Learn how to leave your 9-5 job and build a fulfilling life of long-term world travel rooted in a supportive community. Janessa Klatt joins Matt from Winnipeg, Canada over a bottle of wine and tells the story of her Grandparents’ experience immigrating to Canada from Germany, and then talks about her experience growing up in Winnipeg. She gives her recommendations for visiting Canada, and talks about the role of sports in her life and how that started to pique her interest in world travel. Janessa then tells the story of her first solo back-packing trip through New Zealand, her study abroad experience in Melbourne, Australia, and learning to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef. Next, she talks about leaving her corporate job for an adult gap year, living and working in Berlin, and re-connecting with her Germany heritage. Janessa then shares her experiences traveling around Europe and reflects on the powerful impact of visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. She then talks about her experience working as a deck hand on a private yacht, becoming a dive master in the Canary Islands, discovering The Maverick Show podcast, and becoming a full-time digital nomad. Finally, she reflects on how she has build a meaningful community, both online and offline, in her itinerant digital nomad lifestyle.
356: How to Become a Digital Nomad and Build Community Around the World as a Solo Traveler with Janessa Klatt
Episode Summary
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About the Guest

Janessa Klatt
Janessa Klatt is a remote podcast manager and full time digital nomad who has been traveling the world solo since 2019. Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, she quit her job for an “adult gap year” and never returned to a conventional life. While working as a deckhand on a private yacht, she started listening to The Maverick Show, which helped inspire her to become the full time digital nomad. Today she has produced over 700 podcast episodes for her clients while traveling the world, and is the co-host for the “Remote Roundup” series on the Zero to Travel podcast.
What You'll Learn
- How to. Leave your Corporate Job and Build a Life of Full Time World Travel
- The Difference Between Working Locally Around the World vs. Being a Digital Nomad
- How to Build Meaningful Community in an Itinerant Digital Nomad Lifestyle
Links From the Episode
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OTHER MAVERICK SHOW PODCAST GUEST MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
- Matt: Asheville, North Carolina
- Janessa: Winnipeg, Canada
WINES CONSUMED IN THIS EPISODE
APP MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN CANADA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Okanagan Valley
- Annapolis Valley
- Prince Edward Island
- Newfoundland
- Atlantic
- Cape Breton Island
- Halifax
- Manitoba
- Montreal
- Niagara Falls
- Lawrence River
- Toronto
- Banff (Alberta)
- Jasper (Alberta)
- Whistler (British Columbia)
PLACES IN POLAND MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
HIP-HOP EMCEES AND GROUPS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Boogie Down Productions
- CL Smooth
- Pete Rock
- Rakim
- The Notorious B.I.G
- Tupac Shakur
MOST HIGLIGHTED PLACES IN AUSTRALIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
COMMUNITIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LOCATIONS WHERE CO.404 EVENTS HAPPENED
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[0:52] Introducing Janessa Klatt
[3:01] Janessa’s Grandparents’ Experience Immigrating to Canada from Germany
[6:01] Growing up in Winnipeg
[9:48] Recommendations for Visiting Canada
[11:58] Studying Abroad in Melbourne, Australia and Solo-Traveling New Zealand
[18:59] Learning to Scuba Dive at the Great Barrier Reef
[20:32] Choosing to take an Adult Gap Year
[23:32] Living and Working in Berlin
[26:15] Reconnecting with Her German Heritage
[28:34] Traveling Around Europe
[31:18] Visiting the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland
[35:31] Working on Private Yachts as a Deck Hand
[39:11] Becoming a Dive Master in Tenerife in the Canary Islands
[41:36] Discovering the Maverick Show Podcast and Listening Every Week
[46:09] Becoming a Digital Nomad
[49:02] How to Build Community as an Itinerant Digital Nomad