How Egypt Changed Me

Andrew Zimmern recently shared his advice with me on how to travel more intentionally, cook (and eat) better, and be a more thoughtful consumer of the food industry. I summarized three of the most important lessons from our conversation that I immediately put into action in my life. You won't want to miss this incredible advice from the legendary celebrity chef, traveler, and TV host behind Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods and MSNBC's What’s Eating America. --> WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THIS EPISODE HERE: 

What I learned from the most fun and loving country in the world... The Philippines! WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE: https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/3050836791678948

What was the biggest adventure of your life? Mine was Papua New Guinea. It was both the most challenging and best travel experience I had out of the ~100 countries I’ve explored. It's remote. It's rugged. It lacks infrastructure. Over 800 languages are spoken. It appears to be untouched by the outside world for hundreds - if not thousands - of years. Encountering the wrong tribe, animal, insect, or plant could cause serious problems. It is certainly a challenging destination. But those are also the exact reasons I and other travelers looking for an adventure want to visit Papua New Guinea. Its untouched and diverse tribal cultures, natural and rugged beauty, and legends of adventure have long captured my imagination. Here were the 3 biggest lessons I learned from that experience. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:  https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/3017886551640639

Is something holding you back from having a more adventurous and creative life or career? Chris Burkard will change your entire perspective... Chris is one of the world's leading adventure photographers and his photos/films have inspired millions of travelers. He took big risks to invest in himself, pushed the limits of his creativity, and created such an inspiring life and career for himself. He was one of the biggest influences for me to start pursuing photography as a creative outlet during my travels... and my recent conversation with him has already had a meaningful impact on my life. I shared the three biggest lessons I learned from him during that conversation in this video. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:  https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/3026291934133434

Every person and product in your life has a plan for how they want you to spend your time. Our default nature is to react. As a result, our days are usually dictated by whatever request was first, most recent, or loudest. But here's the thing - no one has ever accomplished anything meaningful or achieved fulfillment by letting other people dictate their schedule. In the quest of trying to be the best dad, husband, founder, and person I could be, I tested a lot of tactics to make me more intentional and proactive - not reactive. Through a lot of trail and error, here are the three lessons I learned to get control of your day. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:  https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/2956435827785712

Alison Levine was the team captain of the first USA Women’s Expedition to Mt Everest. She climbed the highest peak of every continent. She skied to both the North and South Pole. She’s a NY Times best-selling author. She also has a congenital heart defect and didn't climb her first mountain until the age of 32, two years after her second heart surgery. Alison's story is full of inspiration, leadership, wisdom, and adventure - and there's so much we can all learn from her. I've gotten to know her over the past few years and after a recent conversation with her, I reflected on the three most powerful lessons I learned her that changed my life. WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/2958270344268927

Denmark is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world - but why? On my recent trip, I explored that question and the answer is shockingly simple. Here are the 3 lessons I learned about why the Danes are the happiest people on earth. WATCH THE EPISODE HERE: https://www.facebook.com/154439111318745/videos/265703681412954 #denmark #copenhagen

I spent 2 years exploring Egypt. I gave a lot of myself to that country, but she gave me way more in return. The Egyptian hospitality, the mazes of Cairo neighborhoods, the entrepreneurial and creative spirit, the life in full swing at 4am, the smiling fruit vendors, koshari, taamia, basbousa, and hearing the call to prayer each day from a thousands minarets.... as well as the poverty, corruption, pollution, and chaos... each imprinted something inside of me that will remain with me forever. So yalla bina, here are the three biggest lessons I learned from living and traveling in Egypt. WATCH FULL EPISODE: https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/2991546810941280

Today is the 2nd annual Bourdain Day to celebrate Anthony Bourdain’s life. Let’s all take a moment to reflect on what lessons we learned about travel, food, and life from him. Bourdain opened all of our minds and palates. He nudged us all to be more curious and open-minded. He showed us a more honest and authentic perspective of the world. Even though I never met Bourdain, his words were a constant voice in the back of my head to show a more authentic and honest perspective of the world through my travels and my company. This video includes the three most important lessons I learned from him. I hope you find as much value in these lessons as I did. Feel free to share additional lessons that had the biggest impact on you in the comments. We miss you, Chef. #BourdainDay --> WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THIS EPISODE HERE: https://www.facebook.com/gokonrad/posts/3010768522352442

Rolf Potts changed my life. His book Vagabonding inspired my first long-term trip through Africa, Europe, and the Middle East - and I haven't looked back since. His philosophy will strike a chord whether you are planning an adventure in a far flung corner of the globe or stepping out into your own backyard. I've known Rolf for a while, but after my most recent conversation with him, I decided to distill the three most important lessons I learned from him. I hope these ideas will inspire your traveler mindset like it did for me.