The Elliott Podcast

Olá one last time from Rio! This week, we experienced everything — a heatwave, monsoon rains and a double dose of Brazilian culture. One of the highlights was a visit to the Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, a modernist church based on the Mayan pyramids. It’s one of the most awe-inspiring cathedrals I’ve ever seen. (I’ll share a picture in a minute.) And that brings us to...

Hello from Rio! Today’s episode is unapologetically touristy. We’re hitting all the highlights, from Cristo Redentor to the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. One is an underrated national treasure, the other is an overrated attraction with next-level crowds. Speaking of crowds, here’s this week’s question : What is the worst crowd you’ve ever experienced while traveling? I’m talking Tokyo Subway,...

Hello again from São Paulo, where the big party is well underway. I’m happy to report that we’ve survived the chaos of Carnaval so far. Details are in this week’s podcast. Here’s this week’s question : The State Department has issued warnings for several popular spring destinations. Are there any places that are on your “DO NOT VISIT” list for 2024? Please share your place in the comments. In the...

Olá from São Paulo! It’s our second week in South America’s biggest city, and we’re starting to find our way around this fasinating place. Carnaval is only a few days away and you can feel the anticipation building. Here’s this week’s question : Have you ever been in town for the “main” event (like Carnaval in Rio or Oktoberfest in Munich)? I’d love to hear your story in the comments. We’ll ready...

Oi from São Paulo! We survived our first few days in Brazil’s biggest city. You were probably wondering if we would after last week’s podcast. Before I tell you what happened, here’s our question of the week : If you didn’t have the passport you did, which one would you want? Please leave your answer in the comments. We wandered into all kinds of neighborhoods in the city before finding our way ba...

Greetings from Montevideo, Uruguay! Fainá is a flatbread made of dried chickpeas, water, olive oil, salt and pepper. It’s a signature dish of Montevideo — and in this episode, we discover the best fainá in town. And that brings us to this week’s question: What is the most memorable national dish you’ve ever had in your travels? Please leave your comments. We’ll read them and respond to them in our...

Holiiii from Montevideo! We survived our adventure on the Chilean volcano, crossed the Andes, and now, here we are. This week, we’re talking about Southern Hemisphere hotspots where you can escape the cold. We’ll give you our advice on the best places in today’s podcast. But before we go there, here’s our question of the week. This part of Latin America is famous for its political turmoil, so we w...

Mari Mari from Pucón, Chile. That’s how the indigenous people greet each other in Mapuzungun, the language of the Mapuche. We’re in central Chile's Lake District, a place with a blue sky and a large lake overlooked by the not-so-dormant Villarrica volcano. At night, you can see the glow of the lava contrasting against the snow. (We’re headed up there tomorrow.) Last week’s question was about pre-d...

Hola one last time from Santiago, Chile. It’s out last week in the Chilean capital, so we thought we’d talk about what we do before we leave a destination. And that brings me to this week’s question: What do you do before you leave a place? Do you have a pre-trip ritual or a favorite thing you always do before you go? Our comments are open — and we’ll read yours in our next podcast. The ciabatta i...

Hola from the Andes mountains. We're in San Alfonso, Chile, at a place called Cascada de Las Ánimas, or Waterfall of the Spirits. What a great place to end 2023. All of which brings me to this week’s question: What was your favorite destination of the year? And where are you going next year? (You can answer both for bonus points!) As always, we’ll read your comments in our next podcast. To get to...

Hello from Valparaiso on the Pacific coast of Chile. This is a city that has seen it all. Ridiculous prosperity in the early 20th century, when the “jewel of the Pacific” was one of the world’s leading ports, followed by a precipitous decline after the Panama Canal opened. Today, the city’s claim to fame is Tomas Slavik’s mountain bike run down to the ocean, captured by drones . Don’t watch it aft...

