Stanfords Travel Podcast

For twenty-five years, award-winning restaurant critic Jay Rayner has been uncovering the very best of the nation’s eateries, from high end restaurants to high street grills. In his new book, Nights Out at Home, in a love letter to his favourite eating houses, Jay serves up recipes inspired by the superb dishes that have stolen his heart … Continue reading Jay Rayner Nights Out at Home// 2025 Stan...

Some truly remarkable works of literature have been inspired by writers spending time travelling. From epic road trips and arduous treks into remote territories, to cultural tours and sojourns in the finest hotels, author Travis Elborough explores 35 influential journeys taken by literary greats and reveals the repercussions of those travels on the authors’ personal lives and … Continue reading Tr...

Sir Trevor McDonald is one of Britain’s most celebrated broadcasters and his devotion for cricket is almost as well-known as his legendary professional achievements. He talks to Simon Lister about his love of the game, inspired by his Caribbean childhood, and the communities around the world that are brought together by a shared love of the sound of … Continue reading Trevor McDonald’s World of Cr...

Journalist and broadcaster Louise Minchin has travelled a lot for work, but also while researching her non-fiction title Fearless, which detailed the lives of 17 extraordinary women, in places as diverse as Argentina, Finland and Alcatraz. Talking about this, and her new thriller, Isolation Island, set on a remote Scottish island, Louise discusses the delights and challenges … Continue reading Lou...

Petroc Trelawny grew up on the Lizard Peninsula in the far south of Cornwall. His new book is part history, part memoir and a deeply felt exploration of Cornwall.  Talking to Ann Morgan, he takes us by road, rail and foot, visiting old mine workings, ancient churches, sites where new technology was forged, and places where poets, … Continue reading Petroc Trelawny’s Cornwall// 2025 Stanfords Trave...

What are the benefits of travelling, and why do so many of us feel compelled to do it? Ash Bhardwaj, author of Why We Travel, is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, whose work explores the intersection of travel, current affairs and human behaviour. Phoebe Smith is an award-winning adventurer, presenter, broadcaster, author and photographer. She hosts the … Continue reading Why We Travel ...

During his decades long career as a bushcraft and survival expert, one thing always shines through about Ray Mears – his love of the nature and landscape within which he finds himself.  His latest book, British Woodland, takes us to the heart of something we can all enjoy, and he talks to Phoebe Smith about this integral part of … Continue reading Ray Mears: British Woodland// 2025 Stanfords Trave...

Taking the Risk is Hilary Bradt’s engaging, insightful, amusing and sometimes alarming memoir about serendipitous adventures in travel and publishing. A travel industry trail-blazer who co-founded Bradt Guides, Hilary Bradt talks to travel journalist Simon Calder about 50 years of escapades, surprises, mishaps and success. This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Ol...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes the internationally acclaimed historian, film-maker and broadcaster, and the author of several bestselling books, Michael Wood. He talks to Ann Morgan about his new book ‘In the Footsteps of Du Fu’, a beautifully illustrated travelogue, chronicling the life and … Continue reading ‘In th...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes Colonel John Blashford-Snell, one of the country’s most eminent and seasoned explorers. His name is known globally for his daring adventures and intrepid journeys of discovery. Now, well into his eighties (and still planning future trips), he talks to … Continue reading John Blashford-S...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes the multi-award-winning comedian, travel writer and columnist Dom Joly. He speaks to Antony Garvey about his latest book ‘The Conspiracy Tourist’. Conspiracy theories used to be fun, a bit of laugh. Did we really land on the moon? Was … Continue reading ‘The Conspiracy Tourist’ with Dom...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes the international bestselling author Victoria Hislop. Victoria divides her time between England and Greece and in 2020, was granted honorary citizenship by the President. She talks to Ann Morgan about why the people and the place have captured her … Continue reading Victoria Hislop in C...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes Christopher Somerville, author and walking correspondent for The Times. He talks to author Ben Aitken about his newest book Walking the Bones of Britain. Travelling a thousand miles and across three billion years, Christopher Somerville sets out to interrogate … Continue reading ‘Walkin...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes author and eco adventurer Kate Rawles. She talks to author Ben Aitken about cycling the length of the Andes on an eccentric bicycle she built herself. Pedalling hard for thirteen months, she witnesses the devastation of goldmining and oil … Continue reading ‘8,000 Miles in the Andes by...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes one of the world’s most respected chefs, Michel Roux. He talks to food writer and presenter Jo Pratt about some of his favourite dishes and cuisines, discovered on his culinary travels around the globe. Michel Roux is one of … Continue reading Michel Roux in Conversation: Stanfords Trav...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes author and intensive care doctor Matt Morgan. He talks to Antony Garvey about his exhilarating journey across continents exploring his work on both the intensive care unit and the pages of his book One Medicine. From Africa’s heart to … Continue reading ‘One Medicine’ with Dr Matt Morga...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes author and ‘travel tailor’ Amelia Dalton. She talks to Ann Morgan about her book Pages From My Passport and her many adventures. Amelia Dalton, fresh from touring the Scottish islands, takes on the world and sets up exclusive, expedition … Continue reading ‘Pages From My Passport’ with...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes The Times Russia correspondent Tom Parfitt. He talks to Ann Morgan about his Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year shortlisted book ‘High Caucasus’ and discusses his deep ties to the area. On 1 September 2004, Chechen and Ingush … Continue reading ‘High Caucasus’ with Tom Parfitt: Sta...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes author and publisher Barnaby Rogerson. He talks to Clare Clark about his book The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East. At the heart of the Middle East, with its regional conflicts and proxy wars, … Continue reading ‘The Making of the Middle East’ with Barnaby Ro...

From Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show in London’s Olympia, The Stanfords Travel Writers Festival welcomes Norwegian sociologist and political scientist Stein Ringen. He talks to Ann Morgan about his book The Story of Scandinavia. In The Story of Scandinavia, Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings … Continue reading ‘The Story of Scandin...

Online event to celebrate the Launch of John Murray Journeys On July 11th 2022 we teamed up with John Murray Press for an online event celebrating the republication of three titles for their Journeys series: In a Land Far from Home by Syed Mujtaba Ali, introduced by Taran Khan; Desert Soul by Isabelle Eberhardt, introduced by William Atkins; … Continue reading Launch of Journeys

West Camel presents the online launch of The Book of Reykjavik, A City in Short Fiction. Recorded on the 1st September 2021. Part of Comma’s popular ‘Reading the City’ series, this beautiful collection includes ten stories, translated into English for the first time capturing the essence of contemporary Iceland and its writing. Hear West Camel in conversation with … Continue reading The Book of Re...

Acclaimed travel writer Nick Hunt joins Peter from Stanfords Bristol to talk about his latest book and the Stanfords Book of the Month for June 2021, Outlandish: Walking Europe’s Unlikely Landscapes. Arctic tundra in Scotland, jungle in Poland, desert in Spain and steppe in Hungary: places acting as portals in time and space. These are … Continue reading Nick Hunt: Outlandish: Pilgrimages of the i...

Back by popular demand following his 2018 appearance, Michael Portillo returns to the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival. Since leaving politics we have watched him travel all around the world in his television documentaries. Championing the Bradshaw’s Handbook, Michael has looked in depth at the history of rail travel and how it opened up the world for people … Continue reading Michael Portillo in...

The wellbeing of our oceans has never been more important. But to truly understand the vital role they play, we need to first understand how the oceans work, how we explore them and learn about the mysteries they hold, and what our effect is on them. Combining untold history of ocean exploration and personal account … Continue reading Dr Jon Copley: Exploring the Ocean Depths: Stanfords Travel Wri...