Stephen Brooks: Costa Rican Chemical Spray Awakens Environmental Entrepreneurship

While adventuring in Costa Rica our next guest was appalled.

He witnessed big agribusiness spraying pesticides.

On Costa Rican farmers.

Since then, he’s been on a path to make it right.

Welcome to the 20th episode with, Stephen Brooks.

“Permaculture – how can we meet our goals and use less energy?” -Stephen Brooks  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Eco villages in Costa Rica
  • About the suffering of the people on banana plantations
  • Environmental Entrepreneurship, tour companies and eco-tourism
  • Plant based sustainability
  • Eradication of malnutrition via local resources
  • Why blending in with the locals is so powerful
  • How design affects the community
  • Living where our food comes from
  • All the other lovely stuff

Lovely Links:

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What is your take on this? Should we be preoccupied with where our food comes from?

What have you done to address your ecological footprint?

Johnny Ward: From a Medical Research Lab Test Subject to a New Rich World Traveler

From a poor family in Ireland to an enterprising business.

With no technical knowledge.

This successful entrepreneur builds teams to grow his own businesses.

All the while enjoying the long term travel lifestyle.

Please welcome, Johnny Ward.

“Being broke is not an issue. There’s always a way.” – Johnny Ward  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Money making as a medical research lab test subject
  • How Johnny managed to backpack for 2-3 years on little or no income
  • Why 99% of travellers give up and go back home
  • Johnny’s moment of realisation of how he wanted his life to be
  • How to grow a technical business, without technical skills
  • How to outsourcing works
  • Why being broke is powerful
  • How his passion got him to where he is today…. The New Rich World Traveler

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Johnny:

Onestep4ward | Twitter | Facebook

Travel Tools:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Write down a list of skills you can teach.

Now look at what tuition opportunities are in your local neighborhood.

Is this something you could earn a living from abroad?

If not, whats a better idea?

Let us know in the comments below.

Izzy the Ninja: Forget the 9 to 5, I’m Going to Be a Ninja!

He was a bored teacher.

So he decided to move to Japan.

To become a ninja.

He learnt the value of humility.

Now he helps others in believing that they too can fulfil their dreams.

Welcome, Izzy the Ninja.

“My life is evidence that you can achieve the impossible.” – Izzy (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Why he decided to Forget the 9 to 5, I’m Going to Be a Ninja
  • Studying aikido in Japan
  • Using your teaching qualifications to set you up abroad
  • Following your childhood dreams
  • The value of not understanding everything
  • How cleaning toilets gives you a simpler and more fulfilling life
  • Japanese mother nature is scarier than Japanese people

Lovely Links:

The 30 year old Ninja | Facebook

Travel Tools:

  • Achieve the impossible – An online course that teaches the fundamentals, educating and inspiring people to achieve what they initially believe to be impossible

Music Credits:

Special Shout Out:

  • Belal Khanfar, Chris Jones, Tom Miller, André Gussekloo, Cheryl DeMesa, Michael Rigby, Brian Walsh, Pavan Mathur, John Naylor & Mickael Jan for assisting with the playlist!

Take Action:

Write down your vision – what does a perfect travel experience look like?

Once you’ve done that, now write down the next steps and ways to overcome the objections & hurdles.

Jacob Sokol: Taking on the World to Find True Happiness

Jacob Sokol thought he had it all.

Yet something was missing.

His search took him to South East Asia.

Now he helps turn other people’s pain into purpose and power.

It’s a pleasure to introduce, Jacob Sokol.

“Travel is a vehicle to learn who we are, what’s important to us and what’s possible in life.” – Jacob Sokol  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How traveling helps self-understanding
  • Why not having it all figured out can be liberating
  • How understanding other people’s pain can lead to a high quality life for you
  • Why quit a 6 figure salary job to travel the world
  • Why it is realistic to be unrealistic 
  • How Jacob got Tim Ferris to take him to a Jets game with Gary Vaynerchuk
  • How travel has helped to create meaningful true happiness…. by understanding the world
  • Recreating the thrill of travel at home

Lovely Links:

Sensophy | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Take a look at your environment and relationships around you at the moment – are these conducive to the changes you want to see in life?

