Travel Tales by Afar

Hey Travel Tales listeners, we're working hard on Season 3. In the meantime, we've got a special treat for you: A preview of our first episode of Unpacked by AFAR. In it, writer and podcast host Paige McClanahan digs into the concept of revenge travel and how we can be kinder to the places we visit. You can listen to the full episode on our Unpacked feed. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to si...

Erik Weihenmayer lost his vision at age 13, but he never lost his thirst for adventure. In the decades since, he has rock-climbed in California and ice-climbed in Antarctica. In 2008, he decided he wanted to kayak through the Grand Canyon. It was, as you can, imagine quite a ride. Read more about Erik on his website, listen to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter. You can watch his documentary, T...

It’s time to head for America’s heartland. Our guide will be Kelli Jo Ford, a Virginia-based writer, teacher, and author of Crooked Hallelujah, a much-praised novel that follows four generations of Cherokee women. In this episode Kelli Jo takes us on the road: For years, she’s made regular pilgrimages to Oklahoma to visit her family. As a kid living in Texas, those trips were especially poignant:...

As a kid growing up in London, chef Zoe Adjonyoh learned to cook by watching her father make the foods he ate as a kid growing up in Ghana. As an adult, she opened a restaurant devoted to dishes like spicy, peanut butter–laced groundnut stew. A decade into her career, Zoe realized she wanted to know more about Ghanian cuisine—and her own family. Here’s what happened when she landed in Accra with a...

In the early 2000s, AFAR contributing writer Emma John—a classically trained British violinist—fell for the Americana-inspired music of bands like the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. She desperately wanted to recreate that bluegrassy sound, but her attempts at home didn’t go so well. So she bought a ticket to North Carolina with the vague idea of figuring things out. Fate brought her Fred, a ba...

Rēnata West was born and raised in a Māori village on New Zealand’s North Island, and his family has been telling stories for more than 200 years as the pioneers of tourism in New Zealand. In this episode, Rēnata shares how his community learned to embrace tourism that both protects his people and preserves their rich culture—a model he now seeks to spread to other Indigenous communities. Learn mo...

When Carolina Quiroga-Stultz turned 30, she wanted to meditate in Nepal and “figure out her life,” she said. Instead, she wound up moving from Colombia to Johnson City, Tennessee, to learn how to be a professional storyteller specializing in the myths of Latin America. Here’s how the move challenged her, confused her—and, ultimately, changed the course of her life. Read more about Carolina here—an...

Seven years ago, author Maggie Shipstead traveled to the Arctic to begin her next book. She was there as part of an Arctic Residency that connects artists with the icy landscape. But when she arrived in the Svalbard archipelago, she had only the seed of an idea. As she sailed around the archipelago—along with 27 other artists—Maggie discovered that inspiration can come in mysterious ways. Enjoyed...

As a college student on her first trip to the Tuscan town of Lucca, writer Lisa Abend discovered a shop that specializes in customized ex libris, also known as bookplates. She desperately wanted one, but knew she needed more life experience before she could commit to such a personal thing. Three decades later, she returned to Lucca in search of that print shop—and her very own ex libris. Read the...

The women who flew for Pan Am in the 1960s and 1970s were spirited, adventurous, trailblazers who lived life mostly on their own terms. In this week’s episode, we’ll meet a few of those women. Julia Cooke, author of Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am, spent four years researching their lives. Along the way, she learned a few lessons about travel—and friendship. Be sure to...

Comedian Michelle Buteau traveled with her best friend, Cynthia, to Paris to drink wine and meet French boys, because that’s what you do when you’re in your 20s and searching for love (or lust). Only things didn’t exactly go to plan . . . Michelle Buteau is an actress and comedian (you may have seen her Netflix comedy special Welcome to Buteaupia). She’s also the host of the new Discovery Plus sho...

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka never really knew her dad. As a kid, she and her grandmother had moved from Japan to L.A. and, over the years, her relationship with her dad dissolved. Years later, she flew to Bali—where her father had retired—in an attempt to reunite. She thought they’d drink on the beach and stroll through tropical forests. Her dad, however, had a very different reunion in mind. Hear mo...

