322: Evading Bandits in Ethiopia, Eating Japan, and Launching "Asa Tea" with Scott Brills

322: Evading Bandits in Ethiopia, Eating Japan, and Launching "Asa Tea" with Scott Brills

Author: Matt Bowles: Full-Time World Traveler Since 2013 February 3, 2025 Duration: 1:00:39
Hear stories from traveling 2,500 miles across India by Rickshaw and driving a “Shoe-Baru” from the UK to Cape Town. ============================ 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 In Part 2 of this interview, Scott Brills tells the story of driving from the UK to Cape Town in cars decorated as Chuck Taylor sneakers. He describes his experience getting stuck in Aswan in Southern Egypt, and then evading Bandits in Ethiopia and plowing through a makeshift roadblock. Scott then reflects on doing the “Rickshaw Run” in India 3 times and describes the uniquely rich and immersive experience of traveling 2,500 miles across India in a tuk tuk. Next, he talks about falling in love with Japan and founding his company “Eat Japan” which runs small group tours for people to experience Japanese culture through food. Scott then talks about his distilling and brewing experience and his upcoming launch of his own tea brand, “Asa Tea”. He then offers tips on language learning, as well as business lessons from starting companies in 6 countries. Scott also shares some thoughtful advice on avoiding the pitfalls of voluntourism and the white savior complex. And finally, he reflects on the impact over 2 decades of travel has had on him and what travel means to him today. ⁠ ⁠ → 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
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