Travel That Matters

It’s that time of year again—our annual Top Destinations episode is back! Host Bruce Wallin ventured to Virtuoso’s annual Travel Week in Las Vegas to ask top luxury travel experts what destination they were most excited about for 2025. In this episode, he is joined by friend of the pod, the travel journalist Jackie Caradonio, to unpack a meticulously curated list of must-visit de...

Honoring his family’s legacy while pushing boundaries to innovate New Orleans cuisine for the next generation is the 21-year-old patron chef of Emeril’s in New Orleans and son of renowned chef Emeril Lagasse, E.J. Lagasse who joins Bruce on this season four finale. E.J. takes us on a journey through his culinary evolution, starting with his early— very early—experiences as a young teenager working...

A new approach to food, drink, and culinary experiences at sea, that's what host Bruce sits down with Andrea Tonet, the VP of Product Strategy at Silversea, to chat about in this episode of Travel That Matters. Hear how those experiences bring a true local taste to each destination, no matter where in the world you are. Andrea takes us around the world, starting with the Dolomites (Italy) where An...

Could you, would you, on a train? We would eat chef Jean Imbert's cuisine on a train, by the sea, in a city... we would eat Jean Imbert's cuisine anywhere! Dr. Seuss jokes aside, Jean Imbert is the culinary mastermind behind some of the most iconic restaurants in the world, including those in Paris, Cannes, French Polynesia, St. Barth’s, and even the legendary Orient Express, and he's this episode...

Come along for a culinary thrill as Foods That Matter transports the epicures, the foodies, and the gastronauts to different corners of the world through stories of adventure with food archeologist John Robert Sutton, also known as 'The Indiana Jones of Food.' John has invited us to continue unlocking the secrets to the globe's most extraordinary cuisines, as he's been doing throughout his travel...

What do trombones, surfers, and Paris have in common? They're all part of Jonathan Waxman's inspiring success story that took him from cleaning bathrooms to an iconic career as a chef, restaurateur, and tv personality. A true pioneer of California cuisine, Chef Jonathan Waxman shares his extraordinary journey, including his unforgettable experiences like traveling on a shoestring budget to Micheli...

One of the most influential figures in American cuisine, Charlie Palmer, and a world-renowned pastry chef, Antonio Bachour, dive into their most inspiring travel experiences and recommendations. Charlie Palmer talks about how his culinary expertise and love for the outdoors have influenced his new hotel company, Appellation, with its first locations in Healdsburg and Sun Valley of the United State...

Katie Chin escaped what she jokingly describes as "dumpling prison" only to be so influenced by her heritage and Asian cuisines that she left her SVP role at FOX to start her career as a chef and author. It was her mom's inspiring success story that eventually led Katie to a life of cooking, writing cookbooks, appearing on TV shows like Iron Chef and The Today Show, and creating a one-woman show c...

The art of stress-free travel is not lost on Nancy Silverton thanks to her adventurous parents, and now she shares her travel philosophy with her kids, grandkids—and listeners of Travel That Matters in this episode. When this American chef, baker, restaurateur, and author is not serving food to people at the Palace of Versailles, she's "putzing" around her house in Umbria or traveling to Mexico, L...

Here to explain how travel helped turn a kid from St. Louis into the leading restaurateur behind both Union Square Café and Shake Shack is the one-and-only Danny Meyer. The son of a travel entrepreneur, Danny takes us back to the vivid childhood travel memories he has, reminiscing about everything from the lake water and fresh baguettes in France to the roadside burger in California that might hav...

Wolfgang Puck, the Austrian-American culinary legend, takes host Bruce on a journey through his favorite food and travel spots, full of laughter and unexpected tips. Wolfgang shares the serendipitous creation of his signature dish, shares his first memories of getting the travel bug, and describes his initial impressions of the United States. He relives the opening night jitters of Spago (Beverly...

Getting people to think differently when deciding where to travel next is a specialty of the travel journalist Andrew Nelson, a writer for two decades with National Geographic Travel and a two-time Lowell Thomas prize winner. Andrew joins Bruce on the podcast to discuss places in his new National Geographic book,  Here Not There , revealing 100 alternative travel destinations to the ones we've pro...

