Talk Travel Asia

Happy New Year - it’s 2017 and our gift to you is a celebratory episode of Talk Travel Asia. Today we’ll revel in our very favorite things about Asia in a multitude of categories from how to get around to where to imbibe and a whole lot in between. We take on a variety of categories from best transport, to airports, best movies theaters and a whole lot in between. This is our Best of Asia from mor...

A game cafe trend took off in Asia a few years back that included both board game cafes and beer pong tournaments, and it doesn’t seem to be dying down. Today, there are a wealth of opportunities to get your game on both in and out of bars across the region. In fact we recently organized and competed in the first Bangkok Bar Games Olympics. Today we are going to talk about a variety of places to p...

There's a long and rich history of textile production across Southeast Asia both through history and across geography. While many are familiar with Thai silk they may not be familiar with some of the other textile traditions across the region. On this episode we chat with Chomwan Weeraworawit about the variety of unique textiles across the region and how you can experience them.

The only thing that stays the same is that things are constantly changing and that’s nowhere more true than in rapidly developing Asia. Scott & Trevor talk about how places change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they always change. Often it’s your memory that’s not accurate too and the people you were with, mood you were in, etc, can impact how you remember a place. On this...

Vietnamese food is one of the world’s great cuisines. As the country has opened to tourism over the last couple decades, more and more travelers have gotten the opportunity to try the real thing in-country. At the same time Vietnamese restaurants have opened all over the world with more and more people becoming fans of this fantastically diverse and tasty fare. Heavy in its use of fresh vegetables...

Some people that haven’t traveled much of Asia can be mistaken and think it’s very similar from country to country in the region. While some countries and their respective peoples have similarities, there are some nations that are completely unique. There’s Asia, SE Asia, then there’s Japan. No country in the continent is remotely like it. Steeped in history, rich traditions, deep culture, and tur...

On May 31, 2015 we posted a special episode of Talk Travel Asia, ‘Traveling Nepal Post-Earthquake with Mads Mathiasen’, which was one of our more popular episodes. We are following that up, chatting again with Mads about how the country is fairing more than one-year post earthquakes. You'll be surprised to learn that it's still a great place to travel!

Now that he seems to have hung up his pen as a travel writer, Talk Travel Asia podcast co-host Trevor Ranges talks about his decade-long experience as a travel writer, discussing the highs and lows of living the freelance travel writing life. From writing pieces for magazines and websites around the world, to authoring for Fodor's and producing first editions of the National Geographic Thailand an...

On this episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, we discuss the dangers and benefits of "voluntourism" (doing volunteer work while on holiday), discussing our firsthand experiences, particularly in Thailand and Cambodia, and then talking with James Sutherland of Friends-International, a Cambodia-based organization whose work with underprivileged communities, particularly children, we have long admired...

It’s been more than two years since our first episode went live on June 11, 2014 and we’re suddenly at our 50th episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast! It’s been a ton of fun thinking of topics to cover and share, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride as much as we have. To mark our 50th episode, we’re going to share 50 Things We Love About Traveling in Asia. The categories will be broad, responses at...

When people hear ‘Hong Kong’ they naturally think of towering, futuristic skyscrapers not mountains suitable for hiking and mountain biking. But it turns out there are tons of fantastic trails on those mountains you see from the city and on this episode of Talk Travel Asia we chat with owner of CrossCountry Hong Kong, Steve Coward, and journalist Dave Stamboulis about hiking and mountain biking op...

Many parts of Southeast Asia are famous for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. There are few parts of the world with as many great areas to get your face and body under the water than over here in the tropics. Countries including the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, in particular, have world-class snorkeling and diving sites. If you’re thinking of getting your open water certification, wa...

Nepal is famous for having the world's highest peaks, the Himalayas, and most travelers know the country is a hotspot for trekking, and likely have such a trip on their bucket list. But Nepal and trekking is much more than just big mountains. This ‘small’ Himalayan nation on the map would actually be about the size of the US if flattened out - it’s huge! In just 230km the country rises from its so...

