Learn how to schedule a free video call with Matt and lock in special discounts on 2026 trips and travel conferences.

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In this solo New Year’s episode, Matt Bowles reflects on a year of global travel, community, and cultural connection while sharing what’s ahead in 2026. Recording from Vermont after five weeks in Rio de Janeiro, Matt recaps the Black Travel Summit in Brazil, highlights standout Maverick Show guests and award winners, and shares updates on upcoming events, immersive trips, and travel festivals around the world that you can attend—from Grenada and Jordan to Cape Town and Bangkok. He also speaks candidly about the importance of international solidarity with Palestine, and how you can take action.  Matt also explains why building deeper, more reciprocal relationships with Maverick Show listeners is a top priority for him this year—and offers free one-on-one video calls for listeners. The episode closes with reflections on gratitude, community, and how listeners can support and help grow the show in the year ahead.

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Hear stories from riding a motorcycle in Egypt, Thailand, India, Nepal,

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

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See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

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ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear stories surviving 4 days with no food in Patagonia, landing in a Honduran jail, and driving Bolivia’s “Death Road”

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Emmy-winning filmmaker and motorcycle adventurer Alex Chacon traces the roots of his life on the road, beginning with his upbringing on the U.S.–Mexico border in El Paso and the identity questions that shaped his early years. Alex shares how soccer, motorcycles, and a deep sense of not fully belonging pushed him toward long-distance travel at a young age, including a solo cross-country motorcycle journey at just 17. He recounts leaving medical school to ride from Alaska to Argentina with paper maps and no cellphone, and reflects on formative experiences across Latin America—from corruption at border crossings and getting lost in Bolivia’s salt flats, to life-or-death moments in Patagonia and the Darien Gap.

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

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See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

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ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn about parenting with political awareness & building diaspora connections and political solidarity across borders.

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In Part 2 of Matt’s conversation with Courtney Orgias—recorded in Rio, where her family is currently based—they dive deeper into the political, ethical, and emotional dimensions of digital nomad motherhood. Courtney explains how she talks to her young children about power, oppression, genocide, and policing in age-appropriate but honest ways, and why cultivating empathy is central to her parenting philosophy. She reflects on experiencing anti-Blackness around the world, connecting with the African diaspora, and why understanding local struggles is essential for ethical travel. Courtney also shares her evolving sense of identity, how travel has transformed her marriage and personal growth,

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

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ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn about leaving the U.S. to become a digital nomad family—how to raise kids and build community all over the world.

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear award-winning travel creator Nicole Phillip share stories of immersing in Afro-Brazilian history, music and culture.

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Nicole Phillip returns to The Maverick Show and records this episode in person with Matt in Rio after spending two weeks together in Brazil.  Nicole is fresh off winning her award for the 2025 Social Media Video of the Year at the Black Travel Film Festival for her video on Reggaeton’s Panamanian roots.  She reflects on the entire Black Travel Summit, the Afrofuture-themed Awards Gala, and why winning this award was such

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear stories and life-lessons from circumnavigating the planet on a bicycle while living on 3 Euros a day for 5 years.

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Pablo Mandado talks about his experience growing up in the Aragon region of Spain, how a trip to Greece changed everything and led to a life of long-term travel, and how he quickly transitioned into a spontaneous, hyper-minimalist and hyper-budget travel style.  He reflects on negotiating trust and reciprocity when hitch-hiking and couch surfing.  Pablo then shares an uncomfortable moment while  hitchhiking, as well as a surprising moment of connection, and some incredible stories from his month in Laos.  He then talks about meeting his girlfriend in Latvia and embarking on a 5 year cycling journey to circumnavigate the globe together.  Pablo explains the value of of a loosely planned trip rooted in spontaneous decisions and how he was able to live on just 3 Euros a day for 5 years.  Next, he tells incredible stories of getting caught in a massive snowstorm in Turkey, the heartwarming hospitality he found in Iran, avoiding the secret police in Uzbekistan, and what it was like to cycle across mainland China.  Pablo also talks about his photography journey and how he was able to turn that into a business.  Finally, he reflects on the

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how to get over-the-top luxury bucket list experiences for free that usually cost thousands of dollars per night.

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In Part 2 of this interview Darren Chew (“Chew”) breaks down the tactics for using points and miles to fly business class and have the world’s most epic luxury experiences for free. He explains the real value of a free breakfast in the Seychelles, how to plan around blackout dates and peak travel prices, and why flying Alaska Airlines is one of his favorite travel hacks.  Chew then shares his observations about anti-Blackness around the world, reflects on how travel has impacted him as a person and his relationship with his wife, and explains how he balances travel content creation with living in the moment.  He then gives tips for traveling

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See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Hear stories from visiting Nubia, the slums of Nairobi, rural villages in Zambia & going volcano-boarding in Nicaragua. _____________________________

Subscribe to The Maverick Show’s Monday Minute Newsletter

Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram ____________________________________

See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment,

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

Learn how to use points & miles to perform Umrah with a family and travel the world to celebrate Eid in different cities.

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Amena tells the story of how she met Matt and bonded around Palestine solidarity at the WITS Travel creator summit in NYC.  She then talks about her parents experience immigrating to the U.S. from India and Pakistan, her experience growing up in Dallas in a Muslim immigrant home, the impact of the post 9-11 environment on her life, and how she developed her politics and worldview. Amena then talks about her first trip back to India as an adult, performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia, seeing the Islamic architecture in southern Spain, celebrating Eid in Istanbul, and visiting Japan and London.  She then talks about performing Umrah as a family, shares strategies to accumulate points and miles to cover international family travel, and talks about her Umrah Guide. Finally, Amena talks about raising socially conscious kids, integrating travel into their lives, and what travel means to her today.  FULL SHOW NOTES INCLUDING DIRECT LINKS TO EVERYTHING DISCUSSED ARE AVAILABLE HERE. ____________________________________

See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads

See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads

See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)

Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn 

See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend

See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)

____________________________________

ENJOYING THE SHOW?

Please Leave a Rating and Review. It really helps the show and I read each one personally. 

You Can Buy Me a Coffee. Espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)