February 12, 2024 • 37 mins
Alexa McDonald has been to more than 50 countries and has developed useful and interesting tactics to travel the world for free or on a budget. Alexa is a content creator and open book, she loves to help people navigate the world and this episode is filled with helpful tips for travelers of all ages and experience. Tune in and maybe you'll want to visit some of the hidden gems she recommends.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:14):
You're listening to the Globetrotters podcast.Today, we have an exciting episode for
you. I'm your host John O'toand I'm maximil Gonzalez. And in our
last episode, we interviewed Justin Ramon. Justin is the LA based trekker community
leader and outdoor content creator who hoststhe Just Trek podcast. Justin is the
founder of the Just Trek Crew,which hosts monthly community adventures. Make sure
(00:39):
go back and give that episode alisten if you haven't. LA has a
lot more to offer than just WestHollywood and what you would typically think.
Yeah, honestly, man, thatepisode was so much fun to record,
probably because you weren't there. Max. I know we're more of a global
podcast, but sometimes the best spotscan be found in your backyard, and
LA is home for me, soI'm biased when I say that. Yeah,
(01:02):
I couldn't agree more. I meanI chatted with Justin before the recording,
and just hearing about how just Trekkind of came to be and how
he created that community in LA wasreally fun to learn about and can't wait
to see where he goes with itfor sure. But on today's episode,
we're going to be speaking with AlexaMcDonald. She is a seasoned solo traveler,
(01:23):
content creator, and entrepreneur who hasleft footprints in more than fifty five
countries. Her adventures go beyond thetraditional travel narrative, emphasizing the power of
meaningful connections, transformative experiences, andthe global community she's cultivated. Through her
lens, Alexa paints a vivid pictureof diverse cultures, the thrill of exploration,
(01:47):
and the profound impact that travel canhave on our lives. Alexa,
So nice to have you on theshow. Hey, thanks so much for
having me. John mentioned fifty fivecountries, which is quite a lot of
places to have been. Before wethink, before we kick things off and
talk about affordable travel and ways togo about it, we need to break
down a little bit of where you'vebeen. So let's take a step back.
(02:09):
How has this travel journey shaped yourperspective on life having been to that
many countries? So wow, ithas been an incredible journey, both personal
and then a travel journey as well. It's completely changed my life for the
better. I feel like I wascompletely different person before I stepped out of
(02:31):
or you know, when I wasliving in the country versus being an international
citizen per se, I can almostjust laugh about it, actually, And
so yeah, now I a viewlife as an experience in an experiment versus
kind of like a checklist and timeline. And when I first started traveling,
(02:53):
after I quit my corporate job,which was a complete leap into the unknown,
all I really knew was that Iwasn't meant to be sitting in a
desk eight to ten hours a daywith terrible lighting and stuff like that.
And so yeah, I didn't reallyhave a plan when I first started.
I kind of just left Europe likea few days after I quit. This
(03:15):
was when I was working in NewYork City and that's kind of how I
got started. Hopefully you're not dissingour setups right now, because I'm literally
just finishing work and down on thispodcast. So when she's saying terrible lighting,
I feel like I'm getting attacked.Don't feel that way. We are
(03:36):
on our own cyber journeys, butI have a feeling. You've also done
some traveling in your past few years, definitely, But let's talk about your
travel stories right now. So howmany of those countries have been solo traveler
solo travel and how do you,let's say, define solo travel, because
we talked a little bit about thisin the previous episode. There's kind of
(03:59):
a few definitions. I think abouthalf of those were solo. Last year,
I was lucky enough to have mysister join me on a lot of
my trips, which is really special. I visited twenty five last year,
which was insane but amazing. Someof those were repeat countries, but overall,
yeah, intense and amazing year.I try to stress that so travel
(04:23):
doesn't really equal being alone. I'vemet so many friends while I'm traveling,
and yes, you start the tripoff alone, but I feel like you're
never alone, Like you're always goingto be traveling with other people if you
want to, but then you alsohave the ability to stay at a place
(04:44):
by yourself, take them alone days. Some of my past trips, these
people have turned into my best friendsand I've continued my trip with them.
Yeah. Do you think, Alexa, that's the biggest This misconception about solo
travel is that if you're doing it, you're alone for the entire time.
(05:05):
It's it's a misconception, but Ithink another misconception about solo traveling is that
it's actually harder, and so Ithink it could be easier or it can
be easier than traveling with somebody,because you get to do whatever you want
to do, like whatever the heckyou want to do, and that is
that there's a lot of freedom inthat and you get to be whoever you
(05:27):
want to be. And then mykind of like biggest point from that from
my experiences is a lot of strangersand locals will actually speak to you more
if you're traveling solo, and thisoften leads to getting advice or help from
these people. And then I alsothink there's the topic of traveling solo as
(05:49):
a female, and a lot ofpeople think it's not safe, and that's
something that I talk about a lot. Actually, yes, safety concerns are
valid, but with proper research,situational awareness, and a lot of precautioning,
measured solo traveling can be just assafe as any other kind of travel.
(06:11):
And then if you want to beon a group trip like you mentioned,
that's a great way to start outas a solo traveler. Definitely.
Yeah, I really want to echoyour point of being more approachable when traveling
solo. I've found that I've beenmore alone when I'm traveling with people than
when I'm traveling by myself. Youknow, like you said, you can
(06:34):
do anything that you want. Planscan change and you don't have to,
you know, ask for clarification.You can just go with it. So
yeah, okay, So every travelerhas a favorite travel destination. Can you
pinpoint one country from your list thatholds a special place in your heart and
what makes it stand out so much? So I get this question a lot,
(06:58):
and it's one of the hardest questions. Is Actually, over the summer,
I was in Albania and I metthis lady who traveled a lot as
well, and she answered this questionand she kind of explained it and said
that she says, you know,it's not about the specific country, it's
(07:19):
kind of like what her favorite destinationis and what is there, So like,
for example, my favorite destination issomewhere where there's clear root, clear
blue, warm water, nice quietbeaches, lots of greenery, tropical fruits.
So that's how I have been sayingmy favorite place is. But if
(07:41):
I had to pick, I wouldsay Italy. That's my short answer.
As you were saying that, Iwas just kind of imagining, Okay,
Thailand, Philippines, Fiji, maybeall these and no Italy. But I
mean that's great choice. It's actuallymy my second favorite destination of all time.
So yeah, I hear you.I think Italy would be a place
(08:01):
where I can see myself living,whereas vacations and stuff, I would like,
you know, go to Fiji andThailand in these places. I think
that's a pretty unique way of approachingthat question, because I feel like we
ask people of this all the time, and we get asked what are our
favorite places? And we asked thesame question back, and I like how
(08:22):
you were pinpointing like the environment andwhat it has that would make it your
favorite place, rather than saying likea direct place, except for we went
with Italy on this one. Butyou know, you know, we like
to highlight hidden gems on this pod. Are there any lesser known destinations within
the countries that you visited that youbelieve more people should explore? So I
(08:45):
recently went too few of these andI talked a lot about them on my
Instagram, And I always like tohighlight hidden gen places. It's one of
my favorite topics to talk about.See a oasis in Egypt. Have you
guys heard of place. Now.I've been to Egypt, but never I
didn't hear about that point. Oh, it is incredible, definitely worth the
(09:07):
long trip from Cairo. There's alsonow Shima Island in Japan that was amazing.
It's an art specific island, greatmuseums. And then in Mexico,
I have a few places. Irecently spent five months in Mexico. There's
San Juan or San Jose del Pacifico, Laguna di Chkala. And then this
(09:31):
last one is harder pronounced, butI think it's tipposit Land tip It's lane
that was pretty good at actually soyeah. And then as far as like
country is as a whole. Inthe Caribbean, there's Guadaloup, Slovenia,
Montenegro, North Macedonian Europe are great, Tunisia, Tunisia. I love Tunisia
(09:56):
like it was an amazing country tovisit this last year, Togo, Lebanon.
These are all great places. Earlieryou actually brought up Albania, and
well, you brought up a storyabout something a woman from Albania said to
you. But Albania is one ofthose places, I mean in the Balkans.
(10:16):
I remember being so shocked by howhow much fun, how beautiful and
how nice the people were. Everythingabout the countries in the Balkans were just
amazing. And it's got the trees, it's got the water, got the
landscape. It's yeah, it's justanother head and gem. I think it's
right. It's kind of been onpaper's raiders more in the last few years
(10:39):
in my opinion. Yeah. Irecently did a long trip for like two
months through throughout the Balkans, andwe did Albania, but my favorite part
of Albania was the mountains. Itwas like Switzerland or you know, the
Alps, but in Albania it wasamazing. Yeah, And just just a
quick follow up because you mentioned youspent five months in Mexico. Why and
(11:05):
please don't say why not, Pleasedon't say why not. I always walk
into that. I did a tripfrom Mexico to chiaway and so I started
kind of up north, worked myway all the way down. And Mexico
is a huge country and I thinkit's people just kind of go to these
(11:26):
cabo and to loom places and there'sso much more to explore there. Yeah,
I agree. Yeah, I'm surprisedyou're so shocked of why she spent
five months in Mexico, John,I thought you'd be supportive of it.
I am, I am. Ireally should have said, why didn't you
do nic for five months? Thereyou go, Yeah, that's fine.
I haven't though. It's a goodplace. Awesome. Okay, So traveling
(11:50):
to fifty plus countries is no smallfeet by any means. Could you walk
us through the more human side ofyour travel planning? How do you decide
on where to go, how tobudget, and what goes into crafting the
perfect itinerary for you specifically? Okay? Yeah, so I love this question
where to go? So there's afew factors that go into where I'm planning
(12:15):
on going next. One of themis the time of the year. I'm
a huge advocate for traveling to placesin the off season, one because I'm
a budget traveler. And then like, for example, I traveled to the
Middle East over the summer, goingmy crazy but I saved hundreds and hundreds
of dollars by doing this, probablythousands actually, And it wasn't busy and
(12:41):
I survived the weather. But wasit hot is the real question. It
was hot, But I am fromthe desert, so I kind of have
that in me. And I didn't. I didn't mind because I don't like
the crowds. So yeah, Isurvived. And then and I also try
to think about what my goal isor like what route I want to do,
(13:03):
Like I just mentioned, I dida route from Mexico to Chile.
It's a very simple, easy.Maybe those aren't the right terms, but
it's a good route to do.Like the Balkans. I did the Balkans
all in kind of one you knowtoo, summer, like from north to
south. And then I also didMiddle East. Like I've done a lot
(13:24):
of trips where I try to tacklethat country and then like the ones around
it. And then yeah, sothe goal thing, I always try to
have an attention on the trip.So I like went to Hawaii during COVID
because I wanted to learn about farmingand sustainable living, and so that was
(13:46):
my goal. I think that's likesuper important something that I really want to
focus on next year as well.Yeah, you called yourself a budget traveler.
What does that actually mean in likespecific terms, like are we talking
about it? Thousand per month,two thousand per month, three thousand per
month? Where are you flexible orsorry, let me rephrase that, and
where are you flexible with your spendingaccommodations activities. So, I surprisingly do
(14:13):
not budget. I'm just really carefulwith my spending, spending habits, and
I track everything on an app calledtravel Spend, And so after each month,
I'm able to see you spend Yeah, amazing. At the end of
the month, I'll be like,Okay, this is a good number.
(14:33):
I know that you know what Ihave in my bake account and like how
much I made that month, Like, I'll be okay. And throughout the
years, it's probably ranged from threehundred dollars a month to three thousand.
I think my most expensive month actuallyhas been three thousand. I don't even
know if it ever hit two thousand, but like upper two thousands. And
(14:58):
this is cheaper than what I usedto spend monthly in New York City.
So and like for sure, yeahsure, so yeah, recommend getting that
app. I think it's a greattool to help you understand where you're putting
your money and how you'll be ableto travel depending on your habits and savings
income. You know, we hada guess that was on the show that
(15:22):
was talking about sustainable long term financiallysustainable travel or long term slow travel,
and you've touched on some of thepoints that she highlighted. You said that
you know each month when you makemore versus how much you spend, like
besides the app and keeping track ofthat information, you know, and you're
(15:46):
spending. Like, what are someuseful tips for people that maybe don't have
the discipline that you have right now? Like how did you develop that or
what would you advise to someone.So I made a lot of sackrizes when
I was working full time and makinggood money, and I knew that there
(16:07):
was more to life when I wasworking at it, you know, nine
to five. So I was like, Okay, I'm going to cut down
my expenses when I go out,Like a few nights out in New York
City is a couple hundred dollars,let's just say, and three hundred dollars
is like a week in Thailand.And so this was kind of my silly
(16:29):
logic that I kept for so long, and that really helped me. So
sacrifices when you're first starting is somethingthat you'll have to get used to.
I feel like that's not silly logicwhatsoever. Yeah, No, I am.
When I was backpacking a lot andthat was like my top priority.
You know, friends invited me outor there was something going on. I
(16:49):
did my best to spend as littleas possible so that I can kind of
translate that into like, you know, Okay, if I don't spend a
lot tonight going out, I canand use that money when I am in
Italy or you know, South Americaor wherever. And that money can actually
stretch quite a bit when you putthat into perspective, because then you you
(17:10):
feel like you have that bank tosupport yourself when you're out and about.
Exactly. Yeah. And now sinceI've developed, you know, this job
as a content creator, I don'thave to make as many sacrifices because a
lot of the things that I getfor free or I get paid, and
(17:33):
I kind of go wherever these opportunitieslead me. So it is a little
bit different now than how I started. I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure
that influences how you plan your tripstoo. Right, When you have incentive
to go somewhere, it's a littleeasier to make your mind up, which
is nice. Exactly. Yeah.And we will talk a little bit more
about, you know, your careeras a content creator, but before we
(17:56):
get there. Let's shift the conversationto your previous career. You already mentioned
you quit your corporate job in NewYork and a few years later you turned
your love of travel into a careerthat's allowed you to explore for free,
which sounds like a dream come truefor any explorer. Can you share some
of the behind the scenes insights andhow you made this possible and sustained it,
(18:18):
Like what were some of the growingpains and at what point did you
finally start seeing success? Like howlong did that process take? So I've
always been really relentless and ambitious,and I think having these characteristics really helped
me get to where I am today. Another thing that really helped me was
(18:40):
I always ask questions like I'm constantlyor was constantly dming people on Instagram who
live this like dream life that Iwas living, or had the skills that
I aim to have. And Istill do this actually all the time.
