Unravel Travel

Send us Fan Mail Alcohols of the World: Beer First, Then Spirits of Travel Specific episode mentions Hook Norton Brewery tours -  https://www.hooky.co.uk/visit-us/book-a-brewery-tour/ That bar in Bratislava - ZilVerne Craft beer pub  - https://www.beer4you.sk/zil-verne/  El Floridita  - The Hemmingway bar - https://www.barfloridita.com/ The Raffles Long Bar - https://www.raffles.com/singapore/dini...

Send us Fan Mail Bath vs Bristol: Two Cities, Two Worlds Episode summary In this episode of Unravel Travel , we compare two of the great West Country city breaks: Bath and Bristol . They sit close together on the map, yet they feel like completely different worlds. Bath is elegant, Georgian, polished and deeply historic. Bristol is colourful, creative, messy, musical and restless. We start with a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode 27 we go back to Sri Lanka to discuss how Malcolm visited in the early 2000's with a very young family.  Many shared perspectives and a few differences and an exploration of a different side of Sri Lanka.  This has much more cricket in it, not all of it good. A guide to the nicest and most unusual p;aces to stay in Sri Lanka, look around there are some absolut...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode 26 we thought we would address the backlog of questions from listeners leading a to a diverse episode covering a range of topics, some on which we agree and some on which we don't. How different is it to live overseas, rather than just to visit? How often do you still travel together and what trips are you planning? How to progress from snorkeling to scuba div...

Send us Fan Mail Join Malcolm and David on this first episode of a double header as they explore the incredible island nation of Sri Lanka. From the bustling streets of Colombo to the scenic tea-covered hills of Ella and the wildlife-rich national park of Yala, they uncover the diverse experiences that make Sri Lanka one of Asia's most captivating destinations. Along the way, they discuss the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, David & Malcolm are joined by Izzy to take you on a tropical journey through Bali and Gili Trawangan, two of Indonesia’s most captivating destinations. The adventure begins in Ubud on Bali, where lush rice terraces - such as Tegallalang, ancient temples, waterfalls, white water rafting on the Ayung river near Ubud  and a coffee plantation specialising in Kopi...

Send us Fan Mail In this third episode of the New York Trilogy we look into some of the details of food and gallery visits. We talk shopping in New York, Old buildings and new concepts like trip planning with AI, when to trust it and when to ask again. In episode 26 we will be catching up on questions from the first 25 episodes, so if you have that burning question on the tip of your tongue then j...

Send us Fan Mail In this second episode of the New York Trilogy we are joined by Izzy for a slightly different take on New York.  All the deep and meaningful culture that Malcolm didn't bother with. We talk about Dumbo, the best sort of Diner breakfasts and why the big apple is obviously Green. The highline, Twin towers memorial and we finally settle the dilemma about what is an acceptable Br...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we take our first bite out of the big apple. We talk about musical influences, first impressions and getting around. Walking is good, too much walking is bad. Visa applications pitfalls, the worst immigration (unless you have had the rubber glove treatment). Bridges and other assorted architecture and David's love of South Park. If you have a story to share or...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we continue our review of Cornwall, this time with more of a focus on the cultural, covering: St Ives (Tate and the Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden). Tremenheere Sculpture gardens The Minack Theatre The Eden project CharlesTown St Michael's Mount Tintagel We also discuss accomodation, Victorian hotels, Fawlty Towers, tiny AirBnBs and where and where not,...

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate the May Bank Holiday and the inevitable forecast of rain, what could be more appropriate than a discussion of Cornwall?  The A30 will be packed with visitors eager to get away for some summer sun, walks, fish and chips and the inevitable seagull attack.  This will at least give you something to listen to as you crawl down the A40 or scour St. Ives for the mythical par...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode David and Malcolm discuss the basics of trekking, including how best to avoid and deal with altitude sickness. They talk about how the gear is transported on a trekking expedition and they fall down the rabbit hole of what actually is a mule!! The correct answer obviously being: a mule is the sterile offspring of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare).  The...

