Rachel Rudwall (aka RachelRoams) shares her story of growing up in the Midwest to becoming a successful travel TV producer and host and adventuring across the globe. Today we explore her journey, including the exact steps she took to create the career in media that would enable her to pursue her dream of exploring the world. In this conversation, Jackie and Rachel discuss navigating career choices, learning from mentors, embracing your authentic self, chasing what scares you, and aligning with your unique dreams and purpose. Rachel’s story is an inspiring example of doing the hard work and taking risks to break the glass ceiling, building the travel career of her dreams and living a wildly full life during this beautiful existence.

Takeaways

- Self-selection can limit potential; it's important to take risks.

- Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional growth.

- Hard work and curiosity are essential for success in any field.

- Investing in yourself is crucial for growth.

- Only you can be the unique version of yourself.

- Every detour teaches valuable lessons.

- Asking questions opens doors to opportunities.

- Aligning with your purpose leads to fulfillment.

- Embrace what scares you as a path to growth. 

- Find and follow Rachel at RachelRoams.com and @rachelroams

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies

- Don’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com

Big thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA 

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Chris and Sara bought a 1988 Land Cruiser Camper and set out just over a year ago with plans to drive it from the US all the way down to Argentina, with their dog Kramer in tow. Today they tell all as we find out what kinds of adventures and major misadventures they got into throughout Central America, and why they now have their sights set in an entirely new direction. Our conversation flows from traveling with a dog, to balancing home life and camper travel, to the chaos and beauty of life on the road, vehicle issues, interacting with locals, the importance of slow travel, and how travel affects us all individually and uniquely through different times of our lives. Chris and Sara are podcast hosts of What No One Tells You and YouTubers who share their travel experiences—the beautiful, the not so great, and even the near death—and how they get through the hard things and keep going with smiles on their faces.

Pro tip: today’s episode pairs well with fish tacos

- Find and follow Chris & Sara at ChrisandSara.com and @chrisandsara_

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies

- Don’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA 

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Adventure is stepping out into the unknown, whether that takes us deeper into our backyards or across the world, and we have the choice to say yes to it. Saying yes to adventure sets in motion a path toward strength, resourcefulness, education, and ultimately lessons and momentum to carry us forward. Saying yes to adventure has the power to completely alter our paths. Join Jackie and guest Jordan Campbell — journalist, photographer, humanitarian, and documentary filmmaker — as they discuss the idea of the tao of adventure (essentially the natural course of adventure), what adventure means, and what it looks like to live a life of adventure, ultimately creating the full picture of our stories and ourselves as we pursue the adventures that call to us. This episode’s stories and observations are a bit of a treat for the philosophical mind and will leave you with a personal invitation and challenge to say yes to the adventures that call to YOU.

Pro tip: today’s episode pairs well with rakia and freshly-baked, salted bread

- Find and follow Jordan at JordanCampbell.com - the stories he mentioned and wrote for National Geographic can be found on his website!

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies

- Don’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com

Produced by NOVA 

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This episode is one for the books. Eleven years ago this week, Jackie first launched this podcast. Why? Largely because of the advice of Podcast Hall of Fame inductee Lou Mongello, who is here as a guest host today. Listen in as Lou himself picks up the mic and turns it on Jackie, to reflect on and celebrate the past decade-plus of her podcasting journey.

We’re taking a deep dive behind the scenes, starting with how the podcast began, overcoming fears and challenges, building community through travel, finding purpose and fulfillment, balancing passion and business, Jackie’s key to success, and looking ahead to the future.

The timing for this conversation couldn’t be better, as we just won Best Travel Podcast 2025 at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards. We wouldn’t be here without YOU, so we all have much to revel in today. Thank you for being here.

Pro tip: today’s episode pairs well with something to cheers with!

