What happens when a self-described "nice girl from Wisconsin" who dreamed about travel while reading encyclopedias finally starts saying yes to the world? You get Mel Ripp's transformation story.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with Mel to discuss how group travel completely changed her life. From her first Morocco trip in fall 2023 to now prioritizing adventures over home renovations, Mel's journey shows what's possible when you step outside your comfort zone.

They dive into the magic of traveling with strangers who become friends, embracing vulnerability in unexpected places (yes, including Moroccan highways), and how the confidence you gain abroad ripples into every part of your life back home. If you've ever wondered whether group travel is worth it or if you're too old to completely reinvent yourself, Mel's story will inspire you to book that trip you've been dreaming about.

What does divorce have to do with travel? Everything, when you're talking about reinvention, healing, and rediscovering who you are.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with Julie Danielson, founder of the Get Over Divorce Collective, for a full-circle conversation about transformation. Julie went through her own divorce at 37 with two young kids and now helps women navigate one of life's most difficult transitions.

They explore how travel becomes a catalyst for healing after major life changes, why your comfort zone will actually shrink if you don't intentionally stretch it, and the important difference between running away from your problems and traveling toward yourself. Julie shares honest insights about rediscovering your identity when everything falls apart and why sometimes the scariest decisions lead to the most transformative chapters. This conversation isn't just about divorce—it's about having the courage to rebuild your life on your own terms.

What does it take to leave everything you know and start over in a new country at 38? For Andrés Asevis, it's the culmination of years of dreaming, waiting, and holding onto hope.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with one of Cuba's most beloved tour guides—a published author, painter, singer, and someone who has become like family to her travelers. Andrés shares the unfiltered reality of Cuban daily life beyond what tourists see, what it's like to guide people through your home country while dreaming of your own adventure, and how he's finally gotten his Spanish citizenship after years of waiting.

This conversation is about resilience, creativity, and the courage it takes to chase dreams across an ocean. Whether you've been to Cuba or are curious about what life is really like there, Andrés offers insights you won't find in guidebooks.

What does it actually take to make a living as a travel journalist in 2025? Steph Dyson has spent the past decade figuring it out.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with the travel writer and journalist behind Worldly Adventurer, a website that gets over a million visitors a year focusing on sustainable Latin American adventures. Having lived in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, Steph has built her career around deep, immersive travel rather than passport stamp collecting.

Fresh from a fam trip to the Brazilian Pantanal together, they discuss the reality of travel journalism today—from AI disruption to the overtourism dilemma. They share stories of jaguar sightings, cowboy culture, and getting demolished by mosquitoes, plus practical insights about balancing authentic storytelling with sustainable tourism. If you've ever wondered what it takes to turn travel into a career, this conversation offers the unfiltered truth.

What does it take to build your own adventure when your life is defined by someone else's career? Kim Kephart has spent years figuring it out.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with the solo travel writer, hiker, and military spouse who's become the poster child for writing your own story. After years of moving across Europe and Asia with her husband's military postings, Kim discovered how to carve out independence through solo travel and hiking.

They discuss moving from following someone else's timeline to creating your own path, why adventure doesn't have an expiration date, and how Kim helps women build confidence through travel—especially those who think they've missed their chance. Kim shares her hard-won wisdom about the invisible permission we seek, maintaining your identity through constant moves, and why the grass isn't always greener, even when you're living in Europe.

What happens when you combine Wisconsin hospitality, craft cocktails, adult games, and Mother Nature's wildest mood swings? You get Camp Lola Whiskey—and it's exactly as chaotic and magical as it sounds.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with three brave souls who survived the inaugural Camp Lola Whiskey in the Wisconsin Dells. Troy, Rachel, and Megan share stories of epic storms, spontaneous old fashioned tattoos, Chef Hannan's mind-blowing food, and the cow hunting game that nearly divided the camp.

They discuss what it's like when 30 strangers become family in 72 hours, the pickle fountain malfunction that became legend, and how a single tarot card survived a borderline tornado to become the perfect camp memento. If you've ever wondered whether adult summer camp is worth it or what really goes down when you gather adventurous people in the woods with craft cocktails, this episode gives you the unfiltered truth.

Travel insurance sounds boring until you're stuck in a Thai hospital with dengue fever or your entire European itinerary gets derailed by an air traffic control meltdown. Then it becomes the smartest investment you ever made.

In this episode of Type 2 Travel, Laura sits down with Erin Fish, co-founder of Wanderwell Travel Insurance—a certified B Corp that actually treats travelers like humans instead of claim numbers. They discuss the real stuff: when you actually need coverage, the massive difference between travel insurance and your credit card's "coverage," and why some claims involve sleeping under desert stars.

Erin shares stories from the front lines of travel mishaps and explains how Wanderwell is different from companies designed to collect premiums while finding creative ways to avoid paying claims. If you've ever wondered whether travel insurance is worth it or assumed your credit card has you covered, this conversation will change your perspective.

Casey Hanisko, a 25-year veteran of the adventure travel industry, joins Laura to talk about something keeping many travelers up at night: how do you keep exploring when the world feels uncertain? They discuss the difference between smart risk management and letting fear steal your passport, why travel matters more than ever, and how to navigate loved ones' concerns about your plans. Plus, questionable decisions that led to the best stories.

