Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers

Hi, from Macedonia! Today I’m chatting with my Airbnb host, Sofia Grozdanova, who’s become my Macedonian sister. I’m sharing her apartment in Skopje’s bohemian district and I feel so at home in her place and in this neighborhood. And her room is $12 a night. What?! If you’re new to Airbnb, take advantage of my friends and family discount.

Sofia is from Skopje but she lived in New York for a few years, going to school and working. When she decided to come back to the Balkans, she was able to keep her job in NYC and now works remotely. So, she could work from anywhere but she chooses Skopje and in this episode we will discuss why, including all of her favorite places to eat and drink in Macedonia’s capital city, plus day trips such as the UNESCO town Ohrid. We’ll also talk about the crazy and corrupt Skopje 2014 redevelopment project, which has turned downtown into Vegas on steroids, and explain Macedonia’s (very controversial) potential name change. Check out postcardacademy.co for links and photos. 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And 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

Airbnb will be matching donations to the International Refugee Assistance Project up to a total of $150,000 through September 30, 2018. If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.

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.

One of the best parts of solo travel is the people you meet on the road. Lannie Su saw via Instagram that we were both in Slovenia and asked if I wanted to meet up — of course! Last week, we talked about how she’s border surfing the Schengen zone and how you can, too. This week, we’re focused more on Ljubljana’s history and great food, and the delightful day trips you can take to Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and Piran. Visit postcardacademy.co to learn more about Slovenia.

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And 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

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.

Americans, Canadians, Australians, and citizens from quite a few other countries can legally stay in Europe as long as they want without needing a visa. How? By jumping in and out of the Schengen zone, which is made up of 26 member countries. In this episode, we dive deep into how to calculate your days so you’re never breaking any rules or are overstaying your 90 out of 180 continuous days anywhere. You’ll also find a break down of this info on postcardacademy.co  This isn’t legal advice, so please contact the embassy of where you want to go if you have specific questions.

Top take-aways from this episode: 

• Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from when you begin traveling. 
• Always make sure immigration officials stamp your passport when you go in and out of the Schengen area. 
• At the borders, you could be questioned about your travel plans, and border agents have the power to limit your time in a particular country based on their whims. So be nice to them and you might want to have proof of sufficient funds on you, like bank statements, cash, and credit cards.
• Don’t overstay 90 days in a continuous 180 day period in the Schengen Zone. You could be fined, deported, and banned from re-entering a country you love. 
• Oh, and one more thing, if you’re border-surfing without a visa like Lannie talks about in this episode, you’re not eligible to apply for work. You’re most likely either earning a living remotely, living off your savings, or retired. 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And 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 at

audibletrial.com/postcard 

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.

My nomadic friend Cristal Dyer and I called each other to catch up on where we are in the world, and thought we’d let you listen in. You remember Cristal from the Oaxaca, Mexico, and Travel Deal episodes of the Postcard Academy. She shares her VERY hands-on experience volunteering at an animal sanctuary in Belize and will tell you how you can get involved in the program at the Belize Zoo. We also talk about her new expat life in Mexico.

I’ll be talking about where I am now (Slovenia); my new favorite beach destination to avoid the crazy crowds of Venice; and the place I visited last year that I cannot stop thinking about, and that I really think you should go to. 

I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. If you so desire, you can sign up for my newsletter here. And 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.

Find more travel stories and guides at postcardacademy.co

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 at

audibletrial.com/postcard 

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.

Today we are talking to my friend Ting Zhang, a New Yorker who now lives in Queenstown, New Zealand — birthplace of bungee jumping and fantastic pinot noir. 

In a previous life, Ting had an awesome job as a global product lead at Google in New York City. On paper she had everything, but when she took a step back a few years ago, she realized what she really wanted to do was travel. So, she packed up everything and embarked on a world tour. She originally only planned on visiting Queenstown for a few days, but now she lives there permanently and you will love hearing the story about what kept her there. 

Of course, she also shares her insider tips on where to find the best dining, hiking, and drinking options in this boutique wine region of the world. 

The Postcard Academy podcast is hosted by me, Sarah Mikutel. You can sign up for my newsletter here, if you so please. And 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.

