Speaking of Travel®

Charlie Thomas is an artist and environmentalist based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. With a strong connection to the ocean and all its inhabitants, Charlie shares how his passion is creating a life of stewardship, leadership, and traveling.Charlie spent his summer holidays on Great Barrier Island and has worked full-time in wildlife conservation since leaving high school when he was only 16. He has visited, or lived on, some of the most remote (and important) islands in the world, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand subantarctic islands. ​During 2020, Charlie spent nine months on Kure, one of the most isolated atolls in the world, in an effort to restore the island by helping its seabirds and marine wildlife, eradicate invasive weed species, and clear marine debris. And he shares his recent expedition with the  Antarctic Heritage Trust's Inspiring Explorers Expeditions™ in South Georgia as part of the Trust’s visual arts outreach team where he uses watercolor to illustrate South Georgia's incredible wildlife and landscapes.Charlie works in education and teaches young people about the importance of being guardians for our native species and spaces. His passion for nature, particularly birds, has led him to create art in all forms highlighting how we can help take better care of the planet. Visit  www.charliesbirds.com to learn more about Charlie and how he connects people of all ages and backgrounds to the natural wonders in their own backyards and in places they've never heard of before. A very special episode on Speaking of Travel! Tune in! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Author and travel professional Nina Zapala shares why she is dedicated to helping people create a personalized, transformative roadmap for self-discovery. Her trailblazing personality paradigm encourages self-awareness through spiritually focused typing. Nina's typology is the keystone of her debut book, “Unpack Your Personality: Let Your Inner Guide Be Your Travel Guide.”Andy McNeill, CEO of American Meetings, Inc., shares how hospitality and travel can come together to build lifelong business relationships. He has helped thousands of organizations build stronger relationships through shared human experiences and explains how the history of hospitality is now the cornerstone of today’s travel experience and why it has lasted so long. A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Sarah Benoit is a digital marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and educator. She is also the co-founder and acting lead instructor of the JB Media Institute. And she is a passionate traveler.Sarah shares how traveling can be a way to deepen your intimacy, connection, and understanding of the people you love. And she explains why sometimes she travels for adventure, but most of the time she chooses to be close to people and to strengthen relationships. And Sarah shares how she decided to plan bucket list trips for her parents. Discover how she gets out of her comfort zone and exposes herself to uncertainty, exploration, and learning. Being so passionate about traveling, Sarah describes why the result is in her own personal growth along with having greater emotional agility, empathy, and creativity.Also on this episode of Speaking of Travel is Tina Kinsey, VP of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport. Tina provides some tips on how to set the tone and ensure your travel experiences run as smoothly as possible. And she shares some info on what it takes moving so many people to their ultimate destinations and provides an update on all the progress being made on the new airport terminals. A great listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Margaret Roach and Ken Druse are gardeners and writers offering up online courses on all things gardening. Margaret and Ken share how The Virtual Garden Club began and how they put together these programs to provide advice, encouragement, and camaraderie, along with answers to your gardening questions! Margaret is a longtime garden writer and  created a website, podcast, and weekly newsletter called A Way to Garden, the title of her 1989 book that was reissued in 2019 in an all-new edition.Ken is a celebrated lecturer, an award-winning writer, photographer and author of 20 garden books. The American Horticultural Society listed, The Natural Garden, among the best books of all time, and the New York Times called him “the guru of natural gardening.”Ready to join the club? Click here!  Also, Mark Collins from RomanticAsheville.com, shares how this guide to Asheville and Western North Carolina helps the community grow stronger and fosters inspiration and why  RomanticAsheville.com is the most visited travel website for those planning travel to this beautiful part of the world. Find out how they value their partners and readers to maximize exposure and ensure all the content is current and up to date. "There are a lot of moving parts carefully considered to ensure our readers have a seamless and rewarding experience," said Mark.A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

In 1995, LEAF Global Arts began as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Their mission...  to connect cultures and create community through music, arts education, and experiences, and to cultivate curiosity, preserve cultures and promote global understanding.An organization like LEAF plays a significant role in fostering a sense of community and cultural identity. Over the years, LEAF has become an essential part of this community and provides opportunities for people to come together and celebrate their shared customs, beliefs, and values. On this episode of Speaking of Travel, meet two integral participates in the LEAF experience who are helping to pass the magic forward. In this year’s theme of World Changers: Year of The Activist, they are world changers.Adama Dembele is from the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and is the 33rd generation of a family serving communities through music and culture of the djembe. Schree Antoinette is a cultural preservationist and heritage practitioner with a passion for safeguarding traditional cultural knowledge, customs, and natural resources.Together they share how music and dance truly bring people together and break down barriers of race, class, age, gender, nationality, religion and political views.Let’s be inspired to become active participants in the story of our global community.SAVE THE DATES FOR LEAF 2024!LEAF Retreat: May 9-12LEAF Global Arts Festival: October 17-20Visit TheLEAF.org for more information! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

