The Big Travel Podcast

A solitary walk to the South Pole led to Erling Kagge writing best-selling book Silence; in the Age of Noise and this new book explores how walking can change and indeed save your life. He was the first person to reach ‘the three poles’, he’s explored New York’s sewers - sleeping in tunnels and meeting wonderful characters who lived there, he’s been attacked by a polar bear and won and confounded...

As one of the world's top specialists in counter terrorism, kidnap and personal security Will Geddes, aka ‘the Real James Bond’, has worked in hostile environments from Iraq and Afghanistan to… Hollywood. He felt most scared driving from Basra to Baghdad, most happy in New York City and a relaxing break form work turned into a rescue operation in the 2004 tsunami. With close and personal connectio...

Adventurer and ultra runner Jamie Maddison has run 100s of miles through vast deserts, lived with a nomad in Central Asia, raced on horseback with a crazy herder on the remote old postal roads in Kazakstan, pulled a camel through 100 miles of desert in Uzbekistan and lived with eagle hunters in Mongolia. With fascinating stories about how expeditions can challenge and change you and have a surpris...

Aged just 22 Kris Hallenga returned from a trip to Beijing to be told she had incurable cancer. Ditching plans to travel the world she threw herself into building Coppa Feel, her wonderful charity. ‘Passion can take you to some incredible places’ she says, and her message HAS taken her to wonderful places - literal and metaphorical. She recently celebrated her ten year 'cancerversary' and has some...

When in Germany in the 80s Elli Radinger was refused a job in space law because it was supposedly man’s work she gave it all up to dedicate her life to wolves and is now a world expert on the subject. In this fascinating episode I talk to Elli about watching wolves in the wild in America’s vast national parks, close encounters with bears, the incredible bonds wolves share in the pack and about som...

Foreign correspondent and world affairs editor John Simpson has risked life and limb reporting for the BBC for over 50 years. The Tiananmen Square massacre, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Zimbabwe, Bosnia – you name it he was there. He’s been punched by a UK Prime Minister, bombed by US 'friendly fire', met Gaddafi in Bedouin tents in Libya, watched Saddam Hussein’s execution in court and whilst experim...

Imagine rowing all the way from California to Hawaii, 2,400 miles over 62 days across the Pacific with nothing but two friends and some oars. Team Pacific Terrific broke records and came second in the Great Pacific Race. Megan Hoskin has such wonderfully evocative stories about what it feels like to be in the middle of the ocean when you’re closest fellow humans are the ones passing over in the pl...

On Instagram a reading revolution has spurned many #Bookstagram stars 'Bookish Bronte' Huskinson, 22 year old author, visual storyteller and creator of beautiful book photography. A self-appointed champion of creative introverts she loves finding the best book-friendly villages and finds her happy place in a picturesque beach town on Lake George in New York State. We talk Instagram ethics, magical...

After Around India in 80 Trains Monisha Rajesh decided to tackle the whole world in 80 trains on a journey that took in 45,000 miles across Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Canada and America. Stopping at the world’s oldest lake in Siberia, taking the ‘death railway’ from Bangkok to Nam Tok and meeting Tibetan nuns with iPhones she has some wonderful,...

British explorer, writer and photographer Levison Wood has travelled to over 100 countries, many of them in war zones, typically thought of as hostile or off the beaten track. His documentaries and best-selling books have enchanted people the world over. He’s walked the whole length of the Nile, walked the Himalayas where he survived a terrible car crash, diced with gang leaders when walking the A...

Paralympian Swimmer Liz Johnson often she says how fortunate she is. She IS of course fortunate in many ways, she’s won golds, silvers and bronzes all over the world, competed for her country and been able to turn her passion into her life. But it hasn’t been without its challenges and heartaches from being born with Cerebral Palsy to the sad loss of her mum. A truly inspirational conversation abo...

A hungover conversation one day in Dublin between two best friends Sarah Breen and Emer McLysaght led to the creation of a loveable character called Aisling, who quickly became a Facebook phenomenon, then two best-selling books is now being made into a film by an Oscar winning production co. This episode explores the quirks of life in every small town, moving to the big city, the wild days of the...

From a haunted hotel in the Cambodian jungle to a dry New Year's Eve in Kuala Lumper it's Lisa's New Year's Eve special. Taking in Belgium, Holland, London, Malaga in Spain, Goa in India, Koh Samui in Thailand, Sydney in Australia, Fiji, Cambodia, Vietnam and random musings on Prince, Shane MacGowan and various characters met along with way. Happy New Year from the Big Travel Podcast!  Learn more...

