What if the greatest barrier to travel isn’t distance—
but access?
In this episode of Travel Talk, Edward R. Leos sits down with Brooks Laich, former NHL athlete turned Founder & CEO of World Playground, to unpack a fundamental shift happening across the global travel landscape.
This isn’t a conversation about booking engines or hotel rooms.
It’s about why travel changes people—and why too many are still locked out of experiencing it.
From standing face-to-face with a lion on safari to building a platform designed to remove hidden costs and industry friction, Brooks shares the moment that reshaped his perspective:
Travel isn’t a luxury.
It’s a human experience that should be more accessible.
Inside this conversation:
At its core, this episode challenges one of the biggest assumptions in the industry:
Is travel something we buy… or something that transforms us?
Because the brands that win next won’t just sell destinations.
They’ll create access to moments that change people.
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