Travel, at its best, changes the way we see the world. Join us each week as we dig into stories from people who took a trip—and came home transformed. Travel Tales by Afar is your ticket to the world, no passport required.
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Travel, at its best, changes the way we see the world. Join us each week as we dig into stories from people who took a trip—and came home transformed. Travel Tales by Afar is your ticket to the world, no passport required.
Jim Kitchen, professor of entrepreneurship at UNC Chapel Hill, has visited all 193 countries, rocketed 66 miles into space with Blue Origin, and descended seven miles to the ocean's deepest point—but his most important journey was learning to connect rather than just collect experiences.
From childhood road trips in a wood-paneled station wagon to becoming one of only 700+ people who've seen Earth from space, in this episode of Travel Tales by Afar, Jim reveals how travel transformed him from a frantic collector into a mindful connector—and how trusting his instincts literally saved his life.
In this episode, you'll discover
How travel resolved an existential crisis—and changed everything
What it's really like to rocket into space at 2,300 miles per hour
Why listening to life's "nudges" can be a matter of survival
Don't miss these transformative moments
Growing up with "genetic wanderlust" and seeing America backwards from a station wagon
The Afghan marketplace moment that shifted his approach from collecting to connecting
Negotiating a space travel prenup and the emotional stages of preparing for launch
Slapping himself awake at 2,300 mph because he wasn't going to be "that guy"
The profound silence of space and seeing Earth without borders
Smuggling pounds of stickers to space in oversized socks (sorry, Blue Origin!)
Descending seven miles down to find life thriving in the most inhospitable conditions
The nudge that saved his life when he walked away from the doomed Titan submersible
Resources
Read the transcript of the episode
Follow Jim Kitchen on Instagram
Learn more about Blue Origin space tourism
Read about the Challenger Deep and Mariana Trench exploration
Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our other podcasts, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week, and View From Afar, where we spotlight the people and the ideas shaping the future of travel.
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Travel Tales by Afar
Travel, at its best, changes the way we see the world. Join us each week as we dig into stories from people who took a trip—and came home transformed. Travel Tales by Afar is your ticket to the world, no passport required.