- Find and follow Lou at @loumongello and loumongello.com

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies

- Don’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications - hop on our email list at TravelingJackie.com

Produced by NOVA 

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Join Jackie and guest Kellee Edwards, licensed pilot, scuba diver, television host, and “Most Interesting Woman in the World.” Kellee shares her story about how she got started on her path to becoming a pilot and having a show on the Travel Channel, plus what inspires and drives her to keep going, as well as her advice on how to act on big dreams. Today we tackle overcoming fears, embracing adventure, empowering women, the essence of bravery, and breaking barriers. Strap in, because we’re blazing a trail of courage, authenticity, and pursuit of living and doing big things. Pro tip: today’s episode pairs well with champagne.

- Find and follow Kellee at @kelleesetgo (https://www.instagram.com/kelleesetgo/) and kelleesetgo.com

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies

- Don’t miss Jackie’s behind-the-scenes communications, hop on our email list at JUMPAdventures.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA 

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

It’s one thing to feel a connection to a place beyond what you see and what you might already know about it, but it’s another step entirely to truly get off the beaten path and explore the depths of it. Gabe Erivez from Agave Expeditions has done exactly that with Baja California Sur. Beyond the crowded beaches and surf breaks, Gabe has sought out locals and their stories, bringing the real culture of Baja to life for his guests, whom he leads on 4x4 overlanding trips down the peninsula. Join us today as we learn more about Baja through Gabe’s eyes, and through the eyes of the locals he has come to call friends.

- Find Gabe on IG @baja_agave_expeditions https://www.instagram.com/baja_agave_expeditions/ and agavexpeditions.com

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies!

- Travel with us IRL - don’t miss our upcoming trips and announcements - hop on our email list at JUMPAdventures.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Meet Sarah & Seth, JUMP podcast listeners and newlyweds who not only went to Patagonia for their honeymoon, but had Jackie personally design their trip! Today we find out what their criteria was for their dream honeymoon, and how Jackie mixed rugged backcountry experiences with cultural adventure, culinary delights, and a little luxury to round out their trip of a lifetime in Southern Patagonia.

- Find Sarah @jacoby_624 and Seth @sethrowsam on IG

- Like the sound of our Patagonia honeymoon itinerary? Let us re-create it for YOU - reach out to us at JUMPAdventures.com

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies!

- Travel with us IRL - don’t miss our upcoming trips and announcements - hop on our email list at JUMPAdventures.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Abigail Hannah, host of New Zealand’s top travel podcast Aotearoa Adventures, takes the mic and interviews Jackie today about her recent first-time experience in New Zealand. Tune in to find out why Jackie chose New Zealand, what activities she and her JUMP Adventures groups did while there, favorite places and highlights, surprises, must-do advice, and stories from the journey, and why it’s now one of Jackie’s all-time favorite countries.

- Listen to Aotearoa Adventures podcast

- Follow Abigail Hannah on IG @abigailhannnah

- Like the sound of our NZ itinerary? Let us re-create it for YOU - reach out to us at JUMPAdventures.com

- Please follow the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies!

- Travel with us IRL - don’t miss our upcoming trips and announcements - hop on our email list at JUMPAdventures.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

JUMP Podcast is your invitation to adventure. Through a mix of guest stories, solo episodes and often raw and personal accounts with host Traveling Jackie, JUMP explores travel, adventure, and lifestyle in ways meant to motivate YOU to get out and see the world.

Let this show be a source of travel advice and inspiration, and remember that in the end… It’s YOU who takes the leap.

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

When we travel, especially solo, our surroundings have a way of reflecting back to us the peaks and valleys within ourselves. Listen today as Jackie speaks with Mark Johanson about his recently published book Mars on Earth: Wanderings in the World’s Driest Desert, which is part travelogue, part memoir about the forgotten places of Chile and Mark’s personal journey through a tumultuous time in both the world and in his own life.

- Find Mark at @MarkOnTheMap and MarkJohanson.com

- Buy Mars on Earth and take a journey yourself!

- Please subscribe to the show, leave a 5-star review if you love it, and share with your travel buddies!

- Travel with us IRL - don’t miss our upcoming trips and announcements - hop on our email list at JUMPAdventures.com

Massive thanks to Osprey.com and ObozFootwear.com for sponsoring and supporting our show!

Produced by NOVA Media

Take a leap with Jackie IRL - join us in Greece and Norway in 2025 at JUMPadventures.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands