369: Life Is a Sea of Motorcyclists: Alex Chacon on Seeking Adventure, Winning Emmys & Finding Meaning

Episode Summary

Hear stories from riding a motorcycle in Egypt, Thailand, India, Nepal, Vietnam and becoming an Emmy-winning filmmaker.  In Part 2 of this interview, Emmy-winning filmmaker and motorcycle adventurer Alex Chacon reflects on what years of extreme overland travel have taught him about life, creativity, and meaning. From riding across Egypt at sunrise to navigating the chaos of Vietnam, India, and Kathmandu, to experiencing radical hospitality in Pakistan and Argentina, to pushing physical limits in brutal heat across Thailand, Alex shares powerful stories from the road and the metaphors they reveal about resilience, risk, and growth. He also dives deep into his evolution as a storyteller—how his viral 3 Year Epic Selfie video changed his life, why he shifted from cinematic travel montages to vulnerable narrative filmmaking, and how travel continues to shape his artistic and entrepreneurial journey. This episode is a meditation on adventure, purpose, and why travel, at its best, is not just about destinations—but about becoming the next version of yourself.

Get The Maverick Show's

Monday Minute Newsletter

Unsubscribe at anytime. You can read the
Privacy Notice and Terms of Use here.

Get 3 recs from Matt for travel, culture & living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds a week.

Alex Chacon

Alex Chacon is a Mexican-American motorcycle rider, adventure traveler, and Emmy Award winning filmmaker.  In 2012, he took a break from medical school, sold all his belongings and drove his motorcycle solo from Alaska to Argentina and back in 500 days on an epic travel adventure for charity. He then made a YouTube video about his travels that got over 100 Million views worldwide and landed him on CBS, Fox, MSNBC and CNN.  Since then he has spent time in over 100 countries on 6 Continents, including riding over 250,000 km and crossing 75 borders by motorcycle. He has been featured on Netflix, Discovery Channel, and was voted “Best YouTube Travel Vlogger.”  He is also the owner of “Around The World Unlimited Productions”, a creative agency that has produced travel/lifestyle videos and award winning short films for brands like Hanes, Ford, Progressive Insurance, Pepsi Co, Kawasaki, and the tourism agencies of over 20 countries.

What You'll Learn
  • How extreme motorcycle travel becomes a mirror for life
  • How Alex evolved from viral travel videos to Emmy-winning storytelling
  • What long-term travel can teach us about purpose and home
Links From the Episode

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click through any links and make a purchase, you should assume that Maverick will receive financial compensation (at no additional cost to you). We greatly appreciate you using our affiliate links because it helps to support the show and cover production costs of the podcast.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAVERICK SHOW’S MONDAY MINUTE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

WATCH ALEX VIRAL VIDEO “AROUND THE WORLD IN 360 DEGREES – 3 YEAR EPIC SELFIE

WATCH ALEX EMMY-WINNNG SHORT FILM “LIMITS” 

WATCH ALEX’S VIDEO “LADAKH: A HIMALAYAN ADVENTURE”

WATCH ALEX’S VIDEO “RIDING IN KATHMANDU IS INSANE”

WATCH ALEX’S VIDEO “THE CROSS EGYPT CHALLENGE”

WATCH ALEX’S VIDEO “45 DAYS ACROSS THAILAND”

CONTACT AND FOLLOW ALEX

FOLLOW THE MAVERICK SHOW AND DM MATT

LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE

TOP RECOMMENDED TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

TOP DESIRED MOTORCYCLE RIDE DESTINATION

MOST UNDERRATED PLACES FOR MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL

CROSS COUNTRY MOTORCYCLES EVENT

TV HOSTS WHO INTERVIEWED ALEX ON CBS

PLACES IN ARGENTINA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

HIGHLIGHTED ICONIC SCENERY IN ALEXS “3 YEAR EPIC SELFIE” VIDEO

PLACES IN INDIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

PLACES IN EGYPT MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

MOTORCYCLE COMPANIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

MOTORCYCLE MODEL MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Time Stamped Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

[1:20] Driving 3,000 km Across Egypt in 9 Days

[5:39] Why India is One of the Most Exciting Places in the World to Ride a Motorcycle

[8:07] The Magic of Riding a Royal Enfield Motorcycle in India

[10:36] The Most Memorable Moments from Riding Across India

[12:20] Off-Roading in Nepal on a Street Motorcycle

[14:22] Driving Motorcycles in Katmandu and Ho Chi Minh City

[17:45] The Hospitality in Pakistan

[18:57] Motorcycle Culture Around the World

[22:13] Riding 3,000 miles around Thailand in 45 Days

[25:28] Getting 100 Million Views on one Motorcycle Travel Video

[32:53] Personal & Visual Storytelling and Winning an Emmy

[36:49:] Alex’s Entrepreneurial Journey and Owning a Creative Agency

[40:29] How Alex Thinks About the Concept of “Home”

[41:08] What Travel Means to Alex Today

[42:11] The Lightning Round

[ 45:05] Follow and Connect with Alex