Matt Bowles: Hey everybody, it’s Matt Bowles. Welcome to The Maverick Show. This is episode 250 and it has been such an exciting ride to get to this point. I have been hosting the show and publishing weekly interviews with today’s most interesting remote entrepreneurs and world travelers for five years. And we now have listeners in 185 countries. This is also my 10th anniversary of being a full-time digital nomad with no base. I left Los Angeles in 2013 and have been traveling full-time ever since, which is how I find the most fascinating people on the planet to interview for this podcast.

And since we’ve now recorded 250 episodes, I thought I would just commemorate this milestone by checking in with you and thanking you for listening to the show. I’ll catch you up on what’s been going on in my life and share my upcoming travel plans. If you want to meet up with me around the world. I’ll also give you some updates on The Maverick Show and share some special offers with you.

I also want to meet more of you, at least virtually, you know, podcasting is kind of weird because there’s very little opportunity for two-way interaction. It’s not like YouTube or social media where there’s an opportunity to comment and interact with each other.

It’s a very one-sided medium and I would like to change that up. So, to celebrate the 250th episode at the end of this show, I’m going to offer a 25 minute one on one video call with me to 25 people where we can discuss whatever you like. You can ask me questions about business, real estate, the nomad live structure like a consult, or we can just drink wine, and share travel stories.

However, if you want to use the 25 minutes is totally up to you. I am just excited to connect with more of the listeners in person and would love to make some video calls. So, we’re going to offer 25 of those video calls at the end of this episode, and I will let you know how to register for that. But first I want to make sure that you know about the Maverick Show’s Monday Minute Email Newsletter.

Every Monday, I personally prepare this for you so that you can kick off each week with three items of value that are all my personal recommendations. So those could be books to read, travel gear and gadgets that I’m using, some of my favorite destinations and what to do there, or it could be digital nomad communities.

Events I’m attending around the world that you could attend as well, et cetera. Basically, I wanted to create a super short newsletter and challenge myself to pack as much value as possible while ensuring you can still consume it in 60 seconds. Hence the name Monday Minute, so that’s the concept. That’s what I put together for you each week, and we have been getting great feedback on it.

So, if you are not yet subscribed to the Monday Minute Email Newsletter, you can do so at themaverickshow.com/newsletter. And if you’ve missed any of the past newsletters, we have an archive where you can read all of the past issues. So that URL once again, for both the archive and to subscribe to the newsletter, it’s the same page, it’s themaverickshow.com/newsletter. Also, The Maverick Show is on social media, and you can follow us on your favorite platform at Maverick Show Pod. One of the many things that we’re doing on social media is bringing podcast interview stories from the last 250 episodes to life with 60-second animated video reels.

So, whether you’re on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, you can follow us on any of those platforms at Maverick Show Pod, and shoot me a DM once you follow, and let me know what you think. I would love to have your feedback. Now in terms of my own travels over the past year, I have spent seven of those months on the continent of Africa and I’ve spent them across seven different countries for four of those seven months.

I was on the Remote Year all at once. Africa program, which was incredible. If you don’t know about Remote Year, they are a company that organizes itineraries for remote professionals to travel the world together, living in a different country each month. And they have 12-month itineraries. They have four-month itineraries. They even have one-month itineraries and Remote Year the company handles all of the travel logistics, plane flights to each of the destinations, your accommodations, and access to coworking spaces, and they provide you with local things to do on the ground with local people that are from. locations, organizing that for you, which is one of the things that I love about it.

And they bring together an amazing community of remote professionals who travel together on the entire trip. So, on this four-month all-Africa journey, I did a number of podcast interviews with digital nomads who were traveling with me. On that program, for example, I interviewed Dr. Aprile Andelleon episode 206, where we discussed our experience of spending time in South African townships.

I interviewed Alondo Brewington on episode 208, where we talked about the Safari that we went on in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania.

Then I interviewed Tammer Abiyu, which was a two-part interview in episode 211, we discussed our experience summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. And then in episode 212, we reflected on our experience in Kigali, Rwanda, learning about the Rwandan genocide that happened there in 1994.

I also interviewed Sharon Rosenberg about our experience together in Dakar Senegal on episode 218 and I interviewed a number of other amazing people in Africa that I met on Remote Year like Flora Mendoza, Jessea Lu, and Youmie Jean Francois. So, by listening to some of those episodes, you can get a good sense of what the program is like and what the people are like that you will meet.

On a Remote Year program. So, I will link all of those episodes up in the show notes in case you missed any of them. So, you can check them out. And by the way, if you are interested in trying a Remote Year program, either a 12-month itinerary or a four-month itinerary, or even just dipping your toe in and doing one month, you can go to themaverickshow.com/remoteyear and get a 100 credit towards your first Remote Year trip. On that page, you will also see pictures from my Remote Year experience, both from my four-month all-Africa trip that I recently completed, as well as my initial 12-month Remote Year program. I did that and went across four other continents.

One of the things that I really like about Remote Year and the reason I continue to keep patronizing them is their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. So, their customer base is majority BIPOC, and it is majority women. I interviewed the CEO of Remote Year about this in South Africa, and that is episode 204 of The Maverick Show, which you can also stream on the same URL that I just gave you.

