100 Countries In 50 Years

Hello :)

So, in August I hit both my 100th country and my 50th birthday - I arrived in Norway with three days to spare. Given these two momentous milestones, I figured it made sense to do a podcast that covered, well, at least my country count. We don't need to talk about my ever-advancing age.

I had originally planned to do a pod looking at each of my countries by first visit, and a brief synopsis of how I felt on that first visit. But then I realised that would take quite a long time, would feel a tad repetitive, and would get quite boring really. So instead I got my friend V to ask me questions about my visiting 100 countries. A couple of those questions are standard and cheesy, a couple are really quite random (but that's what you get when you crowdsource from teenagers), and a couple are quite deep and thoughtful. Very few of them are what you expect.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* A brief recap of my recent ultramarathon
* Christmas trees
* I've been to 100 countries, but what *is* a country? And what isn't?
* The obligatory rant about borders
* Colonialism and poverty tourism
* Not everywhere is great but be careful how you phrase it
* Good manners and showing respect
* Food culture and putting things in your mouth that maybe you shouldn't (not a euphemism)
* Best, worst, and most off-brand countries
* What next?
* The joy of toilets around the world
* Where to survive a zombie apocalypse
* The most 'human' place in the world

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.

I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

I was interviewed by the lovely Victoria Pearson, but you can call her V.

Until next time, bye for now. :)