Stanfords Travel Podcast

Back by popular demand following his 2018 appearance, Michael Portillo returns to the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival. Since leaving politics we have watched him travel all around the world in his television documentaries. Championing the Bradshaw’s Handbook, Michael has looked in depth at the history of rail travel and how it opened up the world for people … Continue reading Michael Portillo in Conversation: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

The wellbeing of our oceans has never been more important. But to truly understand the vital role they play, we need to first understand how the oceans work, how we explore them and learn about the mysteries they hold, and what our effect is on them. Combining untold history of ocean exploration and personal account … Continue reading Dr Jon Copley: Exploring the Ocean Depths: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

In 2016 Ben Aitken moved to Poland to work in a fish and chip shop. He booked the cheapest flight he could find, to a place he had never heard of – Poznan. Between peeling potatoes and boning fish, Ben spent time on the road travelling the country and learning about its history. Talking to … Continue reading Ben Aitken: An Unlikely Year in Poland: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Dreaming of your next adventure? Whether you’re looking for festivals and culture, an unforgettable journey, natural wonders, rest and relaxation, or active adventures, Lucy Richards talks to Paul Blezard about the most amazing places in the world and the best time of year to visit them. Discover when to explore Costa Rica’s rainforests, journey into … Continue reading Lucy Richards: Where to Go When: Stanfords Travel Writing Festival 2020

John Hudson talks to Paul Blezard about how strategies for life or death situations can help us excel in our everyday lives. Through gripping first-hand accounts of survival stories from across the extreme world you can develop the skills that allow you to make better decisions under pressure, which are as equally applicable to your … Continue reading John Hudson: How to Survive: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

At a time of deteriorating relations between Russia and the West, Sara Wheeler talks to Julia Wheeler about a Russia not in the news – a Russia of humanity and daily struggles. Taking us across eight time zones, from rinsed north-western beetroot fields and far-eastern Arctic tundra to the cauldron of ethnic soup that is … Continue reading Sara Wheeler: Travels Through Russia: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Dom Joly talks to Julia Wheeler about his book The Hezbollah Hiking Club, in which he writes about hiking across Lebanon, from the Israeli border in the south, along the spine of the country’s mountain range, all the way to the Syrian border in the north. It is a big-hearted, witty and affectionate love letter … Continue reading Dom Joly: A Short Walk Across the Lebanon: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

From Mappa Mundi to modern election maps, the United Kingdom has evolved rapidly, along with the ways in which it has been mapped. During this time, cartography has not only kept pace with these changes, but has often driven them. In his beautiful book, Philip Parker talks to Julia Wheeler about some of these maps … Continue reading Philip Parker: History of Maps in Britain: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

The prospect of travelling with children can be daunting: long flights, unfamiliar food, the absence of the home comforts and helpful grandparents. But more parents are venturing away from all-inclusive resorts with kids’ club entertainment on tap in favour of immersive real-world experiences. In doing so they discover the joys that family travel can bring, … Continue reading Travelling with Children: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Matt Dickinson talks to Phoebe Smith about his first-hand experience of living through one of the most devastating storms ever to hit Mount Everest, a storm in which many lost their lives. Tackling issues at the very heart of mountaineering, Matt tells an extraordinary story of human triumph, folly and disaster. The Death Zone by Matt Dickinson

Develop your travel writing with a panel of top writers and editors. Learn how to write travel articles and pitch to editors, set up and monetise a travel blog, or just write about your travels for your own pleasure. With Jonathan Lorie (author of The Travel Writer’s Way and director of Travellers’ Tales), Lyn Hughes … Continue reading Develop your Travel Writing: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the centre of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history. Their story takes us on … Continue reading Jung Chang: Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

David Barrie talks to Paul Blezard about the navigational tools that animals (including humans) use, whether it is celestial, solar, magnetic fields, landmarks or even scent, and the difference between map and non- map-based navigation. He also presents the evidence of map-like representations of the world in animals’ brains. While humans increasingly rely on technology … Continue reading David Barrie: Exploring the Wonders of Animal Navigation: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

