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Escape and inspiration about unusual and fascinating places, as well as the deeper side of books and travel.
I'm Jo Frances Penn (J.F. Penn), award-winning author of thrillers, dark fantasy, crime and memoir, and I'll be doing solo shows about my travel experiences and interviewing authors about how travel inspires their writing. Plus book recommendations for every interview so you have things to read on the move.
I'm Jo Frances Penn (J.F. Penn), award-winning author of thrillers, dark fantasy, crime and memoir, and I'll be doing solo shows about my travel experiences and interviewing authors about how travel inspires their writing. Plus book recommendations for every interview so you have things to read on the move.
107 Episodes
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What’s it really like to be an archaeologist in the Middle East? How can modern travelers experience Egypt beyond the pyramids and tourist traps? What will survive from our digital age when future archaeologists dig through our ruins, and how does studying ancient civilizations change the way you see the world today? Canadian ex-archaeologist and […]
The post Egypt Beyond the Pyramids And Glimpsing The Future In History With Sean McLachlan appeared first on Books And Travel.
Have you ever considered a radical change to mark a new chapter in your life? What fears hold you back from taking on a huge challenge, like walking for weeks on your own? Zoe Langley-Wathen talks about conquering her fears on the 630-mile South West Coast Path, and how it led to an even bigger […]
The post Facing Fears And Finding Resilience In Midlife: Long-Distance Walking With Zoe Langley-Wathen appeared first on Books And Travel.
How does a childhood spent in the Himalayas of Nepal and India shape a life and a love for the mountains of Scotland? How can fiction help us understand the complex, painful history of India’s Partition? I discuss all this and more with the award-winning author, Merryn Glover. Merryn’s nomadic “third culture kid” upbringing […]
The post Writing Partition: Merryn Glover on History, Home, and the Hill Stations Of India appeared first on Books And Travel.
What makes a place sacred, and can you find spiritual transformation without traveling thousands of miles? Why do ordinary English villages and Scottish islands continue to draw seekers from around the world? Award-winning travel writer Oliver Smith talks about British pilgrimage sites from Lindisfarne to Iona, and Walsingham to Glastonbury, and how these ancient places […]
The post British Pilgrimage: On This Holy Island With Oliver Smith appeared first on Books And Travel.
What is it like to work on ancient English churches, cathedrals and stone monuments? How does stone, a symbol of permanence, change over centuries? In this interview, I explore the craft of stonemasonry with church conservator Andrew Ziminski. Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason and church conservator with decades of experience working on some of the […]
The post Touching History: The Ancient Craft Of Stonemasonry With Andrew Ziminski appeared first on Books And Travel.
What does it mean to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time? How can travel shape our sense of self, and how do we find our way home when faced with unexpected grief abroad? In this episode, I talk with author Becky Doughty about her traveling childhood as a missionary kid, a life-changing […]
The post Fearless Roots: Travel, Grief, And Resilience With Becky Doughty appeared first on Books And Travel.
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to live and work on a cruise ship? Is it all glamour and exotic locations, or is there a hidden, more challenging side to life at sea? How do you cope with being away from family for months at a time, and what strange events unfold on […]
The post Traveling By Cruise Ship With Wendy Neugent appeared first on Books And Travel.
How can a physical journey trigger profound inner change? What draws a non-religious person to undertake a Catholic pilgrimage? What happens when you encounter both the best and worst versions of yourself on the same path? Bradley Chermside, international best-selling author, entertainer, and host of the El Camino de Santiago Podcast shares his transformative journey. […]
The post To The End Of The Earth: Walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago With Bradley Chermside appeared first on Books And Travel.
What does home mean when you are always moving on? What does belonging mean when your address changes every few years? And how do we reconcile our evolving identities with the places we’ve left behind? Catriona Turner talks about her travels from Scotland to France, to Congo and Uganda, and back home again over 14 […]
The post The Geography of Belonging: Finding Home With Catriona Turner appeared first on Books And Travel.
