Limitless Living

"We pulled the pieces of my bike out of its cardboard box while sliding around the deep brown hardwood floors, flitting around prayer flags and fairy lights to The Soul Rebels. Bike parts and bubble wrap littered the floor, mixing with Zoe’s paints, brushes and little sticks of incense that kept a soothing aroma of sandalwood hanging around the room. It was hot and humid even at 9 in the evening and finally sitting down in my underwear, with a blue bandana pulling my hair back, I started putting it together– the bike that would carry me across the world."

Nicole Heker is an American cycle-tourist and the Director of Development at Happy Kids Center in Nepal. She has spent the last year inching her way west from Thailand - by bicycle - to raise funds for HKC while pursuing a mission to unlearn limiting stories about herself and the world around her. Since departing from Thailand over a year ago, Nicole has traversed mountains, crossed borders, and touched innumerable souls with her mission. She has been featured in Walk Herr Earth travel magazine, UNILAD Adventure, and has written articles for International Living. She is obsessed with desert sunrises and has a knack for getting lost. Keep a lookout for her updates on Instagram @unlearningbybike and for what's going on at HKC @thehappykidscenter.

Links :

https://www.instagram.com/unlearningbybike/

https://www.instagram.com/thehappykidscenter/

www.unlearningbybike.com

www.happykidscenter.org

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee.

"What goes up, must come down."

Jon Carter reflects on an unforgettable experience he shared with a friend while rock climbing the Alps of France when recounting lessons that travel and climbing have taught him. He speaks about the kindness of strangers, unexpected moments, and the ever-present prospect of death - all culminating in the tiniest bar in the mountains.

Jonathan Carter is currently traveling around the western USA in a renovated, off-grid 70's truck camper. Jon enjoys skiing, primarily in the backcountry, moderate trad multi-pitch rock climbing, and cross-country mountain biking. Known for his lame sarcasm and self-proclaimed bad sense of humor, Jon spends his days outdoors and his nights advocating for the environment.

Since finishing high school, Jon has lived in different locations around the world, developing a variety of skills in different job positions. From racing classic sailing yachts in the Mediterranean to lobbying Utah legislators on water conservation, Jon is on a mission to understand the foundation of what it takes to be a sustainable traveler - or what he calls, an Educated Nomad.

Check out Jon’s blog about outdoor and sustainable travel at www.educatednomad.com. Also, follow along on Instagram @EducatedNomad, and on Twitter @Educated_Nomad.

Special thank you to Chris Davis of Good Road Co. for production help on this episode. Check out his work at www.goodroad.co, or on Instagram @goodroadco.

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee (Instagram: @emilyboelee).

Erin reflects on her first experience teaching abroad in China. After leaving her career in the United States, she is thrown into a world of personal connection, growth, and wonder. "Chicken Feet" follows her journey from culture shock to a sense of belonging.

"I was out of ideas, and I had no money on me. I must have been sitting there for ten minutes, feeling defeated, when the door behind me suddenly opened, and an old sleepy man with very broken English asked if I needed help."

During a solo backpacking trip through southeast Asia, Salma found herself alone in the streets of Vietnam, with no money and nowhere to sleep. She sat on the curb, afraid and unsure of what to do next when a stranger reached out.

Salma Mendez was born and raised in Mexico City. This 25-year-old is currently traveling through South America with her partner and their dog Brodie. She has visited more than 30 countries all over the world in the past 6 years, and is currently in Colombia. Today, she has her own business, I Travel I Explore, where she helps other plan trips of their own. Salma has found ways to travel smart, work remotely, use sign up bonus miles for free flights, and other travel hacks.

Plan your next trip with Salma at http://itraveliexplore.com/.

Follow Salma's adventures on Instagram as Salma Travel Guru @itraveliexplore_socanyou.

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee (IG: @emilyboelee)

"I paced, worst-case scenarios running through my head. Aaron had slipped and knocked himself out on a rock. Or he had fallen down into the rocks and broken his leg. Or somehow got disoriented and was walking the wrong way. 127 Hours-esque scenes kept sneaking into my mind."

In Alabama Hills, CA, Cat and her boyfriend, Aaron are separated among the boulders. With no way of locating each other, or even knowing if one another was unharmed, panic ensues. Light fades to darkness, and the desert silence becomes deafening.

Cat Carroll is from Seattle, WA originally, but has been traveling North America with Aaron in their self-converted school bus RV since April of 2018. They enjoy rock climbing, paddleboarding, and meeting other travelers on the road. Before buslife, Cat and Aaron both worked 9-5 jobs in Seattle for several years after graduating from Washington State University. They felt unfulfilled and uninspired, and they weren't excited about the future. Living in Stu, their bus, gives them the freedom to explore, travel, rest, and pursue their passions. Their plans for the future involve continuing to explore the United States in Stu and hopefully traveling abroad. Eventually, their goal is to build a sustainable off-grid tiny home.

