This Week in Travel

Mary Jo Manzanares is a lifelong resident of Washington State and has spent decades exploring its highways and byways. She spent 32 years as a flight attendant, eagerly sharing tips and recommendations about Seattle to inquiring passengers. Mary Jo is a frequent speaker at travel industry events, a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, and writes about her beloved Washington State at www.discoveringwashingtonstate.com and about her general travels at www.travelingwithmj.com. She is the author of the new book author of Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

Hjörtur Smárason is the CEO of Visit Greenland. He is a contributor to the new book, Aftershocks and Opportunities 2: Navigating the Next Horizon.   Hjörtur Smárason talks about how Greenland tourism was affected by Covid. No tourism for a year and a half. No cruise ships have been allowed in the country, and that eliminated half the tourism. They will be allowed to resume next year. He continues to tell us about the expected infrastructure growth over the coming 3-4 years and destination differences between North Greenland and South Greenland. Next, we talked about the future of tourism post-Covid and sustainability. He sees an increased demand for rural travel and experiencing peacefulness. We got off on an enthusiastic tangent about the intersection of new tech and travel and the quality of the tourist vs. the number of tourists. Greenland is for adventure travelers. Some of the activities are seeing the "Titanic killers" - sizable icebergs, dogsledding, photo tours, hiking, cross country skiing, standing on the snow that touches the North Pole, seeing the Milky Way, Northern Lights. We conclude with a peek into the future of travel and the fascinating chapters of his new thought-provoking book available on Amazon.   Travel tips of the week: Gary – USB-C charger  Jen – "Hey, Disney" with Walt Disney World voice assistant on the Amazon Echo   Hjörtur – Dogsledding in Greenland with the locals, Inuit hunter. Enjoy the Northern Lights above you.  

SPECIAL GUESTS: Chantal and Chloe Patton  We are a Canadian family of 5 who travels the world, visiting 100 countries since 2013. We're documenting our travels to share with everyone on our Youtube channel called Growing Up Without Borders and would love to share our story about our journey, how we're managing to find places to stay, and all the fun experiences we've had. At the moment, we've been in New Zealand since Covid, which has allowed us to fully discover each area of their country.

Mary Forgione covers outdoors and travel for the Los Angeles Times. She's also editor of The Wild, a newsletter that covers essential outdoor content for Southern Californians. She loves running, hiking, camping and backpacking, and doing anything outdoors -- and always looks for new ways to experience destinations in California and beyond. Mary also is a trained volunteer Sierra Club outings leader who leads free hikes open to all. She hikes to the top of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous U.S., every year. She recently spearheaded the L.A. Times 24-page Hiking Guide, with 50 of the best SoCal hikes. latimes.com/hiking.   Sign up for THE WILD: https://www.latimes.com/newsletters/the-wild   Destination Tips:  Gary – Castle Mountains National Monument Jen – Walla Walla Hiking in Oregon, https://www.wallawalla.org/hiking/  Mary – Amboy Crater Hike, late fall or winter in Mojave     Travel tips of the week: Gary – The Brave Browser for blocking ads, third-party cookies. It brings in your history and extensions from Chrome. More secure and less server issues.  Jen – ENO hammock at REI https://www.rei.com/product/875843/eno-pacific-crest-trail-association-doublenest-hammock Mary – Two apps that people should download - All Trails and Gaia GPS. https://www.alltrails.com/

John Argento is an avid traveler who has been exploring the world for the last 35 years. Originally from Canada, John has traveled to nearly 90 countries to date, visited hundreds of cities, towns, and villages around the globe, and currently resides in Amsterdam. He has previously lived in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Montreal & Lausanne and was the host & producer of the short-lived podcast, The Travel Broadcast. He is now developing a travel concierge business, offering customized tours to European destinations.    John talks about a five-week RV trip through Europe during the pandemic. He raves about Spain. Salamanca. Malaga. San Sebastián. Some of the apps he used on his trip were ReopenEU and Camper Contact.    Destination Tips:  Gary – Drive over the Viaduc in France Jen – Cadaqués in the Girona, Spain. Costa Brava.   Steven - South of France - Cassis, a small fishing village west of St. Tropez   Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Tip podcasters in Bitcoin - The Breeze app, Sphinx chat Jen – A country-by-country guide to travel restrictions for Americans in Europe   John – Book - Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves   CLAIM=3c4c94446fd430b4195825f491166d6318531484=CLAIM

Steven is the Host of "The One Way Ticket Show" podcast, where he explores with his acclaimed guests where they would go if given a one-way ticket, no coming back. Their destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary, or state of mind. He also chats with his guests about their lives and work. Steven is also the Host of the "IsraelCast" podcast. He speaks with experts about their work in Israel in high tech, medicine, agriculture, water management, the culinary & visual arts, and more.   Born and raised in Chicago, Steven worked for Young & Rubicam Advertising in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and New York City.   While producing and hosting a radio show in Singapore, he conceived the idea for "The One Way Ticket Show," which he launched as a podcast after moving to New York.    An exhibited photographer with a penchant for travel to rogue nations, Steven's adventures have taken him to nearly 70 countries, including North Korea, Libya, Iran, Burundi, Sudan, Syria, Burkina Faso, and Saudi Arabia.   Steven earned his B.A. (Honors) in Chinese Language & Literature from Washington University in St. Louis and his M.A. in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C.  

Dave Seminara is a writer and former diplomat based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the author of four books. Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth (June 1, 2021) is a deep exploration of wanderlust, focused around the true story of William Baekeland, a young Brit who conned many of the world's most traveled people as they sought to reach the planet's most remote and off-limits places.

Fran Golden is an award-winning travel writer whose work regularly appears in Bloomberg, Travel + Leisure magazine, and other leading media outlets. She is the author of numerous cruise and travel books, including “100 Things To Do In Alaska Before You Die” (Reedy Press, 2021). The Alaska book is available at leading booksellers, or order an autographed copy at 100ThingsAlaska.com

This week's guest is Maureen O'Hare. She is is a Northern Irish senior digital producer for CNN Travel, based at the London bureau. She's written about news, travel, lifestyle, and entertainment for some of the world's leading media organizations.     DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: National Parks see record levels of travel. One of my favorite and often overlooked is Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Western North Dakota. You can see Bison, wild horses, mule deer.   Jen:  The Sky Pool in London. 115 in the air. https://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/architecture-design/embassy-gardens-sky-pool-london#:~:text=A%20new%20see%2Dthrough%20pool,use%20community%20from%20EcoWorld%20    Dominical, Costa Rica. Jungle meets the beach with wifi, surf lessons, craft beer, activities, etc.   Maureen: Destinations that have working visas. One that appeals to me is Georgia, between the Black Sea and the Caucasus. 'Remotely from Georgia' opportunity. Open to foreigners from 95 countries. You can live and work there without a visa if they stay for at least 180 days. https://georgia.travel/en_US/article/remotely-from-georgia    Travel tips of the week: Gary – Apple AirPods Pro. Noise-canceling and also transparent mode. You can wear them in the car and hear background noise. Great safety feature. Excellent battery life. I always travel with my AirPods, and this is the new thing to be in my pocket.    Jen – RemoteYear.com ‍An end-to-end platform for individuals and businesses to live, work and travel together in the most inspiring locations on the planet. "KEEP YOUR JOB. SEE THE WORLD. LEAVE THE PLANNING TO US."   Maureen - Crowdfunding campaign for CityMapper app. Great for getting around London. Door-to-door journeys around the city. https://citymapper.com/ 

SPECIAL GUEST: Madeline Jhawar   Madeline Jhawar is an Italy destination expert with a vision. 11 years ago, she set up an online business creating custom Italy vacations for independent travelers that broke all the rules and charged fees instead of commissions. This allowed her to create truly customized trips without worrying about whether the bucket-list destinations she chose also had a commission schedule. Her business has grown significantly since she started, to the point where she hired her first assistant in 2014 and two more in 2018. Her goal is to make graduates of TBO's courses even more successful than she has been. https://www.travelbeyondtheobvious.com/

