WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

Scott Williams and I cover the following topics in 9 minutes:00:00 Why Go to ALDHA West?02:00 Aging Advice05:40 Sweden's Green Ribbon TrailWatch on YouTube!What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:<...

Use the discount code FTAPON when you buy your ticket to the Extraordinary Travel Festival.Watch on YouTube!Timeline00:00 ETF306:00 How do ETF members travel?11:00 Ric’s road to 19313:00 Saving the best for last16:45 Top ETF SpeakersWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like th...

Use the discount code FTAPON when you buy your ticket to the Extraordinary Travel Festival.Watch the interview on YouTube!The ETF is probably the best travel conference for adventurous travelers! I’ve spoken at two of the events, and you won’t want to miss the third!Timeline00:00 ETF306:00 How do ETF members travel?11:00 Ric’s road to 19313:00 Saving the best for last16:45 Top ETF SpeakersWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.Connec...

3-Step EMERGENCY for Bitcoin Coldcard users! 1) Move your funds from your Coldcard, especially the MK3 model.2) Update your Coldcard firmware.3) Generate a new seed phraseWatch the video of this podcastGet the new Coldcard firmwareColdcard Status Update and Coldcard Firmware DownloadsIf you want to get a new hardware wallet, consider the Ledger crypto hardware wallet:Now that so many eyeballs have looked at the Coldcard code, it might be the safest hardware wallet now.It's like after a...

What’s best: the AT, PCT, or CDT? I ask a 73-year-old hiker who has done all 3!Be sure to watch last week’s episode featuring Scott!Connect with Scott on FB!Watch this episodeTimeline00:00 Arizona Trail1:50 Favorite Triple Crown TrailConnect with Scott Williams on Facebook!What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign...

I talk with renowned long-distance hiker & Triple Crowner, Scott Williams, about his experience on New Zealand's Te Araroa Trail.This is part 1 of a 3-part interview series featuring Scott.Watch this interview!Scott's buddy, Sym Blanchard, explained why he disliked the Te Araroa Trail here:What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like...

Most of the questions focus on the Balkans, which is ironic since Nenad spends little time there!Follow Nenad on FB & IG at whereisNenad.Watch this episode!Timeline00:00 What's going on in the Balkans?01:40 Book recommendations02:35 Life in Serbia3:34 Souvenirs4:20 Best kept secret in the Balkans08:00 Balkan vibe nowWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can...

Nenad Stojanovic is 42. He's been traveling the world nonstop for nearly 20 years.You can follow him on WhereisNenad on FB & IG.Watch this episode now!Watch previous episodes to learn more about this remarkable traveler!Timeline00:00 Travel plans02:30 Favorite spotsWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you...

Couchsurfing isn’t simply a way to save money when traveling, but it’s mostly a way to connect with locals, to understand local culture, and see what you’ll never see in a hotel. Nenad seldom stays in a hotel. Watch this video to hear about his unique lodging experiences. Timeline00:00 Couchsurfing tips04:00 Chilling in Indonesia 6:45 Longest wait for a hitchWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTapon...

Here are my 10 hitchhiking tips on Forbes. Nenad Stojanovic hitchhikes everywhere.He shares the joys of hitchhiking and why it's more fascinating than public transportation.At 9:00 he discusses money issues.Watch the video!What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username...

I met Nenad Stojanovic in 2008 when he hosted me on Couchsurfing.com. He’s been traveling ever since!This is a 5-part series featuring Nenad, one of the world’s most fascinating travelers. This is part 1!Watch the video!Timeline00:00 Who is Nenad Stojanovic?04:25 North American journey05:25 Remarkable borders08:20 ChinaWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask ques...

