Eternally Evolving (with Miriam Donovan)

I really felt like I had to tell the story of this insane series of events on the podcast before I could continue on and talk about anything else. I just got back from spending most of November in Europe and it was amazing, I went to 6 different countries, but the end of the trip was chaotic. So this episode is the story of the sickest I've ever been in my life and trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving hoping a volcano doesn't errupt during the 24 hours I was in Iceland. And somehow that's not even all of it.

Part of the plan is having no plan. In this episode, I'm talking about how I've learned to release the semblance of control over external circumstances. Trading control for adventure and practicing presence when I'm traveling the world is one of the greatest lessons I've had to learn, but also one of the most important ones. I'm telling stories about so many times when things absolutely did not go according to plan and were sometimes even difficult to deal with, but now I'm grateful for them all. Travel forces you to trust yourself enough to know that you will be okay, that you will be able to figure things out even when it's hard.

When people always ask me what my favorite place I've ever been while traveling is, it's always hard to give an answer, but I pretty much always say Jordan. Last year, exactly a year ago from the date I recorded this episode, my friend and I flew to Jordan completely on a whim and a $20 round-trip plane ticket, and it was the most incredible place I've ever seen. In this episode, I'm going to tell you everything we did when we were there, my best advice and tips for anyone who also wants to go, and everything my time in the desert made me realize. This is your sign to book the trip that anyone is trying to talk you out of!

I'm answering one of the first questions I'm always asked: how do you afford to travel so much? In this episode I share everything I've learned to travel cheaply and efficiently, and some of the cheapest and most amazing places I've traveled to. The key is finding the balance between knowing when to save the money and take the harder route vs. when to spend it to save yourself time and stress. This is based on my experience traveling through a lot of Europe and parts of the Middle East/North Africa, but I can't wait to see what I learn exploring other regions of the world in the future.

In this episode, I'm talking about the process and journey of getting my degree in international relations and what that even actually means. I talk about how I decided this was the perfect career field for me, what my program and school looked like, and some of the incredible classes and opportunities I have had because of it. I hope this episode sheds light on why my perspective while traveling is unique because of how I have studied the world, and how everything you learn in this field is applicable to so many different aspects of life; peace, conflict, culture, religion, history, politics, human rights, environmentalism, trade, power, and so so much more.

This week I'm talking about the unique city of Budapest and the current political situation in Hungary. Budapest is incredible for its historic architecture, amazing nightlife, cozy Christmas markets, and more, but did you know that it's facing a crisis of democratic backsliding as the Hungarian Prime Minister drives the country towards a far-right authoritarian government and away from the EU? This political crisis involves everything from border walls to gay sex scandals, so really exciting for me to share everything I learned while meeting with a Hungarian Professor and expert while I was in Budapest. Additionally, I share my thoughts on my time in Budapest and why the city is so meaningful to me.

In this episode I'm detailing my first time seeing the Alps. We spend one day in Geneva in Switzerland then one day in the little fairtytale town of Annecy, France on a perfect fall weekend in early November. And I share the peace I felt sitting by these beautiful, crystal clear lakes looking out over the mountains, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I also begin the episode by sharing some thoughts on the current violence in Israel-Palestine that has been at the forefront of my mind all week. As someone with a degree in international relations who has extensively studied this conflict for 5+ years, it's heartbreaking to watch, and I hope to give clarity to those that are confused or who want to help but don't really understand what's going on.

Amsterdam in the fall is one of the most magical places in the world to me; in this episode I talk about my experience traveling there last October and how I'm going to plan my trip there for this October as well! I'll take you through some of my favorite memories of my time there, my favorite aspects of the culture and lifestyle in Amsterdam, and some of my recommendations of places I went when I was there. Additionally, I'm sharing my thoughts and mixed feelings on the famous red light district, and how it felt traveling there in a group of all girls.

This episode explains my love/hate relationship with the city of Rome. I studied in Rome for 5 months last fall and there are so many things I love about it, but things that I hate about it as well. I go through a pros and cons list contrasting all of the beautiful parts of the lifestyle and culture in Italy with the dangerous and uncomfortable aspects of it, combined with my thoughts on Italian history and politics. I also talk about the other places in Italy I visited while I was there, like Sorrento and Florence. Rome has such a special place in my heart but I want to break down the romanticization and misconceptions that people may have about it.

For the first full episode of the podcast, we're going through the first major international trip that I planned to the Greek Cycladic Islands of Sifnos, Paros, and Naxos. I talk about my experience there, the culture and history that I learned, most of the things we did and unique places we found along the way. Hopefully this episode convinces you to visit the smaller, less touristic Greek Cycladic islands instead of Mykonos or Santorini, and takes you through the feeling of a beautiful mediterranean Greek island hopping summer.