Episode #19: Stripping for Travel Money, Getting Shot with a Spear Gun, and Living Life to the Fullest with Nick Martin

Episode Summary

Nick Martin tells his story of leaving his corporate job in Germany in 2010 with 9,010 Euros in his bank account to embark on a year of adventure, “couch-surfing” around the world on a $30/day budget. He takes us through his journey starting with his first destination, Mexico, which began with lost-in-translation moments as he learned Spanish with a host family and culminating in a near-death experience on a catamaran caught in a storm with 36 foot waves, a ripped sail, busted motor and lost dingy. He then takes us through his hilarious trip through the U.S. where he wound up being a stripper at a bachelorette party in Las Vegas to make some travel money and later found himself on a naked bike ride in Seattle. He then shares his adventure in Fiji where, after island hopping and a day of beach volleyball, someone accidentally shot him with a spear gun and he had to be rushed to the hospital in a local fishing boat. After recovering and spending time in Australia to finish out his year, he explains how he decided to continue traveling, which has turned into 8 years of adventures and counting. He explains how he subsequently monetized his travel stories into a book, podcast, course, and professional stage show that has drawn paid audiences of over 1,000 people. He also explains how he landed his first TEDX talk in 2017 and what it was like. Nick concludes by sharing his biggest life lessons from his travel adventures, how to deal with haters, why he recommends making tons of mistakes, and his top advice for living life to the fullest.

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What You'll Learn

How to Live Your Life to the Fullest
How to Deal with Haters and Inoculate Yourself to Negative Feedback
How to Deliver Value and Monetize Your Passion

Links From the Episode

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BOOK NICK RECOMMENDS:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

APP NICK RECOMMENDS:

BOTTLE OF WINE SHARED IN THIS EPISODE:

Australian Shiraz

LOCATION WHERE THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED:

Pipa, Brazil

NICK’S TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS:

For Best Beach:

For Best Food:

For Best Fun:

United States

For Best Landscapes:

For Best Lifestyle:

Australia

NICK’S TOP 3 BUCKETLIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS:

The Trans-Siberian Railway (Enter Code “MAVERICK“)
Antarctica
Cape Town, South Africa

OTHER PLACES MENTIONED

Check Flight Prices to Any of These Destinations

CONTACT NICK:

Time Stamped Show Notes

[03:47] NICK SHARES HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE IN BRAZIL

Surfing with Dolphins in Pipa

[05:28] THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGED NICK’S LIFE PATH

Nick’s life before he started traveling
Having a corporate job and being materialistic
His life-changing trip to New Zealand

[08:15] NICK’S DECISION TO LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND AND START TRAVELING

The revelation Nick had that inspired him to start traveling the world
Saving money for world travel
Nick’s initial itinerary to travel the world for a YEAR on 9,010 Euros

[13:57] NICK’S ADVENTURES IN MEXICO

Nick’s initial expectations of Mexico
His experience learning Spanish through immersion
Nick’s home stay and his “lost in translation” moment
Why Mexican food is Nick’s favorite in the world
How he landed a free multi-night trip on a catamaran

[26:16] NICK’S LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE COUCH-SURFING ON A CATAMARAN

Boarding the Catamaran and meeting the crew
Seeing dolphins, whales and sharks swim in bio-luminescent waters

[32:17] GETTING CAUGHT IN A HURRICANE AND FACING DOWN DEATH

The feeling of 36-foot waves crashing on the catamaran and not being able to see the horizon
The feeling when the sail rips, the engine breaks down, and the dingy paddles are lost
When the captain has fear in his eyes and tells you to just hold on and try to survive
Nick describes feeling the fear of death and what that was like in the moment
He reflects on human behavior in extreme situations when survival is at stake
He shares his reflections and takeaways about how precious life is

[39:21] NICK’S ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO AND LAS VEGAS

Crossing the land border from Mexico into California
Road tripping to Las Vegas
Losing money in a casino and working creative jobs to get it back
Doing the German “Schuhplattler” dance in full costume for tips

[44:13] STRIPPING FOR TRAVEL MONEY IN LAS VEGAS

Stripping at a Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas for tips

[48:38] NAKED BIKE RIDING IN SEATTLE WHILE BODY PAINTED AS THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Participating in an 800-person naked bike ride through Seattle
Getting body-painted as the Incredible Hulk

[51:11] WATCHING THE WORLD CUP IN CANADA

Trying to Celebrate Germany’s Victory in Canada

[52:21] GETTING SHOT WITH A SPEAR GUN IN FIJI

The beauty of the Fijian islands
How Nick accidentally got shot with a spear gun
Going into shock and fearing death
Getting a ride on a local fishing boat to the nearest medical center
Staying in Fiji to work in exchange for accommodations
Getting to know the locals by doing local odd jobs

[1:02:35] EXTENDING A ONE YEAR TRIP TO A LIFETIME OF TRAVEL

Working local jobs in Australia to re-up his travel budget
Learning to monetize his passion for travel after 2 years
Getting paid for documenting his adventures in magazines and social media
Developing his stage show
Selling out his first stage show in 24 hours
How Nick was motivated by audience feedback and lives he affected
The importance of delivering value and inspiring people

[1:11:33] NICK’S TED-X TALK AND HOW HE RESPONDS TO NEGATIVITY

Being super nervous and preparing for the talk
His first public talk in English and his shortest talk ever
How Nick processes negative feedback and haters
Inoculating yourself to negativity and focus on inspiring just one person
The importance of making mistakes and failing in order to be successful

[1:21:24] THE LIGHTNING ROUND

Nicks #1 Book Recommendation
Nicks Top App Recommendations
The advice Nick would give to his 18-year old self
Nick’s Most Recommended Travel Destinations
Nicks Top 2 Travel Tips
Nick’s Top 3 Bucket List Items
How to Live Life To the Fullest

About the Guest

Nick Martin

Nick Martin has been a full-time world traveler and adventure seeker for over 8 years. He is also a podcast host, author and professional storyteller whose stage shows which have drawn paid audiences of over 1,000 people to hear his travel stories and inspirational advice about living life to the fullest. In 2017 he gave his first TEDx talk on how to get the most out of your life through travel. He is also the founder of Travel University which is dedicated to helping people realize their own travel dreams away from social expectations and career pressure. All of Nick’s work is built around his core belief that every person can give back more and transform the world into a better place by learning for themselves what it means to live out their own dreams. And his primary personal aspiration is that he wants to look back on his life at some point with a grin on his face, laugh to himself and say “Hell Yeah, What a Ride!”.