Leslie Harvey is a family travel blogger and freelance travel writer. Her blog, Trips With Tykes, chronicles the joys and challenges of travel with young kids. Her travel passions include all things planes and air travel, Disney destinations, skiing, and national parks. Leslie co-hosts two Disney travel podcasts - Disney Deciphered and the Disneyland with Kids podcast. She also co-owns the 23,000 member Disneyland with Kids Facebook group. Leslie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, their 12-year-old daughter, and their 7-year-old son.  https://tripswithtykes.com/       Leslie talks about Disneyland reopening, what guests can expect and gives us insider tips for making your first trip back to the Happiest Place on Earth as smooth as possible.  DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: Carousel of Progress at Disney World.  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/walt-disney-carousel-of-progress/   Leslie: Silhouette Studio  https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/11/the-shops-of-main-street-u-s-a-silhouette-studio-2/ https://disneyland.disney.go.com/shops/disneyland/silhouette-studio/   Jen: Mad Hatter in Fantasyland https://disneyland.disney.go.com/shops/disneyland/mad-hatter-shop-fantasyland/   Leslie’s Disneyland related podcasts and resources: Disney Deciphered Podcast. Co-host Joe Cheung @asthejoeflies does Disney Vacation Planning.  Podcast and Facebook Group: Disneyland with Kids   Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Backstage tour. How they make it work.    Jen –  https://www.showcasetheworld.com/    Leslie:  Hotel landscape has changed. JW Marriott. Raddison Blu. Do a broader search for new local hotels around Disneyland with deals.    Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com and Everything Everywhere Daily https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Leslie:  @tripswithtykes https://tripswithtykes.com/

SPECIAL GUEST: Chris Christensen   Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler which is an award winning online travel podcast / blog that focuses primarily on travel destinations. He is also a co-host emeritus for This Week in Travel. https://amateurtraveler.com/     Chris talks about his recent trip to the Galapagos Islands with Quasar Expeditions. https://www.quasarex.com/   See Chris and Gary’s photos of the Galapagos!   Photos on Amateur Traveler https://travelphotos.amateurtraveler.com/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/   Photos on Everything Everywhere https://travelphotos.everything-everywhere.com/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos-Islands-2015/    DESTINATION TIPS   Gary: If you’re flying into Quito, move on quickly to Guayaquil on the coast or plan for some extra time there in Quito. It’s 9000 feet so you’ll want to acclimate.   Gary: Galapagos islands of North America Haida Gwaii an archipelago off British Columbia’s west coast, in Canada. Where the Alaskan panhandle ends. You’ll see the other type of sea lions up there. Very few people know about it or visit the UNESCO world heritage site on the island. SG̱ang Gwaay Llanagaay. The last place on earth where you can see original totem poles.     Chris: Paso Robles, CA. The region has matured in my lifetime. 300 different wineries and a distillery trail. The Light Show - Sensorio. They have a field of lights that are driven by solar power. See Chris’s California blog to see pics of it. https://sensoriopaso.com/ https://travelphotos.amateurtraveler.com/USA/California/Paso-Robles/i-kkGJNXt    Jen: Sonora, CA. Columbia, Little Roots, Jamestown.   Starlink update:  up to 1500 satellites. Just partnered with Google. Expanding ground stations at the Google Data Centers. Australia, NZ, many countries in Europe. Third generation satellite launching soon. It will make it possible to use Starlink on ships. https://www.starlink.com/    Travel tips of the week:   Gary –  Project Gutenberg is a collection of public domain books. Free. But my tip is the new site https://standardebooks.org/. They take the PG titles and they format them so it’s properly formatted with cover art and colorized images. A proper ebook that you’d buy from Amazon but it’s totally free. Hundreds of titles of classic books.     Jen – https://rooftopcinemaclub.com/ Locations: Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa, San Diego, New York, London.   Chris: Black rapid wonder bundle. It has a tab on the back of your  iPhone and a loop through the charging port where you can attach a strap.  https://www.blackrapid.com/wander-bundle/s https://pacsafe.com/    Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Chris: @AmateurTraveler, https://amateurtraveler.com/

Subscribe to Everything Everywhere Daily wherever you listen to your podcasts! https://podfollow.com/everythingeverywhere/

Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance travel writer, speaker, and author of Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail. “I’m also The Thousand-Miler. Someone who hikes a lot – 7,200+ miles (11,587 km) and counting – and wants to inspire and encourage everyone to give it a try.” https://thethousandmiler.com DESTINATION TIPS Gary: On the Ice age trail - Door County, WI. One of the most visited places in the state. The New England of Wisconsin. Jen: Oceanside, CA https://visitoceanside.org/ Melanie: Whitesands National Park.  Largest Gypsum San Dunes in the world. Get a sled and slide down the sand dunes. Only ten campsites. Sunset changes the colors of the dunes. Otherworldly.    Travel tips of the week: Gary –  RErouted.co. Used gear marketplace. Gear for Hiking, Skiing, Snowboarding, and more.  Jen – Nature Scavenger Hunt Outdoor Kids Activity https://stuffedsuitcase.com/nature-scavenger-hunt/  Melanie: Sun gloves. Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Melanie: @Thethousandmiler

SPECIAL GUEST: Xiomara Rodriguez Director of Marketing & Communications at DiscoverPuertoRico.com   Xiomara Rodriguez talks about Puerto Rico’s recent history and current availability as a tourist destination    Puerto Rica after 2017 Hurricane Maria Infrastructure is back to normal. Tourism and hospitality took advantage of the time after Maria and remodeled and refreshed their properties and attractions.    Puerto Rico during the Pandemic The tourism industry was hit really hard, but was also one of the first US territories to take stringent measures and went into lockdown quickly.   Puerto Rico today.  People can visit Puerto Rico now. They’ve seen a recent increase in tourists coming to the island. Every passenger needs to bring in negative Covid results within 72 hours prior to arrival and a travel declaration form where they upload the results.    Travel tips of the week:   Gary – Bacardi rum factory tour Jen – ThePoingsGuy.com/coronavirus Xiomara – Bomba drums - Louisa in northern part of San Juan is a great place to hear them. There are also Bomba tours.  Vaca Negra farm. You can make your own cheese. https://vacanegra.com/en/ Coffee plantation: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/hacienda-la-mocha/9548   Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Xiomara: https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/

Brad Niva is the executive director of Travel Southern Oregon, the contracted tourism management organization representing Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, and Lake counties.   Under Niva's management, this 34-year-old tourism office is in the process of reshaping its future to highlight the best of Southern Oregon. This includes strategic partnerships with the Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley wine regions and making the wine industry a key tourism asset for visitors coming to the area.   Brad has owned and managed three tourism businesses in the Rogue Valley and has a passion to use tourism as an economic development tool to promote our region and support our Oregon communities.       Brad Niva talks about Southern Oregon as a travel destination. https://www.southernoregon.org/      Destination pics of the week:   Gary – Lava Beds National Monument, Tule Lake https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm  Jen – Rivers Edge Restaurant  https://www.riversedgerestaurant.net  Brad – Galice Resort  http://www.galice.com    Travel tips of the week:   Gary – New locations. UK, Germany, Southern states in the United States and Australia  https://www.starlink.com/ Jen – Guy Kawasaki Remarkable People Podcast https://guykawasaki.com/remarkable-people Brad – Thank you to SATW travel writers for their inspiration   Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Brad: https://www.southernoregon.org/ 

SPECIAL GUEST: Bruce Poon Tip Entrepreneur, leader, and philanthropist Bruce Poon Tip, is the founder of G Adventures, an award-winning small group adventure travel company and pioneer of community tourism. ... We host 200,000 travelers per year, offer more than 750 tours, and travel to 100 countries — across all seven continents.       Bruce Poon Tip talks about his book https://unlearn.travel/   Destination pics of the week:   Gary – Alberta, Canada — Wood Buffalo Jen – The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology https://tyrrellmuseum.com/  Bruce– Japan - outside of big cities. How to get lost in rural Japan. Fishing villages in coastal Japan.    Travel tips of the week:   Gary – 1.1.1.1 https://1.1.1.1/   Jen – Toca Boca apps for kids of all ages  https://tocaboca.com/  Bruce– Vago compression bags https://vago.global/    Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com  Bruce: https://www.instagram.com/brucepoontip 

