Amateur Traveler Travel Podcast: Recent Episodes
Chris Christensen
Since 2005 Amateur Traveler has been talking about a different destination every week. It covers destinations all of the world with an emphasis on culturally rich travel. Learn more about your world.
Amateur Traveler won its creator Chris Christensen a Travel+Leisure award as the "best independent travel journalist".
Best Day Trips from Amsterdam (Podcast) - explore the palaces, castles, windmills, parks, and history of the Netherlands
https://amateurtraveler.com/best-day-trips-from-amsterdam/
Hear about day trips from Amsterdam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gopinath from greetingsfromeurope.com about his adopted country.
Gopinath argues that too many people only spend a couple of the Netherlands before traveling on to see more of Europe. He lays out a week's worth of day trips that one can make from Amsterdam. He recommends the following places to visit:
Located in Gelderland, the Palais Het Loo is often associated with Queen Wilhelmina. Explore its impressive architecture, gardens, and the connection between the Dutch royal family and this palace.
Drive from the Palace at Low towards Amsterdam, and you'll come across Muiderslot Castle, dating back to the 13th century, making it the oldest accessible site for visitors in the Netherlands. It's conveniently located less than half an hour from Amsterdam. You can reach the castle by car, public transport, or even take a ferry from Amsterdam in the summertime, adding a unique touch to your visit, as the castle sits at the meeting point of the River Vecht and the South Sea.
Nearby, you'll find the old star fortress city of Naarden, just two miles from Muiderslot Castle. While the city's layout may not be as impressive in person as it appears from an aerial view, it still offers a charming Dutch town experience with few tourists. Additionally, the small town of Muiden, just a minute from the castle, is worth a visit, featuring monumental and historic buildings, a beautiful marina, and picturesque views of the River Vecht and the South Sea.
Located in Baarn, Castle Groeneveld is a grand estate with beautiful gardens.
Giethoorn, a charming small village in the eastern part of the Netherlands, is approximately an hour and a half from Amsterdam and is often referred to as the "Dutch Venice." This picturesque place is famous for its canals and bridges. What sets Giethoorn apart is the wide canals, a result of historical peat extraction. Renting a boat is highly recommended.
Drive back to Amsterdam over one of the closure dykes to get a glimpse at how the Dutch have reclaimed so much of their country from the sea.
Feiluwa National Park park is known for its greenery and is popular with locals. It lacks the typical mountains and valleys found in U.S. national parks, but that just makes it better to explore by bike from its fleet of bikes. The historical hunting lodge in the park features a viewpoint tower and scenic lakeside views. The Kroller Muller Museum in the park houses a significant collection of art, especially from Van Gogh, making it a great alternative to the crowded Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Kinderdijk is a UNESCO heritage site known for its 19 windmills. Take a boat ride and a glimpse into Dutch history and water management.
North of Amsterdam are the Dutch Golden Age cities of Horn and Enkhuizen with rich history, including impressive buildings, and the Zuiderzee Museum.
Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum near Amsterdam showcasing the Zaandam region's industrial and cultural heritage, including windmills and Dutch traditions.
Gopinath also recommends you visit fishing villages like Volendam and Edam, known for their maritime history and cheese production.
These day trips offer a mix of historical landmarks, picturesque landscapes, and royal connections, providing a diverse and enriching experience in the Netherlands. See why Gopinath thinks the Netherlands deserves more of your visit.
https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-new-york-city/
Hear about travel to New York City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rebecca Shoval from Not Just Tourists NYC about her adopted home in the city that never sleeps.
Why should you go to New York City?
Rebecca says, "I think someone should come to New York for so many reasons. I think it's this incredibly vibrant place. It exudes life and I find walking around the city, it really just gives you energy. It's also this vibrant multicultural place where you can really see the way that there's so much commitment to the city and to the culture and to people really living in something resembling harmony next to each other... or at least ignoring each other and not getting in each other's business. There are so many different things to do."
Rebecca says that the city has changed since COVID-19. She highlights how the city has recovered and transformed from the pandemic's impacts, offering a unique perspective on what makes New York a vibrant and dynamic place.
Rebecca recommends exploring different boroughs and neighborhoods within New York City. The city's diversity is reflected in its various neighborhoods, each with its own cultural influences and attractions. She particularly recommends Queens, known for its ethnic neighborhoods like Jackson Heights and Flushing, offering immersive food tours and unique experiences.
Public transportation is an essential part of the New York experience. Rebecca emphasizes the convenience of using apps like MyMTA, MTA Bus Time, and Train Time to navigate the city's extensive subway, bus, and train systems. The ease of using Apple Pay or Samsung Pay to access public transit now makes travel efficient and hassle-free.
The Staten Island Ferry offers stunning views of the Statue of Liberty, Southern Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. It's a free ferry that provides a unique and picturesque perspective of iconic landmarks. Rebecca suggests taking this ferry to get a feel for the city's beauty from the water.
The Tenement Museum provides insights into New York's immigrant history, showcasing how various ethnic communities lived and worked. She would recommend that museum or the New York Historical Society instead of a trip to the World Trade Center Memorial for those interested in history.
Walking across iconic bridges like the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge provides breathtaking city views. Additionally, taking city ferries offers an alternative way to see New York's skyline from the water.
Rebecca recommends seeing New York from above but suggests skipping touristy skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and opting for bars or restaurants with panoramic views. The Graduate Hotel's rooftop bar on Roosevelt Island is recommended for its exceptional view of Manhattan and surrounding areas.
You have to check out the entertainment scene in New York. Broadway is amazing for its incredible talent and performances, while jazz enthusiasts are advised to explore smaller venues like Arthur's Tavern, Cellar Dog, and Somewhere Nowhere for a more interactive experience.
Try visiting parks like Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park, and Domino's Sugar Factory, which offer unique recreational spaces and city views.
For ionic New York food, you have to consider getting bagels and pizza. Joe's Pizza and Tompkins Square Bagels are Rebecca's favorites. Try street food, especially halal carts which are much more prevalent than hot dog stands in New York these days. Try some cuisine you can't get at home like Caribbean food, regional Chinese, or Burmese cuisine. Eat something at a bodega.
Rebecca's favorite restaurants include the experimental restaurant Fulgrances in Brooklyn which is notable for its rotating chefs and wine selection. Another favorite is Little Myanmar in the East Village, which serves Burmese food. She recommends the pasta at Nona Dora's (even the Gluten-free). Reservations are advised due to ongoing restaurant challenges post-pandemic. Use the Rezy app.
Wear comfortable shoes, carry a reusable water bottle, and bring a sense of adventure as you explore one of the world's greatest cities, New York City.
https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-belize-and-guatemala/
Hear about travel to Belize and Guatemala on the G Adventures "Classic Belize and Tikal" week-long small group tour: Mayan pyramids, cave tubing, and snorkeling on the Barrier Reef.
An adventurous trip to Belize and Guatemala. The tour started in Belize City, traveled to Flores in Guatemala, and then returned to San Ignacio Belize and the Island of Caye Caulker.
One of the highlights was visiting Mayan ruins, including Yaxha and Tikal in Guatemala and Caracol in Belize. I climbed to the top of 4 pyramids in 3 sites while learning about the Mayan Classical age from 200 to 900 AD. We saw Mayan ballcourts, temples, and noble houses. These sites are all in the jungle with the sounds of howler monkeys in the background and spider monkeys and kudamundi wandering the grounds. We saw tucans, turkeys, and other birds.
We stayed in the colorful island town of Flores Guatemala which is a center for tourism for Tikal.
We did cave tubing in Belize "near" San Ignacio, Belize. We floated through caves on inner tubes. We could get out of the tubes in the cave and see artifacts left by the Mayans of the Classical Period. Some of the group went to the well-known ATM cave where there are still the remains of some who were sacrificed to the gods at the end of the Classical Period. Others visited the Raptor Center where they got to interact with birds of prey.
The trip concluded on Caye Caulker, an island in the Caribbean Sea, where our group went snorkeling on the Belize Barrier Reef, encountering diverse marine life including dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, rays, and sharks. We toured the island with local high school students as part of Bikes with Purpose. We concluded our trip with a lazy sunset cruise.
This was an adventurous tour. It is meant for people who are open to taking a crowded local bus, jumping into the water in a dark cave, and following a guide through the jungle canopy at a Mayan site. If you are such a person, the G Adventures "Classic Belize and Tikal" might be a great use of a week's vacation.
https://amateurtraveler.com/nepal-itinerary/
Hear about a 10-day itinerary for travel to Nepal as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sean Hira about this beautiful country.
Why should someone go to Nepal?
Sean says, "Nepal's a little bit of an underrated destination. It's a landlocked country in the Himalayas sandwiched between two powerhouses, China. In India. My favorite part about Nepal is really the harmony between Hinduism and Buddhism and seeing those cultures coexist so peacefully from a tourist perspective. A lot of people go there for the trekking and the intense base camp trekking and the first thing that probably comes to your mind is Mount Everest, but there is so much more to Nepal than Mount Everest or Annapurna. The Himalayas are ingrained in the culture there, but you can see so much more than just trekking in Everest."
Sean lays out this itinerary:
Day 1: Kathmandu
- Orientation walk around Patan Durbar Square.
- Explore local bazaars and historical sites.
- Sunset at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Durbar Square.
Day 2: Kathmandu
- Early morning visit to Boudhanath Stupa for monk rituals.
- Breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the stupa.
- Visit Pashupatinath Temple and experience Hindu rituals.
- Optional: Visit Bhaktapur and Nagarkot (extra day trip).
Day 3: Transfer to Bandipur
- Private transfer from Kathmandu to Bandipur.
- Orientation walk around Bandipur village.
- Sunset at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Himalayan foothills.
Day 4: Bandipur
- Sunrise viewpoint over the Annapurna region.
- Breakfast and leisure time.
- Easy hike to the "Great Wall of Bandipur" viewpoint.
Day 5: Transfer to Pokhara and Uluru Village
- Transfer to Pokhara, stop for lunch, and rent trekking gear.
- Continue to Uluru Village, north of Pokhara.
- Prepare for the upcoming trekking adventure.
Day 6-8: Trek to Poon Hill in Annapurna Region
- Begin a three-day moderate trek to Poon Hill.
- Experience stunning landscapes, forests, and villages.
- Stay in village homestays along the route.
- Reach Poon Hill for panoramic Himalayan views.
- Trekking altitudes vary from around 1,000 to 3,200 meters.
Day 9: Return to Pokhara
- Complete the trek and return to Pokhara.
- Relax and enjoy Pokhara's amenities after trekking.
Day 10: Fly back to Kathmandu
- Fly back to Kathmandu from Pokhara.
- Revisit attractions or experiences missed earlier.
- Last-minute shopping or exploration in Kathmandu.
Day 11: Departure
- Depending on your flight schedule, free time in the morning.
- Depart from Kathmandu's International Airport.
Sean also talks about some extensions you could do including a Panauti Community Homestay.
If you are looking for an adventure, Nepal could be the place to go.
https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-svalbard-norway/
Hear about travel to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cherie Gonzales from itscheriegonzales.com about her home north of the Arctic Circle.
Why should you go to Svalbard?
Cherie says, "Someone should go to Svalbard if you are adventurous and you love being outside and you want to experience the natural beauty and just really connect with nature without any interruptions. Then Svalbard is really the perfect destination for you. It has new landscapes, new experiences, in the summer."
"You'll experience midnight sun, and then in the winter, you'll experience polar night. And the nature is literally outside your door. The apartment where I live right now, it's 2 kilometers away from the center of the town. But it's less than a kilometer walk and you're already at the start of the trail that goes to a glacier, goes to an ice cave, and all that."
Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, is nestled between mainland Norway and the North Pole. With its coordinates at an astonishing 78 degrees north, it boasts the title of the world's northernmost community, housing around 2,500 inhabitants.
Cherie talks about the town of Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest settlement, and its modern infrastructure, including hotels, shops, restaurants, and good Wi-Fi. She emphasizes the need to carry rifles for polar bear protection when venturing outside the town. Cherie also provides valuable tips for planning a visit to Svalbard, such as joining guided tours, experiencing local accommodations, and appreciating the natural beauty of the region.
Cherie brings her perspective to Svalbard, having been drawn to its charm despite her tropical roots. Her journey from the Philippines to the Arctic was marked by a stint as a cruise ship chef before she set foot on Svalbard.
Cherie recommends visiting Svalbard during the spring months for more daylight and various outdoor activities. Summer offers opportunities for hiking, while winter provides a chance to experience the polar night. She mentions key attractions such as Plata Fiala for panoramic views, boat cruises to see wildlife and glaciers, and visits to Russian settlements like Pyramiden and Barentsburg.
Svalbard offers a majestic and unique Arctic experience for adventurous travelers seeking a connection with nature and a taste of life at the northernmost reaches of the world.
https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-the-galapagos-islands-ecuador
https://amateurtraveler.com/galapagos-cruise-on-quasars-evolution/
Hear about travel to the Galapagos Islands as Chris Christensen, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a live-aboard cruise of the Galapagos Islands on Quasar Expeditions M/V Evolution.
The Galapagos is a singular destination. People describe other places as the 'Galapagos of Mexico or the Galapagos of some other place' but the Galapagos doesn't try and compare itself to anywhere else. This is a must-see destination for people who want a vacation to see wildlife. People can tell you how the wildlife here is different because it does not fear humans but until you are standing by a giant tortoise, walking through a booby nesting ground, or swimming with sea turtles and sea lions, it is hard to understand what that really means.
This is a place where you come to see giant tortoises or iguanas, but it is also a place to see interesting bird species like Nasca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and red-footed boobies. But it is also a place to experience the islands under the water. Have you swum with turtles, penguins, and sharks... on the same day? Have you had sea lions swim circles around you?
The best way to experience the Galapagos Islands is on a live-aboard boat. I was fortunate enough to be invited by award-winning Quasar Expeditions to explore the Galapagos on their M/V Evolution as their guest (they paid). This 32-passenger boat is one of the larger boats that explores the Galapagos.
I describe a one-week itinerary to the eastern islands in the Galapagos including stops at: San Cristóbal Island, South Plaza Island, Santa Cruz Island, Mosquera Island, Sombrero Chino, Santiago Island, Genovesa Island, Isla Seymour Norte, Santa Fe Island, and Floreana Island. If the Galapagos are not on your bucket list... they should be.
https://amateurtraveler.com/azerbaijan-itinerrary/
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Azerbaijan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Australian journalist Emily Lush who is based in nearby Kutaisi, Georgia.
Why should you visit Azerbaijan?
Emily says, "It's really fascinating from a cultural point of view. Being in the Caucasus, it's got those great mountain areas for hiking. It's a misunderstood country in a lot of ways. It's quite young and it has this really Interesting history with all different influences."
"And then the oil stuff, so maybe people know it's a wealthy country with really outlandish modern architecture, but then there are also quite a few UNESCO sites that are really, very old and very interesting. It's a very complicated country with a little bit of everything, like this region."
We start in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, which is situated on the Caspian Sea, below sea level. Explore the Old Town (Esher Esher) with its historic architecture, including the Shivan Shah Palace. Visit the Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by Zaha Hadid, and other interesting landmarks like the Flame Towers.
Take a day trip to Gobustan, south of Baku, to see the fascinating mud volcanoes and ancient rock carvings, a UNESCO site. Visit the Fire Temple of Ateshgah and the burning mountain of Yanadag.
Consider visiting Nakhchivan, an autonomous republic that can only be accessed by flying from Baku. Explore the Machu Picchu of the Caucasus, Alinjagala Fortress, and other attractions.
Head northwest and visit Kynalik, one of the highest continuously inhabited villages in Europe. Experience the traditional way of life, including homestays, and enjoy hiking in the beautiful mountain setting.
As you head northwest, you can stop at Quba, a small village known for its exquisite carpet workshops. Watching skilled artisans create beautiful carpets is a unique experience. Continue to Lahıc, another mountain town with copper workshops and traditional crafts. Don't miss the opportunity to buy a samovar, a traditional tea-making instrument.
Next, venture deeper into the mountains to Gabala, a popular ski resort with stunning scenery. Even if you visit in spring, you can still enjoy a cable car ride and savor fresh river fish in nearby restaurants.
Shaki is a highlight of the trip, a charming city with a fascinating history and well-preserved monuments from the Silk Road era. Explore caravanserais, the Palace of the Shekhi Khan with its Persian miniature paintings and unique Shaki glass. Visit Kiş to see the oldest Caucasian Albanian temple, with mysterious origins.
For those with more time, Lankaran in the south offers tea plantations and a unique tea house culture. Also, keep an eye out for vintage Lada cars, as they are still popular in Azerbaijan.
Overall, this trip combines history, culture, natural beauty, and warm hospitality, making Azerbaijan a fantastic destination to explore.
Hear about travel to Hikone and Gifu in Central Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Miyuki Seguchi from the Japan Experts Podcast about he home region of Japan where she is a tour guide.
Why should you visit Central Japan?
Miyuki says, "A lot of travelers from North America or the West when they travel to Japan, they will stay in Japan for two to three weeks, and they usually travel from the eastern part of Japan to the western part of Japan or vice versa, but most of them do not stop off at the central region especially the southern part of Gifu to the eastern part of Shiga. So this part of Japan is simply not as well known as major tourist destinations, but there are a lot of places to visit, and these places are usually less busy and easy to access by public transport. If you want to explore some unique local areas with hidden gems that give you a great idea of authentic local life."
The journey begins with a visit to Hikone, a city located in the Chubu region, home to the well-preserved Hikone Castle, one of Japan's five national treasure castles. Visitors can also enjoy a boat ride on the moat surrounding the castle and explore the beautiful gardens. Additionally, Miyuki recommends a boat trip to Chikubu Island on Lake Biwa to experience the coexistence of Shinto and Buddhism.
Next, the itinerary takes travelers to Sekigahara, a town known for the historic Battle of Sekigahara which changed Japan's history. Here, they can visit the Battlefield Memorial Museum to learn about the battle.
Moving west, the tour arrives in Gifu City, the largest city in Gifu Prefecture. A unique highlight here is the Ukai Cormorant Fishing, a tradition dating back over 1,300 years. This fishing method involves trained cormorant birds catching fish. The fishermen have an honorary position delivering fish to the Japanese imperial family. The Nagaragawa Ukai is famous for preserving this tradition, and visitors can experience it between May and October. There's also the opportunity to visit the Ukai Cormorant Fishing Museum for deeper insights into this cultural practice. Go out at night on a boat to watch this spectacle.
For accommodations, staying in a traditional ryokan is recommended, where you can try the high-quality multi-course Japanese meal called kaiseki ryori. Don't miss the chance to visit a hot spring or onsen.
The next day, explore the Kawaramachi district, a historic area with traditional merchant houses. The Nagaragawa River, one of Japan's cleanest rivers, has contributed to the development of craft-making, particularly Japanese paper called washi.
Climb Mt. Kinka to get a panoramic view of the region, including the Japan Alps and the city of Nagoya. The summit can be reached by cable car or a one-hour hike.
In the north of Gifu, you can explore Mino and Seki cities. Seki is renowned for its sword and knife-making tradition, offering the chance to witness skilled craftsmanship. Mino is also famous for its washi paper production, and you can visit the Washinary shop for various washi products.
Overall, Gifu Prefecture offers a blend of traditional culture, scenic beauty, and unique experiences. If you travel between Tokyo and Kyoto, you will pass right by.
show notes - https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-hikone-and-gifu-japan/
Hear about travel to Cartagena and Northern Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Inge from DestinationExplorer.world about this South American country that her family fell in love with.
Why should you go to Colombia?
Inge says, "I think first of all, if you are a nature lover, you should go to Colombia because it's amazing nature you will find there. It's still quite authentic. You have amazing wildlife. If you like bird watching it's the country to go to. You have mountains, beaches, desert, jungle."
"And if you are a city lover, there are also big cities. I think the people are amazingly friendly. My daughter lived with the local people, which we visited when we went to Colombia. And it was such warm hospitality. I never felt it before. Then the colorful culture. I like dancing. They have a lot of music there. They're dancing from the morning till the evening."
"Then the coffee. If you're a coffee lover, you should also go there."
"Many are concerned about the safety of the country. That was the question everyone asked me, oh, your daughter is going to stay in Colombia. Is it safe? But I can tell you it is as long as you go to the right places there. There are some places you better not go into. But we never felt uncomfortable. We always felt safe everywhere we went. In the past Colombia wasn't as safe as it is today."
Our adventure begins in the enchanting city of Cartagena, where you'll be captivated by the colonial charm and Caribbean vibes. This is a tropical city on the northern shore of the country. It will be colorful and it will be hot.
Start your exploration in the heart of Cartagena's historic district, Barrio Getsemani. Stroll through its colorful streets or take a walking tour. immerse yourself in the local atmosphere. Inge guides us to rooftop restaurants where we can enjoy sunsets and cold drinks. Don't miss Plaza de la Trinidad, a lively square where locals and travelers gather to enjoy music, street performances, and vibrant nightlife.
Visit Parque del Centenario, a picturesque centennial park that offers a peaceful escape from the bustling city. If you ask a local they can help you find the sloths in the park.
For breathtaking sunset views, head to Cafe del Mar Cartagena, a renowned rooftop bar overlooking the Caribbean Sea. If you're interested in history, visit the imposing Castle San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress that played a crucial role in protecting the city from invaders.
After immersing yourself in the charm of Cartagena, venture towards Santa Marta on your way, make a stop at Minca, a picturesque mountain village surrounded by lush vegetation. Explore Pozo Azul, a series of natural pools and cascades where you can cool off and enjoy the beauty of the jungle.
Discover the rich flavors of Colombian coffee on a coffee tour, where you'll learn about the coffee-making process and savor the finest brews. For a unique stay, consider El Paraiso de Tuki B&B Cafe y Cacao Farm, where you can immerse yourself in the world of cocoa and experience the authentic charm of a working farm.
Continue your journey to the renowned Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, a paradise of pristine beaches and dense jungles. Stay at Senda Koguiwa or Senda Watapuy, idyllic hotels nestled in the heart of nature, where you can relax and unwind. Explore the wonders of Tayrona National Park, including its hikes, beaches, and wildlife. You will see monkeys... you might see a jaguar or a crocodile.
When you are in Cartagena, people will try and sell you a tour of Playa Blanca or the Rosario Islands but Inge says if you are looking for the Colombian paradise island that they are selling you should visit San Andrés instead.
Colombia is a destination that offers a diverse range of experiences, from historical wonders to natural marvels. Prepare for an unforgettable journey filled with warm hospitality, warm weather, and a rich cultural heritage.
https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-cartagena-and-northern-colombia/
Hear about travel to Albania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Norm Bour from travelyounger.com about the country where they spent nearly 6 months as expats.
Hear about travel to Lake Garda and the Verona Countryside as the Amateur Traveler talks to Valeria Biasi from Verona Tours about the region she calls home.
Hear about a road trip in Armenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to John from JohnTheTraveler.com about his recent visit to this former Soviet country in the Caucasus Mountains.
Hear about travel to Baja California Sur in Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rebecca Agiewich, the Ambivalent Part-time Expat, about her recent road trip south of the border.
Hear about travel to Toronto, Ontario as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erin Hynes from PinaTravels.org and the Alpaca My Bags podcast about her hometown and Canada's largest city.
Hear about sailing in the Saronic Islands and the Peloponnese as the Amateur Traveler talks about his recent yacht charter with Navigare Yachting.
Hear about travel to Washington D.C. as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rob from TripHacksDC.com about the city where he is a tour guide and podcaster.
Hear about travel to the western part of Michigan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Veronica Bareman from HipGrandmaLife.com and Holland Michigan about her neck of the woods.
Hear about things to do in San Diego California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Maria Hasse from SanDiegoExplorer.com about her adopted hometown.
Hear about travel to Cambodia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt from XpatMatt.com about a 10-day itinerary in this rapidly changing Asian country.