How often have you read a travel book and thought about how you would love to recreate that journey? Well these three authors did just that and even turned those journeys into books of their own. Join us as Paul Blezard talks to Jacki Hill-Murphy who has followed the footsteps of a number of early female explorers and adventurers, Alastair … Continue reading Walking in the Footsteps Of… : Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking and we get to know … Continue reading Ned Palmer: A Cheesemonger’s Tour of the British Isles: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Adrian Hayes talks to Paul Blezard about his attempts to climb K2 – the notorious second highest mountain in the world – in 2013 and again in 2014. During these expeditions his thoughts often turned to his guilt and struggles as a father amid tumultuous personal circumstances; the profound events on K2 and the powerful lessons for our … Continue reading Adrian Hayes: Trauma, Tragedy and Triumph on K2: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year at the 2019 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, William Atkins talks to Julia Wheeler about his experiences in eight deserts: the Empty Quarter of Oman, the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan deserts of northwest China, the Great Victoria Desert of Australia, the man-made desert of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, … Continue reading William Atkins: Journeys in Desert Places: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Christopher Somerville talks to Paul Blezard, as he takes us behind the scenes of Britain’s Cathedrals, delving deep into the private life and the uncertain future of these ever-voyaging Ships of Heaven. Nowadays these great stone ships seem solid and unshakeable, but they are leaky old vessels in uncharted waters, tossed on waves of power and glory, … Continue reading Christopher Somerville: The Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Diana Darke talks to Julia Wheeler about her new book, The Last Sanctuary in Aleppo. It’s an incredible true story, seeing war-torn Aleppo from the view of an ambulance driver who cares for the people and animals caught in the crossfire and goes on, amidst the chaos and ruin, to create a cat sanctuary. The Last Sanctuary in Aleppo by Diana Darke.

In his recent ITV series, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, Ainsley Harriott went back to his roots to uncover the best-kept secrets and simple dishes of Caribbean home cooking. Join us as he talks to Julia Wheeler about the diverse culture and the rich food heritage of these much-loved islands. His tales of traditional recipes and local ingredients will inspire dishes … Continue reading Ainsley Harriott: Tales from a Caribbean Kitchen: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

The shattering of Yugoslavia in the 1990s showed that, after nearly 50 years of peace, war could return to Europe. It came to its bloody conclusion in Kosovo in 1999. Tim Marshall, then diplomatic editor at Sky News, was on the ground covering the Kosovo War. He gives an illuminating account of how events unfolded, drawing … Continue reading Tim Marshall: The Inside Story of Europe’s Last War: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Rainforests are the lungs of our planet – regulators of the earth’s temperature and weather. We’ve all heard of their systematic destruction but do we know the implications arising from their continuous decline? Tony Juniper talks about his experience at the frontline of the fight to save the rainforests, explaining the science and history of the campaigns, … Continue reading Tony Juniper: Rainforest: Dispatches from Earth’s Most Vital Frontlines: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2020

Kicking off the 2020 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival at Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show, we welcome our team of experts on Japan. Find out just why you should be visiting there in 2020. From history, art and cultural quirks, to how to plan your trip, Robin Moul (Be More Japan), Matt Spiller and Kylie Clark tell all to Paul Blezard.

Levison Wood talks to Phoebe Smith about his life as an adventurer and his latest book Arabia. Following in the footsteps of great explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, Arabia is Levison’s account of his most complex expedition yet: circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula. Travelling through some of the harshest and most beautiful … Continue reading Levison Wood in Conversation with Phoebe Smith: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

When Monisha Rajesh announced plans to circumnavigate the globe in eighty train journeys, she was met with wide-eyed disbelief. But it wasn’t long before she was carefully plotting a route that would cover 45,000 miles, almost twice the circumference of the earth, coasting along the world’s most remarkable railways from the cloud-skimming heights of Tibet’s … Continue reading Around the World in 80 Trains: Stanfords Travel Writing Festival 2019

Britain’s greatest mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington talks to Paul Blezard about his career spanning six decades of climbing peaks, across all continents. He has undertaken nineteen Himalayan expeditions, including four to Mount Everest which he climbed in 1985 at the age of fifty, and has made many first ascents in the Alps and greater ranges … Continue reading Sir Chris Bonington in Conversation: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

