Tales from the Departure Lounge

Send us Fan Mail The exploitation of international students for financial gain is an open secret in some parts of the world, and while many choose to look away, Earl Blaney has been calling out the darker side of the edu-immigration industry. He's a controversial figure, a whistleblower, a conspiracy theorist - and for a long time he has been a solitary voice questioning the system in Canada....

Send us Fan Mail Do you want to change the world? Or at least leave it a little bit better than how you found it? Well then you need to get your hands dirty. Leanne Linacre (LILA* Liverpool, Lead5050) shares her epic journey with us, from a transformational experience as a backpacker to being CEO of a company whose mission it is to create a fairer world for everyone - via teaching English overseas...

Send us Fan Mail This is the REAL life pilot episode! Tony Eyles is a first officer flying for British Airways. He joins the TFTDL flight crew to answer all your questions about planes, pilots and passengers. We take to the skies to talk about everything from turbulence to the Bermuda triangle, in an extremely honest interview about the aviation industry.  Where do the crew disappear to half way t...

Send us Fan Mail We've teamed up with the lovely people at Duolingo to create the perfect travel mix-tape playlist on Spotify! Inspired by the guests, stories and destinations from the Tales from the Departure Lounge podcast. Listen to TFTDL Radio now! Link: https://spotify.link/R7MNuCESvDb Today over 4500 institutions including Yale, Imperial and Trinity College Dublin have adopted the Duoli...

Send us Fan Mail Remember the 'Lonely Planet' days before the internet? All you needed was cash, a map and some resilience. Vanessa Varvas (UEL) tells the TFTDL flight crew how travel has made her a better person and a better leader. She takes us on a tour across Costa Rica, Serbia, Canada and China with a few car crashes on the way - and we learn to live Pura Vida, pure life . A strong...

Send us Fan Mail *NEW JINGLE ALERT* the 'No Status Blues' in Brazil. Brendan McGerty (Griffith College) left a drunken voice message in the TFTDL inbox about his airline status, so we just had to follow up. The result was this kaleidoscopic episode where we stagger from Speedos to a gun-to-the-head moment and eating scorpions via Amy Winehouse.  Having spent 18 years in Brazil, first mov...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever get a little bit nervous and find yourself talking nonsense on a podcast? The TFTDL flight crew get chatty with Ben McNally-Burn (Education New Zealand) about everything from airplane food to dating while overseas. Ben explains his airport security rage, his nervous disposition and how it feels to be replaced by a family dog called Lucy. We  also discuss the bright ide...

Send us Fan Mail This is the money and power episode! Rupert Daniels has brokered some of the biggest commercial deals in the world, having worked for FIFA, Arsenal FC and his current role as director of services and skills for the UK's Department for Business and Trade.  He is the secret driving force behind the international education strategy along with industries including creative, digit...

Send us Fan Mail Could we do it live down under? With Amy Baker standing in as co-host for Andy, we somehow managed to record an episode on stage at The PIE Live Australia '23 with Louis Clay, associate dean at Trinity College, University of Melbourne. Listen very carefully and you can actually hear people laughing ;) Louis was the perfect guest. A snappy dresser, he talks about his love for...

Send us Fan Mail Joe Shaw is the head coach at Saracens Rugby Club based in North London, and the current Premiership Rugby Champions. A former school mate of Andy's, this is a rare interview where Joe opens up about the importance of team culture in elite sport. Andy is also joined in this episode by Isobelle Panton (UA92) as a special guest host.  Teaching and coaching in different cultures...

Send us Fan Mail We've teamed up with the lovely people at Duolingo to create the perfect travel mix-tape playlist on Spotify! Inspired by the guests, stories and destinations from the Tales from the Departure Lounge podcast. Listen to TFTDL Radio now! Link: https://spotify.link/R7MNuCESvDb Tales from the Departure Lounge is a Type Nine production for The PIE www.thepienews.com

Send us Fan Mail In this short interlude episode we get to know Stefan Loncar and Loncom Consulting who have been sponsoring the podcast. As well as making data sexy Stefan has some strong opinions on Australian immigration, Czech tourists and Mexican cartels. Note to self - don't watch a whole season of Narcos on the flight to Mexico, it will make you paranoid.  Your stories includes suggest...

