Speaking of Travel® With Marilyn Ball

I've always been fascinated by science. Perhaps because the more we understand about our planet, the more we realize how much there is still to discover. And volcanoes? Well, they are something else entirely. Imagine the incredible forces moving beneath our feet, shaping the very world we call home. My conversation with Dr. Tamie Jovanelly (Dr. Jo) takes us into that fascinating world, but it...

Every once in a while, you meet someone whose way of seeing the world makes you stop and look at your own world a little differently. That was my experience with photographer Cade Martin . I am honestly in awe of the way Cade sees people, places and the unexpected moments that most of us might walk right past. His photographs don't feel posed or manufactured. They feel alive. They pull you in...

I loved this conversation. Nancy Shear is one of those people you meet and immediately want to know more about. She is smart, funny, curious, completely engaging, and she has lived an extraordinary life surrounded by some of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century. Her story began when she was just fifteen years old when curiosity led her through a stage door and into the world of classica...

There’s a new idea taking shape around the way we experience places and it’s called Scenic Travel Moments . Justin Belleme, Publisher and Partnerships Manager at RomanticAsheville.com , joins Speaking of Travel to talk about where the idea came from and why he believes there is an opportunity to create something different for travelers. Scenic Travel Moments begins in Western North Carolina with e...

You got what you wanted. Now what? It seems like we spend so much of our lives moving toward what’s next, always looking ahead to where we’re going and what we’re supposed to accomplish along the way. We work toward the goal, reach the milestone, check the box, and then one day, sometimes, we actually get there. And what happens then? For Michael Yang, that question opened the door to a whole new...

There are fascinating stories all around us and many are in places we least expect to find them. On this episode of Speaking of Travel, I’m joined by award-winning travel journalist and National Geographic contributor Ronan O’Connell , author of Hidden in Plain Sight . Ronan takes us beyond the postcard view to uncover the forgotten stories, mysteries, history, and human experiences hidden within...

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, we continue to remember the lives that were lost and the lives forever changed by that day. And that's why I’m revisiting a very special conversation with Abigail Carter , a gifted writer and artist whose husband was killed in the 9/11 tragedy. For years, grief became part of the landscape of Abigail’s life. But eventually, something inside her bega...

Sometimes the life we imagine for ourselves begins with something very simple, like taking that first step. Sarah Aviram didn't stumble into a year of travel. She created it. She made the bold decision to leave behind the familiar and designed a plan to travel through 12 countries in 12 months while continuing to work remotely. And she trusted herself enough to make it happen. In this episode...

Some places capture your imagination. Italy captures your heart. If you've ever dreamed of experiencing Italy beyond the guidebooks, this is the journey you've been waiting for. Join Becky and Marcello Simone of Viaggi Italiani , together with Anne Robichaud , your expert guide to the hidden treasures of Umbria, on an unforgettable 10-day Fall 2026 Small Group Art & Cultural Tour thr...

Michael Cowan has lived many lives. He's been an attorney, educator, businessman, musician, songwriter, and now, an author. His debut novel, John B. Peoples , is proof that some of life's most meaningful adventures begin long after we think we've settled into who we are. In this episode of Speaking of Travel , Michael shares what inspired him to finally write the novel that had been...

Travel has a way of changing how we see the world. And perhaps that’s where the possibility of changing it begins. On this episode of Speaking of Travel, join Jared Sternberg, founder and CEO of Gondwana Ecotours , for a thoughtful conversation about what it really means to travel with purpose. Jared shares how an unexpected journey took him from law school and backpacking adventures to building a...

Some conversations feel like catching up with an old friend. And that's exactly what it was like welcoming Katie Cole back to Speaking of Travel .  Katie is not only a remarkable singer-songwriter, she's one of the kindest, most genuine people you'll ever meet. From her years touring with the Smashing Pumpkins to performing the iconic music of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit be...

