Now that it's the New Year, it's of course time to review the past year and look forward to the new one! In this episode, I will discuss where I traveled in 2026, which included 3 countries in Central America: Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. This included a few "best of/worst of" categories to highlight certain things and experiences, including best hidden gem, best food, and worst moment (which there were many of, unfortunately). I also discuss my favorite moments/experiences, and then discuss my travel plans for this year, and what personal things I hope to achieve as a traveler.

In today's episode, I outline how to have a perfect trip to Mexico City, Mexico! CDMX is the capital of Mexico, and it is the biggest city in North America with over 20 million residents. It has beautiful neighborhoods to visit such as La Condesa, Roma, Coyoacan, and the Historic Center. It is also filled with incredible foods, beautiful parks, energetic markets, and some incredible day trips. So listen along to my guide to learn more about Mexico City, and hopefully you can plan an amazing trip there!

In the year 2025, there is an increased desire to live in countries outside the USA. As an American, I understand this feeling and definitely have it myself at times. So if I were to relocate to any of the places from the 20 countries I've traveled to, here are the ones that I would choose. I chose these places based on the following criteria:

-Nature Access

-Not too isolating

-Personal Feeling and Lifestyle

-Day Trips & Things to Do

-Infrastructure

Here are the 6 places that made my list:

1. Da Nang, Vietnam
2. Hong Kong
3. Taipei, Taiwan
4. Kamakura, Japan
5. Koh Samui, Thailand
6. Busan, South Korea

Hiking is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, explore, and soak up the unbelievable beauty that we can experience on Planet Earth. It is also a hobby of Venessa and mine that lead to us to become the travel enthusiasts that we are today! So here are our favorite 6 hikes that we have done in multiple countries around the world (including some honorable mentions). I will list them here in the show notes:

Path of the Gods (Amalfi Coast, Italy)

Olomana/Kuli'ou'ou (Hawaii, USA)

Rainbow Hot Springs (Colorado, USA)

Bukhansan Ui - Baegundae Peak (Seoul, South Korea)

Pisac Ruins (Pisac, Peru)

Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore (Michigan, USA)

Honorable Mentions:

Mt. Elbert (Colorado, USA)

Fira to Oia (Santorini, Greece)

Dragons Crest (Hong Kong)

Stoos Ridge (Switzerland)

Elephant Mountain (Taipei, Taiwan)

Mt. Sniktau (Colorado, USA)

In this episode, I dive more into the philosophy behind traveling - specifically, how it can negatively impact your life in various ways. I think the concept of Yin and Yang applies to most things in life, and travel is no exception. There are some notable negative impacts it can have on your life, such as financial, career, friendship, community, desensitizing, and several others. However, I still believe that it is well worth these impacts and is one of the most incredible things that you can do

In 2017, I decided to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan. It was my first time leaving North America, and doing it as a 20 year old was a very bold experience for me. There are a lot of amazing things that came from this experience such as friendships, once in a life-time culture shock, and a new desire and passion to see the world. Studying abroad can sometimes feel like an upper-class privileged experience for people who can easily afford college. However, if you are resourceful, you can find programs that are the same cost as a semester at your university, or even less. So if you are considering studying abroad, I cannot recommend it enough. Here is the university where I studied abroad in Toyko:

https://lakeland.edu/student-experience/study-abroad

Being a "better traveler" is kind of a subjective thing, but we believe that we have made many mistakes along our traveling journey. These things include choosing locations, deciding how long to visit, experiences, learning, contributing, and so much more. So if we could restart our travel journey, here is what we would do differently. I'm sure we still have a lot to learn about traveling, but maybe you can learn or relate to our mistakes as well.

People often ask my wife and I "How do you travel all around the world as vegans"? It sounds like a difficult thing to do, but it actually isn't! We have traveled to 20 countries and have always managed to eat delicious vegan food that is local and authentic - even in places such as markets!

Some of the top tips for this vegan guide are the following:

Use the following apps:

• Happy Cow
• Google Maps
• Google Translate

Read blogs about foods in the cuisine that are typically vegan, so you can locate them on menus. Watching youtube videos on cities that you plan to visit is extremely helpful as well. Also, stay in neighborhoods that have several restaurants with vegan options nearby - that way you can explore attractions/do things during the day, and you won't struggle to find food before and after you leave to explore.

In this episode of the Wanderlust Wellman Travel Podcast, I discuss some places that I've traveled to that are underrated. These are by no means "Hidden Gems" - in fact, you have probably heard of most of them. What makes them underrated (to me) is that they get a lot less attention than the more popular places in the same country/region. So while they will still have tourism, they won't be overtouristed, but will still have some great infrastructure for tourism and will have plenty of things to see and do. The places mentioned are the following:

Busan, South Korea

Ischia, Italy

Santa Fe, USA

Naxos, Greece

Milos, Greece

Da Nang, Vietnam

Taipei, Taiwan

Lima, Peru

Koh Phangan, Thailand

In this episode, I dive into the island of the gods, Bali! This is probably the most famous Indonesian island, and it has so much to offer that it can actually be a little overwhelming. In this travel guide, I discuss why Bali is so incredible, the different experiences you can have all across the island, and how to make the most out of your time here. Some of the places I mention are Canggu, Ubud, Sidemen, Lovina, Gili Islands, and even more. And of course, don't forget about the local Indonesian and Balinese foods!