Discover the roots of the racial diversity gap in outdoor recreation and how travel creators can help reshape the narrative. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Lauren Gay shares stories of paragliding in Cape Town, gliding in Japan, visiting a nudist resort, and swimming between tectonic plates in Iceland. She then unpacks the historical roots of the racial diversity gap in outdoor recreation, the importance of authentic Black visibility in outdoor culture, and why nature has become both therapy and a spiritual space for her. Lauren also talks about co-founding the Black Travel Alliance, how the story of a destination changes depending on who is telling it, and the responsibility travel creators have to the communities and places they feature. She reflects on becoming an environmental and conservation activist, balancing tourism promotion with the dangers of overtourism, and why travel can foster greater empathy, human connection, and care for the natural world. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

Black Travelers and the Outdoors: Lauren Gay on Nature, Adventure, Storytelling & Environmental Activism (Ep 409)

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Discover the roots of the racial diversity gap in outdoor recreation and how travel creators can help reshape the narrative.  ============================  Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds.  ============================  ON THIS EPISODE  Lauren Gay shares stories of paragliding in Cape Town, gliding in Japan, visiting a nudist resort, and swimming between tectonic plates in Iceland. She then unpacks the historical roots of the racial diversity gap in outdoor recreation, the importance of authentic Black visibility in outdoor culture, and why nature has become both therapy and a spiritual space for her. Lauren also talks about co-founding the Black Travel Alliance, how the story of a destination changes depending on who is telling it, and the responsibility travel creators have to the communities and places they feature. She reflects on becoming an environmental and conservation activist, balancing tourism promotion with the dangers of overtourism, and why travel can foster greater empathy, human connection, and care for the natural world.  → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here.  ============================  FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE  Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests.  ============================  FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU  See my Top 10 Travel Apps  See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel  See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual)  Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn  See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend  See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use)  ============================  ENJOYING THE SHOW?  Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation  Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally  Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!

The Maverick Show is a global travel podcast about what really happens when people cross borders and build lives across cultures. Hosted by full-time world traveler Matt Bowles, each episode features intimate, unfiltered conversations (often over a bottle of wine) exploring the human stories behind global travel and what the journey teaches us about the world and ourselves.  Guests include expats, digital nomads, women and diaspora storytellers, worldschooling families, and human rights advocates, all sharing travel stories that are funny, moving, and deeply human.  In addition to hearing about extraordinary places and the people who live there, you’ll learn what it’s really like to move abroad, build an expat life, or travel long-term, as guests open up about their personal journeys navigating culture, race, power, identity, and belonging in an unequal world. If you’ve ever felt that travel changes you in ways no one talks about, you’re in the right place.  The Maverick Show hit the Top 100 on Apple Podcasts (including #1 in Places & Travel), was ranked in the Top 1% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes, and was named the #1 Digital Nomad Podcast and #1 Remote Work Podcast by Million Podcasts — with hundreds of five-star listener reviews.

The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders

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