I recently read a study showing how researchers have found that when we look at maps, our brains are activated in different ways, creating this unique and enjoyable experience. Enter the future. Today, there are ways to look and interact with maps we could never have dreamed of even just a few years back. AJ Brau is CEO of Wandermap, a map solution where you can explore every nook and cranny of your chosen destination before you even set foot there. AJ shares the Wander story and explains how tourism boards are key to a sustainable tourism future and what’s next with their new interactive itineraries 🙌Also, Tina Kinsey from the Asheville Regional Airport, describes how the airport is finding solutions to address rising passenger traffic as they build a beautiful, new terminal. Western North Carolina has needed a bigger airport for a long time and is finally realizing the expansion. The team at the airport are hard at work making it happen! And with all this building going on, the Asheville Regional Airport continues giving back to the community. Tina shares how they contribute to local organizations and partner with economic development agencies to provide important information about air service to prospective businesses. A must listen. Only on Speaking of Travel!Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

I’ve had some amazing travel experiences when I was sharing those experiences with others on the trip. Traveling with other people provides opportunities to try new things and even increases courage when there are other people around encouraging you to try something new and jump into that opportunity. Matthew Kent is the founder of Kent World Travel. With his career in professional golf across South Africa, Europe and the USA, and living and playing in over 50 countries worldwide, Matt now spends his time between South Africa and the US hosting his clients on trips around the world. Also, Noah Kleiner, owner of Equinox Guiding Service in Maine, is dedicated to providing transformative outdoor experiences to empower participants in overcoming fears, embracing challenges, and developing new skills in a supportive and encouraging environment, while challenging them to step out of their comfort zones and create unforgettable memories.Tune in and discover the importance of getting outside, being with others, and even stepping out of your comfort zone. A must listen! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel And Leave No Trace TV series continues with host Richard Crawford. Richard talks to us while in Australia editing the epic Season Two of the popular Leave No Trace TV show with producer and cameraman, Ben Alcott. Ricky and Ben share updates and tell us about their day-to-day progress and how they go about editing the show. And all the places we can watch Leave No Trace TV.And discover how to be more of a savvy traveler and stay safe when traveling. Also, Ricky and Ben provide some examples from their trips  and explain why it's important for people to continue exploring and traveling and share the many reasons sustainable travel is important.A must listen. Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Liza Rutledge is the owner of Happy Hiking Company, specializing in leading captivating overnight guided backpacking tours across the stunning landscapes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Liza shares the benefits of a guided trip over a non-guided trip and why these experiences in nature are beneficial to your mental and physical health, builds outdoor skill sets, and is a great means of meeting new people. Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, VP of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares some of the stories of an industry in constant evolution and what the Asheville Regional Airport is doing to transform for this region’s future growth. A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