Hear about travel to the Caribbean on the Windstar Sea Breeze as the Amateur Traveler talks about small ships cruising to St Maarten, Barbados, St Lucia, and Antigua.
Hear about a 7-day itinerary in Puglia in southern Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kate Storm from OurEscapeClause.com about her trips to this up-and-coming destination.
Hear about travel to the Island of Montserrat as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan Dekker about his visits to this island with an active volcano.
Hear about a one-week itinerary for your travel to Tamil Nadu in Southern India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Girin Nayak about his native region.
Hear about going on safari in Uganda as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jagdeep Sahni about his recent trip to this East African country.
Hear about travel to the state of Wisconsin as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dannelle Gay from TravelingCheesehead.com about her home state.
Hear about travel to Fiji (the islands of Viti Levu and Taveuni) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes about his recent trip to this island nation including some pretty amazing scuba diving experiences.
Hear about luxury barge cruising on the Canal de Briare in the Loire Valley of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rose Palmer from quilttripping.com about her recent adventure.
Hear about travel to the Queensland Outback as the Amateur Traveler talks to Melissa from Queensland about a destination she discovered during the pandemic when she could not leave her home state.
A special feed drop episode from another podcast. This episode is from my podcast brother Jason at Zero to Travel
Hear about travel to the province of Galicia in Northern Span as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa Rose Wright about her adopted home.
Hear about travel to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sharezal Abdul Wahid the Director of Concierge at the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur about his country.
Hear about travel to the island of Grenada in the West Indies as the Amateur Traveler talks to Caleb Sedam about the tropical paradise where he recently finished med school.
Hear about things to do in Istanbul and in Trabzon on the Turkish Black Sea coast as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kimberly from The Art of Living in Turkey about her adopted country of Türkiye.
Hear about fun things to do in Edinburgh, Scotland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from the Zipping Around the World podcast about his recent trip to the capital of Scotland.
Hear about travel to the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Sally Jane Smith about a great alternative to visiting the Greek Islands.
Hear about travel to Athens, Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Sally Jane Smith about Athens as a stop on the way to the Peloponnese Peninsula.
Hear about travel to Calabria as the Amateur Traveler talks to expat Skyler Mapes from exauoliveoil.com who now lives in the region of southern Italy.
Hear about travel to Bangkok, Thailand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Desrosiers from the Ear Goggles Podcast about his adopted hometown.
Hear about travel to the San Juan Islands and Whidbey Island as the Amateur Traveler talks to Seattle local Alex Shoemann about these beautiful islands in the Puget Sound.
Hear about cruising the islands of Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, The Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott from OttsWorld.com about an unusual expedition cruise.
Hear about a road trip in Nebraska from Omaha to Scott's Bluff along the Oregon Trail as the Amateur Traveler talks to Olivia Wieseler about her home state.
Hear about travel to Tanzania on safari as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jane Horlings about her recent trip to 3 of Tanzania's National Parks.
Hear about traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Susan Metenosky from brooklyntropicali.com about the city she now calls home.
Hear about Puerto Rico travel tips as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica from The Dining Traveler about her home island of Puerto Rico.
Hear about travel to Eswatini as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam and Theo about the small African country (formerly known as Swaziland) they both used to call home.
Hear about travel to Eswatini as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam and Theo about the small African country (formerly known as Swaziland) they both used to call home.
Hear about things to do on the Island of Bonaire as the Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Gietman, owner of the Cadushy Distillery, about his adopted home of Bonaire.
Hear about things to do on the Island of Bonaire as the Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Gietman, owner of the Cadushy Distillery, about his adopted home of Bonaire.
Hear about travel to Okinawa as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mike de Jong about his visits to this tropical corner of Japan.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Azdean Elmoustaquim from the Destination Morocco site and podcast about his native country.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Azdean Elmoustaquim from the Destination Morocco site and podcast about his native country.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Azdean Elmoustaquim from the Destination Morocco site and podcast about his native country.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Azdean Elmoustaquim from the Destination Morocco site and podcast about his native country.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Azdean Elmoustaquim from the Destination Morocco site and podcast about his native country.
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Bolivia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaybe Dear from The Only Way is Not Essex about her recent trip to this landlocked South American country.
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Bolivia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaybe Dear from The Only Way is Not Essex about her recent trip to this landlocked South American country.
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Bolivia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaybe Dear from The Only Way is Not Essex about her recent trip to this landlocked South American country.
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Bolivia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaybe Dear from The Only Way is Not Essex about her recent trip to this landlocked South American country.
Hear about an itinerary for travel to Bolivia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaybe Dear from The Only Way is Not Essex about her recent trip to this landlocked South American country.
Hear about things to do in Thessaloniki, Greece, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carol from Ambrosia Travel about the city that was for centuries the largest city in Greece and is still Greece's second-largest city.
Hear about things to do in Thessaloniki, Greece, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carol from Ambrosia Travel about the city that was for centuries the largest city in Greece and is still Greece's second-largest city.
Hear about things to do in Thessaloniki, Greece, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carol from Ambrosia Travel about the city that was for centuries the largest city in Greece and is still Greece's second-largest city.
Hear about things to do in Thessaloniki, Greece, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carol from Ambrosia Travel about the city that was for centuries the largest city in Greece and is still Greece's second-largest city.
Hear about things to do in Thessaloniki, Greece, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carol from Ambrosia Travel about the city that was for centuries the largest city in Greece and is still Greece's second-largest city.
Hear about travel to Asturias, Spain, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Leanne and Lyle from BeachTravelWine.com about this less-visited region of Northern Spain.
Hear about travel driving the Carretera Austral in Chile as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel journalist and guidebook author Steph Dyson about a country she literally wrote the book on.
Hear about travel to Volos, Greece, and the Pelion Peninsula as the Amateur Traveler talks to Heather Cowper from HeatherOnHerTravels.com about her recent visit to this picturesque part of Greece.
Hear about travel to Cape Verde as the Amateur Traveler talks to Paulina from paulinaontheroad.com about this island nation off the coast of Africa.
Hear about travel to Eastern Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker from MarkBakerPrague.com about a recent press trip that he took to less visited parts of Solvenia.
Hear about travel to Eastern Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker from MarkBakerPrague.com about a recent press trip that he took to less visited parts of Solvenia.
Hear about travel to Eastern Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker from MarkBakerPrague.com about a recent press trip that he took to less visited parts of Solvenia.
Hear about travel to Eastern Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker from MarkBakerPrague.com about a recent press trip that he took to less visited parts of Solvenia.
Hear about travel to Eastern Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker from MarkBakerPrague.com about a recent press trip that he took to less visited parts of Solvenia.
Hear about travel to Astypalaia and Amorgos as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael & Cassandre from @JourneyOfMC about these two less touristed Greek Islands.
Hear about an Austria road trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael January about driving Empress Sisi's Road.
Hear about travel to London, England, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Julie from ALadyInLondon.com about her adopted hometown.
Hear about travel to South Tyrol, Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lynne Nieman about this beautiful region in northern Italy.
Hear about hiking the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites in northern Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Morgan Fielder from CraveThePlanet.com about a multi-day hike she has taken more than once.
Hear about driving the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi as the Amateur Traveler talks to journalist and southerner Kristin Luna.
Hear about travel to Kurdistan in northern Iraq as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mansoureh Farahani from travelwithmansoureh.com about her travels in this off-the-beaten-path destination.
Hear about travel to the Silicon Valley (Santa Clara Valley) of California and San Jose as the Amateur Traveler talks about his hometown of 38 years.
Hear about travel to the Jaén province of Andalucia Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Molly Sears-Piccavey who lives in Andalucia.
Hear about travel to Havana Cuba as the Amateur Traveler talks to Talek Nates, a Cuban-American, about the capital of the country of her ancestors.
Hear about things to do when you travel to the Brittany region of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kristin Montgomery from GrowingGlobalCitizens.com about this less-touristed corner of the country.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Queretaro, Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ray Blakney about his adopted Mexican home.
Hear about travel to northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Paul B. Kennedy from VietnamTravelWithUs.com about the country he has adopted as home.
Hear about travel to Death Valley National Park in California as the Amateur Traveler talks to former park ranger Jeff Ohlfs about the largest of the national parks in the continental United States.
Hear about travel to the South of Iceland as the Amateur Traveler talks to hotelier Friðrik Pálsson about his native land.
Hear about a Tennessee Road Trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephanie Craig from HistoryFanGirl.com about a recent family trip across the Volunteer State.
Hear about travel to Alaska in winter as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott from OttsWorld.com about the state that has captured her heart.
Hear about travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kenan from Highlander Adventures about his country.
Hear about travel to Yosemite National Park and the region as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer and California native Jill Robinson about her experiences in the park.
Hear about travel to Cyprus as the Amateur Traveler talks to Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of UncorneredMarket.com about their active Cyprus itinerary.
Hear about things to do in Wellington, New Zealand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kate from KateAbroad.com about her former home.
Hear about travel to the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda as the Amateur Traveler talks to former park ranger Jeff Ohlfs about his recent trip.
Hear about traveling to Guatemala as the Amateur Traveler talks to Susan Metenosky from brooklyntropicali.com about this Central American country that keeps drawing her back.
Hear about a Texas Hill Country Road Trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Desrosiers from the Attempt Adventure Podcast about his home state.
Hear about travel to the Atlantic coast of Morocco from Casablanca, thru Essaouira, to Agadir as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amanda Ponzio-Mouttaki from marocmama.com about this country she calls home.
Hear about a one-week itinerary for Tenerife as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes from justinandcrystal.com about the Spanish island he called home.
Hear about travel to the region of Abruzzo in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jackie Parsons about an area where she leads hiking and culinary tours.
Hear about travel to Quebec Maritime as the Amateur Traveler talks to Margarita Ibbott from DownShiftingPro.com about her recent trips to Quebec's maritime "thumb".
Hear about travel to Estonia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Betty Reed from BettyReedWrites.com about her recent trip to this Baltic country.
Hear about travel to Amsterdam in the Netherlands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica from AWanderlustForLife.com about her adopted home.
Hear about travel to St Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kat Roy and Phil Shantz from stayingafloatblog.com about their trip to this tropical island.
Hear about a vacation in Laos on the Mekong River and in Luang Prabang as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alexis Rubenstein aka @redstonealexis.
Hear about travel to Togo as the Amateur Traveler talks to Philipp Muders about this small West African country.
Hear about travel to Zaragoza as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cat Driver about this historic but under-visited region of Spain.
Hear about travel to the Mendocino coast in California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brooke Herron who is a travel blogger and wine industry expert.
Hear about travel to Bulgaria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tom and Patty Burkett about their road trip from Sofia to the Black Sea.
Hear about travel to the state of Chiapas in Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shelley from TravelMexicoSolo.com about this beautiful tropical region.
Hear about travel to Gujarat, India as the Amateur Traveler talks again to James Schomburgk about festivals, temples and Asiatic lions.
Hear about an itinerary for Ladakh and Kashmir as the Amateur Traveler talks to Agnes Simigh from voiceofguides.com about these less visited regions of India.
Hear about a Maine Windjammer as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Sharon Kurtz about her recent experience sailing the coast of Maine on the Lewis R. French.
Hear about travel to The Kimberley region of Western Australia, Broome, and the Gibb River Road as the Amateur Traveler talks to James Schomburgk about this unique destination.
Hear about travel to Munich, Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from the Zipping Around the World podcast about his recent trips to the capital of Bavaria.
Hear about travel to Ghana as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jacky Habib from JackyHabib.com about this African country that she fell in love with.
Hear about travel to the island of Bermuda as the Amateur Traveler talks to Victoria Heinz about a place where she has spent many special vacations.
Hear about travel to the Island of Mallorca in Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erin Carey from Roam Generation PR about Mallorca and the time she spent anchored off this beautiful island.
Hear about travel to Montreux and the Swiss Riviera as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chantal Patton from GrowingUpWithoutBorders.com about her adopted home country.
Hear about travel to Berlin as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan Noll and Audrey Scott from uncorneredmarket.com about the city they now call home.
Hear about the best things to do in Oahu as the Amateur Traveler talks to Denny and Nikki from dennyandnikki.com about this Hawaiian Island they recently called home.
Hear about travel to places of interest in Sabah as the Amateur Traveler talks to Howard Stanton from the Tampat Do Aman eco-adventure lodge about his adopted country.
Hear about travel to Adelaide as the Amateur Traveler talks to James Schomburgk about places to visit in South Australia, his home.
Hear about travel to Western Ireland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Adam Ryan about his beautiful country.
Hear about travel to New Hampshire as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cathy Merrifield from NothingButNewEngland.com about her home state.
Hear about travel to Sri Lanka as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mike Powers of SmallOfTheRoad.blogspot.ca about his recent trip to the island nation.
Hear about travel to the Northland in New Zealand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Heather Markel from HeatherBegins.com about the country where she spent the pandemic.
Hear about Rafting the Grand Canyon as the Amateur Traveler talks to patrons of the show Robin Perry and Randy Rohrer about this bucket list trip.
This episode of Amateur Traveler is sponsored by Expedia‘s flagship travel show Out Travel The System. Learn where to stay, what to do, and how to live like a local.
Hear about travel to the Caribbean on the Windstar Sea Breeze as the Amateur Traveler talks about small ships cruising to St Maarten, Barbados, St Lucia, and Antigua.
Hear about travel to Croatia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kate McCulley from AdventurousKate.com who recently won an award from Croatia for her writing about the country.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina as the Amateur Traveler talks to digital nomad Rax Suen from NomadsUnveiled.com.
Hear about travel to Slovenia as Chris Christensen (the Amateur Traveler) talks about his solo road trip through western Slovenia as a guest of the Slovenia Tourism board.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Cleveland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Daniel Carcioppolo who was born and raised in the city.
Hear about travel to the Pyrenees Mountains in France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Penny Walker from conciergepyrenees.com about the area she now calls home.
Hear about travel to the western part of the Republic of Georgia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Emily Lush from wander-lush.org about the country she now calls home.
Hear about travel to the West African country of Benin as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rachel Decoste who traveled there as part of a journey to discover her roots.
Hear about travel to western Tanzania to Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jen Curran from globeandtribe.com about these less visited destinations.
Hear about travel to Florida's Space Coast as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stacey Marmolejo about the area of the coast near Cape Canaveral.
Hear about travel to the Galapagos Islands as Chris Christensen, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a live-aboard cruise of the Galapagos Islands on Quasar Expeditions M/V Evolution.
Hear about travel to the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia as the Amateur Traveler talks to award-winning photographer Susan Portnoy about her visit to this remote and beautiful corner of Canada.
Here about a trip on the Canal du Midi in the south of France including the medieval city of Carcassonne. What cruising on a luxury hotel barge is like.
Things to do and see in Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Alpine, and Marfa, Texas. This is an area of open space, mountains, and desert along the U.S.'s southern border.
Jordan is a country with crusader castles, canyoneering, the lost city of Petra, Roman ruins, Bedouin camps, deserts, and the Dead Sea.
Hear about travel to Rome, Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere.com about travel to the eternal city.
Hear about travel to the Azores as the Amateur Traveler talks to Maria Lawton from Azorean Green Bean about these Portuguese islands that her family has called home for 500 years.
Hear about travel to Calgary, Alberta, and vacations from Calgary as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jody Robbins from Travels with Baggage about the area she calls home.
Hear about Carnival in Guadeloupe and more as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mickela Mallozzi from the PBS show Barefeet with Mickela Mallozzi about her visit to these Caribbean islands.
Hear about travel to Guadalajara Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to food, travel, and surf enthusiast Paul Hudson about the city he calls home.
Hear about driving the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erick Smith about his journey.
Hear about travel to Nicaragua as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Cobb who spent 14 years in the country.
Hear about travel to Bend and Central Oregon as the Amateur Traveler talks to Catherine Ryan Gregory from To & Fro Fam about this adventure travel playground.
Hear about travel to the Yamaguchi Prefecture of Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dr. Corinne Devine who is stationed there with the U.S. Navy.
Hear about walking Hadrian's Wall as the Amateur Traveler talks to Larissa Milne from Changes in Longitude about their 10-day trek of this old Roman Wall across Northern England.
Hear about travel to the Tohoku Region of Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sandra Thomas-Comenole from the Behavior Economics in Marketing Podcast about her travels in the region.
Hear about travel to Mysore, India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rahul Iyer about the city of palaces in the Indian highlands.
Hear about travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Brodie from the Travel In 10 podcast about his hometown.
Hear about travel to Slovakia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anna Fay and Peter Dlhopolec from the Spectacular Spectator and the Spectacular Slovakia Podcast about this beautiful country in Central Europe.
Hear about travel to Massachusetts as the Amateur Traveler talks to Henry Suski about the state where he was born and where he has traveled his entire life.
Hear about travel to French Polynesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Caleb Sedam about his recent trip to the islands of Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Rangiroa.
Hear about travel to the Amazon River in Peru and Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Will Conway from the Baggage Claim Podcast about his slow boat journey from Leticia, Colombia to Iquitos, Peru.
Hear about visiting Lithuania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jay from JayWay Travel about this beautiful country on the Baltic Sea.
Hear about travel to the island of Fernando de Noronha off the coast of Brazil as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nina from TheGlobeTrottingAccountant.com about the "Galapagos of Brazil".
Hear about travel to the Virginia Coast (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, Norfolk, Virginia Beach) as we talk to Michelle Rao from The Traveling Chzhed YouTube channel about her area.
Hear about things to do in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and the rest of the Monterey Peninsula in Calfornia as Chris the Amateur Traveler and return guest Jeff Ohlfs talk about this terrific vacation spot.
Hear about travel to Bangkok, Thailand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Desrosiers from the Ear Goggles Podcast about his adopted hometown.
Hear about travel to Houston, Texas as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kerwin McKenzie of passrider.com, cruisinaltitude.com, discoveringhouston.net about his adopted home town and the 4th largest city in the USA.
Hear about travel to Egypt as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sally Elbassir from PassportAndPlates.com about this unique and wonderful country.
Hear about travel to the province of Kanchanaburi, Thailand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Desrosiers from the Ear Goggles Podcast about this historic and beautiful region.
Hear about travel to Wales in the United Kingdom as the Amateur Traveler talks to Pip Jones from pipandthecity.com, walesbucketlist.com, and the Travel Goals Podcast about her home country.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Bogota, Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to ex-pat Lauren Pelky from wanderluluu.com who calls the city home.
Hear about travel to the island, city, and country of Singapore as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ashley Hall who lives there.
Hear about a road trip to Dinosaur National Monument and Rocky Mountain National Park as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam and Mina Oppenheim about this part of their western road trip.
Hear about travel to the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Audrey and Manlio from TravelsWithAudrey.com about Manlio's home region.
Hear about travel to the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes from justinandcrystal.com about this country that gets only 7,000 visitors a year.
Hear about traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Susan Metenosky from brooklyntropicali.com about the city she now calls home.
Hear about travel driving the Carretera Austral in Chile as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel journalist and guidebook author Steph Dyson about a country she literally wrote the book on.
Hear about a 2-week itinerary for Kerala, India travel as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mariellen Ward from BreatheDreamGo.com and IndiaForBeginners.com about this popular tropical destination.
Hear about sightseeing in the island nation of Malta as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michelle and Nikki from cheekypassports.com about their native country.
Hear about travel to Iowa as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sara Broers from travelwithsara.com about her home state.
Hear about travel to Nebraska as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gina Imm about her home state.
Hear about travel to Penang, Malaysia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ruth about the city she called home for about a year.
Hear about travel to Comoros as the Amateur Traveler talks to Fiona Jones about this small island nation off the coast of Africa.
Hear about things to do when you travel to the Brittany region of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kristin Montgomery from GrowingGlobalCitizens.com about this less-touristed corner of the country.
Hear about travel to Alabama as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Larry Bleiberg about his adopted home state.
Hear about what to do in Plymouth, England, Devon, and Cornwall as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ryan Duffield about his home region in southwestern England.
Hear about travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kenan Ćatović from Highlander Adventures about his country.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Lebanon as the Amateur Traveler talks to Vanessa Hobeika about her native country of Lebanon.
Hear about things to do when you travel to Paraguay as the Amateur Traveler talks to Angel Hernandez about the South American country he called home for a decade.
Hear about travel to Uruguay as the Amateur Traveler talks to Karen Higgs from guruguay.com about her adopted country of 20 years.
Hear about travel to Oslo, Norway as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason from ZeroToTravel.com about his adopted hometown.
Hear about travel to the National Park of South Dakota as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere.com about the other Sunshine State.
Hear about travel to Saudi Arabia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Flo Müller from the FLO youtube channel about travel to this rapidly changing country.
Hear about walking the South Downs Way in England as the Amateur Traveler talks to Aaron Millar about this week-long trek.
Hear about travel to Tbilisi and the eastern part of the Republic of Georgia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tommo & Megsy from FoodFunTravel.com who have settled in Georgia.
Hear about travel to West Africa to Senegal and the Gambia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brian Asher from theworldhiker.com about this under-visited region.
Hear about travel to southern West Virginia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ethan Starcher from WaywardWings.net about his home state.
Hear about travel to Arizona's National Parks as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere.com about the many and varied parks in the Grand Canyon State.
Hear about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kylie Chenn from Acanela Expeditions about what you should know about climbing the tallest mountain in Africa.
Hear about travel to Costa Rica as the Amateur Traveler talks to Costa Rica travel experts Sam and Yeison from mytanfeet.com about their beautiful country.
Hear about travel to the Alsace Region of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brighde Reed from worldvegantravel.com about this lovely wine region.
Hear about things to do in Asheville, NC as the Amateur Traveler talks to music journalist and cocktail aficionado Bill Kopp about his adopted hometown.
Hear about places to visit in Ecuador on your Ecuador vacation as the Amateur Traveler talks to Keenan Ennis about this country that he now calls home.
Hear about travel to Northern Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Harden from travelwornsatchel.com about his road trip in this remote and beautiful country.
Hear about an Oregon Coast road trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica Baker from BoundlessBakers.com about a portion of their year and a half long road trip.
Hear about travel to the Yunnan province of China as the Amateur Traveler talks to Zach and Leah from peregrination-travel.com about their trip to this mountainous corner of the country.
Hear about travel to Bulgaria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tom and Patty Burkett about their road trip from Sofia to the Black Sea.
Hear about what to do in Tainan, Taiwan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Katy Liang from photospired.com about her native Taiwan.
Hear about travel to Namibia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Karthik Iyer about his most recent trip to this desert country.
Hear about travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast as the Amateur Traveler talks to Charles McCool from McCoolTravel.com about this tasty area with great beaches.
Hear about travel to Switzerland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Zack Best about this beautiful country where he has studied and worked.
Hear about travel to Moldova as the Amateur Traveler talks to Christina Lutcan from findingelevation.com about her country of origin.
Hear about travel to Lombok in Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about his family's recent 5 week trip to this island paradise.
Hear about travel to Krabi, Thailand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Annette Fortner from chaseforadventure.com about this tropical paradise.
Hear about travel to Berlin as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan Noll and Audrey Scott from uncorneredmarket.com about the city they now call home.
Hear about travel to Saint Lucia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Keiwa Simpson from discoverstluciatours.com about her beautiful island.
Hear about travel to Virunga National Park as the Amateur Traveler talks to Niall from Ireland about his visit to this stunning national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hear about travel to Chennai India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amanda from millennialtraveller.com about this city in southern India.
Hear about travel to the Canary Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alice Ford from alicesadventuresonearth.com about the best of the Canary Islands.
Hear about traveling the Dempster Highway as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa from TheHotFlashPacker.com about this iconic drive into the Arctic Circle in Canada.
Hear about travel to the Yukon Territory in Canada as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephen Reynolds from Tourism Yukon about a recent trip that I did to his home.
Hear about travel to Porto, Portugal as the Amateur Traveler talks to João Reis and Sara Silva from nofootprintnomads.com about their home city.
