WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

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Take a profound and distant journey. Call it Deep Travel, Immersive Travel, Slow Travel, or Vagabonding. Francis Tapon guides you to the intersection of travel, technology, and transformation. The podcast will compel you to go beyond your comfort zone. Occasionally, you‘ll also delve into the misunderstood world of cryptocurrencies.

Episodes

Tuesday Feb 23, 2021

AMA: Responding to Critics and Patrons

Tuesday Feb 23, 2021

I tackle my critics head-on thanks to an audience suggestion.

DC Qranky wrote:

You only read 5-star reviews on your show?

C’mon man…don’t you want to encourage authentic dialogue? I think you should read ALL reviews! Not only will that encourage engagement, it will give you feed for your podcast. Let’s say some douche bag like, oh I don’t know, DC Qranky gives you a 1-star review and says you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground and you’re full of crap and playing off Trump, Africa is a shit hole country (I know it’s a continent) so why are you wasting your time there. That’s great stuff! Engage! Bring the fucker on your show.

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Athletic Brewing! Use promo code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off. Order two 6-packs to get free shipping!

And my patrons at Patreon!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

Friday Feb 12, 2021

12 Misused Words & Expressions

Friday Feb 12, 2021

There are a dozen words and expressions that irk me when people misuse them.

Share this episode to educate the world about these 12 misused words or phrases.

You can also watch this episode at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-nVI_v5m4s

The 12 problematic words/phrases are:

Nonplussed
Mad
Biweekly, bimonthly, and biannually
Full of chemicals
Backpacking
Only a fraction
Don't judge
Proud
Giving more than 100%
Geopolitical / geopolitics
Asian / American
That being said

What words or expressions bug you?

Send me your ideas at FT@FrancisTapon.com and I'll make another episode!

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Athletic Brewing! Use promo code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off. Order two 6-packs to get free shipping!

And my patrons at Patreon!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

Monday Feb 01, 2021

How Can You Afford to Travel the World?

Monday Feb 01, 2021

I received this email that asks me a question I get asked all the time:

Greetings Mr. Tapon,

We share the same dream of traveling the world. This is exactly what I want to do. My question is: how do you afford it? Truly, you must be wealthy to be able to do this. Any advice on how I may follow in suit?

-Jonathan, 22

I answer that question in this episode!

It's from my article about "How Can You Afford to Travel the World?"

It has 125,000 views, but in this episode I read and interject some commentary in between.

Share and subscribe, please!

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Athletic Brewing! Use promo code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off. Order two 6-packs to get free shipping!

And my patrons at Patreon!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

Saturday Jan 23, 2021

Transform Via A Paradigm Shift with Dr. Rosie Kuhn

Saturday Jan 23, 2021

What's the difference between changing and transforming?

Dr. Rosie Kuhn discusses this and many other topics in the #126 episode of the WanderLearn podcast!

Listen to this if you're looking for ways to create a paradigm shift in your mentality and the way you perceive your life.

Check out Rosie Kuhn's books!

Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Athletic Brewing! Use promo code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off. Order two 6-packs to get free shipping!

And my patrons at Patreon!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

Tuesday Jan 19, 2021

Which Military Branch Is Best For Medical Jobs? Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines?

Tuesday Jan 19, 2021

Rejoice Tapon describes her exploration of the four most popular military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

This one is worth watching on YouTube! Trust me.

Rejoice dreams of being a nurse in the 2020s.

Therefore, she was mainly interested in the medical field.

Still, this video will be helpful for those who are interested in non-medical careers.

You'll learn:

What's awesome about the Marines.
Who should join the Air Force.
What funny cartoon sums up different military groups.
Why the Army is best who want a specific and guaranteed job.
Why Rejoice chose the Navy.
What's Rejoice's best tip for who may want to enlist.
What all military recruiters will tell you.

The video/podcast cuts abruptly, so Francis inserts an addendum to share information about when Rejoice will ship to boot camp, how long her training is, and what she may be doing for the next 5 years.

Admittedly, in this video/podcast, we don't consider the Coast Guard (Rejoice dislikes swimming) and Space Force (it lacks medical jobs). If you request, I can do a video on those branches later.

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by the Athletic Brewing Company. Use Promo Code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off your first order! And order at least two 6-packs to get free shipping too!

