This week on the podcast we are joined by Stephen Ladd. Stephen is a city planner, voyager, and memoirist. He is the author of Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat, in which he rowed and sailed to South America and back in a tiny boat of his own design, and The Five-Year Voyage: Exploring Latin American Coasts and Rivers. In this episode of the podcast, Stephen shares what inspired him to travel by boat, what it was like traveling in South America for 5 years by boat with his wife, including what it was like to have a baby along the way. He shares how he planned his trips, highlights from his trip, as well as challenges of this lifestyle and much more.

Enjoy!

**In this episode:**

- The origins of Stephen’s inspiration to start traveling
- How Stephen was introduced to sailing and how that inspired him later on
- What Stephen’s life looked like gearing towards his larger sailing adventures
- Stephen’s decision to sail to South America with his wife
- The difference of navigating through the ocean versus navigating through rivers
- Having a baby during a sailing trip and how it was handled
- The process of crossing country borders by boat in South America
- The difficulties that arose when sailing back towards the United States

**Guest links:**

Website: [https://www.stephen-ladd.com/](https://www.stephen-ladd.com/home)