The world teaches us how to move forward, but it rarely teaches us how to heal. But healing may be one of the most courageous adventures we ever undertake. On this deeply human episode of Speaking of Travel, meet Anthony Dyer , whose extraordinary journey from military service to healing is a powerful reminder that our most important journeys are often the ones no one else can see. Originally from...

What happens when a love of food becomes a passport to the world? On this episode of Speaking of Travel , we're joined by Liisa Andreassen and John Godts, the husband-and-wife team behind Cottage Cooking , whose adventures have taken them across six continents and more than 40 countries. What began as a creative way to fund their travels has evolved into a meaningful journey centered on food,...

Some journeys change the way we see the world. On this episode of Speaking of Travel , we're setting sail along the coast of Maine with Justin Schaefer and Jocelyn Schmidt, owners and captains of the historic Schooner J. & E. Riggin . Together they've created an experience where the wind sets the pace and the sea shapes each day. And how the simple moments become the memories that st...

What if time isn't something to chase, but something to experience? In a world that constantly urges us to move faster, do more, and keep up, this conversation with Ryan Enslin offers a different perspective. A gentler one. As a journalist and photographer from Johannesburg, South Africa, Ryan has learned that some places seem to exist outside the pace of modern life. One of those places is S...

Some places do not ask for your attention. They change you quietly. You arrive carrying noise, deadlines, distractions and the weight of everyday life. And then somewhere between the trees, the silence, the air itself, something begins to soften. You remember there is another way to live in the world. More connected. More awake. More human. This episode of Speaking of Travel lives inside that feel...

Some conversations stay with you because of what a person has accomplished. Others stay with you because of who that person became along the way. Internationally acclaimed bassoonist Frank Morelli is both. His story is about far more than music. It’s about what happens when a lifetime of dedication shapes not only an artist, but a human being. There’s something deeply moving about a person who spe...

There’s something deeper unfolding at the Asheville Regional Airport and you can feel it the moment you step into this conversation with Angi Daus, VP of Air Service and Corporate Communications. This isn’t surface-level support. It’s a lived commitment to Western North Carolina, shaped through real relationships and a genuine presence in the community that shows up in how they collaborate and how...

There’s a moment in travel, maybe you’ve felt it, when everything shifts. The view is stunning, but that’s not what stays with you. It’s the feeling. A quiet awakening that expands the world in front of you while something inside you expands, too. On this episode of Speaking of Travel, we step into that space where travel stops being about the plan and becomes a way of seeing and living. It become...

On this episode of Speaking of Travel, we move beyond destinations and into something deeply human... food as a living expression of memory, identity, and belonging. Chef Nathan Davis shares his story shaped by the land, where hunting, fishing, and foraging were not choices, but teachings guiding him to understand food as relationship, responsibility, and respect. With formal training from Le Cord...

In a time shaped by rapid change and constant headlines, this conversation invites us to pause, to listen, and to look beyond perception into lived experience. My guest, Rihab Abouzaki , is an advertising strategist and Director of This N That Communications. She works at the intersection of culture, business, and global storytelling. Moving between the United States and the Gulf region, she bring...

There’s something quietly extraordinary unfolding in Italy, inside museums, churches, and hidden archives where history has long rested in silence. For centuries, luminous works of art created by women were tucked away, overlooked, or forgotten. Not because they lacked brilliance, but because their stories were never fully told. And still, they remained, waiting, holding their place in time. Today...

Sometimes it’s not one big moment that shapes us, but a series of experiences that quietly stay, like traveling far from home at a young age, listening to stories passed down at the kitchen table, beginning to understand that where we come from carries more meaning over time. In this episode, I’m joined by Yoon Kim , a journalist, storyteller, and event producer whose work is grounded in curiosity...

Some journeys don’t begin with a plan. Some just begin with a song, a street corner, a moment that simply says go. In this episode of Speaking of Travel, Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, shares a life shaped by following the music and trusting where it leads. What stays with you isn’t just the story of the road. It's more the way he moves through the world. From busking days to the guid...