Embark on an adventure through South Africa with Liam Tomlin (Cape Town chef), Deborah Calmeyer (ROAR Africa founder), and Tiago Sarmento (managing director of Belmond in Southern Africa), whose stories and insider tips on crafting the ultimate travel experience will have you hooked on this something-for-everybody destination. On his recent trip to Cape Town and Tswalu Kalahari reserve in South Af...

This week, we're recommending a Pushkin podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, where Maya Shankar blends compassionate storytelling with the science of human behavior to help us understand who we are and who we become in the face of a big change. In this episode, Dr. Richard "Harry" Harris is an anesthesiologist and expert cave diver who was tasked with a seemingly impossible mission: to rescue a boys...

Divia Thani is an incredible and inspiring source of information on how best to explore the many different regions of India, from the Himalayas in the north to Chettinad in the south. In this episode of Travel That Matters, Bruce speaks with Divia, the Global Editorial Director of Condé Nast Traveler, about her home country of India, inclusive of the bustling scene in Goa, the best time of year to...

Our love of travel and food converge in spectacular fashion in this exploration of Mexico and its many regional cuisines with chef and TV host Pati Jinich. As the host of the 3x James Beard Award-winning PBS television series “Pati’s Mexican Table,” resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., and a cookbook author, Pati is the perfect person to lead us on a culinary advent...

This week, we're recommending a podcast for Scotland-lovers by award-winning travel blogger Kathi Kamleitner. This clip is of her conversation with Mark Williams, a forager and foraging tutor with over 30 years of experience. Originally from the Isle of Arran, Mark lives in Galloway these days and runs foraging classes and workshops all over Scotland. In the episode, Kathi and Mark cover...       ...

Dr. Tara Stoinski, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund President, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, joins Bruce to discuss the fascinating scientific and conservation work the organization does in the mountains of Rwanda, as well as the fund’s brand-new Ellen DeGeneres Campus—a facility that will not only change how we study and protect mountain gorillas but also enhance what is already one of the world’s ep...

John Robert Sutton didn't always know he wanted to travel through 124 countries and be the best exotic food trader, but we're glad he did! This episode is packed with the most interesting stories, like where vanilla is really from and how it grows in its natural state, what the most potent and natural antioxidant on the face of the earth is, what volcanoes have to do with the best culinary destina...

“From a hidden region of Colombia to a high-profile hotel debut in London, this episode is for adventurers, foodies, escapists, and big-city lovers—basically anyone who cherishes travel and is interested in exploring new places,” Bruce says. Throughout the episode, you will hear the insights and advice of luxury travel leaders whom Bruce Wallin, Travel That Matters host and award-winning travel wr...

"I came to Thailand when I was just a teenager and chose never to leave," said guest Bill Heinecke, collector car enthusiast, experiential traveler, and billionaire founder and chairman of Minor International PCL, which owns and operates hotel brands including Anantara and Tivoli. Host and award-winning travel writer and editor Bruce Wallin guides Bill through his stories of the incredible aspects...

In this episode, host Bruce Wallin explores the transformative power of travel with guest Esme Benjamin, a wellness and travel journalist and host of the podcast The Trip That Changed Me. They start by talking about wellness programs in Italy (The Ranch) and Cuba (Mhai Yoga). We learn why Fiuggi water has been celebrated for its healing powers and why Cubans are gathering in public spaces dancing...

Chef Richard Sandoval was and still is an instrumental force in the proliferation and elevation of Latin American cuisine across the globe. Born and raised in Mexico City—and once an aspiring professional tennis player—his journey into the world of culinary delights began early, setting the stage for a lifetime of epicurean exploration. In this week’s episode, Travel That Matters sends you from th...

Chris Jackson of Stonestreet Estate Vineyards and Jackson Family Wines (Kendall-Jackson) joined Bruce to talk about all things wine, including why Healdsburg, California, is the best wine town to visit in America, the truth about how the family business got started (and how it was pretty much a “catastrophe”), and other wine destinations he loves and why you should visit them. Should Sonoma Valley...

Anne-Cecile Degenne is the executive corporate chef for Accor’s Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery, and Emblems hotel brands, overseeing more than 100 boutique restaurant concepts around the globe. Her work and personal travels—which include trekking through Mongolia for two months—have given her a unique perspective on global cuisine, which she shares in this fun and informative interview with Bru...