jurassic Park’ [12:19]

* How a child left for dead became an incredible local saint [15:23]

* Why ditching your travel plan can have amazing results [19:50]

* How Jake’s vision of writing his book happened with a shaman [21:43]

* Does Baskin-Robbins get their flavors from cacao plants? [24:52]

* You tend to meet and attract certain people when you travel alone [29:08]

* What a spiritual community did for Jake’s mind and body [33:25]

* How one town’s diet of fruit and vegetables helped Jake’s skin problems [37:36]

* What Jake loved most about the places he stayed and people he met [40:16]

* How writing a book is “like starting a business” [41:53]

* Jake’s daily writing routine, and how he made his book stand out [43:03]

* Writing a book? Allow yourself twice to three times as much time to do it [45:53]

Jake Heilbrunn Talking Points:

* Buy Jake’s book Off The Beaten Trail

* Jake’s successful Kickstarter

* Read the article featuring Jake in Psychology Today

* Find out more about Work Away, the site that really helped Jake find places to go and things to do

* Learn more about the farm Jake stayed at on OmeTepe

* Learn more about Zopilote where I stayed on OmeTepe Island

* The Highest Bungee Jump in Central America

Read the book The Light of the Soul by Arnulfo G. Oxlaj

Learn more about the places Jake visited:

* San Andrés Sajcabajá

* El Mirador

* TikalPark

*

Karsten Aichholz is the perfect person to author the Thailand Starter Kit!, a website full of advice for ex-pats moving to Thailand. After nearly a decade of living in Bangkok, Karsten offers advice on everything from housing to fitness to grocery delivery in the Land of Smiles.

In our entertaining and fascinating discussion, Karsten explains how he went from corporate climber in Germany to one of the first nomadic entrepreneurs in Thailand’s video game sector.

Along with Thailand Starter Kit!, we also talk about Karsten’s Brewed in Bangkok podcast, an excellent dive into the hidden world of the most extraordinary people you meet in Bangkok.

“I took out a quarter of the money we had… It was a leap of faith, but I thought we got to do something.” – Karsten Aichholz

Travel Topics:

* Moving to Bangkok 10 years ago before ‘it was a thing’ [2:20]

* How to create a business from near scratch in Thailand [9:45]

* How 3,700 hours of EverQuest in high school paid off [11:02]

* Advice for freelancers: Creating a start-up? Find a platform to do your marketing [16:05]

* Another tip: A platform bans your product? Make a new platform! [16:30]

* Why Karsten actually loved working for a corporation [20:15]

* What can happen in German bureaucratic unemployment offices [26:40]

* When you almost run out of cash, you become less risk-adverse [35:20]

* How Karsten’s partner left the gaming world because he was ready for more intellectual pursuits [43:40]

* New dreams: Turning altruistic hobbies into a business [47:20]

* Wild stories accrued while living in Bangkok for a decade [52:07]

Karsten Aichholz’ Talking Points:

* Get a copy of:

* The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

* So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

* Highly recommended by Karsten, my Udemy Podcast Production Online Course

Connect with Karsten:

Website  |  Twitter  | Facebook

Connect with Thailand Starter Kit:

Website  |  Twitter  | Facebook

Music Credit:

* Marsbeing – Hour PM by Chill

Take Action:

When Karsten and his business partner almost ran out of money, he decided to take a risk that changed the fate of his company. SO go ahead and take a risk!

Marketing nomad Dylan Basile of Tree Tribe got my attention at the 2016 Nomad Summit when he presented on his eco-fashion company with a passion for sustainability. Since our meeting, Dylan has had a challenging year. At the time of this interview, he’s coming off a 6-month battle with dengue fever, which is a debilitating mosquito-borne disease he contracted in Thailand.

In this episode, we talk about the transition to a nomadic work life, leaving Vancouver’s rainy season, the ins-and-outs of social media strategy at Tree Tribe, as well as the most difficult psychological and physical trial of Dylan’s life—dengue.

I was so inspired by Dylan’s passion for the good work at Tree Tribe, and his resilience through the last half year. I hope you think so too!

