Extra Pack of Peanuts Travel Podcast · Travis Sherry

EPOP Real Estate 007: Top 15 International Destinations to Invest

·1 hr 8 min·4 clips

A Mexico retreat led to Jonas pitching Secret Beach on Ambergris Key within 24 hours.

The hosts frame the new podcast as a continuation of the same long-running mission: chasing new experiences and new challenges. This time, though, the vehicle is real estate. More specifically, hospitality. Even more specifically, they want to build the world's most unique and boutique experiential hospitality through micro resorts around the world. They invite listeners to follow along, listen in, and keep an eye on social media as the projects develop. They also leave the door open for possible investors and partners. Then they launch into a top 15 international destination list for where they would want to invest and build. They joke about whether the international rundown will run longer or shorter than the earlier U.S. list. The conversation settles into the kind of back-and-forth the show does well. One idea leads to another. The list becomes a way to talk through geography, hospitality, and fit. Mexico comes up as a place where they agree there is real opportunity. They also note that it is relatively easy to do something there compared with some of the other markets on the table. Thailand gets a longer run because it clearly means a lot to them. One host says it is one of his favorite places in the world. He has not been back in seven years, but the affection is still obvious. Thailand is attractive because it is cheap, and because you can do a lot for a fraction of what similar experiences might cost in the United States. They also point out that there is already a strong tourism base. There are also enough Western visitors spending for a mid to high level experience to make the market interesting. They talk about Chiang Mai as one possible location. They also keep being drawn back to the islands. A friend's example makes the idea more concrete. She moved from Florida to Koh Samui with her family, ran a taco joint there, and later turned that into two little beachfront short-term rentals. That story lands because it sounds both adventurous and oddly plausible. The numbers sound good. Still, the distance is real. They would need to spend time on site while a project was being built. That becomes part of the decision, not just an aside. They talk about seasons of life and how the farther-away options fit differently depending on when you are doing them. One host says he loves Southeast Asia and would absolutely like to do something there. At the same time, he does not have anything that far away at the top of his list right now. The conversation circles back to the United States versus abroad. Living in the States is easier for visiting and oversight. International options have the vibe they want for what they are trying to build. Near the end, they sharpen the point around audience. Their own tastes are the target. Their avatar is themselves. They want boutique, well-run, experiential hospitality and wellness micro resorts. If they build for the kind of place they would want to go to, they figure the right guests will follow. The episode ends with that idea settled in place and a light celebratory note about the international list length.

As heard by us

A grounded travel-to-real-estate discussion about where boutique micro resorts could make sense.

The conversation moves from travel into real estate as the hosts sketch where boutique experiential micro resorts might fit around the world and weigh the tradeoffs that come with each choice.

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Why you'd press play

You want a conversational pass at where boutique experiential hospitality and micro resorts could make sense.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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