The Elliott Podcast

Hello from Borneo! We’re in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia’s Sabah state. It’s on the northern tip of Borneo. And wow, what an adventure it’s been! Before we get to that, here’s this week’s question : What’s the most remote place you’ve ever visited? Borneo is definitely a contender, but we’ve also been to the Antarctic , and that’s pretty remote. This is the Mari Mari Cultural Village, which features...

Hai from Borneo! We’re in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. We’ve spent this week discovering the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of East Malaysia. This week’s question is inspired by Southwest Airlines’ move to end its “bags fly free” policy . Have you ever stopped visiting a place because of a change they made? Maybe prices went up or a favorite attraction closed...

Werte from Alice Springs in the Australian Outback. Wow, what an adventure! We’ve been to Uluru, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs in the last week, and we have so much to share that we had to turn this podcast into a video. But before we do, here’s this week’s question: Have you experienced xenophobia or anti-American sentiment in your recent travels? I ask because many of our listeners have asked a...

G’day from Sydney! We’ve been hanging out in the Harbor City — sorry, I mean Harb our City — and trying not to get into too much trouble. But hey, it’s us. We always find a way. Before I forget, here’s this week’s question: Sydney has some of the best mass transit systems in the world. What’s the best mass transit you’ve discovered in your travels? From riding the Strassenbahn in Zürich to catchin...

Hello from New Zealand’s scenic South Island. Maybe you’ve never heard of this place, but you’ve probably seen in — in movies like The Lord of the Rings and Narnia . This is where Hollywood goes for epic scenery. And the scenery is epic. Before we get to the photos, here’s this week’s question: This week’s plane crash in Washington, D.C., got us thinking about dangerous flights. What’s the most da...

Kia ora from Auckland! It’s been almost two years since we’ve been here . But it’s our first summer here — and we love it. Here’s this week’s question : What’s the farthest you’ve been from home for the holidays? Here in Auckland, we’re almost halfway around the world from home, so we’re really feeling the distance. (Hi family! We miss you!) Auckland is surrounded by indescribably green islands. T...

Merhaba from Istanbul! We’re back in town (we were here in April 2022 ) and we got to stay for two weeks this time. And wow, what an adventure we’ve had. Before we get into it, here’s this week’s question: Have you ever visited a city that changed how you think about food? That’s how we feel about Istanbul, which is one of the world’s great food cities. Details are in the podcast. The Grand Bazaar...

Hello from Limerick! We spent our last week in Ireland exploring the western coast, including its famous Greenway, museums and castles. We’ve been here a while. Which brings us to this week’s question : Have you ever visited a place where you’ve overstayed your welcome? Please share your experience in the comments. This is one of the abandoned and bricked-up railway stations along the Greenway, a...

Hello again from Ireland. We’ve spent the last few days exploring Northern Ireland — a place we never expected to visit. And we’re glad we did! Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place you had sworn off — and either loved it or hated it? Please share your experiences in the comments. A wall commemorating those lost during the sinking of the Titanic . The museum really...

Hello again from Dublin! This week, we discovered an old Irish castle turned into a golf resort and Ireland’s national pastime: complaining about the weather. (The full story is in the podcast.) Speaking of weather, here’s this week’s question: Tell us about the most unpredictable weather you’ve experienced in your travels. We’d love to hear your story in the comments. This is Kilkea Castle near A...

Dia duit from Dublin! We’ve landed in the Irish capital, and oh boy, do we ever have stories to tell. We live right across the street from one of the most famous pubs in the city. Before I show you, let’s do this week’s question : What’s the loudest experience you’ve ever had in your travels? I’d love to hear your tales of noisy parties and high-decibel attractions. So here’s the source of our noi...

Hello from Helsinki. It’s a rainy day here in the capital and we are at the end of a two-week whirlwind adventure through Finland. This week’s question : Tell us about your last airline luggage disaster! I’d love to hear your tales of surprise luggage fees, emergency repacking, and evading the luggage police. We’ll share our tips for avoiding luggage fees in the podcast. The distinctive architectu...

Hello from Stockholm! It’s great to be back in Minnesota — I mean, uh, Sweden — and we’ve covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks. We’ll have all the details in this week’s podcast. Before we get to the pictures, here’s this week’s question: Tell us about your most recent visit to a “hidden gem” — a place that no one knows about but where you had a great experience. We’ll read your comments...