And so networking is huge and justconstant learning is something I definitely recommend if
(19:02):
you want to start traveling full timeand doing content creation. To put this
into context, how many people wereyou reaching out to and what was the
success rate that people were like yeah, this is how you do it,
or giving you advice. I wouldsay it's pretty successful. I think a
lot of people think that people won'trespond if they're in that like influencer space.
(19:22):
If you reach out via email,they're going to see your things,
like even if they're getting so manyif you make it a really thoughtful message.
I know, people message me andit's like, wow, that is
such a nice message. I'm goingto put in the time to respond to
you. So yeah, I wasseeing a lot of success, like don't
be afraid to message people on Instagramsend them emails. But yeah, I
(19:45):
was doing things like I would bereading articles about travel hacking and my friends
would be going out and it's likenow it has paid off. M Yeah.
I was kind of piggybacking on whatJohn mentioned or questioned, kind of
felt like there was this big gatekeepinginfluencer thing going on where like, you
know, it makes sense like ifeveryone's doing it, it's going to diminish
(20:10):
everyone's influence, right, Like it'snot going to make it nearly as powerful
or their offerings nearly as enticing forclients or brands. So it's nice to
hear that, Like, you know, if I mean your piece of advice
is be yourself, be kind.You know, it sounds like get to
the point, but you know,make sure that you kind of throw some
sugar on top and make sure thatyou're you know, being a human about
(20:33):
it and not just you know,digging for information without any characteristics going into
your outreach. So yeah, Ithink that has made a really big difference
in my career. I think Itake that to like partnerships as well,
Like I'm really thoughtful in what Isay, and it kind of put my
like human touch and my uniqueness tothings like send you know, unique emails
(20:56):
and dms to people they're going torespond to you. Yeah, kind of
on kind of on topic, you'vebuilt a business, So you've built a
business on helping other people travel forfree or at least made it much more
affordable for them. Why is thissomething that you're passionate about? And yeah,
(21:17):
I mean when when did you realizethat this is something that you want
to do and that you have thisgift that you can help people with.
So probably because yeah, I justwant to make things more accessible, Like
I want to make the world moreaccessible to people because it has given me
so much and I want other peopleto experience the same and money doesn't.
(21:38):
And you know, for most people, money doesn't grow on trees, and
so I want to educate people whohave this like really strong desire to travel
but can't really because they're financial situation. This breaks my heart. And so
once I realize that I can bethat person for these people, it gave
(21:59):
me. It was a lot ofit was really rewarding. So yeah,
and then the same thing for thecontent creator thing. I didn't start seeing
success for a while, and nowI do, and it's like I did
it, and now I know howto teach others, and so I'm really
passionate and like I respond to allmy dms because I really do want people
(22:22):
to succeed in both ways. Canyou give me kind of a number in
terms of months or years from likethe day that you decided, Hey,
I'm going to purposely be a contentcreator versus like posting cool stories or content
on your personal social media to whereyou are now or where you would kind
(22:45):
of identify yourself as a micro influencer. I started taking things more seriously when
I was probably I was at liketwo thousand followers and I was doing one
of my big trips, and thiswas just friends and stuff, and I
was like, Okay, I'm goingto take this business seriously. And that's
(23:07):
actually when I started seeing more success. It was like just this mindset shift.
And then I started getting hotel collaborationsand some weren't paid, but they
were great to add to my portfolio. And just like little by little,
I was adding these things on nice. Okay, so you have several resources
(23:29):
that you can offer on your socialmedia, and you know, by going
into as much detail as you want, can you give us two or three
ways people can travel for less moneythat maybe didn't occur to them until they
heard this pod. So I talkabout these three a lot. The first
one is house sitting, credit cardbonuses, and volunteering or like exchanging your
(23:53):
time. Have you guys heard ofhouse sitting before? Yeah, yeah,
but definitely yeah. Either you knowabout it or you don't. Yeah.
I think like I can't stress theseenough. I've saved thousands and thousands of
dollars by house sitting. I justhad one in LA actually, so it's
not even just the United States,it's they're all over the world. It's
(24:15):
like there's hundreds and hundreds in Australiaand Europe. Yeah, one thing that
we haven't actually talked about in thispod, and like, yeah, it's
been mentioned quite a few times,but we've never actually gone into detail what
those requirements are to talk a littlebit about what it is, Like,
what do you besides creating a profileor anything like that in account, Like
(24:38):
what are some of the prerequisites tobe qualified to do this? So you
have to have some references, andthen you also have to have a good
profile with good pictures. These arejust my opinions and how I've had success.
I think that matters. Yeah,I think, yeah, I know
that you're trying to be nice aboutmaybe in some ways and be like,
(25:02):
hey, how you present yourself?You should put some thought into it,
But it does matter. I think, Yeah, no one's going to want
to like put the you know,put their house in the hands of someone
who has like a pixelated photo fromlike twenty years ago. You know.
Yeah, you're essentially applying to ajob like mine's pretty professional in a sense,
and so I think that has alsohelped me. And then what are
(25:25):
some of the other recks, Socredit card bonuses. I think people talk
about this a lot, but it'seither you know about it or you don't.
I've flown all of the world forfree thanks to credit card points and
bonuses. And the next one isvolunteering. And this is something that I
always stress, like if you're young, or even if you're older, but
(25:45):
mostly you know, if you're inyour twenties or something, which a lot
of my followers are in that kindof age, volunteer and you know,
you get free accommodation, you getfree food, and so much more.
You get low will experience it is, you get a community all out of
these experiences I use. I've usedrole packers work away right now, I
(26:12):
work with World Packers. So ifthere's you guys are interested, I have
a discount. But I just likestress how good of an experience volunteering can
be. One hundred Wait, Idon't want to skim over the credit card
bonuses and sign up bonuses and allof those rewards. What is your favorite
(26:32):
don't? I mean, you cango into as much detail as you want.
What is your favorite credit card?What has been the biggest benefit that
you've gotten from them? Right now? The venture X, I mean,
the chase is always a good one, but I think the biggest spend,
which one are you? Chaser aventure I just got the Venture X and
I just got my sign on bonus, so I'm flying for free to Columbia.
(26:52):
Yeah, amazing. It's just it'seasy if you figure out the system.
