Best Silk Road Project Podcasts (2025)

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Fitz Cahall: States of Adventures & Finding Yourself By Getting Lost 1:27:54

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2h ago1:27:54

1:27:54

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show - It really helps the show, Thanks! Fitz Cahall—founder of The Dirtbag Diaries and co-founder of Duct Tape Then Beer—joins me to trace a life built around curiosity, craft, and the wild. We get into the nomadic childhood that pushed him outdoors, the dog-mauling that forged resilience, discovering …

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Safari Planning 101 + How to Build Your Life Around Travel with Scott Brills 1:32:21

2d ago1:32:21

1:32:21

What does it take to plan an unforgettable African safari? How can one trip lead to building a life and business around travel? Scott Brills is a long-time digital nomad, international entrepreneur, and co-founder of Pamoja Safaris, a locally run company offering custom wildlife safaris in Tanzania. Over the past 20 years, he’s lived at the interse…

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How British Scientists' Self-Experiments on Underwater Rebreathing Created D-Day Submarine Tech (And Nearly Killed Them in the Process) 53:29

2d ago53:29

53:29

In August 1942, over 7,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in a largely forgotten landing, with only a small fraction surviving unscathed. The raid failed due to poor planning and lack of underwater reconnaissance, which left the Allies unaware of strong German coastal defenses and underwater obstacles. Inadequate submersible…

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10 Steps to License Your Product Ideas for Location Independent Passive Income (No Manufacturing Required) with Courtney Laschkewitsch 1:35:39

4d ago1:35:39

1:35:39

Could you turn a product idea into passive income, without starting a business or having to do it all yourself? Courtney Laschkewitsch is a serial inventor who, with no prior experience, licensed six products after facing 51 rejections. Now, Courtney is a product licensing coach who helps everyday inventors bring their ideas to life and earn passiv…

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Over 200,000 Allied Troops Tried and Failed to Crush the Soviet Revolution After World War One 41:20

4d ago41:20

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The Allied Intervention into the Russian Civil War remains one of the most ambitious yet least talked about military ventures of the 20th century. Coinciding with the end of the first World War, some 180,000 troops from several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Romania, among others…

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Adventures in Urban Exploration with Greg Abandoned 1:34:52

9d ago1:34:52

1:34:52

Have you ever had the urge to explore the world beyond the boundaries of society? Greg Abandoned shares his passion for urban exploration, including stories of some of his most challenging journeys, most cherished experiences, and all about the URBEX movement. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to visit lost parts of society and want t…

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How the U.S. Occupation of Japan After WW2 Forged the Most Durable Peace of the 20th Century 1:00:19

9d ago1:00:19

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During World War II, the U.S. and Japan were locked in bitter hatred, fueled by propaganda portraying each other as ruthless enemies, exemplified by dehumanizing "Tokyo Woe" posters in the U.S. and Japanese depictions of Americans as barbaric invaders. After the war, the feelings seemed to turn 180 degrees overnight. By the early 1950s, American se…

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Counterintuitive Advice on Selling Online, Starting Before You’re Ready, & Building a Fiction Career with Nat Eliason 1:25:06

11d ago1:25:06

1:25:06

What if the best time to start your business or creative pursuit was before you felt fully ready? And what if you didn’t need to follow all of the current “best practices” to market yourself? Nat Eliason is an entrepreneur and author based in Austin, Texas. Over the past decade, he’s built a career that gives him location freedom through writing, c…

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Homer Couldn't Have Written the Iliad, But He Probably Dictated it Word for Word 52:53

11d ago52:53

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The Iliad is the world’s greatest epic poem—heroic battle and divine fate set against the Trojan War. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving, but great questions remain: Where, how, and when was it composed and why does it endure? To explore these questions is today’s guest, Robin Lane Fox, a scholar and teacher of Homer for over 40…

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Do You Like MAPS? ..I have something special for you 2:23

1d ago2:23

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🔗 Join the tester list now: adventurediaries.com/yes Do you love maps, exploration, adventure, travel, and stories of the natural world? Maybe you’ve got a shelf full of National Geographic, or you find yourself daydreaming about places you’ve never been. If so, I’ve got something special just for you. I’m testing a brand-new Adventure Diaries proj…

