Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

Hear about travel to Mongolia as the Amateur Traveler talks to returning guest Randy Rohrer about his trip to this vast, sparsely populated country for the Naadam Festival, the ancient Mongol capital of Karakorum, and the landscapes of the Gobi Desert. Randy says Mongolia appeals to travelers looking for somewhere exotic and still relatively off the beaten path. It combines the history of Genghis...

Hear about travel to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Barley about his home region and a week-long itinerary that combines Lancaster City, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, historic small towns, local food, outdoor recreation, and some surprisingly diverse dining. Chris grew up on a tobacco and dairy farm in western Lancaster County. Although he once wanted to leave...

Hear about travel to El Salvador as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jayne Dear, author of Tales of a Traveller in Central America, about her journey through this small but surprisingly diverse Central American country. Jayne describes El Salvador as a “hidden gem,” with dramatic volcanic scenery, forested highlands, coffee plantations, colorful towns, inexpensive transportation, friendly people, and...

In this episode of Amateur Traveler, Chris talks with Nathan Brennan from brennanfitnessacademy.com about a week-long summer road trip through Salt Lake City and Northern Utah, combining Utah history, mountain scenery, Olympic venues, hiking, lakes, small towns, and some distinctly Utah food. Nathan lives between Salt Lake City and Provo and recommends a summer itinerary that begins and ends in Sa...

Hear about travel to Detroit, Michigan, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cassandra Sugarman about her adopted hometown and a week-long itinerary that explores the city’s comeback, automotive heritage, music history, neighborhoods, museums, food, and nearby communities. Cassandra describes Detroit as a city of revival. The rise of the automobile industry transformed Detroit into one of America’s gr...

Hear about travel to Madrid, Spain, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Felicity Hughes of TheMakingOfMadrid.com about how to spend about a week exploring her adopted hometown. Felicity moved to Madrid in 2012, writes and podcasts about the city, and is currently the lead writer for Lonely Planet’s Madrid guides. She recommends giving Madrid more than the typical three-day visit. While you can see th...

Discover the lush landscapes, charming towns, Atlantic beaches, historic cities, vineyards, and national parks of Portugal's Minho region in this one-week itinerary with Sandra from Verdeful.  Why should you go to Minho? Sandra says, "The reason why I would like to tell people more about this part of the world is because it's such a beautiful place with a lot of greenery. It's what makes Minho spe...

In this episode of the Amateur Traveler podcast, Chris talks with Virginia-based travel writer and television host Malorie Mackey about visiting Richmond and Virginia’s Historic Triangle. Malorie recommends combining Richmond with Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown rather than treating them as separate trips. Together, they offer a mix of colonial history, Revolutionary War sites, Civil War his...

Travel to Orléans, France, with Riana from Teaspoon of Adventure as she shares a seven-day itinerary featuring Joan of Arc history, Loire River scenery, medieval towns, museums, local food, and some of the most impressive châteaux in the Loire Valley.  Orléans is about 75 miles southwest of Paris and approximately 90 minutes away by train. Its compact historic center, good train connections, and a...

In this episode of Amateur Traveler, I recount a six-night sailing voyage aboard the Schooner Heritage, one of the vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association fleet. The trip began and ended in Rockland, Maine, and covered roughly 116 miles through Penobscot Bay. Unlike a conventional cruise, there was no fixed daily itinerary. Each day’s route depended on the wind, tides, currents, weather foreca...

In this episode of Amateur Traveler, Sam Williams joins Chris to talk about the Caribbean island of Dominica, a destination he describes as “unspoiled Caribbean.” Unlike many Caribbean islands, where the main draw is the beach, Dominica is known for its rainforest, mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, snorkeling, whale watching, canyoning, and sea turtles. Sam recommends spending about a week on th...

In this episode of Amateur Traveler, host Chris Christensen talks about his press trip through Aragon, Spain, joined by fellow travelers Kevin Revolinski and Cathy Bennett Kopf. Aragon sits in northeastern Spain, west of Catalonia, and stretches from Zaragoza north to the Pyrenees and the French border. Why Visit Aragon? Aragon offers Roman ruins, Mudéjar architecture, cathedrals, castles, abbeys,...

Hear about luxury barge cruising in France as Chris Christensen describes a week aboard the Renaissance, a European Waterways hotel barge traveling through Western Burgundy and the Upper Loire. Chris and his wife previously cruised with European Waterways on the Canal du Midi. For this journey, they returned to France to explore the Briare Canal, one of the country’s oldest canals, aboard a vessel...

Hear about travel to Fiji as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane from jontytravels.com about this island nation where he lived this year. Why should you visit Fiji? Jonty says, "Fiji offers the classic South Pacific island experience, with excellent snorkeling and diving, attractive beaches, and welcoming people. It also has a well-established tourism industry, which accounts for approximate...

Hear about travel to Paris as the Amateur Traveler talks to Angela J. Reed of Parisienne Farmgirl about museums, cafés, neighborhoods, markets, gardens, and viewpoints in the City of Light. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Paris?...

Hear about travel to Western Crete as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jonty Crane from jontytravels.com about his hiking adventure around the villages and in the mountains of the largest Greek island. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you visit...

Hear about travel to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the annual Amateur Traveler trip as host Chris Christensen and guest Bill Abbott talk about a tour to 2 of the 5 'Stans in Central Asia. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Uzbekistan...

Hear about travel to Umbria in Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Katerina Ferrara, the author of the Ultimate Festival & Travel Guide Umbria. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Umbria? Katerina says, "Travelers should include Um...

Hear about travel to Delaware as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dannelle Gay from the Traveling Cheesehead about her recent visit to The First State. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Delaware? Dannelle says, "If you are a foodie, if you'r...

Hear about travel to Jerez de la Frontera and the province of Cádiz in Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks about a recent press trip to the 2026 Culinary Capital of Spain. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This episode is based on a recent press trip to Cádiz a...

Hear about travel to Santiago, Chile, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kristin Henning from TravelPast50.com about this city that she called home for a time. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Santiago? Kristin says, "You can get to the mounta...

Hear about travel to Saxony as the Amateur Traveler talks about a recent press trip to Leipzig, Dresden, Meissen, and more in this southeast corner of Germany. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Recommended Saxony Itinerary Day 1: Arrive in Leipzig Start in Leipzig....

Hear about travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Meryl Pearlstein about this glamorous city in the desert that keeps drawing her back. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why Go to Las Vegas if You Don’t Gamble? Meryl makes the case that Las Veg...

Hear about travel to West Africa (Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jenna Fletcher from LifeKineticTravel.com about her quest to see baby sea turtles in Guinea-Bissau. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to West Africa...

Hear about travel to the Alentejo Region as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel blogger and adviser Julie Fox from JulieDawnFox.com about this overlooked but spectacular region of Portugal. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to the Alentejo? Julie says,...