266: Chasing the World's Most Interesting Stories as a Travel Journalist with Joel Balsam

Learn about some of the world’s most interesting (and little-known) stories documented by travel journalist Joel Balsam. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Travel journalist and full-time digital nomad Joel Balsam joins Matt over a bottle of wine. He talks about his upbringing in Canada as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor and how that shaped his politics, his values, and his curiosity about the world. Matt and Joel discuss what they love about Bolivia and Joel shares his path to becoming a professional travel journalist. Joel then talks about some of the most interesting stories he has covered from the Creole Black cowboys in the American South, to surfing bore tidal waves in the Amazon, to venomous snakes that could cure cancer, to the mysterious naked night runners of western Kenya. He also shares his lessons on the politics, history, and travel experiences he had while writing the Lonely Planet guidebooks for Armenia as well as Albania and Kosovo. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)