The Travel Diaries

Today’s guest is, quite simply, one of the great travellers of our time. Sir Michael Palin first joined me on The Travel Diaries back in 2020, and that episode went on to become one of our most loved and most listened-to conversations ever. So when the opportunity came up for him to return to the podcast, this time to mark the publication of his new book, In Nigeria, I absolutely leapt at the chan...

Before we get started, a quick warning: this episode contains spoilers. So if you haven’t finished watching the latest series of Race Across the World, I’d suggest turning off now and coming back once you have! Race Across the World is one of those shows that just gets under your skin, isn’t it? You start off thinking you’re watching a travel programme, and then suddenly you’re so emotionally inve...

Today’s guest is one of the country’s best-loved comedians and presenters - the wonderful Tom Allen. You’ll know him from Bake Off: An Extra Slice , The Apprentice: You’re Fired , QI , Would I Lie To You? , Live at the Apollo and of course his standup comedy. He’s also a brilliant writer, and his new novel, Common Decency , is out now. Tom’s travel diaries are full of glorious detail. We talk chil...

On today’s Destination Special, we’re taking you somewhere that, for so many travellers, represents the ultimate holiday feeling: Queensland, Australia. This is a state seven times the size of Britain! A place where one trip can take you from the cultural heartbeat and riverside energy of Brisbane, to the al fresco beach lifestyle of the Gold Coast, to ancient rainforest, island life, wildlife enc...

Today’s guest is a global tv star, bestselling author, food obsessive and one of the most beloved members of one of Netflix’s biggest ever shows…Antoni Porowski. You’ll know Antoni as the much-loved food and wine expert from Netflix’s global phenomenon Queer Eye , where for ten seasons he helped people transform not just the way they cooked and ate, but the way they saw themselves. Antoni’s own st...

Today’s guest is an adventurer, filmmaker, writer and one of the most extraordinary travel storytellers of her generation. Eva zu Beck's life reads like something from a film. She was Oxford-educated, working in travel media, married, successful, and living the kind of polished, high-achieving life so many people are told to want. But behind the scenes, she knew something wasn’t right. So she walk...

Today we’re heading to the sun-soaked Southern California coast in the USA, arriving at Newport Beach. Now, if you’re listening in the UK and thinking, hang on, where exactly is Newport Beach? - it’s just south of Los Angeles, in Orange County.  For a lot of you listening, that name might immediately conjure up The O.C. , or the The Real Housewives of Orange County - it’s one of those places...

Today's guest is one of the most distinctive and brilliantly funny voices in British comedy. Born in Cornwall by accident, raised in Hull with pride, Lucy Beaumont has built a career out of finding the strange, hilarious and deeply human moments in everyday life. You’ll know her from shows like Would I Lie To You? , Taskmaster , Meet the Richardsons , The Celebrity Traitors , and so much more, as...

Today’s guest is one of the defining reality TV stars of the last decade. Charlotte Crosby first burst onto our screens on Geordie Shore, one of the biggest reality shows of the 2010s - a show that became a global phenomenon and completely changed the course of her life, taking her from the north of England to filming and working all over the world. Since then, she’s built a huge international fol...

Today’s guest is someone whose voice - and face - I think most of us know instantly. Dermot O'Leary has been such a constant in British life for years now, from hosting The X Factor, to his Friday slot on This Morning, to his weekend shows on BBC Radio 2. He’s had this really varied career - presenting everything from major live events like the Brit Awards and BAFTAs, to documentaries, and his mor...

In this Destination Special episode, we head to Turkey or Türkiye as it’s now officially known - a country where continents, cultures and centuries collide. From the energy of Istanbul to the surreal landscapes of Cappadocia, and from the beach clubs of Antalya to the hidden coves of the Turquoise Coast, this is a journey through one of the world’s most diverse travel destinations. Along the way,...

Tom Bradby is the calm, authoritative face of ITV News at Ten …but behind that desk is a man who has reported from war zones, witnessed history unfold first-hand… and even been shot in the line of duty. He’s spent decades right at the centre of global events, from political uprisings to natural disasters, often in places most of us would never dare to go. And then there’s the royal family. He’s on...

