Travel Grit

Bernie Harberts

5.0 (1)
PLACES & TRAVEL

Conversations with ramblers, roamers and free spirits.

FEB 11

Gin Szagola: First Single-Horse Crossing of Australia

Long Rider Gin Szagola and her wild Snowy Mountain Brumby, Fable, became the first person and horse to cross Australia coast to coast with no support vehicle or chase crew—4,400 kilometers over eight months. In this conversation, Gin shares the complete story: training a recently wild horse in just 90 days, crossing 1,000 miles of Nullarbor desert with volunteer-organized supply caches, dealing with road trains at 80mph, camping roadside 85% of the time, and what it's really like to live with your horse 24/7. Before Australia, Gin walked across America at age 18—failed after 4 days, went home, then succeeded on her second attempt. She's now working in Western Australia and raising funds to bring Fable home to the United States. WHAT'S COVERED: - Training a wild brumby in 90 days (5:50) - Road trains and triple-length trucks (16:39) - The Nullarbor: 1,000 miles of desert (28:29) - Holes in a boat: Mental health on the road (46:02) - Living 24/7 with your horse (50:15) - Failed at 18, grateful for it now (1:02:31) - Bringing Fable home: $20,000 journey (1:09:57) - Why wild horses matter (1:19:26) More about Gin: Website: ginandfaith.com GoFundMe: Search "Help Bring Fable Home" Facebook: Gin and Fable More podcasts, articles and art for and by ramblers, roamers and free spirits at TravelGrit.com

1h 22m
JAN 5

Tom Sites: Finding Peace in the Great American Horse Race of 1976

This is the only audio interview available on the internet with anyone who rode in the 1976 Great American Horse Race—the longest horse race in history. As the 50th anniversary approaches, this conversation preserves Tom Sites' voice and the incredible story of the Great American Horse Race of 1976. In 1976, Tom Sites—a Vietnam veteran haunted by severed heads and searching for peace—walked into a tack shop and bought a runaway horse named Jose Dante for $200. Six months later, he rode Jose 1,966 miles across America in the Great American Horse Race with just $500, no crew, and a single set of horseshoes that lasted 1,000 miles. Through small, consistent, dedicated steps across 13 states, Tom discovered what he couldn't find after the war: peace, purpose, and a partnership that would change his life forever. For more stories of long riders, sailers, ramblers, adventurers, and dreamers finding their way, visit TravelGrit.com.

56 min
12/12/2025

Reza Baluchi: Running Across Oceans

Reza Baluchi is attempting the impossible: running 21,000 miles across the world's oceans in a human-powered vessel called a hydropod. In this Travel Grit interview, Reza calls in from Taiwan at midnight, where he's making final preparations for his fifth-generation hydropod—a 12-foot wheel he powers by running inside like a hamster wheel. He plans to launch in December, heading south through the South China Sea, then west through the Red Sea and Mediterranean, before crossing the Atlantic back to America. But this isn't his first attempt. The U.S. Coast Guard has stopped him several times, damaged one of his hydropods, arrested him, and even sent him to a mental hospital. Now he's launching from Asia—beyond their jurisdiction. Reza's story is one of relentless determination. Born in Iran, he was tortured and imprisoned for 18 months before escaping as a young cyclist. He's since run 150,000 miles across continents—including around Taiwan in just 15 days. "If you have a dream, you must follow your dream," he says. "Dream no coming after you." In this conversation, Reza explains: - How the hydropod works and why it can't sink - His survival plan: 2,000 pounds of food, energy bars, and fishing - What happened during his arrests and Coast Guard encounters - The philosophy that keeps him going after every failure At 52, after being stopped, arrested, and told his dream is impossible, Reza is ready to push his hydropod into the Pacific and start running. More about Reza: RunWithReza.tv Full article: https://travelgrit.com/reza-baluchi-running-across-the-ocean-in-a-hydropod-without-getting-caught/ #RezaBaluchi #Hydropod #OceanCrossing #HumanPowered #Adventure #Endurance #TravelGrit

51 min
12/10/2025

Webb Chiles: Six-time Circumnavigator

Webb Chiles is the first American to sail alone around Cape Horn. He's also taken one of the longest open journeys in modern times, sailing his 19-foot open sailboat across the Pacific Ocean and beyond. Listen to his incredible story of survival, resilience and why, at 83, he still does his age in pushups every day.

1h 51m

4 Episodes

Conversations with ramblers, roamers and free spirits.

Creator

Bernie Harberts
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

4
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 Bernie Harberts