Yeah. But I think the biggestspend that I've ever got was like
eighty maybe ninety thousand points, whichessentially effles nine dollars. Yeah, it's
amazing. Yeah. Uh for ourlisteners, I know there's a lot of
(27:14):
people who are like terrified of creditcards, and you have all the right
to be. My only piece ofadvice is to treat your credit card like
a debit card. Do not spendwhat you don't have, and I guarantee
that the rewards are going to bewell worth it. Yes, and I
definitely back that up. I essentiallyplan all of my big purchases for the
(27:37):
year, and it's like very strategicand not just like aimlessly spending. No,
I'm that's smart. John's Chase guy, by the way, they're both.
Yeah. I mean I would havegone AMEX if ATX didn't get rid
of the Centurion Lounge. But everytime I think about it, I get
a little bit upset. So let'smove on to couch You mentioned this as
(28:02):
something you've done as a sell offemale traveler. For those that are unaware
of what CouchSurfing is and how itworks, can you explain a little bit
more to our audience. I knowit sounds pretty self explanatory, but yeah,
another great tool. So CouchSurfing isa platform that connects travelers with locals,
and these locals offer free accommodation.I think it's a fantastic way to
(28:27):
experience a destination from a local perspective. I'm huge just like hanging out with
locals, You're going to have anincredible experience and different experience when you hang
out with locals when you travel.Despite the name, not all of them
are just couches. I've stated privaterooms, so don't let that kind of
wear you away from doing it.I have an article on my website that
(28:52):
talks about how I've stayed in someprivate rooms in Vietnam. Like I did
a Vietnam trip. It was alittle over a week and I stayed for
free CouchSurfing the whole time. Didn'thave to pay a cent on accommodation thanks
to CouchSurfing. Is there a conin your mind, like you listed a
bunch of pros. Is there adownside to counch surf? So? I
think it's more work. You haveto apply to so many or message so
(29:18):
many of these hosts and a lotof the times they won't respond. It's
way easier just to go on bookingdot com and boo book a hotel.
So if you're willing to put inthe work, you will get the free
accommodation. I've used CouchSurfing quite afew times when backpacking Europe, and I
can back that up that CouchSurfing isa lot of fun and really cool unique
(29:41):
way to see and experience a newplace, especially need to hang out with
the locals personally, which is great. As a content creator, I imagine
you have to master balancing the artof capturing and sharing your experiences on social
media while still being able to bepresent in the moment. How do you
navigate this delicate balance? And doyou have any advice for our fellow content
(30:03):
creators who are trying to find theirown equilibrium doing so? So, I
try to get the content in likea certain period of time rather than shooting
all day, So I'm like,really, I try to plan my day
around it and be intentional, soI'm not just taking hundreds of photos and
(30:25):
videos in a day and seeing what'sgood at the end of the day or
even you know, weeks later andsaid I'll be like, Okay, today,
I'm going to shoot this, this, this, I'm going to go
to this hidden gem restaurant, andlike that's going to be my content for
next Wednesday. This has really helpedme clear up my schedule. I know
(30:47):
people content creators who even go astep further back, like they'll be like,
I'm going on this trip, I'mgoing to look up articles like what
are people talking about? And they'llgo there and fly there and have a
list of things that they're going toshoot, and this kind of like lets
you have completely free days where likeyou don't even have to bring your phone
(31:08):
out essentially, which is really nice. Yeah, and I'm glad you said
that because I think for a lotof people, and sometimes myself included,
you kind of make these assumptions thatan influencer means someone it's glued to their
phone and just kind of recording everything. And based on what you're describing,
there's like a lot of planning andthe method to the madness. Yeah,
(31:32):
there's always some madness, but there'sa way to not make it as crazy.
Yeah, it's a production. Iwas just gonna ask, do you
use any applications or software or thingsto help you keep track of when you're
gonna post? I use cap cutto edit all of my videos and my
reels, and then I'm a hugeGoogle docs in Google Sheets, and then
(31:56):
I've recently started using no in whatnotions. A tough subject for us too,
because last week something terrible happened tome. But with your account,
it disappeared but I got it back. Oh shit, that's terrifying. Damn.
(32:19):
Yeah, you should definitely go toAustina then, because that never happens
with them. Sorry, there's alot of a lot of history going down
this road. No like said,so if if people wanted to, you
know, reach out to you throughsocial media and Instagram, like what what
(32:42):
besides some of the things you've talkedabout today and what can you offer them?
And maybe we haven't touched on thispodcast. So I'm a helper.
I would love to help anybody whois wanting to go on this journey,
whether it's solo travel, credit cardhacking, safety, so many different topics.
I have a bunch of information onmy website and I do want I
(33:04):
want coaching, and then again likemy dms are always open. I love
it. Yeah, I believe Johnwould like to get to his favorite part
of the show. If you wantto take it from here, John,
Yeah, before we run out oftime, we do have a fun little
segment we like to play with allof our guests. We're gonna ask you
five travel related questions and quick successionand answer as fast as you can.
(33:28):
Are you ready? Okay? Firstone is a true question because I already
asked it earlier today, so I'mgoing to change it up. Which country
would you want to visit? Again? And again and again and again?
Oh? Italy? Okay? Howabout yeah? No, let's I should
(33:52):
have I put myself in this cornerbecause I should have sat outside of Italy.
Which country would you want to be? Is it? Again and again
and again? I would say Ecuador. I really liked it there anyone in
the Amazon? Like, I willgo there tomorrow. Okay, that's a
good one. I haven't heard thatone. Which country has the best cuisine?
(34:15):
Can't say it like loving? Okay? Else? Quick? Yeah?
Well, what has been your favoritebeverage abroad, alcoholic or otherwise. Sour
soft juice. Do you guys knowwhat that is? No? No,
I thought you were going to saysour pisco. No, it's a fruit.
(34:37):
Fruit. It's it's amazing. Soif you're ever in a destination where
there's like a ton of tropical fruits, ask for soursop. Is this in
like South America? Yeah? Theyhave it in Asia, all of our
kind of just like any tropical place, I think. Okay, okay,
we'll definitely check that out. Funniestor most embarrassing experience you had abroad and
(35:00):
tripping and falling does not count.Okay. So I was leaving a Pisa
Abisa one day and my friend andI were in a lounge and we missed
her flight. So we enjoyed thefree drinks and food a little too much
(35:23):
in the lounge. We're just relaxing, and we totally just missed our flight.
It was terrible. Sounds like youwent to the lounge and did it
proper, which is good. Yeah, but I'm a professional traveler. I
can't be missing these flights. Itsounds like you're giving us The radio g
version of this story in truth.You were just like throwing up in the
(35:45):
back somewhere from having too many.She got eighty six out. She actually
can't go back to that that lounge, Alexa, So the truth comes out,
Alexa. Thank you so much forbeing a guest on our show.
