Peak Travel (WHYY)

The transition of Barcelona’s historic La Boqueria market from a place filled with fishmongers and specialty mushroom vendors to chain cafés and smoothie shops has made the city feel more and more like a theme park.

SHOW NOTES:

• The Battle for the Boqueria
• History of the Boqueria
• 6 Ways the 1992 Olympics Transformed Barcelona
• The Disneyfication of Cities: Historic Centers as Amusement Parks for Tourists
• Interview with mushroom vendor Xavi Petras

Travel can do amazing things: broaden horizons, build relationships, and rejuvenate the soul. But often, those experiences come at a cost. 

This is Peak Travel, a new podcast from WHYY about how travel shapes communities in hot-spots around the world. We’ll share the wonder that comes with exploring new places, as well as the harm that our worst travel habits can cause. And we’ll try to figure out how we can do it better.

Each episode transports you to a new destination. You’ll meet the people who call that place home, hear their stories, and come to understand how tourism has changed their everyday lives. Supported by rich, on-location sound from around the world, Peak Travel unpacks the $1.9 trillion travel industry and its impact on people and the planet.

Peru’s tourism industry is best known for Machu Picchu, a wonder of the world, where adventurers go for a once-in-a-lifetime hike. But the porters who carry the industry on their backs are often abused and exploited. 

SHOW NOTES:

• UNESCO site for Machu Picchu
• Evolution Treks Peru website
• Learn more about the Porters Law
• "Making Machu Picchu, the Politics of Tourism in Twentieth-Century Peru" by Mark Rice
• Fernando Ríos Correa obituary 

Cruises are coming to dominate the tourism industry, offering accessible and affordable vacations. And many local economies rely heavily on them to stay afloat. But activists, scientists, and residents worry about their impact on the community and the environment. Alaska has seen a boom in the cruise industry, and many of the communities affected are Indigenous. We visit two Alaskan towns to see who’s really on board.  

SHOW NOTES:

• The dangers of the Alaskan cruise by Andrew Engelson
• Read the latest on Ship Free Saturdays
• Cruise Line Report Card
• The economics of cruises
• Can cruising be green?

The Olympics bring a burst of excitement to host cities, but in places like Rio de Janeiro, Sochi, and Atlanta, they often leave behind a legacy of displacement, worker exploitation, and blighted infrastructure. In Paris, will the 2024 games be any different?

SHOW NOTES:

• The Long History of the Olympic Industry and Totalitarian Regimes
• 5 Key Issues Facing the Paris Olympics
• From Paris to Rio: the rising voices against the Olympics
• “It’s Like a War Zone”: How the Olympics nearly destroyed a Rio neighborhood
• Saccage 2024

Have you ever opened Instagram to see a bunch of people posting from the same place — Lisbon? The Amalfi Coast? Charleston? Japan? It’s no coincidence that every year, it feels like everyone is going on the exact same trips. In this episode, we’re going to pull back the curtain on the travel media industry and show you how a place becomes a viral destination.  

SHOW NOTES:

• Check out Where to Next Y’all on Instagram
• Read Natasha Nyanin’s stories and look through her photos on her blog 
• The Differences Between Paid and Organic Content on Social Media
• Under the Influence: Social Influencers and the Travel Industry
• How COVID Changed Travel Writing     

While other developed countries have invested in their rail systems, the U.S. has leaned into more individualistic ways of getting around. In this episode, we ride cross-country trains in America and China to feel the difference.

SHOW NOTES:

• The State of Highspeed Rail in the U.S.
• History of Amtrak
• Railway Age website
• China’s High-Speed Rail Miracle
• Fast Facts on U.S. Transportation Emissions 

Nashville has become the bachelorette party capital of the United States, and residents worry the influx of loud, visible tourists threatens the city’s reputation as a music city. 

SHOW NOTES:

• Nashville Bachelorettes: A Ben Oddo Investigation
• How Nashville Became One Big Bachelorette Party
• ACME Feed and Seed
• Bach to Basic website
• Books by Beth Montemurro

For centuries, members of the B’doul Bedouin tribe lived in the caves around the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Then, in the 1980s, the government forced the tribe to move in the name of preserving the geological site for tourists. But if the residents are forced to leave, and if their heritage has been permanently changed, then what exactly is being preserved?

SHOW NOTES:

• Meet The Man Living in The Lost City Carved in Stone
• Jordan: Petra's tourism authority cracks down on Bedouin cave dwellers
• The tribes paying the brutal price of conservation
• “There is no future for Umm Sayhoun”
• Jordan’s Young Bedouins Are Documenting Their Traditions on TikTok
• Check out Sami's company Jordan Inspiration Tours 

With an estimated 100,000 tourists heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, we’re exploring a classic American pastime: the tailgate. Most people think of tailgating as a time for sharing beers and team spirit. But in this episode, we find out why tailgating motivates so many people to travel — and get to the heart of its culture. 

SHOW NOTES:

• Your ultimate guide to Super Bowl LIX 
• Eagles-themed party buses take over South Philly tailgates
• Learn more about the history of the tailgate
• “Cardinal” by Mt. Joy
• Spice up your tailgate with these NOLA inspired recipes

Social media has turned Bali’s shrines and temples into a playground for disrespectful tourists, but residents are fighting to preserve the island’s integrity. 

SHOW NOTES:

• Bali Influencer Backlash Intensifies
• Eat, Pray, Love Trailer
• When a tourist in Bali gets arrested, this is the woman they call
• Will the Instagram vs. Reality Trend Affect Tourism in Bali?
• Navicula band webpage

After wildfires ripped through Lahaina in August 2023, the Hawaiian government had to decide if and when to welcome tourists back to Maui — and force locals to return to work in the same industry that displaced them.