Let us know in the comments.

How to Hitchhike the South Pacific with Ben Owen


He left the UK with about $1,000.

To this day he is still living out his dream.

He’s got a blueprint for sailing the world.

It doesn’t cost much at all.

Please welcome the great sailor, Ben Owen.

“8:00 a.m. is the Sailors Midnight.” – Ben Owen (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How Ben moved to New Zealand with $1K
  • An expert description of the Bay of Islands, New Zealand
  • How Avatar was inspired by the beauty you see there
  • How to sail the world inexpensively
  • Tips for finding the best boat and crew out of The Bay of Islands
  • Best practices to follow before setting sail with someone new
  • Essentials of sailing from New Zealand to Fiji
  • The importance of having an idea on maintaining boats
  • Financial safety nets for sailing the world on the cheap
  • Lifestyle notes for life at sea
  • Navigating immigration problems on the high sea
  • Why to Bring Science, Math and History Textbooks to the Solomon Islands
  • Sailing into New Guinea
  • Exploring Darwin, Australia with Crocodiles
  • Shout out to Lisa and Erik from Tasmania
  • Crazy fishing stories from Northern Australia
  • The value of traveling with a First Aid kit
  • How to catch fish while you sleep
  • What troubles to expect with immigration when sailing into Bali
  • The whole trip was $4,000 including flights
  • How to Hitchhike the South Pacific

Lovely Links:

  • Want to go on the boat trip we discuss at the beginning of the show? Check out The Rock
  • Want to Go Where Ben Did? (In order of Discussion)

Pihia | Opua | Fiji | Vanuatu | Luganville | Santa Cruz Islands |

| Honiara | New Guinea | Darwin | Bali | Queenstown |

Facebook | E-mail

Segment Credits:

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Do you ever dream of sailing the world?

Do you think you’d be willing to take on an adventure like the one Ben did?

Benjamin Jenks: Hitchhiking the USA and a New Perspective on Fear

A spontaneous decision led to a journey across America.

All with the goal of meeting people from all walks of life.

On that path he learned that helping people enriches, enhances and reflects who we are as human beings.

So sit tight for the stop-motion video genius.

The one and only, Benjamin Jenks.

“Once you realise that we will all pass away some day, there is no fear.” – Benjamin Jenks (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How Benjamin started with a travel blog and no clue how to sustain himself
  • Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) experiences on a flower farm
  • Tales of the Bayou with Timmy Joe Thibodeau, the French-Cajun outlaw
  • Quality of life vs. nominal value of your money
  • Hitchhiking USA… Yay or Nay?
  • The spiritual journey of entrepreneurship
  • How to travel on the cheap

Lovely Links:

  • Learn more about Gary Snyder the model for Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums”
  • Find out about Couchsurfing
  • Connect with Benjamin:

Adventure Sauce | Twitter | Facebook

Books Mentioned:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Head over to AdventureSauce.com to learn more about Benjamin.

He’s got lots of sweet GIFs over there like this one.

Hiking Over the Andes and Into the Amazon with Pierre Heistein

He moved from South Africa to Argentina to learn Spanish.

This was only the beginning.

After losing almost everything, he found comfort in that place.

He also found adventure along the way.

Welcome the African Adventurer Economist, Pierre Heistein.

