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This week on the podcast, we are joined by KT & Jordan from the On Arrival podcast!
KT Maviglia-Morgan & Jordan Morgan met while studying at the University of Michigan and have spent the last 7 years living around the world as Jordan’s professional basketball career has brought him to 6 countries in 7 years.
They’ve lived in Italy, France, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece, and most recently, Russia! KT & Jordan share what it’s been like to create a life around travel while living and playing basketball abroad, some of their strangest experiences, what they’ve learned through their travels, and ultimately how living abroad inspired them to create their own travel podcast, On Arrival.
Enjoy!
In this episode:
- How did KT and Jordan meet in college?
- What is it like starting a relationship while you’re both unsure where in the world you’re going to be working?
- What is it like traveling and living abroad when you don’t have a lot of choice about where you’re going?
- Being intentional about travel when you’re on a busy schedule
- What are the weird moments that KT and Jordan have had on the road?
- What was it like getting the opportunity to play for BC UNICS in Russia?
- Traveling in Russia and Europe in 2020
- What are KT and Jordan’s favorite under-the-radar cities in Europe?
- What inspired KT and Jordan to start their podcast, On Arrival?
- Upcoming travel plans
- And much more… Listen now!
If you would like to get access to the past and future episodes of our nomad series as a World Wanderers Insider, head on over to Patreon.com/theworldwanderers. Thank you so much for your continued support!
Connect with KT and Jordan here:
- https://www.onarrival.com/
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-arrival/id1563979392
- Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onarrivaltravel/
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Nomad Life: Living Abroad & Playing Professional Basketball with KT & Jordan from On Arrival
In this episode, we are introducing you to KT and Jordan from the On Arrival Podcast.
Jordan is a professional basketball player who has played in six different countries over the past seven years, from France to Italy, to Slovenia and even Russia.
KT is an accomplished public speaker traveling the US as a narrator for Alfa Romeo.
After seven years together, they are always looking forward to the next year in a different location around the world.
How does a couple bound by a traveling career coexist together? It is easy and smooth when you have the right partner, attitude, and mutual goals.
The best part? They will share some of the strangest experiences and difficulties when living abroad and developing a career requiring you to be on the move constantly.
Then ultimately, how all of these experiences traveling and living abroad have led them to create their own business and brand and podcast called On Arrival.
The Beginning: How did KT and Jordan meet?
Jordan and KT both attended the University of Michigan. She was a dance major. He played basketball and was an engineer. They met in the most movie-like place – the diag – an outdoor events area where Jordan was emceeing an event.
“We ran into each other, and yeah, the rest is history. I mean, it took about three weeks for me to accept his invitation for a date. And then ever since we’ve been inseparable.” shares KT.
That’s where their story began. After being together for a few months, Jordan was asked to play for a professional basketball team in Rome.
“From there, a few months later, I was off to Rome. And so it was like ‘pack your bags, you’re moving abroad. You’re going to be in Italy for three to nine months.’ That was our first, massive adventure together, just exploring the streets of Rome, the restaurants, the culture, the food, and where we fell in love with travel.“ – Jordan.
Sometimes, KT had to go back to the states and work on her career. But the distance wasn’t going to stop them from being together.
“Jordan was playing in Rome, and I was competing in the Miss America pageant, and then Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Jordan came for one day all the way from Rome to support me on finals night. And then he flew back the next day, and it was his birthday. So it was kind of a crazy 24 hours, but worth it to spend time together.” -KT.
Starting a relationship while figuring out where in the world you’re going to be working
How do you maintain a relationship while both are working and living abroad? KT and Jordan have the perfect example of a relationship where they have no idea where they will work next but managed to do it nevertheless.
The challenging part? Both of their careers take them in different directions. So if living abroad was challenging to a relationship, this brings it to a different level. But according to KT, they both enjoyed it.
“For me, it was exciting. And I think for Jordan when he realized that we weren’t going to be able to be together as much as we were in that first year of dating, that was kind of hard just because the following year when I was Mis Michigan and he went off to Rome, we went six months without seeing each other.
So that was definitely a transition for us from seeing each other all the time to barely seeing each other. And from there, I was working in the US on and off, so I would just hop on a flight overseas and come back all the time” – KT.
Traveling and living abroad when you don’t have a lot of choice about where you’re going
The uncertainty of where you will end up, without much freedom of choice, can make your experience with traveling and life abroad challenging. Luckily, most of the time, the unknown makes it even more exciting!
Jordan described his thoughts about his career and not having the choice where he is going to end up.
“But, something that’s interesting about basketball is that we don’t have much choice normally on where we’re living or what team exactly we’re going to. You might have a few options, but you’re kind of displaced with like here’s your car, here’s your apartment, hope you like it! And, it’s funny because you said plopped down in a new place, and that’s where you’ll be for the season or the time of the contract.”
