Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel

What happens when one of our most experienced travelers finds herself seeing the world with brand new eyes? 

Author, photographer, and world traveler Jessica Nabongo became the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, but there was still one final continent left to explore: Antarctica. Venturing across the Drake Passage and into a landscape unlike anywhere she’d experienced before, Jessica found herself overwhelmed by the scale, silence, and otherworldly beauty of a place that invited her to see the world with fresh eyes.

From drifting past towering icebergs and witnessing an avalanche from a canoe, to the joy of playful penguins and braving a polar plunge, Jessica reflects on the childlike joy she found at the bottom of the world, the power of staying curious no matter how much we’ve seen, and why the most transformative travel stories are the ones that teach us how to be surprised again. 

Follow Jessica Nabongo on Instagram @jessicanabongo and on TikTok @thecatchmeifyoucan.

Visit https://www.jessicanabongo.com/cookbook to pre-order Jessica’s new cookbook “Catch Me In The Kitchen” 

Travel Tips: Antarctica (from the episode)

• Put Antarctica higher on your bucket list: Jessica’s biggest tip is simply to go. She notes that many travelers don’t realize Antarctica is accessible to visitors, with different expedition options available.
• Spend time with some penguins: Antarctica’s penguin colonies were a highlight for Jessica. Give them plenty of space and stay out of their paths, then enjoy watching them waddle, slide, and play in their natural habitat.
• Embrace every excursion: Get off the ship whenever you can, whether you’re exploring the water, hiking, visiting wildlife, or learning from the expedition experts on board. Jessica’s advice is to take advantage of every activity offered.

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the feeling of belonging arrives when… and where… you least expect it. 

For legendary travel writer Paul Theroux, a road trip through Quebec became more than just another transformative travel journey in his half-century career. Following family roots stretching back more than 300 years, Paul hit the road through Canada’s vast province and made his way to the small town of Yamaska in Quebec, where generations of distant relatives and an unexpected welcome gave this lifelong outsider the rare feeling of homecoming. 

From tracing church steeples through Quebec’s historic villages, sharing a traditional meal at a cabane à sucre, and exploring Montreal and Quebec City, Paul reflects on his time in Quebec, as well as the experiences that have shaped his life as a writer and traveler, the road to finding himself, and why listening may be the simplest path to genuine connection.

Follow Paul Theroux on Instagram and Tiktok @paul.theroux and find his latest book "True North" wherever books are sold. 

Travel Tips: Quebec (from the episode)

• Explore Montreal and Quebec City: Paul Theroux recommends both for their culture, food, music, and welcoming atmosphere - a great way to start exploring Quebec.
• Road trip through Quebec: Rent a car and go beyond the major cities through the province’s smaller towns and villages to experience more of its distinct culture, history, and landscape.
• Visit a cabane à sucre: Experience a traditional Quebec sugar shack, where maple syrup and a hearty Québécois meal offer a delicious window into Quebec’s local cuisine and traditions.

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if one destination could offer endless ways to explore the wild, while giving us new reasons to care deeply about it? 

For Brave Wilderness creator and adventurer Coyote Peterson, few places offer as many opportunities for adventure as Queensland, Australia, where setting out from the vibrant capital of Brisbane can lead to tropical coastlines, ancient rainforests, and some of the planet’s most remarkable wildlife.

From searching for monitor lizards, to diving off a speeding boat to catch a 220-pound sea turtle, to venturing to the remote edges of the Cape York peninsula, Coyote takes us through the life-changing travel experiences in Queensland that keep pulling him back for more. Along the way, he shares his favorite stops and food, reflects on the people and conservationists who have brought him closer to the natural world, and reveals why getting to know our world’s creatures more intimately can inspire us to care more deeply about protecting them.

Follow Coyote on Instagram @coyotepeterson and TikTok @coyotepetersonofficial

Follow Brave Wilderness on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/BraveWilderness

Travel Tips: Queensland (from the episode)

• Give Queensland at least two weeks: It’s a massive region, so give yourself enough time to explore without rushing from one stop to the next.
• Explore the Gold Coast beyond just the beaches: If you can, head into the rocky tide pools at low tide for a closer look at Queensland’s marine life, but keep your distance from wildlife and know the conditions before venturing in.
• Try to spot a kangaroo in the wild: Check out one of Queensland’s most iconic animals in its natural habitat, while keeping a respectful distance and letting the wildlife set the terms of the encounter. 

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to Paris, your return isn't about recreating the past, but discovering just how far you've come.

For author, television host, and food expert Antoni Porowski, Paris has been a lifelong love affair, from childhood memories beneath the Eiffel Tower…to romantic getaways, whirlwind Fashion Weeks, and a recent extended stay while filming his new National Geographic series "Best of the World," which invited Antoni to experience Paris with fresh eyes. 

Through a montage of sunset runs, gourmet restaurants, boutique hotels, delicious cheeses, historic landmarks, and corners of the city he’d long overlooked, Antoni shares his favorite immersive travel stories in Paris, how his perspective has evolved, and why so many of the life-changing travel experiences we treasure the most are the ones we never could have planned.

Follow Antoni on Instagram and TikTok @antoni

Travel Tips: Paris Vacation

• Go beyond the baguettes and steak frites! Explore how other cultures are fusing with French cuisine to create something totally new.
• Try a boutique hotel experience. You never know which spot could become your new home away from home!
• Talk to everyone, and listen. Engage with the locals to learn their favorite places to shop, dine, and explore.