The world is a big place, but air travel, opening borders, and less restrictive visa requirements have made it easier for travelers, in effect making the world a much smaller place. In December 2014 we shared some of the places in Asia we’d like to visit on ‘Dream Travel Destinations 1’. We’ve compiled a new list of destinations we’re keen to get to and are going to share them with you today. Drea...

Today we feature a real adventurer: someone pushing the envelope of creativity in travel and transportation, going above and beyond the beaten path. Many people take at least one trip per year, then spend the rest of the year dreaming about their next one. For some, this trip is a week or so in length, but there are a growing number individuals that are finding creative ways to make travel their f...

Traveling by foot is perhaps the best way to see a new area. On this episode, we share our favorite day hikes in Asia. In recent months we’ve had guests on to talk about trekking in the Himalayas and we’ve told a few stories that involve trekking, including some great hikes in New Zealand. Literally traveling at ‘street level’, you meet people along the way, see key sites, can try local foods, and...

‘Adventure Travel’ is a broad term. For some it can mean simply making their way around a developing country, while for others it may mean hurtling down Class-5 rapids in a kayak. That’s one thing that’s so great about travel - it means different things to different people and can be qualified in many different ways. On this episode we speak with three industry leaders in adventure tourism in Asia...

Where and how we travel has changed dramatically over the last couple decades. What’s changed at an even faster pace is the way we plan our trips and the tools we use. Just a few years ago travel guides were more or less the ‘Holy Grail’ of learning about where to go, how to get there, and most importantly, how to find a decent place to sleep. In just a few years we’ve started to ditch printed boo...

Seoul-based journalist Geoffrey Cain enjoyed an 11-day excursion to North Korea - as a tourist, since journalists are generally restricted from visiting the reclusive nation - traveling by train from Pyongyang to the more remote cities of Chongjin, Wonsan, and Hamheung, and the provinces of North and South Hamkyung and Kangwon. Geoff discusses his trip with Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges on this w...

What makes travel so memorable? Many times it’s simply visiting a new land, a new culture, experiencing new foods and seeing exotic animals. Other times it’s because we’ve gotten outside of our comfort zone, testing ourselves with new challenges that we couldn’t experience back home. But a sure byproduct of traveling are the great stories we acquire along the way and the fun it is to share them wi...

Scaling mountains is a pursuit that attracts some of the world’s most adventurous people. Attempting to climb the world’s tallest mountains within the Himalayas is an entirely other sport. On this episode, Scott and Trevor chat with Billi Bierling, a German who has spent much of her life living, working, and climbing in Nepal, among other Himalayan nations, about her passion for tackling some of t...

Roughly 200km south of Bangkok, Hua Hin is a different kind of beach destination. Favored by Thai Kings for more than a century, the area has never grown too much nor turned into a beach party destination. It’s traditionally a place where Thai families escape for the weekend, enjoy the beach together, have some seafood, and partake in wholesome fun. Essentially, the larger area is 20km or so of lo...

In a day and age of digital everything and seemingly every topic at our fingertips, it’s rare nowadays, compared to say 50 years ago, to meet a true ‘explorer’: a person who has ventured out into truly unique and remote lands, having cultural exchanges where outsiders have perhaps not, and bringing the tales home. Our guest today, Canadian Jeff Fuchs is just that - an explorer. In 2006/7 he trekke...

After being asked a ton of small questions over the years by new travelers to the region, today we’re taking a step back for this episode, to share some of the base-level knowledge we’ve acquired via our three decades of collective travel in the region. Some items will be obvious to some, others not so much so, but we’ve had some fun thinking of little ins’ and outs’ of traveling in the region tha...

Few areas in Bangkok are as colorful, multi-ethnic, busy, and diverse as the Nana area. Situated on Sukhumvit Road, roughly between Sois 1-15, almost everything can be found here within a few square kilometers. Traditional Thai massage: check; Arab food: check; cheesy souvenirs: check; go-go bars: check; you get the idea - there’s a little bit of everything and then some in this frenetic and fun d...