One word binds us all: geography. We are all geographers, human beings who care about the places we think of as ‘home’ – our habitat. Nicholas Crane makes the compelling case to Julia Wheeler that geography has never been so important. On this finite orb, with its battered habitat, sustained in dark space by a … Continue reading A Brief Guide to the World with Nicholas Crane: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Travel writers Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent and Lois Pryce talk to Julia Wheeler about their extensive solo travels by motorbike in many regions all over the world including India’s Arunachal Pradesh, Iran and South America. Hear about their epic adventures and the discoveries they’ve made as they talk about venturing off the beaten track, banish myths about … Continue reading Solo Motorcycle Adventures: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

When travelling, what is appropriate behaviour when greeting people? Should you offer a handshake, a kiss on the cheek or two kisses? Different countries have their own set of rules regarding eating, dressing, cleanliness, hospitality and religion. What traditions should you absolutely partake in and which should you merely observe. Are they ways to find … Continue reading Travel Etiquette: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Levison Wood talks to Julia Wheeler about his life as an adventurer and his latest book Arabia.       Following in the footsteps of great explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, Arabia is Levison’s account of his most complex expedition yet: circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula. Travelling through some of the harshest … Continue reading Levison Wood in Conversation with Julia Wheeler: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Alev Scott’s odyssey began when she looked beyond Turkey’s borders for contemporary traces of the Ottoman Empire. Their 800-year rule ended a century ago – and yet, travelling through twelve countries from Kosovo to Greece to Palestine, she uncovered a legacy that’s vital and relevant; where medieval ethnic diversity meets 21st century nationalism, and displaced … Continue reading Ottoman Odyssey: Travels through a Lost Empire: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Ishbel Holmes was determined to cycle the world but her journey took a completely unexpected turn when she rescued a street dog in Turkey. Between the two there formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a … Continue reading Cycling with a Rescued Street Dog: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Calling all nature lovers. Join us as Jonathan Drori talks about his new book Around the World in 80 Trees. From India’s sacred banyan to the fragrant cedar of Lebanon, they offer us sanctuary and inspiration – not to mention the raw materials for everything from aspirin to maple syrup. Jonathan uses plant science to … Continue reading Around the World in 80 Trees: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Sean Conway talks to Phoebe Smith about the third and final leg in the world’s first length of Britain Triathlon. Having already cycled and swum the length of Britain, Sean completed his trilogy by running all the way from John O’Groats to Land’s End entirely unsupported. The adventure was turned into a successful Documentary on … Continue reading Running Britain with Sean Conway: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Lloyd Figgins, travel risk expert & author of the The Travel Survival Guide offers up-to-date, no-nonsense, practical advice on how to prepare for a trip, recognise warning signs, avoid potential hazards and cope with emergencies should they occur. The rewards you can reap from exploring this amazing planet are incalculable. Every year, more and more … Continue reading Travel Safety: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Levison Wood talks to Paul Blezard about his life as an adventurer and his latest book Arabia. Following in the footsteps of great explorers such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, Arabia is Levison’s account of his most complex expedition yet: circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula. Travelling through some of the harshest and most beautiful … Continue reading Levison Wood in Conversation with Paul Blezard: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Achieve a level of outdoor awareness that will enable you to understand the landscape around you. Tristan Gooley shows how it is possible to sense direction from stars and plants, forecast weather from woodland sounds and predict the next action of an animal from its body language – instantly. Mary-Ann Ochota shares her archaeological expertise … Continue reading Reading the Landscape: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Just ahead of his retrospective exhibition at the Tate Britain Sir Don McCullin talks to Julia Wheeler about his highly celebrated career as a war photographer spanning six decades. Once a witness to some of the harshest and most devastating conflicts across the globe, Sir Don has now become one of the great landscape photographers … Continue reading Sir Don McCullin in Conversation: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

