S2E7: Jason Moore - 'Thumbs Up'

When you travel, you never know who you will meet, or what kind of experiences you will have. Half the fun of adventuring is not knowing where you will be lead next, and Jason Moore is a firm believer in trying new things while you travel. Jason Moore, a resident of Oslo, Norway, hosts the Zero to Travel podcast, because he hopes to help people achieve their desire to live a life of travel, and help them travel on their own terms. He also runs Location Indie, a podcast based on the community support system of people who want to work while they travel, work remotely, and live independently. Jason’s story, which he calls “Thumbs Up,” gives us an inside look at the life of a hitchhiker, through the eyes of Jason, his friend, Gary, and their hitchhiking race around Scotland. Join Jason on a 546-mile quasi-circumnavigation grassroots race around Scotland, where he goes wild camping, visits eight iconic Scottish checkpoints, and meets a number of people who changed his life, who you can hear about in detail in the story. Jason’s adventure traveling through Scotland was an experience which he called, in a word, “transformative”. 

When you travel, you can give as much as you take; you can give energy, stories, a listening ear, and, most importantly, companionship. You learn to trust, and you realize that people really are awesome. “Many things happen when you step out on the side of the road and stick your thumb out,” Jason says, “but I think the best thing is the reminder that we are all connected, and this world is filled with wonderful and kind souls.” If you ever see Gary, or anyone else, hitchhiking, consider pulling over and giving them a lift; you might be pleasantly surprised by what happens. And if you are the one traveling, try putting your thumb out sometime, and you might just learn something new about humanity. 

Join Jason and Hayden as they learn to trust humanity and travel around Scotland for a time. You never know what you might learn about trust, humanity, and the energy that comes from hitchhiking. 

10:10 - Jason shares his thoughts on the traveler’s mindset, and how anyone in any position can have the traits and mindset of a traveler. 

13:38 - Jason discusses his podcast, Zero to Travel, which helps people achieve their desire to live a life of travel, and travel on their terms. He believes a love of travel is a value in life that everyone shares, and that a passion for travel isn’t really something that really ever goes away. 

15:55 - Jason tells us more about his community and his other podcast, both named Location Indie. He tells us about the community support system of people who want to work while they travel, work remotely, and live independently. 

18:37 - Jason Moore begins to tell his story, which he has titled: “Thumbs Up”. He reminds us that, if you don’t make time for travel, it just doesn’t happen. 

The main part of Jason’s story features a Scottish hitchhiking race, beginning on May 1, 2014, and continuing for several days on an epic 546-mile quasi-circumnavigation around Scotland. He had to visit eight iconic Scottish checkpoints on the way and get photo evidence of each checkpoint.

Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital