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TRAVEL INTERVIEW with LAINIE LIBERTI of RAISING MIRO
Bright and cheerful Lainie Liberti of Raising Miro has been traveling and blogging around the world with her son, Miro (age 11) since 2009. They intend to continue traveling another 7 years minimum. The adventurous duo feature bi-monthly ‘travelpods’ unveiling their current insights, adventures and travel locations. Recently I’ve been delighted to befriend Lainie as a fellow female traveler out in the world. I greatly admire her for her adventurous spirit, contemporary outlook on life and courage to embrace a nomadic global lifestyle. Today I’m excited to introduce you to Lainie:
Q1: What is a ‘travelpod’? How do you make it/ broadcast it? How can people listen in?
Twice a month Miro and I create a podcast which, as you put it, is a ‘travel- cast’. Our podcasts usually include a a brief history or cultural exploration of the places we visit, an update on what we’ve done since the last podcast, a brief account of some our experiences, and an interview. Sometimes our interviews are with the interesting people we meet on our travels in the real world. Other times they are with interesting people we encounter online. Always though the interviews deal with the topics of global citizenship, inspiration, unschooling, or volunteerism, all with in the context of travel.
If we are interviewing someone we meet in person, we use our ipod with a microphone attached to record the interview. If we are interviewing a person in another country, we use skype. But each episode is always guaranteed to be informative, entertaining and socially relevant.
All of our episodes run from 20 – 35 minutes.
Passport to Global Citizenship [26:55] Play in Popup | Download (25)
There are several ways to listen to podcasts / travelpods. Got to the specific show notes page. For example, there is a link to our latest podcast, episode #20 At the very top of the page, just under the post category, you will see an red arrow, which is actually a button.
Passport to Global Citizenship [26:55] Play in Popup | Download (25) You have the option of playing the podcast there on the page or below you will see another link that says “play in popup” or a “download” option. If you want to browse other pages then you would likely play the podcast in the pop up. If you want to download the file and play it on your ipod or computer, that’s an option as well. You also have the choice to subscribe via itunes which will automatically download the file onto your computer as the new episodes are released. subscribe here: iTunes Podcast Raising Miro
Here’s a directory of all of our podcasts to date: Raising Miro podcast directory
Q2: You’ve been on the road for nearly 2 years. Where have you traveled in that time? What are your favorite 3 places and why?
We have been slowly traveling through Central and South America. To date, we have explored all of Central America and have only visited Colombia, our first country in South America. A few of our favorite places are: Antigua in Guatemala, Caye Caulker in Belize, and Panama City. That’s one colonial town, one beach island and one metropolitan. Our second grouping of favorites include the jungle city of Bullet Tree (adjacent to San Ignacio, Belize), the smaller colonial town of Granada, Nicaragua and the cozy island of Cozumel, Mexico.
We like all of these places for so many different reasons, but of course it’s a combination of the people, the community and our experiences all playing a role. We have visited so many other wonderful places like ancient ruins throughout Central America, little beach side villages on the Caribbean, and idealistic coffee towns tucked in a valley between mountains and volcanoes. Of the communities we mentioned, Miro and I have spent more than 2 weeks there and in one case 8 months which really allowed us to live as ‘visiting locals’.
Q3: What are a few advantages of traveling with your son vs. traveling solo ?
Wow. Ok. I’ll try to touch on this. I am in a much different place in my life now than I was in my 20s or 30s, so I’m not sure if the same opportunities would arise with or without my son in tow. It’s really hard to say. I know Rita Golden Gelmen, author of Tales of a Female Nomad talks about opportunities opening up for her because of her age. She started traveling when she was in her 50’s and as she puts it, she was not threatening to anyone. Therefore she felt opportunities opened up for her.
I am in my 40s, and feel some opportunities arise because of my age, others because of the combination of traveling with my son, others because of being in the right place at the right time and others because we smile an awful lot. It’s hard to say which is responsible for the opportunities, and whether or not they would be present if I were traveling single. I do know, time and time again, people say they are attracted to our energy, and that’s us together. I just know the universe always lines up to offer us exactly the right thing.
I do believe,though, that having a child as my partner on this journey has opened up doors for us that may otherwise not have been open. We have had the opportunities to meet other families, to volunteer for causes that were meaningful to us, and enjoy each and every moment of our adventure together. Miro usually tells people our story and that’s when the questions are asked and the invitations are shared.
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| On the road in Liberia, Costa Rica |
Q4: Is there anything you miss about your former life?
No, there is nothing I miss from our former life. Seriously, there is nothing I wish I had, nothing I miss doing, nothing from our old lives that I feel we missed out on….
Well, actually, I used to have a wonderful costume collection, so that may be the only thing. I have a close girlfriend who keeps threatening to join us for a couple of weeks and bring nothing but a suitcase full of costumes. Can you imagine us going through the fruit markets as huge dancing bananas or hiking a volcano as big white fuzzy bunnies? Talk about embarrassing my son!
Heather!!! When are you coming???
Q5: It’s clear from your website that you prefer to ‘go with the flow’ on choosing your travel destinations. Do you at least have a rough travel plan for 2010? What places do you reasonably expect to explore this year?
We will continue where we are, exploring South America. It took us a year and a half to explore Central America. At that rate it will take us the same or longer to explore South America. The only thing that may cause us to modify that plan is if we decide to return to the states this August / September for Burning Man. Miro and I went during the first year of our travels and have a strong desire to go again this year. However, that will depend on where we find ourselves closer to the date and our finances.
Q6: Recently I noticed that many long-term travelers in S. America have been spending chunks of time in Medellin, Columbia. Why is Medellin so special?
Medellin is a wonderful city, known for it’s eternal spring. It’s a modern metropolitan and the people are very friendly. There is wonderful infrastructure, good public transportation and much art and culture to enjoy. Also there are many NGOs, universities and great salsa bars! The city is known for textile production, therefore is a mecca for fashion. And for the men I’m sure the appeal of Medellin is all the amazingly beautiful women.
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| Lainie and Miro in Panama |
Q7: As a single white woman or as a mom/son traveling independently around S. America, have you ever felt threatened or in danger?
Never.
I believe our experience of the outer world is a reflection of what’s going on in our own inner worlds. If you travel with fear, you attract situations that are fearful. We feel safe in the world, therefore the world is a safe place, for us. We are filled with love and compassion, therefore our experiences are filled with love and compassion. It’s an awesome lesson and one we probably couldn’t have had being somewhat entranced in a conventional lifestyle.
Q8: What do you love most about your nomadic lifestyle?
I love the experiences every day offers. We are never sure what the next day, week or month will look like, but somehow it doesn’t matter very much. We are present in the world and open to whatever opportunities come our way.
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Thanks so much Lainie for sharing your travel experiences with us!
Visit Lainie and Miro plus follow their adventures at:
Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
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[…] Twitter: @mummy_t Google plus: plus.google.com/110734907607003138329You might also like:Interview with Lainie Liberti of Raising Miro – another mom and son traveling through S AmericaInterview with Miro of Raising Miro – the son […]
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2012/06/22 at 5:50 pm (UTC 8) Link to this comment
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