Near and Far

Zackery Ellis

Guests from around the world share stories and insights about travel, culture, and venturing beyond their comfort zones.

Episodios

  1. 30/07/2025

    Nepal, New Zealand, and the Aral Sea with Marina Steiner

    Marina Steiner didn't expect to build a life of travel, but an undergraduate certificate in global health set her on a journey to Nepal, New Zealand, central Asia, and beyond! From moving abroad without housing to trying fermented horse milk in Uzbekistan, Marina shows us the benefits of being comfortable with being uncomfortable, She shares how any of us can make an impact on a global scale through her work addressing health disparities affecting Himalayan home cooking, rural access to healthcare, and remediating the toxic byproducts from the destruction of the Aral Sea. ----- Transcript: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast/episodes-and-transcripts/ ----- Travel book recommendations: http://nearandfar.travel/books/ https://bookshop.org/shop/near_far_travel ----- Follow Near and Far Monthly Near and Far newsletter: https://nearandfar.travel/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/near_far_travel/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nearandfar.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@near_far_travel LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/near-far-travel ----- About the Podcast: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast Be a podcast guest: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast/be-a-podcast-guest/ ----- Chapters 0:00 Introducing: Marina Steiner 0:55 Nepal, accessing rural healthcare, and cooking for the household 15:12 Leave a Review! 15:40 New Zealand's cultural insights 27:17 Subscribe to the Near and Far Newsletter 27:44 Karakalpakstan and the destruction of the Aral Sea

    45 min
  2. 09/07/2025

    Your Guide to Japan with Michael Zislis of JPN Guides

    Michael Zislis lived in Japan for several years before starting a company (JPN Guides) that helps other westerners learn how to navigate the "land of the rising sun." In this episode, Michael tells how he happened upon his favorite ramen, shares why he visits his favorite sushi place at 5:00 a.m., why he recommends venturing into the Japanese countryside, life in Niigata, recommendations in Sapporo, Shinto temple etiquette, why hot milk and hot springs follow affordable skiing, cherry blossom maps, and language tips. He then goes through the process of creating a custom personalized guidebook for Zackery, just as he would for JPN Guides. ----- JPN Guides: https://www.jpnguides.com/ ----- Transcript: https://nearandfar.travel/your-guide-to-japan-with-michael-zislis-of-jpn-guides/ ----- Other travel book recommendations: http://nearandfar.travel/books/ https://bookshop.org/shop/near_far_travel ----- Follow Near and Far Monthly Near and Far newsletter: https://nearandfar.travel/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/near_far_travel/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nearandfar.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@near_far_travel LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/near-far-travel ----- About the Podcast: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast Be a podcast guest: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast/be-a-podcast-guest/ ----- Chapters 0:00 Welcome 0:57 Michael's First Trip to Japan 4:47 Sushi and Ramen in Tokyo 11:56 Be a Podcast Guest! 12:23 Sapporo 17:48 Shinto Temple Etiquette 21:42 Cultural Differences When Living in Niigata 27:35 Subscribe to the Near and Far Newsletter! 28:02 Hot Springs and Skiing 31:29 Cherry Blossoms, Kyoto, and Going Beyond the Golden Route 34:23 Language Tips and "Sumimasen!" 39:11 Your Guide to Japan

    54 min
  3. 02/07/2025

    Running with the Bulls in Pamplona with Javier Ochoa-Reparaz

    Javier ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Navarra... and the he ran again and again and about twenty more times! Javier Ochoa-Reparaz grew up in the Basque culture in northern Spain and enjoyed Basque traditions, food, and language until he moved to Boise. In addition to his encounters with bulls during the Festival de San Fermin, Javier speaks about growing up in the Basque culture, experiencing separatist terrorism as a child, watching the Osasuna fútbol club, overtourism in Spain, tips for being a responsible tourist, and opportunities to run alongside sheep and reindeer! This episode mentions extreme political violence and other sensitive themes. ----- Transcript: https://nearandfar.travel/running-with-the-bulls-in-pamplona-interview-with-javier-ochoa-reparaz/ ----- Travel book recommendations: http://nearandfar.travel/books/ https://bookshop.org/shop/near_far_travel ----- Follow Near and Far Monthly Near and Far newsletter: https://nearandfar.travel/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/near_far_travel/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nearandfar.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@near_far_travel LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/near-far-travel ----- About the Podcast: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast Be a podcast guest: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast/be-a-podcast-guest/ ----- Chapters 0:00 Welcome 0:57 Running with the Bulls in Pamplona 17:15 Leave a Review! 17:42 Basque culture, food, and language 28:49 Basque separatism and political violence 40:10 Subscribe to the Near and Far Newsletter 40:37 How to be a good tourist in Spain 51:05 Running with the Sheep and Reindeer

    56 min
  4. 11/06/2025

    "Why Do We Travel?" with Sophia Theodossiou

    Travel can be challenging, unpredictable, treacherous... and wonderful! Why do we do this to ourselves?!? Sophia Theodossiou embodies all of the best traits of a world traveler. She discusses growing up in Greece with a dad who is a pilot, how her mom got kids to behave on flights before screens were commonplace, a saga of getting stranded at Christmas with three heavy duffel bags full of cheese, her experience nearly getting kidnapped in Cairo, an anthropological perspective about ancient Greeks hauling marble from the island of Naxos to the top of the Acropolis, and reflections on why we put ourselves through this to experience the world beyond our comfort zones. ----- Travel book recommendations: http://nearandfar.travel/books/ https://bookshop.org/shop/near_far_travel ----- Follow Near and Far Monthly Near and Far newsletter: https://nearandfar.travel/newsletter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/near_far_travel/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nearandfar.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@near_far_travel LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/near-far-travel ----- About the Podcast: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast Be a podcast guest: https://nearandfar.travel/podcast/be-a-podcast-guest/ ----- Chapters 0:00 Introduction: Sophia Theodossiou 1:21 Growing up in Greece with a pilot parent 4:38 How Mom got us to behave on flights before screens 9:04 Visiting Greek family in Chicago 10:40 Travel books! 10:56 Stranded with Cheese 22:51 Kidnapped in Cairo? 26:04 Salvaging rough situations 28:21 Leave a review! 28:38 Why we travel

    38 min

Acerca de

Guests from around the world share stories and insights about travel, culture, and venturing beyond their comfort zones.