Lily Girma is a lawyer turned travel writer who’s spent a significant amount of time in some of the most beautiful destinations in the world, including Belize and Jamaica. In the Santo Domingo episode of the Postcard Academy travel podcast, Lily explains why she now calls the Dominican Republic home. 

 

We talk about the cultural events you can’t miss, the best beaches to go to, which chocolate plantations to visit — that’s right, this holiday can combine beach and chocolate. Does it get any better? Lily also talks about the history of slavery and dictatorship in the DR, and the cultural reawakening that’s happening in the country. Visit postcard academy.co for links to everything we talk about.

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Did you know I host another show called Podcasting Step by Step? Check it out if you’ve been wanting to start a podcast. Every week, I break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams.

 

Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to the Postcard Academy travel podcast. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Amanda Kingsmith and Ryan Ferguson are a Canadian couple who travel full time, but they do it slowly, often staying in one place for weeks or months at a time. Over the last year, they fell in love with Mexico City and its incredible food and culture scene. Did you know that Mexico City has more than 40,000 restaurants and the second-highest number of museums after Paris? 

 

Amanda and Ryan, who co-host the World Wanderers podcast, joined me on the Postcard Academy to talk about their location independent life and all their best travel recommendations for Mexico City.

 

Links to all the best places to eat, drink, see, and do in Mexico City and beyond can be found at postcardacademy.co

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Did you know I host another show called Podcasting Step by Step? Check it out if you’ve been wanting to start a podcast. Every week, I break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams.

 

Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to the Postcard Academy travel podcast. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

British-born Mark Ellwood is a fellow expat and travel podcaster who I’ve been listening to for a few years, first on Conde Nast Traveler’s Travelogue and now on Travel Genius. Whenever I hear him, I think, “This guy sounds like so much fun.” I knew he’d be the perfect guest to talk about the local experiences we should have in New York City. Find links to what we talked about on postcardacademy.co

 

Mark is a contributing editor to Conde Nast Traveler, and also writes for Bloomberg Luxury, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times. and other publications. If you’re in the States and watch the TODAY show, you may have seen Mark, as he is their go-to travel expert. He’s been on many other TV shows — too many for me to name here.

 

Mark and I are pretty much living opposite lives. He’s an Englishman turned New Yorker living a very glam life in Manhattan. I’m an American who left New York and am now slumming it on the coast of England. But we’re both enjoying life in our adopted homes, and of course we like to talk travel, which we do on this episode. 

 

We also talk about expat life, and Mark shares his favorite New York City recommendations, including some cocktail bars that sound amazing, and other hidden gems I think you’ll enjoy. 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Did you know I host another show called Podcasting Step by Step? Check it out if you’ve been wanting to start a podcast. Every week, I break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams.

 

Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to the Postcard Academy travel podcast. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

“Zagreb is where you’ll feel the life of Croatia,” says Ashley Colburn, an American expat living in Istria. She’ss a TV producer who won an Emmy for her in-depth travel coverage of Croatia. On this episode, Ashley shares her favorite things to see, do, and eat in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital city. Visit postcardacademy.co for show notes. 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Did you know I host another show called Podcasting Step by Step? Check it out if you’ve been wanting to start a podcast. Every week, I break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams.

 

Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to the Postcard Academy travel podcast. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Croatia is more than Dubrovnik, which Game of Thrones fans and cruiseships have been flocking to for years. On this episode, Ashley Colburn, an American now living in Istria, helps us explore more of Croatia’s coastline.  (show notes at postcardacademy.co)

 

Ashley is a two-time Emmy award-winning TV producer who has traveled to more than 50 countries. She earned one of those Emmys for her first TV travel show WOW Croatia. She then produced seven, one-hour episodes of a documentary called WONDERS OF CROATIA. This work has endeared Ashley to the Croatian people, and turned her into a national celebrity — she’s even competing in the TV series Singing with the Stars!

