Mujtaba Saifuddin takes us on his journey growing up in a Pakistani immigrant family in Los Angeles, becoming an actor, a pilot, and an aerospace professional, before transitioning to becoming a full time digital nomad in his 40s. Matt and Muj reminisce about their most recent trip together and share reflections on El Salvador, Medellin and Cali, Colombia, as well as Guatape and Lago Calima. Muj also reflects on his own travel journey, from teaching in the slums of Delhi to taking the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia to hiking the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. He shares his experiences scuba diving with Manta Rays in the Maldives, Dirt Biking Across Mexico, and Watching the Northern Lights in Alaska. Muj then reflects on his decision to become a full time nomad, the mental and emotional aspects of the transition, and his biggest lessons learned so far in his first year with no base. Matt and Muj then discuss on their crypto currency investing journey, and talk about some NFT projects they both hold and some upcoming events for NFT holders that they will be attending. And, finally, Muj reflects on what travel means to him. Full Show Notes Available at: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #183: Teaching in the Slums of Delhi, Scuba Diving with Manta Rays in the Maldives, and the Real Value of Collecting Travel Memories with Mujtaba Saifuddin
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Mujtaba Saifuddin
Mujtaba Saifuddin is a recovering Aerospace program manager and newly minted digital nomad. Originally from Los Angeles, California, and raised in a Pakistani immigrant family, Mujtaba has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA and a fixed wing pilots license. After an extended career in the aerospace industry, he is now the fully remote director of corporate partnerships for a logistics company that helps businesses reduce their shipping costs. He has been to over 60 countries and is now in his first year of being a full time itinerant nomad with no base.
What You'll Learn
- How to manage the Mental and Emotional Transition of Becoming a Full Time Nomad
- Top Lessons from Muj’s First Year as a Nomad
- The Transformative Impact of World Travel and the Real Value of Collecting Memories
Links From the Episode
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Get 60 Days FREE Access to Lojistic’s “Refund Recovery Program” to Reduce Your Shipping Costs when you use RP Code: “MAVE22”
Learn About NOMAD TRAIN and use Code ‘MAVERICK’ to get $100 discount
TOP 3 BOOKS THAT MUJTABA RECOMMENDS
- Fall of Giants by Ken Follett(Book 1)
- The Winter World by Ken Follett(Book 2)
- Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett(Book 3)
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM MUJTABA MOST WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
LOCATION WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Anil Kapoor
- Ben Mezrich
- Gary Vaynerchuk
- Hasan Minhaj
- Michael Jackson
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Snoop Dogg
- Santiago Sosa
- Victoria Zapata
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Alaska
- LA, California
- San Diego, California
- Calima Lake
- Chicago
- Medellin, Colombia
- Cali, Colombia
- Connecticut
- Bitcoin Beach, El Salvador
- Santa Ana and San Salvador, El Salvador
- California
- Gobi Desert
- Hollywood
- Delhi, India
- Ireland
- Irkutsk
- Island/Lake Baikal
- Long Beach Harbor
- Maldives
- Mexico City
- Moscow
- New York
- Novosibirsk, Siberia
- Oakland Coliseum
- Oakland Airport
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma University
- Pakistan
- Paris
- Playa del Carmen
- Russia
- Ruta de las Flores
- Kazan, Russia
- Santa Ana
- Catalina Island
- Tatarstan
- Tigris
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- United States
- Valle de Bravo
CONNECT WITH MUJTABA
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[2:28] Cali, Colombia and Lago Calima
[7:50] Medellin, Colombia and Guatape
[12:15] Santa Ana and San Salvador, El Salvador
[15:09] Bitcoin in El Salvador
[23:29] Growing up in Los Angeles in a Pakistani Immigrant Family
[25:58] Los Angeles, California
[28:10] Acting in LA and Being on An Episode of “24”
[31:23] Stories from being a Pilot
[36:00] “Wing-Walking” and Paragliding
[40:20] Reflections on Teaching in the Slums of Delhi, India
[47:07] Taking the Trans-Siberian Railway Across Russia on the “Nomad Train”
[53:15] Mongolia and the Gobi Desert
[56:04] Scuba Diving with Manta Rays in the Maldives
[59:37] Watching the Northern Lights in Alaska
[1:03:32] Riding Dirt Bikes Through Mexico
[1:06:32] Transitioning to Being a Nomad
[1:11:47] Muj’s Lessons from His First Year as a Nomad
[1:15:02] Cryptocurrency Investing and NFT Investing
[1:24:02] What Travel Means to Muj
[1:25:25] The Lightning Round
- Top Books Muj Recommends
- #1 Person with whom Muj most wants to have dinner
- #1 Travel Hack Muj Recommends
- #1 Piece of Advice Muj would give to his 18-year old self
- Top 3 Favorite Travel Destinations
- Top 3 Bucket List Destinations
[1:31:51] How to Reduce Your Shipping Costs for Free
[1:33:18] How to Contact and Connect with Muj