Before we leave, where can ourguests find you if they want to learn
a bit more about you and whatyou do and maybe people can reach out
(36:08):
and learn a little bit more fromyou. You can find me on my
Instagram at Lex McDonald as well asTikTok Lex McDonald's, or you can find
me on survivor soon because I'm applyinga okay, awesome And if you want
to learn a little bit more aboutus, you can visit us on our
(36:28):
website at www dot gtspodcast dot com. You can find us on Instagram or
Facebook at Globetrotter's podcast x at globetrotpot make sure you drop us a review
on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Ifyou enjoyed listening to this conversation and editing
was done by our very own Jonathanor Thoo. Until next time, fo
You're listening to the Globetrotters podcast.Today, we have an exciting episode for
you. I'm your host John O'toand I'm maximil Gonzalez. And in our
last episode, we interviewed Justin Ramon. Justin is the LA based trekker community
leader and outdoor content creator who hoststhe Just Trek podcast. Justin is the
founder of the Just Trek Crew,which hosts monthly community adventures. Make sure
(00:39):
go back and give that episode alisten if you haven't. LA has a
lot more to offer than just WestHollywood and what you would typically think.
Yeah, honestly, man, thatepisode was so much fun to record,
probably because you weren't there. Max. I know we're more of a global
podcast, but sometimes the best spotscan be found in your backyard, and
LA is home for me, soI'm biased when I say that. Yeah,
(01:02):
I couldn't agree more. I meanI chatted with Justin before the recording,
and just hearing about how just Trekkind of came to be and how
he created that community in LA wasreally fun to learn about and can't wait
to see where he goes with itfor sure. But on today's episode,
we're going to be speaking with AlexaMcDonald. She is a seasoned solo traveler,
(01:23):
content creator, and entrepreneur who hasleft footprints in more than fifty five
countries. Her adventures go beyond thetraditional travel narrative, emphasizing the power of
meaningful connections, transformative experiences, andthe global community she's cultivated. Through her
lens, Alexa paints a vivid pictureof diverse cultures, the thrill of exploration,
(01:47):
and the profound impact that travel canhave on our lives. Alexa,
So nice to have you on theshow. Hey, thanks so much for
having me. John mentioned fifty fivecountries, which is quite a lot of
places to have been. Before wethink, before we kick things off and
talk about affordable travel and ways togo about it, we need to break
down a little bit of where you'vebeen. So let's take a step back.
(02:09):
How has this travel journey shaped yourperspective on life having been to that
many countries? So wow, ithas been an incredible journey, both personal
and then a travel journey as well. It's completely changed my life for the
better. I feel like I wascompletely different person before I stepped out of
(02:31):
or you know, when I wasliving in the country versus being an international
citizen per se, I can almostjust laugh about it, actually, And
so yeah, now I a viewlife as an experience in an experiment versus
kind of like a checklist and timeline. And when I first started traveling,
(02:53):
after I quit my corporate job,which was a complete leap into the unknown,
all I really knew was that Iwasn't meant to be sitting in a
desk eight to ten hours a daywith terrible lighting and stuff like that.
And so yeah, I didn't reallyhave a plan when I first started.
I kind of just left Europe likea few days after I quit. This
(03:15):
was when I was working in NewYork City and that's kind of how I
got started. Hopefully you're not dissingour setups right now, because I'm literally
just finishing work and down on thispodcast. So when she's saying terrible lighting,
I feel like I'm getting attacked.Don't feel that way. We are
(03:36):
on our own cyber journeys, butI have a feeling. You've also done
some traveling in your past few years, definitely, But let's talk about your
travel stories right now. So howmany of those countries have been solo traveler
solo travel and how do you,let's say, define solo travel, because
we talked a little bit about thisin the previous episode. There's kind of
(03:59):
a few definitions. I think abouthalf of those were solo. Last year,
I was lucky enough to have mysister join me on a lot of
my trips, which is really special. I visited twenty five last year,
which was insane but amazing. Someof those were repeat countries, but overall,
yeah, intense and amazing year.I try to stress that so travel
(04:23):
doesn't really equal being alone. I'vemet so many friends while I'm traveling,
and yes, you start the tripoff alone, but I feel like you're
never alone, Like you're always goingto be traveling with other people if you
want to, but then you alsohave the ability to stay at a place
(04:44):
by yourself, take them alone days. Some of my past trips, these
people have turned into my best friendsand I've continued my trip with them.
Yeah. Do you think, Alexa, that's the biggest This misconception about solo
travel is that if you're doing it, you're alone for the entire time.
(05:05):
It's it's a misconception, but Ithink another misconception about solo traveling is that
it's actually harder, and so Ithink it could be easier or it can
be easier than traveling with somebody,because you get to do whatever you want
to do, like whatever the heckyou want to do, and that is
that there's a lot of freedom inthat and you get to be whoever you
(05:27):
want to be. And then mykind of like biggest point from that from
my experiences is a lot of strangersand locals will actually speak to you more
if you're traveling solo, and thisoften leads to getting advice or help from
these people. And then I alsothink there's the topic of traveling solo as
(05:49):
a female, and a lot ofpeople think it's not safe, and that's
something that I talk about a lot. Actually, yes, safety concerns are
valid, but with proper research,situational awareness, and a lot of precautioning,
measured solo traveling can be just assafe as any other kind of travel.
(06:11):
And then if you want to beon a group trip like you mentioned,
that's a great way to start outas a solo traveler. Definitely.
Yeah, I really want to echoyour point of being more approachable when traveling
solo. I've found that I've beenmore alone when I'm traveling with people than
when I'm traveling by myself. Youknow, like you said, you can
(06:34):
do anything that you want. Planscan change and you don't have to,
you know, ask for clarification.You can just go with it. So
yeah, okay, So every travelerhas a favorite travel destination. Can you
pinpoint one country from your list thatholds a special place in your heart and
what makes it stand out so much? So I get this question a lot,
(06:58):
and it's one of the hardest questions. Is Actually, over the summer,
I was in Albania and I metthis lady who traveled a lot as
well, and she answered this questionand she kind of explained it and said
that she says, you know,it's not about the specific country, it's
(07:19):
kind of like what her favorite destinationis and what is there, So like,
for example, my favorite destination issomewhere where there's clear root, clear
blue, warm water, nice quietbeaches, lots of greenery, tropical fruits.
So that's how I have been sayingmy favorite place is. But if
(07:41):
I had to pick, I wouldsay Italy. That's my short answer.
As you were saying that, Iwas just kind of imagining, Okay,
Thailand, Philippines, Fiji, maybeall these and no Italy. But I
mean that's great choice. It's actuallymy my second favorite destination of all time.
So yeah, I hear you.I think Italy would be a place
(08:01):
where I can see myself living,whereas vacations and stuff, I would like,
you know, go to Fiji andThailand in these places. I think
that's a pretty unique way of approachingthat question, because I feel like we
ask people of this all the time, and we get asked what are our
favorite places? And we asked thesame question back, and I like how
(08:22):
you were pinpointing like the environment andwhat it has that would make it your
favorite place, rather than saying likea direct place, except for we went
with Italy on this one. Butyou know, you know, we like
to highlight hidden gems on this pod. Are there any lesser known destinations within
the countries that you visited that youbelieve more people should explore? So I
(08:45):
recently went too few of these andI talked a lot about them on my
Instagram, And I always like tohighlight hidden gen places. It's one of
my favorite topics to talk about.See a oasis in Egypt. Have you
guys heard of place. Now.I've been to Egypt, but never I
didn't hear about that point. Oh, it is incredible, definitely worth the
(09:07):
long trip from Cairo. There's alsonow Shima Island in Japan that was amazing.