Hear about travel to Nagoya, Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lena Yamaguchi from nagoyafoodie.com about her adopted home.
Hear about travel to La Rochelle, France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jacob Kell from facilitateluxury.com about this beautiful medieval city. What things are there to do in La Rochelle.
Hear about a road trip in Kansas as the Amateur Traveler talks to John McKenzie of johnthetraveler.com about the state of his birth.
Hear about travel to Istanbul, Turkey as the Amateur Traveler talks to Christopher Mitchell from travelingmitch.com about the city where he lived for 3 years.
Hear about travel to the Le Marche Region of Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chantelle and Giovanni from theitalianontour.com about this off the beaten path destination.
Hear about places to visit in Kenya as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shane Dallas from TheTravelCamel.com about his adopted country.
Hear about hiking the Kumano Koto trek in Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott about her experience on this trail that was used by medieval emperors on the Kii Peninsula.
Hear about travel to Lafayette, Louisiana as the Amateur Traveler talks to Susan Moore from solotripsandtips.com about this center of Cajun culture.
In this special episode of Amateur Traveler, I get to introduce to you some of the wonderful people who joined me in Africa last May. We drove overland from Johannesburg, South Africa to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Hear about the best of California's state parks as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jeff Ohlfs who has been to all the parks in the state park system.
Hear about travel to Lima, Peru as the Amateur Traveler talks to Maggie O’Reilly from the Mayta Collection about a city she has come to love.
Hear about travel to Sri Lanka as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mike Powers of SmallOfTheRoad.blogspot.ca about his recent trip to the island nation.
Hear about travel to Saskatchewan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ashlyn George from thelostgirlsguide.com about her home province of Canada.
Hear about National Parks in Washington D.C. and the vicinity as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith about monuments, memorials, mansions, battlefields, gardens and more.
Hear about a cruise on the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers from Budapest to Amsterdam as the Amateur Traveler talks again to travel writer Mark Baker.
Hear about travel to Southwest Colorado as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kelly Beasley and Marshall Wendler about road trips they have made to Durango and Silverton.
Hear about travel to Barolo and the Piedmont region of Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Betsy and Greg Ball from eurotravelcoach.com about this wine region that they love.
Hear about travel to the Algarve region of Southern Portugal as the Amateur Traveler talks to Eileen Cotter Wright from purewander.com.
Hear about travel to Manchester England as the Amateur Traveler talks to Helena Ringstrom about her adopted home.
Hear about travel to Wyoming's national parks, state parks, and tourist sites as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Melroy from nationalparkobsessed.com about her love for the state.
Hear about travel to Mantua, Verona, Padua Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gina Mussio from ginamussio.com about these wonderful cities in her adopted country.
Hear about travel to the Northern Mississippi River Valley in Minnesota and Wisconsin as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dean Klinkenberg from MississippiValleyTraveler.com about this stretch of America's mightiest river.
Hear about travel to Bath, England as the Amateur Traveler talks to Karen Warren about her new hometown.
Hear about travel to Slovenia as Chris Christensen (the Amateur Traveler) talks about his recent solo road trip through western Slovenia as a guest of the Slovenia Tourism board.
Hear about travel to The Canal du Midi and Carcassonne in southern France as Chris from the Amateur Traveler talks about his recent luxury hotel barge cruise.
Hear about travel to Curaçao as the Amateur Traveler talks to Wendy Blumenstein-Elliott from adventurousretirement.com about her favorite Caribbean island.
Hear about travel to Thailand as the Amateur Traveler talks to Taiss and Rob from togethertowherever.com about the country where they lived as expats for some time.
Hear about travel to Alaska's National Parks as the Amateur Traveler talks once again to Gary Arndt about his visits to each of the 8 National Parks in Alaska.
Hear about travel to the Island of Sicily in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Barbara Riedel from barbaralicious.com about the home of her mother's family and the "home of her heart".
Hear about travel to the northern India state of Rajasthan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dr Pankaj Jain about his native region.
Hear about travel to Tokyo as the Amateur Traveler talks to family travel blogger / podcaster Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about a city he called home for 13 years.
Hear about travel to the Island of Bali in Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Brodie from TravelIn10.com about a recent family trip to this popular tropical destination.
Hear about a Route 66 road trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Austin Coop from 2laneamerica.com and guidedroute66tours.com about the Mother Road.
Hear about travel to Phoenix, Arizona as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cindy Carlsson about Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun.
Hear about travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Keri Hedrick from ourglobetrotters.com and familytravel-middleeast.com about her adopted country.
Hear about travel to The Island of Samos in Greece and the vicinity as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from the Zipping Around the World podcast about this part of the Greek Islands.
Hear about travel to an Idaho road trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jaime Mazur about her honeymoon in Idaho.
Hear about travel to Serbia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephanie Craig and Allison Green from sofiaadventures.com about one of the Balkan countries that they love.
Hear about what to do in Guangzhou as the Amateur Traveler talks to Bill Abbott about a somewhat less well known area for tourists in China.
Hear about a two week New Zealand road trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Hanson Cheng.
Hear about travel to Chad as the Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon about his travel to Chad as part of a 5 and a half year journey to all 54 countries in Africa.
Hear about travel to Botswana on safari as I, the Amateur Traveler, relates stories from his recent experience on mobile safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta and a Safari Camp experience in the Kalahari desert on a press trip with Botswana Trek.
Hear about travel to Beijing, China as the Amateur Traveler talks to Daniel Rickleman who calls Beijing Home.
Hear about travel to Scotland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah from www.thegirlwiththemaptattoo.com about travel to this beautiful and historic country.
Hear about visiting Universal Orlando Resort as the Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Stoen from travelbabbo.com about he and his kids favorite theme parks.
Hear about travel to Hong Kong as the Amateur Traveler talks to Marianne Rogerson from mumonthemove.com about the city where she lived for 4 years.
Hear about things to do in the Hudson Valley in New York as the Amateur Traveler talks to Adrien Behn from the Stranger's Abroad Podcast about this beautiful region where she grew up.
Hear about travel to Mauritius as the Amateur Traveler talks to Corinne Vail from ReflectionsEnroute.com about her visit to this warm island paradise.
Hear about travel to Seoul, South Korea as the Amateur Traveler talks to Spencer Zentzch the CEO of Hacker Paradise about a city where he has live for 3 years over 6 different trips.
Hear about travel to Central Europe (Prague, Krakow, Budapest) as the Amateur Traveler talks to 4 people who joined me on this year's Amateur Traveler trip: Darrell, Derrick, Loraine and Holly.
Hear about travel to Patagonia in Chile as the Amateur Traveler talks to Talek Nantes about her recent trip to the bottom of South America.
Hear about travel to Boston, Massachusetts as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lillie Marshall from AroundTheWorldL.com about her hometown.
Hear about travel to the Big Island of Hawaii as the Amateur Traveler talks to Justin Barnes from justinandcrystal.com about his island home.
Hear about travel to the island, city and country of Singapore as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ashley Hall who lives there.
Hear about travel to Minas Gerais, Brazil as the Amateur Traveler talks to Juergen Keller from southamerica.travel about the colonial heart of Brazil.
Hear about travel to some of the WWII sites in Western Europe as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com about the Liberation Route.
Hear about travel to Langkawi Malaysia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rod Sanchez from The Jetsetting Family Travel Podcast at thejetsettingfamily.com about this island paradise.
Hear about travel to Switzerland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com about his recent trip to visit all the UNESCO sites in Switzerland.
Hear about travel to San Francisco, California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jill Robinson and Kimberley Levato authors of 100 Things to Do in San Francisco Before You Die.
Hear about travel to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tom Shaner about his hometown.
Hear about travel to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Captain Shane McClellan about a sailing trip to the area.
Hear about travel to Valencia, Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about the 2 years his family lived in Spain's 3rd largest city.
Hear about travel to Western Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erica Carrico from ericacarrico.com about her trip to the wild and surprising Pilbara region.
Hear about travel to South Florida (Miami, Everglades National Park, and the Florida Keys) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith from onmyfeetorinmymind.com about this diverse region.
Hear about travel to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Luke Mackin from wildsumatra.com about this far-flung destination he now calls home.
Hear about travel to the coffee region of Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alejandro from Bogota about an area of his country that he thinks doesn't get enough attention.
Hear about travel to Qingdao as the Amateur Traveler talks to Joseph Weiner about travel to the coastal city in China.
Hear about travel to Alabama as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Larry Bleiberg about his adopted home state.
Hear about travel to the Crystal Coast of North Carolina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kit Parks from the Active Travel Adventures Podcast about the area.
Hear about travel to the Basque Region of Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Bumstead about his adopted country and region.
Hear about travel to the Guna Yala region of Panama as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lynn Smith from lynnsmithdestinations.com about a small boat cruise in these remote islands.
Hear about travel to Shanghai, China as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carissa who is an American living in the city.
This episode of the Amateur Traveler talks about the recent Amateur Traveler trip to Cambodia. 7 of the 9 people who joined me on this trip also join me for the podcast to share the highlights, surprises and challenges of the trip.
Hear about travel to Jamaica as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dave and Deb from theplanetD.com about their trips to the island.
Hear about travel to Budapest, Hungary as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Dombrowski from luxeadventuretraveler.com about her trips to the city.
Hear about travel to Denmark as the Amateur Traveler talks to Joe Trevillion about a country where he has lived at times and where he has traveled recently.
Hear about travel to Russia along the Volga River as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Mark Baker about this destination that he recently wrote about.
Hear about travel to Montenegro as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com about his recent trip to this beautiful mountainous country in the Balkans.
Hear about travel to Mongolia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Patricia from zewanderingfrogs.com about travel to this remote destination.
Hear about travel to Merida and the Yucatan Peninsula as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tommo & Megsy from foodfuntravel.com about their recent homebase.
Hear about travel to the Island of Crete in Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to Elizabeth from compassandfork.com about her travels to this special Greek Island.
Hear about travel to Chengdu, China as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica Elliot from howdareshe.org about her recent trip.
Hear about travel to Madagascar as the Amateur Traveler talks to Corinne Vale from reflectionsenroute.com about her travel to this island nation off southern Africa.
Hear about travel to the borough of Brooklyn in New York City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica Festa from jessieonajourney.com who used to live in the city and still leads tours there.
Hear about travel to Chicago, Illinois as the Amateur Traveler talks to Francesca Mazurkiewicz about her hometown of Chicago.
Hear about travel to Tucson, Arizona as the Amateur Traveler talks to Misty Foster from Green Suitcase Travel about her adopted desert home.
Hear about travel to Columbus and central Ohio as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Caracciolo from matthewcaracciolo.com about what to do in the Buckeye State.
Hear about travel to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California as the Amateur Traveler talks to retired chief ranger from the park, Jeff Ohlfs.
Hear about travel to Bhutan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Beth Whitman from WanderlustAndLipstick.com about this country that she has fallen in love with.
Hear about travel to Mechelen, Hasselt and Leuven in Northern Flanders (Belgium) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sofie Couwenbergh from WonderfulWanderings.com about her country.
Hear about travel to Rwanda as the Amateur Traveler talks to VJ from imvoyager.com about his trip to that country.
Hear about travel to India as the Amateur Traveler talks to participants from the Amateur Traveler trip to India in November of 2017.
Hear about travel to Lombok in Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about his family's recent 5 week trip to this island paradise.
Hear about travel to New Caledonia as the Amateur Traveler talks to CJ Johnson from the MOVIELAND ABC Radio Show and Podcast about his recent trip to this part of France in the South Pacific.
Hear about the United States UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere.com and The Global Travel Conspiracy podcast about these best of the best sites.
Hear about travel to the province of Quebec as the Amateur Traveler talks to Margarita Ibbott from downshiftingpro.com about a 7-10 day Itinerary to Montreal, Quebec City and Quebec Maritime.
Hear about travel to Belize as the Amateur Traveler talks to Allison Greene from eternalarrival.com about her time in this small tropical country filled with shades of blue and green.
Hear about travel to Northern Chile as the Amateur Traveler talks to Steph Dyson from worldlyadventurer.com about her adopted country.
Hear about travel to Belarus as the Amateur Traveler talks to Megan Starr from meganstarr.com about her travels to a country that is transitioning from the "last Soviet dictatorship" to a high tech powerhouse.
Hear about travel to Albuquerque as Chris Christensen, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about his trip to Albuquerque during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.
Hear about travel to California's premier wine region of Napa and Sonoma as the Amateur Traveler talks again to free lance journalist Jill Robinson about this area with more than just wine... but a lot of that
Hear about travel to Providence, Rhode Island as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tamara Gruber from we3travel.com and the Vacation Mavens podcast about travel other home town.
Hear about travel to Kiev in the Ukraine as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amy Butler from thewayfarersbook.com about her adopted city.
Hear about travel to Mexico City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Patrick Muntzinger from GermanBackPacker.com about the city where he lived for 4 months last Spring on a semester abroad.
Hear about travel to Istanbul, Turkey as the Amateur Traveler talks to Christopher Mitchel from travelingmitch.com about the city where he lived for 3 years.
Hear about travel to Southern New Brunswick as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kirsten Maxwell from kidsareatrip.com about her recent travel to the Province with her family.
Hear about travel to Barbados as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jane and Duncan from totraveltoo.com about the time they spent on the island recently.
Hear about travel to the state of Washington as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anne and Mike Howard from HoneyTrek.com about their recent road trip from the ocean to the mountains to the wine region.
Hear about travel to Albania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dina Rabiner about her visit to the country where she originally went as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Hear about a western Mediterranean cruise to Spain, Gibraltar, France, Monaco and Italy on Holland America's Westerdam where I just attended a press trip.
Hear about travel to the Yukon Territory in Canada as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephen Reynolds from Tourism Yukon about a recent trip that I did to his home.
Hear about travel to the Lofoten Islands of Norway as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Nikel, author of the Moon guide to Norway, about one of his favorite regions in that beautiful country.
Hear about travel to Uzbekistan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Latish Sharma about his travels on the Silk Road to ancient cities including Samarkand.
Hear about travel to Sofia, Bulgaria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephanie Craig from historyfangirl.com about her time in that country.
Hear about hiking the Camino Ronda in Northern Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott about her trek along the coastline of the Costa Brava region.
Hear about travel to The Hebrides as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Higgs about his trip to these remote islands in Scotland.
Hear about travel to Algeria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ric Gazarian from GlobalGaz.com about travel to this "off the beaten path" destination.
Hear about travel to Madrid, Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to James Blick from DevourTours.com and Yolanda Martin from TheFlamencoGuide.com about their city.
Hear about a road trip in Central Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amie from thetravelingtogetherjournal.com about a trip they took near Mexico City.
Hear about travel to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Dombrowski of luxeadventuretraveler.com about her recent trip to this island paradise.
Hear about travel to Northern Arizona as the Amateur Traveler talks to journalist Mark Smith about his recent road trip to beautiful Northern Arizona including half a dozen different parks in the National Park system.
Hear about travel to Nanjing, China as the Amateur Traveler talks to Wendy Werneth from thenomadicvegan.com about a city she has grown to love.
Hear about travel to Baja Sur in Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to author and travel writer Stuart Gustafson about his love affair with the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula.
Hear about travel to Poland as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Chris Bogdon about his recent trip to Poland. Chris brought his kids and his parents to experience the country where his family came from. Chris did an overview of the country on a bus tour.
Hear about travel to Mumbai India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephanie Hays of RealityToursAndTravel.com about travel to this crowded, noisy, vibrant city. With the background sounds of the horns of auto rickshaws we find out why a girl from Chattanooga, Tennessee ended up in India's largest city.
Hear about travel to the German state of Baden-Württemberg as the Amateur Traveler, Chris Christensen, talks about his recent press trip there to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the bicycle.
Hear about travel to Israel and Palestine, and particularly the world heritage sites of that region, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com about his recent visit.
Gary just finished up a trip to Israel and Palestine.
Hear about travel to the "Sea Islands" off the coats of Georgia and South Carolina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ruby & Peter from ajourneywelove.com about their travels in this archipelago.
Hear about travel to Loja and Southern Ecuador as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lily Ann Fouts about her visit to this lesser known region of Ecuador.
Hear about travel to the Northeastern region of the Netherlands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rachel Heller from rachelheller.org about her adopted country.
Hear about travel to Gdansk Poland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Roma and Russell from RoamingRequired.com about travel to this historic and beautiful city on the Baltic coast of Poland.
Hear about travel to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula as the Amateur Traveler talks to tour guide Mareth Griffith about her adopted home.
Hear about travel to Mantua, Verona, Padua Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gina Mussio from ginamussio.com about these wonderful cities in her adopted country.
Hear about travel to Zambia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Graham Wales from outboundclan.com about their epic honeymoon in Africa and how they fell in love with Zambia.
Hear about travel to Tokyo as the Amateur Traveler talks to family travel blogger / podcaster Jason Andrew Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about a city he called home for 13 years.
Hear about travel to Scotland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah from www.thegirlwiththemaptattoo.com about travel to this beautiful and historic country.
Hear about Cruising Southeastern Alaska on Un-Cruise Adventures as the Amateur Traveler goes on a cruise where dressing for dinner and bingo are replaced with kayaking and bushwhacking.
Hear about travel to Northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cindy Carlsson about her trip to some popular sites and some way off the beaten track places.
Hear about travel to 4 national parks in British Columbia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carolyn B. Heller author of "Moon Vancouver & Canadian Rockies Road Trip".
Hear about travel to Geneva, Switzerland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Leyla Giray Alianak about the region where she lives.
Hear about travel to Oklahoma City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sheila Scarborough from Tourism Currents about what she calls a "tremendously underrated destination".
Hear about travel to Ethiopia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anwar from beyondmyfrontdoor.com about travel to this country rich with beauty and history.
Hear about travel to Perak, Malaysia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jub from TikiTouringKiwi.com about this region that Lonely Planet named as one of the 10 best regions to visit in 2017.
Hear about travel to the Sultanate of Oman as the Amateur Traveler talks to Claire Robinson from zigzagonearth.com about her trip to this middle eastern country.
The Amateur Traveler talks to David Grenewetzki about his first trip to India. His itinerary covered Mombai, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Delhi and then ended at the Indian wedding of friends. They started in Mumbai where they saw sites like the arch of India and Elephanta Caves. Near Bangalore they made a side trip to see the Jain pilgrimage site of Shravanabelagola and the palace of Tipu Sultan at Mysore. In Udaipu they splurged and stayed in both the City Palace and the Lake Palace Hotels.
Hear about travel to The Republic of Georgia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Samantha Guthrie about this ancient country in the corner of Europe.
Hear about travel to the Kansai Region of Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, etc) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amanda Kendle from the Thoughtful Travel Podcast about one of her favorite parts of the world. Amanda originally came to Kansai to teach English and fell in loved with it.
Hear about travel to Cape Town, South Africa as the Amateur Traveler talks to Annika Ziehen from Midnight Blue Elephant about her former hometown
Hear about travel to Milwaukee as the Amateur Traveler talks to Barbara Ali about her hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Hear about travel to Sydney, Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Roma Small from RoamingRequired.com about her hometown.
Hear about travel to Bordeaux, France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Dombrowski from luxadventuretraveler.com about her new hometown in one of France's most famous wine regions.
Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Learn what to see and do, where to hike and when to come.
Hear about travel to the countries of Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru in Micronesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stefan from Rapid Travel Chai about these small difficult to reach island nations.
Hear about travel to Eastern Taiwan as the Amateur Traveler talks to freelance travel writer Robert Kelly about a destination he literally wrote the book on.
Hear about travel to Jordan as the Amateur Traveler himself, Chris Christensen, relates stories about his visit to the country.
Hear about travel to Helsinki, Finland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Inna from the Finnish Family Travel Blog about her hometown.
Hear about travel to Patagonia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jackie Nourse about this region of southern Argentina.
Hear about travel to Qatar as the Amateur Traveler talks to Richard Parr from the Best In the World Podcast about this middle eastern country where he lived for 6 years.
Hear about travel to the Finger Lakes in New York as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lillie Marshall from Around the World "L" about this area of water and wine.
Hear about travel to Tibet as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lee Deitesfeld & Travis Bingaman about their trip to this complicated and fascinating country.
Hear about travel to California's premier wine region of Napa and Sonoma as the Amateur Traveler talks again to free lance journalist Jill Robinson about this area with more than just wine... but a lot of that
Hear about travel to Richmond, Virginia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Becky Pekora from TheGirlAndGlobe.com about her adopted hometown.
Hear about a Baltic Cruise on Viking Ocean as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares from travelingwithmj.com about their recent Viking Homelands cruise on the Viking Sea.
Hear about hiking the Peaks of the Balkans trail in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan and Audrey from uncorneredmarket.com about this off the beaten track route in Europe.
Hear about travel to North Dakota as the Amateur Traveler talks to resident Derrick Schiff about this often ignored state.
Hear about travel to the Dordogne region of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Laurence Norah about this region known for it's picturesque villages and castles.
Hear about travel to the Russian Far East as the Amateur Traveler talks to freelance travel journalist Robert Reid about his numerous journeys to this remote part of Russia.
Hear about travel to Greenland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Karsten from expertvagabond.com about his recent visit to this remote island.
Hear about travel to Turks and Caicos as the Amateur Traveler talks to author Donna Seim about her favorite archipelago.
In preparation for the 2017 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Chris (the Amateur Traveler) took a road trip through "Luther Land" and the heart of Germany.
Hear about travel to Flanders in Belgium from the Amateur Traveler. I recently traveled to 5 cities in Belgium: Antwerp, Ghent, Ieper, Bruges and Brussels. Each of these historic cities is wonderfully picturesque, even on a grey November day.
Hear about travel to the Island of Kauai as the Amateur Traveler talks to Betsy and Pete Wuebker from PassingThru.com about the Garden Island.
Hear about travel to the Danube Delta in Romania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Christian Cummins about traveling to this UNESCO biosphere in Europe.
Hear about travel to Sardinia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Max Hartshorne from gonomad.com about this off the beaten path part of Italy.
Hear about travel to Far West China (Xinjiang) as theAmateur Traveler talks to Josh Summers from FarWestChina.com about his adopted home where China meets Central Asia.
Hear about travel to Naples and the Amalfi Coast in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Beth Rubin from SelectItaly.com about how to plan a trip to this beautiful region.
Hear about travel to United Arab Emirates as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Zora O'Neill about her recent trip to these small states on the Persian / Arabian Gulf.
This episode of the Amateur Traveler talks about the recent Amateur Traveler trip to Cambodia. 7 of the 9 people who joined me on this trip also join me for the podcast to share the highlights, surprises and challenges of the trip.
Hear about travel to Cincinnati, Ohio as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erin Hinsen and Seth Walsh from UnlockCincinnati.org about the Queen City.
Hear about travel to Provence, France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Wendy Jaeger from blisstravels.com about her adopted home in the south of France.
Hear about cruising to Cuba as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Dave Grenewetzki about his trip on a ship based People to People trip to Cuba.
Hear about travel to Dallas, Texas as the Amateur Traveler talks to Penny Sadler from adventuresofacarryon.com about her hometown of Dallas, Texas. Penny tells us why we might be surprised at all Dallas has to offer and why we should leave our cowboy hats at home.
Hear about travel to Buffalo, New York as the Amateur Traveler talks to Larissa Milne from changesinlongitude.com about why she fell in love with this significant American city.
Hear about travel to Basel, Switzerland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Claudia McCoy about her hometown.
Hear about travel to Mozambique as the Amateur Traveler talks to Simon Lewis from TarvelConceptSolution.com about this long thin country in Southeastern Africa.
Hear about travel to the Auvergne region of France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Allison and Andrew Cornford-Matheson from CheeseWeb.eu as we talk about their visit to this central but overlooked area of France.
Hear about travel to the National Parks in Utah as the Amateur Traveler talks to Scot and Emily McKay from wingitworldwide.com about their travels in the Beehive State.
