Speaking of Travel® With Marilyn Ball

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project Series with Dayna Reggero recaps conversations with experts from around the world on how to find common ground and connect climate change stories with discovery. We understand climate and weather are important factors in our decision-making around travel. And this year we shared new and challenging opportunities for those involved in climate chang...

Chris Webber, Development Manager of Make-A-Wish® in Central & Western NC, explains how the gift of a wish helps transform the lives of children with critical illnesses and ways we can help make dreams come true. Find out the Make-A-Wish®  history, hear some inspiring travel wishes and ways you can get involved. The Make-A-Wish® Foundation has tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and suppor...

Madeleine Besson is a French singer, songwriter and artist. Her new EP, “In The River,” showcases her soulful and blues-flavored style and is creatively immersed with original songwriting and vocalizing. After developing her musical talents as a multi-instrumentalist while just a young child, Madeleine spent her early years touring the world on movie sets and theaters with her artistic parents. Th...

Yolanda Robertson is the owner of Savored Moments Travel and is a travel-planning expert who helps family, friends and groups deepen their connections through well-planned, savory travel experiences. For most of her adult life, she was a single mom who struggled to find time for herself, and it was often difficult to find the quality time to connect with her children. Now that her children are gro...

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project Series with Dayna Reggero continues with special guest, Veronica Butcher, joining us from Mothers and Others for Clean Air (M&O). M&O is a unique partnership of leading public health and child advocacy organizations working to advance public policy to improve air quality and fight climate change in order to reduce the effects of air pollut...

What if there was a way to really discover more about your destination, tailored just for you, from locals like you? Where you can find out what to do, what to know and where to go. Well, good news! Patrick Gallagher is Founder & CEO of the LGND (Legend) Travel App, an easy-to-use app where you can get great recommendations on all there is to see and do by local people who live in that city. A...

Deb is on her way to home to Charlottesville, Virginia. She was in Asheville for business but got to mix in some much-needed family time during her visit. As a regular traveler, Deb has learned a thing or two about being prepared. “Never check your bag when you’re flying to [a destination], because you may not have it when you get there,” Deb said. “I haven’t faced that very often; but there was o...

Josh and Rachel travel a lot for work, but this time they are headed to see family in Mississippi. Being frequent flyers, Josh and Rachel are pros when it comes to maximizing flexibility and convenience on the go. “Always pack a carry-on bag, never check a bag,” Josh said. “You don’t have to wait for your bags at the end of a trip.”  “It’s a lot easier if you’re boarding in a later zone or if you’...

Maria and Ron are headed home to Miami. The couple was visiting Asheville for a convention, but they made sure to hit the highlights during their stay. Ron is no stranger to travel, and he has few tricks up his sleeve. “I like… TSA pre-check. It saves time,” Ron said. “It was pretty easy. You just sign up online, get your appointment and… do it within a half hour. It gets you in and out pretty qui...

Chelsea is Ohio-bound after spending some time in Asheville for business. She travels on a weekly basis for work, so she is a practiced hand with several helpful travel tips. “Have everything ready,” Chelsea said. “If you have TSA pre-check, that’s very convenient. If you don’t, make sure you have your liquids ready and have easy shoes [to remove]. Pack as light as you can, that way you don’t have...

Yolanda is on her way back home to St. Louis. She’s been working in the Asheville area for several months now, but she always makes a weekly trip home to connect with friends and family. As someone who travels often, Yolanda knows the importance of traveling light. “Travel lightly, carry only the necessities,” Yolanda said. “Always check your bag. It’s too much… especially when you have connecting...

Remi Oguntoye, co-founder of ExplorEquity, explains how approaching an overriding theme of equity with travel makes the experience meaningful and provides tips to travel mindfully and sustainably. ExplorEquity is educating and growing awareness of global equity issues by developing immersive experiences in areas hardest hit by circumstances beyond their control, including Puerto Rico. Discover wha...

