Podcast
Type 2 Travel
Hosted by Laura Ericson · EN
Join host Laura Ericson on "Type 2 Travel" - your weekly companion for authentic travel adventures. From hilarious language mix-ups to transformative cultural encounters, Laura and her diverse guests share real, unfiltered stories from the road. Whether you're a solo explorer seeking community, a conscious traveler navigating sustainable tourism, or simply dreaming of your next escape, this podcast delivers practical tips and heartfelt tales. Dive into local perspectives, troubleshoot travel SOS moments, and discover how travel shapes not just where we go, but who we become. Listen in as Laura guides you through the art of meaningful exploration, one story at a time.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Travel for Free Using Credit Card Points and Miles with Katie Holden
2w ago00:56:51Tap to summarizeKatie Holden didn't come to the points and miles game because she wanted a hobby. She came because she needed to make travel work on a real budget. Like funding a nine-month family gap year on $50 a day budget. Once she did, she realized there wasn't a lot of good information out there for people in her exact situation. So she built it herself.Katie is the founder of Katie's Travel Tricks, and her philosophy is simple: you shouldn't have to pay money to learn how to save money. Whether you're brand new to this or you've been at it for years, her approach is the kind of refreshingly practical advice that actually sticks.In this episode, we get into the mistakes most beginners make, the Chase 5/24 rule, a card combo she swears by that most people have never heard of, and why she won't let anyone on her team use the word "devaluation."If points and miles have ever felt overcomplicated or just not designed for the way you actually travel, this is the conversation you've been waiting for.Links & Resources (Katie)Website: katiestraveltricks.com Podcast: Points for Normal PeopleInstagram: @katiestraveltricksLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming tripsCheck out our podcast pageJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →How to Eat Your Way Through New York City Like a Local
3w ago01:12:12Tap to summarizeThere are friends who come to your city and let you take them wherever, and then there are friends who have a whole system. Alec Johnson is that guy, and New York City is his city.In this episode, we cover the Instagram problem that broke the "trust the line" rule, why Times Square restaurants don't have to even try to be good, the tourist spots that are actually worth it (I was wrong for years--Katz's Deli is not overrated), and how eating exceptional food in one place ruins you for the mediocre version everywhere else.Plus: the epic Portland vegan strip club story. You'll understand when you get there.Listen to hear all of Alec's food wisdom, his takes on the best neighborhoods, and why our recent group trip to Georgia changed his mind about group travel forever.Trips mentioned:Georgia - October 2 - 11, 2026 (coed)Links & Resources (Alec)He doesn't have social media. He doesn't do podcasts. Getting him on this one was a minor miracle.Links & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com/group-tripsCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Desert Island Survival and the Power of Discomfort with Alone UK Winner Tom Williams
4w ago01:02:55Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you stop avoiding discomfort and start chasing it? Tom Williams — founder of Desert Island Survival and winner of Alone UK Season 1 — has built his entire life around that question. In this episode, Tom shares how a childhood defined by failure, bullying, and being written off by his own teacher led to one of the most remarkable reinvention stories you'll hear.We talk about his pivot moment mapping coral reefs in Honduras, walking 370 miles to the North Pole, and what 35 days alone in the Canadian wilderness taught him about happiness, health, and what human beings are actually built for. Tom came out of that experience physically transformed, mentally reset, and genuinely convinced that modern life has us living at a fraction of our actual capacity — and that the antidote is simpler than we think.We also dig into Desert Island Survival — what really happens on one of his expeditions, who goes, and why the most transformative breakthroughs tend to happen in the moments that scared you a little when you first signed up.If you've ever needed a push to book something that makes you slightly nervous, this episode is it.Links & Resources (Tom)Learn more about Tom: https://tomwilliams.tv/Use code DIS150 for £150 off a Desert Island Survival Expedition: desertislandsurvival.comInstagram: @tomwilliamsaloneLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desertislandtom/Links & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.com/group-tripsCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Understanding the Psychology Behind Why We Travel with Sahara Rose De Vore