So, to listen to that episode, to see pictures of my different Remote Year trips, learn more about the program, and get your $100 discount. You can just go to themaverickshow.com/remote year. Now, in terms of my upcoming travel plans and where you can link up with me, I am headed to Nomadness Fest in Louisville, Kentucky, from September 28th to October 1st, 2023.

This is a weekend for travelers of color and allies. At least eight of my podcast guests are going to pull up, so it’s going to be a real dope crowd. This year’s theme is Cultural and Conscious Travel. I’ve interviewed the founder of Nomadness Travel Tribe, Evita Robinson, on the podcast, and she has offered all Maverick Show listeners a 25% discount on tickets.

So come through and hang out with us all in person to get your discounted ticket. Just go to nomadnessfest.com. Select the ticket that you want. I recommend the VIP festival weekend ticket, that’s the one that I got and then click through to the checkout and then at checkout, enter the code MAVERICK, and you will get 25% off your ticket.

And once you buy your ticket, definitely send me a direct message on Instagram at Matt Bowles Maverick, to let me know that you’re coming so that we can be sure to link up at the event. Once again, my Instagram handle is Matt Bowles Maverick. And then later this year, I am going on the Nomad Cruise, which is going from Spain to Brazil, from December 2nd to 11th, 2023.

This is basically an entrepreneur and travel conference on a boat with parties every night and amazing networking, and there are already over 300 digital nomads registered. This will be my fifth Nomad Cruise. I have met over 25 of my podcast guests at this event, many of whom will be returning for this upcoming Nomad Cruise in December.

So, you can hang out with all of us in person there. And I will be giving a keynote speech on board the Nomad cruise. So, they’re allowing me to offer Maverick show listeners a $100 discount on your ticket. The cruise is departing from Tenerife in the Canary Islands on December 2nd, and we are arriving in Salvador de Bahia in Brazil on December 11th in Salvador,

If you’re not familiar is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture. I have not yet been there, and I am super excited that that’s where the cruise is ending because I’m definitely going to hang out there for a little while after the cruise. So, to book your ticket and get your $100 discount, just go to themaverickshow.com/cruise. And use the discount code MaTT100 at checkout. That’s M-A-T-T-1-0-0 at checkout. Note that the ticket prices will rise, and these cruises almost always sell out. So, the sooner you book the better to learn more about it, get all of the details, and book your ticket. Go to themaverickshow.com/cruise. And use the discount code MATT100 at checkout for your $100 discount.

I want to personally thank Galactic Fed for sponsoring our 250th episode. If you have not listened to my interviews with the two digital nomads who co-founded Galactic Fed, I highly recommend both episodes. I interviewed Zack Boyette on episode 94, where he tells the whole story of how they built Galactic Fed as a fully remote digital marketing agency and scaled it to nearly a hundred staff in just three years. Today, it’s over 150 staff. And then I interviewed his co-founder, Irina Papuc, on episode 108, which not only includes really solid marketing tips but also includes some of the best travel stories ever told on The Maverick Show. She tells stories about living with Buddhist nuns in Taiwan, driving a motorcycle across Nepal, living with shaman in the Himalayas, slow traveling, the silk road, sleeping on rooftops in Uzbekistan, attending a Tajik wedding near the border with Afghanistan, Crossing the Caspian Sea on a commercial ship, avoiding landmines in the Gorno Karabakh, and much more.

You should definitely check out both of those episodes. Again, they’re episodes #94 and #108 of The Maverick Show. So, wherever you’re listening to this, you can just scroll down the episode list and click play on both of those. And we’re going to link up both of those episodes in the show notes as well.

But let’s definitely show Galactic Fed some love and some Maverick, thanks for sponsoring this episode. I personally use Galactic Fed. They are a blast to work with and have a team of world-class professionals on staff. So, if you or anyone in your network is looking for digital marketing services, definitely have them check out Galactic Fed and see if they are the right fit.

If you just mentioned The Maverick Show, you get 10% off your first month of services, but you can learn more and get a completely free marketing plan at galacticfed.com. And if you would like to support The Maverick Show as an individual, you can now Buy Me a Coffee.

If you have listened to the show for a while, you probably know that I am fueled by espresso. I travel with an espresso maker wherever I go. I literally brought it, up Mount Kilimanjaro so that I could make espresso every morning of the hike all the way up Mount Kilimanjaro this past year. And now you can buy me an espresso to support the show.

Just go to buymeacoffee.com/themaverickshow. There you can Buy Me a Coffee and leave a personal note, which I will absolutely read myself and appreciate greatly. Another way you can support the show is by leaving a rating and review, which really helps us out tremendously. And I personally read every one of those.

Now, some platforms like Spotify only allow you to leave a star rating, which literally takes one second just to click the star rating. So, if you are listening to this on Spotify right now, you can literally do it right now. Just click the star rating button. That would be amazingly appreciated. Other platforms like Apple podcasts allow you to leave a written review.

