“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine of Hippo
To all my fellow travelers, I created these 15 short but sweet episodes with you in mind. This is the travel podcast that I wanted to listen to but struggled to find. The episodes are only a few minutes by design on this experimental podcast, but I hope that it leaves you wanting to hear more. Because, although my first attempt, it may not be my last! Special thanks and gratitude to my producer at, Alston Carlisle, for this opportunity.
#1 – Introducing: The World Is Waiting [LISTEN]
Every episode of The World Is Waiting aims to capture your heart and imagination to inspire you to fulfill your travel dreams, no matter how mundane or ambitious and to be a better traveler.
#2 – Unpacking the Gifts of Travel – Stillness, Resourcefulness, Presence [LISTEN]
Travel can teach us many valuable life lessons at any age, even as children. Things like having an appreciation for stillness, believing in our capacity to make decisions and solve problems, becoming resourceful people and the gift of being present are all qualities we can learn and hone on the road. We simply need to give ourselves permission to disconnect and be free.
#3 – Unpacking the Gifts of Travel – Resilience [LISTEN]
Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or the ability of an object to spring back into shape. In this case the object is us, our state of mind. You can’t learn to be resilient in a vacuum, you have to be tried. And with every trial we can learn to be more elastic. To stretch without begin broken.
#4 – The Brothel Near the Bus – Expanding Our Comfort Zone [LISTEN]
How big is your comfort zone? When we find ourselves in situations that make us feel uncomfortable, we are pushing up against the boundaries of what is familiar or acceptable. As we do this, we continue to grow into people who can tolerate differences, who can embrace the other, and who can relax more knowing we’ve been here before. Come with me, inside the brothel near the bus station.
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman
#5 – This Is Why I Build – On becoming a Global Village Team Leader [LISTEN]
As a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Team Leader, I’m able to pursue my first passion: connecting with people of other cultures through service. I don’t know how it’s possible to wind up feeling like I gain more than I give, but it happens. It happens every single time I build. Because on the work site the playing field is level. Racial, religious, economic, social barriers fade away while we co-labor. This is the labor of love: to so lose yourself in the doing that you simply enjoy the being. Join me!
#6 – Why I Love Service Travel Best – Practicing Empathy [LISTEN]
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another by accessing the places within ourselves that connect with another person’s thoughts and feelings. The ability to do this well brings myriad benefits and can lead us to creating a more loving, compassionate, and healthy world. Travel can be our best teacher if we abandon our own perspective and strive to gain insight by seeing through the eyes of another.
#7 – The Inspiration Station – Motivation and Courage to Move [LISTEN]
Where do we find inspiration? What stimulates us to be creative, to make a plan, to act on our desire? How do we get clarity to face our fears to make big changes in our life? This show is all about giving you ideas, inspiration and encouragement to follow your dreams.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
“We desire to bequeath two things to our children; the first one is roots, the other one is wings.” — Sudanese proverb
#8 – Trip Planning 101 – Why, Who, How? [LISTEN]
I’m a fan of travel planning because I believe if you answer some important questions before your trip, you’ll have a better trip. In this episode I help you get clear on the purpose of your trip, who you’ll be traveling with and things to consider when budgeting. This is the first in a 3-part series on tips and tools to help you become a better traveler.
#9 – TRIP PLANNING 201 – Where, When? [LISTEN]
Oh the places to go! The world is a big place. What should you consider when deciding where to travel and when to go? I’ll give you things to think about ahead of time that will help you plan a great trip and be a more informed traveler.
#10 – TRIP PLANNING 301 – Doing, Eating & A Word on Packing [LISTEN]
When planning a great trip, it pays to know some things in advance so you don’t have regrets later. Write down your itinerary, set some things in stone, learn the lay of the land, and leave room for serendipity. An informed traveler is a better traveler.
“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd
#11 – Around the World in 50 Days – Why, Who, How? [LISTEN]
The greatest travel adventure I’ve had thus far is circumnavigating the globe with my family during our first year of homeschool. I was inspired and had just enough courage to believe I could do it mostly on my own, with two kids ages 10 and 12. It was undoubtedly the experience of a lifetime, one that we all enjoyed immensely and look back on with awe and wonder. In this first episode of a 5-part series I share how I got the ball rolling.
#12 – Around the World in 50 Days – Where, When, What? [LISTEN]
Part two in this 5-part series on planning a family trip around the world. How much pre-planning is necessary? What should you consider when choosing where to go, when to go, where to stay and what to do? To hire a guide or not to hire a guide, perhaps that is your question? Join me for ideas and inspiration to make your travel dreams come true.
#13 – Around the World in 50 Days – A Conversation With My Teenage Son [LISTEN]
Five years later I talk to my teenage son about his year of homeschool and get his perspective on taking a family trip around the world when he was only 12. If you are considering such a trip with your kids, why not hear firsthand from a kid who’s done it, what he liked and disliked, what he learned and how his experience has informed his future. Would he recommend it, or do it again? Listen to find out!
#14 – Around the World in 50 Days –A Conversation With My Teenage Daughter [LISTEN]
Five years later I talk to my teenage daughter about her two years of homeschool and get her perspective on taking a family trip around the world when she was only 10. If you are considering such a trip with your kids, why not hear firsthand from a kid who’s done it, what she liked, disliked and what she learned. Would she recommend it, or do it again? Listen to find out!
#15 – Around the World in 50 Days – What We Learned: My Husband and I [LISTEN]
What can travel teach us about ourselves and the world around us? Can we as people and as a society value experiential learning as much as we value formal education? In this final episode I talk to my husband and we reveal the life lessons we learned and the intangible gifts we’ve enjoyed traveling around the world with our children.
During our Trip Around the World…
I wrote several blog posts on LIFE LESSONS—things we were learning via our experience along the way. Travel is such a beautiful and satisfying teacher, especially for young children.
Check out what we learned about Patience, and Confidence in Fiji, Self-Awareness and Empathy in Australia, Vision in Singapore, Letting Go in Thailand and Teaching From Your Mistakes in Egypt.
“We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.” – Desmund Tutu
Global Staci 