My Patrons have also sponsored this show!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

Thursday Jan 14, 2021

How is Bulgaria in 2021?

Thursday Jan 14, 2021

Elly Roupcheva's family is from Turkincha, Bulgaria. In this podcast, we reminisce on the unexpected way we met there.

You can see the photos from our first meeting in my article about Turkincha.

After some initial laughs, we dive into the real meat of the conversation: how has Bulgaria evolved in the last 10 years?

In The Hidden Europe, I quoted Elly extensively in the chapter about Bulgaria.

As I am revising the book for the 10th-anniversary edition, I wanted to see what has changed.

What did she say back then that she would no longer say today?

If you want to learn more about Bulgaria or Eastern Europe, you must listen to or watch this podcast!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8YIfciUYU

Below are a few photos for 11 years ago when we first met:

Elly Roupcheva with a dog

Elly Roupcheva with Stefani

Elly Roupcheva with Francis Tapon in a pub with Englishmen in Turkincha, Bulgaria

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by the Athletic Brewing Company. Use Promo Code WANDERLEARN20 to get 20% off your first order! And order at least two 6-packs to get free shipping too!

My Patrons have also sponsored this show!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com

If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV

Saturday Jan 09, 2021

Politics in Hungary and Eastern Europe

Saturday Jan 09, 2021

Is Hungary becoming a dictatorship? How is Eastern Europe evolving?

How did Viktor Orbán, Hungary's leader, come to power? Is he popular and loved?

Alex Kuli is a "recovering journalist" in Hungary.

We went to Amherst College together. He's been living in Hungary for a few decades, reporting on the state of affairs.

I quoted him extensively in The Hidden Europe.

With the 10th anniversary coming up and the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon, we talked for one hour about how things are going in Eastern Europe, especially in Hungary.

If you want to know more about Hungary, especially its political situation, you must listen to this podcast.

What makes it interesting is that he puts Hungary in context with the rest of Eastern Europe.

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by my Patrons!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com

If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV

Sunday Jan 03, 2021

Predictions for 2021

Sunday Jan 03, 2021

Watch it on YouTube!

Everyone loves to say, "I told you so."

But few are willing to admit, "I told you something wrong."

Even though every human makes mistakes every day, it's surprisingly hard to find humans who regularly say, "I was wrong."

I make annual predictions not to say "I told you so," but rather to teach myself some humility.

I predict events so I can publicly humiliate myself.

It's my way of telling the world, "Look at how spectacularly wrong I was. I am an idiot."

I recommend everyone should write down annual predictions for this reason.

It's a way to keep your ego in check.

Of course, you'll probably get a few things right, but the point is that you get to say those magic words: "I was wrong."

See how I did on my 2020 predictions.

Here are the predictions for 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvDAOZGp8o

1. Bitcoin ends the year at $40,000.

I was recommending BTC at $3,500 in December 2018, and it's gone up tenfold since then!

My first two BTC predictions were surprisingly accurate. My 2020 prediction was far vaguer than the previous predictions. That reflected that I was less certain than before.

I feel the same way now.

Like most analysts, I expect 2021 to be a huge year for bitcoin.

Most Bitcoin fans are expecting that 2021 will be a monumental year:

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, predicts bitcoin will hit $50,000 in 2021.
The dubious stock-to-flow model predicts that BTC will be $55,000 by the end of 2021.
A Morgan Creek co-founder says bitcoin will hit $100,000 in 2021. (That's my 2030 prediction!)
Willy Woo (an analyst that I usually respect) says BTC will end 2021 between $200-300k.

You get the idea.

On the one hand, such bullishness could make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bitcoin (like all money and gold) is all about human belief. Money is an imaginary thing. If we collectively decide it's worth $100,000 per BTC, then that's what it will be worth.

On the other hand, bitcoin has an uncanny ability to surprise most people. When pundits pronounce that bitcoin is dead (which they've done countless times), it comes roaring back.

Similarly, whenever bitcoin is soaring, people extrapolate the trajectory and get overly exuberant. The same thing happens with the stock market. During a bull market, they predict that the doublings will continue.

So far, bitcoin hasn't surprised me, but I'm sure I'll get it wrong at some point.

I'm predicting $40,000 because it's much less than the most bullish predictions, but it's still a positive year and a gain of nearly $10,000.