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special crossover episode from Armchair Explorer, Daniel trades places with award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar and steps into the guest seat.

Together, they swap unforgettable stories from the road: from a near-fatal scorpion bite in Angola to a powerful voodoo ceremony in Benin that Daniel calls one of the most meaningful experiences of his life, to the sensory spectacle of Festival Fantasia in the foothills of Morocco's Atlas Mountains.

Along the way, they explore a bigger idea: how the best journeys happen when you follow curiosity and instinct instead of chasing checklists and five-star reviews.

Listen to Armchair Explorer wherever you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/armchair-explorer/id1495103557 

Follow Aaron on Instagram @ArmchairExplorerpodcast

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the full Pangina Heals interview, originally featured in Season One. A judge, host, and contestant across the RuPaul's Drag Race universe, Pangina is also the owner of the iconic House of Heals nightclub, a cornerstone of the Bangkok queer nightlife scene.

Together, she and Daniel dive into Thailand travel, Bangkok's legendary drag scene, queer culture in Southeast Asia, identity, and the experiences that have shaped her life.

In this extended interview, Pangina opens up about growing up gay in Thailand, becoming a master of shade, and building her Bangkok nightclub empire from the ground up. She also shares what it was really like competing in front of her idol, RuPaul, judging and hosting international Drag Race franchises, and the emotional weight of being a "first" in so many ways on the show.

It's more than an hour of unfiltered conversation between old friends: funny, moving, and full of hard-earned perspective, equal parts Bangkok travel guide, queer travel podcast, and heart-to-heart.

Follow Pangina Heals on TikTok & Instagram @panginaheals

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the destination isn't a singular place, but a collection of moments along the way?

For three-Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn, every stop on her geographical journey has become an ingredient in the recipe for her life, from the farms of Brittany, France, to her longtime home of San Francisco, California. 

From uncovering unexpected ancestral roots through DNA testing to discovering creative freedom in California's kitchens, Dominique shares how every chapter of her life eventually found its way onto the plate at Atelier Crenn. Drawing on their longtime friendship and offering up plenty of recommendations for San Francisco travelers along the way, Daniel and Dominique explore migration, vulnerability, love, and the belief that our most authentic work doesn't come from following someone else's recipe... It comes from embracing our own story.

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Naomi Grevemberg, what began as a one-year adventure eventually led her to Baja California, where a caravan of van lifers, endless desert coastlines, and a slower way of living challenged everything she originally thought she wanted.

From spearfishing and cooking Trinidadian curry on the beach, to swimming alongside whale sharks and building community with locals, Naomi shares the moments from this grounding getaway that transformed her relationship with time, belonging, and home itself.

As she reflects on campfires, mouthwatering meals, and signs from the sea, Naomi reveals how Baja California helped her reconnect with nature, embrace the rhythms of slow travel, and discover that the most meaningful journeys aren't always about where we're going, but how deeply we're willing to arrive.

Follow Naomi on Instagram and TikTok @naomigrevemberg

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a birthday cruise unexpectedly reconnects you to parts of yourself you didn’t realize you’d been missing? In this episode, treasure shopper Maya Valentino tells us all about her first cruise aboard Virgin Voyages, a trip which offered her a surprising return to creativity, stillness, and reconnection with her mom. 

Maya dives into Virgin Voyage’s immersive entertainment, unforgettable cuisine, and iconic onboard experiences, while she and Daniel explore how this experience created a much-needed tempo shift in her life, one that made way for self-reflection, connection, and inspiration. 

Along the way: interactive performances at sea, late-night desserts, hilarious moments on the beach, and quiet conversations in a hammock by the sea… all gentle reminders that while we can plan our itinerary, we can’t always predict the ways travel will unlock the parts of ourselves we’ve kept hidden away.

To learn more, visit: virginvoyages.com

Follow Maya on Instagram @mayadannie & TikTok @maya.dannie

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our first official SAFARI episode, what begins as a search for “the Big Five” gives way to a profound shift in perspective.

Eco-tour organizer Jared Sternberg reflects on his first scouting trip to Tanzania, the transformative power of safari, and the unexpected lessons that emerge when we let go of our control and judgment during travel. 

From witnessing his first hunt in the Serengeti to sharing time with Maasai communities protecting vital wildlife corridors, Jared and Daniel explore how safari strips away distraction and reconnects us to something primal; where long conversations in safari vehicles, shared meals in the bush, and encounters with Maasai communities become just as meaningful as the wildlife itself.

Follow Jared on Instagram @j_leeroy and check out Godwana Tours @gondwana_ecotours

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About Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel:

Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel is a podcast for the curious, luxurious, and adventurous traveler. Host and veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler ventures off the map and into immersive travel experiences of beauty, blunder, and transformation - those unforgettable moments guidebooks can't capture. With local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, Wayfinder reveals not just where to travel, but how to journey through the world with humor, wonder, and our own curiosity.

About Daniel Scheffler:

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, storyteller, and lifelong adventure-seeker who has spent years circling the globe in search of the experiences that can change us. Having traveled to more than 140 countries and written for publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, and Condé Nast Traveler, he believes the best journeys begin when we let go of the map. As the host of Wayfinder: Life-changing Travel, Daniel explores how travel can help us lose ourselves, find something unexpected — and ultimately come home changed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.