Why does Egypt continue to fascinate curious travelers? What hidden chambers might lie beneath the pyramids of Giza? How does the duality of Egyptian mythology influence thriller writing? Join thriller authors J.F. Penn and Luke Richardson for a conversation that weaves together archaeological intrigue, travel insights, and the creative process behind crafting compelling adventures in […]
The post Ancient Mysteries and Modern Travels. Egypt With Luke Richardson appeared first on Books And Travel.
“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka I’ve always felt most grateful to be alive when I walk among the dead. That might sound strange, but bear with me! Step through a lychgate into a church yard or descend a narrow stone stair into a catacomb or ossuary, and the pace […]
The post Walking Amongst The Dead: Graveyards, Cemeteries, And Ossuaries With J.F. Penn appeared first on Books And Travel.
What makes the tiny island of Lindisfarne a “thin place” where the spiritual and physical worlds seem to meet? How does living in such a close-knit community shape one’s identity? And what secrets lie beyond the tourist paths on this ancient sacred site? LK Wilde and J.F. Penn talk about their love of Lindisfarne.Laura is […]
The post Thin Places and Tidal Shores: Lindisfarne, Holy Island, With LK Wilde appeared first on Books And Travel.
Experience the rugged beauty, ancient legends, and captivating history of Scotland with Andy the Highlander. From standing stones and whirlpools to myths and famous battles, Andy shares stories that bring the Scottish landscape alive. Discover why Scotland is more than tartans and bagpipes in this fascinating discussion about culture, heritage, and a passion for storytelling. […]
The post Lochs And Legends. Scotland With Andy The Highlander appeared first on Books And Travel.
What are the fascinating — and also dangerous — aspects of Death Valley National Park? How does visiting a stark desert landscape give us perspective about our place in the world? Steve Hall is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and a seasoned adventure hiker renowned for his extensive explorations of Death Valley National Park. What’s special […]
The post Desert Storms and Superblooms: Death Valley With Steve Hall appeared first on Books And Travel.
Welcome back to the Books and Travel Podcast! In this episode, I explore why I’m restarting the show, how travel has shaped my writing, and the deeper reasons we journey—both physically and through books. From revisiting my first episode to discussing reinvention, curiosity, and the meaning of travel, this is a fresh start filled with inspiration […]
The post Curiosity, Reinvention, And Inspiration: The Return Of Books and Travel appeared first on Books And Travel.
Why is resilience such an important part of pilgrimage? How can embracing the challenge of the way help in daily life? Why do we need to heed the call to pilgrimage before it’s too late? I’m Jo Frances Penn and in this episode, I share some clips from podcast interviews I’ve done around my new book, […]
The post The Call To Pilgrimage, Resilience, And Embracing Challenge With J.F. Penn appeared first on Books And Travel.
How can walking in the path of history put life in perspective? How can you find a glimpse of the divine in unexpected places? In this episode, I share two chapters from my book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways. You can buy the audiobook, as well as the special edition hardback, […]
The post Pilgrimage: The Perspective Of History And Glimpses Of The Divine appeared first on Books And Travel.
In this wide-ranging interview, Emily Thomas talks about the importance of perspective and time in travel writing, how sublime moments of pleasurable terror make travel so interesting, how to overcome fears both real and imaginary, as well as the ethics of doom tourism, and how VR (virtual reality) might change how we travel in future. […]
The post The Meaning of Travel With Emily Thomas appeared first on Books And Travel.
How can we adopt an untethered attitude to life, especially when it comes to expectations of travel? C.L. Stambush talks about how her experience of motor-cycling around India taught her more about herself, and how she brings that to her daily life. We also talk about connecting with people across cultural and language barriers, when […]
The post Untethered. A Woman’s Search For Self On The Edge Of India With C.L. Stambush appeared first on Books And Travel.
In September 2022, I walked the Camino de Santiago along the Portuguese Coastal route. It was around 300 kilometers from Porto in Portugal north along the coast and then inland to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which took 14 days of back-to-back walking. I walked alone and carried my pack with everything in it, and I […]
The post A Pilgrim In The Path Of History. Solo Walking The Camino De Santiago Portuguese Coastal Route With J.F. Penn appeared first on Books And Travel.
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I love your podcast Jo! the Hawaii episode is my favourite so far. giving the Tibetan episode a whirl now xx