Alex Reynolds Would Make a Great World Dictator
Today, we're welcoming Alex Reynolds, a traveler building a radically different hostel in Pakistan's Ishkoman Valley.Alex is an American travel photographer, writer, and solo female traveler whose work has been featured on Lonely Planet, BBC Travel, AP News, and more. She’s scrambled up fortress ruins in Afghanistan, galloped horses across the Kyrgyz steppe, and motorbiked from Pakistan to France. Become a Going Places member for as little as $6 a month. Visit our reimagined platform at goingplacesmedia.com to learn more.Thanks to our Founding Member: RISE Travel Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education.What you’ll learn in this episode:What it was like traveling to ChechnyaHow colonialism shows up when we travelWhat Gaza has taught the worldTraveler vs tourist: why Alex thinks it doesn't matterBuilding a sustainable hostel in Pakistan’s Ishkoman ValleyFrom nomading to settling down in brick and mortarWhy Alex and I both love the Kazakh steppesDoes Alex still have faith in humanity?Traveling as a woman in the world of creepy menWould women at the helm fix everything?Where Alex finds hope these daysFeatured on the show:Follow @lostwithpurpose on InstagramRead Alex's post on tourist privilegeFollow Alex's Chechnya storiesCheck out Alex's Pakistan motorcycle toursSupport the hostel with this GoFundMe campaignGoing Places is a reader-supported platform. Get membership perks like a monthly group call with Yulia at goingplacesmedia.com!For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the...