Remember: $40,000 is what I predict the price will be on December 31, 2021. I fully expect it to reach much higher than that during the year. For example, it might go to $60,000 and then lose half of its value (down to $30k) and then bounce back up to $40k.

The safest bitcoin prediction is that it will have a volatile year. So I wouldn't be surprised if, during 2021, it trades between $20,000 and $100,000!

I'm sticking with my prediction that bitcoin (BTC) will hit $100,000 by the end of this decade. That implies that it gains about $10,000 per year, on average.

I truly hope that the bitcoin fans are right with their frothy predictions, but I'm more conservative.

Indeed, I would not be completely surprised if Bitcoin ends BELOW $30,000 at the end of 2021. It's a wild beast.

2. Another 500,000 deaths worldwide from the Coronavirus.

On March 27, 2020, I predicted 1.5 million people would die worldwide from the virus in 2020. Reality: 1.8 million died of COVID-19 in 2020. When I made the prediction, only 60,000 had died at that point.

Although we've got several vaccines, I suspect many will lower their guard in the first quarter of 2021. Resistance to taking a vaccine will slow down our ability to achieve herd immunity (70%+ vaccinated or infected).

Since some vaccines require two doses spaced a few weeks apart, many people won't take the second dose, thereby exposing them to the virus when they let their mask down.

Also, while high-income countries may distribute the vaccine widely before June 2021, low-income countries will need most of the year to do it.

All these factors will make it so that 2021 will still be a deadly year for the Coronavirus, but the news won't make a big deal about it just like they don't make a big deal about the 400,000 annual worldwide deaths from the flu.

3. Worldwide flu deaths will be 200,000

That's half the normal rate, thanks to all precautions we are taking against the Coronavirus.

4. S&P 500 goes up 20%

There will be a huge rally in the first half of 2021 as the COVID vaccine allows life to return to normal. However, exuberance will fade in September and October of 2021 so that the market will strip much of its gains. Still, it will be a great year overall for stocks.

5. Jimmy Carter dies

He'll be 98 years old when he dies, which would make him the oldest former US president (George H. Bush was 94 when he died).

6. Police Kill A Similar Number of People

Despite the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Movement, the US police will kill:

1,000 people (97% will be armed and dangerous)
30 unarmed Blacks
35+ unarmed Whites

Why these numbers?

Because they're better than what they were during the Obama administration. Yes, cops killed fewer unarmed Blacks under Trump than Obama. I'm not crediting Trump. The US President has little influence over local police matters.

When I asked, "What's a Reasonable Level of Police Killings?", I came up with those numbers above.

We've been improving and I hope we continue to lower them slowly.

But it will never be zero.

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by my Patrons

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com

If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV

Thursday Dec 24, 2020

Near Death on the CDT + Sym's 60-Year Love Story

Thursday Dec 24, 2020

For this Xmas, here's a special present - a podcast like no other!

Sym Blanchard's first podcast with me in #3 in my all-time downloaded podcasts.

My second one with him was also super popular.

To make his third podcast even more interesting, Sym is joined by his girlfriend, Patty Montgomery. Together, they share:

Why it took them 60 years to finally become a couple.
How they manage their relationship when Sym is vagabonding.
How their paths crisscrossed until they finally merged.
How Sym nearly died on the CDT (jump to the halfway point for that).
Where they traveled in 2020.
If Morocco is for you.
Forrest Fenn's found treasure.
What they think of the COVID vaccine.

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by my Patrons!

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com

If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020

Cultivating Your Spiritual Atheism with Nick Seneca Jankel

Wednesday Dec 16, 2020

Nick Jankel has written several books, including Spiritual Atheism.

We discuss his book and other topics.

Nick Jankel helps you take the pain out of transformation. He helps you blast through the barriers that block creativity and innovation and unleash conscious changes in leadership and life that bring less suffering and more thriving into the spaces we touch.

You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

Sponsors

This show is sponsored by my generous Patrons

More info

You can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at http://wanderlearn.com.

If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!

On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:

My Patrons sponsored this show!

Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron at http://Patreon.com/FTapon

Rewards start at just $2/month!

If you prefer to do a one-time contribution, you can send it to my PayPal at FT@FrancisTapon.com

If you prefer giving me Bitcoin, then please send BTC to my tip jar: 3EiSBC2bv2bYtYEXAKTkgqZohjF27DGjnV