LoAnn Halden (she/her) is the VP of Communications for the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, IGLTA. Their mission is to provide information and resources for LGBTQ+ travelers and expand LGBTQ+ tourism globally.IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, was founded in 1983 and is the world's leading network of LGBTQ+-welcoming tourism businesses. They provide free travel resources and information while continuously working to promote equality and safety within LGBTQ+ tourism worldwide. IGLTA’s members include LGBTQ+-friendly accommodations, transport, destinations, service providers, travel advisors, tour operators, events and travel media located in over 80 countries.LoAnn shares how the LGBTQ+ community as a whole has made progress over the past few decades and explains how the transgender community still faces major challenges, particularly in the tourism industry. Their IGLTA Foundation works with tourism businesses and transgender community leaders to develop a plan for making tourism more welcoming for transgender travelers.And LoAnn describes their new IGLTA Accredited program, created to serve the gold standard of assurance that travel brands are committed to promoting equality and safety for LGBTQ+ travelers. LoAnn shares how meeting these standards ensures properties and travel organizations meet comprehensive criteria and evaluation process before being recognized as IGLTA Accredited™.A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Ariel Haas and Jason Moon, business partners at Glassy Stays, Asheville, NC's exclusive glass mirror house, share the benefits of staying at an eco-conscious accommodation for a vacation in the heart of the forest. Today, the old-school, off-grid lifestyle is not as attractive as it once was, except maybe for those who like the camping lifestyle. Now it’s more about a luxury off-grid lifestyle as people are becoming more mindful of how they travel and where they stay.  Ariel and Jason explain how this sustainable haven is bringing modern luxury into nature. And what makes Glassy Stays and the mirror house special.Also on Speaking of Travel is Justin Belleme, founder of the JB Media Group, co-founder of the JB Media Institute and the DIY Tourism Marketing Workshop, and the publisher of Romantic Asheville.com.  Justin is a leader in helping shape the future of sustainable travel and shares how alternative accommodations are becoming more popular and necessary. Tune in! Only on Speaking of Travel.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Travel the world with LEAF Global Arts. Their mission is to connect cultures and create community through world music, arts education, preservation, and experiences.Join Chinobay, LEAF Global Arts Chairman of the Board of Directors and a catalyst for positive change through his multifaceted journey beginning in Uganda, and Ryan "RnB" Barber, LEAF’s Spark the Arts artist-in-residence for Black History Month and a staple of Asheville NC's legendary music scene, as they share why music is the world's universal language. Chinobay and Ryan explain how the world-changing theme for LEAF 2024 resinates with their desire to enhance the lives of children across the globe.Together they share how music is their vehicle to travel the world and showcase the universal language of music, transcend borders, and unite people in a shared musical experience.Join artists from around the world at the LEAF Global Arts Experience in downtown Asheville year-round, or at LEAF Global Arts Retreat each May, and LEAF Global Arts Festival each October. You will travel the world through music, culture, and the arts. SAVE THE DATES FOR 2024:LEAF Retreat: May 9-12LEAF Global Arts Festival: October 17-20Visit TheLEAF.org for more information. Become a part of the LEAF family and help cultivate a thriving global community generated by the power of cultural curiosity, education, connection, and preservation.Tune in! Only on Speaking of Travel. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Ever wonder why it feels so great to be out in nature? Amanda Baker, Partner Marketing Manager with Visit North Carolina and oversees North Carolina’s Outdoor NC initiative, and Clark Lovelace, Executive Director of the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, share how the love for the outdoors makes us feel happy, inspired, and excited to explore more. And why it's important to to build awareness around responsible travel, destination stewardship, and sustainable tourism concepts.Amanda explains how North Carolina has a strong commitment to protect and preserve the culture and natural resources of the state. With three flagship programs in place: Leave No Trace, Accessible Outdoors & Trail Town Designation, they have expanded their initiatives beyond responsible travel by providing educational workshops, along with a practical tool-kit, to advance stewardship activities and communications.  Clark shares how Transylvania County is recognized for their long-standing roll in sustainability by creating Transylvania Always and Leave It Better as their key initiatives.And with 250 waterfalls in Transylvania County, Clark relates how waterfall safety is a focus they share with land agencies, emergency personnel, and others.  The state and its partners are creating programs with local businesses, residents and visitors to help protect and preserve North Carolina’s outdoor spaces for the future.  A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Omi Salevea of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority in the Blue Ridge Mountains, shares why outdoor recreation is important in preserving natural landscapes and for protecting culture and heritage. And why it's good for your body too!One of my favorite places to get outdoors is in Old Fort, a small town not far from Asheville in McDowell County, NC. It's a mountain town in the way the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains surround this beautiful place. And there’s a rich history dating back to before the Revolutionary War and so many incredible things to do outside. Omi fills us in on all there is to see and do in this special area and why one trip is just not enough.Also on Speaking of Travel, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, provides an update of the largest construction project in the airport’s history and how they have marked yet another record-breaking year in 2023.With about a 22.2% increase over 2022 figures, the airport's annual passenger count grew beyond the historic 2 million mark for the first time ever.The global air travel industry in 2023 demonstrates people are traveling more and more and the Asheville Regional Airport is growing to become a landmark infrastructure project for Western North Carolina.Find out more! Only on Speaking of Travel. Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Enock Glidden is an accomplished outdoorsman and is found adventuring every season of the year. Born with Spina Bifida, Enock has learned to do things differently than others and shares how attitude is everything.Also on Speaking of Travel, discover why collaboration and meaningful relationships provide a framework for inspiration. Guest Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, builds strategic partnerships and combines responsibility, sustainability and safety into one coherent voice to help foster conservation and inspiration for growing stronger as a community and as good people.People making a large positive impact in the world sometimes attribute their passion by what they do differently. And then they inspire others who might recognize they have something special that other folks don’t and can finally move forward to have their voices heard.A very special Speaking of Travel. Only on Speaking of Travel!Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Speaking of Travel And Leave No Trace TV Series with Richard Crawford, host of the popular TV series, Leave No Trace, continues with new stories and tips to help change your life for the better and see sights so rich in wonder they will take your breath away.In this, the first episode of the new year, discover Ricky's backstory...  How does a small boy from Paisley, Scotland, end up traveling the globe? And have the opportunity to visit some amazing places that life has to offer? What was it like going from being a  luxury brand ambassador to creating a show with an emphasis on protecting the environment?And Ricky shares some best practices in this tourism sector and how these leaders are making a difference. And find out what it was like to have traveled to all seven continents for Season Two.The Speaking of Travel audience wanted to find out how Ricky and Ben (cameraperson/producer) decide on the best ways to capture the essence of a destination. Discover how they do it and how they train for their trips.To ask Ricky and Ben questions, simply contact Marilyn at mb@speakingoftravel.net. There are new ways to watch Leave No Trace TV, and Ricky explains how to watch, where to watch, and provides updates on Season Two and when the season will be ready for viewing. All on Speaking of Travel. Tune in! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Real Asia Founder Nick Wang and Associate Nina LaFerla share their passion for Asia and its diverse cultures with US teachers and students and create ways to utilize travel as a means to deepen the understanding between us and the destinations we visit. Nick has extensive business relationships with Chinese schools, companies, and NGOs and has been leading Real Asia to help many schools across the US with their faculty-led study trips.Nina is a devoted educator whose engaging, award-winning teaching style has taken her to classrooms around the world, from France to the Tibetan regions of China. Nina fell in love with China on her first trip there when she was only 14 and since then has spent many years studying, teaching, and guiding in China.  Discover why Asia is such a unique travel destination and how Nick began Real Asia to provide the most authentic experience with an immigrant's perspective of helping others travel. Also, Tina Kinsey, Vice-president of Marketing, PR, and Air Service Development at the Asheville Regional Airport, shares how this airport's improvements and projects address long-term growth and what the airport is doing to keep pace with increased passenger traffic, security and the passengers’ needs. In the fall of 2022, the FAA announced the availability of $1 billion during 2023 for airport expansion projects, mostly earmarked for airport infrastructure project. Over the last couple of years, there have been many changes to federal funding programs in the U.S. that dramatically widened the scope of airport expansion all over the country.Find out how this airport is planning on accommodating current and future air service expansion. A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel!Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Tess Vigeland is a longtime journalist and podcaster. And she is an avid photographer who shoots mainly landscape photos around the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Tess shares how sometimes wanderlust shows up and she just must go.It's been more than five years since Tess returned from her time abroad and she describes what it's like to go so long without real international travel and why she's super excited to get back out again. Tess is a wanderer and her upcoming trip to Portugal is no exception to her wanderlust. Find out how she rolls with no real plans except to rent a car, get out a map, and just go. And Tess shares how these last five years of no real international travel has given her more perspective of how much she loves traveling throughout her home region of the Pacific Northwest. She explains how countless road trips, many of them 1,000+ miles within two states, fills her soul to travel this way in an extraordinarily beautiful corner of the globe, one that draws photographers from all over the world, and what's different for her now versus when she grew up there. Find out how Tess is looking at all of this literally through a new lens of photography and why she's never so happy as when she's on the road, in her car, with her camera, by herself.And speaking of being alone, Tess is going to Portugal alone and tells us she's actually not sure she'll ever want to travel with someone again. Not that she'll never say never, but discover why she feels solo travel is it for her!For more info about Tess and to follow her journey, visit www.tessvigeland.com.Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

