317: Centering the Voices of Refugees and Founding "Our World Too" with Hira Aftab

317: Centering the Voices of Refugees and Founding "Our World Too" with Hira Aftab

Author: Matt Bowles: Full-Time World Traveler Since 2013 December 30, 2024 Duration: 45:39
Learn about the importance of prioritizing the voices, stories, and experiences of refugees in the places we travel. ============================ 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 Hira Aftab talks about growing up in a Pakistani immigrant home between the UK and Saudi Arabia. She reflects on the life changing impact of her first trip to Palestine, and how that inspired her to become a human rights activist. Hira then reflects on doing two Master’s degrees and working in the international humanitarian sector. She talks about her trip to Jordan, the impact of meeting with Palestinian refugees there, and how that inspired her to start “Our World Too” as a platform to center the voices and stories of refugees. She also talks about hosting the “More than a Statistic Podcast” and shares some of her most powerful interviews. Finally, she reflects on the lessons from her international humanitarian work and unpacks some of the neo-colonial dynamics in the space. ⁠ ⁠ → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads 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 You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

There’s a certain texture to life lived in motion, a collection of stories that emerge not from postcards but from the messy, beautiful reality of planting roots in foreign soil. The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders captures that essence through long-form conversations hosted by Matt Bowles, who has been navigating the world full-time since 2013. This isn't a guidebook podcast; it’s a series of intimate dialogues, often unfolding casually over a shared bottle of wine, where the destination is understanding. You’ll hear from a diverse range of voices-expats, digital nomads, women forging paths abroad, and diaspora storytellers-each sharing the raw, unfiltered nuances of what happens when you cross borders for good. The focus is on the human narrative beneath the itinerary: the cultural misunderstandings that become breakthroughs, the loneliness and liberation, and the profound ways a global life reshapes identity. Listening feels like pulling up a chair at a cafe somewhere in the world, eavesdropping on a conversation that’s equally about internal discovery as it is about geographic change. Matt’s own experience as a long-term traveler informs these discussions, steering them toward the substantive lessons learned far from home. If you’ve ever wondered about the true weight and wonder of building a life between cultures, this podcast offers a genuine, thoughtful window into that journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders
Podcast Episodes
370: A New Year’s Message from Matt Bowles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:40
Learn how to schedule a free video call with Matt and lock in special discounts on 2026 trips and travel conferences. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, cu…