In his 30’s, Javier Labourt was a psychologist looking for a way to combine two things that he loved: travel and psychology. That’s when it hit him: what if I was able to leverage travel as a form of impactful therapy and self help? Since then, Javier has developed a five-step psychology method, become a TEDx speaker and is working towards getting his own travel television show. In this episode, Javier “the travel psychologist” talks about how travel can be applied to face one’s fears, build confidence and achieve higher overall happiness.

The Layover — Irrational Fears and Travel Safety, Where to Draw the Line? (pt.2)

Episode 10: The Layover — Eco-Tourism and How to Get a Working Holiday Visa (pt.1)

Like many college students, Karina Boyea wanted to take a gap year to travel abroad. There was only one problem — she had a very limited budget. In episode 9, Karina reveals how she managed to travel the most expensive continent in the world on less than $20 a day, spending less than $1000 during her seven week stay in Europe.

John Putrino had just gone through a difficult loss when he decided to ditch his nine-to-five job to travel full-time in his pickup truck. In episode 8, John talks about becoming a wilderness guide, making mistakes in the great outdoors and having to flee a historic flash flood.

After graduating from high school, Sandor Hatvany wanted to take a gap year before going to college, but he also wanted to challenge himself. After hearing about the Australian Working Holiday Visa program, Sandor flew to Sydney at just 18 years old and started looking for work on fruit farms. There was only one problem, it was nowhere near fruit-picking season. In Episode 7, Sandor recalls crashing a tractor, chasing after an unruly herd of cattle, and facing the brutal nature of the dairy industry in the Australian Outback.

When Natalie Oganesyan embarked on a marathon hiking trip across the western United States, she was hoping for a physical and emotional challenge - but, she never expected to have to run for her life. In this episode, Natalie travels to 10 national parks, adopts a stray cat while on the road and narrowly escapes a fast-moving wildfire.

Luna Benichou had been warned about the sometimes predatory nature of spiritual centers in India. Only a few weeks into her yoga apprenticeship, she started to notice that something was off. Luna recounts her frightening experience escaping a manipulative fraudulent “guru," and talks about cultural appropriation and the dark side of the spiritual industry.

When Nick Collins and his friends embarked on a backpacking trip in Alaska, they expected that they might see a bear or two. But nothing prepared them for what they would encounter on the rugged Kodiak Island. Nick recounts his epic salmon-fishing trip in the remote Alaskan wilderness and talks about fearing for his life, staying safe while backpacking, and what to do when faced with a 1,000-pound predator.

Every year since she was a child, 23-year-old Anya Doherty flew thousands of miles across the world to visit friends and family. But as her concern for the environmental implications of air travel grew, she set out to find a way to get from London to San Franciso without flying on a single airplane. Her solution — booking a cabin on a commercial cargo ship. Anya recounts her unique and fascinating journey halfway around the world, talks about travel sustainability, slow travel, and facing her fears.

Daisy never thought travel would be accessible to her, but after a leap of faith and against the will of her parents, she went from not knowing how to purchase a plane ticket to becoming an avid traveler.