The Geography of Bliss w/ Eric Weiner

Zero To Travel Podcast

Jason Moore

Society & Culture, Business, Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel

4.6 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2022

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How would you describe your current level of happiness and what would need to change to increase it? This week I am joined by award-winning journalist and bestselling author, Eric Weiner, to explore the many themes of his book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World, and explore what it means to be happy. If you want to transform your outlook and increase your happiness, then you don’t want to miss this episode. Eric shares stories from his time spent as a foreign war correspondent during the rise of the Taliban, his decision to leave behind a successful career at NPR, lessons from traveling the world to write his first book, and so much more. How does traveling make you a better version of yourself? I'd love to hear your thoughts and hope you will share them by sending me an audio message. Premium Passport: Want access to the private Zero To Travel podcast feed, a bonus episode every month (decided on by YOU), exclusive content, direct access to me to answer your questions, and more? Click Here To Try Premium Passport For Only $1 Tune In To Learn: Why Eric Weiner describes himself as better on the road How taking a break familiarity inspires a fresh outlook The secret benefit of living and traveling expectations free Reasons unhappiness is just as crucial to living a meaningful life How staying true to yourself will never lead you wrong What it was like to live in India foreign war correspondent How to treat the world as a laboratory of ideas Why it's important to let go of things not meant for you How an apartment in Kazakhstan turned into the idea for Eric’s first book The unexpected places that taught Eric the most about happiness What is the difference between an interview and a conversation How to embrace duality to be the best version of yourself The principle embraced in Iceland that leads to greater happiness Eric's best advice for creative writers My biggest takeaways from the book And so much more! Resources: Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport Get a copy of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World Check out Eric Weiner's other books on his website Sign up for the Bhutan writing workshop Learn more about Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation Location Indie Want More? What Is “Happiness”? Discovering Meaning On The Silk Road w/ Will Rickard How To Add More Play Into Your Life w/ Jeff Harry Settling With The Nomad Spirit + The Beauty in Ugly

Transcript

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0:00.0	And I know people say that you go do travel in order to, you know, sort of accumulate stuff,
0:07.3	either literally stuff, souvenirs or experiences. But I think it's the opposite. I think you travel,
0:15.4	or at least I do, I travel to shed myself, enlighten my load, and to unburden yourself.
0:24.1	This is the tricky thing about happiness is it is a byproduct of a life lived well.
0:30.9	I call people like Jared hedonic refugees, and they are refugees, people who are moving to another country, not for economic opportunity
0:40.9	or to escape political oppression or anything like that, but simply because they sense that
0:45.7	they'll be happier there. And I know the Dalai Lama says grow where you're planted,
0:49.8	and I think that applies to most of us, but not all of us. I think there are some people who
0:53.8	need to
0:54.3	transplant themselves somewhere else. Those were clips from the wonderful conversation you're going
0:59.6	to hear today with Eric Weiner. We explore many of the themes in his book, The Geography of Bliss,
1:06.0	where he takes readers across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. You'll hear about
1:13.9	Eric's experience living in India and working as a war correspondent covering the rise of the Taliban
1:18.5	in Afghanistan. What it was like for him to walk away from a successful career at NPR to write
1:24.1	this book and his best advice for you if you're leaving behind a career you enjoy to pursue
1:29.4	something else. Why your unhappiness is beautiful and essential to your happiness, why being
1:35.4	quote, expectations free, maybe the best way to travel. Eric's rule of thumb for how much time
1:41.2	to buffer into a destination visit. Why coming home may be the most
1:45.1	important part of the travel experience. And can you really get away from yourself when you travel?
1:50.6	All of that plus much more. I'm also going to share my two biggest takeaways from this book,
1:56.5	one of which has made a huge impact on my life and how I think about it. And a shout out to somebody
2:02.4	in this listening community who is diving headfirst into a new adventure in life, all because
	...

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