On this episode of 'the Nostalgic Vagabond' podcast, I'm talking with Tony.
Tony is an American expat living in Vietnam. He's been stuck there (5:00) since the start of the pandemic for more or less a year now. Before the world shut down due to corona he was 8 months into another epic global adventure, continuing to work towards his ambition of exploring every country on planet Earth.
In conversation, we discuss how travel, especially intial trips, can have life-changing consequences (11:15) where we re-evaluate the kind of life we wish to live, what our priorities are and what we feel is important plus the places we wish to invest our resources. Tony describes how long-term travelling is really a mindset (19:45) but special moments (23:00) like his time climbing Bromo in Indonesia can reaffirm in him the decisions he has taken to be a global explorer. No matter what oppostion he may encounter about his lifestyle.
One of Tony's dreams is to run his own hostel, and such to be an extension of his personality. We talk about what makes for a good hostel experience (28:00) and what differentiates a hostel from a hotel or certain accommodation chains (34:15). Tony plans to one day build a unique hostel in Georgia. So (38:15) you can all watch out for that.
Travel is like a drug (44:00) and it's so addictive, just like social media is addictive. Tony and I conclude this episode by sharing thoughts on the travel influencer space. Is it exploitative? (47:45) Is social media, in the travel space, a true and authentic representation of certain destinations or just a big ball of fluff to maximise (53:15) the grams?
Enjoy.
And don't forget to follow Tony on his Instagram page, @trekwithtony
Further links:-
Friends Hostel: https://frendzresorthostels.com/
Tony's new book - 'The Endlust War' (available on Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0917PXFRQ
A big thanks to Tom Forfar for creating the title tracks for the podcast series.
And, any comments or feedback feel free to email