Gillian Morris: Swimming Across Guantanamo

Gillian Morris is the founder and CEO of Hitlist, an app that alerts you when there are cheap flights for your dream trips. Fast Company named Hitlist one of the Best Apps of 2017 and the app has been featured as a 'Best New App' by the app store in 83 countries.   We begin this episode with a discussion of Gillian’s time as a journalist in Turkey and the time she spent in war zones in Syria and Afghanistan.   We talk about Gillian’s experience swimming across Guantanamo, why Tinder is the world’s best travel app, and how to make travel meaningful. Finally, we end the podcast with a discussion of community living and alternative parenting strategies.   

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Guest: Gillian Morris Twitter:@gillianim

Medium:  https://medium.com/@gillianim

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Show Topics 1:24 Gillian opens with her passion for travel and how journalism opened the doors to all kinds of adventures and experiences traveling.

 

5:45 How living in different places and cultures opens and shapes ones perspectives and worldview.

 

9:00 Gillian shares the misconceptions of the western world regarding some of the Middle Eastern countries she has visited.

 

12:30 The differences of living in a peace prone vs conflict zone and how it affects the overall quality of life and standard of living.

 

19:55 Gillian shares her vision for being a catalyst in getting more people to travel as a way to broaden their perspective. How more traveling for the average American could have a profound impact on their sense of the world and themselves.

23:30 Misconceptions about travel and myth that it is extremely expensive.

 

32:01 David and Gillian discuss communication barriers and opportunities when dealing with new cultures or in new places.

 

39:35 Gillian on how flights and travelling rules are constantly changing and evolving. Flying and traveling can’t be generalized, but there a processes one can do to make it easier and more accessible.

 

42:05 David and Gillian discuss the trend of countries relaxing the barriers of entry for tourism and the ensuing results.

 

50:48 How Hitlist uses intelligence to profile a personalized experience on the app that would be most appealing and tailored to each person. 

 

51:50 David opens of the dilemma of the two sides of privacy and freedom when it comes to subscribers privacy.

 

 

52:38 Gillian on how privacy is handled within Hitlist.

 

57:40 Gillian on learning an instrument and some of the key factors that make it more understandable when learning.

 

1:04:06 The power of small group environments and the effect of an environment on the development of its individuals.

 

1:08:40 Looking historically at the issues within society and the traditional family structures vs modern communities.

 

1:11:40 Parenting and accessibility; creating additional accessibility and affordability when it comes to child rearing for those who are interested, but maybe unequipped or afraid.

 

1:14:25 Gillian shares a story of her time swimming across Guantanamo.