Speaking of Travel® With Marilyn Ball

Palmer McIntyre, Director for the North Carolina Year of the Trail, shares how the celebration of outdoor recreation in NC showcases the state’s beautiful landscapes, provides healthy recreation, and stimulates local economies. She also works for the Piedmont Land Conservancy, a regional land trust in the Triad area. Palmer explains why and how the 2023 NC Year of the Trail was created by an effor...

Erinn Dearth and Dan Beckmann created Letters From Home in the style of USO dances with a witty, modern edge. Their performances are funny and heartfelt and they share stories from their recently completed “Letters From Home 50 States Tour.”  They traveled to every state of the country focusing on what unites us as a country, rather than what divides us. “It kind of makes people think and apprecia...

The Speaking of Travel + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford, host of the Popular TV series, Leave No Trace TV, continues to help us learn to travel in ways that won't limit our future generations' ability to explore the world.  On this episode of the Speaking of Travel + Leave No Trace series, Ricky is busy finishing up Season Two of the popular Leave No Trace TV series and in A...

Rachel Durchslag shares the challenges and obstacles she had to overcome while trekking some of the world’s most magnificent mountain ranges, along with her new sense of inner joy. Her new book, “While I Walk,” is Rachel’s personal journey to becoming a better person. The book is part trip guide to some of the best hikes in the world and part travel-log of Rachel’s personal journey to becoming a b...

Namrata Patel is an Indian American bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She shares how travel informs and enriches her stories and why perseverance pushes her to keep writing and traveling. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Candid Life of Meena Dave, examines diaspora and dual-cultural identity among Indian Americans, multi-generational tensions tied to assimilation, and historical...

Richard Crawford hosts the popular TV series, Leave No Trace TV. And together with Speaking of Travel, he creates a series highlighting the importance of conservation, sustainable travel, and eco-tourism.  Ricky shares stories from places he explored for Season Two and how he goes about getting it all together along with his photographer and producer, Ben Alcott.  On this segment, Ricky explains w...

Sahara Rose De Vore is a wellness travel coach and founder of The Travel Coach Network, a global community of travel coaches. She shares why travel coaching is reshaping how travel is viewed today.  There is more depth to why people want (or need) to travel and Sahara explains how travel coaches help identify motivating reasons for a trip while helping set specific intentions for the transformatio...

For award-winning actor and humanitarian, Gary Sinise, 9/11 was a game changer. After playing Lt. Dan, the ravaged Vietnam vet in the Oscar-winning 1993 movie Forrest Gump , Gary recognized there were still deep wounds for the veterans of the Viet Nam war.  His focus shifted from self to service. Gary said, “It set the stage for working with the wounded after that terrible day. I couldn’t sit back...

Dawn Barclay, a veteran travel reporter, the mother of two “challenging” children, and the author of “ Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse," shares how she created her travel bible based on interviews from over 100 mental health professionals, special needs parents, autism allies, advocates, and certified autism travel prof...

Vic Isley, a traveler, foodie, music lover and a farmer’s daughter from North Carolina, shares her journey from growing up on a tobacco farm to becoming a leader in the travel and tourism industry.  Over her 28-year career, she’s represented destinations including the island of Bermuda; Washington, DC; Tampa Bay, Florida and Durham, North Carolina.   Seasoned leaders bring benefits to their team a...

Heidi Walters, Senior Director of Partner Marketing for Visit North Carolina, shares how the state is championing sustainable travel by working together to preserve the natural beauty of North Carolina. Thousands of people flock to North Carolina every year from all over the country and the world because there are so many reasons to love this state. Heidi provides an update on the tourism recovery...

A professional stand-up comedian, a TV host, an actor and a podcast host walk into a bar. And what do you know? It’s Mike Siegel himself. Mike’s main passion is travel. He has produced video and written travel content for countless websites and hosts his own travel-themed podcast, “Travel Tales Podcast.” Mike shares his personal travel history and some of his favorite places. And not all of his tr...

