Zero To Travel Podcast

What if the secret to a truly meaningful travel experience starts not when you land, but long before you ever pack a bag? 

Dr. Kristina Wachter is an award-winning professor, bestselling author, and CEO of Cross-Culture Connections. With over 25 years of experience in cross-cultural communication and education, she developed the Culture SPIN Method, a four-step framework trusted in 54 countries to help individuals and organizations turn cultural differences into genuine human connection.  

In this episode, Dr. Wachter walks us through her Culture SPIN Method and how it applies directly to travelers who want richer, more meaningful experiences on the road. She uses real-world business stories, her own travel mishaps, and a live case study with Jason to bring the whole thing to life. 

If you've ever shown up somewhere and felt like you were missing something, like you were skimming the surface of a place rather than really getting into it, this conversation is for you.  

Dr. Wachter breaks down the cross-cultural communication tips every traveler can actually use, from how to research a culture before you go, to how to recover gracefully when you inevitably get something wrong. Whether you're planning a two-week trip or building a life abroad, there's a lot here to chew on. 

What's a cultural moment from your own travels that surprised you or changed the way you see things? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why the Culture SPIN Method starts with looking inward at yourself before you ever look outward at another culture 


How to build a personal "cultural Venn diagram" that maps your interests onto a new destination to create real connection opportunities 


Why one U.S. executive unknowingly drank $300,000 worth of tea in a single business meeting, and what he did next that actually saved the deal 


How a single joke in South Korea cost a businessman millions of dollars in 30 seconds, and what that means for travelers too 


Advice for doing genuine cultural research before a trip, including reading fiction, watching local media, and finding primary-source content 


Why "winging it" is one of the most common and costly mistakes people make when traveling or moving abroad 


How to handle cultural mistakes with humility and recover without losing the connection you're trying to build 


Why cultural agility, the ability to pivot and adapt without beating yourself up, is one of the most valuable skills any traveler can develop 


What "cultural courage" really means and how acting deliberately outside your comfort zone invites reciprocity and deeper human connection 


Why Rick Steves' idea of traveler responsibility hit home for Dr. Wachter 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Cross-Culture Connections 


Culture SPIN: Your 4-Step Toolkit for Global Leadership and Cross-Culture Success 


Get Dr. Wachter's free Cultural Courage Guide: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Want More? 


7 Mistakes to Avoid When Moving Abroad (Or Traveling Long-Term) with Chrishan Wright 


Top 10 Challenges Of Living Abroad with BoTik Quest 


Building a Life Abroad, Culture Shock, and Big Leaps with Traveling Jackie 

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What are you really looking for when you travel? 

Sarika Bansal is a travel writer, editor, and former editorial director of Afar magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice, and she focuses on ethical storytelling, global perspectives, and the deeper impact of travel. She currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with her family. 

In this episode, Co-host Paige McClanahan talks with Sarika Bansal about how travel shapes us, from living in Kenya to trekking in the Everest region, and how those experiences influence the way we think about travel itself. 

This conversation explores what happens when we shift from collecting places to truly engaging with them, and how that shift can completely change the way we experience travel. Sarika shares stories from her own journey, from trekking in the Everest region to building a life in Kenya, and reflects on how stepping outside your comfort zone can reshape your worldview in unexpected ways. We also get into the idea of country counting, the value of returning to places, and how different stages of life influence not just where we go, but how we show up when we get there. 

What do you think matters more in travel, the number of places you visit or the depth of your experiences? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Co-host Paige McClanahan is a writer, editor, and former journalist based in Paris, France. As the author of The New Tourist: Waking up to the Power and Perils of Travel, Paige is passionate about making sure our travels have a positive impact on the world. Get in touch and follow her on Substack. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why Sarika’s move to Nairobi reshaped her daily life, pace, and perspective 


What drove her to travel writing and how growing up between the U.S. and India influenced her approach to storytelling and travel 


What a “questionable” volunteer trip taught her about ethics in travel early on 


How trekking in the Everest region while pregnant forced her to slow down 


What it’s like exploring quieter trails, monasteries, and local life beyond the Everest “highway” 


How climate change is visibly impacting fragile destinations like Everest Base Camp 


Why the idea of “country counting” breaks down when you question what it means to visit a place 


Sarika’s analogy between travel metrics and personal health, and why both can become misleading 


How different life stages, like traveling with kids, change how and where you explore 


Unexpected ways to experience Kenya, from DIY safaris to birdwatching and coastal towns 


And so much more 

Resources: 


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Castle Forest Lodge 

Want More? 


Ethical Wildlife Tourism With Kristen Diederich 


The World’s Most Traveled Person on the Ethics of Gamifying Travel, Best Regions in the World, and Why To Keep Traveling With Harry Mitsidis of NomadMania 


How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel With Paige McClanahan 

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If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term), so we can see how it all panned out and how travel has changed them.

Sofia and Teague are a couple who left behind demanding careers, including law and personal training, to travel the world for a year. This conversation gives you a full arc of a transition to travel story, from fear and uncertainty to growth, burnout, perspective shifts, and ultimately redefining what “home” and “work” mean. You’ll hear how they saved money quickly, traveled on a budget, worked abroad, navigated relationship dynamics, and what surprised them most along the way.

