Hannan Zary is someone who's been quietly changing the way I think about food, travel, and what it means to truly connect with people. If you attended Camp Lola Whiskey last year, you already know exactly who I'm talking about - she's the chef behind Tamoont Dining and Gathering who created those incredible meals that had everyone losing their minds.

But here's what you don't know about Hannan: She's been traveling since she was two years old, took her first solo trip at seven, and has spent her entire life navigating between two cultures while teaching herself to cook by obsessively watching the Food Network as a teenager. She's someone who was working in professional kitchens at 15, grinding through culinary school and restaurant jobs, all while fighting this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Hannan's traveled to over 20 countries across four continents, and everywhere she goes, she's paying attention to how people gather, how they slow down, and how they use food to build something that we're desperately missing in American culture - genuine connection. This conversation goes deep. We're talking about the lost art of slowing down, what it means to trust your instincts even when everyone thinks you're crazy, why Americans have completely forgotten how to relax, and her dream of getting entire communities to sit down and share food together.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Kenya: March 11 - 21, 2026 + March 25 - April 4, 2026
2. Morocco: April 10-19 + September 4 - 13, 2026
3. Camp Lola Whiskey: August 27-30, 2026

Links & Resources (Hannan)

1. Tamoont Dining
2. Instagram: tamoontgathering
3. Facebook

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.

Justin Emanuel is one of those people who makes you believe in the power of hustle and passion over traditional credentials.

I first met Justin when I was scouting Kenya for our group trips, and within a day I knew he was exactly the kind of person I wanted around my travelers. He's got this infectious enthusiasm for Kenya's wildlife combined with real practical knowledge about what makes a safari transformative versus just checking animals off a list. Plus, he's really fun to travel with - which is honestly a key quality I look for when building my team in a new destination.

What I love about Justin's story is that he didn't follow some traditional path into wildlife photography. He started in high school with prize money and a camera, taught himself everything, and eventually broke into the travel industry by offering his services for free. He's completely self-taught, which makes his perspective even more valuable - he knows what it's like to not have fancy equipment or formal training, just passion and a willingness to figure things out.

Justin is the founder of Kenya Adventurous Media Expert and has spent over a decade photographing everything from elusive leopards (he's only seen five!) to charging elephants in Kenya's most incredible national parks. But what makes him special is how he thinks about the safari experience itself. He's got strong opinions about overlanding versus luxury lodges, what travelers actually need to pack versus what they think they need, and what makes Kenya stand out from every other safari destination in Africa.

We're diving into all of that - his favorite animals to photograph, what our March overlanding trips will actually look like on the ground, the biggest mistakes travelers make on safari, and why sometimes the best camera for your safari is actually no camera at all.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Kenya: March 11 - 21, 2026 OR March 25 - April 4, 2026

Links & Resources (Justin)

1. Instagram: @kenyaadventurousmediaexpert + @just_in_wildlyf

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.

Iris Serbanescu is one of those rare people in travel who's not just talking about ethical tourism for the Instagram likes - she's actually built her entire business around it, and I'm 100% here for it.

I first met Iris at an Adventure Travel Trade Association conference in Denver back in May, and within about five minutes I knew she was someone I wanted in my corner. She's genuine, down-to-earth, and refreshingly easy to talk to in an industry that can feel a bit stuffy and--let's be honest--is often dominated by men.

We're diving deep into what ethical travel actually means beyond the buzzwords, why it's worth every penny, and how small locally-owned operators compete against the budget travel giants. Iris founded By Iris Representation to connect ethical tour operators and DMCs worldwide with North American travelers, and she started Women's Work - the first tourism-specific business accelerator for women and non-binary entrepreneurs in North America.

But this conversation goes beyond business. Iris is a 38-year-old queer woman who's chosen solo travel, staying single, being childfree, and building a life that doesn't fit the traditional mold the travel industry usually celebrates. We're talking about the single supplement penalty, why Barcelona is the best solo travel city, hop-on-hop-off buses (don't @ us), and how I fired a Moroccan tour guide who couldn't handle working with a woman in charge.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Georgia: October 2 - 11, 2026

Links & Resources (Iris)

1. LinkedIn: @irisserbanescu
2. wmnsWORK
3. By Iris

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

Have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to a place? That pull might be your soul telling you exactly where you need to be.