Find more travel stories and guides at postcardacademy.co

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.

For decades, Germany has been reckoning with and atoning for its dark past. Museums, monuments, and educational programs teach tourists and locals about World War II and the nazis, and the Cold War and Berlin Wall. In last week’s ‘What to Eat and Where to Go’ Berlin episode, we touched on how important historical tourism is in Berlin, and, today, Chloe Dalrymple, a British expat and tour guide for Insider Tour, and I are diving deeper into World War II and the Cold War (visit postcardacademy.co for show notes).

Obviously, these are huge topics. I’m currently listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on Audible and that alone is 57 hours long, so we’re only scratching the surface here. But hopefully this quick and dirty primer will help you get your historical bearings before you travel to Berlin.

You might not want to listen with little kids, as we will be talking about one of the worst human atrocities of all time, but I will spare you the most horrific details. 

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗

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Thank you to Six Miles High Design for creating the brilliant Postcard Academy logo.

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.

Photographer, potter, and globe maker Chloe Dalrymple fits right in with Berlin’s creative scene. A native Brit, Chloe has lived in Berlin for three years and spends her days guiding visitors around her adopted city as a freelance tour guide, primarily with Insider Tour. 

There’s so much to talk about, so I’m breaking this episode up into two parts. Today, you’ll learn more about Chloe and get her insider trips on the best places to eat and hang out in the city. In part 2, we’ll dive more into Berlin’s Nazi and Cold War past, which is a big part of tourism here. 

Visit postcardacademy.co for a list of Chloe's great Berlin travel recommendations. 

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  

Thank you to Six Miles High Design for creating the brilliant Postcard Academy logo.

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.

Hi. I’m trapped in no-wifi land at the moment. Just wanted to say a quick hello and let you know that my favorite audio walking tour app — Detour — is offering free audio tours until May 31. I wrote a review of Detour a few months ago, which you can read here. 

Unfortunately, Detour has been purchased by Bose and the future of this great walking tour app is unclear. After May 31, the Detour app will stop working. Until then, have an awesome time exploring the world’s best cities with Detour. Even if you don’t live near one of the cities offered, you can still listen remotely and soak in some great storytelling. 

Have a great week and talk to you in a few days. 

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  

Visit postcardacademy.co for more travel guides and stories.

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.

Shannon O’Donnell, an American who’s been traveling the world since 2008, literally wrote The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook. Over the years, her website A Little Adrift has become one of the best resources for responsible tourism. NPR, National Geographic, the BBC, and other news outlets have covered Shannon, and her own writing and photography have appeared in BBC Travel, USA Today, Lonely Planet, and other places. 

Shannon launched A Little Adrift’s sister website Grassroots Volunteering to connect travelers to local causes and communities. In recognition of her incredible work, in 2013 National Geographic named her “Traveler of the Year.”

In this episode, you’ll learn volunteer dos and don’ts, why most people shouldn’t volunteer while traveling, and why supporting social enterprises is usually a better way to support local communities. We also chat about Shannon’s new life as an expat in Barcelona. Visit postcardacademy.co for links to what we talk about.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  

Thank you to Six Miles High Design for creating the brilliant Postcard Academy logo.

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.

Last year, The New Yorker ran an article titled #vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement: What began as an attempt at a simpler life quickly became a life-style brand. And it's true, if you look up #vanlife on Instagram, you’ll find nearly 3 million photos of perfect couples driving through the desert or drinking beer on top of their vehicle. 

But there are also tons of people choosing to live in vans or RVs or old bread trucks because they want a simpler life. Fewer things. More experiences. Jema Patterson talked about her van life experience with us on the house-sitting episode a few weeks back. Today, we are taking a deeper dive into van life. We’ll hear more from Jema, and also from new guest Casey Sheppard, from Case of the Nomads.

Casey spent two years living in a van with her dog, India, before embarking on her latest adventure, biking all the way across New Zealand. She just finished her 30-day, 3,000 km bike ride. But she still made time to chat about travel and the ins and outs of van life. 

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  

Visit postcardacademy.co for more travel guides and stories.

Thank you to Six Miles High Design for creating the brilliant Postcard Academy logo.

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.