Simon Wright is the industry editor at The Economist and recently wrote the publication's "Future of Travel" special report.     Simon Wright talks about his report in the Economist, “Return of the Wanderer” https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021-02-13   Picks of the week:   Gary – Check on your travel credit cards and do an audit. Check your passport status before you fly again.  Jen – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-25/covid-vaccine-passports-2021-the-golden-ticket-for-international-travel Simon – IATA app. https://www.iata.org/en/youandiata/travelers/iata-travel-pass-for-travelers/   Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com Simon: Economist.com

This Week in Travel Leif Pettersen   SPECIAL GUEST Leif Pettersen:   Leif Pettersen is a freelance writer, author, humorist, world traveler, and award-winning travel & tourism marketing professional from Minneapolis, Minn. He has traveled through 57 countries and lived in Spain, Romania and Italy. His latest book, THROWING UP: NOTES FROM 35 YEARS OF JUGGLING, is available on Amazon along with his travel memoir BACKPACKING WITH DRACULA.   Pettersen was a silver medalist at the 2014 International Jugglers' Association championships, loves chocolate, hates pickles, types with exactly four fingers, and can escape from a straitjacket. He has not vomited since 1993, making him a consummate travel journalist and excellent party guest.   This Week’s News:   P&O launches UK 'cruises to nowhere' for vaccinated passengers https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/po-british-cruises-to-nowhere-vaccine/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2ZWRhA1fev1fvQlf7zcFKVSrA-bWsc5mHiVsrxnPWCpbe9BTdSy9IR1U0   Leif Pettersen talks about his new ebook, "The First (Failed) Travel Food Show” https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YP8F1PH/   Destination Minnesota   Jen: Foodie scene in Minnesota. Winter patios, Fish Fry Fridays, https://twincities.eater.com/   Gary: Favorite part- North Shore of Lake Superior. Drive to Duluth. Isle Royale National Park    Picks of the week:   Gary – Clubhouse Jen – Jet Blue Mint pods https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us/mint     Find our guest and hosts online: Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com Leif: http://leifpettersen.com/ Twitter: @leifpettersen Instagram: @pettersenleif

This Week in Travel Corey Taratuta   This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Co-hosts Gary Arndt and Jen Leo   SPECIAL GUEST COREY TARATUTA:   Corey Taratuta hosts the Irish Fireside Podcast and IrelandTravel Kit destination guide.   Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Become a Fan on Facebook | Download   This Week’s News: How vaccinated travelers became hot property https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/vaccinated-travelers-in-demand/index.html   Corey talks about his travel experiences traveling in the United States and to Ireland during the pandemic.    Destination Shannon region, Ireland Corey: Planning an Itinerary that Starts from Shannon Airport http://irishfireside.com/2016/07/09/planning-itinerary-starts-shannon-airport/   Jen: Cliffs of Moher - https://www.ourescapeclause.com/guide-to-visiting-the-cliffs-of-moher/ The Cliffs of Moher by Sea: Doolin, Co Clare http://www.irelandtravelkit.com/the-cliffs-of-moher-by-sea-dooling-co-clare/ Corey: The Craft Granary in Cahir.  (We learned after the show that this has been closed)  Cliffs north to the Burn where a couple got engaged Where to stay in a castle? https://www.dromoland.ie/. Cabre Castle near Dublin. https://www.celticcastles.com/Tullaun Castle. They’ve been restoring a castle and now a fully functional airbnb experience. https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/18193217?s=67&unique_share_id=ccf094da-ed97-4504-b5bd-b3cad24f6f4b   Gary’s favorite place in Ireland: Skellig Michael. Make sure to get on a boat in the South-West region of Ireland and book well in advance. The moment you know you're going, book a ticket to go on a boat and check out Skellig Michael. Corey says you can hang out with puffins if you go in August. Stand in the spot where Luke Skywalker stood in Star Wars.   Picks of the week:   Gary – The Great Courses Plus. An enormous collection of online lectures. https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/   Jen – Where Can Americans Travel Right Now? https://travel.usnews.com/features/where-can-americans-travel-right-now   Corey – Informed Delivery. Pics of all your mail. https://informeddelivery.usps.com/ Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Corey: http://irishfireside.com/ http://irelandtravelkit.com/  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom, Bitcuriousmom.com

