Amateur Traveler Podcast (2011 archives)

The Amateur Traveler talks to Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll about their recent trip to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country, but all those people are one of Bangladesh's strengths."

The Amateur Traveler talks to well-known travel writer / editor Don George about his first visit to the Champagne region of France. Despite having lived in France after college, Don had never visited the area made so famous by the blind monk Dom Perignon and his sparkling wine. Don discovered a beautiful agricultural area and learned the secret to a good life is one bottle of Champagne a day.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Mike about his recent trip to Kazakhstan.  He explored this large area on a backpacker's budget.  Kazakhstan is the 9th biggest country in the world. "In the very West end of the country you have old mosques. In the new capital Astana you have futuristic buildings."

The Amateur Traveler talks to Colm Hanratty from HostelWorld.com about Dublin, Ireland. Colm has been living working and studying in Dublin for the last 17 years.    “Dublin is the gateway to Ireland. It is a very welcoming city. It is a very compact city. You can see the main sites and the more off the beaten track sites in about 3 days."

The Amateur Traveler talks to Shannon Martin from Two Who Travel about her hometown of Tampa Bay (and St Petersburg) Florida. Shannon recommends the Tamp Bay area for a beach vacation, possible combined with a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jessie Voigts from Wandering Educators about County Kerry and the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. County Kerry is a popular tourist region in Ireland.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Long from LandLopers.com about his recent trip to St. Kitts (officially part of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis) which is part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Matt was on a press trip to the Marriott resort on the island.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Alan from Jacksonville about St. Augustine Florida which is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in what is now the United States. St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and is 42 years older than Jamestown.

Chihuahua is also known for the beautiful Cooper Canyon which is best seen from the train that transverses it. Copper Canyon is a popular tourist destination with Mexicans. Copper Canyon is larger and portions are deeper than the Grande Canyon.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Ira Berstein again, this time about the Canadian Provence of Quebec. Ira suggests seeing both Montreal and Quebec City because of the contrasts in the two major cities in this French-speaking part of Canada.Ira would personally recommend spending more time in Montreal but would understand those who like Quebec city better. Montreal is an international city with more than just French and English influence, all of which add their influence to a lively restaurant scene. Montreal sits on the Saint Lawrence River and at the base on Mount Royal from which it derives its name.Quebec City is possibly the most European city in North America and one of the only walled cities. The city is so popular with American’s that we tried to capture it during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Le Chateau Frontenac dominates the Quebec skyline as it has for more than 100 years.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Francis Tapon about European Russia west of the Ural Mountains. Most people only know 2 cities in Russia – Moscow and St Petersburg. In St Petersburg he recommends the Hermitage and the Peterhof. Moscow is so central culturally to Russia that the trains all run on Moscow time across the 9 timezones of Russia. Francis extends the suggested itinerary to include Kazan and Kaliningrad. Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan which is a mostly Muslim area of Russia. Kazan is over 1000 years old. Kazan is right by the Volga river with a large mosque and classic cathedral. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave in what used to be East Prussia.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Bethany of the Nevada Tourism Bureau about Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is a high elevation alpine lake on the border of California and Nevada. It is surrounded by 18 ski areas so it is a popular winter destination. In the winter it is also a great place for back country hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. In the Summer, Tahoe is a popular area for hiking, fishing and outdoor activities. But, there is another side to Tahoe which is the casinos, restaurants, and entertainment of Nevada's South Tahoe.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Phil Smy about his second home in Kyoto, Japan."Japan is organized and meticulous and perfect. Kyoto is the number one tourist destination outside of Tokyo in Japan.  The former capital of ancient Japan, it is history and I think you get a real sense of Japan's psyche by going to Kyoto."Phil talks about the temples, palace, geisha culture, and food of Kyoto.

The Amateur Traveler talks to travel blogger Candice Walsh about St Johns and her her home province of Newfoundland (and Labrador). "In my opinion Newfoundland is maybe the most underrated unappreciated province in Canada".

The Amateur Traveler talks to Robert Reid from Lonely Planet about his home state of Oklahoma. Robert recommends when you are driving through Oklahoma on your great American road trip you get off the interstate and explore for a few days. From the hills and woods of Eastern Oklahoma, to the tall grass prairies, to the oldest mountains in the United States (The Wichita Mountains) Oklahoma has more variety than you might have guessed from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. Even the shape of the state holds clues to its unusual history. It is a state shaped by treaties made and broken with the Native Americans and by slavery and the Compromise of 1850. Its people are influenced by its history, its oil, its tornadoes, and of course its football. Ever a storyteller, Robert talks about African American towns, football upsets, buffalo, songwriters, authors, cowboy poets, onion burgers and Route 66.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt of Everything-Everywhere.com about his recent trip to the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are tropical volcanic islands that are part of Spain but are located off the coast of Northwestern Africa.They are not named after birds.    The first thing that struck me when I got off the plane was how much the weather was like Hawaii and I have heard a lot of people call it Europe's Hawaii. It is a part of Spain. There are two provinces that constitute the Canary Islands. One with its capital on Grand Canaria Island and the other on the island of Tenerife. Columbus's last stop over was in the Canary Islands. Each of the islands, and there are 7 main islands, have a very different character.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Anil Polat who blogs under the name foxnomad about a recent trip to Northern Iraq. Anil is out to visit every country in the world which might lead him to visit a country before some others would deem it safe. Anil did not travel to the green zone but traveled in the Northern or Kurdish region of Iraq. Anil’s trip was made all the more interesting as he is ethnically Turkish. Says Anil: Honestly that was one of my concerns before going. I did not know how people would respond to me, if people would not like me being there. The whole idea of a Kurdistan in Northern Iraq is a very controversial topic in Turkey to say the least.And also I had some security and safety concerns just because of the location. However, people were very friendly to me and it was a much more normal experience than I was expecting.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Kim Mance about traveling to the mountain kingdom of Losotho in Southern Africa. Losotho is a small mountainous region surrounded by South Africa but is an independent constitutional monarchy. The country has a very rural population. Kim got around via rental car but also did a pony trek with guide out into the small mountain villages. Riding a small hearty and nimble Bosotho pony they headed out into a landscape of shepherds and glacier carved mountains.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Matt Wall about traveling to and living in Honduras. Matt recommends the Bay Islands in the Caribbean for a beach resort vacation, scuba diving and snorkeling. The main island of Roatan have everything from all-inclusive resorts to backpacking accommodations in West End. Matt lived in the town of Copán Ruinas near the Guatemala border named after the "pretty incredible" Mayan ruins there. For the very adventurous who are willing to rough it Matt also suggests the Mosquito Coast at the far Western edge of Honduras which is a rain forest area sometimes called the "little Amazon". "You go there if you want to have a jungle experience".

The Amateur Traveler talks to New York travel writer Jeanine Barone about the Azores. The Azores are a chain of islands belonging to Portugal. Your travel agent will extol the beauty of the beaches but Jeanine says that the best of the Azores can be seen through hiking its craggy islands.    If you want to be in a place that feels very unspoiled, but is so close actually to fly there, a place where you feel like you stepped back to another era, then that’s why you should go to the Azores.    These are just gorgeous islands. Each island has its own personality and character. I just adore them.