Hallo from Leipzig, Germany! We just wrapped up an ambitious tour of eastern Germany, which included Magdeburg, Halle and Leipzig. It’s almost too much to fit into a single podcast — but we’ll try! Before we get to it, here’s this week’s question: What is the worst destination dupe you’ve ever visited? Have you ever been to a place that was billed as being “just like” a famous destination, but was...

Hi from Berlin! We’ve been exploring the German capital and we also made a side trip to Hamburg. We can’t wait to tell you all about it in this podcast. But before we do, here’s this week’s question: What’s the best walking city you’ve ever visited? And what’s the worst? (Also, please tell us why.) We’re asking because Berlin is easily one of the best cities to walk in — it has wide sidewalks and...

Hello from Berlin. This week’s podcast is all about Switzerland — our rail tour and our adventures in Grindelwald. Before we go there, here’s this week’s question: What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten in your travels? I ask because we’ve just finished a tour of Berlin’s urban gardens. And they grow and eat some things you would not expect (details in the next podcast). Here’s Aren on the Glacie...

Gruezi from Zürich, Switzerland! It’s been a few weeks since our last podcast, so we have a lot of catching up to do. Our adventure has taken us from Tampa to the Swiss financial capital, to Liechtenstein and Germany. That’s a lot of ground to cover. Before we get to our pictures, here’s this week’s question: Since Zürich has a reputation for being one of the most expensive cities in the world, we...

Hello from Anguilla. This is the final podcast in our nine-week odyssey through the Caribbean. Anguilla is a popular alternative to St. Martin, which you can see from the southern end of the island. Which brings us to this week’s question: Have you ever visited an “alternate” destination? For example, instead of going to Miami, seeing the Florida Keys. Or checking out the East Bay instead of San F...

Hello from Antigua! If you like romantic islands with warm blue waters and lots of all-inclusive resorts, you’re going to love this place. But it’s also a seismically active area. This week, we experienced a small earthquake. Which brings me to our question: Have you ever been through a natural disaster in your travels? Tell us about it in the comments. We took a long walk while we were staying at...

Hello from Barbados! This is a fascinating island and there’s a lot going on here. Before I get to the details, here’s this week’s question: Tell me about the newest skill you’ve learned in your travels. We’re asking because Aren is trying to learn how to dive, and it hasn’t been easy. We’ll talk about it in the podcast. Barbados has the best sunsets. Here’s what we saw on our first evening on the...

Hello from Grenada, a small Caribbean island just north of Trinidad and Tobago. Grenada is called the spice island because they grow everything here — allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. When they burn wood, you feel like it’s the holidays because you smell all the spices. All of which brings us to this week’s question: What’s the spiciest meal you’ve ever had during your travels? (In the podcas...

Greetings from Curaçao! Today, I have something completely different: I strapped on some dive gear and accompanied lionfish huntress Lisette Keus on an expedition. Keus runs an organization called Lionfish Caribbean that turns these invasive creatures into bracelets, earrings and keychains. It’s all part of the island’s sustainability efforts. Here’s this week’s question : What’s the greenest hote...

Bon dia from Aruba! People here refer to it as “one happy island” without irony, so we will try to refrain from irony in this podcast. I’m here to write about Arbua’s sustainability efforts, so we are not doing the usual touristy activities, like lying on the beach, snorkeling and making donuts in ATVs. (OK, to be honest, we wouldn’t do that, anyway.) Speaking of happy islands, our question of the...

Bon dia from Bonaire! We’re in the Dutch Caribbean right off the coast of Venezuela — and boy, what an interesting place! Reminds me a lot of my old home in the Florida Keys. Speaking of which, here’s this week’s question: What’s your favorite doppelganger destination? I’m talking about a place you visited that reminded you of another place. (I can’t stop thinking of the Keys while I’m here.) We s...

Ola from Panamá City. We’re in Casco Viejo, a historic part of the city known for its colonial architecture, presidential palace — and boatloads of tourists. Oh yeah, and there’s a canal here, too. All of which brings us to this week’s question : What’s the most impressive public works project you’ve ever visited? The Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal, and the Three Gorges Dam top our list. How about y...