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Jeff Jenkins: Chubby Diaries Plus Size Adventures & The Nat Geo Never Say Never Story 1:00:21

11d ago1:00:21

1:00:21

🎙️ Please make sure to click the ‘Follow’ the show – It really helps the show, thanks! In todays episode i sit down with Jeff Jenkins — creator of Chubby Diaries and host of Nat Geo’s Never Say Never. Inclusion in adventure. Owning your story. Building a mission-first business that opens doors for plus-size travelers. Jeff grew up in Orlando, found…

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The Elements of AlUla: Arabia’s Lost City and the Heritage of Earth 48:50

16d ago48:50

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Today, I’ve got a special episode from The Elements of AlUla, a travel docuseries produced by Armchair Productions. The company was founded by Aaron Millar, who you may know as the host of The Armchair Explorer podcast. In this series, Aaron is going to take you on a journey into the heart of one of the most ancient kingdoms on Earth. Located in th…

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Depression-Era Planners Thought They’d End Poverty with Public Housing. Instead, They Created the Projects 41:02

16d ago41:02

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In the 1930s, New Deal-era technocrats devised a solution to homelessness and poverty itself. They believed that providing free or low-cost urban housing projects could completely eliminate housing scarcity. Planners envisioned urban communities that would propel their residents into the middle class, creating a flywheel of abundance where poverty …

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15 Years of Sacrifice, Secrets, & Sleeping with Cobras: Refusing an “Ordinary” Life to Build a Lost Paradise with Martin Vrana 1:16:08

18d ago1:16:08

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What happens when someone gives up security to build a tropical dream on a tiny island, with no job, no plan, and only one light bulb for power? Martin Vrana is the founder of Lost Paradise, a boutique resort he spent nearly 15 years building from scratch on a small island off Bali’s coast. Born and raised in Scandinavia, Martin left a safe life be…

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The Alabaman Jacksonians Who Rejected the Confederacy and Marched with Sherman to the Sea 49:01

17d ago49:01

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As the popular narrative goes, the Civil War was won when courageous Yankees triumphed over the South. But an aspect of the war that has remained little-known for 160 years is the Alabamian Union soldiers who played a decisive role in the Civil War, only to be scrubbed from the history books. One such group was the First Alabama Calvary, formed in …

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Remote Roundup: Future Hotspots, Productivity Experiments, Digital Nomadding 2.0 (August 2025) 56:53

23d ago56:53

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What does thriving as a long‑term digital nomad look like in 2025? Welcome to our debut episode of Remote Roundup - a new monthly series exploring what's new in remote work and travel, including helpful tools and resources, need‑to‑know trends, destinations, and insight into what it really means to live and work around the world. Caitlin Sunderland…

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Frederick Douglass’s Private Writings on Abraham Lincoln, His Strong Critiques and Stronger Praise 49:05

22d ago49:05

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Frederick Douglass made the strongest arguments for abolition in antebellum America because he made the case that abolition was not a mutation of the Founding Father’s vision of America, but a fulfillment of their promises of liberty for all. He had a lot riding on this personally – Douglas was born into slavery in Maryland around 1818, escaped to …

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100 Documentaries Project: Traveling the Globe to Find Extraordinary Humans + Changing the World One Story at a Time with Robin Danehav 1:05:33

25d ago1:05:33

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What can happen when a filmmaker decides to spotlight invisible geniuses and hidden stories that change how we see the world? Robin Danehav is a Swedish documentary filmmaker known for embarking on a bold quest to create 100 short films revealing the everyday impact-makers whose stories remain untold. Based in Stockholm and often traveling worldwid…

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The Industrial Revolution Was Supposed to Lead to Unlimited Free Time But Only Gave Us Smartphones and Endless Dopamine 31:11

24d ago31:11

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Free time, one of life’s most important commodities, often feels unfulfilling. But why? And how did leisure activities transition from strolling in the park for hours to “doomscrolling” on social media for thirty minutes? Despite the promise of modern industrialization, many people experience both a scarcity of free time and a disappointment in it.…

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Chris McCaffrey: A Global Cycle Across 21 Countries (The Silk Road, Pamirs & Beyond) 1:38:12

19d ago1:38:12

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🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks! Today on Adventure Diaries I sit down with Chris McCaffrey — better known as @chrisinthecold — an adventurer who has tested himself on some of the toughest human powered challenges imaginable. From sailing as a teenager to attempting an unprepared row across the …

