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Justin and Patrice La Vigne love the outdoors. They first met almost two decades ago at a hiking and climbing club in Phoenix, Arizona, where Justin was working on his master’s degree in outdoor recreation. After hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2011, they decided to quit their jobs in the corporate world to run a backpacker hostel, lead tours, and work as professional camping gear testers while exploring parks and wilderness areas all around the United States.
All this is to say that they had a lot of experience under their belts by the time they set out on Te Araroa — a 2000 mile path across New Zealand — so they were pretty sure they knew what they were getting into. But this trip would be much different from anywhere else they had gone in the past. Over the course of their four month journey, they ended up being blown away time after time by the kindness and incredible hospitality of the strangers they met along the way.
On the latest episode of Far From Home, they share some stories from their adventure that are sure to warm your heart and restore your faith in humanity.
Listen here:
If you’re interested in learning more about their journey, you can visit their website to read their blog and get Patrice’s book, Between Each Step – A Married Couple’s Thru Hike on New Zealand’s Te Araroa.
In other news, if you’re not subscribed to Far From Home (what’s holding you back?), you may have missed my last episode, where I shared an extended conversation I had with Jake Spring, who’s a journalist for Reuters based in Brazil and the host of the Foreign Correspondence podcast. Jake interviewed me about how I got into reporting, my previous work in public radio, how the NPR ecosystem operates, and some of the stories I’ve covered for this show over the years. It’s posted in my podcast feed and is also available on my website.
Finally, if you enjoy Far From Home, I’d love if you could help spread the word on social media so more people find out about it, and consider posting a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Thanks!
Scott