And I’ve actually created a page to make it super easy for you to do this. Just go to themaverickshow.com/reviews. And that has direct links to multiple platforms where you can write a review. Also, if you can help amplify the show, by sharing your favorite episodes on social media, recommending it to other people, and helping us get the word out about the podcast.

That would mean a lot to me. So, we can bring the show to more people. The other thing that’s been really cool to see this year is an uptick in both Maverick show guests and Maverick show listeners buying rental properties through my company, Maverick Investor Group. We offer you the opportunity to buy turnkey rental properties in the best U S real estate markets from anywhere.

So, these are single-family homes, sometimes two to four-unit properties, and they’re either brand new or fully renovated. They have long-term tenants in place on a lease and local property management, collecting the rent and handling all the maintenance so that you can own them from anywhere and you don’t have to be the landlord or the rehabber.

So, if you are interested in learning more about that, you can go to themaverickshow.com/realestate. There you will find a short video from me explaining more about how it all works, as well as video testimonials from digital nomads who have bought rental properties from Maverick. Plus, a white paper I wrote on real estate investing for digital nomads, as well as a link to schedule a free consult with Maverick Investor Group to discuss your real estate investing goals, get all of your questions answered, and all of that is available for you.

No charge at themaverickshow.com/realestate. I’ve also put together a bunch of other free stuff for you. So, first of all, a video training on Stylish Minimalist Packing. As you probably know, if you’ve listened to the podcast for a while, I travel the world with carryon luggage only. And my carry-on includes a three-piece suit, an espresso maker, a wine aerator, a professional podcasting studio, and a lot more.

And I did an entire video for you explaining the concepts, the principles of Minimalist Packing, as well as a specific luggage audit of exactly what I pack in my luggage. But I’ve interviewed a lot of other people on this podcast. A lot of women, for example, also travel with carrying luggage only.

So, a lot of those principles and concepts are included in this video training so you can apply them to your specific situation. So, you can watch that Free Minimalist Packing Video training. At themaverickshow.com/packing, I also put together for you a collection of my Top 10 Books for Digital Nomads.

This was hard to narrow it down to 10, but I picked 10 that were a combination of books that I read before I started my nomad journey that got me ready for it and excited about it and then books that I read since I’ve been traveling that have really shaped and impacted the way that I see the world and travel through it.

So, I’ve written a blurb about why I selected each of the 10 books and then provided you a direct link to get the book, either the physical copy or the audio version where available. So, you can get that list of my Top 10 Books for Digital Nomads at themaverickshow.com/books. And then I put together for you a list of my Top 10 Smartphone Apps that I use while traveling the world.

This was also difficult to narrow down, but I did it. And it’s a wide-ranging selection of apps that I use while traveling. And you can get those at themaverickshow.com/apps. Again, it has a description that I wrote about why I selected that App, how I use that app and a direct link so that you can download it onto your phone.

And finally, I put together a collection of what I deem to be the Seven Keys to Building a Location Independent Business even in a category that is not traditionally virtual. So, as you know, I own a real estate brokerage. That is not a traditionally virtual category, right? I help people to buy rental properties.

And that is not typically something that people think, oh, you could easily do that remotely while you’re traveling the world. As a matter of fact, when I started that business and founded it with my business partners, a lot of people told us it was not possible to do that as a remote business, but we founded that in 2007.

And here we are many years later, still running that business. And so, what I did is I distilled down what I think are the Seven Keys to Building a Location Independent Business, even if it is in a space that is not considered a traditionally virtual business category. And so, you can get those at themaverickshow.com/keys. So, as I continue to build out the show and try to deliver as much value to you as possible, the most important thing is being able to listen directly to your feedback. So, if you have gotten any value out of the show at all, I would really appreciate it if you could take a Short Survey to provide your feedback and opinions to The Maverick Show, what you like the most favorite episodes or topics, what I can do to improve the show, what you’d like to see more of or less of moving forward, all of that, because I create this show for you. So, your feedback is super important to me. And I read. Every word of it myself. So please go to themaverickshow.com/survey, and just take a couple of minutes to fill out that Survey for me. It will help me improve the show and deliver more value to you. And as a thank you for filling out the Survey, I am offering 25 people a 25-minute one one-on-one video call with me. We can talk about anything you want for those 25 minutes.

If you want to chat about building your business0 o real estate investing or the digital nomad lifestyle or preparing to leave the corporate world or preparing to travel full time or minimalist packing, or we can just drink wine and talk about travel stories or hip hop or Afro beats or whatever you want.

I would just love to meet more of you and connect with you. So. If you would like to contact me for a 25-minute video call, just spend a couple of minutes filling out the Survey, themaverickshow.com/survey, and then DM me on Instagram to let me know that you did it at Matt Bowles Maverick. And then we can schedule a time for our call.

And with that, I look forward to meeting 25 of you on the video calls and hopefully meeting up with some of you around the world. I will put all of the links to everything mentioned in this episode in the show notes. So just go to themaverickshow.com and then go to the show notes for episode 250.

There, you will find the links to everything we discussed, including how to get your discount codes. And with that, I just want to thank you once again for listening, and for being part of the show, your feedback and encouragement is what keep me going. Without you, there would be no Maverick show podcast. So, thank you and good night, everybody.