The Travel Diaries

Today I’m so pleased to welcome back someone who you all loved the first time around on the podcast - the brilliant author and travel writer, Monisha Rajesh. Her passion for trains, and for the way rail travel slows you down and opens you up to new worlds, was just infectious. And I’m so excited to say that she’s back with a gorgeous new book called Moonlight Express , which takes us deep into the...

Today’s guest is one of Britain’s best-loved and most fearless voices in wildlife and environmental broadcasting - it’s the brilliant Chris Packham. Chris first made his name back in the 1980s as a presenter on The Really Wild Show , a programme that inspired a whole generation of children - myself included - to get out into nature. But before that, he was actually behind the camera, working as a...

Today I’m joined once again by one of the UK’s most trusted and best-loved travel experts - Simon Calder. You’ll know him as the Independent’s travel correspondent, a familiar face on TV and radio, and the go-to voice when travel chaos strikes - whether it's air traffic control meltdowns or passport expiry panics. But beyond the headlines, Simon is also a true adventurer, with an insatiable curios...

My guest today is Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer, New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-winning Netflix host, and a record-breaking endurance cyclist. In fact, he holds three Guinness World Records for distance cycling, having pedalled across the globe to over 70 countries. Travel is not just a passion of his - it’s the lens through which he’s viewed, explored, and helped reimagine...

Welcome back to a brand-new season of The Travel Diaries podcast. Today’s guest is the brilliant Sam Heughan. Sam is best known as the star of Outlander , the historical drama that’s become nothing short of a global phenomenon. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling novels, the series blends romance, adventure and time-travel against the backdrop of Scotland’s most breathtaking landscapes. Now havi...

On today’s bonus Destination Special we’re heading to Ireland, one of my favourite places in the world. Ireland has this special kind of magic. It asks you to slow down, to dig beneath the surface, to chat to the people behind the bar and to take your time - to walk, to wander, to just sit and soak it all up. Joining me is someone who knows the country inside and out - the brilliant comedian...

Today’s guest is a titan of political journalism - someone whose calm, incisive reporting helped us make sense of the madness during one of the most dramatic chapters in American political history. It’s Jon Sopel, the former BBC North America Editor, who spent eight rollercoaster years covering the United States, through Trump, through Covid, through history being made in real time. He’s interview...

This week’s guest is someone who many of us will feel we already know. A calm and trusted presence in our living rooms each evening, she’s one of the most familiar faces in British broadcasting - BBC News presenter, correspondent, and author, Reeta Chakrabarti. Raised in Birmingham, Reeta spent part of her teenage years in   Calcutta, India - an experience that would later shape her global pe...

Today we’re joined by Gaby Roslin. Gaby first burst onto our screens in the early 1990s, co-hosting The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans - a show that would become one of the most iconic breakfast TV programmes in the UK. Since then, she’s carved out an extraordinary career as a presenter and broadcaster, spanning television, radio, and podcasting interviewing everyone from Michael Jackson, to the c...

Today’s guest is quite literally a national treasure. She’s a Dame, a queen of the kitchen, an author, a restaurateur, and of course, the judge who has been serving up wit and wisdom alongside cakes and crumbles on The Great British Bake Off since 2017… it is the one and only Dame Prue Leith. Born and raised in South Africa, Prue moved to London in the swinging Sixties and quickly became a force t...

Welcome to our first Budget Travel Special! This is one that you, the listeners, have been asking for a lot - and I get it! Travel can feel expensive and overwhelming, but what if I told you that it really doesn’t have to be? That’s why I knew I had to bring on the ultimate budget travel expert - someone who has made it her mission to help people travel smarter, stretch their money further, and st...

My guest today is a true force of nature. From the moment she burst onto the scene as a child prodigy with that voice, she became one of the most famous classical singers in the world, performing for presidents, popes, and royalty. It is of course, Charlotte Church. Her early career was a whirlwind - global fame, relentless travel, and a life that few could truly understand. We talk about what tha...