It's an art specific island, greatmuseums. And then in Mexico,
I have a few places. Irecently spent five months in Mexico. There's
San Juan or San Jose del Pacifico, Laguna di Chkala. And then this
(09:31):
last one is harder pronounced, butI think it's tipposit Land tip It's lane
that was pretty good at actually soyeah. And then as far as like
country is as a whole. Inthe Caribbean, there's Guadaloup, Slovenia,
Montenegro, North Macedonian Europe are great, Tunisia, Tunisia. I love Tunisia
(09:56):
like it was an amazing country tovisit this last year, Togo, Lebanon.
These are all great places. Earlieryou actually brought up Albania, and
well, you brought up a storyabout something a woman from Albania said to
you. But Albania is one ofthose places, I mean in the Balkans.
(10:16):
I remember being so shocked by howhow much fun, how beautiful and
how nice the people were. Everythingabout the countries in the Balkans were just
amazing. And it's got the trees, it's got the water, got the
landscape. It's yeah, it's justanother head and gem. I think it's
right. It's kind of been onpaper's raiders more in the last few years
(10:39):
in my opinion. Yeah. Irecently did a long trip for like two
months through throughout the Balkans, andwe did Albania, but my favorite part
of Albania was the mountains. Itwas like Switzerland or you know, the
Alps, but in Albania it wasamazing. Yeah, And just just a
quick follow up because you mentioned youspent five months in Mexico. Why and
(11:05):
please don't say why not, Pleasedon't say why not. I always walk
into that. I did a tripfrom Mexico to chiaway and so I started
kind of up north, worked myway all the way down. And Mexico
is a huge country and I thinkit's people just kind of go to these
(11:26):
cabo and to loom places and there'sso much more to explore there. Yeah,
I agree. Yeah, I'm surprisedyou're so shocked of why she spent
five months in Mexico, John,I thought you'd be supportive of it.
I am, I am. Ireally should have said, why didn't you
do nic for five months? Thereyou go, Yeah, that's fine.
I haven't though. It's a goodplace. Awesome. Okay, So traveling
(11:50):
to fifty plus countries is no smallfeet by any means. Could you walk
us through the more human side ofyour travel planning? How do you decide
on where to go, how tobudget, and what goes into crafting the
perfect itinerary for you specifically? Okay? Yeah, so I love this question
where to go? So there's afew factors that go into where I'm planning
(12:15):
on going next. One of themis the time of the year. I'm
a huge advocate for traveling to placesin the off season, one because I'm
a budget traveler. And then like, for example, I traveled to the
Middle East over the summer, goingmy crazy but I saved hundreds and hundreds
of dollars by doing this, probablythousands actually, And it wasn't busy and
(12:41):
I survived the weather. But wasit hot is the real question. It
was hot, But I am fromthe desert, so I kind of have
that in me. And I didn't. I didn't mind because I don't like
the crowds. So yeah, Isurvived. And then and I also try
to think about what my goal isor like what route I want to do,
(13:03):
Like I just mentioned, I dida route from Mexico to Chile.
It's a very simple, easy.Maybe those aren't the right terms, but
it's a good route to do.Like the Balkans. I did the Balkans
all in kind of one you knowtoo, summer, like from north to
south. And then I also didMiddle East. Like I've done a lot
(13:24):
of trips where I try to tacklethat country and then like the ones around
it. And then yeah, sothe goal thing, I always try to
have an attention on the trip.So I like went to Hawaii during COVID
because I wanted to learn about farmingand sustainable living, and so that was
(13:46):
my goal. I think that's likesuper important something that I really want to
focus on next year as well.Yeah, you called yourself a budget traveler.
What does that actually mean in likespecific terms, like are we talking
about it? Thousand per month,two thousand per month, three thousand per
month? Where are you flexible orsorry, let me rephrase that, and
where are you flexible with your spendingaccommodations activities. So, I surprisingly do
(14:13):
not budget. I'm just really carefulwith my spending, spending habits, and
I track everything on an app calledtravel Spend, And so after each month,
I'm able to see you spend Yeah, amazing. At the end of
the month, I'll be like,Okay, this is a good number.
(14:33):
I know that you know what Ihave in my bake account and like how
much I made that month, Like, I'll be okay. And throughout the
years, it's probably ranged from threehundred dollars a month to three thousand.
I think my most expensive month actuallyhas been three thousand. I don't even
know if it ever hit two thousand, but like upper two thousands. And
(14:58):
this is cheaper than what I usedto spend monthly in New York City.
So and like for sure, yeahsure, so yeah, recommend getting that
app. I think it's a greattool to help you understand where you're putting
your money and how you'll be ableto travel depending on your habits and savings
income. You know, we hada guess that was on the show that
(15:22):
was talking about sustainable long term financiallysustainable travel or long term slow travel,
and you've touched on some of thepoints that she highlighted. You said that
you know each month when you makemore versus how much you spend, like
besides the app and keeping track ofthat information, you know, and you're
(15:46):
spending. Like, what are someuseful tips for people that maybe don't have
the discipline that you have right now? Like how did you develop that or
what would you advise to someone.So I made a lot of sackrizes when
I was working full time and makinggood money, and I knew that there
(16:07):
was more to life when I wasworking at it, you know, nine
to five. So I was like, Okay, I'm going to cut down
my expenses when I go out,Like a few nights out in New York
City is a couple hundred dollars,let's just say, and three hundred dollars
is like a week in Thailand.And so this was kind of my silly
(16:29):
logic that I kept for so long, and that really helped me. So
sacrifices when you're first starting is somethingthat you'll have to get used to.
I feel like that's not silly logicwhatsoever. Yeah, No, I am.
When I was backpacking a lot andthat was like my top priority.
You know, friends invited me outor there was something going on. I
(16:49):
did my best to spend as littleas possible so that I can kind of
translate that into like, you know, Okay, if I don't spend a
lot tonight going out, I canand use that money when I am in
Italy or you know, South Americaor wherever. And that money can actually
stretch quite a bit when you putthat into perspective, because then you you
(17:10):
feel like you have that bank tosupport yourself when you're out and about.
Exactly. Yeah. And now sinceI've developed, you know, this job
as a content creator, I don'thave to make as many sacrifices because a
lot of the things that I getfor free or I get paid, and
(17:33):
I kind of go wherever these opportunitieslead me. So it is a little
bit different now than how I started. I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure
that influences how you plan your tripstoo. Right, When you have incentive
to go somewhere, it's a littleeasier to make your mind up, which
is nice. Exactly. Yeah.And we will talk a little bit more
about, you know, your careeras a content creator, but before we
(17:56):
get there. Let's shift the conversationto your previous career. You already mentioned
you quit your corporate job in NewYork and a few years later you turned
your love of travel into a careerthat's allowed you to explore for free,
which sounds like a dream come truefor any explorer. Can you share some
of the behind the scenes insights andhow you made this possible and sustained it,
(18:18):
Like what were some of the growingpains and at what point did you
finally start seeing success? Like howlong did that process take? So I've
always been really relentless and ambitious,and I think having these characteristics really helped
me get to where I am today. Another thing that really helped me was
(18:40):
I always ask questions like I'm constantlyor was constantly dming people on Instagram who
live this like dream life that Iwas living, or had the skills that
I aim to have. And Istill do this actually all the time.