I explained 6 years ago why Plan B’s Stock-to-Flow Bitcoin model was doomed and would fail. Few believed me. Most insulted me. Today, I can confidently declare that I was right and Plan B was wrong.Watch the video of this episode!Also, watch my May 2020 video that started all the controversy and read the detailed article about why Plan B’s stock-to-flow model was doomed!In mid-2026, with the price of Bitcoin languishing around $65,000, below the lowest stock-to-flow band, we can officially declare that Plan B’s stoc...

My mom often says, “If I die….”I sometimes accidentally say the same thing.The “if” is a cognitive security blanket I pull over my head so I can pretend that death — the only thing every single human being who has ever lived has accomplished — might somehow not apply to me. As though the universe looked at my particular assortment of questionable decisions and said, “This one, we keep.”It will not say that. I am, biologically speaking, a disaster in slow motion. I have a weakening knee. I have eaten gas station sushi. Twice. I on...

Sym Blanchard & Joan Chan discuss the ups and downs of their parenting journey. They are both around 72 years old. Each had a boy and a girl with their exes.Watch the video of this podcast!They candidly share their mistakes and how things turned out decades later.Timeline00:00 Two parents made 4 children02:00 Sym’s daughter04:20 Teenagers06:00 Cultural difference09:00 Change after 4016:20 Sym’s mistakes21:50 Kids having kidsWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comm...

Is grounding & earthing BS?I interview two skeptical elders: Joan Chan & Sym Blanchard.Hear what happened.Watch the video!Timeline00:00 Car accidents04:55 Intro to Earthing08:00 Placebo effect?11:30 The Limits of Grounding14:50 How to startWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter....

Sym Blanchard has appeared on many WanderLearn episodes. In this 3-part series, Sym appears with his sweetheart, Joan Chan.Both are in their early 70s. I love elders because they usually don’t give a f**k what others think of them. They’re the opposite of teenagers. Elders are genuine, transparent, and wise.They’re also human, as this three-part series will reveal. Watch it:Timeline00:00 How they met05:00 First night together8:00 First trip11:00 Downsides of nomads16:00 Relationship management...

Thank you, Sande, my 1,000th Substack subscriber!Naturally, the other 999 of you are equally valuable!Thank you to Adam Gasner for being my first Founding Member and Sym Blanchard for being my first paid member!When you create content, you often feel like you’re speaking to a wall. Even when you have 1,000 Substack subscribers or 4,500 YouTube subscribers, it’s sometimes a lonely endeavor: crickets. Still, I’m grateful for days like today.So, thank you!Next goal: 2,000 subs by August 2026!Francis Tapon Ge...

Dr. Sten Odenwald discusses The Essential Book of Black Holes. See my review of the new book below.But first, watch this video in which I interview Dr. Odenwald about his book!Timeline00:00 Intro2:15 Math & Black Holes5:00 Holographic universe5:50 Hypernova9:05 White holes14:45 Is our universe in a black hole?17:50 Gravity is NOT a force25:45 Galactic Power PlantBook Review of The Essential Book of Black HolesAt 159 pages and 12 chapters, The Essential Book of Black...

The term “Global South” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a geographically illiterate phrase. Australia is in the Global South. So is New Zealand. Both are fabulously wealthy, stable democracies with excellent dental care.Meanwhile, Afghanistan is in the Global North.The “Global South” term was invented by diplomats who needed something that sounded neutral but meant “the countries that got colonized and are still annoyed about it,” which is fair, but the compass metaphor fell apart immediately upon contact with a map.“Developing countries” is perhaps the most optimistic euphemism in the history o...

Rapido Trimarans Founder Paul Koch reveals the truth about their fast trimarans. There are many myths and misunderstandings that Paul seeks to shatter. Listen to this 30-minute interview with one of sailing’s greatest innovators, shot in Vietnam.Watch my interview with Paul Koch of RapidoBackgroundTrimarans are boats with three hulls, whereas catamarans have two hulls, and monohulls have one hull.I have a long-term dream of sailing around the world, so I’m looking for the best boat to make that happen.I’ve crossed monohulls off th...