In 2016 Lizzie Carr became the first person to paddle board the entire length of Britain’s waterways. In 2017 she became the first woman to paddle board solo across the English Channel. In 2018 she became the first person to paddle board the entire length of the Hudson River. She combined her paddle boarding with … Continue reading Paddling Britain and Beyond with Lizzie Carr: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Ed Gorman talks to John McCarthy about his career as a journalist covering conflicts in Northern Ireland, the Gulf, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and Afghanistan. Looking at how these experiences can completely change your life, they will also be talking about Ed’s book Death of a Translator which is a searingly honest description of … Continue reading Ed Gorman in Conversation with John McCarthy: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Kate Humble talks to Julia Wheeler about the benefits of walking and her book Thinking on My Feet in which she recorded her walks (and runs) throughout a single year, but also charted her feelings and impressions throughout. She looks at the reasons why we walk – whether for creative energy, challenge and pleasure, or … Continue reading Why We Walk with Kate Humble: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

For centuries people have been making spiritual journeys in search of enlightenment or following some kind of sacred footsteps. Emma Slade, Justin Butcher and Guy Stagg have all recently written very different books following this theme. Here they discuss the historical significance and personal experiences behind these journeys, how they can be secular and offer … Continue reading A Modern Pilgrim’s Journey: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Informed by 30 years commenting on world affairs, Tim Marshall’s illuminating explanations of global politics made Prisoners of Geography an international bestseller. In his latest book Divided he brings that wealth of experience and insight to explain what has divided us, past and present, showing how it informs much of what is going on in … Continue reading Divided: Why We’re Living in an Age of Walls with Tim Marshall: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Former Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year winner, Julian Sayarer talks to Paul Blezard about his experiences on the small island of Surin, near the navel border of Thailand and Myanmar. Julian was initially brought to the area as an on-location writer for a crew filming a documentary about the indigenous people known as … Continue reading All At Sea: Another Side of Paradise with Julian Sayarer: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2019

Author and Explorer Levison Wood talks to Julia Wheeler about his life as an explorer and shares his experiences from his Channel 4 series following his journeys Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas and Walking the Americas as well as his most recent series From Russia to Iran. Levison has travelled to over 80 countries … Continue reading Levison Wood: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018

Stanfords is a proud supporter of Explorers against Extinction, an exciting initiative highlighting the plight faced by some of Africa’s most iconic species. One of the conservation partners are Animals saving Animals, run by Daryll Pleasants who is talking to Paul Blezard about this UK project that is making a real difference in the fight … Continue reading Explorers Against Extinction: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018

Join Mark Brownlow, author & producer of Blue Planet II as he talks to Julia Wheeler about the Blue Planet II book and BBC TV series. Hear about how they brought to life the different habitats of the oceanic world. This talk features breath-taking stills and photographs from the BBC Natural History Unit’s spectacular footage. … Continue reading Blue Planet II: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018

Water, water, everywhere. 2017 has been awash with books about people connecting with nature and finding peace through swimming. With open water swimming on the rise, Jenny Landreth and Joe Minihane talk to Phoebe Smith  about why they are so passionate about swimming and they share their best spots for swimming in the UK. Swell … Continue reading Wild Swimming: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2015

You may not be surprised to learn that during the Cold War the Soviet Union gathered information about the West. But you may be astonished to discover just how much they knew about your town, your street, even your house. John Davies and Alexander Kent, authors of The Red Atlas tell the story of the … Continue reading How the Soviet Union Secretly Mapped the World: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018

Rick Stein talks to Julia Wheeler about some of the places he has been in the world that have inspired him to experiment with new dishes and ingredients. He also talks about his new book ‘The Road to Mexico’ where he brings his unrivalled enthusiasm and trusted expertise to the fresh, flavourful food of Mexico … Continue reading Rick Stein: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018

Is it more about the journey than the destination? Christopher Somerville, Anna Hughes and Nick Hunt talk to Adrian Bradt about the idea that travelling slowly by walking or cycling opens your eyes to a much wider journey. Between them they have travelled thousands of miles by such means and have a wealth of experience … Continue reading The Joy of Travelling Slowly: Stanfords Travel Writers Festival 2018