This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Co-hosts Gary Arndt and Jen Leo   SPECIAL GUEST DON GEORGE:   Don George is the author of The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George and of How to Be a Travel Writer. Currently Editor at Large for National Geographic Travel, he has been Travel Editor at the San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle, Salon, and Lonely Planet. In addition to writing and editing, he also teaches workshops and leads tours around the world.   This Week’s News: What is Travel Shaming? https://traveltomorrow.com/what-is-travel-shaming/   Don George talks about his new ebook, "Wanderlust in the Time of Coronavirus.”   Destination San Francisco Don: Restaurants - Greens, Zuni Cafe https://greensrestaurant.com/ http://zunicafe.com/   Jen: Clement Street in the Inner Richmond.  Family Travel Hotel Zephyr, Fisherman’s Wharf, Exploratorium, https://www.hotelzephyrsf.com/ Adult travel: Carvallo Point https://www.cavallopoint.com/ Gary: National Parks in the Bay Area   Picks of the week:   Gary – Starlink - expanded Beta into rural areas - Australia and New Zealand, will change travel over the next several years. Life-changing internet for remote areas   Jen – COVID-19 US Travel Restrictions: State-by-State Guide for March 2021   https://www.travelpulse.com/gallery/impacting-travel/covid-19-us-travel-restrictions-state-by-state-guide-for-march-2021.html    Don – Autumn Light by Pico Iyer, Long Pedal of the Sea by Isabelle Allende Find Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Don: don-george.com  Jen: @jenleo, @bitcuriousmom

This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt and Jen Leo.   CO-HOST EMERITUS:   Chris is the host of the Amateur Traveler which is an award-winning online travel show that focuses primarily on travel destinations. It includes a weekly audio podcast, a video podcast, and a blog. In 2014, Chris won a Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Journalism from the Society of American Travel Writers and was called the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel & Leisure Magazine in their annual SMITTY Awards.    He has worked for years in technology startups in Silicon Valley. He was formerly the Director of Engineering for TripAdvisor's New Initiatives group and was the EVP Engineering at LiveWorld where his team built and ran online communities and events for companies including eBay, HBO, TV Guide, Expedia, Marriott, A&E, History Channel, the NBA, NBC, ABC, Disney, Microsoft, WebTV, and American Express.    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Become a Fan on Facebook | Download   This Week’s News:   U.S. Optimism About COVID-19 Situation Reaches New High https://news.gallup.com/poll/331832/optimism-covid-situation-reaches-new-high.aspx   California says Disneyland and other amusement parks can reopen April 1 https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/disneyland-amusement-parks-california-reopening/index.html   Royal Caribbean will offer a 'fully vaccinated' cruise with sailings starting in Israel https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/03/01/royal-caribbean-offer-fully-vaccinated-sailing-new-cruise-ship/6871142002/?fbclid=IwAR2L4YzYRtW-RBytlMz7bgpzVaJZhfdJBr_J-JmrOGpA9d_CLIDFz46GxKs     Picks of the week:   Gary – Mac Book Air M1 https://www.apple.com/macbook-air/ Jen – Universal Yums https://www.universalyums.com/?uy=vuj8wpumb7 Chris – California - all of it, back up your computer! Find Gary: Everything-everywhere.com  Chris: AmateurTraveler.com Jen: @jenleo, @bitucriousmom    

An update on what is happening with This Week in Travel

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest travel writer David Swanson from https://www.100sandiego.com/

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Robert Reid from reidontravel.com who has left travel writing for a variety of reasons and returned to Oklahoma.

This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Spud Hilton are joined by this week’s guest: Jen Campbell Boles is the owner and Chief Exploration Officer of Explore More Family Travel, a boutique travel agency

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest Nora Dunn from The Professional Hobo.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Caz and Craig Makepeace from the yTravel blog

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest Robert Cole. Robert is a hotel and hospitality consultant at RockCheetah.