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Disrupting Travel and Building Community with Beth Santos 1:01:21

1M ago1:01:21

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Do you ever feel limited by society’s expectations and stereotypes surrounding travel? When Beth Santos started a travel blog, her goal was to challenge norms by exploring the diverse and shared experiences of women traveling the world. It has since morphed into Wanderful, an international community and social network with over 40,000 active member…

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James Cook Mapped the Globe Before Dying At the Hands of Hawaiians Who Once Worshipped Him 56:56

1M ago56:56

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Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan are known for discoveries, but it was Captain James Cook who made global travel truly possible. Cook was an 18th-century British explorer who mapped vast regions of the Pacific, including New Zealand and Australia’s eastern coast, with unprecedented accuracy. He meticulously conducted soundings to measure…

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The 5 Best Hacks of “All the Hacks”: Travel, Money & Life Optimization with Chris Hutchins 1:23:43

1M ago1:23:43

1:23:43

What if the secret to unlocking a better life and travel experience lies not in more, but in smarter choices? Chris Hutchins is the host of the “All the Hacks” podcast, where he distills practical strategies across life, money, and travel. An optimizer by nature, Chris has saved millions by breaking down every aspect of life to maximize happiness a…

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American Anarchists: The Original Domestic Extremists 39:37

1M ago39:37

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In the early twentieth century, anarchists like Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman championed a radical vision of a world without states, laws, or private property. Militant and sometimes violent, anarchists were heroes to many working-class immigrants. But to many others, anarchism was a terrifyingly foreign ideology. Determined to crush it, gover…

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100 Years Before Ford v. Ferrari, a Horse Breeder Revolutionized Thoroughbred Racing Through a Similar Obsession With Progress 1:14:41

1M ago1:14:41

1:14:41

Horse racing was the most popular sport in early America, drawing massive crowds and fueling a cultural obsession with horses’ speed and pedigree. In the early 1800s, every town in America with a few thousand people had a horse racing track, with major cities drawing crowds of up to 50,000. In the midst of this was Alexander Keene Richards (1827–18…

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7 Ways to Improve Your Next Road Trip (Lessons from our Norway Family Road Trip) with Anne Dorthe 45:34

1M ago45:34

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Could a loosely planned road trip actually turn out better than a perfectly mapped itinerary? Anne Dorthe is my wife and travel partner of over 11 years, and a Norwegian local with roots in Trøndelag. In this episode, Anne and I share the story of our recent open-ended family road trip through Norway. We talk about the lessons we learned along the …

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Western Rome Fell Due to Germanic Immigration, Mass Inflation, and a Bloated Bureaucracy 39:05

1M ago39:05

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It took little more than a single generation for the centuries-old Roman Empire to fall. In those critical decades, while Christians and pagans, legions and barbarians, generals and politicians squabbled over dwindling scraps of power, two men – former comrades on the battlefield – rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire. R…

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Top 6 Hidden Gems in Riga, Latvia (From Ancient Saunas to Secret Markets) with Lelde Benke-Lungevica 59:53

1M ago59:53

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What are the best hidden gems in Riga, Latvia, and how can you experience this Baltic city like a local? Lelde Benke-Lungevica is a Latvian writer and cultural storyteller who was born in Australia and moved back to Riga in her teens. Since 2013, she’s run the blog Life in Riga, offering a personal and authentic look at life in Latvia’s capital thr…

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Why the Atomic Bombing of Japan is as Justified in 2025 as it was in 1945 52:29

1M ago52:29

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It's been 80 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the question of whether or not those bombings were justified has never been more contentious. That wasn't the case in the immediate aftermath: 85% of the American public approved the decision to bomb the cities in 1945, but this has dropped to 56% in more recent years, particularl…

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Jonny Hanson: Living with Lynx, Wolves & Bears - Rewilding & Large Carnivore Coexistence 1:12:05

1M ago1:12:05

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Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks! In this thought-provoking episode of Adventure Diaries, I’m joined by conservationist, academic, and author Jonny Hanson to explore one of the most complex and emotional topics in modern conservation: how humans and apex predators can share the land. Jonny is the au…

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How to Plan a Hike on the Inca Trail, Winning $500,000 on a Game Show, Learning from the Past with Philip Gibbons 1:06:23