As the UK’s best-known food critic, writing columns for The Times and many other outlets as well as presenting TV programmes like BBC2's 'Amazing Hotels', Giles Coren has travelled to over 100 countries. He is, in his own words - an icon of foodie ponceyness so don’t ask me how we get on to McDonalds, Nandos and frozen fish blocks in Billericay. A highly entertaining episode in which we discuss th...

A wonderful collection of Christmas stories with Edith Bowman's perfect Californian Christmas, Jane Garvey getting stoned on Christmas Day in Liverpool, Helen Zaltzman and the lady in plastic bags at the Grand Canyon, author Isabelle Broom being punched in the nose in Lake Como, Newsnight’s Kirsty Wark having her crackers confiscated, Loose Women’s Andrea McLean on childhood Christmases in the Car...

Surviving cancer at just 25 changed the course of Lizzie Carr’s life, ditching corporate life to become an adventurer, travelling the world on her paddleboard to battle plastic pollution. She’s the first person in history to solo paddleboard the length of England, the first woman to solo paddleboard the English channel and in 2018 paddle boarded the whole of the Hudson River from Albany to New Yor...

Warning: After listening you might just find yourself booking a ticket and heading off on a train adventure. One murky afternoon in 2001 London station manager Mark Smith bought a 'teach yourself HTML' guide & the Main in Seat 61 was born. Mark has journeyed all over Europe and the US, Tunisia, Syria, Marrakech, Istanbul, Ukraine & the Crimea, Petra & Aqaba, Moscow, Vladivostok, Tokyo & Nagasaki v...

Music and football photographer Sharon Latham has the most brilliant stories about travelling with some of the world’s most famous footballers, rock stars and movie stars. She’s just published a book with Noel Gallagher, has worked with Bruce Springsteen and was even recognised Bradley Cooper on the red carpet. Her latest venture is the Selfie Guide, exploring the world for the best selfie spots i...

As Lonely Planet’s Editorial Director, travel is a rather fortunate occupational imperative for Tom Hall, who started off packing boxes in the warehouse 20 years ago and now has the top editorial job at the world’s favourite guidebook publishers. Tom tells us about breathtaking rock-carved churches in Ethiopia, exploring Chilean Fjords on a ferry, conquering crusader castles in Syria and we discus...

The world’s most iconic and historic travel and map bookshop, Stanfords in London’s Covent Garden, is a magical place that has delighted visitors for over 165 years with one of the world’s largest collection of maps, globes and travel books - creating cartography for everyone from the British Army to James Bond. The lady at the helm, Vivien Godfrey, is the granddaughter of the family who took over...

The founder of the Anne Frank Trust and author of The Legacy of Anne Frank, Gillan Walnes Perry, talks about the incredible legacy left by Anne and her famous diary, written when hiding from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam. Gillian's travelled all over the world spreading Anne’s message to help combat prejudice, was once chased by the KGB for her human rights work in Russia and now has the cushies...

The son of political refugees, Malawian Comedian Daliso Chaponda had a truly fascinating upbringing in exile in Kenya, Somalia, Swaziland, Thailand, Bangladesh, Austria and Switzerland following his UN Diplomat father. Returning to Malawi was a culture shock as were the sexually liberated comedians in Canada who inspired him! He came third on Britain’s Got Talent and says Simon Cowell is a actuall...

Sitting in a piazza in the sun, coffee at hand, writing your latest novel is a dream for many of us and one Isabelle Broom has made a reality – with best-selling books based on Greek Islands, Prague, Italy’s Lake Como, Andalucia, Sri Lanka, Canada, New Zealand as well as a career in popular magazines. As well as exotic locations Isabelle's books encompass heart-melting romance and a beautiful emot...

Life’s not always been full of laughs for comedian Phil Nichol, being he Britain’s no2 crap town, banned by Born Again Christian parents from wearing jeans until 17 and once had a terrifying encounter with wild dogs whilst searching for a Nazi –themed-socialist-folk-music bar in a dark field outside Bangkok. Don’t even ask about ‘Trough Man’. Talking Canterbury, Brighton, Newcastle, Toronto, Stock...

Femi Oluwole, spokesperson for Our Future Our Choice, a group of young people campaigning to stop Brexit, has gone head to head with key pro-Brexit figures including Nigel Farage and Katie Hopkins and it’s only a matter of time before he’s invited onto Question Time. The son of Nigerian doctors he grew up in the North East of England and had moved 14 times by the age of 14, later studying EU law i...