Laura's former sister-in-law Kari Chance joins her to relive their most ridiculous travel disasters—from Turkish bath confusion to airport bathroom chaos. They're talking about the mishaps that had them crying from laughter and why the best travel stories come from things going hilariously wrong. If you've ever turned a simple trip into a comedy of errors, this episode is for you.

What does it look like to prioritize solo travel as a parent? Leadership and embodiment coach Andrea Andree joins me to talk about leaving her two kids at home for a week in Cuba—and why the decision to go made her a better mom. We dive into the cultural myth that adventure stops once you become a parent, how to navigate loved ones projecting their fears onto your plans, and why modeling boldness matters more than shrinking yourself to avoid judgment. Whether you're a parent craving more or simply someone who's tired of asking permission to live boldly, this conversation will remind you that your joy isn't selfish—it's essential.

Best friend Tamara Robertson shares 20 years of international dating disasters - from Italian castle chaos to airport security mishaps with mom's ashes. Learn safety tips for dating abroad, why locals make the best tour guides, and the brutal self-reflection question that finally led to real love: "Would you date you?"

Laura sits down with retreat photographer and dear friend Allie Jorde for a conversation about travel photography, storytelling, and the art of being present while capturing the moment.

Allie and Laura first connected when Allie photographed Laura's Arizona retreat years ago. Since then, she's joined Laura in Greece, danced with her in Oaxaca, and become her favorite person to laugh across continents with. Whether floating in the Aegean or eating ceviche on a patio doing absolutely nothing, every trip together creates magic.

They dive into Allie's journey from shooting Arizona weddings to photographing retreats worldwide, her most surprising travel destination, and the real secret to telling stories through photos instead of just capturing pretty pictures. Allie shares practical advice on camera gear—what to pack and what to leave behind—and why your iPhone is more powerful than you think when starting out.

If photography feels overwhelming or you're unsure where to begin, Allie's approach is refreshingly simple: you don't need fancy equipment. You just need to notice things and be intentional. And maybe be willing to look a little ridiculous in the middle of the road for the perfect shot. This episode offers honest, approachable guidance for capturing travel memories that feel authentic and story-driven.

What does it look like to live unapologetically single and childfree? In this episode, Laura sits down with Angela Gentile—speaker, educator, and founder of the Single Childfree Community—to talk about choosing freedom over expectation.

Laura and Angela connected through the podcast algorithm, and they immediately knew they had to meet. Now Angela is joining Laura's Cuba trip this winter, and they're co-hosting a Morocco adventure for other single, childfree women who refuse to apologize for their choices.

They dive into Angela's journey to embracing childfree life, the viral TikTok that accidentally built a global community, and the realities of solo travel—including the emotional labor of navigating life on one income. They also swap stories: Laura's unexpected love for Brazil, Angela's hippo chase in Africa, and why being single and childfree doesn't mean less-than. It means limitless.

This conversation is for anyone living outside traditional norms, questioning the life script they were handed, or simply curious about what happens when choosing yourself first. Angela brings fire, honesty, and zero apologies to this transformative discussion about redefining what it means to live fully.

Rethinking Travel: A Conversation on Responsibility, Consumerism, and What We Owe the Places We Visit

What does it mean to travel responsibly in 2025? It's a question that keeps me up at night—and one I knew I needed to tackle on this podcast with someone who thinks as deeply about it as I do.

Enter Yulia Denisyuk: award-winning travel journalist, photographer, filmmaker, and founder of Going Places, an independent journalism platform. We met in Okinawa during a press trip, and I was immediately struck by her authenticity and the depth of her work. When I saw her speak at the Women in Travel Summit in New York, she brought the room to tears with her raw honesty about the state of our industry and our world.

In this episode, Yulia and I have the kind of conversation you don't often hear in travel media. We talk about the uncomfortable truths: how tourism can harm the very places we claim to love, why "glamping in the desert" might be destroying local ecosystems, and what happens when Instagram-worthy moments replace genuine human connection.

We discuss tourism leakage—the phenomenon where money spent by travelers leaves local communities instead of supporting them—and why choosing where you stay, eat, and spend matters more than you think. Yulia shares her perspective as an immigrant who has lived between Kazakhstan, Estonia, and the United States, and how those experiences shaped her approach to storytelling and travel.

This conversation also gets political. We talk about media bias, the genocide in Gaza, the erosion of American values, and why staying silent is no longer an option. Yulia explains why she's building an independent media platform and why legacy travel publications aren't telling the full story.

If you've ever felt conflicted about your impact as a traveler, wondered whether your trip is helping or hurting, or questioned what "sustainable tourism" really means—this episode is for you.

It's not easy listening. But it's necessary. And I'm grateful Yulia was willing to go there with me.

Ever wondered what it takes to quit your stable job and build a travel business from scratch? In the debut episode of Type 2 Travel, host Laura Ericson sits down with her marketing manager Lauren to share the unfiltered story of how a divorced 34-year-old with a passion for "sketchy" destinations turned spontaneous adventures into a full-time career.

Hey adventurers, I'm Laura Ericson and this is Type 2 Travel - where the journey might occasionally make you question your life choices, but the stories are always worth it. Just like Type 2 fun, we're diving into those travel experiences that transform us, challenge us, and connect us. So grab your passport and an extra dose of curiosity - let's get lost together.