In this episode, I sit down with Sonia Cruz Oro, certified travel coach and astrocartography expert, to explore how geography and astrology intersect to influence our experiences. I share the stories behind my biggest life decisions—like deciding to end my marriage while in Barcelona and deciding to quit my 14-year career during a trip to Turkey—and why these weren't just random moments of clarity.

Sonia breaks down what astrocartography actually is, how to read your map, and why some places are meant to challenge you rather than comfort you. We talk about the difference between intuition and anxiety, how to trust those weird travel pulls, and what to do when you're stuck somewhere that doesn't support you.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. India: Feb 25 - March 7, 2026
2. Morocco: April 10 - April 19, 2026

Links & Resources (Sonia):

1. travelawakens.com
2. Free Destination Guide
3. Book Astro-Cartography

Links & Resources (Laura):

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

What happens when you stop waiting for perfect timing and start saying yes to everything?

Teresa Kalina shares her story of rebuilding life after divorce at 44—from signing up for BumbleBFF to traveling to five countries, taking singing lessons, learning to paint, and working toward her goal of visiting all 50 states before turning 50. We talk about the dangers of waiting, the power of group travel for building community, and why your 40s might be the perfect time to start over. If you've ever thought "it's too late," this episode will prove you wrong.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Morocco: April 10 - April 19, 2026
2. Georgia: Oct 2 - 11, 2026
3. Greece: May 16-24, 2026

Links & Resources (Teresa)

1. Instagram: @tlkalina

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

You know what's coming. The resolutions. The broken promises. The "new year, new me" energy that usually fizzles out by February.

But what if this year was actually different?

I'm sitting down with my friend Rachel Trapani, an elementary school teacher from Michigan who went from taking one trip in 2019 that she couldn't afford to five international trips per year by 2023. She's been on five of my group trips plus two scouting trips to Puerto Rico and Kenya.

We're breaking down the exact 10 resolutions that transformed her travel life - from automating her savings to packing light, mastering long-haul flights, and saying yes to trips that scared her. This isn't about vague promises like "I'll travel more." This is your actual roadmap to making 2026 your best travel year yet.

The Free Guide:

We created a FREE downloadable PDF with all our tips, product links, travel credit card recommendations, packing essentials, and apps we swear by.

How to get it:

1. Follow @type2travelpodcast on Instagram
2. DM us the word RESOLUTIONS
3. Get your free guide immediately

BONUS: One person who downloads the guide wins a FREE 1-year premium membership to Going (valued at $49) for flight deals in your inbox all year long.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. India: Feb 25 - March 7, 2026
2. Kenya: March 25 - April 4, 2026
3. Morocco: April 10 - April 19, 2026
4. Greece: May 16 - 26, 2026
5. Camp Lola Whiskey: Aug 27 - 30, 2026

Links & Resources (Rachel):

1. Instagram: @smockpaperscissors
2. Guest blogs: How To Save Money To Travel More (Part 1) and How To Save Money To Travel More (Part 2)

Links & Resources (Laura):

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

Five years ago, Lindsey Tague bought a one-way ticket to Mexico and never looked back. Now she's built a content marketing business while living as a full-time digital nomad across seven countries - and she's here to tell us the truth about what that actually looks like.

This conversation goes places I didn't expect. We're talking about living on a Colombian island with no electricity or running water, navigating the dating scene across multiple countries and cultures, and what it really takes to build a life abroad when you don't speak the language fluently. Lindsey gets refreshingly honest about the unglamorous parts - the Airbnb disasters, the language barriers that kill romance, and why traditional gender roles in Latin America are both attractive and complicated for an independent American woman.

What I love about this episode is how Lindsey challenges the Instagram version of nomadic life while still making it feel accessible. She's not rich, she's not fearless, and she didn't have it all figured out when she started. She just took one step at a time and figured out the rest as she went.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Cuba: Dec 27, 2025 - Jan 3, 2026
2. Colombia: Join the waitlist!

