EP 31 - FORBES #4 MOST INFLUENTIAL TRAVELER, ERIC STOEN TALKS THE BENEFITS OF FAMILY TRAVEL

Roaming the Earth with Drea Castro

Eric is a travel writer and photographer based in California. He’s lived in Italy, Norway, Germany and the US and traveled to 97 countries on 7 continents. Eric is passionate about the benefits of family travel and lets each of his three kids (11, 13 and 15) choose any destination in the world every year for a one-on-one trip with him. They also travel as a family during school breaks. His kids have been to over 60 countries.

Eric is an accomplished photographer, winning Conde Nast Traveler’s Photo of the Year award. He’s an ambassador for AFAR Magazine, and his writing and photography have been featured by Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Yahoo Travel and Lonely Planet. He is a two-time NATJA gold award winner for family travel writing, Forbes has named him the World’s #4 Most Influential Traveler, and Fodor’s has called him the world’s best family traveler.

Show Notes:

00:00

• Eric reads an excerpt he wrote about traveling as a family.

2:00

• Introduction to Eric Stoen

3:20

• Eric explains how they make traveling with children happen to 60+ countries including countries that may be considered as particularly harder destinations to travel to
• Eric allows his kids to choose where they go every year. His kids determine the countries that they travel to which forces his kids to look at the world differently.

6:54

• His kids ended up bringing him to Antarctica and Easter Island - countries Eric didn’t really think about at first. Eric shares the stories of how that happened.
• Traveling with his kids gives a brand new set of eyes for countries that Eric has been to before and he finds that journey enjoyable

11:00

• The wonderful experiences his kids are having before they are adults are preparing them to be more empathetic with skills that make them ready for the world in such a unique way.

12:51

• The importance of every experience that in turn shapes and alters his kids. Due to travel, Eric’s children are becoming very worldly and informed children.
• Household traditions at the Stoen house also means having a meal from a different country.

17:22

• The solution to making a great trip when planning a family trip. Making the trip about your kids is the solution to making the trip enjoyable. Being flexible is important.

20:16

• Eric shares what travel means to him

22:05

• Travel Babo and where the name came from!

24:55

• Eric shares his fears when he first started and how mitigated those challenges

29:00

• Eric shares his most valuable thing he learned while traveling with his kids

30:16

• Eric shares his most interesting stories while traveling - Getting lost in Croatia and having the journey turn into something really special

35:14

• Eric shares his most fulfilling moment - Hiking in Greenland with his son and the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil with his daughter - unplugging is his fave

38:38

• Eric’s most meaningful person he met while he was traveling. He shares a story while he was in Oslo

42:32

• Eric talks about the award that changed his life, Forbes #4 Influential Traveler in the World

47:42

• Eric took a risk to follow his passion and it turned out to be the right path for him

50:02

• Eric’s tip and tricks for people who want to follow in his footsteps

54:30

• Eric’s favorite place he’s explored - Greece and the Greek islands
• He shares why his family loved the islands so much and why!

57:19

• Guess where Eric is going next? …. GREECE
• Discussion of about how the pandemic will affect his travels

62:00

• Eric shares the one interesting item he takes with them when they travel - Blue Painters tape. He shares why

63:00

• Eric shares a piece of life advice to a younger Eric

64:00

• Find Eric on
• www.travelbabo.com
• www.instagram.com/travelbabo
• www.twitter.com/travelbabo