Did you know the Asheville Art Museum is the third oldest art museum in North Carolina? It was established by local artists and incorporated in 1948, and has seen several homes over the years. And now, with its current state-of-the-art facility, the museum will celebrate its 70th anniversary with the opening of the new Asheville Art Museum at 2 South Pack Square. Join Kristi McMillan and Lindsey G...

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Betsy Phillips has a voice as serene and calming as the flatlands of her native Midwest. Her new EP, “Like We’re Talking,” with Dan Knobler, features material touching on everything from personal relationships to her childhood home. Find out how she came to pursue her love of music, her love of travel and how she made the decision to move to Nashville.  Thanks for...

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project continues with Dayna Reggero and special guests to talk about the wild places we love to explore. For almost 40 years, Patagonia has supported grassroots activists working to find solutions to the environmental crisis. But in this time of unprecedented threats, it’s often hard to know the best way to get involved.  That’s why through Patagonia Act...

One of downtown Asheville’s most iconic landmarks is the red 1963 British Lodekka Coffee Bus at 41 Biltmore Ave. Greg Bounds first brought the bus to Asheville with an incredible amount of hard work and determination and opened its doors as a coffee bus in 1999. In 2009, Karen and Jeff Lazzaro purchased the incredibly cool, eclectic bus and have owned and operated it ever since as Double D’s Coffe...

One year after returning from her soul-expanding adventure, Tess Vigeland is settling into a stateside life. But Tess believes nothing is permanent and change is always afoot even if you don’t know or feel it. Now living back in her hometown of Portland, OR, Tess explains how she really is getting pretty good at just going with the flow and how her life keeps showing up wherever she goes. Tess is...

Melody King, founder of Urban Escape Vehicles, loves the freedoms offered by van life. Her van rental service in Asheville, NC, provides the opportunity to rent a van before investing in a rig and heading out onto the road. Discover why Melody's passion for outdoor recreation and desire to share these things with others motivated her to begin a camper van rental business. With van life so pop...

Larry Jorgensen interviewed Coca-Cola families and conducted research in communities where Coca-Cola history is told through photos of historic buildings, museums, outdoor murals and memorabilia collections. Did you know Coca-Cola once sold the rights to bottle Coca-Cola throughout the United States for $1? Or that Coca-Cola was first bottled in Vicksburg, Mississippi, not Atlanta? These are just...

The time after returning from a trip creates space to think about how we’ve changed and gives us the wisdom and skills we have gained from traveling. Three friends share fun stories and travel tips. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to travel, whether it’s to the town over from yours or to an exotic place on your bucket list.      Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel ! Visit speakingoftravel.net f...

The Speaking of Travel + Climate Listening Project continues with Dayna Reggero and guest Joshua Martin, the Director of the Environmental Paper Network, to discuss the launch of the new #UnwrapTheTruth campaign.  The Environmental Paper Network is made up of 160 organizations who are working together to address the rising wasteful use of paper and make shifts to responsible paper production. #Unw...

Melissa Reardon, editor-in-chief of WNC Magazine, presents leaf-peeping experiences that are big on color and light on crowds and why the North Carolina mountains are the perfect place to discover fall. Find out what weather conditions make for great fall color and discover resources to keep tabs on the status of the leaf change. Peak color doesn’t just happen in a single weekend here in the mount...

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is the perfect place to spend quality time unplugging and immersing yourself in nature. And this fall is a lovely time to get outdoors and explore all the Park has to offer. Emily Walker, Senior Naturalist at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, explains why this season is so spectacular and shares all the unique opportunities to celebrate the season, li...

New Belgium’s Community Ambassador Mike Craft and Sustainable Coordinator Sarah Fraser explain how kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model works for the community. New Belgium Brewing is of course the makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, but did you know it is recognized as one of Outside Magazine's Best Places to Work and one...

Evie Ladin is a dancer, musician, vocalist, songwriter and square dance caller, balancing performing and traveling with hands-on teaching. She’s created a sustainable career doing all the creative things that she loves. Evie talks about her upbringing with music and dance as a part of social communication and how she balances her career and family, all saturated with music. She brings Appalachian...