2M ago1:06:23

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What’s it like to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, especially if you're doing it later in life? Philip Gibbons is a 68-year-old traveler, podcaster, and former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire winner who just got back from hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at the time of this recording. In this episode, Philip walks us through the whole experi…

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Surviving the Siege of Leningrad with Sawdust Bread and Iron Determination 46:54

2M ago46:54

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The first year of the siege of Leningrad that began in September 1941 marked the opening stage of a 900-day-long struggle for survival that left over a million dead. The capture of the city came tantalizingly close late that year, but Hitler paused to avoid costly urban fighting. Determined to starve Leningrad into submission, what followed was a w…

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Visiting Every National Park in One Year with Conor Knighton 1:54:14

2M ago1:54:14

1:54:14

What changes when you give your travels a singular mission? Conor Knighton is an Emmy Award-winning correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and the bestselling author of Leave Only Footprints. After a personal breakup and some professional uncertainty, Conor pitched an idea that turned into a once-in-a-lifetime journey to all 59 national parks - a mis…

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Depression-Era Governor Huey Long Wanted to Confiscate Individual Fortunes Over $1 Million, Possibly Leading to His 1935 Assassination 1:05:41

2M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

The most radical piece of legislation in the 20th century was Louisiana Governor Huey Long’s “Share Our Wealth Plan,” a bold proposal to confiscate individual fortunes exceeding $1 million to fund healthcare, free college education, and a guaranteed minimum income for families struggling through the Great Depression—a plan so radical it sparked the…

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5 Unexpected Things to Do in Paris and 3 Hidden Gems in France with Paige McClanahan 59:00

2M ago59:00

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What does it really mean to get beyond the clichés in Paris? Paige McClanahan is a journalist and author of The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel. She’s spent years reporting for The New York Times and has lived in France for seven years. Her work explores tourism’s power to shape communities and how we can all travel more co…

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Rope Equals Fire as Humanity’s Most Important Invention: It Allowed Hunting Mammoths and Building Pyramids 55:36

2M ago55:36

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“‘Rope!’ muttered Sam[wise Gamgee]. ‘I knew I’d want it, if I hadn’t got it!’” Sam knew in the Lord of the Rings that the quest would fail without rope, but he was inadvertently commenting on how civilization owes its existence to this three-strand tool. Humans first made rope 50,000 years ago and one of its earliest contributions to the rise of ci…

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Digital Detox: Downsizing Your Digital Life to Create Freedom + Reboot Your Lifestyle Business with Corbett Barr 1:19:06

2M ago1:19:06

1:19:06

Have you ever considered doing a digital detox, but were unsure where to start or how it would impact your life or business? Corbett Barr is an OG in the lifestyle business world, being a seasoned entrepreneur, creator, and technologist. After stepping away from the startup grind in search of a more balanced life, Corbett did a complete digital res…

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The Scopes Trial Was Entirely Orchestrated But Became an Unintended 1920s Culture War Touchpoint 56:43

2M ago56:43

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July 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial – a trial that exposed profound divisions in America over religion, education, and public morality. This was a legal case in Dayton, Tennessee, where high school teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution, violating the state's Butler Act. The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee l…

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How to Plan Your Camino + Going Beyond the Camino Frances (Secret Routes, Donkey Highways, and Spain’s Hidden Village Network) with Shawn and Lainey 1:36:48

2M ago1:36:48

1:36:48

What is hiking a camino really like? Can you do it even if you’re not a hardcore hiker, or don’t have a big, life-changing quest in mind? Shawn and Lainey are the husband-and-wife team behind Days We Spend, where they share stories and videos about their experiences walking Caminos and slow traveling across Europe. Both are experienced travelers -L…

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The Panda Was First Discovered By Theodore Roosevelt’s Sons During a 9-Month Expedition in Himalayan China 42:05

2M ago42:05

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In the late 1920s, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and his younger brother Kermit, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, wanted fame and glory apart from the family spotlight. They were seeking the “empty spots” on the maps, the areas that had yet to be explored and described by Westerners. From these remote places, they hoped to bring back exotic animals t…

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What Is “Happiness”? Discovering Meaning on the Silk Road with Will Rickard 1:24:29