Apr 2201:04:27Tap to summarizeSahara Rose DeVore is someone I've been connected to in the travel industry for over four years, but we've never met in person.She's a fellow Wisconsinite, founder of the Travel Coach Network, and the creator of the world's first ICF-accredited certification program for travel coaches. She's traveled solo to 84 countries--and not from privilege, but from sheer determination, working five jobs while finishing college to save enough for that first one-way ticket. Her story is a reminder that the desire to travel will find a way.But this episode isn't really about the countries. It's about the why behind the wanderlust. Sahara has spent years studying the psychology of why we travel, and the conversation we had honestly changed how I think about the trips I plan, the travelers I lead, and my own deeply personal reasons for doing this work.We're talking about what we're really searching for when we book a flight, how travel builds confidence in ways nothing else can, what to do with post-travel depression when you land back in reality, the difference between using travel as escape versus using it as a tool for transformation, and how to actually bring those hard-won lessons home with you instead of losing them in the laundry pile.Sahara also shares something she rarely talks about publicly — the real, raw reason she started traveling in the first place.Links & Resources (Sahara)Learn more about Sahara: https://thetravelcoachnetwork.com/Follow Sahara on socials: @saharaRosethetravelcoach and @thetravelcoachnetworkLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin our Facebook group for women: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Why Your Most Embarrassing Travel Moments Become Your Best Stories
Apr 1501:14:28Tap to summarizeWhat happens when everything goes catastrophically wrong while traveling abroad? You get the best stories of your life.In this episode, I sit down with Jenna Farber, a travel industry professional who represents luxury safari operators across Africa, but whose real education in travel came from years of beautifully messy cultural exchange programs in Latin America. From living with host families in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador to navigating language barriers that led to truly catastrophic miscommunications, Jenna shares the kind of vulnerable, hilarious travel disasters that most people are too embarrassed to talk about.If you've ever been too afraid to share your embarrassing travel stories, or if you've been playing it safe because you're terrified of looking stupid abroad, this episode is your permission slip to embrace the chaos and laugh at yourself. Because the truth is, your most mortifying moments are often the ones that shape you most as a traveler and give you the best dinner party stories for the rest of your life.Links & Resources (Jenna)Find Jenna on InstagramFind Jenna on FacebookLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →The Power of Culinary Tourism with Flavor Expert Emmanuel Laroche
Apr 101:00:51Tap to summarizeEmmanuel LaRoche is the kind of person who makes you look at a vanilla bean, a jar of honey, or a tincan of caviar completely differently. He's a flavor industry insider, a podcaster, and now a two-time author, and this conversation genuinely changed how I think about the ingredients in my kitchen.We talk about Emmanuel's fascinating journey from growing up in France, learning to cook quiche Lorraine from his mom, landing in the flavor and fragrance industry, and going to Madagascar for vanilla but staying for so much more. Emmanuel's second book, A Taste of Madagascar, is part travel log, part ingredient deep-dive, and part love letter to the farmers, beekeepers, and entrepreneurs who rarely get credit for the extraordinary things we eat every day. He also shares what responsible food travel actually looks like, both in your own grocery store and halfway around the world, and why understanding where ingredients come from can genuinely change lives, including your own.Upcoming Trips Mentioned:Mexico City Foodie Tour WaitlistJapan WaitlistLinks & Resources (Emmanuel)Learn more: flavorsunknown.comPodcast: Flavors UnknownBook: A Taste of Madagascar Conversations Behind the Kitchen DoorInstagram/Facebook/TikTok: @flavorsunknownLinkedIn: Emmanuel LaRocheLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast IG: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Why Ecuador is the New Years 2027 Group Trip Destination You Don’t Want to Miss
Mar 2500:41:59Tap to summarizeWhen I had eight hours to decide whether to send someone to scout Ecuador as a potential group trip destination (while I was in the middle of a move, prepping for several weeks of back to back Cuba trips, and basically in the midst of total chaos), Krista Parks was the first person who came to mind. Not because I had a formal plan, but because I knew she'd say yes without blinking — and she did.What started as a small group scouting trip with other travel industry professionals ended up being a private, one-on-one tour of Ecuador with our incredible guide Jose, and it couldn't have gone better. Krista went in not knowing what to expect and came back a self-proclaimed bird watcher, cacao convert, and Ecuador evangelist. She hand-fed hummingbirds at sunset with the Andes as her backdrop, crawled through a cave that only four people know how to find, met with an all-female Amazonian tribe and their shaman, got a medicinal cacao facial in Mindo, and ate octopus in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. That's the pure magic of Ecuador.We're officially taking a group there for New Year's Eve 2027, and after hearing everything Krista experienced, I am convinced this was meant to be. Listen in to hear everything we'll be doing on our upcoming group trip, and then make sure to claim your spot ASAP. There's no promise we'll be doing this one again!Upcoming Trips Mentioned:Ecuador: NYE 2027 (December 26, 2026-January 2, 2027)Links & Resources (Krista)@krista_kat901Episode 19: Trusting Your Gut: How Body Wisdom, IFS, and Astrocartography Guide Travel DecisionsLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Street Cat Travel Tips Around the World with Author Jeff Bogle
