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Travel tales is a podcast series about of life-changing travel adventures.
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Engineer-turned-travel entrepreneur Gabby Beckford set out on a year-long Middle Eastern adventure at the age of 21. What she learned there forever changed the way she thinks about travel.
When artist-educator Emily Jeffords led a group of artists on an Alaskan retreat, she was surprised to discover what happened when they ventured into the remote Alaskan wilderness.
J.R. Harris is the greatest traveler you’ve never heard of. On a road trip through Canada and Maine, he meditates on a lifetime of adventure—and the enduring power of a great road trip.
He’s a Croatian Irish radio guy who’s traveled the world. But in all his wanders, he’d never really given his Irish side a chance—until now.
On Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, a traveler and his teen daughter meet a Mike Tyson impersonator, marvel at the golden West Coast, and embrace the trancelike nature of the train.
As a kid, comedian Esteban Gast tagged along when his parents visited family in Colombia. But he’d never established his own relationship with the culture—until now.
Vegas may be in the desert, but there’s still an abundance of water-based fun to be had at lakes, rivers, and wetlands just beyond The Strip.
In celebration of the latest season of our podcast Travel Tales by AFAR and the new listener-submitted feature “Tiny Travel Tales,” let these concepts for your next getaway inspire a personal revolution in the form of a far-flung adventure.
Some of the world’s most dynamic chefs are electrifying the international culinary scene with innovative interpretations of Ghanaian cuisine, but Ghana’s capital remains the motherlode of taste.
Travel responsibly and take in New Zealand’s vast natural beauty as you learn the ancient codes of respect the Māori have for the earth.
Alive with art, design, and music, this magnificent mountain town has long been a draw for creative types and is ripe for exploration.
Adventurer Erik Weihenmayer spent six years preparing to solo kayak the stretch of the Colorado River that passes through the Grand Canyon—home to some of the country’s most notorious rapids.
From tales of gold to the music of the plains, delve into the storied traditions that make this South American country so fascinating.
Kelli Jo Ford grew up traveling between Virginia and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. A key companion on the journey? Love’s Travel Stop, where they would stop for gas, snacks—and family reunions.
Years after chef Zoe Adjonyoh started her Ghanian restaurant in London, she decided it was time to return to the country where her father was born to learn more about the food—and her long-lost relatives.
There is wonder everywhere you look in Paris. Go beyond the iconic sights to see this classic destination’s unsung sides and experience its delights in unexpected ways.
Set your senses alight with the sights and flavors of this legendary Italian region as you follow in the footsteps of famous writers throughout history.
Celebrate your friendship and make memories to last a lifetime as you wander off the beaten path to discover the serene wonder of Eleuthera and its neighboring islands.
Rēnata West was born and raised in Whakarewarewa, a village on New Zealand’s North Island, where his family and community have embraced tourism that both protects his people and preserves their rich culture—a model he now seeks to spread to other Indigenous communities.
Carolina Quiroga-Stultz is a professional storyteller—but she’s never told this one: the tale of how moving from Colombia to Johnson City, Tennessee, challenged her, confused her—and, ultimately, changed her life.
Maggie Shipstead, author of the novel “Great Circle,” hadn’t written a word when she first arrived in the Norwegian Arctic seven years ago. Here’s how she found seeds of inspiration in the most barren of places.
Author Julia Cooke spent four years interviewing the fearless Pan Am stewardesses of the ’60s and ’70s—here’s what she learned along the way.
Comedian Michelle Buteau traveled with her best friend 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 . . .
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka hadn’t seen her dad in years. So she headed to Bali for what she thought would be a chill reunion. He had something else in mind.
Author Louis Chude-Sokei was born in Nigeria, spent part of his childhood in Jamaica, and came of age in L.A. This mix of places and cultures shaped his life—but also left him feeling unmoored. Until he stumbled upon London’s Notting Hill Carnival.
Mau‘i-based chef Sheldon Simeon thought his grandmother’s pork adobo recipe was lost to history. Then he traveled to the Philippines to film an episode of “Family Recipes” and discovered that the recipe was right where his grandmother left it.
Ready to travel again? So are we. Each week, in season two of our podcast, launching June 10, we’ll bring you tales to get the travel juices flowing.
Abdi Nor Iftin fled Somalia’s civil war—and was diagnosed with PTSD soon after immigrating to the U.S. His cure? Mother Nature.
Stranded giraffes. Resourceful conservationists. On a trip to Kenya, wildlife photographer Ami Vitale documented their dramatic tale.
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.