S3E8: Kristen Sarah - 'Dancing for an Indian King'

Spontaneity is one of the most important parts of having a truly incredible travel experience. Going on an adventure means doing things without thinking, damn the consequences; the best thing one can do is trust their gut and do what feels good. It can turn out badly if common sense is not employed, but trusting your gut feeling when opportunity arises can bring the adventures so longed for. Kristen Sarah of Hopscotch the Globe knows a thing or two about spontaneity, and brings her travel experience along for the ride.

Kristen Sarah has a YouTube channel and a blog, but even between all that she manages to continue traveling and provide herself with content. She and Hayden discuss culture immersion, how to make a life fun through travel, and getting into the adventurous side of travel, like through food adventures and sports. Her story, “Dancing for an Indian King,” finds Kristen in Rajasthan, where a drumming class spontaneously led her to a village where anything unexpected could happen - including performing for a king. Spontaneity is important, because it could lead to the best adventures of a lifetime - trusting your gut feeling, meeting someone new, taking a drumming class, or even dancing for an Indian king. Learning to just say ‘yes’ when an opportunity arises is vital to any travel adventure.

• 2:07 - Hayden introduces Kristen Sarah, and they discuss Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, why Kristen travels, and cultural immersion.
• 7:11 - Hayden and Kristen talk about feeling nomadic and what feels like home when you travel as much as they do.
• 10:28 - Hayden discusses how much fun Kristen brings into her life, how she makes her life fun through travel, and how important it is to make your own life fun, regardless of how you achieve it.
• 11:41 - Kristen Sarah starts telling her story, “Dancing for an Indian King.” When Kristen was in Rajasthan, she spontaneously went to a drumming class, which led her into the desert to a village where anything could happen. Kristen and her group came upon a pre-wedding party, where she learned the drummers were going to perform for the king of the village. Little did she know that she, too, was expected to perform for the king.
• 18:36 - Hayden and Kristen break down Kristen’s story, discussing the rather interesting parts of Western culture that Kristen brought to the village, as well as the importance of spontaneity and just saying ‘yes’ to things.
• 22:02 - Hayden asks Kristen about her YouTube channel; she talks about how she loves to show the adventurous side of travel, getting off the beaten path, food adventures, adventure sports. She also likes to give travel tips and advice on her channel. She talks about her travel preferences and why she likes to go where she does.
• 27:50 - Kristen discusses her blog, Hopscotch the Globe, which brings the fun aspect of travel to the forefront. She also talks about her course on how to make a living traveling and making travel videos.

Get in Touch with Hayden on Instagram: @backpackdigital