“I think it was the shock of being told I couldn’t go back to Chiang Mai and the whole digital nomad community, but I’m getting better and excited to go travel again.” – Dylan Basile

Travel Topics:

* The Nomad Summit 2016 experience in Chiang Mai [1:15]

* A successful experiment in becoming location-independent [3:10]

* How Dylan unfortunately became the dengue expert [10:52]

* A second bout of dengue nearly cost Dylan his nomadic lifestyle [19:52]

* The mission behind Tree Tribe’s eco-fashion brand [25:40]

* An amazing goal to achieve… Planting 40,000 trees!! [29:39]

* Tree Tribe’s 4 core values: Nature, Adventure, Travel, and Community [30:30]

* How Tree Tribe customers and fans show their love of the product through social media [33:04]

* Why Tree Tribe agrees that giving back is worth a cut into the bottom-line [44:05]

Dylan Basile’s Talking Points:

* Find out more about The Nomad Summit 2016 in Chiang Mai

* Get a copy of the 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

* Dylan’s favorite café Warung Ocha in Badung, Bali

* Check out Buffer, a social media planning site with all locale-independent employees

* Listen to Fabian Dittrich’s experience with malaria on the LAT podcast

* Tree Tribe’s planting partners: Trees for the Future and Eden Projects

* The 2015 Impact Report from Trees for the Future

* Patagonia and 1,200 other member businesses donate 1% of their annual sales to sustainability initiatives as an earth tax to 1% For the Planet

* Read Let my People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

* Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: A web series that defines newly invented words for strangely powerful emotions

* Connect with Dylan Basile:

The True Transient, Patrick Daley returns to the Love Affair Travel Podcast to tell us about another wild adventure across the United States… but this time it’s not by land! The last time we heard from Patrick he was hitchhiking across the country, today we learn of his current journey from NYC to Mexico via a canoe.

I caught up with him 11 days into his journey on a rest, drying out at a Philadelphia diner. In this episode, Patrick talks about funding a 2,600-mile boating expedition through the inter-coastal waterways of 13 different states.

We also focus on the logistics of a truly unique trip, like filming for his True Transient YouTube channel and navigating and packing for this life changing adventure. You don’t want to miss this amazing episode!

“Do something new and more ambitious.”  – Words that inspired Patrick Daley to canoe across the U.S.

Travel Topics:

* Traveling from New York to Mexico… in a canoe!! [1:45]

* Google Maps has one weakness: Waterways [6:05]

* How much gear is too much gear for this kind of trip? (Very Important – Don’t forget to pack your drone) [10:09]

* How to scout out a good campsite in and out of tidal regions [11:00]

* Writing a travel memoir via dictation while canoeing… Like Woah! [12:22]

* How the maiden canoe voyage has made budgeting a challenge [14:56]

* On the difficulties of editing a video series from a campsite [16:20]

* Utilizing water canals and locks from the Industrial Revolution-era America [17:38]

* Canoeing through New York harbor despite experts warnings [19:38]

* Why a canoe and not a kayak? [20:50]

* Future dreams to come on Patrick’s journey to Mexico [22:33]

Patrick Daley’s Talking Points:

* Listen to Patrick’s first interview on LAT, Secrets to Successful Hitchhiking from True Transient

* Hitchhiking across the United States, Season 1

* Patrick’s first Canoe video, The Canoe Setup 

* Track Patrick’s live progress on his canoe expedition

* Check out Golden Hawk who custom builds canoes (and provided the vessel for Patrick)

Connect with Patrick:

Website  | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Music Credit:

* Echoes of Thursday by Gould

Take Action:

Choosing to canoe across the U.S. was pretty crazy and was at the edge of Patrick’s wildest imagination. What adventure seems too crazy for you to go on? Imagine it and go!

Taylor Conroy’s energy for life is contagious! Currently, he is the co-founder of Journey, an organization that designs trips for volunteers looking to make a difference by building homes in developing countries.

In his role, Taylor is on a mission to revolutionize the way social change is funded. This is a great interview for travelers looking to make a difference in the world.

Inspired by his passion, we explored his past, where I learned that he has always been driven. Whether it’s high-finance real estate, bodybuilding, firefighting or international volunteer work, Taylor takes on life at full force.

“That’s what made me leave the fire hall, that love for thinking outside the box and creating things that don’t yet exist.” – Taylor Conroy

Travel Topics:

* Taylor’s bodybuilder beginning [2:00]

* Life advice… You got to put in the hustle and the heartbreak to get the reward [6:30]

* The entrepreneurship itch [10:22]

* How to find a personal guru [14:07]

* Taylor’s passion for feminist projects [19:15]

* Yorling’s story: The will of a teenage Nicaraguan woman [21:18]

* Mr. Rodrigue’s story: A 100-year-old Salvadorian dairy farmer sees his new home [23:51]

* The power of partnering with an established local non-profit [25:39]

* What to expect on a Journey trip [26:08]

* The difference between non-profit and for-profit organizations in the change industry [33:33]

* Trip participants realize that ‘we, humans, are not as different as we think’ [39:14]

* The Masai warrior’s four truths [41:07]

* How to ensure volunteerism is sustainable for the community [44:26]

Taylor Conroy’s Talking Points:

* Exclusive Love Affair Travel listener offer! Attend a 5-Day life-changing trip to Mexico in late September, build a home for a family living in a slum and connect with a community who wants to change the world. Enter “LoveAffair” into the Promo Code Box at checkout for a trip value of $990 (normally priced at $1,290). 

