The Observer Effect
These are strangers' travel stories. Each time I ask how travel has changed them and hope listening like this evaporates borders.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 33 minutes
- Episodes
- 135
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2022
75 Forever Young—Iraq, Where Travis Felt a Tug on His Jacket
Travis told a story at the foot of Machu Picchu that has stayed with me ever since. I had asked whether being a soldier in Iraq changed him ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Spec…
00:18:36 |
Mon 27 Nov 2017
74 That Little Push—Havasupai, Where Larry Met a Special Kind of People
Larry's life changed when he took his very first hike into the paradise at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in his fifties. I asked what prompted that fateful trip ... and hope listening like this evap…
00:44:57 |
Tue 21 Nov 2017
73 The Shortest and Most Certain Way—Machu Picchu, Where Gloria Dreamed of Going
Gloria longed to visit Peru and climb Machu Picchu, like so many of us. I asked what happened when she got to Cusco ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musici…
00:30:37 |
Mon 13 Nov 2017
72 Three Points of Contact—The Ewok Village, Where Tony Became a Semi-Retired Hobo
Tony rode freight trains for nine years, picking up a wife, a son, and a dog along the way. I met him and his dog, Pig, on a Greyhound bus ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Speci…
00:48:27 |
Mon 06 Nov 2017
71 Chicago Live Show Part 2—Burma, Where Kathy Had to Wait
Kathy oversees the English Language Academy at DePaul University, where international students transition into a new culture and a second or third or fourth language. I asked her to come tell us how…
00:44:42 |
Mon 30 Oct 2017
70 Chicago Live Show Part 1—South Korea, Where Anne Took Off Her Hijab
Anne moved from Indonesia to South Korea to Chicago, where we sat down with her in front a live audience at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum to discuss a very visible change that travel caused in he…
00:19:25 |
Mon 09 Oct 2017
69 A Wild Olive Shoot, Grafted In—Spain, Where Mike Came to Build a Church
Mike left the U.S. with his wife and kids to learn Spanish and build a church in Spain. I asked which beliefs survived the journey and which didn't ... and hope listening like this evaporates border…
00:39:02 |
Mon 02 Oct 2017
68 As I Expected But More So—Namsan, Where Jay Found a Temple
Jay has so many stories I didn't know where to begin. A pilgrimage in Japan. A pilgrimage in Spain. A cathedral in France. A temple in Korea. I asked how these discoveries have changed him ... a…
01:07:18 |
Mon 25 Sep 2017
67 La Recoleta—Sicily, Where Daniel Called in Sick
Daniel took me to the cafe in Buenos Aires where Borges used to read stories to his mother. I asked what it was like to immigrate to the US and then back to Argentina again, and how he ended up in S…
00:30:10 |
Mon 18 Sep 2017
66 The MV Polaris—Svalbard, Where Liz Is Going on an Arctic Expedition
Liz sat down with me on the steps of Oslo Sentralstasjon before departing further north to the Svalbard archipelago to look for polar bears. I asked what it's like being a diplomat from New Zealand …
00:17:50 |
Mon 11 Sep 2017
65 Welcome to Cafemin—Oslo, Where Gabriel Insisted on Speaking German
Cafemin is a way station in Mexico City on the migrant route from Latin America to the US. I asked the director how people change when they rest there ... and hope listening like this evaporates bor…
00:23:10 |
Mon 04 Sep 2017
64 There's No Translation for "My Soul"—Finland, Where María First Saw Snow
Maria is a translator from the south of Spain. I asked whether there's ever been an idea she couldn't get across ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician,…
00:31:59 |
Mon 28 Aug 2017
63 Parisian TSA—New Caledonia, Where Fred Hunted Bats
Fred and I traveled to Cádiz for Carnaval together. On the way back he told me how New Caledonia changed his life. I asked what it's like to work in Paris's equivalent of the TSA ... and hope liste…
00:30:40 |
Mon 21 Aug 2017
62 The Gypsy—Belize, Where Saundra Hit 79 Countries
Saundra always used to get lost when she was a kid. Now she's on a quest to get to 100 countries. We spoke at Wish Willy's, a jerk chicken specialist's in Caye Caulker, Belize, which was her 79th c…
00:23:50 |
Mon 14 Aug 2017
61 The Future You—Boston, Where Kenneth Asked Borges a Question
Kenneth came to the Nobel Museum in Stockholm expecting more artifacts but ended up leaving one of his own. I asked how in the world he met Jorge Luis Borges ... and hope listening like this evapora…
00:23:33 |
Mon 07 Aug 2017
60 In the Way of Listening—Honduras, Where Jarrod Became a Citizen
Jarrod Brown recently became a citizen of Honduras, the culmination of a two-decade transformation that began with one fateful overseas trip. He is the founder of Mission Lazarus, a non-profit organ…
01:08:39 |
Tue 01 Aug 2017
59 The Atitlán Connection—Tikal, Where Danny Lived Out a Childhood Dream
Danny is from near my hometown, just outside Chicago, but we met sitting on top of a 125 foot stone temple that peeks out of thick jungle. I asked what he'd take away from his trip to Guatemala ... …
00:18:57 |
Mon 24 Jul 2017
58 Coincidences—Lago de Atitlán, Where Sune Tends Mayan Altars
Sune takes care of a Mayan ceremonial site on a tiny lake in Guatemala that's ringed by volcanoes. A famed spiritual energy there attracts hippies, tourists, local faithful, and other seekers. We s…
00:20:29 |
Wed 19 Jul 2017
57 A Vast Beautiful Darkness—The Art Institute, Where Dakota Traveled Inside
Dakota was intentionally trying to get lost at the Art Institute of Chicago. I asked what he looked like ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Bo…
00:13:26 |
Mon 10 Jul 2017
56 A Chasing after the Wind—Pamplona, Where Patxi Ran with the Bulls
Patxi ran with the bulls, and I caught up with him near Iruña Cafe, where Hemingway used to write. I asked a very special guest to translate his side of our conversation ... and hope listening like …
00:17:10 |
Tue 04 Jul 2017
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