Links & Resources (Lindsey)

1. IG: @lindsey_tague
2. Linkedin: @lindsey-tague
3. Substack: @alifebydesign

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

I'm sitting down with Stacey, Betsy, and Megan - three incredible humans who survived what turned out to be my final Day of the Dead trip to Mexico City (at least for now). We're getting into all of it: the hot air balloon ride where Megan had to stare at her feet for 45 minutes before finally looking up, the shaman cleansing that somehow knew about everyone's uterus situations, the cooking class with knives meant for preschoolers, and the traffic nightmares that made us miss our welcome dinner entirely.

But here's what I really want you to hear: This trip was magic. Chaotic, unpredictable, sometimes frustrating magic. And it's a perfect example of what happens when you throw yourself into a completely different culture during one of its most sacred celebrations. These three didn't just observe Day of the Dead from the sidelines - they were in local neighborhoods where people were genuinely thrilled to see them, getting spontaneous tattoos inspired by a spiritual experience, and eating approximately 30 tacos each (Stacey kept count).

Also, there's the small matter of why I'm sunsetting this particular trip. The overtourism during Day of the Dead has gotten out of control, and it no longer aligns with my mission to take people off the beaten path and support destinations that actually need tourism. But we'll get into all of that.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. India: Feb 25 - March 7, 2026
2. Camp Lola Whiskey: August 27 - 30, 2026

Links & Resources (Laura):

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

Remember that I Love Lucy episode where Lucy stomps grapes and it turns into absolute chaos? We basically lived that in Georgia - except our version included shotgunning wine from roof tiles, topless sulfur bath bonding on day one, and enough khachapuri to put us all in a cheese coma.

In this episode, I'm sitting down with Mea, Melissa, and Erik to relive our recent Georgia trip - a country most Americans can't even point to on a map, but one that's home to 8,000 years of winemaking history and hospitality so intense it's basically aggressive kindness.

We're diving into the stories behind the Instagram photos: the wine harvest day that got completely out of hand, the abandoned Soviet spa complexes we explored, the carpool karaoke our guide will never forget, and why this group had the strongest bond I've experienced in almost 30 group trips. If you've been curious about Georgia or wondering what group travel is really like beyond the highlight reel, this episode is for you.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Georgia: October 2 - 11, 2026

Georgia Group Crowdsourced Spotify Playlist:

1. Listen here!

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.

Dawn Mullarney—also known as the Unique Connector—is a fellow Wisconsinite from Madison who brought 14 women to Cuba with me this past January, and she's doing it all over again next month.

Dawn spent over two decades in corporate leadership before nearly burning herself out. At 35, doctors thought she'd had a stroke. These days, she works as a business strategist and fractional advisor, helping leaders who've built successful businesses but feel like they're drowning under the weight of it all.

The Cuba trip was Dawn's first foray into leading group travel, and she picked arguably the hardest destination on my list. Not because she had some lifelong dream of visiting Cuba, but because she was drawn to the transformative nature of the experience itself—the giving back, the community, the discomfort that forces you to confront things about yourself.

We're getting into the messy, beautiful reality of being responsible for other people's travel experiences when you haven't even experienced it yourself yet. We talk about why the women she thought would struggle actually thrived, how watching other people be uncomfortable is one of the hardest parts of leadership, and why entrepreneurs who say they don't have time to travel are actually the ones who need it most. Dawn also shares some hard truths about letting go of perfectionism, trusting the process, and why sometimes the rain-soaked backup plan ends up being more memorable than the original itinerary ever could have been.

Upcoming Trips Mentioned:

1. Cuba: Jan 4 - 11, 2026

Links & Resources (Dawn)

1. Learn more about Dawn: uniqueconnector.com
2. LinkedIn: @dawnmullarney
3. Instagram: @uniqueconnector

Links & Resources (Laura)

1. Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskey
2. Follow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptrips
3. Follow our podcast: @type2travelpodcast
4. Learn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com
5. Check out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcast
6. Join my Facebook group: @lolalovestravel

Affiliate Links

1. Smooth move

Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.