Today’s guest is quite simply one of the most iconic voices in hip hop and R&B. She’s the artist behind some of the biggest tracks of the early 2000s, including Who’s That Girl , Let Me Blow Ya Mind with Gwen Stefani, and Gangsta Lovin’ . These are songs that defined an era and still feel just as fresh today. It is of course, Eve. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Eve, rose to global fame as pa...

Welcome to a brand new season of The Travel Diaries - I’m so excited to be back! My guest today is comedian, writer and broadcaster Dom Joly. You’ll of course know him from Trigger Happy TV - one of the most iconic comedy shows of the early 2000s - now celebrating its 25th anniversary, with Dom back on tour across the UK through to 2027. But beyond comedy, travel has been a defining thread through...

A new travel chapter begins next Tuesday March 31. Join me every Tuesday for unforgettable travel tales. It's wanderlust guaranteed! See you then everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, for our final episode of the year, I am joined by someone whose life story reads like an atlas: the actor, writer, and now podcast host, Richard E. Grant. Born in Swaziland, now known as Eswatini, in southern Africa, Richard grew up in a world of big landscapes, no television, and endless imagination. From there he moved to London in the early 1980s, and very quickly became unforgettable fi...

Welcome to a very special festive edition of The Travel Diaries . Today I’m joined by the legendary chef, restaurateur and writer, Rick Stein. Rick is returning to the podcast for the first time in five years , and I can’t think of a better guest to bring a little culinary sparkle to our Christmas Special. This year, Rick is celebrating the release of his beautifully personal and utterly joyful ne...

Welcome to a very special edition of The Travel Diaries , where we’re heading to a country that has enchanted so many of my guests over the years: Morocco. This Destination Special is a love letter to a place that casts a lifelong spell. In the first half, you’ll hear unforgettable memories from past guests - Sir Michael Palin, Anya Hindmarch, Lyn Hughes, Sir Richard Branson, The Hairy Bikers, Ama...

Today on The Travel Diaries we’re revisiting a very special conversation from the archives with national treasures Si King and the late, much-loved Dave Myers, better known to millions as The Hairy Bikers. Si and Dave were my very first duo on the podcast, and what a joy they were. For more than two decades, they entertained Britain with their infectious humour, foodie expertise and shared love of...

I’m back with a brand new episode, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by Eugene Levy - the Emmy-winning actor, writer, and total comedy icon. For many of us, he’ll forever be known as the bewildered dad from American Pie , or as the impeccably dressed Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek , the multi-award-winning show he co-created with his son Dan that became a lockdown lifeline for so many of us. And...

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dame Dr Jane Goodall last week. A true legend, Jane was the world’s most famous ethologist and conservationist, whose groundbreaking work in Gombe redefined our understanding of chimpanzees and our connection to the natural world. At just 26, with no formal scientific training, she moved from England to Tanzania and began observing chimpanzees in the...

I'm bringing back some treasures from the Travel Diaries archive, while I take a little time off on maternity leave. And this one has to be one of the best - a name synonymous with travel, Dame Joanna Lumley. Joanna's appetite for adventure was deeply engrained from childhood. She was born in Kashmir in the last days of British India, the daughter of an army officer who served with the Gurkhas. Th...

Welcome to this very special destination edition of The Travel Diaries , where today we’re heading off on a sensory journey to one of the Middle East’s best-kept secrets, the spellbinding Sultanate of Oman. A land of striking contrasts, where golden deserts meet dramatic mountains and turquoise seas, and where a deep-rooted culture of warmth, hospitality and heritage leaves a lasting impression on...

On today's Season 15 finale, we are joined by the brilliant Stephen Mangan - actor, presenter, writer, and someone with a truly adventurous travel spirit. You’ll know him from a vast array of TV , film and stage hits - The Split , Green Wing , Episodes , Portrait Artist of the Year - and most recently, as the host of ITV’s Caribbean-set hit game show The Fortune Hotel , which is back for its secon...

Today's guest can conjure entire worlds through her writing. Whether she’s evoking the salty tang of the Lofoten Islands, the rustic flavours of rural Normandy, or the buzz of a New York kitchen, her words are rich with atmosphere and emotion - it is of course, Diana Henry, one of Britain’s most celebrated food writers. She's a James Beard Award winner, long-time Sunday Telegraph columnist, and au...