Tim Wenger is a Senior Editor at Matador Network. He joins Will to discuss his transition from playing in a punk band to travel writing, how much it would suck to be a political reporter, Canadians boycotting travel to America, countries you wouldn’t travel to because of politics, Saudi Arabia opening up to the world, heliskiing in Canada, the string of commercial plane crashes, the odds of being killed in a plane crash, the payout fliers received from the Delta crash in Toronto, the rise of autonomous vehicles, greenwashing in travel, to pay or not to pay for carbon offsets, criticism of Al Gore, the media making travelers feel bad for traveling, the breakdown of air travel and carbon, people who should be punished before the everyday traveler, airlines selling flights to unknown destinations, getting scammed and bribing cops in Mexico, and more!

Recording location: Palisade, Colorado

Tim's articles on Matador discussed on this episode

Air Travel Pollutes Relentlessly. Is Carbon Removal the Solution?
San Francisco Is Proof: Waymo Is Changing the Way Tourists Explore Cities
Powder, Passion, and the Pull of the Mountains: An Affair With the Powder Highway
Tim Wenger, Author at Matador Network (https://matadornetwork.com/author/twenger/)

"Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Jason Latimer is the Director of Public Relations for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida. Previously, he worked as a public relations specialist for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He joins Will on the pod to discuss the growth of podcasts, life on the road with a professional baseball team, the unique way he met his wife, why people don't trust public relations reps, the recovery from last year's hurricanes, how destinations balance disaster recovery with the return of tourists, Miami versus St. Pete, the transformation of downtown St. Pete, how it may or may not be named after a Russian city, hidden gems in small towns along Florida's west coast, the best times to visit, and more. 

Recording location: St. Pete, Florida

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Scott Grasser is the owner of Lost Trail Ski Area in Montana. He joins the podcast to discuss the unpredictability of ski travel, what it's like to own a ski area, weather anxiety, why lift tickets keep increasing in price each year, Lost Trail's unique operating schedule, how decreasing snow totals may or may not affect the ski industry in the future, the trend of big corporations buying up smaller ski areas, the pluses and minuses of corporate takeovers, whether he wants a big corporation to buy Lost Trail, and more.

Recording location: Lost Trail Ski Area, Montana

More reading:

Small ski businesses are benefiting from an influx of visitors and snow : NPR

"Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

John Holman is a professional executive coach, speaker, and world traveler from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He joins the podcast to discuss how to travel to Antarctica on a budget and makes the claim that it's easier to visit all 7 continents than it is to travel to all 8 Hawaiian Islands. Also in this episode, Will expresses his frustration with getting denied Global Entry and the rising popularity of TSA PreCheck.

Recording location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

John Holman is the Founder of Evolution Coaching (www.johnpaulholman.com) and has traveled all over the world (60+ countries) and to all seven continents. He has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas. He has also spent time backpacking the John Muir Trail in the Sierras, the W Circuit in Patagonia, and through the Peruvian Andes trekking to Machu Picchu. John has also organized expeditions to climb Haleakalā volcano on Maui, kayak the remote north coast of Molokaʻi, and whitewater raft down the Grand Canyon.

Antarctica on a budget resources:

Ushuaia Turismo Deals (https://ushuaiaturismo.tur.ar/deals/)

"Whole Wide World" Soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Matt "Boy" Pierce is a rapper and producer in New York City and the creator of the "Ambient New York" YouTube channel. He is a live performer and freestyle rapper on a bus tour called The Ride NYC.

He joins the podcast to discuss his inspiring journey of going from a New York marketing and advertising specialist to a full-time hip-hop artist, his role as a freestyle rapper on a bus tour, how The Ride is changing the way bus tours do business, the evolution of bus tours since their inception in the early 1900s, how bus tours and rap became integrated in New York City, why Times Square is so popular with visitors, the best 3 minutes each day in Times Square, the benefits and dangers of virtual tourism, how one can use YouTube to plan trips, why it's so important for New Yorkers to travel, tips for traveling around New York City, and more.

Originally hailing from the Philadelphia area, Boy Pierce is best known for his Philadelphia Eagles' songs. His track "Nick Foles" achieved viral success, reaching one million people and gaining coverage from Barstool Sports, Philly Voice, and 6ABC. His latest album "The 6th Avenue Shift" was released in 2024. You can find him on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram @boypiercemusic.

More reading:
The Ideal 3 Minutes To Visit Times Square (Forbes)
Agency Exec Creates a Quarantine Anthem to Help Musicians (Ad Week)
This Bus Tour Is One Of New York City’s Most Unique Experiences (Forbes)

Brad Ryan is a veterinarian, travel influencer, and the creator of the Grandma Joy's Road Trip Instagram account. He joins the podcast in Antarctica to discuss the surprising reason he began traveling with his grandmother when she was 85, the trials and tribulations of traveling with your grandmother to every single National Park, the personal growth that intergenerational travel can spark, and his upcoming book about their journey and the lessons he has learned from it. You can find him and his grandma at @grandmajoysroadtrip on Instagram.

Recording location: Antarctica

More Reading:
Grandma Joy, 93, toured 63 national parks and healed a family rift along the way : NPR

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)

Sunniva Sorby is an expeditioner, historian, guide, citizen scientist, speaker, and the "Godmother" of the HX Nansen, an expedition-style vessel exploring the Arctic regions. She is best known as a member of the first women's team to ski to the South Pole in 1993. She joins the podcast to discuss this harrowing, near 700-mile journey as well as her thoughts on tourism to the polar regions.

Recording location: Antarctica.

Read more about Sunniva:
The Arctic explorers locked down in a tiny hut in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago | CNN
About — Sunniva Sorby
Home - Hearts In The Ice

"Whole Wide World" soundtrack by Boy Pierce (@boypiercemusic)