SHOW NOTES:

• Maps of wildfire damage
• Lāhainā Strong website
• Learn more about Hawai'i’s history 
• University of Hawai’i’s Center for Oral History
• If you want to help families affected by the fires, donate here

Because of inequities in passport and visa systems, Europeans and westerners can visit Africa with ease — but Africans themselves face hurdle after hurdle when trying to explore their own continent. 

SHOW NOTES:

• Why Traveling Around Africa is Difficult for Africans
• “The Popi Show” on Instagram
• Southern African countries plan to expand special tourist visa
• Would a visa-free Africa break down colonial-era borders?
• Emmanuel Iduma author page

Many places allow tourists to visit with little restrictions. But Bhutan is different. Nestled in the Himalayas, this tiny, land-locked country has implemented a “high-value, low-impact” tourism model, including a fee that tourists have to pay each day that they visit. As more destinations grapple with the effects of overtourism, what can Bhutan teach us about how to manage it?   

SHOW NOTES:

• Bhutan celebrates 50 years of tourism
• It just got much cheaper to visit Bhutan (2023)
• Carbon Negativity in Bhutan: An Inverse Free Rider Problem
• What can we learn from Bhutan’s approach to sustainable tourism?
• Bhutan Cultural Etiquette: Dos and Don'ts When Visiting Bhutan

Salem, Massachusetts is best known for the Witch Trials of 1692. That history turned the small town into a Halloween destination, with more than 1 million people flocking there in the month of October alone. It’s so crowded that residents can’t get down the street, walk into a shop, or sit down at a restaurant. How does a small town like Salem deal with a flood of visitors in just one month of the year? And is it really worth it for the people who live there?    

SHOW NOTES:

• The Salem Witch Trials: A Story of Patriarchy, Persecution and Misogyny
• Witch Hunt: A Traveler’s Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch
• How Salem, Massachusetts Became America’s Halloween Capital
• Visit these 12 Halloween towns that aren’t Salem
• Salem residents share perspectives on tourist crowds

If you’re an American who likes to travel, you’ve undoubtedly been influenced by Rick Steves. He’s known for his guidebooks about visiting Europe on a budget. We sit down with the beloved travel writer and TV personality to hear about his new book — and reflect on his decades-long career, how he thinks travel media has changed, and his own impact on destinations around the world.   

SHOW NOTES:

1. Rick Steves’ newest book, “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer”
2. Listen to Peak Travel host Tariro Mzezewa as a guest on Rick Steves’ podcast
3. Travel host Rick Steves says he’s home safe after surgery
4. Rick Steves’ website
5. Rick Steves’ Europe YouTube channel

Many westerners associate Rwanda with the brutal genocide that overtook the country 30 years ago. But since then, Rwanda has made a huge investment in tourism — building new infrastructure, museums, music venues, and more. Now, it’s one of the most popular destinations in Africa. In this episode: Rwanda’s rebirth, how tourism has changed the country, and why this compelling narrative is more complicated than it appears.

SHOW NOTES:

1. How to rebrand a country
2. Mighty Popo’s KigaliUp Festival
3. Support Rwanda’s School of Create Arts and Music
4. Kigali Genocide Memorial
5. Tourist attractions in Kigali 

For many travelers, Antarctica is a bucket-list destination, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to touch all seven continents. In 2023, a record-breaking 100,000 tourists made the trip. But the journey begs a fundamental question: What do we risk by traveling to a place that is supposed to be uninhabited by humans? And as the climate warms, should we really be going to Antarctica in the first place? 

SHOW NOTES:

• Kara Weller: The Impossible Dilemma of a Polar Guide
• Marilyn Raphael: A twenty-first century structural change in Antarctica’s sea ice system
• Karl Watson: First Time in Antarctica
• Jeb Brooks: 7 Days in Antarctica (Journey to the South Pole)
• Metallica - Freeze 'Em All: Live in Antarctica

When two budget airlines collapsed in Colombia, tourism to the small island of San Andrés suddenly dropped. The travel industry makes up 90 percent of the island’s economy, and many worried this would spell a crisis for its residents. What actually happens to a popular destination when many of the tourists stop coming? 

SHOW NOTES:

• The beautiful waters of San Andrés
• Stay at Cleotilde Henry’s Posada Nativa
• Learn more about San Andrés’ history with Colombia (in Spanish)
• Keep up to date with Job Saas
• Laura López Martínez’s paper about Caribbean history

Travel can do amazing things: broaden horizons, build relationships, and rejuvenate the soul. But often, those experiences come at a cost. 

Welcome back to Peak Travel from WHYY, the show that unpacks how travel shapes communities in hot-spots around the world. We’ll share the wonder that comes with exploring new places, as well as the harm that our worst travel habits can cause. And we’ll try to figure out how we can do it better.

Each episode transports you to a new destination. You’ll meet the people who call that place home, hear their stories, and come to understand how tourism has changed their everyday lives. Supported by rich, on-location sound from around the world, Peak Travel examines the $1.9 trillion travel industry and its impact on people and the planet.

A partnership between the Mexican government and Airbnb forces generations of families out of the most desirable neighborhoods in Mexico City.

SHOW NOTES:

• Rosalba González Loyde author page
• “País sin techo” by Carla Escoffie
• Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo elected President
• Learn more about Mexico City’s partnership with Airbnb
• ‘Gringo go home’ - El País

Venice has long been considered the poster child for overtourism in Europe. As ever-growing waves of tourists aboard boats and cruise ships jeopardize the delicate city, residents hope a new entry fee will offer relief. 

SHOW NOTES:

• The Moto Ondoso Reduction project
• Learn more about Venice’s tourist fee
• How Venice is sinking
• The housing crisis in Venice
• Responsible Tourism Partnership website