And so networking is huge and justconstant learning is something I definitely recommend if
(19:02):
you want to start traveling full timeand doing content creation. To put this
into context, how many people wereyou reaching out to and what was the
success rate that people were like yeah, this is how you do it,
or giving you advice. I wouldsay it's pretty successful. I think a
lot of people think that people won'trespond if they're in that like influencer space.
(19:22):
If you reach out via email,they're going to see your things,
like even if they're getting so manyif you make it a really thoughtful message.
I know, people message me andit's like, wow, that is
such a nice message. I'm goingto put in the time to respond to
you. So yeah, I wasseeing a lot of success, like don't
be afraid to message people on Instagramsend them emails. But yeah, I
(19:45):
was doing things like I would bereading articles about travel hacking and my friends
would be going out and it's likenow it has paid off. M Yeah.
I was kind of piggybacking on whatJohn mentioned or questioned, kind of
felt like there was this big gatekeepinginfluencer thing going on where like, you
know, it makes sense like ifeveryone's doing it, it's going to diminish
(20:10):
everyone's influence, right, Like it'snot going to make it nearly as powerful
or their offerings nearly as enticing forclients or brands. So it's nice to
hear that, Like, you know, if I mean your piece of advice
is be yourself, be kind.You know, it sounds like get to
the point, but you know,make sure that you kind of throw some
sugar on top and make sure thatyou're you know, being a human about
(20:33):
it and not just you know,digging for information without any characteristics going into
your outreach. So yeah, Ithink that has made a really big difference
in my career. I think Itake that to like partnerships as well,
Like I'm really thoughtful in what Isay, and it kind of put my
like human touch and my uniqueness tothings like send you know, unique emails
(20:56):
and dms to people they're going torespond to you. Yeah, kind of
on kind of on topic, you'vebuilt a business, So you've built a
business on helping other people travel forfree or at least made it much more
affordable for them. Why is thissomething that you're passionate about? And yeah,
(21:17):
I mean when when did you realizethat this is something that you want
to do and that you have thisgift that you can help people with.
So probably because yeah, I justwant to make things more accessible, Like
I want to make the world moreaccessible to people because it has given me
so much and I want other peopleto experience the same and money doesn't.
(21:38):
And you know, for most people, money doesn't grow on trees, and
so I want to educate people whohave this like really strong desire to travel
but can't really because they're financial situation. This breaks my heart. And so
once I realize that I can bethat person for these people, it gave
(21:59):
me. It was a lot ofit was really rewarding. So yeah,
and then the same thing for thecontent creator thing. I didn't start seeing
success for a while, and nowI do, and it's like I did
it, and now I know howto teach others, and so I'm really
passionate and like I respond to allmy dms because I really do want people
(22:22):
to succeed in both ways. Canyou give me kind of a number in
terms of months or years from likethe day that you decided, Hey,
I'm going to purposely be a contentcreator versus like posting cool stories or content
on your personal social media to whereyou are now or where you would kind
(22:45):
of identify yourself as a micro influencer. I started taking things more seriously when
I was probably I was at liketwo thousand followers and I was doing one
of my big trips, and thiswas just friends and stuff, and I
was like, Okay, I'm goingto take this business seriously. And that's
(23:07):
actually when I started seeing more success. It was like just this mindset shift.
And then I started getting hotel collaborationsand some weren't paid, but they
were great to add to my portfolio. And just like little by little,
I was adding these things on nice. Okay, so you have several resources
(23:29):
that you can offer on your socialmedia, and you know, by going
into as much detail as you want, can you give us two or three
ways people can travel for less moneythat maybe didn't occur to them until they
heard this pod. So I talkabout these three a lot. The first
one is house sitting, credit cardbonuses, and volunteering or like exchanging your
(23:53):
time. Have you guys heard ofhouse sitting before? Yeah, yeah,
but definitely yeah. Either you knowabout it or you don't. Yeah.
I think like I can't stress theseenough. I've saved thousands and thousands of
dollars by house sitting. I justhad one in LA actually, so it's
not even just the United States,it's they're all over the world. It's
(24:15):
like there's hundreds and hundreds in Australiaand Europe. Yeah, one thing that
we haven't actually talked about in thispod, and like, yeah, it's
been mentioned quite a few times,but we've never actually gone into detail what
those requirements are to talk a littlebit about what it is, Like,
what do you besides creating a profileor anything like that in account, Like
(24:38):
what are some of the prerequisites tobe qualified to do this? So you
have to have some references, andthen you also have to have a good
profile with good pictures. These arejust my opinions and how I've had success.
I think that matters. Yeah,I think, yeah, I know
that you're trying to be nice aboutmaybe in some ways and be like,
(25:02):
hey, how you present yourself?You should put some thought into it,
But it does matter. I think, Yeah, no one's going to want
to like put the you know,put their house in the hands of someone
who has like a pixelated photo fromlike twenty years ago. You know.
Yeah, you're essentially applying to ajob like mine's pretty professional in a sense,
and so I think that has alsohelped me. And then what are
(25:25):
some of the other recks, Socredit card bonuses. I think people talk
about this a lot, but it'seither you know about it or you don't.
I've flown all of the world forfree thanks to credit card points and
bonuses. And the next one isvolunteering. And this is something that I
always stress, like if you're young, or even if you're older, but
(25:45):
mostly you know, if you're inyour twenties or something, which a lot
of my followers are in that kindof age, volunteer and you know,
you get free accommodation, you getfree food, and so much more.
You get low will experience it is, you get a community all out of
these experiences I use. I've usedrole packers work away right now, I
(26:12):
work with World Packers. So ifthere's you guys are interested, I have
a discount. But I just likestress how good of an experience volunteering can
be. One hundred Wait, Idon't want to skim over the credit card
bonuses and sign up bonuses and allof those rewards. What is your favorite
(26:32):
don't? I mean, you cango into as much detail as you want.
What is your favorite credit card?What has been the biggest benefit that
you've gotten from them? Right now? The venture X, I mean,
the chase is always a good one, but I think the biggest spend,
which one are you? Chaser aventure I just got the Venture X and
I just got my sign on bonus, so I'm flying for free to Columbia.
(26:52):
Yeah, amazing. It's just it'seasy if you figure out the system.
Yeah. But I think the biggestspend that I've ever got was like
eighty maybe ninety thousand points, whichessentially effles nine dollars. Yeah, it's
amazing. Yeah. Uh for ourlisteners, I know there's a lot of
(27:14):
people who are like terrified of creditcards, and you have all the right
to be. My only piece ofadvice is to treat your credit card like
a debit card. Do not spendwhat you don't have, and I guarantee
that the rewards are going to bewell worth it. Yes, and I
definitely back that up. I essentiallyplan all of my big purchases for the
(27:37):
year, and it's like very strategicand not just like aimlessly spending. No,
I'm that's smart. John's Chase guy, by the way, they're both.
