Comfy Nomad’s Travel Tribe

Punta Arenas, Chile, is known as a jumping-off spot to explore the Antarctic Peninsula. The Comfy Nomad was told that it wasn't worth spending more than a day on either end of the trip there, but she soon learned that the city's quirky, grungy, and (very) windy nature had a unique appeal. Listen in on a conversation during her return trip with Alvaro, a Punta Arenas native, where they reflect on everyday life beyond the tourist spots, from flashbacks to 1980s office supplies to selling memoirs to strangers on the beach.

What is life like in one of the most remote parts of the planet? Listen in as the Comfy Nomad chats with Alexandra (and a surprise guest who wanders into the conversation) as they ponder aspects of life in the south Patagonia town of Puerto Natales, Chile.

The Comfy Nomad returns with three questions for Jeff Louie, a self-described accidental entrepreneur who founded one of the first coworking spaces in Sacramento, California. He reflects on building communities that turned into businesses (instead of the other way around), and how parenthood plus a move to the San Francisco Bay Area required reevaluating his identity and life expectations -- triggering a shift from a high-growth, "save the world" mindset to a different state of being fully in the present moment.

In the third and final episode of a series profiling Miss Timmi, who entered the world of drag in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s, we learn about the nonprofit Imperial Court system, the impact of AIDS in the 80s and 90s, and loop back to the first episode discussing drag and spirituality.

The Comfy Nomad returns for more Conversations from the Back Deck! She chats with Dave, who just graduated from college in his early 60s. She unearthed an ancient blog post that reflects on her college experience and they ponder how much (or how little) things have changed, from the mismatch of how people teach and how people learn to why it feels like the most powerful learning experiences happen outside the classroom.

The Comfy Nomad interviewed Pilot Sarah on her professional life for another podcast, and noticed interesting synchronicities with their lives -- from being born near the end of one generation to working in male-dominated fields. Listen in as they unpack life growing up in unconventional worlds (military), attempting to start unconventional careers (also military), and allowing the journey to guide them to the the things they dreamed of doing all along.

For years, the Comfy Nomad struggled with how to share stories from a trip to North Korea. She then meets Tamara, a filmmaker-turned-writer, who noticed similarities to a trip she took during the fall of the Soviet Union. Listen in as they unravel the complexities of visiting places with radically different worldviews while discovering the commonalities of the human condition -- using orthodontic wax, snow angels, and pre-redacted postcards.

What happens when you put three introverted strangers in a room to talk about travel? In Part 1 of Comfy Nomad's TravelCon 2018 podcast series, listen in as Ana, Brandon, Sylvie, and the Comfy Nomad cover a range of topics: defining introversion, pondering JOMO vs. FOMO, balancing adventure with time to recharge, making personal connections, finding your tribe, and finishing with advice for fellow introverted travelers.