Follow their adventures on their Instagram: @stu.the.bus

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee. (@EmilyBoeLee)

Story performed by Cat Carroll.

Three months in Nicaragua turned into three years for Kristen Slizgi.

Kristen Slizgi is a writer and world-traveller who started her own travel concierge business, The Luxury Travelist, which specializes in bespoke, affordable luxury trips. Splitting her time between a home base in New York City and abroad, Kristen spends most months out of the year traveling to new places to scout locations, test out products and review hotels, restaurants, and businesses. Before diving into starting her own business, she had graduated from college (tried to work my first 9-5) and ended up living and working in Nicaragua for over three years.

Today, Kristen shares with Emily her top advice for starting a travel business, what it takes to make a living working remotely, and why you shouldn't quit your day job... yet.

Start planning your next trip with the Luxury Travelist at theluxurytravelist.com.

Follow Kristen's adventures on her Instagram @kristenslizgi.

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee (@emilyboelee).

"I held Sascha in my arms and covered us with the space blanket. The pack was our pillow. I wondered how cold it was going to get in the next few hours as I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep."

When Vic Madrid and his son, Sascha, set out to climb the Royal Arches in Yosemite Valley, they were expecting a fun-filled day of father-son adventure. What they got was the most harrowing and humbling experience of their lives.

This episode is dedicated to John Dill and Keith Lober of Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR).

Vic Madrid is a 66-year-old native Californian and retired geologist.  His interests include trekking, rock climbing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and celebrating the beauty of nature through photography.

If anybody wants to contact Vic with regards to this story, they can email him at [email protected] .

Check out Vic's photography on his Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vic_madrid/

Story told by Vic Madrid

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee

One woman. One border crossing. And one pair of undergarments.

In this storytelling episode of Limitless Living, Jen Ruiz shares a tale of peril and human connection, all in the name of crossing the Mexico/Belize border in the middle of the night.

Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned solo travel blogger and author. In 2017, she set out to take 12 trips in 12 months while employed full-time before her 30th birthday. She surpassed her goal, taking 20 trips in 12 months, and wrote a book about her cheap flight secrets. The book went on to become a #1 Amazon Bestseller and Readers' Favorite Award winner, so Jen did the only rational thing -- quit her job practicing law to pursue writing and traveling full-time, student loans and all. Today, she is a TEDx speaker and has been featured as a budge and solo travel expert by The Washington Post, Business Insider and ABC News. She documents her adventures on her website, Jen on a Jet Plane.

 

Jen's social media:

https://www.jenonajetplane.com

https://www.instagram.com/jenonajetplane

https://www.twitter.com/jenonajetplane

https://www.facebook.com/jenonajetplane

https://www.pinterest.com/jenonajetplane 

 

Check out Jen's travel books on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Jen-Ruiz/e/B07B7GSVSL

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee (Instagram @emilyboelee)

Story performed by Jen Ruiz

Kids have it good. No rent to pay, hanging out with friends, playing outside all day... What if you could do that now? And get paid for it?

In this episode, Jeff Bell breaks down the world of working seasonally. Jeff has spent 14 years working in the tourism industry in Alaska, saving money during the busy season, and then travel the rest of the year. Today, he gives Emily the nitty-gritty on where to find jobs, how to land a seasonal contract, and what it's like living in one of the most remote places in the world.

Check out Jeff's photography at jeffbellphotography.smugmug.com and on his Instagram @jeffbellphotography.

Jeff's travel blog: planetbell.me

Find Alaskan seasonal jobs at CoolWorks.com

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee (Instagram @emilyboelee)

Music courtesy of Premium Beat

Picture "happiness." Did you picture leaving behind your home-country and moving 9,000 miles away to Cambodia? Neither did Zanny, until she visited Siem Reap at age 20 and fell in love.

Zanny Merullo, originally from New England, has now been a permanent resident of Siem Reap for almost a year; today, she shares why you shouldn't be afraid to take a gap year before college, and how her own travels changed her perceptions of happiness, money, and "success" - whatever that is. She reveals to Emily how she fell in love with life in Cambodia, why she decided to make the move there just a couple of months after visiting for the first time, and why the Western concept of "success" might not equate to happiness. Zanny also discusses her struggle being an expat with cystic fibrosis and how chronic illness has fueled her passion for life.

Feel free to reach out to Zanny if you have questions about gap years, travel, or living in Cambodia! Find Zanny Merullo on Instagram @zannymerullo.

 

Hosted by Emily Boe Lee. (@emilyboelee)

Music courtesy of Premium Beat.