382: Indian Diaspora Stories & Lessons from Ghana, Ethiopia and Nomadic Cultures with Priyanka Surio

About this episode

Priyanka Surio shares her experiences navigating her mixed identity and how her travels have shaped her understanding of culture and community.

Learn how global diaspora connections & nomadic traditions can unlock new ways of building community across cultures. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Priyanka Surio reflects on growing up in Florida navigating a mixed Indian and Hungarian identity, and how early experiences of not fully belonging shaped her relationship to culture, travel, and self-expression. She shares stories from reconnecting with her heritage, including time spent in Hungary, studying abroad in India, and how these experiences informed her evolving sense of identity. Priyanka reflects on studying the Year of Return in Ghana as a model for reconnecting diasporas and considers how similar frameworks could strengthen ties within Indian communities around the world. She also discusses her travels in Ethiopia and her encounters with historically nomadic cultures in Mongolia and Morocco, examining how these experiences reshaped her thinking about movement, cross-cultural travel, and building community. She closes by reflecting on minimalism…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Bowles

Guest: Priyanka Surio

Topics covered

• Indian diaspora
• nomadic cultures
• identity
• community building
• cross-cultural travel
• minimalism
• intentional living

Keywords

• diaspora
• travel
• identity
• community
• nomadic traditions
• minimalism
• cross-cultural

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Florida, Hungary, India, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Morocco

More episodes of The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders

• 392: Beyond the Pyramids: Nadine Arab on Egyptian Identity, Challenging Stereotypes & Travel as a Political Act · June 8, 2026 · 1h 10m
• 391: How to Travel the World Rent-Free as a Cat Sitter and Drive Political Change as a Nomadic Activist with Nicole Green · June 1, 2026 · 1h 0m
• 390: Travel as Rebellion: Marissa Strang on Representation, Storytelling and Supporting Local Communities · May 25, 2026 · 59 min
• 389: Culture-First Travel: Marissa Strang on Egypt, Cuba and Centering Women’s Stories in India · May 18, 2026 · 57 min
• 388: From Jamaica to Jordan: Finding Belonging and Challenging Western Narratives Through Travel with Janine Jervis · May 11, 2026 · 1h 15m
• 387: Nomading in Your 60s: Palle Bo on 127 Countries, Travel Podcasting & Life as The Radio Vagabond · May 4, 2026 · 57 min