Mar 1801:10:35Tap to summarizeIf you know me at all, you know that my six-year-old self would have absolutely lost her mind knowing that one day I'd get to interview the Rick Steves of cat travel. Jeff Bogle is a freelance travel writer and award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, BBC Travel, Good Housekeeping, Fodor's, and more — but the reason I had to get him on the podcast before I left for two months of travel was his book: Street Cats and Where to Find Them, a travel guide covering 20 destinations across 5 continents, all built around finding, photographing, and connecting with street cats.What I love most about this conversation is that yes, we absolutely geek out about cats — we swap stories from Turkey to Morocco to Old San Juan, debate the ethics of wet food versus dry food for street feeding, and rate destinations by cuddliness (Lima, Peru gets five toe beans, for the record). But the conversation goes so much deeper than that. We talk about resilience, slowing down, and how the smallest, scruffiest creatures can be the best travel guides you never planned for. Jeff also shares the story of Tilly, his soul cat, and why this book is partly his way of making sure she's never truly gone.Plus, Jeff tells us all about his upcoming street cat cruise through the Mediterranean, which is exactly as amazing as it sounds. And stick around to the end because Jeff and I are doing a co-branded giveaway: a signed copy of Street Cats and Where to Find Them, some cat gear from Jeff, and a couple of my favorite cat t-shirts from my merch store.Upcoming Trips Mentioned:Cuba (TBD for future group trip when possible)KenyaMorocco: September 4 - 13, 2026Links & Resources (Jeff)Street Cats & Where to Find Them@owtkMuckrackLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelGiveaway for a signed copy of Jeff's book and a cat t-shirt from our merch store Thanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →How to Fly Business Class for Less with Ashley Gets Around
Mar 1101:20:41Tap to summarizeIf you've ever looked at business class prices and immediately closed the browser tab, this episode is for you. I sat down with Ashley, founder of Ashley Gets Around — the only woman-owned, premium-only flight deal service out there. Ashley has visited over 90 countries on seven continents, and she built her entire business by obsessively solving her own problem: how do you fly business class without paying $5,000 to do it?We got into everything — how Ashley stumbled into entrepreneurship after losing her job and landing in Thailand, why airline loyalty is often working against you, the truth about points and miles (spoiler: she's kind of over it too), and how to actually think about finding and booking premium flight deals. We also went deep on the wild world of flight deal theft, Instagram trolls, and why she once cried on a Delta inaugural flight over Wi-Fi. It's a good one.Upcoming Trips Mentioned:Morocco: September 4 - 13, 2026Links & Resources (Ashley)Ashley Gets Around@ashleygetsaroundLinks & Resources (Laura)Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you're listening.
Transcribe →Childfree Living and Designing Your Own Path with Emily Paulsen
Mar 401:07:59Tap to summarizeEmily Paulsen is one of those rare humans who makes you think differently about life choices - not in a preachy way, but in a "wait, I never thought about it like that" kind of way.She's the host of Curious Life of a Childfree Woman, a podcast she started because she was tired of feeling invisible. Whether she was tuning into shows about marketing, fitness, or travel, parenthood somehow wove its way into every conversation. So she built the space she wanted to see - content where that just wasn't part of the equation.This conversation hit me at a particularly interesting time. My life is shifting in ways I never expected, and I'm learning firsthand how quickly circumstances can change and how uncomfortable it feels when you don't fit neatly into any of the boxes you thought defined you. Emily fully understands this complexity - she talks about building intentional lives, filling our time with what actually matters, and giving ourselves permission to evolve without apologizing for it.We're diving into why waiting for the perfect moment is a trap, how travel fits into designing the life you want, why representation matters (especially when you're coloring outside the lines), and what happens when life refuses to stay in its lane.Links & Resources (Emily):Podcast: Curious Life of a Child-Free WomanSubstack: Emily PaulsenLinks & Resources (Laura):Follow my personal IG: @lolawhiskeyFollow my business IG: @lauraericsongrouptripsFollow our podcast: @type2travelpodcastLearn more about upcoming trips: lauraericson.comCheck out our podcast page: lauraericson.com/podcastJoin my Facebook group: @lolalovestravelThanks for being here! As always, rate, review, share with a friend, and tag us if you’re listening.
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