What part of your life might be ready for a transition, even if you don’t know exactly what comes next? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

Why the hardest part of long-term travel often happens before you ever leave

How they saved $25K in a year to fund their trip (and what made it possible)

What it actually feels like in the first few weeks on the road, including the uncomfortable parts

How their expectations of travel compared to the reality after a full year abroad

Why working abroad became the key to slowing down and enjoying the experience

What happened when they decided to travel separately for part of the journey

How letting go of identity, jobs, and “normal life” reshaped how they see themselves

The moment they realized travel had changed their relationship in a lasting way

What they didn’t expect about returning home after a year of travel

Why knowing you can always leave again changes how you approach life and work

And more!

Resources:

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Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Workaway

Couchsurfing

Trail Wallet

WhatsApp

MapsMe

Trekking Nepal- Audio Adventure Series

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Transition To Travel: From Big Salary to Frugal Travel Life

Transition To Travel: Single Mom + 3 Kids Move to Mexico (Jenita's Story)

Transition To Travel: Radical Life Change For World Travel w/ Jordan & Tyler

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Have you ever felt the pull to do something BIG, but weren’t sure if you were “that kind of person?” What if the bravest thing you could do is take the first step before you feel ready? 

Lauren Roerick is a long-distance hiker who has traveled more than 12,000 kilometers on foot across countries and continents. Since 2019, she has completed trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Hexatrek in France, Te Araroa in New Zealand, and sections of the Transcaucasian Trail. Through her solo journeys and films, she shares stories about resilience, self-trust, and choosing a life shaped by curiosity and courage. 

Co-host Dianni Hall talks with Lauren about how to start thru-hiking, what solo trail life actually feels like, and how to move through fear, discomfort, and self-doubt one step at a time. 

You’ll hear how Lauren went from zero backpacking experience to long-distance trails by breaking intimidating goals into smaller, doable pieces. She shares what training really matters, what gear is actually worth prioritizing, how trail community works, and why thru-hiking can build self-trust in a way few other experiences can. If you’ve been curious about how to start thru-hiking but feel intimidated, this episode will give you a realistic way in. 

What’s one uncomfortable thing you’ve been wanting to try, and what would your version of the first step look like? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Co-host Dianni Hall is a queer, second-generation Latina, solo budget backpacker, freelancer, and host of the While She’s Away podcast, where she interviews women on their travel experience and expertise to help women live their best lives exploring the world. Learn more about her work here. 

Tune In To Learn: 


How doing a 100K with only six weeks of training (and despite hating running) changed her confidence 


Why Lauren often takes a “how hard can it be” approach to new challenges 


How she went from having no backpacking experience to taking on the Pacific Crest Trail 


Why breaking big goals into smaller steps makes thru-hiking feel possible 


What the mental challenges of solo hiking really look like, and how she works through them 


How thru-hiking builds self-trust and strengthens your intuition 


What role fear plays on the trail, and how to move through it instead of avoiding it 


How to start small, even if it’s just sleeping outside for one night 


How to choose your first trail based on your goals, time, and experience 


What kind of training and gear actually matter, and what you can skip 


How Lauren approaches content creation on trail without losing presence in the moment 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


YouTube 


Instagram 

Want More? 


Hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland with Lynne Nieman 


A 2,190+ Mile Mother-Son Adventure: Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail after a Decade of Nomadic Family Travel with Jessica and Largo Sueiro 


Hiking the Camino De Santiago, Painting Your Travels, Letting Curiosity Rule, and Tiny House Living with Kari Gale 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten. 


Go to https://surfshark.com/zerototravel or use code ZEROTOTRAVEL at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! 

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Do you have dreams of long-term travel? What are you willing to "give up" in pursuit of it? 

If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term), so we can see how it all panned out and how travel has changed them. 

Becca Hall is a long-term traveler who left a high-paying nonprofit tech job in San Francisco to pursue a life of indefinite travel. We talk about how she saved $30,000 in just a year and a half, why she travels as if she doesn’t have that cushion, and the psychology behind adopting a frugal travel mindset. She also shares what surprised her most after leaving her job, including the months it took to mentally decompress from work stress. Later, we catch up a year and a half into her journey to hear how things actually unfolded, from bartending and working festivals in Australia to building out her own van and redefining what freedom looks like on the road. 

What surprised you the most in Becca's journey? What was your biggest takeaway from today's episode? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 


Why Becca chose to act like her savings didn’t exist, even after putting away $30,000 


How a no-frills travel mindset helped her save money long before she ever left home 


What happened when cheap travel started costing her more energy than it was worth 


Advice for navigating solo female travel, couchsurfing, and gut-check moments on the road 


The surprising emotional hangover that followed quitting a job she was desperate to leave 


Why earning less money ended up feeling like a better deal 


How festival work and bartending became part of her long-term travel strategy 


What pushed her from backpacking burnout into building a van in Australia 


The unexpected lessons she learned from creating a home on wheels by herself 


Why taking a break can feel strangely difficult when you’re traveling full time 


How she decided whether bringing a laptop was freedom or just extra baggage 


What indefinite travel taught her about pace, pressure, and finding her own version of flow 


And so much more 

Resources: 


Sign up for our FREE newsletter 


Becca on Instagram 


Mint.com 

Want More? 


Transition To Travel with Lance Wright 


Transition To Travel: Radical Life Change For World Travel w/ Jordan & Tyler 


Transition To Travel: Single Mom + 3 Kids Move To Mexico (Jenita's Story) 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 


Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten. 


Go to https://surfshark.com/zerototravel or use code ZEROTOTRAVEL at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! 

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