Hear about travel to Seattle, Washington as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares from travelingwithmj.com about her hometown.
Hear about travel to Barcelona, Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lauren Aloise from devourspain.com about traveling to this capital of the region of Catalan.
Hear about travel to the Maldives Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Dombrowski of luxeadventuretraveler.com about her visit to this tropical paradise.
Hear about travel to Guizhou China as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Gina Czupka from thistimetomorrow.net about her trip to this off the beaten path destination.
Hear about travel to Indianapolis, Indiana as the Amateur Traveler talked to Nancy Parode the Senior Travel Expert at about.com about travel to this mid-western capital.
Hear about travel to the Westfjords of Iceland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Katie Hammel of Vaitor.com about her trip to this remote region of the island.
Hear about travel to remote parts of Alaska as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Sherry Ott from ottsworld.com about travel to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in the east, above the Arctic Circle to Coldfoot Camp and far to the west to Nome Alaska.
Hear about travel to the Dominican Republic as the Amateur Traveler talks to guidebook author and travel writer Lebawit Lily Girma who is working on the Moon Guide to the Dominican Republic.
Hear about travel to San Diego as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mike from MikesRoadTrip.com about this beautiful city in Southern California.
Hear about travel to the Aeolian Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rick Zullo from rickzullo.com about these historic but lesser known islands off the coast of Sicily.
Hear about Trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal as the Amateur Traveler talks to the Su Family from sufamilyadventures.com about tackling this well known route.
Hear about travel to El Salvador as the Amateur Traveler talks to Joe Baur of joebaur.com about his recent visit to this Central American country.
Hear about travel to Moscow as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alex Block of alexblocktravels.com about his home town and Russia's capital.
Hear about travel to Croatia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jay Ternavan of JaywayTravel.com about this country on the coast of the Adriatic.
Jay says, "for me Croatia has everything you could look for in a travel experience"
Hear about travel to Northern Romania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ralph Velasco of photoenrichment.com about the region that he visited leading a recent photo tour.
We talk about the regions of Maramureş and Bukovina, north of Transylvania.
Hear about travel to the borough of Queens in New York City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brian Cicioni from imayroam.com about this less visited part of the city.
A special live episode of the Amateur Traveler with three guests, Aaron Saunders, Jonathan Souza and Mary Quincy talking about the recent VikingSocial, Viking River Cruise on the Douro River in Portugal.
Hear about travel to northern South Korea as the Amateur Traveler talks to Katie of aroundtheworldinktdays.com about the area of South Korea where she is living.
Hear about travel to Michigan's Upper Peninsula (the UP) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jennifer Schuitema from Grand Rapids Michigan about travel to the northern remote part of the Great Lake State.
Hear about travel to Cameroon as the Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon and Rejoice Mubarak from TheUnseenAfrica.com about Rejoices' native country and Francis' recent trip to this West African country on his quest to explore every country in Africa.
Hear about hiking the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) in northern Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Linda Martin from The Indie Travel Podcast.
Linda says, "the thing about the Camino is that it is as long as you wanted to be."
Hear about travel to Santa Barbara, California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Heather Simon from wellplannedtravel.net about the "American Riviera".
Hear about travel to Santa Barbara, California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Heather Simon from wellplannedtravel.net about the "American Riviera".
Hear about the United States UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from Everything-Everywhere.com and The Global Travel Conspiracy podcast about these best of the best sites.
Hear about hiking Japan's Nakasendo Trail as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dave Grenewetzki about his experiences on this trip into the Japanese countryside between Kyoto and Tokyo.
Hear about travel to Kyrgyzstan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Anderson about the central asian country where he has been serving as a Peace Corp volunteer.
Eric admits that he might not have been able to find Kyrgyzstan on a map before being sent to this beautiful mountainous country just west of China...
Hear about travel to Hyderabad India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sean Whiting about the city he has called home for more than 4 years.
Hear about travel to New Orleans Louisiana as the Amateur Traveler talks to freelance journalist Jill Robinson. Jill agrees with Earl King "There ain't no city like New Orleans".
Hear about travel to the Philippines as the Amateur Traveler talks to Julie Longland about her travel to the Cordilleras mountain region and the island of Palawan which was just named the "Best Island in the World".
Hear about a road trip around Ontario as the Amateur Traveler talks to guidebook author Carolyn Heller, author of the Moon guide to Ontario.
Hear about Cruising Southeastern Alaska on Un-Cruise Adventures as the Amateur Traveler goes on a cruise where dressing for dinner and bingo are replaced with kayaking and bushwhacking. Chris and his wife explored with 84 other passengers on the Safari Endeavor the islands, inlets, and glaciers of the Alaskan panhandle.
Hear about travel to Atlanta, Georgia as the Amateur Traveler talks to return guest Chris Willis about his hometown. Chris has been on the show talking about distant and exotic places but this time we talk about the land of Margret Mitchell and Coca-Cola.
Hear about travel to Austin, Texas as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mike Hinshaw of nomadictexan.com about his hometown. Mike says of Austin, “it is a fun place. It has wonderful food. It has great music."
Hear about travel to Hamburg, Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks to Romy Mlinzk from snoopsmaus.de about her hometown, the second largest port in Europe and Germany's second city.
Hear about travel to Munich Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks to Laurel Robbins of monkeysandmountains.com about her adopted city.
This episode of the Amateur Traveler talks about the recent Amateur Traveler trip to southern Morocco. 9 of the 10 people who joined me on this trip also join me for the podcast to share the good and bad of the trip.
Hear about travel to Louisville, Kentucky as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Falls, social media author and speaker about his home town.
Jason says, "Louisville is a fantastic city, it also has a lot going on from a tourism standpoint.
Hear about travel to Namibia's Skeleton Coast as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Susan Portnoy of theinsatiabletraveler.com about her trip to this memorable reagion of Africa. Namibia is the size of France and Great Britain combined but with only 2 million people.
Hear about travel to the Czech Republic as the Amateur Traveler talks to Anthony Hennen from anthonyhennen.com about his trip to the areas of the country outside of Prague.
Hear about travel to the Tennessee River Valley as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chuck Prevatte from foodwinebeertravel.com about the region from Chatanooga, Teneesee to Huntsville, Alabama.
Hear about travel to the Cayman Islands as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kendra Pierre-Louis from kendrawrites.com about her trip to this island paradise.
Hear about travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Larissa and Michael Milne of changesinlongitude.com. They recently authored the "Philadelphia Liberty Trail" book.
Hear about travel to North Carolina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Karen Dawkins of familytravelsonabudget.com about the Tar Heel State. We cover from Mount Mitchell in the west to the Outer Banks in the east.
Hear about cruising from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile around Cape Horn in South America as the Amateur Traveler relates stories of a recent Holland America cruise on the Zaandam.
Hear about travel to Tel Aviv, Israel as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shimrit Elisar from diytelavivguide.com about her home city.
Hear about volunteer travel with the Peace Corps as the Amateur Traveler talks to Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Director Hessler-Radelet not only served in the Peace Corps herself in Western Samoa but 4 generations of her family have done so.
Hear about travel to the region around Island of Cebu as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tommo & Megsy from fivedollartraveller.com about their vacation in Visayas, the central group of islands in the Philippines. They visited the islands of Bohol, Cebu and Negros.
Hear about hiking the Kings Trail (Kungsleden) in Swedish Lapland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Agata from nullnfull.com about this northern and rugged portion of Sweden. Agata says, “Lapland is all about nature and wilderness”.
Hear about travel to Haiti as the Amateur Traveler talks to Daniel Noll & Audrey Scott from uncorneredmarket.com about travel to this rather ignored Caribbean country.
Hear about travel to Mumbai India as the Amateur Traveler talks to Stephanie Hays of RealityToursAndTravel.com about travel to this crowded, noisy, vibrant city. With the background sounds of the horns of auto rickshaws we find out why a girl from Chattanooga, Tennessee ended up in India's largest city.
Hear about travel to the state of Guanajuato Mexico (including San Miguel de Allende) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tim Leffel of perceptivetravel.com about his adopted home.
Hear about travel to Delaware as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mara Gorman from MotherOfAllTrips.com about traveling to her small but historic adopted home state.
Hear about travel to Seville, Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cat Gaa from sunshineandsiestas.com about life in her adopted city. Hear about what to see, do and eat in Seville.
Hear about travel to Little Rock, Arkansas as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sara Beth Jones & Alison Chino from sarabethjones.com and alisonchino.com about their home town.
Hear about travel to the mainland of Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to Margherita Ragg from thecrowdedplanet.com about one of her favorite countries. Margherita comes from Italy so she has traveled to Greece on numerous occasions. We talk at length about Athens, Delphi and Meteora.
Hear about travel to Lisbon, Portugal as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nelson Carvalheiro about the capital of his native country.
Hear about travel to the island of Madeira as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jörgen Abrahamsson who is a tour guide from Tue Nordic in this small Portuguese possession.
Hear about travel to Canberra, Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tenele Conway from www.hungryplanetblog.com about Australia's capital city and the Australian Capital Territory.
Hear about travel to Fiji as the Amateur Traveler talks to David Brodie from Travel in 10 about his trip to this Island Paradise. David says "of all the places I have been around the world, Fiji is one of the ones that really drew me back. "
Hear about travel to Northern Australia (Northwest Territories) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam Guerra from EscapeFromTheBay.blogspot.com. The "Top End" is "one of the more exotic parts of Australia for sure and it's definitely the closest place you can go to get an authentic feel for aboriginal culture which in my opinion is something that makes Australia unique. There is a lot of natural beauty and a lot of wildlife up there. It is nearly untouched."
Hear about travel to New York City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Pauline Frommer about her hometown. Pauline was born in New York City and never moved away. She also just finished the Frommer's Easy Guide to New York City guidebook.
Hear about travel to Slovakia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Julie Callahan from TheWorldInBetween.com. When Julie's family moved to Bratislava, Slovakia 3 years ago they didn't have a single friend who knew where this central European country was located.
Hear about travel to Poland as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Chris Bogdon about his recent trip to Poland. Chris brought his kids and his parents to experience the country where his family came from. Chris did an overview of the country on a bus tour.
Hear about travel to Vermont as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dana Freeman of findandgoseek.net about her adopted home state. Dana has lived in Vermont for 14 years and someday her children's children may be Vermonters.
Hear about travel to West Sweden as the Amateur Traveler talks to Bret Love from GreenGlobalTravel.com about both his recent trip and my recent trip to this beautiful part of Sweden.
Hear about travel to Baltimore, Maryland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nancy Parode from about.com. Nancy has lived in the Baltimore area for a total of about 12 years and tells us about her adopted hometown.
Hear about all of Canada's UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Gary Arndt of Everything-Everywhere.com about traveling to all 17 sites. Some sites like Old Québec are easy to reach and others like Wood Buffalo and Nahanni National Parks (the last two that Gary visited) are quite remote.
Hear about travel to the Silk Road in China's Gansu Province as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Lee Moore from Silk Road Hitchhikers about his trip to this historic and remote part of China.
Hear about travel to Iran as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shara Johnson from sjktravel.net about her recent trip to that country. George W. Bush called it part of the Axis of Evil but Shara found a warm and inviting country.
Hear about travel to Luxembourg as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rosie Titterington about her adopted country. Rosie had never heard of Luxembourg before moving there, but loves this small but lovely country in the heart of Europe.
Hear about travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chris and Sasha Rosencranz about their recent trip to this African country. The DRC is located along the south bank of the Congo River. This large country used to be the Belgian Congo. Chris was previously on the Amateur Traveler talking about the Republic of the Congo as well.
Hear about travel to Salzburg, Austria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gina Czupka about her time living in Salzburg. Salzburg is a "compact walkable city. Everywhere you go there is incredible architecture. It's got a beautiful mountain setting. It's just a picturesque easy place to experience the old-world feel of Europe."
Hear about travel to Orlando, Florida as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Cochran who is the editor of Frommers.com and the editor to the Frommer's Guide to Orlando Florida about vacationing in America's favorite destination spot. We talk about Walt Disney World, the increasingly popular Universal Studios, with a mention of some of the other things to do in Orlando.
Hear about travel to Charleston, South Carolina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jen Leo from This Week in Travel and her husband John Caldwell about their many trips to one of their favorite U.S. cities.
Hear about travel to South Africa on safari as the Amateur Traveler talks to Susan Portnoy from theinsatiabletraveler.com about her recent experience in the Timbavati Game Reserve. This is the 5th time that Susan has traveled to Africa on safari to "shoot" animals... as a photographer.
Hear about travel to Paris, France as the Amateur Traveler talks to Annie Sargant and Elyse Riven from JoinUsInFrance.com. Annie and Elyse do a wonderful podcast about France and guide us through a city they love.
Hear about travel to Lazio, Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nancy Parode from about.com and sixtyandme.com about one of her favorite regions in Italy. Lazio is the region of Italy that includes Rome but this episode will feature all the things outside of Rome.
Hear about travel to Tasmania in Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Robert Reid, the Offbeat Observer for National Geographic Traveler, about his recent trip to Van Diemen’s Land.
Hear about travel to the South Tyrol region of Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alison and Andrew Cornford-Matheson from CheeseWeb.eu about their recent trip to this lovely region in Northern Italy. This predominantly German speaking region of Italy includes portions of the Dolomites mountain range, a wine road and some great vistas.
Hear about travel to Memphis, Tennessee as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lance from tripsbylance.com about this city where he has lived on and off for 20+ years. Lance tells us that there is more to Memphis than Elvis and Graceland.
Hear about travel to Jordan as the Amateur Traveler himself, Chris Christensen, relates stories about his recent visit to the country.
Hear about travel to Lassen National Park in northern California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dick Jordan about this spectacular if less visited destination. Lassen is in northeastern California. It is just as easy to get to from San Francisco as Yosemite National Park but with fewer tourists and one more volcano. The park centers around the dormant volcano Mt. Lassen and features other geothermal active areas.
Hear about travel to the Western Sahara as the Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon about this disputed region as part of his trip to every country in Africa.
Hear about Hiking the Lycian Way in Southern Turkey as the Amateur Traveler talks to authors Warren and Betsy Talbot from MarriedWithLuggage.com about the month they spent hiking this amazing trail. The Lycian Way runs for a little over 500 km (not counting getting lost) from Fethiye in the west to Antalya in the east. We talk about their whole journey as well as segments people with much less time could hike.
Hear about travel to Denver, Colorado as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lance Longwell from TravelAdicts.net about his home town, the "Mile High City". Denver is the capital of the state of Colorado and sits where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains.
Hear about travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba as the Amateur Traveler talks to return guest Michael Soncina of Sonchy’s Adventures about this city on the great plains of Canada.
Hear about travel to Saint Helena as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt about his visit to this isolated island between Africa and South America. Gary has come on the show a number of times to talk about obscure, out of the way and small places. Saint Helena qualifies as all three.
Hear about travel to Southwest England as the Amateur Traveler talks to Edith about her adopted home. This episode will look at the area southwest of Bristol, two hours west of London. Edith says that the area of southwest England is “archetypical English”.
Hear about travel to Riga, Latvia as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Spud Hilton, the travel editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, about his recent trip there. Riga is a surprisingly beautiful European city and the 2014 Capital of Culture for Europe.
Hear about travel to Nova Scotia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott about her recent trip to this province in Eastern Canada. Sherry returns to to the show to talk about a trip around Nova Scotia she took last June.
Hear about travel to Düsseldorf, Germany as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erik and Anne Hess about this city on the Rhine. Carnival, Christmas Markets and one of the most livable cities in the world.
Hear about travel to Mazatlan, Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Craig Zabransky about this Mexico seaport. Mazatlan is on the west coast of Mexico.
Hear about travel to Arctic Manitoba as the Amateur Traveler talks to Marybeth Bond from GutsyTraveler.com about her recent trip to Churchill Manitoba to see polar bears.
Hear about travel to Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to repeat guest Chris Willis about his trip to Indonesia. The main objective of Chris’s trip was to photograph Komodo dragons in the wild. Komodo dragons live on 2-3 islands which are not near any airport so getting there is half the experience.
Hear about travel to Mobile, Alabama as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carla Rountree from theinconsistentnomad.com about her home state. There are beautiful beaches. It is an area that was founded in the early 1700s so there is lots of culture, lots of history and it is even the area where Mardi Gras actually started in the USA.
Hear about travel to Sudan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nicholas Bori of the I Quit project about his journey through that remote African country. Nicholas visited Sudan on an overlanding truck that traversed Africa from south to north.
Hear about travel to Montana as the Amateur Traveler talks to Donna Hull from MyItchyTravelFeet.com. Donna and her husband visited Montana in 2001 as part of a National Park tour and fell in love with the Big Sky state. Finally in 2010 they moved to the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, the so called “banana belt” of Montana. They had planned to live there only in the Summer but did not want to leave when the end of Summer came.
Hear about travel to the Russian Far East as the Amateur Traveler talks to freelance travel journalist Robert Reid about his numerous journeys to this remote part of Russia. Robert does not describe a country that is easy to see or necessarily always approachable, but one that can still be seductive. Learn why Robert has “Russia Love”.
Hear about travel to The Pantanal in Brazil as the Amateur Traveler talks to Daisy about her recent trip to this vast wetlands area. The Pantanal is south of the Amazon in Eastern Brazil and also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay.
“The Pantanal is a basin that is the world’s largest wetlands. It is about ten times the size of the Everglades. It’s really a great site to see wildlife.” The Pantanal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hear about travel to Southern Alberta as the Amateur Traveler talks to Karl Andrews from Calgary about travel to his home province. The Canadian Rockies, Kananaskis Country, Waterton Park, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, The Calgary Stampede, and Dinosaurs.
Hear about travel to the Island of Socotra and Yemen as the Amateur Traveler talks to Earl from WanderingEarl.com about a visit to this isolated island best known for its production of frankincense. The island is quite isolated and a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. With trees like the umbrella-shaped dragon’s blood tree it has been described as the most alien-looking place on Earth.
Hear about travel to the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt about his journey to visit many of the islands in the Caribbean on a single trip. In this episode we talk about Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, and Trinidad. This episode is a continuation of episode 386 which talked about the Leeward Islands.
Hear about travel to the island of Vieques off Puerto Rico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Winston from Philadelphia about his recent trip there. Vieques is an island thais 8 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Hear about travel to Panama as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chaundra from London about her recent trip to that country. She spent a week in Panama before a SilverSeas Silver Explorer cruise in the area to see wildlife. As part of the cruise they visited the Pearl Islands as well as the Darien Gap. On their own they visited Panama City, the Old Panama City, Casco Viejo, Fort Sherman, Colon and Soberania and Chagres National Parks.
Hear about travel to Flanders in Belgium from the Amateur Traveler. I recently traveled to 5 cities in Belgium: Antwerp, Ghent, Ieper, Bruges and Brussels. Each of these historic cities is wonderfully picturesque, even on a grey November day.
Hear about travel to New Jersey as the Amateur Traveler alks to Lisa Luben about her home state. Lisa comes on the show to introduce us to the pretty parts of New Jersey that many people don't picture. The state is one quarter farmland and one quarter woodlands and filled with historic towns.
Hear about travel to Morocco as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ralph Velasco about his recent photography tour of the country. Ralph tells us about some of his favorite cities in the country Chefchaouen and Essaouira in a trip that also included Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Fes.
Hear about travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares about her recent trip there. Mary Jo was really interested in learning more about the history of "the troubles" and her husband about the Titanic.
Hear about travel to Ottawa, Ontario as the Amateur Traveler talks to return guest Michael Soncina of Sonchy's Adventures about Canada's capital city. Michael was in Ottawa as a part of a press trip looking a new eco district the city is setting up in its downtown.
Hear about travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kay from TheKayDays.com who is a University student in Rio.
"Rio has a culture and a aura that is completely different from anywhere I have seen before."
Hear about travel to Arequipa, Peru as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam from Indefinite Adventure. Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city after Lima. It is in the south, inland, west of Lake Titicaca and south of Cusco. Sam heard about Arequipa from other travelers and lived and worked there for a month as a temporary local.
Hear about trekking in Ecuador’s Quilotoa Loop as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kim Mance about her recent trip to that country. Kim spent 3 weeks in Ecuador including one week on the Quilotoa Loop.
Hear about travel to Baton Rouge as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lindsay Thomas from TheTraveluster.com about her hometown. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana. It can be a great gateway to Cajun food and culture.
Hear about travel to Ireland as Chris, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a recent trip to the Emerald Isle. Chris did a driving tour with 7 family members and friends from Dublin to the west point of Ireland and of Europe.
Hear about travel to the Andalucia region of Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Crawford Hill from Chill Expeditions about his adopted home in Southern Spain. Crawford traveled in that area and then fell in love and bought a second home here.
Hear about travel to the Island of Shikoku, Japan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from Chicago about his recent trip back to the island. Dan also worked teaching English on Shikoku in the city of Imabari. Shikoku is the 4th largest of the islands in Japan and just across the from Hiroshima. Shikoku is mountainous, more traditional and more rural than the areas of Japan more tourists know.
Hear about travel to Macedonia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kelsey of CineTraveler.com about her recent trip to this country in the Balkans. Macedonia is just north of Greece and probably best known as the home for Alexander the Great but Kelsey found much more to recommend in this much too overlooked country. In a week they were able to see much of the country.
Hear about travel to the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Gary Arndt of Everything-Everyhwere.com. Gary just finished an island hopping tour that took him to most of the islands in the Caribbean. We will cover the islands of St. Martin, Anguilla, Saba, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, and Montserrat on this episode.
Hear about travel to the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Rosencranz about his recent visit to this country in equatorial African. The Republic of the Congo sits in the rain forest just north of the Congo River from its better known, and less stable neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo. “In the past few years the Republic of the Congo has emerged with some new infrastructure to let tourists access some of the best parks that the continent has going for it plus the rain forest itself which is really quite special, and the river.”
Hear about travel to Vienna, Austria as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gerhard Strassgschwandtner who is a tour guide and owner of the Third Man Museum in Vienna.
Hear about travel to the Navajo Nation as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mark Carrara from markstravels.com about his recent visit. The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory the size of the state of Connecticut located mostly in Arizona. It can be described as desolate, majestic, barren and spacious.
Hear about travel to Azerbaijan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Mason Wiley of Community Based Tourism Azerbaijan about his time spent in the country during the Peace Corps. Even though he has come back to the USA he still loves and misses Azerbaijan and its people. Mason had not even heard of Azerbaijan until he was posted there by the Peace Corps.
Hear about travel to the Isle of Man as the Amateur Traveler talks to writer and film maker Andrew White. The Isle of Man is a small island in between Ireland and England. "It's a fantastic place. It really is. It's often said it's like the British Isles in miniature."
Hear about travel to Kansas City (Kansas and Missouri) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Rob Walch about the Paris of the Plains. Kansas City has that nickname because of the many fountains in the city.
Hear about travel to Belarus as the Amateur Traveler talks to Velvet Dallesandro about his trip to this former member state of the Solviet Union. Belarus is very close to Poland and the Baltic states but does not get as much western tourism as those countries. Velvet is on a quest to see all the former Soviet countries.
Hear about travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina as the Amateur Traveler talks to Leandro Gonzalez about his hometown. Buenos Aires is a large cosmopolitan city of 13 million people. Leandro tries to help us find options for travelers from the backpacker to the upscale traveler.
Hear about travel to South Australia as the Amateur Traveler alks to Dave and Deb from ThePlanetD.com about their recent trip down under.
Hear about travel to Oslo and Western Norway as the Amateur Traveler talks to Øystein about his native Norway.
Hear about travel to Amsterdam as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Erik Smith from onmyfeetorinmymind.com. Erik returned to Amsterdam for the seventh or eighth time recently.
Hear about travel to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jodi Ettenberg from legalnomads.com.