2M ago1:24:29

1:24:29

What if chasing happiness meant giving up everything you thought you wanted? Will Rickard is the author of The Silk Road to Happiness, a book born from his solo journey through the “Stans" - Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan - on a quest to explore happiness through travel, conversations, and culture. After leaving a prestigious c…

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How Do We Really Know What Happened in the Past When Many Historians Were Propagandists and AI is Fabricating Everything Else? 48:46

2M ago48:46

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“History is written by the winners.” This aphorism is catchy and it makes an important point that a lot of what we know about history was written with an agenda, not for the purposes of informing us. Unfortunately, it isn’t true. There are many times that the so-called “losers” wrote the histories remembered today. After the American Civil War, Sou…

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Tom Turcich: The World Walk, 7 Years, 6 Continents & 28,000 Miles step by step 1:17:51

2M ago1:17:51

1:17:51

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks! What happens when you stop chasing life... and start walking through it—one step at a time? In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, I sit down with Tom Turcich, the tenth person ever to walk around the world—and the first to do it with a dog. Over …

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The Real Scotland: Ancient Traditions, Secret Valleys, and Why You Shouldn’t Cut Your Haggis with Andy McAlindon 1:06:21

2M ago1:06:21

1:06:21

Are you craving an adventure that’ll connect you deeper to Scotland’s wild places, warm people, and timeless legends? Andy McAlindon, better known as Andy the Highlander, is a Scottish tour guide, author, actor, and storyteller whose passion for Scotland’s history and culture has captivated millions online. From learning to sword fight on the set o…

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Eugénie de Montijo: The Spanish Empress Who Built Modern Paris and is Blamed For Imperial France’s Downfall 45:45

2M ago45:45

45:45

Thirty-three years after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Empire, his nephew (known as Napoleon III) became the first president of France before becoming emperor himself. Although he was a capable ruler and reformer, Napoleon III’s failed military campaigns, especially France’s loss to Germany in the Franco-Prussian War, led to his defeat, capture,…

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Tbilisi Travel and Hidden Georgia Gems with Local Guide Levan Giorgadze 59:58

2M ago59:58

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Why should you travel to Tbilisi, Georgia? While you might come for the 8,000-year-old wine, you’ll want to stay for the wild hospitality and a city full of surprises. Levan Giorgadze is a theater-trained tour guide and founder of Tbilisi Free Walking Tours, where he shares Georgia’s rich history and culture with travelers from all over the world. …

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John Adams: The Most Influential Yet Overlooked Founding Father? 38:38

2M ago38:38

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John Adams is arguably America’s most underrated Founding Father. He has no currency that bears his image. No national holidays celebrate his birth. He’s nearly never named as anyone’s favorite president. And he has no dedicated memorial in Washington, D.C. Despite this, he was perhaps the most influential early American, rivaling Washington, Jeffe…

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Albert Weckman: Arctic Finland Expedition—300km Solo Through Lapland’s Remote Wilderness 1:08:30

2M ago1:08:30

1:08:30

🎙️ Please make sure to click the 'Follow' the show – It really helps the show, Thanks! What drives someone to venture deep into Arctic Finland—alone, for a month—armed with just a packraft, backpack, and wilderness grit? In this episode, I sit down with Finnish adventurer and political scientist Albert Weckman—also known for his YouTube and Instagr…

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Timor-Leste Hidden Gems: Blue Whales, Diving, and Slow Travel in One of the World’s Least Visited Countries with Jonty Crane 1:20:11

2M ago1:20:11

1:20:11

Could the least-visited places offer the most rewarding travel experiences? Jonty Crane is a New Zealand-based traveler, guidebook author, and longtime advocate for meaningful, off-the-beaten-path travel. With over 75 countries under his belt, he’s currently volunteering in Timor-Leste, where he’s helping promote sustainable tourism while living th…

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Why Thomas More -- Henry VIII’s Hatchet Man and Heretic Hunter -- Was Himself Executed For Heresy After the English Reformation 49:11

2M ago49:11

49:11

Thomas More was one of the most famous—and notorious—figures in English history. Born into the era of the Wars of the Roses, educated during the European Renaissance, rising to become Chancellor of England, and ultimately destroyed by Henry VIII, he hunted Protestants for heresy and had them burnt at the stake in the final years of Catholic England…