High On Life Podcast #12: Hey Nadine | Solo Travel For A Living

#HoLPodcast #HoLInspired #HighOnLife
Nadine Sykora (more affectionately known as Hey Nadine) didn’t know she would become who she is today when she first started documenting her adventures in New Zealand back in 2010. She wanted to be there because of Lord Of The Rings, among other things. Now, with over 50 countries visited, she has an incredibly dialed-in travel business and continues to inspire men and women around the world.
Her long journey from YouTube sketch comedy artist to YouTube travel vlogger and now a major player in the travel influencer space has been inspirational to many people, including us here at High On Life. In fact, she was the one who told us about working with travel brands in the first place!
On the podcast today, we covered as much as we could; everything from varsity golf to solo travel safety tips, and even tips on how to achieve YouTube fame (hint: it’s possible, but not quick).
We were so excited to have her share knowledge on many aspects of the travel world. Thanks to Nadine for being a friend of High On Life!
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:58 - Starting out on Youtube
02:58 - Transitioning from sketch comedy to travel videos
04:24 - Parker shares his experience in Thailand when he first discovered the beach used in 'The Beach' movie
05:31 - Nadine talks about New Zealand being her first solo travel experience
06:05 - Nadine talks about the travel vlogging landscape in 2010
07:23 - "there wasn't a a business aspect to it for a long time"
08:30 - What was Nadine's reaction to getting paid for her travel videos?
09:56 - Making the decision to travel to New Zealand for the first time
11:23 - A quarter-life crisis choosing between a government job and traveling
13:09 - Telling us about her family
19:09 - Being in varsity golf
22:42 - Meeting Ryker and Max in University residences
23:49 - How Nadine helped High On Life get their first gig
27:18 - Nadine shares her experiences getting her first few travel gigs
30:47 - Justis talks about the leap of faith moment
33:26 - Sharing her thoughts on being a solo female traveler
33:59 - How many countries have you traveled to solo?
34:41 - "Are you ever really alone when you travel?" - Justis
36:22 - Overcoming the language barrier when traveling solo
39:28 - If someone goes out of their way to tip you on something, you should take their advice
42:29 - Have you been in any sketchy situations?
46:28 - Which places are less recommended for first-time travel or first time solo traveling?
50:28 - Sharing her experience staying in Seoul, South Korea
51:34 - My goal as a traveler isn't to check off every country
55:23 - Nadine explains her own definition of travel
1:00:37 - Nadine has been filming her own videos for a LONG time
1:05:57 - I love pretty visuals, but I want to know more about the story
1:09:50 - Nadine on riding the Youtube wave
1:10:43 - Is it hard to get inspiration?
1:13:18 - A Warcraft parody is actually Nadine's most popular video
1:15:21 - Evolving as a creator
1:15:32 - How is Nadine keeping up with the trends?
1:18:21 - People want realness, they want that connection
1:19:01 - Justis' miming joke
1:20:05 - The secrets to succeeding to Youtube
1:22:25 - The reason why Youtubers blowup
1:24:57 - "Did we do Youtube because of the money?"
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ABOUT THE PODCAST:
Get the whole story from the members of travel influencer group High On Life, where we talk about life, travel, and how we travel for a living.
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Special thanks to Ben Czegeny for producing this Podcast
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