Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel
Wayfinder is a travel podcast for curious and adventurous travelers, hosted by veteran travel writer Daniel Scheffler. Each episode shares immersive stories of beauty, misadventure, and personal transformation that typical guidebooks miss. Inspired by Polynesian wayfinding traditions, the show encourages listeners to trust their instincts while exploring new places. It includes local tips, food adventures, and cultural encounters, focusing on how to travel with humor, wonder, and curiosity.
Episodes
Oceania: Catching Flights & Chasing Waves through Fiji, Australia & New Zealand Travel (ft. Lakey Peterson)
For professional surfer Lakey Peterson, a life spent chasing waves and adventure around the world has brought her back to Oceania and the South Pacific throughout nearly every chapter of her life. From learning to surf in Australia, to finding direction among surfing legends in Fiji, and slowing down among the rolling hills of New Zealand, each return has become a marker of who she was, who she&rs
Antarctica: Travel for Penguins, Polar Plunges, & Childlike Wonder (ft. Jessica Nabongo)
What happens when one of our most experienced travelers finds herself seeing the world with brand new eyes? Author, photographer, and world traveler Jessica Nabongo became the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, but there was still one final continent left to explore: Antarctica. Venturing across the Drake Passage and into a landscape unlike anywhere she’d experience
Quebec: A Canadian Road Trip Through Family Roots and Belonging (ft. Paul Theroux)
Sometimes the feeling of belonging arrives when… and where… you least expect it. For legendary travel writer Paul Theroux, a road trip through Quebec became more than just another transformative travel journey in his half-century career. Following family roots stretching back more than 300 years, Paul hit the road through Canada’s vast province and made his way to the sma
Queensland: Choose Your Own Wild Travel Adventure Through Australia’s Outdoors (ft. Coyote Peterson)
What if one destination could offer endless ways to explore the wild, while giving us new reasons to care deeply about it? For Brave Wilderness creator and adventurer Coyote Peterson, few places offer as many opportunities for adventure as Queensland, Australia, where setting out from the vibrant capital of Brisbane can lead to tropical coastlines, ancient rainforests, and some of the planet
Paris: Returning to the City of Love with New Eyes (ft. Antoni Porowski)
When it comes to Paris, your return isn't about recreating the past, but discovering just how far you've come. For author, television host, and food expert Antoni Porowski, Paris has been a lifelong love affair, from childhood memories beneath the Eiffel Tower…to romantic getaways, whirlwind Fashion Weeks, and a recent extended stay while filming his new National Geographic series "Best of
Daniel Scheffler’s Wildest Travel Stories: Scorpion Bites, Voodoo Ceremonies & Morocco's Atlas Mountains [Armchair Explorer Episode]
In this special crossover episode from Armchair Explorer, Daniel trades places with award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar and steps into the guest seat. Together, they swap unforgettable stories from the road: from a near-fatal scorpion bite in Angola to a powerful voodoo ceremony in Benin that Daniel calls one of the most meaningful experiences of his life, to the sensory spectacle of Festival
Inside Bangkok's Drag Empire with Pangina Heals [Full Interview]
Listen to the full Pangina Heals interview, originally featured in Season One. A judge, host, and contestant across the RuPaul's Drag Race universe, Pangina is also the owner of the iconic House of Heals nightclub, a cornerstone of the Bangkok queer nightlife scene. Together, she and Daniel dive into Thailand travel, Bangkok's legendary drag scene, queer culture in Southeast Asia, identity, and th
The Road to Michelin Stars: Stories Behind Every Plate (ft. Dominique Crenn)
What if the destination isn't a singular place, but a collection of moments along the way? For three-Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn, every stop on her geographical journey has become an ingredient in the recipe for her life, from the farms of Brittany, France, to her longtime home of San Francisco, California. From uncovering unexpected ancestral roots through DNA testing to discovering
Baja California: Your Slow Travel Reset (ft. Naomi Grevemberg)
For Naomi Grevemberg, what began as a one-year adventure eventually led her to Baja California, where a caravan of van lifers, endless desert coastlines, and a slower way of living challenged everything she originally thought she wanted. From spearfishing and cooking Trinidadian curry on the beach, to swimming alongside whale sharks and building community with locals, Naomi shares the moments from
The Caribbean: A Girls Trip with Virgin Voyages (ft. Maya Valentino)
What happens when a birthday cruise unexpectedly reconnects you to parts of yourself you didn’t realize you’d been missing? In this episode, treasure shopper Maya Valentino tells us all about her first cruise aboard Virgin Voyages, a trip which offered her a surprising return to creativity, stillness, and reconnection with her mom. Maya dives into Virgin Voyage’s immer
Tanzania: On Safari (ft. Jared Sternberg)
In our first official SAFARI episode, what begins as a search for “the Big Five” gives way to a profound shift in perspective. Eco-tour organizer Jared Sternberg reflects on his first scouting trip to Tanzania, the transformative power of safari, and the unexpected lessons that emerge when we let go of our control and judgment during travel. From witnessing his first hunt in the
Morocco: Souks, Hammams, and a Journey Beyond Fear (ft. Preethi Chandrasekhar)
We all carry stories about who we think we are. And for some of us, those stories can limit who we’re allowed to become. Preethi Chandrasekhar set out to challenge those limits when she led a group of women on a journey through Morocco. With a do-it-all itinerary designed not just to explore the destination, she encouraged the group to step beyond their routines into an adventure that
Fiji: The Art of the Stopover (ft. Chris Singh)
We spend so much time thinking about where we’re going, but rarely about how we return. That’s what writer Chris Singh discovered when he arranged an intentional multi-day stopover in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji on his way home to Australia from the United States. Surrounded by vivid blues, volcanic islands, and a culture rooted in care and community, Chris shares the key moment
Samarkand, Uzbekistan: Where Strangers Become Wedding Guests (ft. Joanna Lillis)
Some places invite you to visit. Others ask you to stay. That’s what happened to journalist and historian Joanna Lillis when she first traveled to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2001 — a simple weekend trip that welcomed her so deeply into the region, she never left. In the glow of Samarkand’s vibrant markets and iconic blue-domed architecture, Joanna shares the moments from her
Cruise to Alaska: Where The Mountains Meet the Sea (ft. Gwyn Manser)
When we expand our perspective, our personal lives can suddenly feel much smaller. That’s what happened to Gwyn Manser when she and her wife took an impromptu Alaskan cruise, a trip that transformed how she sees the world and her place within it. From sailing along the Inside Passage to exploring the historic streets of Skagway, Gwyn recounts a landscape that feels vast and timeless, and sha
Wayfinder returns for Season Two!