 

 I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Yay! I’m so psyched to share this episode with Kathy McCabe, host of the travel TV series Dream of Italy. This season, Kathy interviewed several people, including Francis Ford Coppola, who did something that both Kathy and I have done — return to our ancestral homeland to reconnect with the villages our relatives left behind. Kathy and I talk about our personal experiences with this, and of course, I ask her all about her favorite must-do experiences throughout Italy. 

 

Kathy started her website and newsletter Dream of Italy 16 years ago and has been sharing insider tips with Italy lovers ever since. For links to the must-do experiences we talk about today, head on over to postcardacademy.co 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

 

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Hello! The Postcard Academy is on a little break this week. I’ll be back on Friday with a really fun conversation with Kathy McCabe from the TV show Dream of Italy. 

 

This week, however, I wanted to let you know about a new podcast I just launched called Podcasting Step by Step. This show is very close to my heart and I’m excited to share it with you.

 

I love podcasting so much and I know there are other people out there who are almost ready to start their own shows but something is holding them back. Maybe it’s fear of putting themselves out there, or confusion about the tech.  

 

If this sounds like you, I am here for you. I really want to help people feel more comfortable with sharing their voices with the world, and to help them go from feeling like overwhelmed podcasting amateurs to confident creators. 

 

Every week on Podcasting Step by Step, I will break down ‘how to podcast’ with a little loving motivation to help you finally launch that podcast of your dreams. 

 

So if that sounds of interest to you, please subscribe to Podcasting Step by Step wherever you listen to podcasts. And please tell your aspiring podcast friends about it. :)

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

I’m bringing back my Brexit buddy and former colleague, Mark Robson, to explain in easy-to understand terms how Brexit is affecting life today, and how we might be able to get out of this 2.5 year quagmire. In this episode, you’ll also get another lesson in British history, and who doesn’t love that? You’ll find show notes, including a funny and useful Brexit explainer video, on postcardacademy.co

 

Even though I live in England, have a lot at stake regarding Brexit, and listen to news about it all the time, I’ve found the situation to be quite confusing until Mark and I had this chat. I have such a better understanding of Brexit and its historical context. Hopefully you’ll feel the same way after listening and come away with all sorts of facts you can impress your friends with. 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

On March 29, 2019, the U.K. is scheduled to exit the European Union (Brexit). But no one has any idea what is actually going to happen. 

 

My fellow expats and immigrants are worried about our future legal status in the U.K., which we have made our home. Business owners, especially farmers, are losing business contracts due to economic uncertainty. Mental health issues are on the rise. People are stockpiling food. In recent days, people have been comparing the U.K. to Venezuela!

 

A lot of the news stories about Brexit are wonky and confusing, so I invited my British friend, Mark Robson, to come on the Postcard Academy podcast to explain what Brexit means in language everyone can understand. (head to postcardacademy.co for show notes). 

 

In part one, Mark and I dive into some European history to explain how Brexit came to be. In part 2, we talk about how it feels to be living in England during this crazy time, which has been described as serious as WWII, and we share our predictions and dreams for the U.K. 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Happy International Women’s Day! I never even heard of International Women’s Day until I move to Italy in 2010, and La Festa delle Donne is a pretty big deal over there. So it got me thinking about the cultural differences between Americans. and Italians, and I thought it would be fun to share some of these today. I picked 12, but there are many more.

 

This episode is not about one country being better than the other — they both have pluses and minuses. I’m just sharing what I’ve experienced as a person who’s lived in both Italy and the United States. 

 

Interested in Italy? I’ve done several Italy episodes, including ones on Rome and Florence. 

 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Ready to travel? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free guide to cheap airfare. 

 

Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.

 

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. Not a member yet? Postcard Academy listeners can get a FREE audiobook and a 30-day free trial if you sign up via

audibletrial.com/postcard

 

This podcast is also brought to you by World Nomads. Need simple and flexible travel insurance? Get a cost estimate from World Nomads using their handy calculator at postcardacademy.co/insurance

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.