Greetings from Santiago, Chile. We survived multiple illnesses during our Ecuador adventure, and isn’t that what makes it an adventure? This isn’t the high-energy podcast you’re accustomed to because Aren and I are still recovering from whatever we had. But we are still alive! In the last few weeks, we’ve gone from practically zero hours of daylight in Spokane, Wash., to a full blast of summer and...

Hello from the Ecuadoran rainforest. We’re in Mashpi Lodge, a three-hour drive from Quito. We’re thrilled to be podcasting again, and Aren and I are happy you’ve decided to join us. This is going to be fun! Here's this week's question : What’s the sickest you’ve ever gotten on a trip? (If you listen to the first few minutes of the podcast, you’ll know why we’re asking.) It’s hard to do the Galapag...

Welcome to the new Elliott podcast. Thanks for joining us! We're reporting today from Puerto Ayora, Ecuador. We're on the Hurtigruten Santa Cruz II , an expedition vessel in the Galapagos. We ended our last podcast in Japan. Since then, we've been all over the place, including several destinations in Japan, South Korea, a brief stop back in the U.S., and now Ecuador. We can't wait to tell you abou...

Hello from Kyoto, Japan. This is our final Elliott Confidential podcast. Iden is about to graduate from the University of Florida, and he’s leaving the nest tomorrow to start a new business in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We can’t imagine doing this program without him. The newsletter will continue, of course. (I have a blockbuster story on the “sequel” to revenge travel tomorrow, and you won’t want...

Greetings from Aizuwakamatsu, Japan. We’re coming to you from Northern Japan this week, but during the last two weeks, we’ve been everywhere. We’ll share our impressions in this week’s podcast. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. This week’s question : Please tell us about a trip where you felt out of pl...

Hello from Tokyo! It’s a miracle we made it back to our hotel after wandering around the Tokyo subway yesterday. But there’s still time to get lost in the city’s concrete labyrinth. (Hey, it’s an adventure.) Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. Here’s the view from the Palace Hotel in Tokyo yesterday as a...

Greetings from Busan, South Korea! We thought we were on a coastal Japan cruise with Lindblad Expeditions, but yesterday, we took a detour to South Korea. And wow, what an adventure. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. This week’s question: Have you ever taken an unexpected detour on your travels? Please...

Greetings from Takamatsu, Japan! We have a lot of ground to cover in this week’s episode. The boys and I traveled from Chiang Mai to the Golden Triangle, then back to Bangkok and finally to Osaka, Japan. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. You probably saw this question coming: Have you ever woken up in...

Hello again from Northern Thailand! We spent this week exploring the ancient city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. What an adventure (and, at times, misadventure ). Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. This week’s question: Have you ever stayed in a hotel that wasn’t a hotel? Maybe it was someone else’...

Xin chào from Da Nang, Vietnam! I never thought we would make it to this corner of the world! I feel so lucky to be here and to be able to share it with the boys. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. (This is a special double episode of the Elliott Confidential podcast. Last week’s episode from Krong Siem...

Suostei from Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia. We were ready for a change of scenery, so we headed over to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. Before I forget, here’s this week’s question: Have you ever had an unexpected animal encounter in your travels? Maybe you were roaming the ba...

Sà-wàt dee khráp from the other side of Bangkok. We’ve moved into an urban jungle of vertical mega-malls and medical offices, and we have much to report. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. Here’s this week’s question: We have only one week left in Bangkok. Where should we go? We’d love to get your sugge...

Hi again from Bangkok, where we’ve spent the last week hotel-hopping along the Chao Phraya River. And wow, what a mind-blowing experience! Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. Here’s this week’s question: What’s the best hotel experience you’ve ever had? I’m talking about the most over-the-top luxurious r...

Hello from the Big Mango — Bangkok, Thailand! Well, this place isn’t at all what we expected. It’s a huge city — the 33rd largest in the world. Welcome to the Elliott Confidential podcast. To get the full Elliott Confidential experience, please subscribe to this newsletter. Before I forget, here’s this week’s question: Have you ever visited a place that defied your expectations? For example, we th...