Yeah. I mean I would havegone AMEX if ATX didn't get rid
of the Centurion Lounge. But everytime I think about it, I get
a little bit upset. So let'smove on to couch You mentioned this as
(28:02):
something you've done as a sell offemale traveler. For those that are unaware
of what CouchSurfing is and how itworks, can you explain a little bit
more to our audience. I knowit sounds pretty self explanatory, but yeah,
another great tool. So CouchSurfing isa platform that connects travelers with locals,
and these locals offer free accommodation.I think it's a fantastic way to
(28:27):
experience a destination from a local perspective. I'm huge just like hanging out with
locals, You're going to have anincredible experience and different experience when you hang
out with locals when you travel.Despite the name, not all of them
are just couches. I've stated privaterooms, so don't let that kind of
wear you away from doing it.I have an article on my website that
(28:52):
talks about how I've stayed in someprivate rooms in Vietnam. Like I did
a Vietnam trip. It was alittle over a week and I stayed for
free CouchSurfing the whole time. Didn'thave to pay a cent on accommodation thanks
to CouchSurfing. Is there a conin your mind, like you listed a
bunch of pros. Is there adownside to counch surf? So? I
think it's more work. You haveto apply to so many or message so
(29:18):
many of these hosts and a lotof the times they won't respond. It's
way easier just to go on bookingdot com and boo book a hotel.
So if you're willing to put inthe work, you will get the free
accommodation. I've used CouchSurfing quite afew times when backpacking Europe, and I
can back that up that CouchSurfing isa lot of fun and really cool unique
(29:41):
way to see and experience a newplace, especially need to hang out with
the locals personally, which is great. As a content creator, I imagine
you have to master balancing the artof capturing and sharing your experiences on social
media while still being able to bepresent in the moment. How do you
navigate this delicate balance? And doyou have any advice for our fellow content
(30:03):
creators who are trying to find theirown equilibrium doing so? So, I
try to get the content in likea certain period of time rather than shooting
all day, So I'm like,really, I try to plan my day
around it and be intentional, soI'm not just taking hundreds of photos and
(30:25):
videos in a day and seeing what'sgood at the end of the day or
even you know, weeks later andsaid I'll be like, Okay, today,
I'm going to shoot this, this, this, I'm going to go
to this hidden gem restaurant, andlike that's going to be my content for
next Wednesday. This has really helpedme clear up my schedule. I know
(30:47):
people content creators who even go astep further back, like they'll be like,
I'm going on this trip, I'mgoing to look up articles like what
are people talking about? And they'llgo there and fly there and have a
list of things that they're going toshoot, and this kind of like lets
you have completely free days where likeyou don't even have to bring your phone
(31:08):
out essentially, which is really nice. Yeah, and I'm glad you said
that because I think for a lotof people, and sometimes myself included,
you kind of make these assumptions thatan influencer means someone it's glued to their
phone and just kind of recording everything. And based on what you're describing,
there's like a lot of planning andthe method to the madness. Yeah,
(31:32):
there's always some madness, but there'sa way to not make it as crazy.
Yeah, it's a production. Iwas just gonna ask, do you
use any applications or software or thingsto help you keep track of when you're
gonna post? I use cap cutto edit all of my videos and my
reels, and then I'm a hugeGoogle docs in Google Sheets, and then
(31:56):
I've recently started using no in whatnotions. A tough subject for us too,
because last week something terrible happened tome. But with your account,
it disappeared but I got it back. Oh shit, that's terrifying. Damn.
(32:19):
Yeah, you should definitely go toAustina then, because that never happens
with them. Sorry, there's alot of a lot of history going down
this road. No like said,so if if people wanted to, you
know, reach out to you throughsocial media and Instagram, like what what
(32:42):
besides some of the things you've talkedabout today and what can you offer them?
And maybe we haven't touched on thispodcast. So I'm a helper.
I would love to help anybody whois wanting to go on this journey,
whether it's solo travel, credit cardhacking, safety, so many different topics.
I have a bunch of information onmy website and I do want I
(33:04):
want coaching, and then again likemy dms are always open. I love
it. Yeah, I believe Johnwould like to get to his favorite part
of the show. If you wantto take it from here, John,
Yeah, before we run out oftime, we do have a fun little
segment we like to play with allof our guests. We're gonna ask you
five travel related questions and quick successionand answer as fast as you can.
(33:28):
Are you ready? Okay? Firstone is a true question because I already
asked it earlier today, so I'mgoing to change it up. Which country
would you want to visit? Again? And again and again and again?
Oh? Italy? Okay? Howabout yeah? No, let's I should
(33:52):
have I put myself in this cornerbecause I should have sat outside of Italy.
Which country would you want to be? Is it? Again and again
and again? I would say Ecuador. I really liked it there anyone in
the Amazon? Like, I willgo there tomorrow. Okay, that's a
good one. I haven't heard thatone. Which country has the best cuisine?
(34:15):
Can't say it like loving? Okay? Else? Quick? Yeah?
Well, what has been your favoritebeverage abroad, alcoholic or otherwise. Sour
soft juice. Do you guys knowwhat that is? No? No,
I thought you were going to saysour pisco. No, it's a fruit.
(34:37):
Fruit. It's it's amazing. Soif you're ever in a destination where
there's like a ton of tropical fruits, ask for soursop. Is this in
like South America? Yeah? Theyhave it in Asia, all of our
kind of just like any tropical place, I think. Okay, okay,
we'll definitely check that out. Funniestor most embarrassing experience you had abroad and
(35:00):
tripping and falling does not count.Okay. So I was leaving a Pisa
Abisa one day and my friend andI were in a lounge and we missed
her flight. So we enjoyed thefree drinks and food a little too much
(35:23):
in the lounge. We're just relaxing, and we totally just missed our flight.
It was terrible. Sounds like youwent to the lounge and did it
proper, which is good. Yeah, but I'm a professional traveler. I
can't be missing these flights. Itsounds like you're giving us The radio g
version of this story in truth.You were just like throwing up in the
(35:45):
back somewhere from having too many.She got eighty six out. She actually
can't go back to that that lounge, Alexa, So the truth comes out,
Alexa. Thank you so much forbeing a guest on our show.
Before we leave, where can ourguests find you if they want to learn
a bit more about you and whatyou do and maybe people can reach out
(36:08):
and learn a little bit more fromyou. You can find me on my
Instagram at Lex McDonald as well asTikTok Lex McDonald's, or you can find
me on survivor soon because I'm applyinga okay, awesome And if you want
to learn a little bit more aboutus, you can visit us on our
(36:28):
website at www dot gtspodcast dot com. You can find us on Instagram or
Facebook at Globetrotter's podcast x at globetrotpot make sure you drop us a review
on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Ifyou enjoyed listening to this conversation and editing
was done by our very own Jonathanor Thoo. Until next time, fo
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