Uncover the precious moments that shape how we see the world and ourselves. From remote natural landscapes of Alaska to culturally rich cities of Uzbekistan, this season features sixteen new stories across sixteen new destinations. Every other week, join Daniel as he follows the threads of curiosity, intuition, and wonder, unpacking what happens when we step away from our everyday lives and allow
Cusco: The Hidden Gifts of Peru (ft. Huda Alvi)
Communion with nature, unexpected healing, and hidden lessons within every stone. What if travel wasn't just about following an itinerary, but about learning to give and receive with everything we encounter along the way? Today's season finale guest is Huda Alvi, entrepreneur and co-founder of The Girls Trip, who has traveled three times to Peru and the ancient city of Cusco. What begins as
Tbilisi: A Road Trip Through Georgia (ft. Carlo Schneider)
There's something we love about a road trip. It's not just a way to explore the vastness of a place, it's a way to sink into time with someone you love. That is why, in this episode of Wayfinder, Daniel follows entrepreneur and world traveler Carlo Schneider on a father-daughter road trip through the country of Georgia, beginning in the capital city of Tbilisi. From winding streets and woode
Florence: History, Memory, and Family (ft. Cheeyang Ng)
In-person experiences are becoming a rare commodity, and making them happen requires smart planning, great companionship, and a bit of creative system-hacking. Daniel chats with writer, performer, and musical theater artist Cheeyang Ng, who has made it a mission to travel the world luxuriously through travel hacking while learning more about themself as a global citizen. After years of solo
Cabo San Lucas: A Kids-Free Travel Reset (ft. Becca Ingle)
Nourishing rest, much-needed reconnection, and a message in a rainbow… sometimes we have to follow the unexpected to arrive exactly where we’re meant to be. For travel creator and swimwear founder Becca Ingle, a babymoon in Cabo San Lucas became a long-overdue reset. Traveling without their children for the first time in a decade, Becca and her husband traded packed family schedules f
Bangkok: Where the Nightlife Heals (ft. Pangina Heals)
Personal refuge, self-discovery, and chosen family... Beyond the neon lights and chance encounters, NIGHTLIFE in Bangkok runs deeper than it first appears. Daniel sits down IRL with Pangina Heals: drag icon, club owner, and one of the defining forces of Bangkok’s club scene. Recorded the morning after a night out together, their conversation traces Pangina’s journey from a childh
A City at Sea: Inside the Virgin Voyages Experience (ft. Cynthia Andrew)
Immersive spaces, curated meals, rich destinations, and a floating city filled with possibility... Sometimes travel reminds us how good it feels to be taken care of. In this episode, Daniel follows content creator Cynthia Andrew aboard Virgin Voyages, where a solo cruise became an unexpected reset. From cozy corners and quiet sea days... to live music, thoughtful dining experiences, and spont
Tunis: Mindfulness in the Medina (ft. Joy Malonza)
The color of the bougainvillea, the hum of the medina, the cleansing touch of the hammam... For travel consultant Joy Malonza, Tunis's sensory captivation was exactly what she needed, transforming a quick summer pit stop into an unexpected lesson in presence. Daniel traces Joy’s exploration of Tunisia’s historic capital by way of her senses, conscious luxury, and genuine connection to
Tahiti: What the Water Teaches (ft. Elisa Schwarz)
When Austrian traveler Elisa Schwarz arrived in Tahiti, she expected a job as an au pair, not a Polynesian adventure that would take her hitchhiking between islands and diving among sharks. In the premiere episode of Wayfinder, host Daniel Scheffler traces Elisa’s journey through the island’s waters, communities, and living sense of mana: the life force that connects all things. Alongs
Introducing Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel
Wayfinder invites you to indulge in the art of travel through story, sensation, and self-discovery. Hosted by Daniel Scheffler, veteran travel writer, this immersive new series ventures beyond guidebooks and itineraries into the transformative journeys that reshape how we see the world and ourselves. Rediscover the beauty and awe-inspiring moments that define life-changing travel. From swim
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