“It’s not something you aim to learn, it’s something you stumble across.” – Pierre Heistein (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • On the pace of partying in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • How finding a remote Argentine town to write a thesis led to finding a love and a new home
  • How an economist went from writing a thesis to selling Chinese t-shirts on the streets of Argentina
  • How to get the cheapest land in the world in Argentina
  • Having a girlfriend is a great way to learn another language? Try learning to sell
  • What there is to be gained from having everything in life stripped away and finding oneself still producing and enjoying life
  • How one’s perception of risk and possibility can change when experiencing a different culture
  • Strategies for seeing the most dramatic aspects of mountain ranges
  • His journey Hiking Over the Andes
  • Stories of majestic multicolored Andean lakes
  • The value in “not throwing yourself at the world.”

Lovely Links:

Music Credit:

  • A Guy Named Bob Dylan and his song, Outlaw Blues

Take Action:

If Luke and Pierre were standing in front of you with meager backpacks ready to head into the mountains, would you join them?

Luxurious Housesitting Lifestyle & Firing Fantastic Bosses with the Globetrotter Girls

Leaving high paying city jobs isn’t easy.

Especially if your plan is to travel indefinitely.

But leaning into uncertainty is the first step in living THE dream.

Having lived the location independent lifestyle for years these two girls have specific steps to save you money.

Welcome Dani and Jess, The Globetrotter Girls.

“The idea that you can run your own business from your laptop and travel the world is the ultimate goal.” – Globetrotter Girls (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Deciding to leave high paying jobs for nomadic freelancing
  • Dealing with a quarter life crisis
  • Why housesitting is the best way to travel the world and build a business that you love
  • How to hack classy accomodation, pools, jacuzzis & workspace
  • Tips on running an online businesses while you travel the world
  • World traveler time management
  • Should I Start a Travel Blog?
  • Travel is not as expensive as you think
  • Why slow travel is the best way to see the world

Lovely Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Top 3 House Sitting Websites:

  1. TrustedHousesitters.com
  2. HouseCarers.com
  3. MindMyHouse.com

Music Credits:

Travel Tools:

Take Action:

What’s your favorite hobby?

Do you think you could make money writing about it?

Leave a comment below! We’ll send pizza if you’re lucky!

Ian Cooley: Solo Driving from Nevada, USA to Costa Rica in a Van

This is my philosopher friend.

We met deep in the jungles of Costa Rica.

I took a plane to get there.

He drove all the way from Nevada.

It’s time to go deep with, Ian Cooley.

“It was good to be alive and it still is.” – Ian Cooley (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • On overcoming the failure of convincing friends to join in your travels
  • An insight into the Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula
  • Why Ian wanted to drive from the USA to Costa Rica
  • Core insights for anyone planning a roadtrip through Central America
  • Spending the night in a Jaguar Preserve
  • How often you are searched by the police when driving from California to Costa Rica
  • Why Lago Atitland reminds Ian of Lake Tahoe
  • About the Beauty of Grananda, Nicaragua
  • Why Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica is a great place to see American bands
  • How his journey cost about $500 a month
  • Plus much more lovely stuff

Lovely Links:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

If you could wave a magic wand and have the Love Affair Travel team help you out TODAY in YOUR LIFE, what would you want us to do for you? Who would you want to see on the show?

Alan Perlman: A World Traveling Cost of Living Analyst finds The Holy Grail

He’s travelled to over 60 countries.

Researching the cost of living.

The Indiana Jones of the Internet World.

Give it up for, Alan Perlman.

“Fortune favors the bold!” – Alan Perlman (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How he became A World Traveling Cost of Living Analyst
  • The magic of getting off the beaten track
  • Why human connections fuel his long term travels
  • An expert’s opinion on the best places according to cost/lifestyle ratio
  • Leveraging travel experiences and a blog into a career
  • How spare time in travel (waiting for visas, bribing officials) helped him through his Personal MBA
  • Running on adrenaline and shooting from the hip – how dealing with unusual situations rocketed his professional goals
  • Living out an Indiana Jones fantasy: seeing the temple of the Holy Grail in Petra, Jordan

Lovely Links:

 Hubspot | Twitter | Website

Music Credits:

Travel Tools:

Take Action:

Tweet us if you enjoyed the show!