Fire-Spinning, Ethical Tourism, and Relocating Digital Nomads to Chiang Mai with Amanda Gedney (Ep 54)

Learn how moving abroad became a business and why supporting local staff and social causes matters when tourism grows. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Amanda Gedney begins by explaining her love of hula hooping and fire-spinning, how to do it, how she learned it, and how she manages the fire-spinning performances at the Jai Thep festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She then takes us on her journey, starting with growing up in New York, going to college at the Fashion Institute of Technology, studying abroad in Paris, falling in love with travel, and then totally pivoting and moving to Chiang Mai to teach English right out of college. She then explains her entrepreneurial trajectory and her experience building her company, Settle in Abroad, which helps digital nomads and teachers re-locate to Chiang Mai. She explains what is included in her turn-key relocation package, as well as her other shorter-term offerings for tours and experiences in Thailand. She then goes on to talk about “ethical tourism”, how travelers should think about it as they explore the world, and how she ethically vets all of her tours and experiences. Amanda then goes on to talk about building and scaling her business, the biggest challenges, and why she over-pays her staff and supports them in building their own businesses. She also talks about her partnership with One Tree Planted, Warm Heart and explains how and why Settle in Abroad gives back to social causes for every program sold. Amanda then gives her advice to high school and college students who desire remote work options and want to integrate travel experiences into their lives. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!