Hear about travel to Slovenia as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Michael Soncina about his visit to the country. The country is independent, beautiful and deserves to see more tourists than it gets.
Hear about travel to Stockholm, Sweden as the Amateur Traveler talks to Malin from HauteCompass.com about Sweden's beautiful capital city.
Hear about travel to Victoria Falls as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nir Ben-Dov about his trip to this spectacular falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. This was Nir’s second trip and his wife’s first trip from their home in Israel to this famed set of falls in southern Africa.
Hear about travel to Fort Worth, Texas as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Jason Hull about Fort Worth Texas the "City of Cowboys and Culture". Sometimes over shadowed by it's neighbor Dallas Jason shows us why Fort Worth is worth a visit.
Hear about travel to Bucharest as the Amateur Traveler talks to Wandering Earl about visiting and living in that city. Earl calls Bucharest one of the most under-rated cities in all of Europe, certainly eastern Europe.
Hear about travel to Extremadura in Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sam from indefiniteadventure.com about living and working there. Extremadura is a lesser known region in southwest Spain on the border with Portugal and adjacent to Andalusia, Madrid and Castilla. Sam lived in the city of Medira for 3 months teaching English.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Benny the Irish Polyglot about Toulouse, France. Benny lived in the city for 3 months to work on his French. He was drawn to the University city culture but fell in love with the "pink" city.
Hear about travel to Vanuatu as the Amateur Traveler talks again to Chris Willis who comes back on the show to talk about a recent trip to the remote, tropical paradise of Vanuatu.
Hear about travel to the South Side of Chicago as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amy Bugbee, author of "Suffering and Celebration of Life in America", about her hometown, the South Side of Chicago. The South Side of Chicago is more than just the White Sox and the stock yards just as Chicago pizza is more than just deep dish.
Hear about travel to Japan on the Amateur Traveler as I relate stories from my recent trip to Tokyo, the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto, the castle at Hikone, the shrines and temples of Nikko and Kamakura.
Hear about travel to Puerto Rico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kaleb Garcia about his home country of Puerto Rico. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean with its own culture, language (Spanish), history and food.
Hear about travel to the Guianas (French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Marcello Arrambide from wanderingtrader.com about his recent trip to these three South American countries.
Hear about travel to North Korea as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matt from England about his recent trip to this closed and insular country. This may be one of the most unusual episodes of the Amateur Traveler as this may be one of the more unusual countries.
Hear about travel to London as the Amateur Traveler talks to Amber from americantourguideinlondon.com. In this second part of a two part episode on London
Hear about travel to Perth, Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Carmen from double-barrelledtravel.com. Carmen grew up in Perth and lived for 21 years in this city on Australia’s Western shore. Perth is a beautiful city located where a river his the white sand beaches.
Hear about travel to Samoa as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jade Johnston from OurOyster.com about their recent trip to this remote pacific destination. Samoa is composed of two islands just north of New Zealand.
Hear about travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico as the Amateur Traveler talks to Billie Frank from SantaFeTravelers.com about her city, the second oldest in the United States and the oldest capital city in the U.S.
Hear about travel to Guatemala as the Amateur Traveler talks to Shannon O’Donneal from alittleadrift.com about her recent trip to Guatemala. Shannon went to Guatemala to attend a language school but was surprised by the breath of diversity in the culture.
Hear about Myanmar as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dustin Main from SkinnyBackpacker.com about Myanmar (Burma).
Hear about Queensland's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane Australia from Annabel Candy. Long white sand beachs, hiking trails, a tropical zoo in the tropics.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Amber, an American Tour Guide in London, about her adopted city. Amber is an American expat from London who now takes people on walking tours of London.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jim Lutz from Via Adventures about the Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. "The Galapagos has to be one of the most unique and wonderful wildlife destinations in the world."
TheAmateur Traveler talks to Mary Jo Manzanares about 4 of her favorite hill towns in southern Tuscany: Contignano , Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza. Experience the food, the wine and the slower pace of some of these hill towns.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Nick Stanziano, co-founder of SA Luxury Expeditions and newly minted Peruvian citizen about his new country of Peru. We talk about Lima, Machu Picchu and other well known Peru landmarks as well both ancient and modern.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Christian Cummins about his bicycle trip across Uganda. Christian is a British expat who lives in Austria where he works for radio station FM4. He had recently returned from the African state of Uganda where he was raising money for a children’s education charity called Link Community Development.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Gretchen about her two trips to Kenya. Gretchen's husband is a wildlife photographer and they both are birders. They went on a wildlife photography safari that emphasized bird watching and fell in love with Kenya.
The Amateur Traveler talks to David Lee about his parttime home, the “City of the Eternal Spring”, Medellin Colombia. If you just Medellin as a dangerous city and the home of drug lords, then your information is about 20 years out of date
The Amateur Traveler talks to Nathan from Wand’rly Magazine about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and about his current home of Western North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited U.S. National Park.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American ever to travel to every country in the world, about 3 islands off the coast of Australia: Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Noah Lederman of SomewhereOrBust.com about his recent trip to Cambodia. Noah visited Anchor Wat, Rabbit Island near Kep, Battambang and the bamboo trains and Phnom Penh and the sobering Tuol Sleng - S21 memorial.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Soncina again about his trip to Tajikistan in Central Asia. Tajikistan is smack dab between Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Unlike the other countries Tajikistan is mostly mountainous. A lot of its influences, history and culture is influenced by Persia while its neighbors have more Mongolian or nomadic influences.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith about his month long visit to New Zealand. We focus in this interview about the South Island of New Zealand. Erick started in Christchurch and then visited The Banks Penninsula, Lake Tekapo, the Dunedin, the Otago Peninsula, the Southern Scenic Route including the Catlins, Fiordland National Park (including cruising both Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound) Queenstown, the rainy west coast, Abel Tasman National Park, Kaikoura, and Picton.
The Amateur Traveler talks to to Gary Arndt about the 4 micro-states in Europe: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino. "They all have very unique histories and the one thing that they are all very small"
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott about Costa Brava Spain. Costa Brava is in Catalonia north of Barcelona on the rugged coastline of Spain. It also extends as far inland as the Pyrenees and includes farming country and medieval towns.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Hunter Hillegas author of the Vegas Mate iPhone app about Las Vegas. The Amateur Traveler has covered Las Vegas before but the city is constantly changing.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Photographer Ralph Velasco about two of his favorite cities in Spain, Toledo and Segovia. Both Toledo and Segovia are a short distance from Madrid and both offer interesting and historically significant cities with UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Shawn Farris about his trip to Serbia and Kosovo. Shawn either visited two countries (or one) in this contested area of the Balkans.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Janice Waugh from Solo Traveler about solo travel as a woman, particularly solo international travel. Janice did not set out to be a solo traveler but after the death of her husband she gained her courage to travel again.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lash from LashWorldTour.com about the Island of Java in the nation of Indonesia. She cycled through the countryside and visited the major cities of this populous island in Indonesia.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Marc Barach about his recent trek around Monte Blanc. Hiking around the giant mountain on the tour Monte Blanc took him through portions of France, Italy and Switzerland.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Andrew about the Island of Kyushu, the southern island in Japan. Kyushu is one of the warmer parts of Japan. Nagasaki is probably the best known city on the island for its tragic history as the second city targeted with an atomic bomb. The island has is green and hilly with a number of active volcanos. Andrew and his wife had a chance to visit a number of museums, the peace park in Nagasaki, visit a volcano, be buried in hot and and take in a local soccer game. They toured its large cities but also headed into the countryside.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jen Russell about the 3rd smallest state in the U.S. Connecticut. Connecticut, the Constitution State, is located halfway between New York and Boston. It has a coastline sheltered by Long Island so more suitable for family frolicking than for surfing. Connecticut also has a long maritime tradition which is celebrated at Mystic Seaport. It's forested rolling hills are popular with people who come to New England in the Fall to see the Fall colors. Connecticut is rich in U.S. history producing people such Revolutionary War patriot Nathan Hale ("My only regret is that I have but one life to give to my country"). It is rich in natural history as evidenced by Dinosaur State Park.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Neil Kristianson about one of his favorite travel destinations Savannah, Georgia. Neil and his wife were drawn to Savannah originally because of the movie and the book “Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil”. They fell in love with the Antebellum architecture, the many public squares, the Southern hospitality and pace, and, strangely enough, with the cemeteries. Savannah is rich in history and has been a destination for travelers even before Sherman’s March to the sea. Learn where to eat and what restaurant is overrated. Stay in a local historic inn one one of the city squares in the walkable historic downtown.
The Amateur Traveler talks about adventure travel in Costa Rica. From rafting on the Pacuare river and ziplining through the Monteverde Cloud forest to snorkeling off the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica can be a great destination for adventure travel.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Scott E. Jordan of Scottevest about his home in Sun Valley Idaho.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam Oppenheim who returns to the show to talk about a recent trip to Belgium. Starting in Brussels, Sam and his wife Mina also visited Ghent, Antwerp, Brugge, Bouillon and Orval.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kirk Horsted in a two part episode on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. In this second half Kirk looks at the state capital of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kirk Horsted in a two part episode on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. This first episode focuses on Minneapolis with day trips west of the Mississippi river.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Katie Aune from KatieGoingGlobal.com about her recent trip to Lithuania. Katie visited Lithuania as part of a year traveling through countries that were part of the former U.S.S.R. She spent much of her time in and around Vilnius, the capital.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Antonello Losito from Southern Visions Travel about his native region of Puglia (Apulia) in Italy. Puglia is the boot of Italy and does not get the same number of tourists as Northern Italy. But Antonello recommends his rugged coastline and mountain towns as a way to see the Italy that “most American’s picture”.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Rebecca about her adopted home of Umbria in Italy. Umbria is known as the green heart of Italy. Perhaps less well known than its neighbor of Tuscany to the North Umbria is a verdant region of hill towns, farms and national parks located in the center of Italy.
The Amateur Traveler talks about traveling to the Hawaiian Island of Lana’i. I recently spent a week in Lana’i as a guest of the Lana’i Visitor’s Bureau as one of their 2012 “Artists in Residence”. Lana’i only has 3,000 residence and a small town feel. I talk about some of the more unusual (for me at least) activities that I tried on the Island including riding a horse, going on a ride and shoot (to Lana’i Pines Sporting Clays), snubing, learning to play the ukulele, getting a lomi lomi massage, volunteering at a cat sanctuary and going 4 wheel drive tour. You don’t have to do this much when you go to Lan’i. You could also just golf or lie on the beach.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee Moore again about China. Lee comes back on the show to talk about his time in the Yunnan Provence in the southwest corner of China. Yunnan is on the border with Laos, Myanmar and Tibet.
The Amateur Travelertalks to Chaundra about her trip to Southern Israel, a barren but "stunning" land where every rock is full of history.
The Amateur Traveler talks to David Grenewetzki about his first trip to India. His itinerary covered Mombai, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Delhi and then ended at the Indian wedding of friends. Along the way they visited alaces, temples, forts, grand hotels, ancient caves, and acted as Tiger bait.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Carrie from cruisebuzz.net about a popular vacation spot just off the coast of California, Catalina Island.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Richard Graw about his experiences cruising the canals of England in a canal boat (or narrow boat). The canals traverse through tunnels, up staircases of locks and even up over aqueducts.
The Amateur Traveler talks to JD Andrews about his recent trip to Trinidad and Tobago. JD, who used to work for a cruise line, has visited many of the islands of the Caribbean but this was his first visit to Trinidad.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Tieso about his recent trip to Bolivia. He was traveling from Argentina to Peru and at first Bolivia was just in the way, but he discovered a country worth seeing.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Craig Zabransky fro StayAdventurous.com about his recent trip to Bulgaria. He traveled with a Bulgarian friend and visited picturesque towns as well as the amazing blue waters of the Black Sea.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Dave Kerwin about his recent trip to Northern Queensland. Dave recommends 2 main stops on your trip: the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree National Park and the Great Barrier Reef.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Carlos Gutierrez about his home town of San Antonio, Texas. Carlos gives us a guide to some of the obvious spots like the Alamo but also shares some of his favorite hole in the wall restaurants, a tip about the best time to come to San Antonio, and a great drive in the Texas countryside.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll about their recent trip to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country, but all those people are one of Bangladesh's strengths."
The Amateur Traveler talks to well-known travel writer / editor Don George about his first visit to the Champagne region of France. Despite having lived in France after college, Don had never visited the area made so famous by the blind monk Dom Perignon and his sparkling wine. Don discovered a beautiful agricultural area and learned the secret to a good life is one bottle of Champagne a day.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Mike about his recent trip to Kazakhstan. He explored this large area on a backpacker's budget. Kazakhstan is the 9th biggest country in the world. "In the very West end of the country you have old mosques. In the new capital Astana you have futuristic buildings."
The Amateur Traveler talks to Colm Hanratty from HostelWorld.com about Dublin, Ireland. Colm has been living working and studying in Dublin for the last 17 years.
“Dublin is the gateway to Ireland. It is a very welcoming city. It is a very compact city. You can see the main sites and the more off the beaten track sites in about 3 days."
The Amateur Traveler talks to Shannon Martin from Two Who Travel about her hometown of Tampa Bay (and St Petersburg) Florida. Shannon recommends the Tamp Bay area for a beach vacation, possible combined with a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessie Voigts from Wandering Educators about County Kerry and the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. County Kerry is a popular tourist region in Ireland.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Long from LandLopers.com about his recent trip to St. Kitts (officially part of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis) which is part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Matt was on a press trip to the Marriott resort on the island.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Alan from Jacksonville about St. Augustine Florida which is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in what is now the United States. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is 42 years older than Jamestown.
Chihuahua is also known for the beautiful Cooper Canyon which is best seen from the train that transverses it. Copper Canyon is a popular tourist destination with Mexicans. Copper Canyon is larger and portions are deeper than the Grande Canyon.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Berstein again, this time about the Canadian Provence of Quebec. Ira suggests seeing both Montreal and Quebec City because of the contrasts in the two major cities in this French-speaking part of Canada.
Ira would personally recommend spending more time in Montreal but would understand those who like Quebec city better. Montreal is an international city with more than just French and English influence, all of which add their influence to a lively restaurant scene. Montreal sits on the Saint Lawrence River and at the base on Mount Royal from which it derives its name.
Quebec City is possibly the most European city in North America and one of the only walled cities. The city is so popular with American’s that we tried to capture it during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Le Chateau Frontenac dominates the Quebec skyline as it has for more than 100 years.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon about European Russia west of the Ural Mountains. Most people only know 2 cities in Russia – Moscow and St Petersburg. In St Petersburg he recommends the Hermitage and the Peterhof. Moscow is so central culturally to Russia that the trains all run on Moscow time across the 9 timezones of Russia. Francis extends the suggested itinerary to include Kazan and Kaliningrad. Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan which is a mostly Muslim area of Russia. Kazan is over 1000 years old. Kazan is right by the Volga river with a large mosque and classic cathedral. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave in what used to be East Prussia.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Bethany of the Nevada Tourism Bureau about Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is a high elevation alpine lake on the border of California and Nevada. It is surrounded by 18 ski areas so it is a popular winter destination. In the winter it is also a great place for back country hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. In the Summer, Tahoe is a popular area for hiking, fishing and outdoor activities. But, there is another side to Tahoe which is the casinos, restaurants, and entertainment of Nevada's South Tahoe.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Phil Smy about his second home in Kyoto, Japan.
"Japan is organized and meticulous and perfect. Kyoto is the number one tourist destination outside of Tokyo in Japan. The former capital of ancient Japan, it is history and I think you get a real sense of Japan's psyche by going to Kyoto."
Phil talks about the temples, palace, geisha culture, and food of Kyoto.
The Amateur Traveler talks to travel blogger Candice Walsh about St Johns and her her home province of Newfoundland (and Labrador). "In my opinion Newfoundland is maybe the most underrated unappreciated province in Canada".
The Amateur Traveler talks to Robert Reid from Lonely Planet about his home state of Oklahoma. Robert recommends when you are driving through Oklahoma on your great American road trip you get off the interstate and explore for a few days. From the hills and woods of Eastern Oklahoma, to the tall grass prairies, to the oldest mountains in the United States (The Wichita Mountains) Oklahoma has more variety than you might have guessed from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. Even the shape of the state holds clues to its unusual history. It is a state shaped by treaties made and broken with the Native Americans and by slavery and the Compromise of 1850. Its people are influenced by its history, its oil, its tornadoes, and of course its football. Ever a storyteller, Robert talks about African American towns, football upsets, buffalo, songwriters, authors, cowboy poets, onion burgers and Route 66.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt of Everything-Everywhere.com about his recent trip to the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are tropical volcanic islands that are part of Spain but are located off the coast of Northwestern Africa.They are not named after birds.
The first thing that struck me when I got off the plane was how much the weather was like Hawaii and I have heard a lot of people call it Europe's Hawaii. It is a part of Spain. There are two provinces that constitute the Canary Islands. One with its capital on Grand Canaria Island and the other on the island of Tenerife. Columbus's last stop over was in the Canary Islands. Each of the islands, and there are 7 main islands, have a very different character.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Anil Polat who blogs under the name foxnomad about a recent trip to Northern Iraq. Anil is out to visit every country in the world which might lead him to visit a country before some others would deem it safe. Anil did not travel to the green zone but traveled in the Northern or Kurdish region of Iraq. Anil’s trip was made all the more interesting as he is ethnically Turkish. Says Anil:
Honestly that was one of my concerns before going. I did not know how people would respond to me, if people would not like me being there. The whole idea of a Kurdistan in Northern Iraq is a very controversial topic in Turkey to say the least.And also I had some security and safety concerns just because of the location. However, people were very friendly to me and it was a much more normal experience than I was expecting.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kim Mance about traveling to the mountain kingdom of Losotho in Southern Africa. Losotho is a small mountainous region surrounded by South Africa but is an independent constitutional monarchy. The country has a very rural population. Kim got around via rental car but also did a pony trek with guide out into the small mountain villages. Riding a small hearty and nimble Bosotho pony they headed out into a landscape of shepherds and glacier carved mountains.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Wall about traveling to and living in Honduras. Matt recommends the Bay Islands in the Caribbean for a beach resort vacation, scuba diving and snorkeling. The main island of Roatan have everything from all-inclusive resorts to backpacking accommodations in West End. Matt lived in the town of Copán Ruinas near the Guatemala border named after the "pretty incredible" Mayan ruins there. For the very adventurous who are willing to rough it Matt also suggests the Mosquito Coast at the far Western edge of Honduras which is a rain forest area sometimes called the "little Amazon". "You go there if you want to have a jungle experience".
The Amateur Traveler talks to New York travel writer Jeanine Barone about the Azores. The Azores are a chain of islands belonging to Portugal. Your travel agent will extol the beauty of the beaches but Jeanine says that the best of the Azores can be seen through hiking its craggy islands.
If you want to be in a place that feels very unspoiled, but is so close actually to fly there, a place where you feel like you stepped back to another era, then that’s why you should go to the Azores.
These are just gorgeous islands. Each island has its own personality and character. I just adore them.
The Amateur Traveler talks to David from London about his home country of Nigeria. David recommends, against the advice of others, that people who visit Nigeria visit the largest city which is Lagos. Lagos is the second most populous city in Africa after Cairo.
David says “it’s chaotic, it’s crazy, it’s exuberant, it’s everything turned up to eleven, it’s the maddest place I’ve been. That is why you should go there. You’re not going to get a relaxing holiday going to Lagos. But if you want to see human life at the extreme, and I don’t mean extreme in a bad way, but just millions of people in a small place, everyone full of life, everyone exuberant, everyone seemingly happy, Lagos is the place to go”.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Andy Steves about Rome, Italy. Andy talks about practical issues like how to get into and around Rome, how to connect to the Rome of the Roman Empire (the Coloseum, Forum and Circus Maximus, Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Pantheon). He also talks about a tour of the Sistine Chapel without all the crowds and not easy to do. Andy also gives us his favorite spots from Renaissance Rome like the Galleria Borghese and how to get under Saint Peter's to the excavation of older Saint Peter's. Follow Andy to places where you can meet modern Romans on your evening passeggiata to Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. And then meet one of his favorite Romans who runs a hang out for students near the Pantheon.
Andy is the son of travel author and tour guide operator Rick Steves and is following in his father's footsteps running weekend tours for students studying in Europe.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joe Bickley of Alaska Backcountry Consulting about traveling to Alaska, particularly the interior and back country. Alaska is a bug state and Joe lives in the center of it near Fairbanks but at the northern end of the Alaskan road system. Joe gives us some directions on places to go to see Alaska’s vistas and encounter its wildlife. He takes us above the tree line at Denali National Park (aka Mt McKinley) which is not quite half the size of the state of Rhode Island. At that Denali is not even the largest National Park in Alaska. That honor goes to Wrangell-St. Elias. Alaska also has the largest National Forest which is Tongass National Forest. Joe takes us to one of his favorite spots off the Denali “highway”. He also directs us down to the Kenai Peninsula known for great fishing and also to the town of Homer with its artist culture. Learn what some Alaskans call those bells that a tenderfoot might wear to scare off bears.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Rease from 2 Nomads, 1 Narrative about South Korea. Rease and his girlfriend Nicki taught English for a year in Southern South Korea and also took time t travel around the country. We start in the city of Busan which also called Pusan and the only part of South Korea not to fall to the North in the Korean Conflict. Rease recommends we see Busan fish market and some of the old temples and then move on from Korea’s second largest city to the ancient capital of Gyeongju. Gyeongju is over 2000 years old and includes ancient temples and burial tombs and also has the largest of the Buddist temples in the country. Then Rease recommends we move along to some of the beaches, seaside towns and islands on the south coast which most western tourists don’t visit.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Rease Kirchner about her hometown of St. Louis Missouri. St. Louis is known for its iconic Arch and is known as the gateway to the west. Rease claims that St. Louis has the largest urban park in the U.S., and now boasts about a surprising array of ethnic restaurants including a Little Italy area with toasted ravioli and a Little Mexico around Cherokee street. The city has an art museum made of entirely recycled materials, and Rease’s favorite the City Museum. Rease also tells us where we can find traditional St. Louis food including gooey butter cake and a slinger which she describes as “everything that can kill you all on one plate”. St. Louis is famous for Budweiser and for the associated Busch stadium which is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, but now also boasts micro-breweries and NFL and NHL teams.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Keith Kellet about the area around his home in Wiltshire England. Wiltshire has been inhabited since the end of the last ice age and has a rich depth of history including the icon site of Stonehenge. Averbury which is an even older stone circle can also be found there as well as the Salisbury Cathedral and the ancient town of Sarum. Keith describes this verdant region with its chalky hills, its rich lowlands, its ancient barrows, and its industrial age canals. Wiltshire is only about an hour out of London on high speed train so it can even be visited as a day trip from your stay there. We have forgotten more about its history than we have remembered so its ancient sites are covered in mystery and speculation.
