Mar 1, 2020
So many of us postpone many of the things we’d like to do until something else happens first—we wait until we graduate, or until we get married, or until we have enough money, or until we retire—and then we realize, often too late, that we missed out on the experiences that would have enriched our lives. Well maybe there is another way…
Daniel Rintz and Josephine Flohr are quite the dynamic duo. If you are a longtime listener to the show, you may recall my first conversation with them. I am so happy to have them back on to discuss what it is like to ride around the world on two motorcycles, covering over 100,000KM over the course of three years.
Indeed this is an interview not to be missed—not just to learn how they did it and what it was like, but also what’s next. Daniel and Josephine are prime examples of living their lives in full and helping others in the process.
Those familiar with Living a Life in Full will not be surprised to have the chance to learn from both of these intrepid travelers, as we have had in-depth conversations with three other motorcyclists, one of whom is also a world traveler on two wheels Glen Heggstad, another is a land speed record holder on a vintage BMW, Rebecca Berneck, and in an upcoming episode, Guinness World Record Holder, Leslie Porterfield. And speaking of going around the world, past president of the Circumnavigators Club David Mink has been a guest, Amy Scott talked about How to be Location Independent, and Matt Bailey gave listeners great tips for travel hacking.
We discuss Daniel’s first trip, which was the basis for the award-winning documentary “Somewhere Else Tomorrow” along with their new, highly anticipated sequel, “Somewhere Else Together.”
We delve into their travels through the Americas and Africa along with all the associated logistics and planning that went into the trip as well as the filming. We also cover their gear and equipment selection for shooting as well as their bikes (1982 BMW R80GS and 2007 BMW R1200GS).
We go into some dicey situations as well—accidents, illness, a flood, along with unstable political situations, war zones and uncomfortable border crossings, and even a run-in with child soldiers.
Also part and parcel of their journey was the humanitarian aspects. Daniel started out on the HUMA.tv team, and he discusses the Christmas spent with children from a Nepali orphanage, along with time spent with a minority group in Pakistan, and they describe the life of a Guatemalan mother and two daughters as "distressing and beautiful." Also, in Guatemala, they both became involved with The Integral Heart Foundation, and they tell us about their work.
In the context of their newest film, which I had the honor to be a part of and serve as an Executive Producer (full disclosure), I came to appreciate their ethos and values in that “The sequel will ask more philosophical questions, because we’ve answered the practical ones already. Naturally, there will be challenges and hurdles that we overcome, but we’re more interested in what it means.”
They are both very generous with their time in sharing this conversation, what they do is truly amazing and an inspiration.