Thea Duncan, founder of Doing Italy, shares insights into moving to Italy. Find out what it is like to live in Italy and what to consider when moving there.  Doing Italy offers private consultations and group coaching so you can dive into just about everything you need to know about moving to Italy.  Thea shares insights into the Italian job market and what you need to know about real estate if co...

Mark Gordon Smith, founder of Private Italy Tours, shares why travelers fall in love with Italy and why people keep going back to visit.  Today Italy is reaping the benefits of travelers wanting to explore this beautiful country. Mark explains the state of travel in Italy today and why unique places like Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria are gaining more attention. With an increased demand in travel...

Pico Iyer helps bring an understanding of cultural differences to all of us by interacting with people whose culture, experiences, or worldview might differ from his own.  For over four decades, he’s written 16 books, translated into 23 languages, on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism, from the Cuban Revolution to Islamic mysticism. For Pico, travel is a professional devotion as muc...

Australian born singer-songwriter and touring musician with the Smashing Pumpkins, Katie Cole, shares how her emotional honesty comes from a place of determination and persistence.  Katie is releasing her new EP, “Rivers & Roads," a love project created during the pandemic and will launch the final single along with a music video.  In 2022, Katie did a 32-date tour with the Smashing Pumpk...

Jovelle Fernandez knows how it feels to be a fish out of water having navigated through various constraints because of being alienated. She helps us learn and understand about being away from our comfort zones. Jovelle's story includes the unique experiences of a former woman expatriate and the challenges of living and working as a foreigner in academia, in a male-dominated society, and in th...

Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV show, Leave No Trace TV, and his producer/cameraman, Ben Alcott, recently went to Antarctica to experience the incredible beauty and solitude as polar explorers.  When the two returned from White Desert Antarctica's Echo camp, a pioneering luxury experience, their lives were changed. In episode one of their Great Antarctica Adventure, heard only on Spe...

What do you do when a friend asks you to pack your things and take a trip ASAP? For Terri Lynn Queen, you just say YES! Find out how a quick, spontaneous trip to Las Vegas became a most memorable adventure.  Terri Lynn is a regional/national media consultant with iHeart Media (for 33 years!) who loves to travel. She shares stories of how traveling with her children when they were young created a s...

If you love being out in nature enjoying beautiful, breathtaking views, you’ll love cycling. Cyclists are generally a friendly group of people and riding bikes can be an excellent way to make new friends and create community.  Rob Dull is an avid cyclist and the principal planner at Find The Line Studios based out of Asheville, NC. Rob heads up the firm's master planning efforts around commun...

Nancy Stohlman is a flash fiction writer, a performer, and a professor. She holds workshops and retreats around the world to help you learn about yourself as a writer and a person. Nancy provides professional and aspiring writers the gift of time, a new community, instruction, and the opportunity to reconnect with your own imagination and sense of possibility so you can confidently bring the work...

The Speaking of Travel + Leave No Trace Series with Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace TV, highlights the importance of conservation, sustainable travel and eco-tourism, and provides tips on how to travel mindfully and why it's important to just say YES! There is no other destination on the planet more incredible, overwhelming or epic as Antarctica. Ricky and his...

Vincenzo Lodato is a true Renaissance gentleman and skilled at all things he attempts to do. Vincenzo has wide-ranging knowledge in many fields and loves life.  Now living in Florence, Italy, Vincenzo shares why being a huge dreamer and putting yourself out there, past your comfort zone, is the best way to live life to the fullest.  And Vincenzo provides hands-on tips for even considering a move t...

Noted motorcycle journalist Neale Bayly had two goals when he went off to Ukraine to bring attention to what journalists are experiencing in this war-torn country and to give victims of the war in Ukraine the chance to tell their stories. He hoped to somehow ease their burden by providing an opportunity to tell their stories. Neale recently returned from a three-week, 6,600-km (approx. 4,100 miles...

Don Bunnell is a serial entrepreneur passionate about the environment and he is the founder of Swank Guide, a travel platform that helps people uncover exotic destinations, unique lodging, and insider activities. Don shares how and why he created Swank Guide and how his background in travel, the environment, energy policy, design, and architecture brought him to the intersection of all those thing...