I can’t quite believe we’re here - Season 14! And what a way to kick things off because today’s guest is nothing short of musical royalty. Nile Rodgers is a man whose music has shaped generations. A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, he’s the genius behind some of the biggest songs in history, think Le Freak , Good Times , and We Are Family . As the co-founder...

I’m so excited to bring you the third and final holiday special to round off 2024. And once again thank you for tuning in throughout the year—your support has been incredible.  On today’s Destination Special we’re joined by a truly extraordinary guest—someone who’s not only a trailblazer in the music industry but also a passionate traveller with a love for extraordinary adventures. She’s a si...

On today’s destination special, we’re going to be discovering a country which, for the longest time, was out of reach for travellers, Saudi Arabia, or Saudi as it’s now known. Within the travel industry Saudi has been front and centre for the past few years, with prominent features about its developments in most of the major travel magazines; the world’s leading luxury hotel brands from Six Senses...

Welcome back to The Travel Diaries podcast! I’m your host, Holly Rubenstein, and I’m so thrilled to be back with you for the first of three Christmas specials to bring bit of festive sparkle to your holiday season. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be bringing you conversations with some truly wonderful guests, and who better to start us off than the brilliant Sandi Toksvig? Sandi is a comedian, writer,...

Today's guest is truly beloved figure in British television - someone who many of us feel we already know so well - Monty Don.  For over two decades, Monty has been the heart and soul of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, inspiring millions to embrace the joys and therapeutic benefits of gardening. His connection to nature has taken him all over the globe, all in search of the profound ways that differe...

Welcome to this season's Family Travel Special. Having been thrust into the world of family travel a couple of years with the arrival of my daughter, I quickly realised that it’s an area that there could be a lot more helpful information about, it’s a huge market and I was scouring the internet for destinations and hotels that weren’t your typical all inclusive family resorts, and I really struggl...

Today we’re uncovering one of the most awe-inspiring destinations on the planet - Orlando, Florida. Orlando is the most visited destination in the USA, and after listening to this episode, you’ll understand why.  It’s the theme park capital of the world, home to seven of the world’s top theme parks. From Magic Kingdom to Universal Studios, there's something for everyone. And there’s a brand n...

Today, I’m thrilled to have comedian, history buff, and all-around legend, Al Murray, joining us on the show. Al is one of the UK’s most beloved comedians, best known for his character ‘The Pub Landlord’ – a hilarious, patriotic pub owner who’s become an iconic figure in British comedy. His career has spanned over three decades, with award-winning comedy specials, TV shows, and even political sati...

On today’s bonus destination special episode we are bringing to life one of America’s most iconic destinations, its capital city and somewhere everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime - Washington DC. Now, when you think of Washington, DC, what comes to mind? The towering obelisk of the Washington Monument? The sprawling grandeur of the Lincoln Memorial? The iconic steps of the U.S. C...

Today is the second of a new kind of episode within the podcast called Epic Adventures, where guests have achieved remarkable feats in the world of travel and adventure - and their life journey serves as an inspiration for others.  Explorer and adventurer, Dwayne Fields, was born in Jamaica, and lived a wild and beautiful life surrounded by nature before moving to inner city London at the age...

Today’s bonus episode is a real treat, because we're going on safari! Whether you've dreamt of spotting the Big Five - lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffalo - or exploring the more hidden gems of the wild, there's so much to uncover. And what better way to do it than with one of the world’s top wildlife filmmakers, making his return to the podcast - it’s Gordon Buchanan. A safari is more...

Today, I’m joined by the multi-talented Dawn O'Porter. Dawn’s had an extraordinary career, starting in TV production before making a name for herself presenting hard-hitting documentaries, where she travelled the world exploring fascinating topics like polygamy, size zero culture, and the geishas of Kyoto, Japan. But she’s best known now as a bestselling author, with nine incredible books under he...

I’m so excited to be joined by the journalist and TV presenter Ranvir Singh today. You’ll have seen Ranvir as a regular face on Good Morning Britain on ITV , where she’s known for handling everything from breaking news to tough political interviews and also presenting the Lorraine show when Lorraine herself is on her holidays, and beyond journalism, Ranvir showed a completely different side of her...