“There’s not so much choice. And you don’t know much going in. That’s one thing about this too. You have an agent who negotiates your contracts and everything. But before you sign, we don’t often know much about what we’re going into, and we rely on talking to past players to find out their experiences. You basically get on a plane, fly to a new destination, you get off, and it could be anything.” – Jordan.
Nonetheless, KT and Jordan decided to pursue their careers abroad and their love for travel.
Being intentional about travel when you’re on a busy schedule.
Deciding to work and live abroad means that you live and breathe travel, and that means being intentional about traveling even if you are on a busy schedule. KT and Jordan are the perfect examples of that.
KT described how she managed her career so that she can travel and be around Jordan most of the time:
“I had to make adjustments along the way. First, I got my master’s in marketing. I did that online for two and a half years. So I was able to travel with him while I was getting my master’s. And then I picked a career: I traveled in the US with Alfa Romeo for the auto shows.”
“So I picked a career where I can work for two months at a time and then fly back. I can work three months straight and then fly back. So that’s been a transition for us to figure out that flow of how much you want to be together, how much we can stand not being together, but since we started our podcast, things are looking up that we’re going to be able to spend more time together and work on that.”
And sometimes you are able to manage your busy schedule by planning your trips and adjusting your free time accordingly. For example, Jordan explained how KT plans their off time to take advantage and experience exciting things when they are in new locations.
“So one of the things we do when we go to a new place is that we make a list. Especially KT makes a list of major things here that we need to see, like what the places are known for. What are the things that are special there? And we just knock that list out, and we take every chance we get as an off day or half-day or whatever the case might be.”
“But there are also times in my season, which usually lasts nine to ten months, where I am getting only two, maybe three off days per month. So it’s a very demanding schedule. But there are times throughout that schedule where you’ll get two, three, four, or even five days, like this past year, we got five days off. And so, during those five days off, we took a trip for five days to St. Petersburg. And that was one of the ways that we took advantage of exploring Russia.” – Jordan.
What are the weird moments that KT and Jordan have had on the road?
As an American, traveling abroad to different countries means encountering many new cultures, habits, and weird moments.
Jordan and KT have had a lot of exciting and fun experiences while being in Europe. There have been instances when she was mistaken for a native of another country.
“Well, I think for me I’m kind of culturally ambiguous. A lot of people say that I look like I could be from the place we’re in, like ‘you’re definitely Slovenian’, ‘you’re definitely Italian, Turkish, Russian’, or whatever. They always assume I’m native.”
“So, it’s funny because when we were in France, they always would think I was French, and they would hand me the French menu, and they would hand Jordan the English menu, and he’s fluent in French. So we switched the menus, and that was always a funny thing for me.” – KT.
After dinner, they also had an exciting encounter in Russia and ordered a Russian kind of Uber called Yandex.
“I remember one time we had this year. We went to dinner, and we finished, and we called our Yandex, which is Russian Uber. And we got outside, and the driver who was there was blasting-loud Techno music.”
“And we were looking around, and I was double-checking because I wanted to make sure that he had the correct license plate. So we walked up to the car, and he turned the music down. He took us all the way home. As soon as we got out, he cranks it back up. I mean, the music was too loud for my taste.”
“It was so loud. It was just like one of those moments where we literally looked at each other, and we’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to us right now.’” – Jordan.
What was it like getting the opportunity to play for BC UNICS in Russia?
Jordan shared how it felt to be a basketball player in Kazan, Russia, during the COVID-19 pandemic and showed us that nothing could stop him from pursuing his career and love for basketball and travel.
“I actually was very familiar with the club because it was a perfect opportunity. So, I was really excited about it. We were both excited for that opportunity because it was a kind of opportunity that we worked for years to get to.”
“So, that was really exciting. But it was so funny because we spent the whole summer last year, isolated, and we barely saw family because of COVID. We didn’t want my contract to be in jeopardy because we had clauses about the season being canceled due to COVID-19 and different things. That was it. It made us really anxious, and we were very cautious.” – Jordan
Traveling in Russia and Europe in 2020
Traveling during a world pandemic can be genuinely challenging because of the number of different restrictions each country has, and the need for tests, and so much more. Despite that, KT and Jordan still traveled to several countries, including Slovenia, Spain, and Russia. So they described how traveling felt like for them in 2020.
“But then to actually go to Russia, when you step off the plane in Moscow, it’s like, COVID no longer exists, and it was so bizarre. We spent a season like that. We were traveling in and out of European countries where there was a mass level of caution. One time we flew to Spain, and the airport was completely empty. We’d be the only flight coming in. And then we weren’t allowed to leave the hotel afterward.”
