Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure

Most of the travel I do is solo, and this episode looks at why; from my own personal preferences to travelling alone, to the logistical advantages and problems of doing so.  I do talk about my experiences of travelling with others, both in group environments and travelling with friends. The pod comes off the back of a recent two week trip around Philippines (a country I said in Episode 003 that I'...

Another of my destination-specific podcasts this week - although it starts with a quick 7min overview of Lebanon as that's where I was when I wrote most of it ... This episode looks at Uzbekistan; mainly around the practicalities of the country - food, transport, accommodation etc, rather than specific details of tourist attractions. I visited in 2014, and found it really interesting, but I also h...

The first "Special Episode" of my podcast, where I read one of my travel-related fiction short stories, based on the topic of "Inheritance".

Sexuality is a broad spectrum, but not every country in the world appreciates or accepts this. In this episode I talk about my own sexuality (or indeed, lack of it), and how it affects me when I travel. You'll also hear from a few other people on their experiences on travelling as an alternative sexuality.

Exploring "The Great Outdoors" is a wonderful experience for me, especially hiking through the countryside. In this episode I'll discuss what it means to me, and how "Saying Yes More" to my inner feelings has inspired me to take on a pretty intense hiking challenge.

While on my recent trip around the Southern Hemisphere, I spent almost four weeks travelling around the islands of Vanuatu. It's not a country that many people outside Oceania know much about, so I wanted to give an overview and flavour of the country and relate my experiences there. It's definitely a country 'beyond the brochure'.

I've just had an 11-week trip around Oceania & Sri Lanka, and arriving back in the UK has sent my mood a little low. I guess it's a form of Reverse Culture Shock, where being back in your everyday life comes as a jarring jolt after being used to the travel lifestyle. I've used my pod this week to talk about these feelings, how they affect me, and what I'm doing to mitigate them. Timely, perhaps, f...

Many travellers talk about having a "Bucket List", a list of places to see and things to do before they die. In this pod I talk a bit about the concept, then go into some details about my version - the 'anti-bucket list' of places I actively don't see myself visiting. I must stress this is my own opinion, and of course your mileage will vary.

"Everywhere is Interesting": a mantra that makes you take a different look at the places you visit, making even those areas close to your home that you may not have given a second thought ripe for exploration and discovery. In this pod I encourage you to step outside your house and see what's around your local town, and do the same myself, giving you some information about the places I live near.

Ever wondered about the meaning and concept behind my name of "The Barefoot Backpacker"? In this pod I go into detail about why I'll often travel barefoot, how it feels, why it doesn't hurt as much as you'd imagine (even while taking the roads less travelled), and admit why I don't do it all the time. Note this is the very first podcast I've recorded. Included too is an introduction to who I am an...