Send us Fan Mail In the 2nd part of this episode on Scottish Canoe Expeditions we explore some of the practicalities like travel and hire.  Also tents, sleeping and the usual juvenile toilet topics. We talk about how to work your way up to a trip like this, what the kit might cost and who sits where in a Canoe. https://snowgoosecentre.co.uk https://www.rockhopperscotland.co.uk/ This episode is bro...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we are joined by Malc's brother Stewart to talk about Canoe expeditions in the wilds of Scotland. This is part one of a two part topic where we cover some basics: - Canoe vs Kayak - Preparation and planning - The importance of Weather - Weather making or breaking a trip - Safety and weather - Yes, weather (Just in case you missed it) - The  www.windy.com app -...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Malcolm and David use their many years of travelling independently to give advice for people without experience of independent travel. We discuss how to identify and manage the risk of this sort of travel and how to plan to get the most out of the trip and how to navigate and mitigate mishaps and the inevitable challenges.  David, discusses the risks of catching L...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Malcolm and David discuss their favourite places to hike in the UK. Hear us talk about the best places to stay, eat and walk. We discuss, waterfalls in Yorkshire and the Yorkshire 3 peaks hike. The differences between the dark and white peaks of the Derbyshire Peak District. The best that Wales has to offer and the Viking Way in Lincolnshire and the seals and birds...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss Malcolm's Winter trip to Iceland. Hear us get to grips with plate tectonics, geophysics, atmospheric phenomena and avant-garde Icelandic art . Whilst avoiding snow blindness, scolding water and fermented fish based meals, sometimes all at the same time. We check out the well traveled Golden Circle route from Reykjavik including Thingvellir National...

Send us Fan Mail In the second part of Overland to India we follow Ollie as he explores Kashmir and does a pre-mobile phone needle in a haystack hunt for Becca in Northern India. We continue to categorise the world by how it takes it's tea, and discuss whether dressing in local clothes is sensible or cultural misappropriation. After flying the last leg of the journey to Singapore, for some ev...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Malc and David are joined by Ollie to talk about his epic overland journey from the UK to India.  This first part focuses on the journey through Europe, Turkey, Syria and down into Lebanon then back up and through Iran before stopping at the Pakistan border. We talk about the journey itself events that happened on the way and the best modes of transport for this so...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss the pros and cons of travelling solo or with a buddy. Malcolm discovers an unlikely resemblance to a famous film star and David shares some ideas on how to make a success of a holiday when travelling with a smaller group of friends and how this may change for a larger group.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss Malcolm and David's previous safari experiences, including your traditional guided safari and your less traditional self drive safari. We talk about Malcolm's experiences with malaria and the safety procedures in place for camping while on safari, including how not to keep mosquitoes out of your tent and how to prevent monkeys getting to your f...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss David's recent island hopping trip in the Philippines. We will delve into: the activies on the trip, the food, the other people on the trip as well as the Filipino support crew. There is a discussion of toilet facilities both on land and on the boat. And Malcolm reveals a surprising fantasy, although David always suspected as much 😜 The trip was or...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discuss the wine culture of the Czech Republic (Czechia if you are under 30, Czechoslovakia if you are over 60 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire if you are dead). In particular the South Moravian wine growing region where Malc happens to spend quite a lot of time. We will be talking about the small villages and cellars (sklepy).  What a wine tasting is like, when...

Send us Fan Mail Today we are discussing a necessary evil, estate agents do make a surprise appearance, but the topic is planning. Too much planning stifles the enjoyment and spontaneity. Too little planning, well you would never get out of your front door. We discuss the pros and cons, when to dig deep, when to free wheel. Planning successes, failures and some epic near misses. And then an update...

Send us Fan Mail In this first full and long episode Malc and Dave talk about their Interrailing in the early 90s, spilling the beans on newbie travel and the lowest of low cost travel around Europe.  Talking about the formative effect it had on our future travel lives and the joy of not planning. The episode covers all the major European cultural centres Paris, Florence, Hull, Amsterdam, Venice,...