This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week’s guest: SPECIAL GUEST BIO: Sherry Ott is a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer with one goal in mind - to make you wish you were somewhere else. She writes about her travel lifestyle and around the world adventures on Ottsworld.com and her social media channels. She continues to seek out epic adventures to intriguing places in order to challenge herself and inspire people to overcome their fears and reap the benefits of travel. Where to Go & When ebook - https://bold-grass-4654.ck.page/2d3f7584ec

SPECIAL GUEST BIO: Anietra Hamper is an award-winning travel writer and photographer with a penchant for outdoor adventure and fishing for some of the largest fish in the world. Prior to writing for travel publications, Anietra spent 18 years as a top-rated, EMMY nominated television news Anchor and investigative reporter. Anietra takes a “boots-on-the-ground” journalistic approach to all of her stories to provide authentic information from actual experiences. Anietra is passionate about adventure. Whether she is fishing for the giant wels catfish in Spain, trekking glaciers in Iceland, breaking angling records in Thailand, rafting Class V rapids in West Virginia, shrimping in Louisiana or hiking the jungles of Cambodia, this is how Anietra prefers to experience new destinations. Anietra currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with her dog Sunny. You can find out more about Anietra’s travels, photography, blog and next extreme fishing adventure at www.threewordpress.com. Anietra tells us her incredible story of being stuck in a remote part of India and her harrowing experience getting home.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen talk about the Coronavirus Covid-19 and its impact on life, travel, and the travel industry.

This Week in Travel – Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Chris Christensen, and Jen Leo are joined by this week’s guests: Earl Bridges and Craig Martin, long time philanthropy veterans, globetrotters, and best friends,  are co-hosts of the new PBS Travel Series THE GOOD ROAD.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen talk about 2019 and 2020.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Steve Kaufmann who is a retired ex-diplomat, founder of two companies, YouTuber, and polyglot. He spends most of his time on YouTube these days, speaking about language learning (he speaks around 20 languages). He now has an app LingQ.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Stephen Harris author of Traveling Through North Korea: Adventures in the Hermit Kingdom and bigbeaverdiaries.com

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Travel Writer Tim Leffel from PracticalTravelGear.com, PerceptiveTravel.com, and CheapLivingAbroad.com, author of The World's Cheapest Destination.

This Week in Travel. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen This special episode was recorded live at the TBEX travel blogging conference in Billings Montana and marks the 10th anniversary since the show started. We are joined by this week's guests: Palle Bo from The Radio Vagabond Rick Calvert from TBEX Jesse Guidry from Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission Alyson Murnion from Visit Billings Caz and Craig Makepeace from ytravelblog.com Tony Price and Jim Scott from Friends That Carry On Nora Dunn from The Professional Hobo Angie and Rachel Orth from Angie Away and the Jet Sisters video series Corey Lee from Curb Free with Corey Lee Susan Bejeckian from Solomon Islands Visitors Colleen Lanin from Travel Mamas Dreya Coleman from @namedtodream Sonja Hoyt from Happy Travel Bug Priya Vin from Outside Suburbia Kerwin McKenzie from Passrider.com

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Spud Hilton, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Chris Haag from theplacesipee.com We talk about Chris and his wife's epic two-year bike journey from Alaska to Argentina.   

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Spud Hilton, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Scott Keyes from Scott's Cheap Flights

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, Spud Hilton, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: David H. Mould travel writer and author of the recent book Monsoon Postcards: Indian Ocean Journeys

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Sarah Mikutel, travel podcaster at Postcard Academy

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Spud Hilton, former Travel editor and host of new travel podcast from the Inappropriate Traveler - spudhilton.com

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest Scott Gaille author of "Strange Tales of World Travel"

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Stephanie Chastain Ireland Travel Coach and blogger from Infinite Ireland

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest Max Hartshorne of gonomad.com. We talks about: Budget skiing in Turkey ($19 a day) Visiting Turkey UNESCO sites and National Parks buying travel sites

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Warren and Karen Binedell from ourtravellingfamily.com who are starting a trip volunteering around Europe with pets and 3 teens.

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Spud Hilton, former Travel editor of the San Francisco Chronicle - spudhilton.com

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, and Jen Leo are joined by this week's guest travel author Francis Tapon from francistapon.com, and host of the WanderLearn Podcast

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Seth Kugel, former New York Times Frugal Travel and author of the new book "Rediscovering Travel - A Guide for the Globally Curious"

This Week in Travel - Travel News Podcast. Regular hosts Gary Arndt, Jen Leo and Chris Christensen are joined by this week's guest: Marc Bennett and Julie Bennett from rvlove.com authors of the book Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road as we talk about full time RV living (interview starts at 28:53 after the news):