The Amateur Traveler talks to San Francisco Chronicle Travel Editor Spud Hilton about Gibraltar. This little patch of England at the bottom of Spain is more than just a place where you can see a large rock and get good fish and chips with your tapas. Explore the "rock" and meet the "apes" of Gibraltar. Hear about some of the history as well as the unique traffic challenges of this tiny peninsula. Also learn about Winston Churchill's secret World War 2 monkey plan for Gibraltar. Along the way let me introduce you to Spud Hilton who is one of my favorite travel editors.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Shawn Farris about his recent trip to the Guangxi region in China. Guangxi is a lesser known but spectacular region in south western China known for its rugged karst mountains and green terraced rice paddies. Shawn explored the area hiking, biking and even kayaking through the countryside. Shawn describes it as a region that still has that “wide open, blue sky, rural feel to it.” The region can be accessed through the cities of Guilin or Yongshuo. During his trip Shawn met the strongest lady he had ever met as well as two of the most enterprising sellers of soda.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Alix (of Alix and Jace’s Amazing Adventure) about her hometown of Sydney Australia. Alix has many ideas about fun things to do in Sydney so you don’t just end up with the rest of the tourists on Darling Harbor. After you have climbed the Harbor Bridge and visited the Sydney Opera House she recommends a beach walk by word famous Bondi Beach, a chance to sleep with the animals of the Taronga Zoo and the out of the way Manly Beach. She tells us what’s the best day of the year to see Sydney (although also the most expensive). Alix also gives us a dizzying list of Sydney restaurants to try.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Zoë Dawes from TheQuirkyTraveler.com about England’s Lake District. This beautiful pastoral area was made famous by the poets and artists in the romantic period, most notably William Wordsworth. Not far from industrial Manchester, the lake district is still a refuge for hikers and and other tourists tucked away in northern England. Zoë describes some of her favorite hikes like the coffin trail along the shores of Lake Windermere and favorite villages like Ambleside.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Roni Weiss about his visit to the divided country of Cyprus. Roni went to Cyprus in part to complete a quest to visit every country in Europe. Roni couchsurfed which gave him a chance to stay with Turkish and Greek Cypriots as well as a Turkish resident. T
The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith again about his trip to the Four Corners area in the American southwest. Four Corners is the spot where 4 U.S. states meet: Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. While the Four Corners spot itself is just a photo op (an probably at the wrong place), the area around it contains some amazing scenery and historic sites. Erik gives us a state by state break down of the area. He tells us about National Parks nearby like Arches Canyonlands, Hovenweep, Moab, Canyon de Chelly, Rainbow Bridge, Mesa Verde , Chaco Culture, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Petrified Forest and Aztec Ruins. The area also boats the spectacular and iconic scenery of Monument Valley and a stretch of road known as the “Million Dollar Highway”. It has many Native American sites including those like Canyon de Chelly run jointly by the Navajo nation and the U.S.
The Amateur Traveler talks again to Jason and Janie about their hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville was has deep historic roots and the homes of Presidents Jefferson and Madison with the home of Monroe close by as well. Charlottesville is also the home of the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson was more proud of founding the institution than of being president. The area is now the home to numerous wineries and numerous restaurants and hosts a thriving food culture. Charlottesville is also a gateway to the Shenandoah Valley as well as other areas for hiking and outdoor activities.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Soncina who returns to the show to talk about his recent travels in Southern Taiwan. Michael took advantage of a Taiwan promotion targeting backpackers that opened up army barracks to provide inexpensive housing in this less visited region of Taiwan. The highlight of Kaohsiung City is the Lotus Pond, an area surrounded by temples old and new. Usually the older style temples seemed to be dedicated to Confucius, but there are giant temples in the image of the Jade emperor, which you can climb inside, and each floor offers unique art, as well there are the famous Dragon and Tiger pagodas. Michael also celebrated New Years on Cijin Island with its famous seafood street.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Kenney about traveling to Normandy in France. Michael talks about at least two different invasions associated with this region of France. The oldest was the Norman invasion of England which left from Normandy and is documented in the 224 foot long Bayeux Tapestry which is exhibited in a museum in Bayeux. The more recent was the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War 2. Michael describes visiting the invasion beaches (codenamed Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword), the cemeteries, and the village of Sainte-Mère-Église which was the first French Village liberated. Michael also talks about visiting the medieval fortress and monastery.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Spencer Quong who is a adventure travel guide about his recent trip to Botswana in south central Africa. After reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency his traveling companions were drawn to this country and its incredible wildlife.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sherry Ott again about a very recent trip to Lebanon. Sherry traveled to Lebanon as part of a program with a cultural exchange program with Geovisions which involved in a home stay. She stayed much of her visit in Beirut which at least used to be known as the “Paris of the Middle East”. Since that time Lebanon and Beirut in particular has come through a horrific civil war as well as a war with Israel. Now that peace has come again to the country Sherry could still see the scars from the prolonged conflict but also could enjoy the recovering city, the nightlife, shopping and food in Beirut. In March in Lebanon you can ski in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon. She also had a chance to visit the historic city of Tripoli where she say the traditional souk and the ancient city of Sidon (Saida) which is over 6000 years old.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Guillebeau from the Art of Non-Conformity about his years volunteering in West Africa with the NGO (non-governmental organization) Mercy Ships. Chris and his wife volunteered with this organization in Sierra Leone and Liberia which gave them a very different view of West Africa. For those not familiar with Mercy Ships, they provide medical services in under-served areas of the world from their floating hospital ships. Chris was in Sierra Leone shortly after the end of its costly civil war. This episode is not about travel to lie on the beach and work on your tan (although Chris does recommend bringing your sunscreen) but about life changing travel. And no, Chris is not a doctor.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Uluç from Indianapolis, originally form Istanbul, about his trips to Bodrum, Turkey. Bodrum is a popular Turkish beach resort but has been receiving tourists as long as there have been tourists. It is the home to the ruins of the Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also the site of a 15th century crusader castle which includes a museum of underwater archeology. Uluç encourages us to adapt to the slow pace of Bodrum, stroll its markets, linger at its cafes and done forget to take a sail on a gullet from its harbor.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Andrew Hickey of TheBrooklynNomad.com about his home town. Andrew gives us reasons to visit this borough of New York City next time we are in town from some of the neighborhoods like DUMBO, Williamsburg, GreenPoint, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bay Ridge to Prospect Park and Coney Island. The second largest of the New York Boroughs offers good pizza and Italian food for sure, but Andrew will also direct us to a local chocolatier, coffee houses, ice cream parlors and of course Nathan’s Famous hotdogs. Along the way we will visit the Brooklyn Museum, mention where the American War of Independence nearly ended (badly) and ride the classic Coney Island Cyclone.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Vicente Perez about his home city of Pamplona, Spain. Pamplona is best known for the festival of San Fermin and of course for the running of the bulls. Vicente tells us more about that colorful festival, of which, the running of the bulls is actually a very small part. From the Txupinazo, the ceremonial firing of a rocket on July 6th until July 14th the population of Pamplona swells with celebrants. Processions of giant figures (the Comparsa), music, bull fights and lots and lots of partying fill the days and nights. But Vicente also tells of some of the other features of Pamplona and the Navarre region that can be enjoyed any time of year including wonderful food, beautiful mountains, castles, and the nearby cave of Zugarramurdi (Known for the Basque witch trials).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon from WanderLearn.com about Albania which has gone from a totally closed society 20 years ago to a destination that Lonely Planet ranked as the #1 destination for travel this year (that was before some of the recent protests. Francis says the because it was isolated for so long it created an exotic and unique culture. Abandoned bunkers still line the country from back when their fear of invasion had nothing to do with tourists. He recommends we start in the capital of Tirana and from there go to Krujë and its legendary Skanderbeg castle.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeff Steiner from Americans in France to talk about a lesser known part of France which is the island of Corsica. The island is better known to Americans as the home of Napoleon Bonaparte but the French call the island L’isle Beauté – the Island of Beauty. Corsica boasts a mountainous interior, with a hiking trail from one end to the other, but is surrounded by gorgeous beaches. South of France, in the Mediterranean Sea, the island is sun-drenched in the Summer. Driving on the island can be scary with narrow winding mountain roads with wonderful views. The Corsicans also boast that Christopher Columbus was born there (The Genoese do not agree).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Schwartzman (author, educator and podcaster) about his hometown of Los Angeles. In this second part of a two part series of episodes Eric will give us the last two days of his sample itineraries for 4 days in the Los Angeles area. In this insider’s look at LA Eric points out the cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and movie locations that he thinks you should know about.
Day 3: Hollywood – Sunset Strip, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Roosevelt, L.A.’s best chili dog, Academy Awards theater, Sunset Grill, Hollywood Cemetary and more.
Day 4: Downtown – Chinatown for dim sum, Olvera St. for Mole, Union Station for breathtaking Mission Architecture, Santee Alley and Los Angeles St. for discount children’s formal wear, Disney Hall for magnificent modern architecture and Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Eric Schwartzman (author, educator and podcaster) about his hometown of Los Angeles. Over a two part series of episodes Eric will give us sample itineraries for 4 days in the Los Angeles area. Be forewarned that no theme parks will be involved in Eric's tour but instead an insider's look at LA. So pack up your swim suit, a sport coat and nice shoes and get in your car to explore LA. Along the way Eric points out the cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and movie locations that he thinks you should know about.
Day 1: Eric starts us at the beach at Santa Monica. We visit the Santa Monica Pier, the rides and the aquarium and then head to Venice with its pier, canals, and famous muscle beach.
Day 2: We follow Eric to Beverly Hills and Westwood. We look over the valley from the Getty Center above the valley. We visit Century City which is now the home for high rises but one was where John Wayne shot westerns. We go shopping on world famous Rodeo Drive.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kara Williams of TheVacationGals.com about Aspen, Colorado. Like so many locals who live in that area of Colorado, Kara came for the winters but stayed for the summers. She tells us about this historic silver-mining town that is better known as a winter playground for the wealthy now than for its mining past. Whether you are skiing, hiking or fly fishing it has a wealth of outdoor activities. It offers great, if not always inexpensive, food and a wealth of artistic events set in a gorgeous mountain valley. Kara describes side trips to the Ghost towns of Ashcroft and Independence, to the continental divide at Independence Pass and to the caves at The Grottos. She also tells you whether the Aspen Crud is something you want to get. Aspen also hosts festivals as diverse as the Aspen Institute, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, the Aspen Music Festival and School and Aspen Summer Words.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeff Jung from Career Break Secrets about a trip to Northwest Argentina that left an impression on this intrepid traveler. Jeff, an expat, who lives in Colombia, traveled to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, far away from the normal tourist spots of Buenos Aires and Patagonia.
The Amateur Traveler talks to intrepid “20 something” traveler Stephanie Yoder about the country that she thinks is the most beautiful in the world – Bosnia. In an area that was well known for first the winter Olympics and then a devastating war Stephanie found Roman ruins, medieval cities and beautiful mountains. She found a country that has recovered (or at least is recovering) from war and is ready to receive visitors again. Bosnia has deep Ottoman roots in its faith, architecture and its food. Visit Dervish monasteries, hidden tunnels, and the beautiful city of Sarajevo.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Andy Dye about his adopted hometown of Melbourne Australia. Andy grew up in England but fell in love with Melbourne. Sure the weather was better but Andy also discovered a city with street art, vibrant cafes, culture and sport. Melbourne is the home of Australian Rules Foolball which was apparently invented by people who thought that rugby was too tame. Andy talks about wandering around the Central Business District (CBD) and discovering out of the way cafes. Melbourne has museums (like the Melbourne Museum, the Australia Center for the Moving Image), galleries (like the National Gallery of Victoria) and an aquarium. Melbourne is a multi-cultural city and no places show it off better than the Queen Victoria Market or Sydney Road Brunswick. He also talks about side trips such as going to see the penguins at Phillip Island.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ben Dixon about biking the route of the Camino di Santiago in northern Spain. The Camino di Santiago is a an ancient pilgrim trail that runs across northern Spain from the border with France to Santiago di Compostella. The cathedral in Santiago di Compostella reputedly holds the remains of St. James. Modern day pilgrims are sometimes drawn by faith and sometimes just drawn by the journey itself to trek for a month across the varied landscapes of northern Spain. As an American, Ben did not have a month of vacation but rather than be one of those pilgrims who only traverses the very end of the trail he chose to take on the pilgrim route on a bicycle. Along the way he stayed in the hostels that house the many pilgrims where he met people who had been walking from far beyond the border with France. Through countryside, cities and picturesque towns he rode in both sunshine and driving rain, but the highlight of the trip might not be what you think.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Bogdon who talks to us about his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This former steel capital has undergone a renaissance since its steel business went away and Chris tells us some of the reasons to visit this city at the headwaters of the Ohio River. Pittsburgh boasts both historic Fort Pitt and nearby Fort Necessity where George Washington made a name for himself. It is the home to many different ethnic neighborhoods which it celebrates with food and festivals and commemorates in an Immigration Museum in the Carnegie Library of the University of Pittsburgh. The town now hosts students in greater numbers than steelworkers. It is near Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwaters and a wine region. Chris also talks about side trips to Bethlehem, PA and Jim Thorpe, PA.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Brook about her recent trip to Xi’an China. Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi province of China and is perhaps best known for the Terracotta Army of Chinese emperor Liu Bang, but what Brook and her husband discovered was a city that warrants more time to explore. Xi’an has a wonderfully rich history as the Chinese terminus of the famous Silk Road trading route. This link to the middle creates a Muslim influence still obvious in the mosques and markets of the city. The city is also still surrounded by its ancient wall which provides a great place for biking around its nearly 12km distance. Brook tells some of the story behind the Wild Goose Pagoda. She also dubs Xi’an the dumpling capital.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Karl Anders who returns to the show to talk about travel to Western Montana and in particular to the majestic Glacier National Park. Karl encourages us to drive the Going to the Sun Highway but then to get off the blacktop and hick some of the back country of the park (preferably in a group large enough to discourage the curiosity of bears). He describes some of his favorite hikes such as the trail to Hidden Lakes. Glacier is often rated as one of the top places in the United States to hike or backpack. The valleys of Glacier are carved by glacial activity although there aren't as many glaciers still in the park. Karl also talks about some nearby destinations like the National Bison Refuge, Bitterroot Valley and nearby Missoula with its museum to Smokejumpers.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Long from LandLopers.com about his trip to the West Bank or the Palestinian Authority. Mathew did day trips into this emerging state from Jerusalem and tells us about visiting Jericho and Bethlehem, the city of David. The Dead Sea was a well known highlight while Hisham’s Palace proved to be an unexpected highlight. The area boasts monuments dating back to the Jewish patriarch’s such as Rachel’s Tomb, where childless woman come to pray, and the ruins of the community of Qumran, where the dead sea scrolls were found. Do you know what you should skip doing the morning before you go to the Dead Sea? Matthew will tell you.
Chris, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about the recent Ralph Velasco / Amateur Traveler Photo Tour of Egypt which was a guided tour of Egypt run by Cosmos. The tour started in Cairo with the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Egyptian museum, old mosques, churches and synagogues before moving on to the port city of Alexandria. After seeing the historic sites in Alexandria like Pompey’s Column and the Catacombs we continued on to the site of the battle of El Alamein and then to Marsa Matruh in the Northwest corner of Egypt on the Mediterranean. We continued back to Cairo with a stop at a Coptic Monastery and then flew to Aswan to tour Upper Egypt. We saw temples from the Greek period and the New Kingdom from Aswan to Luxor including the Temple to Ramses at Abu Symbel, the temple to Isis, the temple of Etfu, the Luxor temple and the great temple of Karnak. We also visited the Valley of the Kings and a Nubian village. Along the way we shopped and photographed.
The Amateur Traveler talks about his recent fam cruise on the Avalon Luminary down the Rhine River from Basel in Switzerland through France and Germany to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Along the away he visited three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Strasbourgh in France, the Rhine River Gorge in Germany and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He talks about the castles, the history and what it is like to take a river cruise.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeremy from Palm Beach Gardens Florida who talks to use about cruising up the Norwegian coastline into the Arctic Circle on a Hurtigruten cruise. Jeremy lives someplace warm so when he and his wife travel they often travel someplace cold so cruising into the small fjords of Norway during the Winter appealed to them. Hurtigruten started as the boat that delivered the mail to the isolated villages on the coast of Norway (which it still does) but added passenger and ferry service also.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Fred who talks about a road trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Fred and his wife went to Mt Rushmore for sure, but also to other sites in the area that are less well known like Devil’s Tower, Deadwood, Wall Drug, Wind Cave National Park, Buffalo Gap National Grassland and Wind Cave National Park. There are a surprising number of sites to see in the Black Hills and Badlands of Southwest South Dakota.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Beth Whitman of Waderlust and Lipstick about her recent Papua New Guinea. Beth was attracted to this remote country that produced more languages than any other country because of people separated by its rugged terrain. She tells us about the wonder, beauty and yes danger of Papua New Guinea. Beth was preparing to take a tour to the island nation and to the Mount Hagen Show which is a sing sing which allows the different tribes to compete with songs and costumes.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Chuck Prevatte about vacationing in the warm waters and on the white beaches of the panhandle of Florida. This is a vacation for those who want to slow down and relax. There are nightclubs in Panama City and water parks but this part of Florida is a good spot to take the family, eat some good sea food, rent a beach house and bath in 90 degree water. Tourism is off because of the gulf oil spill but Chuck and his family did not see much evidence of the oil on the beaches.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica Spiegel of BootsNAll’s Italy blog “Why Go Italy” and the Eye on Italy podcast about one of her favorite cities in Italy: Milan. Jessica tells us about the fashion industry, the spectacular cathedral, and the first mall as well as some quiet neighborhoods and parks. She also tells us how far in advance you should get tickets to see Leonardo di Vinci’s Last Supper, what to expect when you watch soccer in Italy, and what to do when you see movie stars walking down the streets of Milan. We talk about wonderful Italian people and the joys of learning Italian.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Corinne from Have Baby Will Travel who is a life-long Torontonian (that is to say that she lives in Toronto, Ontario). Corinne gives us an introduction to her city and its many parks, its great ethnic food, its iconic skyline punctuated by the CN Tower. Its neighborhoods includes two different Chinatowns, Greektown, the Irish-influenced Cabbagetown, Distillery District, Kensington Market, Harbourfront and St. Lawrence Market, She particularly suggests you visit during Thanksgiving (Canada's which is in October) or Toronto International Film Festival. Corinne also describes side trips from the city heading out towards Niagra and Ontario's wine country. The city houses both a working farm in Riverdale Farms and a warren of underground shops in the Toronto Underground PATH.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jodi Ettenberg of legalnomads.com about her trip to Chile. Jodi left the corporate world as a lawyer and started her trip around the world with a visit to Chile. She first went mountain climbing in Patagonia (both in Chile and Argentina) marveling at the glaciers and appreciating the view if not the taste of lama. She then took a 42 hour bus ride to Santiago for a wild soccer game (which is not for the faint of heart) before flying north to visit San Pedro de Atacama, Valle de la Luna. She also dipped into Bolivia to visit Salar de Uyuni, the immense salt flats. Along the way she saw the largest copper mine in the world at Calama. She dealt with bronchitis (brought from New York) and food poisoning (did I mention the lama?). She met locals including a helpful taxi driver and practiced the difficult Spanish dialect of Chile. Jodi also talks with great affection about the UNESCO World Heritage site of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar which were hit hard in the big earthquake earlier this year. Valparaiso is a colorful city of art built on the side of a hill and sloping down to the Pacific.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Seth Oakley about traveling to his birthplace in Northern Ohio. Years ago Ohio and Northern Ohio in particular, had a very bad reputation for pollution that one can only get when a river (the Cuyahoga) catches fire. But these days Lake Erie is cleaner than it has been in maybe a hundred years and boasts sites like the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame, Cedar Point, surfing, and even a burgeoning wine region. The area is rich in history as the site of the Battle of Lake Erie, the birthplace of Thomas Edison and one of the first states added to the new United States. Seth also gives us a glimpse of small town life with a side trip to his hometown of Milan which is the home for both the Milan Melon Festival and the little-known superhero Melon Man.
News
Chris takes a new job
Show Notes
Northwest Territory
Cuyahoga River
Moon Handbooks: Ohio
Ohio: Off the Beaten Path
Milan, Ohio
Lake Erie
Zebra mussels
Ohio on Wikipedia
Firelands
History of Ohio
City of Cleveland
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Great Lakes Science Center
Ohio’s sports misery
LeBron adds to Cleveland sports setbacks
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
LeBron signs with Miami
Sandusky, Ohio
Cedar Point Amusement Park
Cedar Point
Destination: Cedar Point Amusement Park
Soak City
Sandusky Hotels
Lake-effect snow
Lake Erie Islands
Battle of Lake Erie
Paper Moon Vineyards
Paper Moon Vineyards, Vermillion, Ohio
Thomas Edison
Ohio Festivals and Events
Milan Melon Festival
Firelands Wineyards
Great Lakes Brewery
Melon Man’s Facebook
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kara from Miami about her hometown of Miami. Kara tells us Miami is not as it is pictured in TV shows like Miami Vice and Burn Notice (except perhaps that it is filled with beautiful people). She tells us about some of her favorite hotels and restaurants as well as cafes where you can sit and people watch. Miami is known for its beach life and Kara tells us where the daring can go to bare all or where you can find a quiet spot away from the tourists. Increasingly Miami is known for its fashion district and its food scene. The summers are hot but offer some of the best bargains on restaurants, hotels and spas… if you can deal with the humidity. Miami defines hot in all senses of the word. So whether you want to see snowbirds or eat stone crabs, Miami might be a place you should check out.
News
Muslim hostess and Disney still at odds over headscarf
French Flight Attendant Arrested for Stealing Cash and Jewels From Sleeping Passengers’ Pockets and Carry-Ons
Show Notes
Diamond PR
Miami Vice
Burn Notice
Haulover Beach
South Pointe Park
Top Ten Miami Restaurants
Brickell, Miami
Key Biscayne
Miami Museums
Miami Design District
Van Dyke Cafe
Miami Spice Restaurant Month
Miami Spa Month
Neighborhoods of Miami
Miami Design District
Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink
Calle Ocho Festival
South Beach Food and Wine Festival
Miami Public Transportation
Fontainebleau
Miami Heat
Miami Heat Tickets
Smith and Wollensky
Red, the Steakhouse
Joe’s Stone Crabs
Adrianne Arsht Center
Snowbirds
Community
Scott enjoyed the group interview in Travel to Namibia – Episode 243
Tricia hits the road
Amateur Traveler guest post guidelines
Amateur Traveler site redesign to add countries
The Amateur Traveler talks to Christine Cantera about her time living in the Languedoc region of France in the city Montpellier. Montpellier is sometimes called the San Francisco of France. Christine shares with us a few thoughts about cafes, bars, which museums are worth it (and which aren’t), beaches, fortified cities, when to visit, and the one day of the year when nobody in France gets any work done. She discusses what are her favorite 3 places to see in Languedoc including one seaside town that still has jousts but with a very nautical twist.
News
Southwest attendant takes baby after slap from mother
American Airlines to Charge for Front-Row Seats
Nursing at Sea
Show Notes
France Travel Guide
Montpellier
Languedoc
Jardin des plantes de Montpellier
Le Petit Train Touristique du Centre Historique
Languedoc wine
Le Jardin du Champs de Mars
Paparazzi
La Dolce Vita
Aigues-Mortes
Carcassonne
Parc naturel régional de Camargue
Musee Fabre
Antigone District
Palavas-les-Flots
Sète
Nîmes
Beaujolais nouveau
Bar le Saint-Roch
MissExpatria’s photostream
Community
Sam was looking for a show on Malta
Don't use the first LukeDon’t use the first Luke
The Amateur Traveler talks to Carla, Jason and Janie about their trip to Nambia. While traveling in southern African to attend some of the games of the World Cup the three made a visit to nearby Namibia after hearing from friends that it was one of their favorite African countries. Come with us as we learn about a country that is perhaps surprisingly prepared for tourists. We will talk about seeing 4 out of the "big 5" safari animals. Our trio talks about miles of sand, sand storms and riding camels but also talks about visiting the show and seal colonies. The camping was easier than expected and the food was more diverse (you won't believe what they found on pizza).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Italophile Ira Bernstein who returns to the show to talk about day trips in Tuscany that you can take from Florence. We talk about visiting the walled city of Siena and its famous bareback horse race the palio, viewing the many towers of San Gimignano, climbing the leaning tower of Pisa (after you take the obligatory picture of someone holding it up), and walking on the walls of Lucca. Each town has its own character and attractions. Arezzo has a jewelry museum and the home of the “Father of Humanism” Petrarch. Fiesole is a rich enclave, a suburb of Florence with views of the city and a roman theatre. Montepulciano and Montalcino are both known for their wines. Ira talks about some of the events that the locals enjoy like the palios, flea markets and flag throwing competitions. So even if you just get as far out of Florence as Piazzale Michelangelo there are many places to explore in Tuscany.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Dan Stromberg about his recent trip to Mali. Mali is a destination so remote that Dan says “I couldn’t imagine myself being here when I was there”. Dan started in the capital city of Bamako, before heading out to Bandiagara and Dogon country. The highlight of the visit was a trek along the Bandiagara Escarpment which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dan and his girlfriend, along with a guide, walked and hiked along the cliffs and then stayed in the local villages of the Dogon people at the base of this 200 km long sandstone cliff.