“And then you come back to Russia, and it’s a normal life like you go into a grocery store, and there are no masks, people literally live their life as if it’s not there. I can’t tell you how many borders I crossed this year during COVID. So I saw everything, I got the low down on the different COVID tests, where it’s different from how it is in Russia. It was a really bizarre, first-hand experience of seeing COVID and how it impacted all these different places”. -Jordan.
It was in a Russian club that KT spoke to us about her experience with meeting new people and her fear of getting COVID-19.
So we went to dinner and then before you know it, I’m in the middle of this club, with hundreds of people, no masks. And I’ve just texted Jordan,’oh, it’s over for me. I’m definitely getting COVID’. And he was really worried about me.”
“Thankfully, I didn’t get COVID, and I was under watch for a good three or four days. I had to sleep in the other room, but then I went home, and I was home for one month before returning back to Russia. And in that one-month timeframe, I was able to get the vaccine. So when I came back, I was ready to go all out.” – KT.
Despite the circumstances with the pandemic and the cold weather, Jordan and KT really enjoyed their life in Russia and fully experienced Moscow and St. Petersburg.
“My Canadian cousins in Windsor were telling me about Moscow and St. Petersburg, specifically St. Petersburg. They were telling me I had to go, that It’s so beautiful. And this was before Jordan even signed there, and we were like, we have to go there!”.
“They kept raving about it. Well then, once Jordan signed the contract, they were so excited for us that we are going to St. Petersburg. So we went, and we were like, okay, this is what they were talking about. It really is amazing. A lot of the stereotypes aren’t true about Russia, and the people are really cool. But it’s different. It’s a different culture. It’s not your typical European culture, but we enjoyed it a lot. There are a lot of nice restaurants and rich culture. It was a very cool country. We liked it, even with the cold!” – KT.
Which under-the-radar cities in Europe are KT and Jordan’s favorite?
One of KT’s and Jordan’s most favorite cities in Europe is Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. Ljubljana is also regarded as the green capital of Europe and one of the most pleasant cities in that area.
“Jordan got citizenship in Slovenia, and the capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. I would say that’s probably the most underrated city that I’ve been to because you never hear of Slovenia growing up. We didn’t know it existed before we went. That was the case when the agent told him that he got a contract for him in Slovenia.” – KT.
It is pretty easy for travelers to visit Venice, Zagreb, and Paris when they stay in Slovenia because the country is fairly close to France, Croatia, and Italy.
“It’s just beautiful. And when Jordan had the day off, or a few days off, we could just drive to Venice and spend a day, right? It’s a one-hour drive to Trieste and a two-hour drive to Venice, and Zagreb Croatia is like an hour and a half away.” – KT.
The inspiration behind KT and Jordan’s podcast “On Arrival”
As both a podcast fan and a marketer, KT decided to work on something she was passionate about, and Jordan being an avid traveler, they were the perfect pair for a travel podcast.
“We were sitting in the over-water bungalow and Jordan said to me, what are you passionate about? Like, you keep complaining about going back and forth for work. Like, what do you want to do? And I told him that I’m passionate about traveling. And he said, all right, let’s work with that. So, from that moment, we started brainstorming, and it was kind of two years in the making.” – KT.
Also, they are digital nomads and love talking about their experiences in their travels, learning about new places, and stuff like that, which has inspired them a lot. As KT described to us, she loves hearing about how their podcast inspired other people.
“We love talking about travel. We love talking about the world, learning about a new place and where we want to go next, and sharing our experiences. So it was kind of natural for us. We’ve had a lot of conversations with friends and people we know about travel and shared some really crazy stories and we wanted to share that in a more public way.”
So it’s been a fun journey, and we love talking about how travel makes you a better person. That’s one of the reasons why I really enjoy On Arrival and podcasting about traveling. You hear from all these people about how travel has made them better, how it’s inspired them and changed their lives. – KT
Traveling helps people define and identify what’s important to them, and embracing a lifestyle on a constant go can drastically change your life.
“You kind of just gotta go with the flow. And I think that’s what travel has done for me—one of the things I’ve grown to appreciate traveling is that it forces us to understand and really identify what is important to you.”
In a nutshell
Traveling in 2020 was quite a challenge for those staying abroad and often moving due to the nature of their work. However, even with these challenges, KT and Jordan managed to travel to several countries and have fun.
Jordan and KT’s story is the perfect example of balancing a relationship and a career to make the most of them. They explained how they defined themselves deep inside by choosing a traveling lifestyle, letting go of many things, which can sometimes be difficult for many people.
With the willingness to put in the effort, to manage the time well, and creating the circumstances, rather than letting them control you, their story is now a podcast and a lifelong adventure.
