It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Where to Go list⁠⁠⁠⁠: 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales to explore this year.

Like East London, where a billion-pound investment has transformed the 2012 Olympic Park into a creative powerhouse.

In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with ⁠Nick DeRenzo⁠, Afar's editorial director of newsletters (sign up here!) and a self-described Londoner at heart. Nick makes the case for hopping on the Elizabeth line and devoting time to the East Bank cultural quarter, where you can order a David Bowie costume at the V&A East Storehouse, dine on Chinese-Texas barbecue on a canal barge, and sweat it out in a community sauna.

Plan Your East London Getaway
(First, explore our ⁠London travel guide⁠.)

Stay

• ⁠Moxy London Stratford⁠ for budget-friendly stays


• ⁠The Stratford⁠, an Autograph Collection hotel


• ⁠The Gantry⁠, a Curio Collection by Hilton property

Eat and Drink

• ⁠Barge East⁠, a restaurant on a canal barge


• Chinese-Texas-style Uncle Hon’s BBQ
  


• ⁠Badu Café, a Black-owned coffee shop run by a youth athletics nonprofit


• Snacks and drinks along ⁠Hackney Bridge⁠, an incubator space in an old candy factory

See and Do

• Explore ⁠Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park⁠, the heart of the East Bank cultural quarter


• Visit the ⁠V&A East Storehouse⁠ to see 250,000 objects—and use the "Order an Object" program for a personalized curator experience

• Catch a show at ⁠Sadler's Wells East⁠, dedicated to non-ballet dance

• Soak at ⁠Community Sauna Baths⁠, a not-for-profit with Scandinavian vibes


• Dance at ⁠Coven⁠, London's first permanent Black-owned queer venue since the 1970s

Coming in 2026

• ⁠V&A East⁠ museum dedicated to East London design opens April 2026


• BBC Music Studios moving to the area in 2027


• 
  London College of Fashion campus now open

Resources

• Follow Nick on ⁠Instagram⁠
  


• Explore ⁠Afar's Where to Go in 2026 list⁠
  


• Follow us: ⁠@afarmedia⁠
  

Listen to All the Episodes in our Where to Go 2026 Series

E1: T⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠his Island in the Bahamas Promises Pink Sand, Historic Hideaways, and Perfect Solitude ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E2: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Why Peru's Second City Might Be Its Best-Kept Secret⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E3: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The New 170-Mile Hiking Network Connecting Stockholm's Dreamy Archipelago⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E4: ⁠⁠⁠Route 66 Turns 100—and Albuquerque Is Ready to Celebrate ⁠⁠⁠

E5: ⁠⁠Why Morocco's Chill Capital Deserves Your Attention ⁠⁠
E6: ⁠⁠Three Hours From Nashville, the South's Next Great Food Capital Is Waiting⁠⁠
E7: ⁠⁠The French Riviera's Last Stop Before Italy—and Its Best-Kept Secret ⁠⁠
E8: ⁠⁠Skip the Serengeti Traffic Jams for This Under-the-Radar Kenyan Safari ⁠⁠
E9: ⁠The Pacific Northwest's 80-Mile Playground Just Got Even Better ⁠

E10: ⁠The White Lotus Architect Designed a Hotel in This Vietnamese City—Now the World Is Noticing⁠

E11: Malaysia's Most Overlooked Island Is a Feast for Every Sense

E12: The Texas City Getting a Juneteenth Museum, FIFA World Cup Matches, and a Cowgirl Museum Expansion

E13: The South Australian City That Punches Above Its Weight

E14: East London's Olympic Park Has Transformed Into a Cultural Powerhouse (this one!)

Stay Connected

• Sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And explore our other podcasts, ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.

Unpacked by Afar is part of⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Airwave Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠'s podcast network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices