The Travel Diaries

On today’s episode, I’m joined by sustainable luxury travel writer, and the Sustainability Editor of Condé Nast Traveller magazine, Juliet Kinsman. Juliet has been an authority in the travel world for over two decades, as a renowned hotel expert. She’s the former Editor-in-Chief of the boutique hotel guide, Mr & Mrs Smith, and went on to found Bouteco, a platform that helps design lovers find...

Today, I’m joined by Jacqui Gifford, the Editor-in-Chief of America’s biggest travel magazine, Travel & Leisure. With a circulation of almost two million and an online readership of nine million, the magazine has always inspired me with its incredible covers, breathtaking photography and moving features, and Jacqui will absolutely inspire you with this episode. Having lived all over the world,...

Today, I’m joined by legendary ethologist and conservationist Dame Dr Jane Goodall, known best for her groundbreaking research of wild chimpanzees. When Jane moved from England to Gombe in Tanzania, at the age of just 26, virtually nothing was known about chimpanzees in the wild. Her findings, in particular observing them using tools to get food, changed our understanding of animal behaviour and t...

Today, I’m joined by the sportsman, adventurer and double Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell. We first got to know James as part of the coxless four rowing team, alongside Steve Redgrave, that won gold at the Sydney Olympics. Several world titles later, James went on to take part in countless feats of endurance, from becoming the highest ever placed Brit to run the Marathon des Sables, the ho...

Today, I’m joined by Lyn Hughes, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of one of the UK's best-loved travel magazines, Wanderlust. In the early nineties Lyn and her late husband were bored on a flight to South America, so they schemed out their dream travel magazine on the back of a sick-bag. The idea stuck and, returning to the UK a few months later, they launched  Wanderlust  magazine fro...

This week, I’m joined by the food writer and TV presenter, Giles Coren. Giles has been a restaurant critic and columnist for The Times for 17 years and alongside chef Monica Galetti, he is the presenter of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, which sees him travel the globe, visiting some of the world’s most incredible hotels, rolling up his sleeves to work alongside their staff. As well as some...

On today’s episode, I’m joined by the explorer and survivalist Ed Stafford. In 2010, Ed became the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, a feat that took 860 days and put him on the map as one of our most prominent and exciting adventurers. From there here’s gone on to present and self film more massive challenges, like living in complete isolation on a desert island for 60 d...

Sir Michael Palin - where do you start! He’s a legendary comedian, part of pop culture history as one of Monty Python. He’s a BAFTA-winning actor, a best-selling author, and one of our most loved travel documentarians and travel writers. His journeys across the world, beginning with Around the World in 80 Days, followed by Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Sahara, Himalaya, Brazil and more, were a key pa...

Jeremy Jauncey is the founder and CEO of the world’s largest online travel community, Beautiful Destinations, which has a combined social following of over 25 million people. The jaw-dropping photos on Beautiful Destinations’s Instagram feed have provided me with endless travel inspiration and undoubtedly influenced some of my travel choices.  And what was once a passion project has become a...

Bonjour! As quarantine-free travel is soon to be announced between France and England, here is a bonus episode celebrating Fabulous France to whet your appetite and inspire your future travel plans.  As well as hearing from some of my favourite guests from the past two seasons, today’s show is introduced by Nicola Williams, France expert for The Telegraph and Lonely Planet. She shares her exp...

It’s the start of Season 3, and who better to join me to celebrate than Ben Fogle? Ben is not only an award-winning broadcaster, fronting many of our most loved TV shows - he is also one of the UK’s most prolific adventurers. He has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco, run the Marathon Des Sables (a 6 day ultra marathon across the Sahara Desert), raced across the A...

Surprise! I’m back with bonus episode number two, as we could all do with a bit of armchair travel right now. This week we’re uncovering the best ‘Hidden Gems’ from the past 23 episodes, from guests including Nadiya Hussain, Dan Snow and Levison Wood. Stay tuned for those secret spots that you want to keep to yourself because they’re that wonderful, but you also want to shout from the roof top bec...

Today we celebrate the Best of British, where a selection of guests from Season 1 & 2 will transport you to some of their favourite places in the British isles - all from the safety of your own home. From the Isles of Scilly to the Island of Rum; Shropshire, Yorkshire, Kent, London and much more, here’s a taster of some of the very best of what Britain has to offer.  Destination recap:&nb...

