Lydia is currently a PhD CANDIDATE (woo!) in Arizona studying soil microbiology. She’s also a trail runner and I can’t wait for you to hear our chat. This is one of those episodes that is SUPER hard to sum up in three bullet points, but some highlights include:

What Lydia is studying, a bit about her journey to these topics, and why we should care!

How you can connect more with and be a steward of the land (spoiler alert: we both are huge supporters of going local)

Trail running and the communities that Lydia experiences in Tuscon, Arizona

Lydia posts some phenomenal things on both her Instagram and Twitter - be sure to give her a follow!

Becky is currently studying butterfly response to forest fires in Mexico (!) and oh my GOSH do we talk about a lot of good stuff in this episode.

You can scratch your travel itch by hearing about Becky’s field work experiences.

She gives us her definition of conservation - then takes it a step further and highlights the importance of looking at political, social, and economic barriers to conservation.

We chat about environmental justice and how to respect the places we are all recreating, studying, and traveling.

Up first is the incredible Ashleigh! Our conversation spans a ton of different topics, some of which include:

How her path has led to studying indigenous archaeology and what her research entails.

Why you should learn indigenous histories about the lands you recreate on and the places you travel - even if you didn’t learn about it in school, that doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

How she makes her mental health a priority and why that’s so important to her!

Follow Ashleigh on Instagram and Twitter to hear more from her and stay up to date with her great work.

Nada is traveling the world on a Yemeni passport and she and I talk about a bunch of good things in our episode! Some of our topics include:

Informing my ignorant butt on Saudi citizenship, marriage, and other related topics.

How Nada got introduced to solo travel (spoiler alert: find a really lovely friend)!

The power of the media and how it can influence many, and how Nada is doing her own part to share her experiences.

Follow Nada’s Instagram, blog, and YouTube channel to keep up with some really exciting travels coming up!

Today we’ve got a bit of a geography lesson and another fantastic conversation coming your way. Some of the topics we chat about include:

Lavdi teaches me about a ton of places - Kosovo, South Sudan, and more!

What it’s like being a resource for

Daily life around a UN compound and how Lavdi found the opportunity

Connect with Lavdi on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Or head over to her blog to read more about her travels!

Today you can hear the conversation I had with Zeina. I “met” Zeina through Instagram, but it felt like we were already pals when we Skyped! She shared many things over the course of our conversation, including:

What it’s like to travel with an Iraqi passport - we’re talking countries, visas, and more.

How Zeina started traveling…and why she keeps traveling today.

Some of Zeina’s favorite places to be (including Jordan and Turkey, both of which I am obsessed with visiting)

Follow Zeina on Instagram to see more of her daily life and travels!

Meet Aneesa - also known as Expat Panda. She is a full time teacher currently living in Dubai and traveling the world with a South African passport. Here are some things we chat about in this episode:

Aneesa breaks down what “strength of a passport” means and what passport privilege is.

We discuss how the words “immigrant” and “expat” are used in our experiences and why she calls herself an expat - in addition to some travel stories about places she’s visited recently.

You know I couldn’t help asking her about her teaching experiences and chatting about education!

This was such a fun conversation to have and as a gal who loves The Olympics, I could have probably talked to Darci for a much longer time! Here’s a quick summary of our topics:

All things Olympics, of course!

How to support the Paralympics when it can seem forgotten

What it’s like to be a contestant on a reality TV show…as a teenager!

Follow Darci’s work on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out her blog too!

This episode is going to be good for your brain and your soul. We're chatting about:

Kristen's education and path (spoiler alert: it's not what she expected!)

What IS wilderness therapy and how can it work?

How a research project turned into a non-profit that's creating community and changing lives

Join the Wild and Weightless community on Instagram. Also be sure to check out the website and sign up for the e-mail list while you're there!

I had a blast recording the episode with this duo! We talked about tons of good stuff I think you'll enjoy.

How they both have "conventional" jobs and still make travel a priority - and sometimes even involve their work!

What "off the beaten path" means to Emily and Aaron, as well as how you can do it too

The sections of ethical travel they're passionate about and how we can take steps to travel (and live) more ethically

Check out their super-informative blog and be sure to follow their adventures on Instagram and Facebook.