Curiosity As Your Travel Guide + Exploring Overlooked Destinations with John McKenzie

Zero To Travel Podcast

Jason Moore

Society & Culture, Business, Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel

4.6 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when you let curiosity guide your travel experiences? John McKenzie is a long-time traveler and curious explorer who shares stories and insights from off-the-beaten-track destinations around the world. Through his content and curated CuriosiTrips, he aims to expand others’ sense of what’s possible by encouraging a more curious, open approach to travel. He’s also a new contributor to National Geographic, writing the sections on Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia for The Traveler’s Atlas of the World. In this episode, John and I sit down in person to explore the concept of curiosity as a travel compass, why some destinations gain reputations that don’t match reality, and how community and mindset shape meaningful journeys. Travel is often framed around checklists and highlights, but John reframes it as a curiosity‑driven practice that enriches both travel and everyday life. You’ll hear how to exercise your curiosity muscle, embrace spontaneity, and responsibly explore destinations often overlooked or misunderstood. From challenging trips like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Syria to cultural discoveries and approachable recommendations like Malawi and Cuba, this conversation offers both a practical perspective and philosophical encouragement for travelers of all experience levels. What is one place you’ve always been curious about but haven’t yet visited, and what’s holding you back? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message. Tune In To Learn: How boredom and routine kick-started John’s curiosity and exploration What approaching travel with openness rather than rigidity can uncover Why connecting with others who’ve done what you want to do helps normalize the goal How travel to “dangerous” or misunderstood places can be both safe and rewarding The mindset shift from chasing destinations to pursuing meaningful experiences How John defines “meaningful” in his own travel, and why that matters more than ticking boxes Examples of destinations that surprised him and recommendations for your own curious travels And so much more Resources: Sign up for our FREE newsletter John’s website Instagram National Geographic Traveler’s Atlas of the World Extraordinary Travel Festival Want More? 7 Pro Tips For Traveling In Dangerous Countries w/ Bjorn Palsson Independent Travel as a Female in Afghanistan, Hitchhiking Iraq, and Ex-Pat Life in Sudan with Jacquelyn Kunz The World’s Most Traveled Person on the Ethics of Gamifying Travel, Best Regions in the World, and Why To Keep Traveling With Harry Mitsidis of NomadMania Thanks To Our Sponsors Planet Visionaries - Listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify Atlas Obscura Podcast - Experience an audio guide to the world's strange, incredible, and wondrous places Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If I'm having meaningful experiences, and again, that's a very difficult to define term, but it's personal, right?
0:10.6	This whole thing is personal.
0:12.6	I think of the little kid that I was and how if I had ever dreamed of actually being able to go to any of those places.
0:22.7	I just would have wanted to know that it's possible.
0:26.6	Not that, no, you can't do that or that's not realistic.
0:30.2	Sure, it might be very challenging.
0:32.2	I don't have a how right now.
0:35.1	How is it actually going to happen?
0:36.8	Because that's too overwhelming. It's like when you have a how right now. How is it actually going to happen? Because that's too overwhelming.
0:38.8	It's like when you have a goal that's very big, you don't want to think of the entire goal.
0:45.6	You have to break it down into small pieces.
0:48.0	That is my buddy and today's guest, John McKenzie.
0:51.1	You can learn more about them at john the traveler.com.
0:54.1	We touch on, of course,
0:55.4	a lot of themes related to travel. And one of the biggest curiosity, something that binds all
1:00.9	of us together as travelers, as humans, and the value of curiosity. We'll get into that.
1:06.2	And John has been traveling to a lot of more off-the-beaten track countries, let's say, especially recently. You can't find a lot of more off the beaten track countries, let's say,
1:12.5	especially recently. You can't find a lot of information on some of these destinations.
1:16.9	He talks about his approach to traveling to those types of places and just the mindset around
1:23.2	that. Of course, he shares some of his favorite underrated destinations and regions of the world,
1:28.7	including one I've had on my radar for a while, as you'll hear.
1:32.4	And perhaps coming out of this one, a call to transition to a different style of travel for
	...

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