Author Louis Chude-Sokei was born in what is now Nigeria, spent part of his childhood in Jamaica, and came of age in Los Angeles. This mix of places and cultures shaped his life—but also left him feeling unmoored. One day, as an adult traveling home to the United States from Nigeria, he passed through London just in time for the city’s famous Notting Hill Carnival. And there, in that swirl of musi...

Chef Sheldon Simeon grew up eating his grandmother’s revered pork adobo—well, a version of it. See, the dish had evolved since his grandparents emigrated from the Philippines to Hawai‘i in the 1930s. He wanted to recreate the dish as it once was, but Alzheimer’s had robbed his grandmother of her memory. And so he headed to the Philippines in search of his roots—and the original recipe. Be sure to...

A decade ago, a group of endangered Rothschild’s giraffes was relocated to a remote lakeside peninsula in Kenya. But in recent years, due to rising water levels, the peninsula became an island, trapping the giraffes. In 2020, a team of conservationists set up a daring rescue—one that wildlife photographer Ami Vitale traveled to document. This is her tale. Explore Ami's work (and her new nonprofit)...

Soon after author and reporter Abdi Iftin arrived in the United States—the country he had dreamed of living in for so long—he was diagnosed with PTSD. Growing up in Somalia during the civil war had left its mark. His American doctors recommended medication, but Iftin was determined to find another way. What did he discover? The healing power of Maine’s forests. Learn more about Abdi—and buy his me...

Here at AFAR, we're beginning to dip our toes back into the travel waters. Maybe you, too, have booked your first flight? Or maybe you’re planning a summer road trip. Or perhaps you’re just now beginning to explore your home city or town. Wherever you’re at, we have heaps of travel inspiration for you in season two of Travel Tales by AFAR, launching June 10th. Get ready for stories, every Thursday...

On a last-minute trip to Rio de Janeiro, author Carmen Maria Machado luxuriates in beach feasts, practices small talk—and confronts her travel anxiety. Resources: Carmen's website Buy now: "In the Dream House: A Memoir." Buy now: "The Low, Low Woods." Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes detai...

How does a nature-phobe learn to love the forest? Writer Shahnaz Habib returns to the jungle beyond her hometown in Kerala, India, to find out. Resources Read Shahnaz's work on AFAR. Follow Shahnaz on X. Preorder Shahnaz's new book, Airplane Mode. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details o...

Recalling her first trip to Africa, journalist Heather Greenwood Davis reflects on missed opportunities—and a legacy she’s finally ready to explore. Resources Follow Heather's family travels on her website. Watch archival footage of the trip. Follow Heather on Instagram and X. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news a...

Growing up, Lavinia Spalding believed she was destined to become a tocaora, or a female flamenco guitar player. It didn’t exactly happen, for reasons you’ll soon hear. One day, decades after giving up on her dream, something shifted. On a whim, she emailed three of the biggest tocaoras in Spain to ask for lessons. To her surprise, they said yes.  Resources Listen to this playlist, which features o...

Colleen Kinder is a bona-fide Canadian. Well, kinda. See, she married a Canadian last year. And through him, she’s gotten to know Canada in all its friendly glory. But there was one place she hadn’t yet explored: the ViaRail train system. So we sent her on a 800-mile train trip through the Maritimes. On the way, she discovered what it really means to be Canadian. (It’s so much more than saying “so...

No crowds. No cosplay. On the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route—as author Peggy Orenstein discovers—it's just temples, trees, and a warm bath at the end of the day. Resources Listen to Peggy's story about hiking the Juliana Trail in Slovenia. Read Peggy’s other AFAR stories: horseback riding in Wyoming and exploring Yunnan, China.  Buy Peggy’s latest book, Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Sh...

As she follows the trail of the country's most beloved author, novelist Charmaine Craig meditates on loss and hope. Resources Read Charmaine's original story for AFAR. Follow Charmaine on her website. Buy Charmaine's books, Miss Burma and My Nemesis. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes detail...

On a three-week, 500-mile bike trip through the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, photographer Peter Bohler and his fiancée, Celia, learn when to say "yes" to adventure. Resources Check out Peter's photos—including a few from Morocco!—on his website or on Instagram. And read Celia's version of events on AFAR. Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind t...