Today, I’m joined by a legend of the travel world. Back in 1972, Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen, decided to drive from London through Asia, and all the way to Australia on what was known as the Hippie Trail. Along the way, they realised there was a real shortage of information about the countries they were visiting, and so they decided to write a guidebook together. That was the now seminal Sou...

Supermodel and actress Poppy Delevingne is making her podcast debut today on The Travel Diaries. Poppy - and her sister, Cara Delevingne - are two of fashion’s most recognisable names. Poppy has been the face of Louis Vuitton, Burberry, the muse for designer Matthew Williamson, and the brand ambassador of Chanel. But as you’ll hear in this episode, it was acting that was Poppy’s first love, and ha...

Today, I’m joined by one of the world’s leading travel authors and journalists, Sophy Roberts. Formerly the editor-at-large of Conde Nast Traveller, and Departures Magazine, as well as a columnist at the Financial Times, Sophy’s focus now is primarily on remote parts of the world, reporting on fragile cultures, wildlife conservation and threats to eco-systems. I hope this episode grabs you and tra...

Jo Malone's superhuman sense of smell took her from life on a council estate, leaving school with no qualifications, and catapulted her into becoming one of the world’s most successful businesswomen, creating two globals brands- first Jo Malone London, and now Jo Loves. Her name may conjure the smell of lime, basil and mandarin or the citrusy scent of pomelo - but what you might not know is how th...

Today, I’m joined by the travel writer and broadcaster, Simon Calder. He’s TV’s travel guru, and the travel editor at the Independent newspaper, where he’s known as “the man who pays his way” because he doesn’t accept any freebies from the travel trade - and in this episode, he gives some great tips for travelling on a budget.  Simon’s got a great story because his first job was at Gatwick ai...

Today I’m joined by the historian and broadcaster, Dan Snow. You’re probably already a fan of his podcast, Dan Snow’s History Hit. Following in the footsteps of his journalist parents, Dan is now a mainstay on our TV screens, often presenting programmes linked to his love of history - and history and travel of course come hand in hand.  I enjoyed this chat with Dan so much that it had to be a...

Today I’m joined by one of the most prolific magicians of all time - Dynamo. 250 million viewers around the world tuned in to watch his award-winning TV shows, as he levitated in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro; and seemingly walked on water down London’s River Thames.  750,000 attended his last stadium tour, with famous fans from Jay Z and Snoop Dogg, to Gwyneth Pal...

Today I’m joined by the much loved chef, restauranteur and TV presenter, Tom Kerridge.  Tom’s worked in food since he was 18 years old, but he rose to fame when his pub in Buckinghamshire, The Hand and Flowers, went on to become the only pub in Britain with two Michelin stars. I, like many, got to know and love him on the BBC’s Great British Menu show, where he was the first chef to cook at t...

BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee, Dev Patel, is one of Britain’s finest young actors. He first graced our screens in the seminal teen drama, Skins, before going on to make his movie debut in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, which picked up eight Oscars, including Best Picture.  He’s gone on to star in many more critically acclaimed films, including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Lion, fo...

Today I’m joined by international treasure and culinary royalty, Rick Stein.  He’s graced our screens, and lined our bookshelves for over 25 years, cooking up cuisine from all over the world. Fish is his great love, served in his restaurant empire from Padstow, Cornwall to Sydney, Australia. Along with his travel diaries, we talk about the very surprising career path he originally pursued tha...

On today’s season finale, I’m joined by one of the world’s greatest chefs, Raymond Blanc. Raymond had a very humble start to life in rural France and his journey to opening Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the internationally-renowned Cotswolds country house hotel where he’s been the chef patron since it opened in 1984 is nothing short of extraordinary. For half of his life he’s held two Michelin stars...

Today I’m joined by one of the world’s most influential and multi-award winning travel writers, the global editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller UK and US, Melinda Stevens. She’s a trend setter, taste maker and considered by many to be travel royalty.  After beginning her writing career at Vogue Magazine, Melinda went on to become a columnist for the Sunday Times and Evening Standard, and t...