Send us Fan Mail Life is just one big opportunity to explore. In this episode the TFTDL flight crew meet pro-vice chancellor for future students, Bronte Neyland  (Swinburne University of Technology) from Melbourne, Australia.  Living like a real life Dora the Explorer or Dian Fossey, Bronte loves the anticipation of getting up close and personal with nature. From gorillas in the mist to some of Au...

Send us Fan Mail You can take the boy out of the Faroe Islands but you can't take the Faroe Islands out of the man. This is dark, brooding, nordic noir from the North Atlantic. If you like your international directors with a rugged beard and a sardonic sense of humour then look no further than Jogvan Klein (University of Queensland). In this episode we explore Jogvan's relationship with...

Send us Fan Mail Run, Tina, Run! This episode features THE BEST STORY we've ever had on TFTDL so far. The fabulous Marko Remes (Edith Cowan University Australia) recounts an unbelievably crazy tale in Tunisia and we cannot believe our ears.  Not one to shy away from the limelight, Marko is a natural orator who also takes us on a eloquent journey to Finland during summer solstice including sau...

Send us Fan Mail Come fly with me, my dad... and a plane full of hobbits. In this episode Amy Rutherford recounts her extraordinary upbringing on the South Island of her native New Zealand where her parents ran the sightseeing airline, Glenorchy Air. From bungee jumping to penguin jumping, this is a love letter to Kiwi culture.  Now working as a diplomat in the US, she is the ultimate ambassador f...

Send us Fan Mail We've teamed up with the lovely people at Duolingo to create the perfect travel mix-tape playlist on Spotify! Inspired by the guests, stories and destinations from the Tales from the Departure Lounge podcast. Listen to TFTDL Radio now! Link: https://spotify.link/R7MNuCESvDb Tales from the Departure Lounge is a Type Nine production for The PIE www.thepienews.com

Send us Fan Mail Saph Williams, head of business development at Enroly joins us to review last month's episodes and our social media campaign where we asked our listeners where their final boarding call would be.  Thank you to everyone who responded, what a cultured bunch you are! It turns out Saph has a few stories of her own involving turbulence, capsule hotels and sweet-savoury food combin...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever had to face your own mortality? Sobering and funny, this episode features Chris Price (Adventus) who told us about the factor-5 blood clot that nearly killed him after flying from London to Miami. This is essential public service broadcasting for everyone who wants to stay fit and healthy on the road. Not one for the faint hearted (no pun intended... you'll be p...

Send us Fan Mail Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup. The TFTDL crew meet the tour-de-force that is Claire Belkadi, head of study abroad at the University of Birmingham to talk about love, life and travel. This episode features a mystery man who Claire met at a pivotal moment in her life who changed her outlook forever.  We discuss the cultural differences between the English and the French,...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever thought about taking a career break and travelling around the world on a family adventure? That's exactly what Chris Davis (Edified) did with his wife and two sons, aged four and seven. He joins the TFTDL flight crew to answer all your questions about money, schooling, dream destinations and emergency planning - and what they learnt at the end of it all.  From ...

Send us Fan Mail Shivani Bhalla is the head of international student recruitment at Brunel University London. Originally from India, she is a self-proclaimed South Delhi brat who came to study in the UK. This episode offers a hilarious insight into what it is like to be an international student and promote study abroad around the world.  We discuss her love of Bollywood movies,  UK-India relations...

Send us Fan Mail The Marathon des Sables is the world's toughest foot race spanning 250km through the Sahara desert. In this episode the TFTDL flight crew catch up with Unifrog co-founder Alex Kelly about completing this grueling ultramarathon and just what is possible if you put your mind to it.  Alex is a free spirit and it's impossible not to be inspired by his passion for life. From...

Send us Fan Mail We've teamed up with the lovely people at Duolingo to create the perfect travel mix-tape playlist on Spotify! Inspired by the guests, stories and destinations from the Tales from the Departure Lounge podcast. Listen to TFTDL Radio now! Link: https://spotify.link/R7MNuCESvDb Tales from the Departure Lounge is a Type Nine production for The PIE www.thepienews.com

Send us Fan Mail Under the threat of a new, rival podcast, Andy hits back with some lyrical firepower. For those who aren't aware, including Andy it would seem, the primary aim of a 'diss track' is to verbally attack another artist - you've been warned.  We also discuss the LinkedIn debate around a grab-bag and a door wedge (see Episode #7) and reflect on the inspirational gues...