* Taylor’s TedX Talk How to Build a School in 3 Hours

* Taylor’s brainchild for peer-to-peer fundraising Change Heroes

* Connect with Journey and make a difference:

Website | Facebook | Images

* Connect with Taylor:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Music Credit:

* Cappa Regime by Chill

Take Action:

Taylor found his drive by pushing himself out of his comfort zone. How can you challenge yourself today to manifest a better world?

From high school dropout in Germany, to a self-driving car engineer in Silicon Valley, Stefan’s journey to co-founder of Mobile Jazz is anything but expected.

I heard about Stefan’s innovative ‘happiness first’ business model from Johannes Voelkner of the Nomad Cruise, and knew I had to get Stefan on the show.

In this interview Stefan shares his philosophy on prioritizing happiness over a paycheck, his love for travel, living in a Fiat camper van and spending his days kiteboarding.

“Even today when I talk to people, I sometimes say, ‘If all my businesses went bankrupt, my bank account was set to zero, I wouldn’t be worried because I could leverage my network, leverage my skills and just start up again.'” – Stefan Klumpp

Travel Topics:

* How a high school dropout can become a successful entrepreneur [2:08]

* Moving to Silicon Valley to race self-driving cars through the desert [6:29]

* Getting hooked on kiteboarding [8:30]

* Yes…. Island fever is real! [10:10]

* What to do when you go broke in Spain [13:06]

* How to become a self-taught mobile app developer [13:20]

* Ha! Turns out, mobile was not just a fad! [13:49]

* The simple principles of entrepreneurship [17:57]

* How to create a unique office environment and pay model for your startup [21:52]

* Organizational advice: First up – Start spreadsheets! [27:52]

* Why Stefan took a personal financial hit to grow the business [29:00]

* Low overhead = Personal freedom [29:46]

* The simplicity of camper van life [31:11]

* Security issues inherent with traveling in a camper van [34:32]

* How Stefan measures happiness [38:06]

* The nomad working on the beach myth dispelled! [40:13]

* Clickbait vs Quality content [43:46]

Stefan Klumpp’s Talking Points:

* Check out cool camper vans

* Kiteboarding in Tarifa, Spain

* Read unique Mobile Jazz reviews on SE Asia, Cape Town and Sri Lanka

* Connect with Stefan:

Email | Facebook | Website | Vantrepreneur FB Group

Connect with Optimizing for Happiness:

Website |  Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Mobile Jazz:

Website...

Need to fit your entire life (including computer) into a carry-on, use the same bag to summit a mountain, and then show up to a meeting looking the part? Well look no further, the Minaal backpack is here.

Doug Barber, Co-founder of Minaal, shares how he and his friend Jimmy Hayes came to develop their successful product, and went on to raise $350,000 on their first ever Kickstarter campaign.

From their 18,000 mile road trip around North America in a Plymouth Grand Voyager van, to Doug’s experience as a corporate lawyer in New Zealand, this entrepreneur’s path is anything but ordinary.

“It’s a mixture of travel for fun and seeing what’s along the way. If we know there’s a particular industry in a certain area, we will go check it out… because you can search things out on the Internet, but there’s a lot that you’re not going to find out until you actually go to the place and start talking to people.” – Doug Barber

Travel Topics:

* Presenting as a guest speaker on the Nomad Cruise [0:55]

* The history of Minaal [1:25]

* From road trip to corporate law [3:12]

* How to plan the best study abroad year ever [6:00]

* Traditional job by day, business dreams by night [9:52]

* How to position yourself to run an international company [10:35]

* Living ‘cozy’ and eating ‘the meal of champions’ [12:05]

* The importance of developing quality fabrics for travelers [15:27]

* What you can learn from tailors in central Vietnam [16:58]

* How to develop a startup…. Hint: Teamwork makes the Dreamwork [20:00]

* Producing a prototype that speaks for itself [21:31]

* Benefits of getting honest feedback from your community [23:02]

* Pros and cons when creating a Kickstarter campaign [25:40]

* What it takes to build a brand and product [31:24]

* Finding inexpensive, high quality manufacturers and warehouses in Vietnam… Get prepared to get sweaty [33:07]

* How to choose the right factory to manufacture your product [36:35]

Minaal’s first Kickstarter video

Doug Barber’s Talking Points:

* Explore the world with Digital Nomads on the Nomad Cruise

Connect with Doug:

Message | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube

Music Credit:

* La Nave en Querétaro by Barrionomada

Take Action:

Doug was willing to take an 18-hour bus ride through rural Vietnam to research the highest quality manufacturers. What project or passion would drive you do to the same?