If this show has a theme, it’s communication over vast distances. Like a failed attempt to broadcast live video due to communication blockage, and keeping expats firmly “patted” with the magic of Danish technology. No, not the pastry. It’s not your normal travel podcast, but is it ever?

Hello vicarious travelers and welcome to Brisbane, Australia! We’ve been in Australia for just over a month and, as some of you have noticed, have been awfully quiet on Periscope. Where we were doing five or six scopes a day in Thailand, it’s down to two to three times a week. Yikes!

It seems that connectivity is to blame. In Airlie Beach, the cell signal isn’t the highest quality. And to top it off, the cheap smartphone Evo bought to replace his iPhone (the worst phone for any long-term international traveler) is just that: cheap. It may have a quad core processor, but it doesn’t play well with the Periscope app. And that kinda sucks.

But we think we have a workaround, and we’ll start implementation of that right away. Because we’re jonesing to do more live video for you from our travels around the world!

We share two travel stories on today’s program, one from Australia and one from Thailand:

1. Flying the Awesome Barrier Reef

Music credit: RetroFuture by Kevin MacLeod

It’s called the Great Barrier Reef for a reason. We debated boating to the reef, but decided to fly instead. As you’ll hear and perhaps see, that was the right decision. Because it’s big. Really, really big! Since Evo screwed up the Periscope (which, in hindsight, probably wouldn’t have worked all that well), we sat down and shared our thoughts after we got back on terra firma.

2. Skype Through The Ages

Music credit: Quirky Dog by Kevin MacLeod

Cassie, a music professor from California now based in Bangkok, and Evo are a bad combination. Throw in a gallon or two of wine and stick microphones in their faces, and interesting things will develop. This time, the topic of keeping up with friends and family when you’re living abroad came up. All praise the magic of Skype! And let’s work on the camera positioning, generation before us! (It makes you wonder what technological marvel we’ll screw up in a few years time, huh?)

And that’s the show!

This week we’re hanging out with our friends, Steve and Emily, in Brisbane before we start our house sit assignment. We’re having such a great time in Australia and look forward to sightseeing in the Brisbane area!

Special thanks to Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com for our theme music Upbeat Forever and all of the music used in this episode.

Funding for this podcast and all the great content we produce is made possible by listeners just like you. Visit ShEvo.wtf/postcards to pledge your support, and get a hand written postcard each month as we travel abroad.

Additional funding provided by TravelSmith. Inspiring people to go places they've never been, and keeping us looking smart and well-outfitted on our journey.

And if you want to travel the world… it’s cheaper than you think! Visit ShEvo.wtf for more details, and click on the Housesitting link to find out exactly how we afford to travel the world in style

New episodes of the The Opportunistic Travelers Podcast are available every Tuesday. Of course, Tuesday can be a very different thing depending on where we are in the world. Cheers!