Chris, the Amateur Traveler himself, talks about a recent trip to New Zealand’s North Island where he went to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and took a dolphin watching cruise up by the Bay of Islands. He visited the Coromandel Peninsula with Cathedral Cove and Hot Water beach, toured but can’t talk about Hobbiton near Matamata, climbed Mt Maunganui, saw (and smelled) the geysers and baths at Rotorua, journeyed south to the Capital at Wellington, visited a ski area on a volcano and rafted the caves of Waitaomo.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Pamela Beck of the Department of Tourism for Prince Edward Island in Eastern Canada. Pamela describes Prince Edward Island (or PEI) as a get away from it all location that is easy to get to. Surrounded by beaches this 140 mile long island features wonderful seafood and champion oyster shuckers. It has miles of bike trails and relaxed helpful locals. Pamela also describes it as a wonderful golf vacation or a place where you can try your hand at lobster fishing (be ready to get up very early), oyster raking or chocolate making through one of their experience tourism programs.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Melanie Waldman of TravelsWithTwo.com about a recent trip to the Cook Islands in the Pacific. Think of the Cook Islands as Tahiti without the French language and using the New Zealand dollar to make it more affordable. Melanie tells us about this corner of Polynesia with beautiful resorts that she and her husband visited for their 10th anniversary. They hiked the mountainous spine of Raratongo with Pa who knows all of the plants and their uses and cruised the small outer islands of Aitutaki with a guide named Captain Awesome. They also took an archeology tour, drove the ring roads, shopped in the farmer’s market and just hung out on the beach drinking the cocktails of the moment.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam Oppenheim who makes a rare 4th appearance on the show to talk about Bali in Indonesia. Sam started his exploration of Bali in Ubud which is the cultural capital of the area. He met two of the people mentioned in the popular book Eat, Pray, Love: Wayan and Ketut Liyer. In Ubud he attended some of the traditional Balinese dances (Legong, Barong and Kecak). Sam explored the Hindu temples and the resort area of Kuta Beach with its famous nightlife, dove a ship wreck and explored the island by motorcycle. Sam’s does regret was not getting down to Nusa Dua on the southern tip with its wonderful sunsets or out to Komodo.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith about his home state of Michigan. Erik has been on the show twice before talking about National Parks but this time he tells us about the beautiful state of Michigan. While Erik is from the Detroit area and describes some of its museums and other attractions what he really recommends is the west coast of Michigan with its sand dunes and sunsets, Traverse City with its boating, and the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula. He does manage to work some national parks (Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured Rocks and Isle Royale) and state parks into the conversation. We also talk about the European-style of Ann Arbor, the quirks of John Harvey Kellogg and the unusual location of Edison’s New Jersey lab (moved by Henry Ford to Michigan).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt of Everything-Everywhere.com about UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The World Heritage List includes 890 sites from around the world which are part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having “outstanding universal value”. We talk about various sites as well as how to use this list as a resource in your travels.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lillie Marshall of AroundTheWorldL.com about the 3 months she volunteered in Ghana in sub-Saharan West Africa on her round the world trip. She worked for the program Youth Creating Change. Lillie talks about some of the tourist spots in Ghana like the the slavery castle at Cape Coast and Mole National Park. Then she talks about what it is like to live and volunteer in a 3rd world country where the people are wonderful and some of the cultural differences can be striking (don’t ask why she didn’t like the beaches). She extols the wonders of food like fufu and how to buy a $10 hand made dress. She also talks briefly about the capital of Accra that Lonely Planet thinks is their second least favorite city on the planet.
News
Gun Taken From Suicidal JetBlue Pilot in Crew Lounge
Pushy fliers may show up on TSA’s radar
Show Notes
Around the World L – Lilly Marshall’s blog
Ghana
@WorldLillie – Lilly on twitter
Couchsurfing.com
Youth Creating Change
Cape Coast Slave Castle
Hostels in Ghana
Ahh!!! A White Person!!!
How to Get a Custom-Made Dress for $15
What the Heck is Fufu?
Ghana Student Life Stories Project
Community
Allan disagrees with Ralph in Travel to Montenegro – Episode 232, says “rent a car”
Sean says Travel to Kerala, India – Episode 147 missed catholic history
Kathy and John, Yemen warnings
Amateur Traveler Egypt Photo tour slots available - http://AmateurTraveler.com/tours
iTunes reviews of the Amateur Traveler needed
No Maimi Meetup in June 2010
NYC meetup June 23 2010
save 10% off Globus Tours - http://AmateurTraveler.com/globus
sponsored by Auidble - http://AmateurTraveler.com/freebook
The Amateur Traveler talks to Melody who has been living as an exchange student in Hong Kong. Melody tells us what to see in Hong Kong from the very western feeling Central neighborhood of Hong Kong island, the peak and the mid-level escalators to the more Chinese neighborhoods in Kowloon and the less populated New Territories. She also takes us out to some of the outlying islands like Lantau island with the Big Buddha & Po Lin Monastery, Cheung Chau Island with its famous bun festival, and the nearly uninhabited Po Toi island.
We talk about the 10,000 Buddha Monastery and eat dinner on plastic stools in the middle of the Temple street night market. We explore the fish, flower, bird and jade markets. Melody recommends the Star Ferry for a great view of Hong Kong island, especially at night.
For nightlife Melody recommends Wednesday and Thursday nights when ladies often get free drinks. Her favorite night spot is the Cavern and a famous one is the Fringe.
The Amateur Traveler talks to photographer Ralph Velasco about a trip to the very new country of Montenegro. When Ralph visited the country it was the newest country on the planet after it split off of Serbia. This mountainous country boasts the southern most fjords in Europe, old walled Venetian towns, fortresses, island churches, hikes, rafting, and some wonderful photography. Ralph stayed on the coast and visited the coastal cities of Kotor, Budva and Perast among others.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Anderson about a recent trip to Taiwan during the Chinese new year celebration. Matt, who is an English teacher in South Korea, started his trip in Taiwan’s capital of Taipei before exploring the eastern coast and the rich heritage of Taiwan’s aboriginal people in the south.
In Taipei Matt recommends eating at the Shilin night market where the fried chicken and the sausage are particularly good. Matt and his girlfriend also went to Taipei 101 (which is now the world’s 2nd tallest building), the Chiang Kai-shek memorial, and an assortment of temples including the Confucius temple, the Bo-an temple and the Longshan temple.
Matt explored the rugged and less populated east coast on a bike trip that started in Hualien. He visited the Taroko Gorge near to Hualien and nearly spent a night in jail… but it’s not what you think.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sean Keaner of the BootsNAll travel network about the city of Portland Oregon. Sean describes the independent character of the city that is expressed in its brew pubs, food carts and hip culture. It is also evident in the famous Powell’s bookstore. Portland has a reputation for being rainy but Sean tells us when to come to Portland, where to ride a bike and where to find some good Vegan food. If Vegan is not your style find out where to find a pork chop over 4 inches thick.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Stone about his home in Northern Virginia. Matthew describes things to do in Northern Virginia either as a side trip from Washington D.C. or a trip in its own right. We start at the famous monuments and Arlington National Cemetary just south of the District of Columbia and proceed to George Washington’s home of Mount Vernon. Matthew then describes some parks and places to escape the city a short drive away. Sure you know that the National Cemetery is in Virginia but did you know you can find a Black History museum, an Apothecary museum and a Tony award winning regional theater all within walking distance of the Metro? Add in some National Parks, Civil War Battlefields, and the SR 71 Blackbird and you may just have to rearrange your plans for your next vacation to the nation’s capital.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Rosenkrans from Pennsylvania about his trip to the country of Yemen. Chris started in the capital city of Sana’a which he thinks is one of the beautiful cities he has ever seen. Chris then recommends a trip to the Haraz mountains to see Shibam Hadhramaut (a shibam is a city built into the cliffs) and north to Kawkaban. In addition wander around Sana’a to some of the community gardens in the area. Chris did not make it to Socotra island where many of the scents like Frankincense come from. Yemen also does sport gun markets and khat markets to this has to qualify as adventure travel.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee from Atlanta about side trips that you can take when you travel to Shanghai this year for Expo 2010. Lee is currently living in China and talks about 3 different weekend trips to destinations that are located near Shanghai. Lee starts us the in history-rich city of Nanjing the site of “China’s Holocaust” in WW 2. Nanjing has been the capital for 6 different Chinese governments and still retains its ancient walls in addition to modern shopping and the tomb of Sun Yat-sen. It was also the location of the world’s worst civil war, the Taiping Rebellion. After Nanjing we explore the many gardens and the canals of Suzhou. Finally Lee takes us to Hangzhou with its beautiful West Lake which the Chinese compare to heaven.
News
Spirit Air to experiment with carry-on bag fees
Airlines losing 3000 bags – every hour of every day
Women try to smuggle dead relative onto flight
Paying to use the plane potty?
Ky. Judge Rules in Favor of Online Travel Sites
Show Notes
Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Travel to Shanghai, China – Episode 26
Nanjing
Nanjing, China
Nanking Massacre
John Rabe – a German businessman and Nazi party member who is best known for his efforts to stop the atrocities of the Japanese army during the Nanking Occupation
Sun Yat-sen – “Father of the Chinese Nation”
Ming Dynasty
Cheongsam or Qipao – traditional Chinese dress
Taiping Rebellion – largest civil war in history started by Hong Xiuquan who declared himself the brother of Jesus.
Restaurants
Skyway Bakery and Deli
Les 5 Sens
Tairyo Teppanyaki
Suzhou
Gardens – Master of the Nets, Lion’s Forest, Humble Administrator
Mingtown Suzhou International Youth Hostel
Hangzhou
Tea Museum
A History of Chinese in California
Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Wushanyi International Youth Hostel
Shanghai
Captain Youth Hostel
elong.com, ctrip.com – for accompodations
Community
Egypt Photo Tour
Amateur Traveler Newsletter
Does Amateur Traveler work for you at work?
The Amateur Traveler talks about a recent trip to Maui as the guest of the Maui Convention and Visitors Bureau. In this second half of a two part episode Chris talks about some of the local culture, food and festivals. He had a chance to explore his rancher roots at one of Maui’s cattle ranches, dine on local produce at some high end restaurants, mix with the locals at the Maui Ag Festival and learn more of Maui’s culture at the Celebration of the Arts.
The Amateur Traveler talks about a recent trip to Maui as the guest of the Maui Convention and Visitors Bureau. In this first half of a two part episode Chris gives an overview of the island and talks about the Hawai’i Nature Center, the beaches and the road to Hana. Learn about swimming or hiking in lava tubes, hidden beaches and some of the naive plants of Maui.
Show Notes
Visit Maui Blog
Rainfall map of Maui
Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
Kamehameha I
Hawaiian Language
Beaches:
* Makena (big beach)
* Chang’s Beach
* ‘Ahihi Bay
* Maluaka Beach
* Wai’ anapanapa State Park
* Ka’eleku Caverns
The Amateur Traveler talks to John Clayton about a recent trip to Wales. John was the host of a radio travel show called “Travel with a Difference” for 16 years in the Los Angeles area and was invited to Wales by the Wales Tourism board. John is a train buff and was invited to ride on the restored narrow guage railroads of Wales which were built originally to carry slate from the Wales slate mines. He road the Mount Snowdon, West Highlands and Ffestiniog railways. John also recommends touring the slate mine at Llanberis. We also visit Port Meirion which will look familiar to fans of the TV show The Prisoner. Also find out what Bed and Breakfast you can stay at where some of the Royals used to live.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Mike from Toronto who is living in Japan as part of an exchange program Mike talks to use about the Chugoku or middle region of Japan. Mike starts us out in Hiroshima with its world famous peace park and atomic bomb museum and its lesser known shopping and izakaya eateries. After we sample the okonomiyaki at okonomiyaki mura Mike sends us off to see the red Torii gate on Miyajima island. Mike recommends getting the Japanese railway pass because of the expensive local transportation. Mike then directs us to Yamaguchi which is known for its onsens (hot baths), 5 story temple and the church of Francis Xavier. Hagi which is a preserved walled town is our next stop. Hagi is Mike’s favorite spot in Japan. Hagi is also where many of the modernization movement came from.
The Amateur Traveler talks to George Wendt from Oars.com about white water rafting down the Grand Canyon which is one of Chris’s dream vacations. The Grand Canyon can be traversed in motor pontoon boats, oars rafts, paddle boats or dories. Each has different advantages and disadvantages. The water is fast and cold and the rapids get up to class 5. All the while you are drifting through one of the wonders of the world with massive red stone walls on either side. You come around the corner and are surprised by waterfalls and a green oasis. You explore the side canyons where you can see fossils and the ruins of the ancient people who called this canyon home.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Betty from Betty in the Sky with a Suitecase about her recent trip to Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah) to see the orangutans and proboscis monkeys. Betty flew into Kuching in Sarawak and started in the Demai beach area where she stayed in a treehouse. She saw the Probiscus Monkeys at Bako National Park and the Bat “fireworks” at Mulu National Park. Betty also visited the market at Sandakan and snorkeled off the beaches at Mabul.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Kathy from My Time To Travel about her recent trip to the Republic of Georgia. Kathy is a fan of mountains and Georgia has them in abundance because of its location between the Lesser and Greater Caucuses. She visited the Black Sea coast at Batumi, the capital of Tibilisi, the wine region, the cave city of Voronya and went part of the way up the legendary Georgia military highway into the Caucuses. Kathy talks about the history of Georgia and its location on the silk road, its religion and architecture.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Mike and Hillary of the SpotHopping blog about their trip to Easter Island / Rapa Nui in the South Pacific. They visited Easter Island as a stop on their round the world trip. Easter Island is a small destination and one of the most remote destinations in the world. When you are on the island the only other people within 2000 miles are the 50 people on Pitcairn island. Easter Island is, of course, known for its enigmatic Moai statues and Mike and Hillary were able to visit the quary where they were created. They also explored lava tube caves on the island.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Pauline Frommer again about tips for budget travel. We talk about booking tours and alternative places to stay instead of hotels. We talk about which travel destinations are inexpensive now and which ones have hidden fees. Learn where a travel expert takes her family on vacation.
Pauline Frommer’s London and the second edition of Pauline Frommer’s New York City were named “Best Guidebook of the Year” by the North American Travel Journalists Association (2007 and 2008, respectively).
News
Free aiport wi-fi
Travel Tip Tuesday : American Airlines Announces $8 Blankets
Dirty Hotels
This Week in Travel
Show Notes
Pauline Frommer
Pauline Frommer on Budget Travel – Episode 123
Houe of the Redeemer in NYC
UK Airports face chaos over departure tax rise
Argentina Visa Fee To Hit Tourists Starting Jan 1
ShoreTrips.com
Jamaica – Meet the People
Tlaxcala, Mexico
Oaxaca, Mexico – Felipe the Weaver (part 1) – Video Episode 46
Reciprocity in Brazil Tourist Visa Fees for American and Canadians
Internet Resources
oster.com – hotel reviews
Community
Celeste has Marquesas corrections
David has Marquesas corrections
David, “you break up the monotony”
The Amateur Traveler talks to Stefanie Michaels (better known as @AdventureGirl) about a recent trip to the Marquesas Islands which are near Tahiti (or part of Tahiti depending on who you ask). Stefanie sailed on the freighter Aranui from Tahiti out to these remote islands. She encountered a warm people living in a tropical paradise… with very nice cars and nowhere to drive.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Madeline Jhawar from Italy Beyond the Obvious about life as a tour guide for an adventure travel company. Madeline was previously on the Amateur Traveler talking about Travel to Sicily. Madeline talks about her misconceptions about what being a tour guide would be like and the reality of keeping a group of people happy (and not lost). She guided hiking and biking tours primarily in Italy. What skills do you need to be a successful tour guide? It might not be what you think.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joseph about his recent trip to Malawi in Southern Africa. Malawi is not know for its game parks like other countries in the region for for the relaxing shores of Lake Malawi as well as the lush green highlights. It is a country heavily influenced by David Livingstone and the Scottish Presbyterian church and one benefit of this legacy is welcoming church guest houses to stay in. So join Joseph and I as we talk about the people, the politics and the minibuses of Malawi.
The Amateur Traveler talks to photographer Ralph Velasco about tips to keep in mind when you are taking pictures on your travels. We talk about:
* telling a story
* depth of field
* giving your self assignments
* giving a sense of scale
* adding a human touch
* reflections
* avoiding the crowds
* embracing the weather
* seeking the unique picture
* capturing the essence of a place
The Amateur Traveler talks to Nancy Sathre-Vogel from FamilyOnBikes.com about their odyssey – a bike ride with two young boys along the length of the Pan-American highway from Alaska to the southern end of South America. Learn why they did this trip, how they have managed it and what they have learned along the way.
I talk about my recent trip to Berlin and Prague in December. This trip was just after the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and 20 years after my last trip to Berlin. We will look at a 3 hour free walking tour of Berlin and at a paid private tour of Prague (a gift from OurExplorer.com). We will talk about the history of World War II, Communism and even the Hussite Wars. We will talk about the Christmas markets which are everywhere in both cities in December with their booths, crafts, food and mulled wine. I will tell you of some of the sites of these cities including museums, castles, churches, memorials, and even an Art Nouveau stain glass window in a very old yet also very new cathedral.
The Amateur Traveler travels to Geneva and experiences the Escalade which celebrates the defeat of the Savoy in 1602. Geneva is the home to many UN agencies, an old town, a cathedral and an excellent rare book collection. You can also find lots of ways to eat melted cheese and other Swiss treats on the shore of beautiful Lake Geneva. In this unusual episode Chris overcomes a technical microphone difficulty to record an episode on the road. This episode inlcudes some of the sounds of the Escalade festival.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ilana Fayerman from Project Explorer about Johannesburg, South Africa. Project Explorer creates educational videos for kids and Ilana is one of the video hosts. She traveled to Johannesburg to meet its people, experience its culture and eat something very weird (see picture). She will take us on a virtual tour of neighborhoods like Newtown where she will introduce us to the New Market Theatre. She will take us into the township of Soweto. Out of the poverty of Soweto has come some of the hope of South Africa. It boasts the only street in the world (Vilakazi Street) to have produced two winners of the Nobel Peace prize. Ilana will also tell us which game animal is the tastiest and what happens when you put too much Chakalaka on your pap. We will dance in gum boots, take a safari to KwaZulu-Natal, learn when you can join a drum circle, lunch with art and visit the cradle of Human Kind.
Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Kepkes of NomadicMatt.com about his trip to the ancient capitals of Thailand: Ayutthaya, Lopburi and Sukhothai. Before the capital moved to Bangkok it was in each of these three cities as invaders came in from what is now Cambodia and Burma and then were subsequently repelled. Instead of taking the night train to Chang Mai as many tourists do, Matt and his traveling companions explored these cities on the way. In their travels they found ancient temples (some in ruins and some well preserved), wonderful night markets, troops of monkeys, friendly people and a slice of rural Thailand.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Eleonora about visiting eastern Germany. Eleonora grew up in Dresden and starts our tour there with a city restored from the rubble of World War II to one that boasts beautiful baroque architecture. She takes up verbally to the Master’s Gallery and also to the Green Vault in the old palace. She recommends the famous opera house as well as the recent rebuilt Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche). We climb to the old fortress (Festung Koenigstein) which protected the area. After Dresden Eleonora directs us to the mountains of Saxon Switzerland and to the Oer Mountains with its tradition Christmas wood carvings. From there we go to Leipzig and to Bauzen (capital of a slavic minority – the Sorbs). We make a sobering stop at Buchenwald concentration camp before hiking in the Hatrz Mountains. Then we head north to Saxony-Anhalt where we stop by the oldest chocolate factory in Germany in Helle. Eleonora encourages us to visit the palace of Sanssouci at Postdam and the Hanseatic cities Rostock and Stralsund. While in Eastern Germany we should try Christstollen, Baumkuchen, and Saxon Potato Soup. Two special tips from Eleonora are to visit the Hechtfest multicultural art festival in Dresden and the medieval Christmas market.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Bernstein about two lesser visited cities in Italy - Turin and Bologna. Turin has the reputation as the Detroit of Italy because of its long association with Fiat but that nickname does not express the beauty of the city, the warmth of its people nor the quality of its wine. Bologna has a reputation for good food in a country known for its good food which may be one of the reasons that Bologna is known as "the fat". The city is the home of bolognese sauce and lasagna. It also lays claim to one of the oldest if not the oldest university in Europe. Ira takes us on a tour of surprising museums (like the largest Egyptian museum outside Cairo), pivotal history and of course wonderful food.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Edith about the mountainous region of Austria where she grew up, the Tyrol. Edith designs for us both a winter and a summer itinerary, both of which involve getting outside and enjoying the beautiful mountains. In the winter we would ski and in the summer we would hike. When we are not hiking or enjoying one of the mountain alms then we can explore the palace at Innsbruck, a hiking museum and the Höfemuseum which is a farm museum. Edith talks about traditional foods such as Wiener Schnitzel, Kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancake dish), Kaspressknödel (fried cheese dumplings) and Graukäse (literally grey cheese). To work off that rich food (and of course beer) she will recommend we hike between the mountain huts or up her favorite hike Nochspitze.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View and the Holoholo Wale blogs about two less visited islands in the Hawaiian islands – Lanai and Molokai. Both islands are less developed than their neighbors and better islands for relaxing on a beach than filling up your time with excursions from the activity vendors. Molokai is the one of the two that stole Pam’s heart away with a more authentic Hawaiian experience. Molokai might be best known for recently sainted Father Damien who worked with victims of Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) on the island until he himself succumbed to the disease.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jon Miller of the Rest of Everest podcast about his journeys in Nepal. Jon originally went to Nepal as part of a film he was shooting on an Everest expedition, but as Jon tells it you come for the mountain but fall in love with the people and the culture. Jon describes Kathmandu with is various temples or stupas like Swayambhunath (the monkey temple) and Boudhanath with crowds of people performing a kora around them. He tells us places to get a good meal in Thamel (the tourist district) and suggests a day trip to the well preserved city of Bhaktapur. After Katmandu Jon tells us about trekking and also hiking up to Everest basecamp where the altitude can be very challenging (and Jon lives up at 6000 feet at home in Colorado).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Dave Grenewetzki about his recent trip to Iceland. Taking advantage of the weakness of the Icelandic economy Dave and his family drove the ring road around Iceland and visited places with great names like the waterfalls Svartifoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss and Gulfoss, Lake Myvatn and the dark castles of Dimmuborgir, the glacial lagoon of Jokulsarlon, the geysers of Geysir and Strokkur, the geothermal activity of Namaskard pass, the university town of Akureyri, the hobbit-like town of Glaumbaer. They went bird watching at Ingolfshofdi, took in the baths at the Blue Lagoon, took the free welcome walking tour of Reykjavik with Jonas, zigzagged between icebergs, hiked to Thingvellir, and took in the tourist attraction of the Midlina bridge.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt about his trip to the 5 different countries that make up the Gulf states: UAE (Dubai), Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. Each of these countries is an Arab country and a muslim country but in some, like Dubai, large portions of the population are from elsewhere. These countries include the very modern emirate of Dubai with its malls, hotels and an indoor ski slope. The gulf states also include the surprising country of Oman with ancient forts and the most memorable person Gary has met in his nearly 3 years of travel. Qatar is the home to Al Jazeera and of course Kuwait was the site of the first Gulf War. Hear about the world’s tallest building, fastest ferry and longest bridge.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Karl Anders who has traveled to Sri Lanka 8 times after striking up a friendship with the late author Arthur C. Clarke who settled there. Karl takes us on a vital tour of Sri Lanka from the capital of Colombo to the beautiful beaches to some of the archeological ruins at Dambulla, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Dambulla is notable for some of the cave murals. Sigiriya is particularly notable for the rock fortress, ruins of a palace high on this rock outcropping and again some of the cave murals. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa both also have numerous stupas (a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics). The inland high mountains are home to the tea country, plentiful tea fields and numerous tea factories. Karl recommends the Galle Face Hotel and some of the other inexpensive hotels left over from the British era. He also recommends hiring a car and driver/interpreter and avoiding the traffic and public transportation. We also talk about the recent civil war.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ivan Hernares, an award winning Philippines travel blogger, about his home country of the Philippines. Ivan leads us on a virtual tour of the 7107 islands of the Philippines archipelago starting in Manila. Manila has the walled city of Intramuros that reflects its Spanish colonial heritage as well as its asian heritage in Binondo (its chinatown where we can pick up some Lumpia or a winter-melon cake ). There are inexpensive places for backpackers to stay in the Malate neighborhood. Polish up your layup if you want to meet locals since the unofficial national sport is basketball. Then we head south to the power white sand beaches and nightlife of Borocay, the oldest city in the Philippines which is Cebu, the chocolate hills of Bohol and the underground river of Palawan. We explore the rice terraces of Ifugao (a world heritage site) and the WWII historic sites at Corregidor and Bataan. Ivan talks about unique architecture such as the Philippine Baroque churches and the vahay na bato” stone houses. Ivan loves a good hike up Mount Pinatubo or Mount Pulag in the Cordilleras. And if you go to the Philippines don’t forget to pick up some dried mangoes.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Christine who comes to tell us that Wisconsin has more to offer than just visiting my relatives. She starts us on a tour of the state from the college town and capital of Madison with its street fairs, concerts and capital building. We hear about the influence of Wisconsin born architect Frank Lloyd Wright who founded his school of architecture at nearby Taliesin. We enjoy the bike paths, breweries, badgers football and burial mounds. The we move on to Milwaukee with its neighborhoods, breweries and of course baseball. We stop in Kohler and then head up Wisconsin’s “thumb” to Door county. After visiting Green Bay and the home of the Packers we head up to the north woods with its many small lakes and Lake Superior with its one very big one. We wrap up by winding down the Mississippi river. Think there is nothing to see in Wisconsin? Think again.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam Oppenheim (who has previously been on the show talking about trekking in the Himalayas and traveling to Cuba) about travel to Laos. Sam Visited Laos as part of a year spent traveling around the world when he traveled extensively in Asia. Sam’s itinerary included the capital of Vientiane as well as Luang Prabang, trekking in the hill villages around Luang namtha and cruising on the Mekong River near Nong Khiaw. Along the way Sam photographed monks, children and little bottles of alcohol with snakes in them. Discover this beautiful country through Sam’s stories and through his lens.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah from Whitehorse in the Yukon about that corner of Canada with long winters but dramatic scenery. She tells of of Winter festivals like the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous as well as Summer festivals like Dawson City Music fest, Atlin Arts and Music Fest and the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival. We talk about sporting events like the 24 Hours of Light and Kluane to Chilkat (Haines to Haines) bike races because Sarah says you have to like the outdoors to come to the Yukon. Sarah also gives us some itineraries for road warriors like the Top of the World Highway to Dawson (and the Dempster Highway for the bold among you) and the Golden Circle route into Alaska. We walk the Chilkoot Trail but without the requirement to bring 1,000 pounds of supplies like in the Yukon gold rush. It is the beauty of Kluane National Park that you will remember but strangely enough it was something else that Sarah was looking at when she decided to move to the Yukon.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Madeline Jhawar from the Italy Beyond the Obvious blog about Sicily. Madeline was a tour guide for a number of years in Italy and says that Sicily is where the tour guides vacation. This beautiful island is more intense than the rest of Italy but it is also rich in culture and history. It is sometimes an assault on the sense says Madeline who honeymooned on the island. Madeline leads us in a trip circumnavigating the island from Messina to Palermo with stops in Taormina , Siracuse, Agrigento, Villa del Casale, Erice and Palermo. We take a side trip to climb the volcano at Stromboli and we touch on the many influences on the history of Sicily.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa who has lived as student in Uruguay on two different occasions about that small South American country. Lisa talks about the capital city of Montevideo where she lived with independence plaza (and its statue to Jose Artigas), the markets, and the ramblas. She also talks about the food including the beef, chivito, mate, uruguay pizza, bizcocho, dulce de leche, and the local wine. Mostly she encourages us to visit Uruguay, meet the people and get out to the country side in Tacuarembo, Mercesdes, Colonia or Punta del Este.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Nick from Iowa about his stay on the remote tropical island of Niue in the South Pacific. Niue is a coral atoll which is affiliated with New Zealand. This country has only 100 square miles and around 1500 people so this is a place to get away from it all and explore some of the striking scenery such as the coral formations of Togo Chasm, Vaikona Chasm and the Limu pools. Nick stayed in Alofi at Kololi’s Guesthouse and explored the island on motorcycle.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lisa Lubin of LLWorldTour about her round the world trip which extended from a year to a two and a half year odyssey and a nomadic lifestyle. Lisa talks about her trip but also talks about the various jobs she worked along the way. Why would an Emmy winning TV producer want to work in a coffee shop in Australia, teach English in Germany, become a research assistant in Germany and do PR for a company in Spain?
The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee from Atlanta who is currently living in Qing Dao, China about traveling independently in Beijing, China. Lee describes getting around by bus, subway and taxi, eating street food, and biking through the Hutongs of Beijing. He guides us to lesser known sites like Beijing’s underground city and the site of the old Summer Palace. He leads us to the great wall at Badaling, Mutianyu, and Simatai. Lee also talks about side trips to see the Buddhas in the Yungang Caves near Datong and the nearby hanging monasteries and to see the Qing royal villas and replica of the Lhasa temple in Chungde. We talk about where to find a guide (and why you may not need one), Chinese history and what Lee suggested his parents should bring to China.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Carole Terwilliger Meyers the author of Weekend Adventures in San Francisco and Northern California. Carole comes on the show to talk about California’s traditional wine country of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. This episode focuses primarily on the Napa Valley and the many wineries that can be found there. We explore recreated castles, wine tasting , tours as well as other none wine related sites like mud baths, petrified forests, and the CIA (The Culinary Institute). We talk about restaurants and hotels, picnics and the wine train. Whether you are a connoisseur, a foodie or just a tourist, the Napa Valley has much to offer.
The Amateur Traveler talks again to Douglas Duckett the author of a popular free travel guide to Israel. This time we talked to Douglass about traveling to the holy city, Jerusalem. We step back and look at Jerusalem through the eyes of the three major faiths for which it is a significant location: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We look at significant sites for all three religions such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Al-Aqsa Mosque mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. We talk about surprises that are continually being uncovered in Jerusalem like Hezikaih’s tunnel, Robinson’s Arch and Burnt House. And in the process we talk about the practical considerations for visiting this amazing city.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Diana Higuera who is a native of Venezuela who worked for a number of years as a tour guide on adventure tours to see Venezuela's wildlife and natural beauty. Diana takes us on a virtual tour starting in Margarita island, then heading to the Los Roques archipelago north of Venezuela, then in an indian canoe up the Orinoco river. From there we will head to the tepuis (table top mountains) in Canaima National Park in Venezuela's Amazon basin. There we will see the highest waterfall in the world at Angel Falls. We will also go behind Sapo falls. Along the way we will see birds, monkeys and anacondas. We will fish for piranas, pet crocodiles and eat street food in Venezuela.
This is a special Amateur Traveler episode that talks about the history of the show. It also includes one of the early episodes (episode 9 on Bad Hotels). It was recorded at the Park Royal resort on Cozumel
The Amateur Traveler talks to Audrey Scott and Daniel Knoll of UncorneredMarket.com about Prague where they lived for 5 years. Audrey and Daniel are currently traveling around the world and talked to me from El Salvador. Audrey and Daniel talk about the touristy things to do in Prague like the Prague castle, the Charles bridge and Wenceslas Square. They also talk about the touristy things that they would recommend skipping like Karlova street and its souvenir stands (they even give us a shortcut through the university and the Karolinum to avoid it). They would not; however, skip drinking Czech beer in a beer garden like the Latna (but would pass on Czech wine). They tell us how to walk around the barkers in period costumes selling packaged concerts to tourists and find the real music scene in Prague from classical to Balkan. Since they have moved on you can’t crash on their couch but you can share in their expertise of how to cherish Prague.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jason and Janie about their trip to Bavaria and Southern Germany. Jason and Janie had perviously been on the Amateur Traveler on Travel to Barbados - Episode 109. The talk about visiting the Black Forest with its wineries, Geramany’s tallest waterfall and the world’s largest cuckoo clock. They also visited the walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rothenburg (which may have been spared the ravages of the 30 years war by a hard drinking mayor) is the home to a wonderful Christmas market as well as a Christmas museum. The Rothenburg Nightwatchman’s tour is also something you should try. Jason and Jamie also went to Nurenburg with its wonderful market place and saw “Mad” King Ludwig’s castle Neuschwanstein. The finished the trip in the home of very large beer steins at Munich. In Munich they enjoyed the glockenspiel, the toy museum and some of the wonderful old churches.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Joy Dupont about taking a guided tour to visit Beijing, China. Joy talks about the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Lama temple, the Temple of Heaven and the Hutong area of Beijing which still looks like old China. We talk about shopping at silk factories, cloisonné factories, jade factories and the world's largest herbal drugstore. We also talk about an area of Beijing like a Chinese Greenwich Village called "798". Regent China Tours is the tour company that Joy uses. From street food, unidentifiable food to the Bai Family Courtyard Restaurant, China is a treat for those willing to try new foods and willing to try chopsticks. Although KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks can be found we recommend the tea houses instead. Great sites, amazingly large crowds, ancient treasures and the rush of modern life. All of these are China.
The Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Jeanine Barone about Estonia. Estonia is a small forested country with picturesque islands, medieval fortifications, a thriving design community, a great restaurant scene and a young and vibrant culture. Estonia only recently regained its independence from the U.S.S.R. (1991) but is thriving and filled with innovation. This interview, like all the Amateur Traveler interviews, was recorded with Skype… which is headquartered in Estonia. We talked about hotels, restaurants, guide books, wine bars and chocolate.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Raul from Atlanta about his recent trip to Krakow Poland. Learn about this former capital of Poland which is a treasure trove of history. Raul will take us to the cloth hall in the old town, Kazimierz and the Wawel Castle. We will also talk about his trips to the unusual Wieliczka salt mine with its rock salt carvings. A very poignant side trip to Auschwitz and Birkenau makes us confront the unspeakable evil done in those two places. Raul also traveled to Wadowice, the boyhood home of the man who would later be Pope John Paul II, and Black Madonna, the home of the Black Madonna. In between we talk about Polish food (lard for your bread sir?), museums, transportation and history.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Robin who is an expert on Hawaii about the island of Oahu. More specifically Robin is a Conde Naste "Top Travel Specialist" for Hawaii. We talk about populous and bustling downtown Honolulu and the see and be seen beach at Waikiki. We also talk about quieter beaches like Ala Moana Beach Park, Magic Island, and Haleiwa, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, kayaking, swimming with wild spinner dolphins and scuba diving out of Haleiwa. Robin gives us tips for visiting Pearl Harbor's USS Arizona memorial, the "Mighty Mo" battleship Missouri (and the Explorer's Tour) and the Pacific Aviation Museum. We talk about the differences between the windward and the leeward parts of Oahu. We hike the extinct volcano at Diamond Head (bring a flashlight). We discuss loco moco, a plate lunch and the upscale Alan Wong's restaurant Honolulu. We talk about nightlife from Kani Ka Pila to more trendy spots.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith (who was a guest on Travel to America’s National Parks - Amateur Traveler Episode 121) about Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We talk about all the different geothermal highlights of the park including Old Faithful, other geysers, thermal pools, etc. We also talk about wildlife, hiking, camping, floating down the Snake river, the grand canyon of the yellowstone, the grandeur of the Tetons (and the strange original of the name Teton).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Bernstein about why he continues to go back to Venice and the Veneto (the Italian state where Venice is) annually. Learn about other parts of Venice besides the tourist filled Saint Mark's square. We talk about the Gheto in the Cannaregio sestieri. We talk about how to get around, where you can stay for less money and why you might want to stay outside of Venice. We talk about the glass blowers of Morano and the lace makers of Borano. Then we get outside of Venice to Padua, Verona, and Bassano del Grappa. We will stand in Galileo's lectern at the university of Padua (where they paid him his weight in gold to come teach). And we will visit the (fake) balcony of Juliet in Padua where we will rub a statue of Juliet for luck.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Harry Pariser about the Virgin Islands. Harry is the author of Explore the Virgin Islands which just printed its seventh edition. Harry takes about the United States Virgin islands (primarily St Thomas, St John and St Croix) and the British Virgin Islands (primarily Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke). The Virgin Islands offer high end luxury resorts, cruise ships but also camping on a beach. They have gourmet restaurants but also local cuisine like conch salad and john cakes. They offer snorkeling, scuba, hiking or just lying on a beach. They take U.S. dollars and speak English making this and accessible island paradise.
Harry is making his second appearance on the Amateur Traveler. He was also the guest on Travel to Costa Rica - Amateur Traveler Episode 116.
The Amateur Traveler talks to again to Chris Willis (Swimming with Whales off Tonga - Episode 38, Ethiopia - Episode 79, Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda - Episode 80, Travel to Mongolia - Episode 111) about his cruise with Quark Expeditions from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica via the Falklands, South Georgia and South Orkney islands. We talk about wildlife photography of penguins, sea birds, whales and bad tempered fur seals.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jose from Caracas Venezuela about a recent trip to Bhutan. Learn about this remote country in the himalayas. Jose, a friend, a tour guide and a drive explored a small portion of the beautiful country on a 5 day trip. They hiked to Buddhist monasteries, watched the national sport (archery) and even saw the youngest king in the world. The flight in may be harrowing but the country itself is peaceful.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Doug McConnell of OpenRoad.tv about his love for the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Doug has been going to this rugged, stark and beautiful area of California and Nevada since he was a kid. He tells us about Hollywood's love of this area, the oldest trees on the planet, the water wars of California, the tufa fields of Mono Lake, the ghost town of Bodie and more. He also tells of his friends Galen and Barbara Rowell who called this area their home until their deaths in 2002. Galen was a renowned nature photographer and Barbara was his partner and pilot.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Anna Laura about her home city of Mexico City. We will talk about food, museums, architecture and history. We will puzzle about why the tourists stay in the Zona Rosa and we will tell you where they should go including Coyacan and Xochimilco. We will climb the world's third largest pyramid and eat street food. Discover this huge, bustling, diverse city. 20 million Mexico's can't be wrong.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Dennis Cheatham of LoveforTexas.com about his home state of Texas. Dennis takes us on a virtual tour of the Lone Star state including some of the usually stops at Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and some of the more unusual stops like a fake Prada store, a replica of Stonehenge and a haunted railroad crossing. On the way we will learn more about the history and people of this state that has been part of 6 different countries.
The Amateur Traveler talks to John from Dallas about traveling to Moscow. We talk about red square, the Kremlin, the towers of Saint Basil’s cathedral, night life, the National History Museum, Cold War Museum and Russian women in mini-skirts. John who knows only two words of Russian still finds it easy enough to both get around in and fall in love with this somewhat mysterious city. Just think how much much he would like it if he visited Moscow in Summer.
The Amateur Traveler was nominated for a Lonely Planet Travel Blogging Award in the Podcast category and I could use your help. You will find a link to vote on http://AmateurTraveler.com
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah Menkedick about her adopted home town of Oaxaca Mexico. Sarah talks about her love for this sunny tropical city with both colonial and pre-columbian roots. Oaxaca has recovered from its political troubles but tourism is still down so this may be the perfect time to explore its markets, sample its food, marvel at its ruins, and relax in its public square. Sarah's top three reasons to come to Oaxaca are all food: mescal, mole and chile.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Geoff Smith about his boyhood home of Nashville that he recently moved back to. What would bring a musician back to Nashville after he has lived all of the world? Geoff talks about the things that tourists come to see: the Grand Ole Opry, Honky Tonk Row (including his own piano bar the Big Bang Bar), the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Musicians Hall of Fame, The Opryland Hotel. Then Geoff tells us what he really loves about Nashville. Nashville is a place where creative and artistic people can live among the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee in one of the USA’s big three music cities.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Friedel from TravellingTwo.com about their continuing bike tour around the world. Friedel was on previously talking about travel to Iran and has come back to talk about the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. This region of the world offers adventure travelers deserts, tea houses, camels, wild horses, yurts, tea houses, spectacular mountains, friendly locals and fermented mares milk.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessica from Williamsburg Virgina who traveled last Summer to the Ukraine with an ethnomusicologist from Villiage Harmony to learn how to sing Ukrainian folk music. Jessica travelled both to larger cities like the capital Kiev and Ivano-Frankivsk and small country villages. She also journeyed into the Carpathian mountains on the Romanian border. Jessica relates some of the stories about the people she met, the food they ate and scary public bathrooms. Learn why you should not whistle indoors or give someone a dozen roses in the Ukraine.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Sam about his recent trip to Cuba with his brother. Sam visited Havana and Trinadad. He reveled in the local music, the warmth of the people, the beautiful and enigmatic scenery and tolerated the food. Sam who is one eighth Cuban also met family that he had not known about until recently. Sam’s highlights include walking with tourists and locals alike along the malecon on the shore of Havana. As a photographer he came back with over a thousand pictures of the people, the colonial architecture and the classic cars of Cuba. A small sample of Sam’s work can be seen in the iTunes enhanced version of the show.
The Amateur Traveler talks to David Dougherty about his recent trip to the small country of Armenia. David talks about view of Mount Ararat (just over the border in Turkey), monasteries and churches, riding the packed minivan buses (marshrutkas), meeting locals with a shared interest, the food, the legends and some of the history (the Armenian genocide).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Casey Wohl the author of the Girls Getaway Guide to Key West about Key West Florida. We will talk about how the area has changed in the last 20 years from Jimmy Buffet’s famous Margaritaville to an area with numerous nice restaurants, art galleries and hotels. We will also talk about beaches, Ernest Hemmingway and other sland characters and how to catch a spiny lobster with your tickle stick.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Douglas Duckett about his travels to Israel and his popular travel guide to Israel. Douglas has fallen in love not just with the "holy land" but with the modern nation of Israel.
We address the issue of "is it safe to travel to Israel" at this time when Israel is at war with the Palestinians in Gaza. He takes us on a virtual trip from the beaches and night life of Tel Aviv, through the working city of Haifa with the beautiful Baha'i gardens and the informative museum about the modern jewish immigration. We stop at Lake Kinneret (also known as The Sea of Galilee, also Sea of Genneseret, or Lake Tiberias) at the town of Tiberius. We make a detour to the historic site of Gamla the "Masada of the North" before turning our face toward Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem we stop at Megiddo (Armageddon in the bible) and the roman ruins at Beit-Shean.
In Jerusalem we talk about the overwhelming religious and historic significance of the city and how some people come down with " Jerusalem syndrome". We suggest a walking tour of the city, a tour of the Mount of Olives, the holocaust memorial and the Israel museum. We also talk about the work the Jerusalem YMCA is doing to promote peace with their peace preschool that teaches Jewish and Palestinian children together.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Eden (an ambassador for Macallan Whiskey) about his home country of Scotland. Eden lays out a tour for Amateur Traveler listeners that starts in Edinburgh with its castle, royal mile and pubs and continues up to Saint Andrews (the home of golf) and the castles of Perthshire. We make sure to stop on the Whiskey trail of Speyside before continuing to the rugged countryside of the highlands. We also talk about special events, famous scotsmen and hagis.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Margot about Acadia National Park in Maine. Margot has been going to Acadia since she was a little girl to hike, bike, kayak, and connect with the beauty of this beautiful area. She talks about the sights, the seafood, the Maine people and why you should not go blueberry picking with her grandfather.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Tadzio about his trip to Zanzibar in Tanzania, off the east coast of Africa. Tadzio worked as a ranger on Chumbe then toured Stonetown, the northern beaches, the Jozani forest, and Pemba. Hear about the food, the people, the snorkeling, the swimming, the beaches and the history of this tropical island paradise.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Zora O'Neil who is one of the co-authors of the Rough Guide in the Yucatan guide book. Zora talks about this very beautiful, very tropical and very isolated part of Mexico. Learn about the beach communities (Riviera Maya - Cancun, Talum, Playa del Carmen; Costa Maya - Majahual, Xcalak; Isla Holbox), getting around, the food (Xni Pec, Achiote), the colonial cities (Merida) and the Mayan ruins (the Ruta Puc, Uxmal, Calakmul).
The Amateur Traveler talks to Shel Holtz (from the For Immediate Release podcast) about his trip to Slovenia. Here about the food, the wine, the lake and the cake as Shel describes his visit to the capital of Ljubjana, the caves at Postojna, Portoroz castle and Lake Bled. Slovenia is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Shawn about his trip to Transylvania in Romania. We talk, of course, about Vlad III the Impaler (Dracula) but also about the green rolling hills, walled towns, castles and people of this beautiful country.
The Amateur Traveler compares two very different cruise options, a Royal Caribbean cruise with formal nights and midnight buffets and the Windjammer Barefoot Cruise. Which cruising option is right for you?
The Amateur Traveler goes to St Georges on the island of Bermuda. This World Heritage town is the 5th oldest European settlement in the new world and the home of the oldest English speaking church. This visit was part of a cruise to Bermuda on Royal Caribbean.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Deanna about cruising to Alaska aboard a small boat from Cruise West In a nights ashore / days at sea program.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Beth Whitman, author of Wanderlust and Lipstick for Women Traveling to India, about the joys and challenges of traveling to India, especially solo travel as a woman. Learn what iconic image Beth has in her house, how she can go to the sub-continent with only the clothes on her back and how to fall in love with India
The Amateur Traveler talks to Richard Miller of the SparkleTack podcast (about San Francisco history) about San Francisco. Richard guides us in a driving/walking tour from west to east. We start at lands end and end up near fisherman's wharf while talking about the sites and history of many of the places in between. This is a great companion episode with the 2 part soundseeing walking tour of San Francisco.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Alex Lindsay about his adventures in Zimbabwe. Alex has been traveling to Zimbabwe twice a year for a number of years where he has built friendships with the people there including some notable artists and musicians. Alex talks about the struggles of life in Zimbabwe and the beauty of the country and the people.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Rachel about Seoul, South Korea. Rachel is a college student from Hong Kong who studied in Seoul for the Summer. She talks about historic palaces, museums, customs and shopping in this city that she describes as a "kaleidoscope."
The Amateur Traveler talks to Robin Noelle (author of next year’s edition of the Moon Guidebook for Puerto Vallarta) about Puerto Vallarta. Robin talks about the beach, the food, the jungle and 12 foot wide Manta rays.
The Amateur Traveler talks to Brad Hugg soon to be the host of the Colorado Podcast about his state. He talks about the citieson teh frontal range and gives us a great circle route that takes in 14ers (peaks over 14 thousand feet), huge sand dunes, buttes, Mesa Verde, and the ski resorts near the continental divide.
The Amateur Traveler talks to author Sheryl Kayne about her new book Immersion Travel USA. She talks about volunteer travel, educational travel and other immersive experiences from experiencing zero G to quilting, from climbing frozen waterfalls to counting right whales.