Jane Adams, former director of Partnership Relations with Jane Fortune and Advancing Women Artists,  a non-profit organization that was dedicated to rediscovering, restoring, and exhibiting works by women artists found in Florence’s Museums and State deposits, shares how she is continuing to raise awareness about forgotten artists and reclaim their rightful place in history.Jane explains how meeting Jane Fortune and Advancing Women Artists led to one of the most recent examples of lost art and also one of the most impressive. Sister Plautilla Nelli’s (1524-1588) The Last Supper is the only known depiction of Christ’s last meal by a female artist in the pre-modern age. The self-taught artist’s massive canvas—about 21 feet long and 7 feet high—is one of the largest works by a woman artist of the pre-modern era in the entire world. Though women were banned from studying anatomy, Nelli defied conventions of the time by taking on a theme reserved for male artists and creating 13 life-size male figures. There are still so many questions and Jane helps clarify why some of these works were never considered masterpieces. A movement is happening now around Italy's women's art restoration and Jane will bring you into a history that is not just restoring the works of art, but also restoring women’s place in art history. Over the past 10 years, over 70 works of art are now restored. When you think about it, art has always been used as a means of storytelling and has vastly enriched our lives. The world needs women to inspire us, to raise our spirits, and to serve as role models for our future generation of girls. A must listen! Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.

The Asheville Art Museum is an example of how museums engage, inspire and enlighten communities. Museum leaders Kate Faulkner and Neal Page share how the Asheville Art Museum transforms lives through art.When I’m visiting new places, I like to prepare my options for what to see and do. And one thing always on my agenda is going to a museum. Usually more than one. And why not? Museums are community centers and always make you feel good. Even smarter! And most likely there is a museum near you right now. And lucky for us right here in Asheville, NC, the Asheville Art Museum was established by local artists  and is the third oldest art museum in the state. Big changes happened in the museum building during their major expansion and renovation project a few years ago and now it’s time to catch up! Tune in! Only on Speaking of Travel! Thanks for listening to Speaking of Travel! Visit speakingoftravel.net for travel tips, travel stories, and ways you can become a more savvy traveler.